The more Sasuke tried to hide, the more obvious the answers became. Maybe if he was talking with Naruto it would've rolled right over his head, but Sakura at least, could read between the lines. If Itachi had merely disappeared, Sasuke would continue to seek power and strength and ways to destroy him. But if he'd already achieved his goal...

She was quiet again, considering the implications. Itachi was dead. She could easily assume that much from what she'd observed. So what now? Sasuke had to be asking himself that exact same question. Technically, he'd destroyed an enemy of Konoha, hadn't he? So he could hardly be branded a complete traitor, right? While it made sense in her mind, she couldn't be sure Tsunade and the village elders would feel the same way.

And how did Sasuke feel about it? She knew how much it hurt to lose people you cared about, but how could she understand how it might feel to kill his own brother? There were complications there that just made it impossible to know exactly what he might be feeling. And that same stoic mask he wore, crushing any emotion that threatened to sneak away didn't make it any easier. But it wasn't herself or Itachi or anyone else she was worried about. It was Sasuke. Whatever burden he was carrying had to be so much heavier alone.

"Yes," she replied, though her voice had grown somber. "Kakashi-sensei and Shikamaru have been doing most of the planning."

She wanted to reach out, but she wasn't sure she could handle it if he jerked away again. So she tried to keep up the act, even if she was failing miserably. "Have... you found anything worth mentioning?"