Last Name

Chapter Four
The streets and buildings of Konoha were washed with the rich, golden glow of the early morning sun. Merchants and business owners were opening their shops as the beginning traces of potential customers began wandering the streets. Amidst the growing crowd was a pair of kunoichi who were taking a stroll and catching up on all the latest gossip.
“It’s only a matter of time before they admit to it and make it official,” Ino said confidently.
“I don’t know,” Sakura disagreed. “It might be too troublesome for him to do so.”
“Perhaps, but Shikamaru isn’t always lazy,” the blonde stressed. “Not to mention, Temari doesn’t put up with it. I bet she’ll be the one to take the initiative.”
“That’s true,” Sakura hummed as she lifted her hand in greeting to one of the vendors lining the street.
Ino craned her neck to see around a group of loitering civilians before stomping her foot lightly and scrunching her nose.
Sakura raised her brow. “What are you doing?”
“I thought I saw…” the frustrated blonde blew her bangs from her face as she sped up to bypass the group.
“Huh?” the rose-haired girl responded succinctly as she scampered after her friend. “Saw what?”
“Ooh!” Ino growled in frustration as several housewives running errands crossed once more in front of her vision. Teal eyes lit up with predatory glee as a small smile crept across her face. “Hmm...”
Sakura huffed with annoyance as she was disregarded. Glancing over Ino’s violet clad shoulder, the woman’s puzzled expression changed to one of amused understanding with underlying tones of smugness as emerald pools reflected the flower seller’s oblivious quarry.
A devious grin stole across her face, revealing pearly teeth as jade eyes shifted between her best friend and her socially unaware, temporary teammate. Sakura crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one hip as she leaned back to watch the show with that small, knowing smile. Ino plastered a saucy smirk on her face as she sauntered over to the unsuspecting male sitting cross-legged outside the library, with his chin resting on his fist and staring intently at the open book resting in his lap.
“Hey, Sai,” the blonde simpered as she sidled up to the mildly surprised shinobi. “What are you doing?”
The pale shinobi looked up at her impassively, glanced at the book and back at the smiling woman. “I’m reading.”
“Reading what?” Ino asked coyly, pressing her finger to her lips, ignoring the snickering woman behind her.
“A book,” Sai answered with mild confusion.
Ino sat down on the ledge beside him, tucking her legs neatly beneath her. “What about?”
“The nature of relationships,” the artist answered, glancing back at the book for a moment and missing the sly grin that turned Ino’s lips up. Sakura, however, did not miss it and had to press her hand over her mouth to contain her snickers. “It’s very confusing though.”
“Why don’t I help you,” the blonde suggested solicitously with a triumphant gleam in her aquamarine eyes. “We can get together sometime and figure everything out.”
“Really? That would be wonderful,” Sai smiled genuinely.
“Great, I’ll see you later then,” Ino winked flirtatiously as she traipsed back to her shaking friend. “What are you laughing about, Forehead?”
“Nothing, Ino-pig,” Sakura responded as she waved her hand in the air while taking deep breaths to control herself. “Everything makes so much more sense now.”
“What’s that mean?” Ino demanded with a pout.
“You have a crush on…Sai,” the petite woman giggled as the two resumed meandering through the streets.
“What? He’s cute and such a sweetheart,” the blonde kunoichi gushed, ignoring Sakura’s peals of laughter.
“Just wait til you get to know him better,” Sakura warned, unladylike snorts escaping her as they approached the flower-shop owned by the Yamanaka family.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ino huffed as she paused before the open door leading into the greenery filled room, sweet and heady aromas wafting out into the street. “I promised my mom that I’d help her with the shop today.”
“Yeah, I’ve got to go help Shishou continue working through that mess she calls an office,” Sakura said with distaste as she jerked a thumb in the direction of the Hokage Tower.
Ino winced in empathy at the daunting task. “I don’t envy you that task.”
“It’s getting better,” the pink-haired woman said optimistically before muttering, “but not by much.”
Ino leaned her hip on the wooden door jamb. “I guess I’ll see you later then.”
“Definitely,” Sakura agreed. “There is so much that I have to tell you. We should have a girl’s night so we can discuss it all privately.”
“Naturally,” Ino smirked. “Talk to you later, Forehead.”
“Bye Ino-pig.”
With this final parting, Sakura made her way once more through the now crowded streets in the direction of the Hokage’s abyss of an office to once more tackle the depths of horror that were spawned by months of accumulation of unread and un-filed mission reports. Mouth set in a grim line of determination, the kunoichi mentally prepared herself for the intimidating undertaking, deciding to strategically suggest that perhaps the task was better suited as a mission for an unsuspecting genin team. Perking up at that thought, she set off with renewed vigor.
xXx
Sakura sat on one of the barstools before the counter of Ichiraku Ramen. Green eyes were narrowed slightly in mild revulsion as the medic watched her blond teammate practically inhale his third bowl of ramen since they arrived. She delicately laid her own chopsticks down across her own half-finished bowl of miso ramen. On the other side of the charismatic jinchuuriki, Sai was slowly savoring his own meal, already used to Naruto’s unusual eating habits.
“What’s wrong, Sakura?” Naruto asked around a mouth full of noodles. “Aren’t you going to finish that?”
Sakura pushed her bowl towards her friend. “I’m not hungry anymore. You can have it.”
“Thanks Sakura! You’re the best!” Naruto whooped as he began to shovel the delightfully savory piece of heaven into his mouth with all the grace of a starved baboon.
“Yeah,” Sakura said slowly, as she watched the miniature disappearing act. “Next time I get to pick where we go.”
“Eh? Why is that?” Intense blue eyes stared at her with confusion.
“Oh, nothing,” Sakura sang as she leaned on her elbow and watched Teuchi-san boiling the uncooked noodles in the fryer with the grace of years of experience.
“You are strange,” Sai commented as he finished his noodles.
Naruto beamed as he slammed his empty bowl on the counter. “More please!”
Ayame giggled as she placed a fifth bowl in front of him and returned to preparing the ramen with her father. Naruto immediately began slurping down his food.
“You’re one to talk,” Sakura muttered back to the artist, both shinobi disregarding Naruto’s lack of etiquette.
“Hey Sakura,” Naruto said quietly with uncharacteristic brevity. “Is it true Sasuke tried to kill you?”
Sakura hummed in the affirmative as she nodded.
“Why do you think he did that?” the blond asked, blue-eyes darkened.
The kunoichi hesitated a moment while chewing her bottom lip as she pondered what to say to her friend. “I don’t know, Naruto.”
‘I can’t tell him the truth about what happened yet, but I feel so bad about keeping something like this from him,’ Sakura thought guiltily.
“Orochimaru must’ve done something to him while he was there to cause him to act like he is,” Naruto said resolutely. “We’ll just have to get him to see sense and go back to being the old Sasuke.”
“Yeah,” Sakura smiled with a melancholy that Naruto didn’t notice.
“How can he simply disregard his bonds like that?” Sai wondered. “Even if you aren’t brothers by blood, he shouldn’t disrespect you or Sakura like he has.”
‘I’ve never considered that,’ Sakura mused as she turned one ear to the sound of people walking past the partitioned off ramen bar on their way home for the night. ‘I guess Sasuke really can be considered my brother now. I get that he’s mad at me, but he’s still a jerk.’
“He’s just confused,” Naruto answered with conviction. “He’ll come back to us when he realizes what he turned his back on. If he doesn’t, then we’ll just have to bring him home.”
‘Preferably not until I get this whole mess sorted out,’ the emerald-eyed woman thought as she stood up with her companions. The three Konoha-nin pushed aside the heavy curtains and stepped out into the crisp air of evening beneath the cobalt sky. They split up with a wave in amicable silence as they headed through the lantern-lit streets towards their respective lodgings.
xXx
The sound of crickets chirping echoed through the misty forest. The sun had set beneath the horizon long ago, and the last vestiges of light had already faded from the heavens, leaving only the vast expanse of a sky that was neither blue nor black. A few stars were beginning to wink into place above the canopy of dense leaves. Wind rustled through the boughs, masking the light tread of footfall against the sturdy wood. Four shadowy figures dropped to the forest floor in a small clearing beside a large stand of boulders that formed a natural shelter from the elements.
“We’ll stop here for the night,” Kakashi’s voice rang through the brisk air to his team. “Sai, Sakura, you two go look for firewood. Naruto and I will see if we can find some water. Try not to take so long.”
“We won’t. Unlike some people, we are punctual,” Sakura called back flippantly as she and Sai vanished separately into the undergrowth. Naruto sniggered behind his hand as their sensei stared after the giggling kunoichi with a haggard look in his only visible eye.
“I remember the days when you all looked up to me,” the jounin reminisced with a sigh from behind his mask as he turned in the opposite direction. “Coming, Naruto?”
“You really should’ve seen that coming,” the orange-clad ninja responded as he stretched his arms behind his head and strolled after the older ninja.
xXx
Sakura carefully added another branch of dry wood to the growing bundle in her arms. Humming to herself, the kunoichi glanced around for any other sturdy wood in the vicinity. Seeing none, she weaved through the brambles of the brush, scanning the shadowy recesses of the forest floor for any small branches her team could make use of for kindling.
‘You’d think it would easier to find something to burn in a forest,’ the medic thought wryly as she spied a fallen maple and hurried towards the ruins of the former majesty.
Weaving her way into the upper branches of the tree with great difficulty, the young woman found herself in a small enclosure cut off from the rest of the forest. Kneeling down onto the loamy ground, she deftly collected several more lengths of the dense wood. Still humming quietly, Sakura let the bundle fall as she spun around and stood up, unsheathing her kunai as she turned.
A hand forced her arm against a gnarled branch, the pressure causing her fingers to involuntarily release the weapon with a soft grunt. The tall, shadowy figure before her stepped closer until the petite female was enclosed by the knotty branches pressing uncomfortably against her back and sides, unable to turn away or flee from her predicament.
Sakura braced herself as she looked up and became entranced by the glowing crimson depths of the sharingan, unable to pull her own vivid emerald gaze away. A small smirk was set in Itachi’s wan and lined face as he looked down at the cornered girl who was caught between being mesmerized and glaring at him.
“Let me go,” Sakura demanded boldly.
“What will you do if I do so?” Itachi responded quietly as he stared impassively at the minute woman. “I will follow you back to your camp if I must.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Sakura said challengingly as her spine straightened as much as the dead branches would allow.
“I assure you, I would. I am not afraid of them. If anything, it should be they who fear me,” he stated with quiet confidence, resting his right hand on the branch beside her shoulder in the shadows, the left still restraining her. “But I digress, they are not what I came here to discuss.”
“Then what is it,” the kunoichi said, her eyes glinting with fierceness in the darkness.
“It is about a not very well-known tradition that is found among the old clans that…” Sakura inhaled sharply at this statement and froze up.
Itachi looked at her knowingly before continuing. “So you’ve heard of it.”
Sakura remained silent as her lips pressed together in a thin line, her mind rapidly running through scenarios to evade the inevitable and escape. A sharp twig dug into her side as she shifted her weight, reminding her of the futility of attempting to run.
“Then you no doubt know why I am here. I want you to come with me for a week,” the dark-haired male insisted serenely of the bristling woman.
“I am not about to walk off on my team, or break my shishou’s trust in me by running off with you,” Sakura hissed, abandoning all common sense as outrage rose in her.
“Hm, I didn’t mean now. I will meet you in one week at noon before the temple found on the way from Konoha to Tanzaku City, alone” Itachi stated confidently, pressing his lips to hers before taking his leave and vanishing into the dark shadows of the night.
The flustered kunoichi sank to her knees, pressing her fingers to her lips with her brow furrowed in thought. The sound of a twig snapping close by startled her out of her reverie and she reached down, snatching up her fallen kunai as she rose into a fighting crouch and peered out from the branches.
“Sakura?” Sai’s voice drifted through the night.
“I’m in this tree,” Sakura breathed a relieved sigh before answering her companion. “I found some good kindling in here.”
“Will you be able to get out?” Sai questioned, stepping nearer to the tree from whence the disembodied voice of his teammate came.
“Of course I can,” Sakura snapped as she picked up her fallen wood and began the slow process of extricating herself from the fallen maple. “This would never have happened if Yamato-taichou had been here. We also could have been spending the night in a house and not out on the ground.”
xXx
Sakura stepped inside the office, blinking at the sight of the three disgruntled genin who were organizing paperwork into stacks to be gone through under the supervision of their sensei and the Hokage. Tsunade was leaning back in her chair with her feet encased in their heeled sandals resting on the nearly-empty surface of her desk. The blonde lazily sipping sake from a porcelain cup and watching Konohamaru mutter to himself as he staggered while carrying a large stack of books and medical journals across the room with great difficulty.
A pink eyebrow lifted as the Third’s grandson rushed forwards in a vain attempt to retain his balance and hold on to the teetering mass of tomes. “Shishou, I need to speak to you privately.”
Konohamaru perked up from beneath the jumble of fallen books and loose papers. Across the room Udon sneezed violently from the dust cloud that rose from a disturbed set of long forsaken scrolls.
“Does that mean we get a break?” Moegi asked hopefully as she grasped Konohamaru’s hands and extricated him from the paper cairn.
“No,” Tsunade snorted as she leisurely got up from the sorely abused chair and walked over to the balcony. “We’ll talk out here. Get back to work you three!”
Sakura wound through the dejected trio of genin, fallen books, and random stacks of scrolls and papers on her way outside. Breathing deeply of the fresh air after the musty interior of the office, Sakura shut the door and walked over to the balcony rail overlooking the spread of the village where her teacher leaned.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
“I came across Itachi during our last mission,” Sakura said quietly as her mentor’s solemn amber gaze shifted from the village to her troubled student. “He cornered me when I was away from the rest of my team. He knows.”
Tsunade laced her fingers and stared contemplatively into the empty space before her. “What did he say?”
“You know that temple on the way to Tanzaku?” Tsunade nodded in the affirmative at the younger woman’s query. “He wants me to meet him there at noon in four days.”
“For how long?” the Hokage sighed.
“I’m not sure,” Sakura answered as she looked down at the patchwork of shingled roofs beneath her.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “Do you think he means you any harm?”
“It didn’t seem that way. He was just really determined for me to listen to him and then show up when he told me to,” the chunin chewed her lip meditatively as she pondered the enigma that was Itachi.
“You have to go,” Tsunade murmured as she glanced surreptitiously back at the three genin slaving about in her office to check that they weren’t eavesdropping. “I’ll give you time off for a vacation so as not to arouse any suspicion. You will have my permission to leave Konoha for as long as you deem necessary, which hopefully won’t be too long. Take this opportunity to gain any information you can on either Itachi or Akatsuki.”
Sakura hummed in agreement as the two ambled back into the dust hazed war zone to ensure that nothing was overlooked by the young ninja who were recruited by less than ethical means.
xXx
The two girls lounged in their sleepwear on the bed in Ino’s room. Downstairs Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku’s voices could be heard from the living area where they were relaxing. Ino set a small glass bottle down on the vanity before leaning back on the bed while the deep blue-violet nail lacquer dried on her toenails. A content sigh escaped her mouth as teal eyes closed amidst a sea of unbound blonde hair. Next to her relaxed friend, Sakura snuggled a pillow as she lie serenely on the lavender, quilted duvet embroidered with butterflies.
“It’s so nice to be able to just sit back and relax every now and then,” Ino murmured as she lightly kicked her feet back and forth to get the air flowing over the setting polish.
“Yeah,” the pink-haired girl hummed in agreement. “So how did your ‘date’ with Sai go?”
“It was fine,” the other girl answered with a small giggle. “Though I’m not quite sure he even knew it was a date.”
“Sounds like a typical Sai,” Sakura laughed as she rolled over fully onto her stomach and looked at her closest friend.
“I think it’s a good thing. By the time he realizes what I’m up to it’ll be too late,” Ino smirked. “I just have to keep him away any other girls who are after him since he might not know what they really want.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about any other girls,” Sakura said skeptically. “You seem to be the only one he hasn’t insulted, no matter how well intended those insults were.”
“Our love was fated,” Ino declared, pointing upwards to the ceiling and the sky.
Sakura snorted and pressed her face into the pillow, smothering her laughter and shrieking as Ino threw her own pillow at her. Sakura leapt up and poked her tongue out at her as she grabbed the pillow she had been laying on and retaliated. The two girls hopped around the room as they struck at each other with the downy and sorely abused pillows, shrieking with glee all the while.
The exhilarated and exhausted friends collapsed on the bed laughing after the impromptu pillow-fight and lay there panting lightly with grins plastered on their faces. Pink and pale gold mingled as the kunoichi stared up at the white plaster ceiling with their heads beside each other.
“We need to do this more often,” Ino decided.
“Definitely,” the smaller girl agreed with a laugh.
“Maybe as a weekly kind of get-together, when missions allow,” the blonde said thoughtfully. “We could probably find some of the other girls and invite them. All of us could use something to help us unwind every now and then.”
“Hmm, that sounds like a good idea,” Sakura hummed, pausing for a moment to discern whether the jounin downstairs were still engaged in their own conversation and not eavesdropping on the teenagers. “We might have to hold out for a while though before going through with it.”
“Why?”
Sakura sighed as she closed her eyes. “I’m leaving in a few days, and I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Ino rolled over onto her stomach, crossing her arms and resting her chin on them as she stared at the other girl. “Where are you going?”
“I have to meet Itachi in a few days and go away with him,” Sakura stated quietly as she turned over with her cheek pressed to the silky comforter as she looked her friend in the eye, “but I don’t know for how long.”
Ino sat up and kneeled on the bed, crossing her arms with outrage written across her expression. “What do you mean ‘have to’?”
Sakura hugged a lacy pillow to her face and sighed. “Tsunade-shishou found a scroll in her office detailing an ancient tradition found among the older and more prestigious clans from before the hidden villages were formed. Since I’m married to the heir of the Uchiha clan, I have to produce an heir of our own within a year of the marriage.”
The blonde woman stared dumbstruck at the prone form of the other girl. “Seriously? That's barbaric! Isn’t there a way out of it?”
Sakura shook her head in the negative. “No. We were hoping we could pretend that it didn’t exist and that we didn’t know about it, but Itachi knows so there isn’t much I can do.”
“But he’s a missing-nin! Doesn’t that count for something?!” Ino exclaimed in a whisper, conscious of her nosy father’s presence in the other room.
“This was from before the hidden villages, remember?” Sakura responded as she sat up and leaned against the wall, hugging the pillow to her chest. “Things like loyalty or affiliation to a village didn’t matter back then.”
“Even so, he killed his clan,” Ino pointed out. “Somehow I think that might make a difference.”
“Exactly,” Sakura said dryly, “he’s the last Uchiha except for Sasuke. There isn’t anyone left who can object to it, and I’m not about to walk up to Sasuke and ask for either his blessing or for him to put a stop to it.”
“Yeah, that would be kind of pointless,” Ino admitted, “especially since he already tried to kill you once. I don’t think he’d allow you to even get close enough to ask. The jerk.”
“Talk about over-reacting,” Sakura griped, a frown twisting her lips as she dropped the pillow and crossed her arms. “He didn’t even let me try and explain what happened. He just jumped to conclusions and drew his sword.”
“There’s always something wrong with the good-looking ones,” Ino shook her head. “The only thing you can do with them is put them on display and hope they don’t try to interact with other people.”
Sakura laughed in agreement as she scooted over to the edge of the mattress and reached over to grab one of the cups of now tepid green tea from the bedside table. Ino flopped back down and stared at the ceiling ponderously as her girlhood friend sipped at the bitter concoction.
“Wonder where he’s going to take you,” Ino murmured.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Sakura muttered into her drink.
Ino rolled over. “There is a silver lining to it though.”
Sakura reached over and placed the half-empty cup back on the table. “Hm? What’s that?”
“Wherever you’re going, it’ll probably be secluded.”
“How’s that a good thing?” Sakura asked, confusion clouding her emerald eyes as she looked down at the other girl who was grinning up at her.
“Think about it, Forehead,” Ino insinuated in a sing-song voice while waggling her eyebrows.
Sakura smacked her head down into the pillow and began mumbling inaudibly about absolutely shameless friends and kunoichi with one track minds. Ino laid her head down on a pillow and closed her teal eyes.
“It’s a gift,” the blonde responded smugly before sitting up after being smacked in the face with the lavender pillow in Sakura’s possession. “Hey!”
Ino launched herself at the other and began tickling her sides in retaliation, closing her mind to the shrieking pleas for mercy from the squirming girl. A wicked smirk crossed the blonde’s face as tears of mirth pooled in jade eyes.

xXx

The intensity of the midday sun shone down without pity on the desolate landscape of the wayside temple. A distance away from the seemingly abandoned structure the forest supplied cover from even the ruthless rays of high noon. Heat shimmered above the dirt road as the lone traveler ascended the stone stairs leading to the temple and the welcome relief it would provide beneath the shelter of the roof from the cruelty of summer’s heat in the Land of Fire.

Coming to a rest beside the massive bells, Sakura glanced around her for any signs of life. Seeing none, the kunoichi sat down at the top of the steps in the sun and stretched her travel weary legs out. Squinting her eyes in the harsh light, she set her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in her hands as she surveyed the vista before her. Stiffening slightly as a second presence appeared behind her, Sakura silently remained where she was. A cool shadow fell across her as he came to a stop beside the resting woman.

“Let’s go,” the imperious voice stated softly as he descended the stairs, the heavy cloak rustling in the still air. Sakura lifted her eyebrow and huffed as she rose to her feet and followed reluctantly after the retreating male.

---

Author's Notes

Tsukashi: Don't worry, I don't take any offense from constructive criticism, provided it is actually constructive. It is quite welcome with me since it is the only way for my writing to evolve. You're right about there not being any build-up between Itachi and Sakura which detracts from the believability factor. When I started writing this story it was intended to be only two parts/chapters long, but then it took life of its own. The story was inspired by the song "Last Name" by Carrie Underwood, and the first chapter was designed to reflect that ambiguity and confusion. Of course, my intention was for the reader to be unaware of who the mysterious and unknown husband was, but that was kind of nullified by the sub-section the story is placed under. I really did appreciate your review and all the warm, fuzzy feelings which entailed (I love feed-back of almost any nature). Thank you so very much!

---

Chapter 402 was kind of messing with my head for a moment, but then I realized that my ire at Sasuke’s utter idiocy could be channeled into more productive uses via plot adjustment. Nothing major to my intended storyline though. That’s still in the works at the moment (the additions). I have the general plot for “Last Name” already mapped out, and depending on what happens in the manga, there might be a viable sequel. I’m still not decided on that though.

Anyways, I was going back and re-reading random chapters of the manga ever since the latest release. I happened upon an interesting phrasing of words on page 10 of chapter 352 that Suigetsu started to say to Karin before she shut him up. Now I’ve started to wonder if there was something done to him that could possibly be the cause of his lack of sense. Orochimaru was a real snake after all. One can only hope I suppose.

--

As I was going back through my chapters and re-reading to edit and catch the inevitable typos, I couldn't help but want to hit my head against a wall...repeatedly. There were quite a few glaring mistakes and minor words that I omitted in my haste to type. Reflecting on this horror of horrors, I have decided that I am in desperate need of a beta. If anyone is interested and has a fluent mastery of the English language, just send me a message.

-Nephele