Crimson Ties

Chapter 26

Sakura turned to face the voice behind her. Itachi stood not that far from her, worry spread across his face. 

   "Everything my brother said was true. I was afraid of how my clan would react to you and I guess my fears have become real." Itachi said. 

   Sakura could do and say nothing. 

   "They want nothing more from you other than you to be their weapon to the future. I was going to tell you this morning when we were both awake, but when I woke up you were gone. I asked Sasuke to help find you. I was going to explain everything to you." Itachi stated. 

    Her head began to ache as it tried to process all of the information being thrown at her. Only a few of the clan viewed her as more than a weapon. They viewed her as a person while the majority viewed her as a prized weapon. She would be used to strengthen the clan. 

   "I refuse to be a weapon to your clan, Itachi. I couldn't live with myself if I allowed that to happen." Sakura stated. 

   "I told my father I am leaving with you. I do not want to claim the name of a clan who uses others for their own gain. I am not that kind of a person." Itachi stated. 

   "I had planned on leaving the moment I had heard what they planned at the meeting. I refuse to allow them to use you like that. You mean more to me than you know and I could not sleep at night knowing I had allowed everything that the clan wanted with you. We can leave whenever you wish to. I will not force anything on you. I know you enjoy working in the hospital here and I would never take that from you but as long as we are here than you are in their reach." Itachi explained. 

   "So if I stay in the village than I run the risk of them using me anyway? I'd have to leave forever to escape them? I would have to leave everyone I know and love? " Sakura asked. 

   Itachi nodded. He could tell her heart was breaking at his suggestion. He only wanted to keep her safe and this was the only way to do it. She would have to abandon Konoha and never return. His clan would only take her to use her as they originally planned. He knew Sasuke would follow them, he would want to keep Sakura safe as well. None of her friends would abandon their village to join them and neither would her parents, their entire life was here, as was Sakura's.

   "I know this is hard Sakura. I know you feel like everything you know is being turned upside down because of us and you are right to feel that way, I would never tell you that your feelings were wrong. In honesty, I feel that you would have been better off never wanting either of us. Staying here would only endanger you. Our clan will not stop until they have that seal of yours in their ranks. You know this as well as we do. They would go to war with this village to have that seal and I and my brother are sure that they want to use it to wage war on the village and possibly many other villages as well." Sasuke said. 

   Sakura sighed at the thought of what their clan could do. She knew the brothers were speaking the truth, their clan would stop at nothing to gain that seal from her. She couldn't hide herself in the village and expect everyone here to be safe. Leaving the village was the only option to keeping herself and everyone else safe and the only way to prevent the Uchiha clan from gaining the seal.