Work Text:
part 1: Sakura
One: He feeds the stray cats
Sakura discovered it by accident on a Tuesday evening. She'd taken a different route home from the hospital, cutting through the quieter streets near the Uchiha compound, when she spotted him in an alley: Uchiha Itachi, ANBU captain and legendary prodigy, crouched down with a small bag of dried fish.
Three cats surrounded him. A calico rubbed against his knee while he carefully portioned out the food.
"You're going to spoil them," she said before thinking better of it.
Itachi didn't startle. He simply glanced up, his dark eyes unreadable. "They were already spoiled. I'm merely maintaining the standard."
A tiny smile played on his lips, so brief she almost missed it.
Two: He's terrible at lying to his mother
The Konoha hospital fundraiser brought out everyone, even the typically reclusive ANBU members. Sakura was manning the raffle table when Mikoto Uchiha swept through with her elder son in tow.
"Itachi, didn't you say you had a mission?" Mikoto asked sweetly, examining a basket of bath products.
"It was... postponed," Itachi replied, his posture unusually stiff.
"Postponed? Or did you volunteer to trade shifts so you could attend like I asked?"
The tips of his ears turned slightly pink. "Mother—"
"That's what I thought." Mikoto patted his cheek fondly. "You're a good son, even when you try to pretend otherwise."
Sakura hid her smile behind her clipboard.
Three: He always carries dango for Sasuke
She noticed it during a chance meeting at the market. Sasuke had complained about being hungry—loudly, as he often did with his aniki—and without a word, Itachi produced a wrapped stick of dango from his pocket.
"You just... carry that around?" Sakura asked, amused. Genuinely surprised.
"Sasuke gets irritable when his blood sugar drops," Itachi explained calmly, as if this were a well-known medical fact and not just older brother knowledge. "It's more efficient than listening to the complaints."
She saw the way he ruffled Sasuke's hair when the younger brother wasn't looking, affection hidden in the gesture.
Four: He anonymously donates to the Academy
Sakura only knew because she'd been helping Iruka-sensei organize donation records for tax purposes. There was a substantial anonymous contribution that came like clockwork every quarter.
"I really shouldn't tell you this," Iruka said, pushing his glasses up, "but it's Itachi. He started donating the moment he made ANBU, asked me never to mention it. The money goes specifically to supplies for students who can't afford them."
"Why anonymous?"
"He said he didn't want anyone to feel like they owed him anything."
Five: He reads romance novels
This discovery happened in the most unlikely place: the library. Sakura was returning medical texts when she spotted Itachi in the fiction section, carefully selecting a book with a decidedly romantic cover—two people in an embrace, cherry blossoms falling around them.
Their eyes met.
"It's... for research," he said, which was somehow even more endearing than if he'd owned it.
"Research on what, exactly?"
"Understanding human emotional connections." A pause. "Also, my mother recommended it."
There it was again—unable to refuse his mother anything.
Six: He apologizes to plants when he walks past them
The Yamanaka flower shop incident would live in Sakura's memory forever. She was picking up flowers for the hospital when Itachi entered, moving through the crowded shop with his usual grace. When his shoulder brushed a hanging fuchsia, she distinctly heard him murmur, "Pardon me."
To the plant.
Ino had noticed too, her eyes wide with delighted disbelief.
Itachi maintained perfect composure, as if this were completely normal behavior, and proceeded to purchase a small succulent "for his windowsill."
Seven: He keeps every drawing Sasuke ever made him
She learned this when she had to deliver some mission documents to the Uchiha compound. Sasuke let her in. While waiting for Itachi, she noticed a small wooden box on his desk and a corner of paper sticking out.
"Sasuke, did you draw all of these?" she asked, noting the childish crayon marks.
"Those are ancient," Sasuke grumbled. "From when I was like, five. I don't know why he keeps them."
But Sakura did. When Itachi returned and saw her looking, he simply said, "They're important historical documents" with such perfect deadpan that she couldn't tell if he was joking.
The careful way he tucked them back into the box suggested he wasn't.
Eight: He always waits for slower teammates
Sakura observed this during a joint mission briefing where she saw Itachi's team in action. Despite his legendary speed, he always modulated his pace to match his teammates, positioning himself to guard their blind spots rather than racing ahead.
"Efficiency isn't about individual speed," he explained when she asked later. "A team arrives together or not at all."
It was such a stark contrast to the glory-seeking attitude of many elite shinobi.
Nine: He practices his clan's lullabies
The Uchiha compound's music room wasn't soundproof, Sakura discovered this while visiting Sasuke. The soft sound of a traditional lullaby drifted through the walls, played on a shamisen with careful, deliberate strokes.
"Itachi plays?" she whispered.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "He's learning all the old clan songs. Says someone should remember them." His voice softened. "He plays them for the elderly clan members sometimes. They like it."
Preserving tradition through gentle music—it seemed impossibly tender for someone with such a fearsome reputation.
Ten: He can't say no to children
The Academy field trip to the memorial stone should have been supervised by chunin, but somehow Itachi had been roped into helping. Sakura watched as a tiny girl, no more than six, tugged on his ANBU-issued pants and asked him to lift her up to see the names better.
The legendary Uchiha Itachi, who made grown men tremble, carefully hoisted the child onto his shoulders and patiently read her each name she pointed to, explaining who they were in the gentlest voice Sakura had ever heard him use.
When another child asked to sit on his shoulders too, he didn't refuse. He used a shadow clone. Soon, a cluster of Itachi's with children carefully perched on his shoulders filled her vision.
Eleven: He leaves origami cranes in hospital rooms
Sakura found the first one on a patient's nightstand—a perfect paper crane in midnight blue. Then another in a different room. And another.
"Do you know who's leaving these?" she asked a nurse.
"ANBU member comes by sometimes. Night shifts. Never says anything, just leaves them and checks on the long-term patients."
It took three weeks of late shifts before Sakura caught him: Itachi, moving silently through the halls in his ANBU gear, placing a small origami crane on the bedside table of a comatose chunin.
"For hope," he said simply when he noticed her. "Something beautiful to see if they wake up."
Twelve: He notices the small things
It was raining when Sakura finally understood what made Itachi special. They were both leaving the Hokage tower and he'd noticed her struggling with her broken umbrella before she'd even fully registered it herself.
Without a word, he shifted his own umbrella to cover them both, adjusting his stride to match hers.
"You got your promotion," he observed. "Congratulations, Sakura-san."
She blinked. The promotion had only been confirmed that morning, in a private meeting. "How did you—"
"You're standing taller. You have ink on your thumb from signing documents." His eyes crinkled slightly at the corners. "Small changes often indicate significant events."
He paid attention—to cats and children and broken umbrellas and the tiny signs of joy in others' lives. This powerful, feared shinobi noticed when people needed shade or encouragement or simply someone to wait for them.
"Thank you," she said, meaning it for more than just the umbrella.
"You're welcome." That almost-smile again. "Though I should note—you've been counting."
"Counting?"
"Things about me. You've been observing." He looked ahead, but she could see the faint amusement in his expression. "I've reached twelve now, I believe."
Sakura felt her cheeks warm. "I wasn't—I mean, I was just—"
"It's alright." His voice was softer now, almost kind. "I've been counting too."
As they walked together through the rain, Sakura realized that perhaps the most charming thing about Uchiha Itachi was that beneath all the layers of genius and strength and responsibility, he was simply someone who noticed, and who cared enough to count the small moments in return.
part 2: Itachi
One: She corrects his form (and somehow makes it endearing)
Itachi first noticed it during a taijutsu demonstration for the younger ANBU recruits. He'd been illustrating a defensive sequence when Sakura, invited as medical support to explain injury prevention, had interrupted.
"Actually, if you shift your weight half an inch more to the left, you'll reduce rotator cuff strain by thirty percent."
The training ground had gone silent. No one corrected Uchiha Itachi.
Except apparently Sakura did, with a completely professional expression and a cited percentage.
He'd adjusted his stance. She was right, he could feel the difference immediately.
"Better," she'd said with a satisfied nod, as if she hadn't just critiqued one of the most skilled shinobi in the village.
Later, privately, Sasuke had been scandalized. "She CORRECTED you. In front of people!"
But Itachi found himself smiling. How many people would dare to prioritize accuracy over his reputation?
How refreshing, to be treated like a person who could still learn something.
Two: She leaves notes for her future self
He discovered this by accident when a slip of paper fell from her medical supply bag during a briefing.
Remember: you're capable. You've done harder things than this. Drink water. - Past Sakura
"A memory technique?" he asked, handing it back.
"A survival technique," she corrected with a self-deprecating smile. "For the hard days."
The idea that she had to remind herself of her own strength struck him as both heartbreaking and remarkably wise.
Three: She knows everyone's favorite foods
The hospital break room was notorious for its terrible coffee, yet people gathered there anyway. Itachi understood why when he saw Sakura arrive with a bag of pastries.
"Anzu-san, I got you the red bean bun—I know the sesame ones upset your stomach. Kenji-kun, here's extra custard in yours. Itachi-san..." She handed him one wrapped separately. He had been folding origami cranes again in their breakroom. "I got the one with the most sugar coating. You prefer sweet flavors, right?"
He hadn't told her that. She'd simply... noticed.
Everyone in that room brightened when she entered, and he realized it was because she made them feel seen.
Four: She practices her failures
Late night at the training grounds, Itachi had gone to clear his mind when he spotted her practicing a technique—the same one, over and over. A medical ninjutsu application that kept dispersing.
Forty-seven attempts. He counted.
On the forty-eighth, it held. She didn't celebrate. She just whispered, "Again," and started the forty-ninth repetition.
Most people practiced their strengths. Sakura relentlessly hunted down her weaknesses and dragged them into the light.
Five: She keeps a garden for medicinal herbs and one "just because" flower
The practical garden behind her apartment was impressive: organized rows of healing herbs, each labeled with properties and applications. Everything had a purpose.
Except for one corner, where a single peony grew—impractical, high-maintenance, and medically useless.
"My shishou says I'm too serious," Sakura explained when she caught him looking. "She made me promise to keep one thing that serves no purpose except being beautiful."
The fact that she'd kept that promise, even though it clearly felt frivolous to her, said everything about her loyalty.
Six: She reads medical journals like other people read novels
Itachi had seen many things in his life, but Sakura curled up in the library's reading nook, completely engrossed in "Advanced Toxicology Quarterly," genuinely enjoying herself? That was new.
"Fascinating article on delayed-release poison detection," she simply said when she noticed him. Her eyes were actually sparkling. "Want to hear about it?"
He did, actually. Her enthusiasm made even venom synthesis sound compelling.
Seven: She carries candy for children and soldiers
After a difficult mission debrief, when everyone was exhausted and rattled, Sakura had quietly passed around small wrapped candies.
"Sugar helps with shock," she said professionally. Itachi noticed she'd given the sweetest ones to the youngest team members, and had somehow known that he preferred the plain milk candy to anything fruity.
She treated grown warriors with the same gentle care she showed children, understanding that everyone needed small comforts sometimes.
Eight: She can't walk past bookstores
Three times now, Itachi had seen her fully intend to walk past the bookstore near the hospital.
Three times, she'd failed.
"I don't need more books," she'd mutter while already reaching for the door. "I have seventeen unread books at home. This is ridiculous."
Then she'd emerge twenty minutes later with a new book and a sheepish expression that was, frankly, endearing.
At least her addiction was educational. Last week's impulse purchase: "Comparative Anatomy of Summons: A Visual Guide."
Nine: She maintains her weapons with the same care as her medical tools
Most medics treated their kunai as afterthoughts. Not Sakura. Itachi had observed her in the prep room, methodically checking each blade's balance, cleaning them with the same precise attention she gave her surgical instruments.
"A tool that fails is worse than no tool at all," she explained, echoing something Tsunade-sama must have taught her. "Respect your equipment, and it won't fail you."
She understood that a medic who couldn't defend herself couldn't save anyone.
Ten: She remembers small promises
"Itachi-san, here."
He blinked at the book she'd handed him. The second volume in a romance series his mother had recommended. He'd mentioned wanting to read it. Once. Three weeks ago. In passing.
"You said the library copy had a waiting list," Sakura said with a slight smile. "I found it at a used bookstall."
She'd remembered. Had thought of him while going about her day. Had taken the time to do something kind for no reason except that she could.
Eleven: She talks to her plants
Through Sasuke's griping, Itachi had learned that Sakura narrated her day to her herb garden.
"It's scientifically proven that talking to plants helps them grow," she'd apparently insisted when Sasuke questioned her sanity.
Sasuke had also admitted, reluctantly, that she apologized to them when she had to harvest leaves. Thanked them for their contribution to healing.
Someone who expressed gratitude to plants possessed a gentleness the world tried very hard to crush out of shinobi.
Twelve: She sees him
It happened on a nothing-special Thursday. They were both leaving the Hokage tower—Itachi from a mission report, Sakura from a hospital administration meeting. It was raining. Her umbrella was broken.
He'd offered to share his without thinking, adjusting his pace to match hers.
"Congratulations on your promotion," he'd said, because he'd noticed the signs: the way she carried herself, the ink stain, the subtle joy she was trying to contain professionally.
"How did you—" She'd stopped, then smiled—really smiled. "You notice everything, don't you?"
"Small changes often indicate significant events."
"Thank you," she'd said. He understood she meant for more than the observation.
They'd walked in comfortable silence until she spoke again. "You've been watching me."
His step had nearly faltered. "I observe many things."
"No." Her voice was soft but certain. "You count things. I've seen you do it. And you've been counting... things about me."
Caught. By someone who paid as much attention as he did.
"Twelve," he admitted. "I've reached twelve now."
Her cheeks had colored beautifully. "I wasn't—I mean, I was also—"
"I know." He had been aware of her quiet observation for weeks. Had found himself... appreciating it. "It's alright."
Because here was someone who saw past the prodigy, the ANBU captain, the perfect son. Someone who noticed when he needed subtle flavors instead of sweet ones. Who counted his small truths the way he counted hers.
Someone who looked at him and saw simply: Itachi.
"For what it's worth," Sakura said quietly, "I think I'd like to discover a thirteenth. And a fourteenth. And..."
"As many as it takes?" he offered.
"As many as there are."
As they walked together through the rain under one umbrella, Itachi realized that perhaps the most remarkable thing about Haruno Sakura wasn't her strength or her intelligence or her dedication—though all of those were formidable. It was that she made him want to be seen.
For the first time in his carefully controlled life, being noticed didn't feel like a burden.
It felt like coming home.