The Inscrutable Itachi

"Have you forgotten I'm medical-nin?" Sakura Haruno said. "Not only are we good at healing, but faking injuries is also one of our specialties..."

She beckoned to Itachi: "Please don't resist my Ninjutsu, Mr. Itachi."

Sakura was smiling with an expression that said, "Come here, I'll give you a buff," but Uchiha Itachi didn't suspect anything and took a step closer.

Then... he got punched hard by the girl!

"Cough cough..." Itachi hunched over, coughing awkwardly a few times, and gushing out large mouthfuls of dark red blood. Sakura Haruno's casual punch was also powerful and heavy, the force directly hitting her internal organs and injuring them! Fortunately, this is the Tsukuyomi World, where even the most severe injuries can be healed.

"You..." The black-haired youth frowned, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, gradually recovering from the shock of the punch. Besides the immense force of retaliation, what had blasted into his body was also a surge of vibrant Chakra...

"I injected the Chakra of Yang Release Medical Ninjutsu into it," Sakura Haruno said after he calmed down. "This technique will aggravate the hidden injuries in your body, causing you to show signs of unstable breathing and severe injury for a short period of time... We'll pretend that we're both injured to fool those vegetative people."

"A feasible plan..." Itachi straightened up, sensed the Chakra within his body, and muttered to himself.

"Then that Chakra will heal the accumulated injuries in your body until it's exhausted..." Sakura Haruno stared intently into his eyes and said, "If I may be so bold, your physical condition is quite bad!"

"Although you've concealed it well, as a medical-nin, I see right through you!"

Uchiha Itachi remained silent for a moment before finally saying, "I understand."

The Ice Release Girl frowned and reminded her, "Didn't you understand what I meant? Prolonged use of the Sharingan has placed too much strain on your body, and it's slowly approaching its limit. If you let it worsen, you'll be terminally ill and beyond cure in just two or three years! The best course of action is to receive treatment immediately and recuperate for a period of time!"

Itachi lowered his eyelids, making it impossible for the girl to see his expression. After a while, she heard him sigh and softly say, "Thank you for your kindness..."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe me? Although my Medical Ninjutsu isn't as good as Master Tsunade's, it's more than enough to make a diagnosis!"

Itachi didn't answer her, but solemnly said, "This is my matter, please don't interfere... and please don't tell Sasuke! I'll handle it myself... one day, he and I will come to an end..."

Sakura Haruno frowned deeply.

These two Uchiha brothers are practically incapable of not getting into trouble.

In her view, there was no deep-seated hatred between the two; on the contrary, they shared a profound bond. Given this, what problem couldn't be resolved? Uchiha Itachi, with his burdened and headstrong demeanor, was utterly exasperating. His health issues would become truly serious if left unaddressed. Death means the end of everything; conversely, as long as he lives, there is hope. Whatever problems exist between the Uchiha, Konoha, and the Itachi and Sasuke brothers, there will always be a way to resolve them!

Perhaps all Uchiha Clan are this obsessive!

She sighed as well.

With chaos imminent in the Shinobi World, compared to the potential upheaval caused by Akatsuki, personal grudges and feuds seem utterly insignificant...

Perhaps after everything is over, if everyone is still alive, then Sakura will have enough time and energy to help Sasuke solve this problem!

As for Itachi's health, as a spy, he probably wouldn't have had the chance to receive treatment and rest for a while... Sakura Haruno realized she had said some meaningless nonsense after she finished speaking!

Moreover, Sakura still hasn't truly figured out what this man is thinking!

Who exactly was stirring up trouble behind the scenes? Why did things turn out this way back then? What was Uchiha Itachi thinking? Sakura Haruno herself only got a glimpse of the whole story.

"Even if you're asking me this," Sakura Haruno said with a hint of helplessness, "As Sasuke's comrade, I also have my own stance..."

"Don't worry, at least for now, I won't tell him too much..."

Otherwise, given Sasuke's personality, Sakura is a little afraid he might do something foolish!

At this point, both of them fell silent.

A long time.

"Regardless... Sasuke should be doing quite well these past few years." As he said this, Itachi's lips curled into a slight smile. "He's truly fortunate to have companions like you."

This was the first time Sakura Haruno had seen a smile on Uchiha Itachi's face.

"I'm sorry, I'm not a good older brother..."

It was a smile filled with both exhaustion and relief.

Sakura Haruno remained silent.

"If there's nothing else, I'm ending Tsukuyomi!" Itachi's smile vanished, as if his previous expression had never existed.

Sakura Haruno nodded and said seriously, "Well then, goodbye. I hope I'll have the chance to see you again!"

"I hope so..." Itachi murmured, clasping his hands together and forming the hand seals to release Tsukuyomi.

The dark, negative-film-like fantasy world began to tremble and collapse piece by piece.

"Finally, I'll give you some advice," Itachi's voice faded into the distance as Tsukuyomi collapsed, only to drift back softly, "Heart Danzo..."

"I've discovered Root ninjas in this area who are monitoring you!"

His voice disappeared into the distance.

"What?!"

Before Sakura Haruno could react, she was suddenly spun around, and when everything settled down, she found herself in the real world, kneeling on the ground, her hands supporting her weight as she looked down at the earth.

"They're back." Sakura's heart skipped a beat, Chakra circulated within her body, causing her aura to become chaotic and making her appear weak.

She stood up, panting, her body swaying. Cold sweat dripped down her face, as if she had been severely injured by Tsukuyomi. The exhaustion in her eyes was completely unconcealed.

Sakura Haruno looked in the direction of Uchiha Itachi. Her acting skills were also quite remarkable. If she hadn't just been the one conspiring with Itachi, Sakura might have really thought that Itachi had suffered the backlash of Tsukuyomi and was already on the verge of collapse!

"What happened... Itachi is injured too?" the White Zetsu asked in surprise.

Having learned from their experience of spying on Sakura and Kisame's battle, these plant-people dared not get too close, lest they be affected by the area-of-effect Ninjutsu; however, this meant they couldn't see clearly what was happening in the arena.

"It must be because Tsukuyomi Sakura Haruno broke Tsukuyomi..." another White Zetsu said.

"This is impossible... How could Tsukuyomi be broken?!"

"Nothing is impossible!" the White Zetsu argued. "There's no such thing as a perfect, invincible Ninjutsu in this world. If Tsukuyomi could truly wipe out everything, Konoha would have been conquered by the Uchiha long ago!"

"But can a mere girl who uses Ice Release really withstand Tsukuyomi?"

"It seems that Itachi is slightly outmatched in this battle!"

The White Zetsu were astonished and argued in hushed tones. Until—

"Stop arguing, we should go! Itachi is already retreating..."

(One more chapter coming soon.)