A different Plane away, years ahead of Sakura, Naruto Uzumaki paced, even after two long years, he was unaccustomed to the long drab robes of the Kage, and like his predecessor, Tsunade, he had taken to avoid wearing them and the hat, leaving those draped over is chair and the hat on his desk to scramble on when someone important came through the door. As of late, he was in no mood to do so, and he turned to the window sharply when he felt a familiar chakra flare up. Kakashi appeared on the windowsill, he was slouched, hands clutching at the items in his hands. Naruto felt his heart leap to his throat, and Hinata, who had been working absently at paper work, gasped from his desk. Nimbly, Kakashi leaped inside, gently, he handed over his bundle to Naruto.

Naruto took Sakura's clothes, her head band, and boots numbly.

They were torn, the boots scuffed up, and that in itself did not alarm him, Sakura was a ninja and with her style of fighting it wasn't odd to see her clothes ripped up. What did alarm him was the fact that starting at that he clothes had a odd, burnt, nearly to crisp pattern. It stared at the center, as if someone had stabbed her with something three pronged, Chidori powered instrument, reaching outward in stray feathery lines. Her head band was partly melted. Even Sakura, being who she was and skilled medically, would be hard pressed to survive something like this.

"Where?"asked Hinata, softly, fingers clenching into fists, speaking what Naruto himself couldn't speak.

"Bit outside of Fire, inside the border of the Land of Tea."he said.

"Any leads?"

"Her scent trail stops were I found them. But a man's scent went further."he said crisply, looking away, appearing bored more than anything, and only Naruto and Sakura, had she been there, could have seen the fact that Kakashi was tense, ready to spring.

"Did you...?"

Here Kakashi tossed a scroll, and activated it. A man popped out, tied up, and if Naruto had seen him on the street he would have passed him by. He wasn't ugly nor handsome, he had brown eyes and brown hair, a scar that ran through his left eyebrow and tan skin. He was ordinary, not even dressed as a ninja, but a simple yukata, at his hips was pouch, empty, most likely by the looks of it. Naruto turned, eyes glaring at the man.

"Where the hell is Sakura?"he asked, not beating around any bush.

The man tilted his head to the side, and smiled, timidly.

"The girl with the pink hair?"he asked, clarifying, and Kakashi took a menacing step forward, before Naruto raised his arm, and watched warily as the man tilted his head to the side.

Something about this nondescript man, smiling at them all, made the hair at he back of his neck stand on end.

"Yes, the pink haired woman."said Hinata, stepping forward. Her byakugan was activated, and she had one of the fiercest looks Naurto had ever seen on her.

Sakura and Hinata may never be the best of friends as Ino and her, but Naruto knew that both of them cared deeply for each other. And anyone dear to Hinata that was in trouble would have a hell of a force fighting for them.

"I'm sorry. I had to send her away."

Hinata took a step forward, her deceivingly delicate fingertips glowing.

"Where?"she asked, softly, and Naruto felt something inside stir in pride at her calmness, because neither he nor Kakashi could be that at the moment.

"You have to understand, she kept going after me, even after I Compressed her, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn't have a choice. She was in the way."said the man, pleadingly, eyes flickering between the tense, unforgiving faces around them.

Hinata frowned, but otherwise didn't react at his pleas.

"It doesn't matter of the circumstances, we just want to know where she is."she said this gently, her fingertips hovering inches away from the man's neck, a warning.

He slumped.

"I- Well, she's in a different Plane, the Kunai was made by my Master... He's the only one who would be able to tell you were she is. I just used it."he said, carefully.

Naruto moved first,so fast that he blurred, picking up the man that had attacked Sakura by the lapels of his yukata.

"Then, we have a bone to pick with your Master. If you're telling the truth."he snarled, before he threw him to the ground.

The man quivered, and Naruto turned to Kakashi.

"Take him to Ino. I want answers."

Naruto clenched his fists, and knew that no matter what he would find Sakura.

He would.

AN: I do not own Naruto, it belongs to its Mangakai, its publishing and broadcasting company. This is me having fun in its sandbox.

So. I thought of this and it would not leave me alone, because, suddenly, it occurred to me that yeah, this is a part of the story that would never be told in Will of a Flower and is a story worth telling. And because the Naruto cannon to Will of A Flower wouldn't stop bugging me.