Shades of Grey

Chapter 11

Once Sakura was convinced that he was truly down she began to limp across the battlefield. She drew the beautiful blade that Sasuke had had given to her and saw it glint in the light. Being a child of the Leaf, she had been taught the value of life. It was far preferable to disable your enemy than to take his life. Sure, she had been in situations where there was no other course of action but to take a life. She had more than her fair share of blood on her hands. This was different though; her enemy was disabled and helpless. She knew that what she was about to do was murder, but she felt she had no other choice. He was powerful, he would hunt her, and if she fell into his hands the world she loved would feel the consequence.

She lifted the well-crafted razor-sharp blade into the air but could not help closing her eyes. Imagine her surprise when as her blade came down, she felt the undeniable vibration of metal hitting metal.

"I cannot allow you to kill him." Itachi Uchiha said as she withdrew her blade.

"If I don't kill him, he will just come after me again." Sakura defended as she dared to look up and into his eyes. Once again, she was relieved to see a deep onyx instead of the menacing scarlet he was so renowned for.

"Perhaps you should learn to heed advise when it is offered." He chided. "Had you done so, you would not have had this encounter."

"Wait a minute!" The kunoichi suddenly exclaimed. "Were you here the whole time? Did you just stand there and watch?"

"You fought well." The Uchiha confirmed her suspicions. "Your skills were impressive and your strategy flawless."

Just like that, her anger melted away. She could not figure out why the praise from the Uchiha mattered to her, but it did. Maybe it was because he was one of the most powerful shinobi in the world, and she knew from her former teammate that he did not often hand out praise.

"Thank you." She could not fight the blush that made its way upon her cheeks.

"Heal yourself." Itachi ordered. "I will stand watch while you do."

Damn, this Uchiha was one confusing mass murderer. One minute he attacks you, the next he offers you advise, then he spies on you while you fight one of his friends. Now he was offering her protection while she tended to her wounds. Maybe she was like a rat in a maze to him; fun to play with until she reached the end.

"Why are you helping me?" Sakura allowed her suspicion to show in her tone as she began to take his offer and heal herself.

"My reasons are my own." He evaded her question. "It seems that your destination is wind country. You should find peace there, at least for the next few months."

"Thank you." The kunoichi knew it was against her better judgement, but she believed him. Wind had been on her list of places to go, but she was almost certain that he had no clue of that fact. He was offering her advice once again; this time she would not ignore it. She made a hasty decision. "Set down, let me heal your ribs."

"How do you know they are injured?" Itachi quirked a brow.

"I saw a slight flinch when you put away your kunai and you are intentionally keeping your breaths shallow. Don't forget I am one of the best medical ninjas in the world." She explained.

"Hn," was his only verbal response, but when she took a seat on a large rock, she knew that he had accepted the offer.

Her chakra sent a warmth through him that he had never experienced before. It seemed to touch more than just his broken bones; it calmed him in a way that he had never felt. He had never allowed a med nin to work on him. He was no fool, well aware that those trained to save lives could take them with the very same touch. The question was why did he do so now? Why allow the girl to touch him in such a way?

"Why would you heal an enemy?" He voiced at least some of his thoughts.

"Because I don't think you are an enemy; at least not yet." Sakura answered honestly as she finished and withdrew her chakra.

"Explain." Itachi demanded.

"I am still fun to toy with; I haven't yet reached the end of the maze." She shrugged as she gave her cryptic answer. "Now what are you going to do with him?"

Itachi spared the blonde idiot sprawled on the ground a glance.

"Nothing." He remarked. "I assume, given the fact you were about to lob his head off with mother's katana, that he will survive. I prefer that he not realize that I was here."

"Fine." Sakura shrugged as she walked towards the blonde.

"I told you I will not allow you to kill him." Itachi watched her pull out a kunai.

"Oh, I am not going to kill him." Sakura smirked. "Just going to give him something to remember me by."

With that said she knelt before him and with one clean swipe she removed his long ponytail. The Uchiha's eyes widened a fraction and he made a mental note to never allow the kunoichi to disable him.

"I do believe that you just declared war." Itachi offered her a smirk of his own.

"I did that the minute I took the Kyuubi." The kunoichi shrugged. "Now if you will excuse me, I want to be long gone before he wakes up."

Itachi nodded his head in goodbye and was pleased to see her alter her course and head towards wind. He glanced once more at his comrade before taking his leave. Why had he stopped the girl from killing Deidara? He and the blonde had a bumpy relationship to put it mildly, and the nin's survival did not matter to his goals.

He tried to tell himself that it had nothing to do with their prior encounter. It was a lame argument even to his own ears. Itachi had seen the way that her hand shook when she had drawn her katana, the hesitation in her every step. He himself could still recall the teachings of his former village. Killing was a last resort. Long ago he had lost any such qualms; she obviously had not. Itachi knew better than most what bloodshed did to the very soul of a shinobi.

What did it say about him that he did not wish to see her taint herself in such a way? How was he supposed to let her blood cover his hands if he could not even watch as she sullied her soul? This did not bode well for his goals, he growled. He should have never allowed her to heal him. Letting her chakra course through him was the most intimate thing he had ever experienced in his life. He could feel it even now; feel her even now. Her innocence that even his darkness could not completely banish, her passion for the world around her, and a sorrow that she had found herself in the life that she now lived. Itachi sighed. Long ago he his plans had been set and they included eventually handing the nine tails over to Akatsuki. All good plans sometimes require revision he told himself as he vanished into the forest.