a/n: OMG so many silent readers! I really appreciate all of the favorites and follows, but I really would like some more feedback! A lot of time still goes into writing these chapters, so it's really encouraging when my readers share their thoughts. Thank you for being so interested in my story though! And also a big thank you to everyone who kindly reviewed!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or anything related. They are owned by Kishimoto.
Chapter IV: Vanish
In a zombie like state, Sakura returned to her apartment, snapping unwillingly back into reality from the events that had just transpired upon seeing a notice peeping out of her mailbox that was situated on the right side of her apartment door. She knew the familiar envelope far too well, but it had been a while she thought, since she had been summoned.
A mission request.
Perhaps though, that was exactly what she needed right now. To get away and escape, if only for a little bit to deal with her feelings and thoughts that were currently an incoherent jumbled mess.
Grabbing the red slip from her mailbox, she entered her recently cleaned apartment, throwing her sandals off with blatant disregard and walking over to her living room to plop unceremoniously on the couch, despite the fact that she knew she was dirty from her spar with Sasuke earlier and that she was probably covered in dirt. She just didn't care right now. Ripping the seal on the envelope in a jagged fashion and noisily, she pulled out the notice hidden inside.
Haruno Sakura,
You are hereby summoned by the hokage for an S -class rank mission.
Please report the following morning at 0600 hours to the office of the 6th Hokage , for your mission details.
A simple slip, but sometimes an endangering one. Despite all of the adversities that Sakura had faced in the span of her young life, she had very rarely ever been called on for an S rank mission, especially since her skills were much more useful applied in different ways. Considering it was an S-rank mission, she could only assume that whatever the mission details were, a highly skilled medic would be required, and she was the best one for the job.
Sighing, she put the note down, decided to head to the kitchen to eat some leftover lunch for dinner, and bathe before calling it a day and heading to bed.
Morning came all too quickly when Sakura's alarm went off. Groaning, she lazily rolled over, reaching out blindly to swat at the button to turn the noisy thing off. It was far to early, and her bed was way too warm and comfortable to leave. Remembering that she had an important mission to complete though made her throw her covers off and push herself out of bed. She half stumbled through her room as she pulled on all of her mission attire.
It was still dark outside, but nevertheless she went about packing her typical travelling gear for missions. It would save time on having to pack later, she thought. She had about thirty minutes before she had to report to the Hokage's office for her official mission.
Part of her began to wonder about who she would be assigned with. Should she leave without saying a word to Sasuke? What if she had to be gone a while? Would Sasuke leave while she was gone? So many thoughts swirled around her head in a sort of panic. Even now, he was on her mind.
Grabbing her bottle of soldier meal replacement pills, she quickly consumed one before placing the bottle in her black pack of travelling gear. She looked at her clock. Five Fourty Five. It was time to head to the office, she thought. She made her bed hastily and grabbed her bag to place it by the door before slipping on her ninja sandals and fastening her kunai pouch to her thigh. She turned off her entryway light before exciting her apartment, locking the door behind her.
The Hokage tower in sight, she began to run towards it, the brisk air stinging at her arms a little. The Sun was just barely beginning to make it's ascent into the sky, but it was still dark. She could see the light on in the Hokage's office and it emitted a faint glow to the buildings around it. Jumping on the rooftops and onto the office building's rooftop, she entered through the back door quietly, being the quickest route there.
Kakashi's office door was closed, but she could hear hushed discussions taking place in the room. Although the voices were familiar, she couldn't quite make out who the voices belonged to. Reaching the office door that was closed, she politely knocked, waiting for a response.
"Come in." Sounded the voice of her former teacher.
Sakura tentatively turned the doorknob, pushing open the door only to be surprised that Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke and Sai were all standing there, staring at her. Their conversations had stopped and the room went silent.
"Good, the last member of our team has arrived." Kakashi stated. Last? Seriously? She was on time, and it was never like Naruto to be early. She was also surprised to even see both Naruto and Hinata since she knew that the both of them had been called out in mission just the day before. She did note that the both of them did look a little tired though. Most likely whatever this mission is, they had rushed back through the night indicating just how urgent the nature of this mission could be.
Sakura looked at Sasuke, his eyes meeting with hers and they seemed to convey the same surprise that hers did. Being called on a mission together? Then, it suddenly clicked. The hawk she had heard the night before must have been a mission summons for him. That was very much Sasuke's style of communicating, and it was possible that Kakashi had sent Sasuke his mission summons by his hawk since it would know exactly where to find him. Suddenly the fact that Sasuke had immediately pulled away and disappeared made a little sense, albeit seeing him already after all the things left unsaid last night made things undeniably awkward. Silence still filled the room, everyone looking at the two of them as if they could feel their immediate tension, probably silently wondering what the heck happened in between the two of them. His words and hesitation swirled unforgivingly in Sakura's mind.
Sakura momentarily paused before she strolled over to stand beside Sai, on the opposite end of the room, almost as if wordlessly confirming that something had indeed happened between her and Sasuke, though no one dared to mention anything.
"We have had concerning reports of strange activity happening in the Land of Whirlpools, more specifically the ruins of Uzushiogakure." Kakashi began. This caused a gasp of confusion among the summoned ninja.
"Uzushiogakure?..." Naruto asked. The name of the destroyed home village of his late mother elicited obvious discomfort but curiosity from the yellow haired ninja.
"Yes. As you know, they were well versed in the art of sealing jutsus. They were the creators of many of the sealing jutsus that we use today. We know for certain that much of the village's ruins haven't been explored, as the five nations agreed that the ruin site should be a restricted area. Typically, its jurisdiction and protection initially falls under the duty of the Land of Water and Kirigakure but the Mizukage has specifically asked us the look into it due to the nature of the investigation we need to carry out." Kakashi began. "There has been strange chakra signatures that appear and disappear inconsistently in the old village, and any trackers and sensors that the Mizukage have sent have not been able to track down the source. More alarmingly, there's been a report of medic-nin that are fairly skilled in healing jutsu's going missing." This brought immediate alarm to Sakura.
"Hinata, Naruto, you already know these details since I first sent Hinata out to scout, and you shortly followed Naruto, confirming the presence of the odd chakra." Both Naruto and Hinata nodded.
"The chakra nature we sensed… it was similar to Kaguya's. It's possible that whatever is going on, it could have something to do with the Otsutsuki clan." Naruto stated. This caused both Sasuke and Sakura's eyes to widen, the memory of the battle with Kaguya raging through both of their minds vividly.
"I picked you five specifically for this mission for your sets of abilities. Sasuke, I'm assigning you as the team leader." This earned a disapproving scowl from Naruto, probably because of their rivalry, but he did not say anything or object, something he would have definitely done back when they were younger. Strategy was not the Uzumaki's strongest suite.
"Naruto, you have the most advanced sensing abilities as far as chakra goes. Hinata, the byakugan should help you in sensing as well, hopefully catching the things Naruto may not be able to. Sai, your job will primarily be physical scouting. The use of your ninja art scrolls will be useful without having to physically endanger anyone. Sakura, because of the nature and possible danger of this mission, you have to go as the team's medic. We have no idea what to expect, or what we are going to find. I have explicitly ordered your leave of absence from the hospital and clinic. Do not worry, your jobs have been appropriately delegated." Kakashi paused for a moment. "You are also the most able to defend yourself should you be targeted as a medic-nin." he added.
Based on the down to business like nature that Kakashi was portraying, this was definitely a seriously concerning mission. Kakashi had never been adamant about sending Sakura out on extremely dangerous mission because of her value as a medic. However, if he was sending Sasuke and Naruto as well, he probably felt a little reassured, given their history.
"If no one has any objections to the team and your assignment, I suggest you all leave shortly. Since this is not a simple scouting mission, it will take you all at least two days to get to the Land of Whirlpool with all the appropriate gear." Kakashi closed.
"Yes sir!" All five ninja sounded, accepting their mission.
"Let's meet at the gates in one hour." Sasuke decided, delegating the time to his team. He knew that everyone got the message without any of them replying. Sakura, Sai, Naruto and Hinata immediately left, leaving Sasuke behind alone with Kakashi. Before Sakura excited the room, she shot Sasuke a glance, knowing that he probably disapproved of her being summoned as part of the team and his scowl confirmed it. She didn't say anything though as she left, shutting the door with an audible click.
Sasuke sighed. Great. Just great. He knew that Kakashi had chosen Sakura to be part of the team for a reason, and there was no way he was going to convince him otherwise, but it didn't make him feel any more comfortable with the situation.
"I don't know what happened between you two," Kakashi began. "But the tension you two were emanating was obvious, and I'm not going to ask why. You both are going to have to sort that out or pretend it doesn't exist for the time being. You can't afford to be distracted on this mission."
"I know that." Sasuke snapped, irritation evident in his tone.
Kakashi sighed. "I don't think I have to reiterate that Sakura can more than hold her own in combat if she has to, but she's well off with both you and Naruto." He lectured. "I hope for her sake that what you find wont cause you to leave again soon."
Sasuke was well aware of what Kakashi was inferring to. Nevertheless, he knew that Sakura was in more danger than the rest of them for this mission since whatever was going on, medical nin had been disappearing.
"You and I both know that whether something comes up or not that I won't stay for longer that I feel is necessary. I still have things to investigate."
"Even if that is your resolve Sasuke, it won't change the fact that the both of you have to make things right. You can't leave her hanging this time either. She needs an answer."
Pressure was the last thing that Sasuke wanted to feel at the moment, no matter how right the sixth Hokage was. He wasn't at liberty to discuss their situation to the man anyway.
The sun was barely beginning to light up the sky by the time all five ninja arrived at the gates. Sakura had been the first one to arrive, waiting silently, pacing while lost in her thoughts before she was joined by Hinata and Naruto who were holding hands.
"You're here early." Naruto stated.
"Yeah I packed before I came to the meeting." Sakura answered curtly. With only Naruto and Hinata there, Naruto brought up a more private conversation.
"What's going on between you and Sasuke? You guys were tense up there." He pried. This irritated Sakura, even though she knew he meant well.
"It's not really any of your business, Naruto." Her voice sounded cold, coming off rude but she didn't care at the moment. She would apologize to Naruto later.
"Naruto-kun, I don't think asking Sakura-chan about it right now is a good idea." His wife suggested.
Naruto seemed as if he was going to inquire about their situation more, despite the fact that Sakura was clearly displaying her agitation and his wife suggested otherwise but Sai arrived, interrupting their private conversation.
"Hey." He greeted. It was weird that he didn't always greet them with the insulting nicknames, but Sai had come a long way in learning how to interact with his peers, especially since he began a serious romantic relationship with Ino.
"Looks like we are just waiting on Sasuke." Naruto pointed out. Ironically, the Uchiha himself appeared shortly after Naruto finished his statement.
"Everyone ready?" Sasuke's tone of voice was monotone, clearly unamused while his question was rhetoric.
"Sasuke! This is going to be like old times! Team seven out on a mission together again!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, throwing a fist into the air as a display of his excited attitude. Sakura gave a small smile of nostalgia. Even though Kakashi wasn't with them anymore, he was right. This was the first time in a very long time that the three of them had been sent out on a mission together. They were all adults now, and some of Konoha's most powerful ninja of their generation.
They began to set out, walking at a brisk pace, exiting the gates of Konoha, leaving their village behind them. It would probably be about a weeks journey to complete their mission in the way Kakashi wanted them to.
"Once we reach the outskirts of the village, we will cut through the forest." Sasuke informed his teammates. "It will cut a little bit of time off travelling."
The rest of the day was rather uneventful while they traveled. Sasuke set a reasonable pace for the group, and it was obvious that he was definitely well versed in travelling in the wilds. They stopped only a couple times, once for a quick break and lunch, for another short break and for everyone to have a few minutes to recuperate and now they were determining on where to settle for the night since the sun was beginning it's descent through the sky.
"There should be a creek in the area. It runs right outside the jurisdiction of the Land of Water." Sasuke stated. "We will camp around there." No one argued. The idea of camping sounded nice since they had been traveling all day.
It didn't seem that long before the creek that Sasuke had mentioned came into view, the water glistening from the light of the setting sun. Sakura was rather relieved at the sight of the creek. She would never admit it, but the lack of missions and her busy schedule had made her more complacent with her physical stamina, leaving her out a little bit out of shape as the exertion of the day's travel seemed to fatigue her more than she remembered. Honestly, Sai could have just created his art beasts to fly them, but it did require a bit of chakra. Sasuke had decided that it was best to conserve all of their chakras to the best of their abilities, and that it would be better to be more discreet. Flying giant artistic birds didn't exactly scream discreet.
They walked along the river, everyone quiet, until they were able to find a little clearing. Even in these peaceful times, criminals did still exist, so they decided to make camp in a clearing that was just a little bit away from the creek inside the forest to avoid any possible chance of them getting caught off guard. Even though the five of them could easily fend off any bandits, old habits did die hard.
Sakura knew that Sasuke was never good at delegating camp jobs, and it had always been her job when they were team seven, even during their time when Sai replaced Sasuke as their team member. She didn't say anything, but each of the boys understood this familiar responsibility of hers.
"Sai, why don't you go get us some wood for the fire? Sasuke-kun can get it going when you've collected enough. Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, why don't you clear an area for us to sleep? A couple of alert traps probably wouldn't be bad. Hinata-chan and I will get some water for the night." Not a single one of the boys complained as they did as they were told, but Sakura did catch the glance that Hinata and Naruto shot each other. She couldn't quite make out what their expressions meant in the receding light, but she guessed that it probably had something to do with trying to get either her or Sasuke to talk about what was causing the obvious tense atmosphere between her and the Uchiha. The tense aura between the two had not dissipated in the slightest as they traveled all day, and for Sakura, in some ways it was worse as she was left to think about everything over and over in her head to pass the time of travelling.
Satisfied with the duties she delegated the boys being taken care of, she grabbed Sasuke's, Sai's, and her personal water container while Hinata grabbed hers and Naruto's. They walked in a comfortable silence, reaching the creek and finding a good spot to kneel and fill all the containers.
"I thought you might ask what's going on between me and Sasuke-kun." Sakura conversed quietly, getting the attention of her friend, as she pulled off the cap of Sai's water bottle, gently submerging it into the cold water of the creek. The initial contact with the frigid fresh water stung at her hands a little. In some ways, she needed to talk about it.
"I would ask, Sakura-chan, but I'm not as good at being straightforward like Naruto-kun. I feel that if you want to talk about it, you will." She replied calmly. "I will listen of course, like you always have for me." Hinata replied as she did the same with Naruto's water container. This was how she always was, Sakura thought. In contrast to Ino, she was a much better listener, and always offered her honest opinion.
Sakura drew in a deep breath, holding it for just a moment before exhaling it, slowly and controlled. She was trying to control the tension that had managed to coil up tightly inside her chest all day. She had managed to fill up Sai's water container and was now working on Sasuke's.
"He's just so confusing! You know how I feel about him hasn't changed, but I'm just not sure about him. His feelings I mean. Sometimes he's reserved and distant… and then he… he-"
"He kissed you?" Those words that came from her shy best friend came too easily, Sakura thought as a blush immediately burned across her cheeks.
"H-how did you know?" Sakura questioned, clearly embarrassed.
"Just a guess. Naruto-kun and I have seen the glances you've given to each other all day, and you've touched your lips a few times." Hinata stated matter-of-factly.
"O-oh." Was all Sakura could say. She didn't realize that those two had been so observant, and despite what Hinata had said, she was strangely straightforward in her own quiet way, while Naruto tended to be more boisterous his straightforwardness.
"I-well, it was almost a kiss. But right before it happened he just got up and left me there. I was so mad at him that night and then…" Sakura paused for a moment as if contemplating on how she should explain the rest of her sentence. "he just said something odd to me that I haven't been able to get out of my head. Like all of this has been my choice all along." She huffed. Hinata couldn't help but stifle a small giggle at seeing her friend so worked up over this, but it coming out as an angry whisper. Sakura frowned at her as if it was ridiculous that Hinata would find anything funny. Sasuke's water container was now full, so she promptly replaced the lid on it as if taking her frustration on his water container would help her feel at least a little better before finally working on filling up her own water container.
I'm sorry it's just that the whispering to keep the boys from hearing us just seems so childish." Hinata reasoned. Her expression did become more serious though, understanding that Sakura really did feel, and was experiencing a lot of turmoil. "Sakura-chan, I think that you know the answer but you want Sasuke-san to answer it for you…" Hinata continued. Sakura knew that Hinata was giving her honest opinion now based on what she knew. "I think that you know Sasuke-kun better than anyone, and you understand him in ways that Naruto-kun doesn't since the nature of your relationships are also different."
"I try to." Sakura conceded.
"But, that being said," Hinata added, "after all this time, feeling like he's finally giving you an answer might be scaring you a little bit because you've been comfortable and okay with being this way with each other for a long time."
That was the part that Sakura realized she didn't want to hear, no matter how truthful it probably was. To be honest, the way things were unfolding now wasn't how Sakura ever fantasized it would happen, and it was also easier to blame Sasuke for the frustration and uncertainty she never thought she would feel upon the possibility of the dynamics of their relationship changing.
"Hinata-chan!" Both girls were startled at the sound of Naruto calling out for his wife, probably as a result of them being gone and talking longer than it would have taken to fill up all their water bottles. It was only a few more seconds before the yellow haired ninja himself emerged from the trees, finding the both of them still kneeling beside the creek.
"Naruto-kun! Did you guys get the camp set up?" Hinata asked, greeting her husband. He nodded.
"Yeah, we are all set up for the night! Sasuke got the fire going. We've been wondering where the two of you disappeared off to."
"Sorry! I'm sure everyone's hungry!" Hinata apologized as she stood up, brushing herself off. Naruto grabbed their water containers from her, a polite gesture as Sakura watched Hinata smile a thank you.
"Are you coming, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, puzzled that the pinkette hadn't made any notion to move or get up.
"Yeah, I just want to wash up a little before eating. I'll be right there." She half lied. Honestly, she just wanted a couple moments to herself. She was glad when Naruto didn't question her any further, shrugging it off. He and Hinata began to retreat to where their camp was, disappearing into the trees.
It was dark now, the moon high in the sky. Sakura was glad that it was a full moon because it offered the best visibility in the dark, and she liked the way it made the water in the creek glitter in it's reflection. It was beautiful, she thought, and it somewhat helped her feel a little more calm.
Though she didn't necessarily get to finish her conversation with Hinata, she had managed to say enough to help Sakura try and see things from a different perspective. It was so unlike herself to be so close minded, but her emotions had gotten the better of her. Hinata was right. Sakura did know what Sasuke was thinking better than anyone else for the most part, and if she had just stopped to analyze what he was communicating between the lines silently like she had somewhat learned to do, she had an answer. The answer just scared her and she didn't want to acknowledge it. In a way, Sasuke was so painfully transparent in a blunt way that made him seem difficult to read.
All of a sudden, his actions made more sense, and she felt a little guilty, but also a little frustrated that his guilt was causing punishment upon himself.
After dinner, everyone immediately headed off to bed after deciding on who and when each of them would take turns of keeping watch throughout the night. Sasuke decided he would take the first watch, and his mood had been somewhat sour all evening that no one dared object. Sakura noticed that his mood had only seemed worse after she had sent him off with Naruto to do their duties for setting up camp, but the two were closed lipped about it. They would steal glances at each other, but Sasuke would be the first to advert his eyes.
He settled beside a tree, just a little bit away from the main area of their camp as he watched Naruto and Hinata set their sleeping bags close to each other. Sai and Sakura set theirs up as well, both giving the Uzumaki's some space. Sasuke hadn't brought along a sleeping pack since he was all to familiar with sleeping in the forest. It was more comfortable and familiar to him that way anyway. He settled down against a thick trunked tree, gently placing Kusanagi beside his right hip in a way that would make it easy to draw his weapon in defense if he needed to.
Observing Sakura out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she pulled off the belt around her torso and removed the kunai pouch from her thigh, settling them down beside her. It was annoyingly distracting and made him uncomfortable in a place he had to slyly shift. She was chatting with Sai about something, but he couldn't hear what they were saying much to his chagrin. He could see that Sai was giving off an awkward smile though, which made him even more curious as to what had been said between the two and he could visibly see Sakura's shoulders fall in a sigh. He didn't know Sai that well, but he could admit that he had some impressive abilities as a ninja.
When it seemed that they had all settled down, Sasuke relaxed a little, eager to be left to his own thoughts. The conversation he had Naruto had earlier when they were clearing their camp replayed in his head.
"You messed things up, didn't you?" Naruto stated. "The tension between you two has been obvious."
"It's between me and Sakura." Sasuke deflected.
"You're right, it is, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to ask."
"Hn." Naruto prying into it was really beginning to sour his already irritable mood.
"The grunts aren't an answer you know."
Sasuke could tell that Naruto was becoming tense, and probably irritated at the way that Sasuke was brushing things off. Naruto never had a problem talking with his fists, and in a way, that was how to two communicated when being verbal just wasn't going to convey what they were thinking or feeling. However, Naruto would also be the first the take a swing and a physical knock down was not what Sasuke wanted right now.
"I told you I would give Sakura answer, I just never promised it would be a favorable one." Sasuke stated.
"You sound like an ass, you know that? It really rubs me the wrong way." Naruto growled, gritting his teeth.
"You're an idiot for getting into something you don't understand, Naruto."
This only pissed off his best friend more, as grabbed Sasuke's shirt, clenching his fist into it.
"I don't know what the hell your problem is, but I have half a mind to punch the daylights out of you for Sakura-chan, you bastard."
"I think you and I both know what Sakura is getting herself into if she continues to pursue a relationship with me. It's like you said, she does deserve better. I want her to fully understand what it means, and give her a change to change her mind."
"Did you forget the part where I told you that I'm pretty sure she doesn't have an interest in anyone else?"
"No." The Uchiha finally saying something seemed to calm down his best friend, as he released his hold on his shirt, but not without a shove.
"Man up." Naruto demanded. "Regardless of our past, your past, or your insecurities, man up! Sakura… Sakura still loves you, even after knowing exactly who you are."
"That's exactly why she needs to understand what she's getting into if we… get involved."
"So this is your way of protecting her?"
Sasuke sighed, giving a slight nod. "Yeah." He couldn't believe that he just got a lecture from Naruto of all people to man up about a woman.
What he could have never said directly, or aloud at the time was that he was protecting her from himself if that wasn't obvious to Naruto, and he was failing miserably. He was hopelessly trying to keep his resolve from shattering, but it was being chipped away at much faster than he could control. When he had decided to return to the village thinking that he was ready to involved with his teammates again, with her again, he didn't realize the extent of his own feelings and how they had changed when he saw her again for the first time in a couple years.
The sexual tension that he had hidden away and tried to ignore came crashing into him all at once, without mercy that night upon seeing the exotic beauty she had always been and had perfectly matured into and it absolutely terrified him. In that moment, he realized just how weak he was with emotions, and just how much he had been lying to himself about the way he had always felt about Sakura.
He just wanted her happiness, to see her smiling like she did that night when they talked for hours, even if that meant it was with someone else. The guilt came. He ridiculed himself for his selfishness. He didn't deserve the happiness he knew that she would offer and willingly give him, and he decided it was better to punish himself rather than selfishly ask her to share in his burdens.
It was the easy way out, and he knew it but it was so easy to justify things that way.
That was his resolve he thought, until yesterday. Until he was faced with her raw, honest emotions that unforgivingly assaulted him when her mesmerizing green eyes locked onto his, refusing to let up their intense gaze that sent his very being ablaze. He was weak in that moment, selfish he told himself as he leaned down, wanting to know what at least one kiss would feel like from Sakura's teasing pink lips. That was his justification though when what he really wanted was the hope he was denying himself. He was somewhat disappointed yet relieved at the same time that his messenger hawk had snapped him out of the spell he was under as he swiftly retreated from the woman he had sinfully fallen in love with. His lips had brushed against hers, and he was left to deal with the implications of his selfish actions. He tried to warn her.
When Sakura distanced herself from him today, he wasn't surprised but he couldn't help but feel a painful aching in his chest that was so heavy, it was hard to breathe.
The crackling of the fire and the chirping of bugs was all Sasuke could hear in the silence of the forest, but when the wind blew he could hear the rustle of the leaves on the trees. Comforting in it's familiarity, but he couldn't help but just stare at Sakura as she slept. She was supposed to take the second watch, with Sai taking the third. He knew that neither Hinata or Naruto had slept much since Kakashi had sent them out on the scouting mission, only to have them sent back out on this mission without much time to recuperate. Strategically, he needed everyone as rested as possible and he understood entirely the reason behind Kakashi's thinking. They had endured much worse than this anyway.
Sakura hadn't realized exactly when she had finally fell asleep when she felt her body being shaken awake. She thought that it would be Sasuke waking her, telling her it was her turn to keep watch over them, but instead when she lifted her eyelids, Hinata's face came into view as her vision began to focus. She frowned, slightly puzzled as she rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes.
"Sakura-chan, it's time to wake up. It's time to get going and we are starting to pack up camp." She informed softly.
"W-what?" Sakura sat up, still trying to shake the confusion. Did Sasuke not wake her up at all? When she finally opened her eyes, she saw Sasuke strapping Kusanagi to himself, and the others putting away the last of their belongings. She was the last one they woke up it seemed. A little embarrassed, she jumped up, stretching her back out quickly before reaching down to grab her torso belt and her kunai pouch to fasten back onto her body. She quickly finished putting away the last of their things when Sai threw water onto their camp fire, drowning the hot flames. It was really early in the morning as it was still dark. Sasuke probably had them wake up early on purpose.
Though Sakura wanted to ask Sasuke about letting her sleep, she knew better than to do so. Given the nature of their mission, and the fact that medical nin had been a target for disappearances, Sasuke probably felt more at ease watching over her rather than her being awake by herself, even if she could hold her own if she were to be attacked. It was just his way of protecting her, even if it meant he didn't get much sleep.
"The port shouldn't be too far from here." Sai informed, one of his ninja scroll beasts in the form of a bird swooping down to them. He must have sent it out a little earlier to scout.
"It will probably take a couple hours to get there." Sasuke added. Uzushiogakure was located on an island in the sea, it's ruins now part of the Land of Waves. Sailing there had always been a little treacherous due to the whirlpools that had surrounded it, hence the name it once inherited. "While the original plan I had come up with would have us on the island by the time the Sun has risen, I think we should spend the day investigating the port town of Shio in order to try and gather more information about the strange activities on that island."
"Won't that extend our original time frame?" Naruto asked, a frown beginning to form on his face.
"It may," Sasuke replied, "but the length of this mission depended on what we might find anyway. In my experience, there can be a lot of valuable information available just by talking to the locals." Clearly, Sasuke was talking from experience. This was something Naruto would not have necessarily thought of, given his typical headstrong, jump into the fray nature.
"I agree with Sasuke." Sai added, siding with the Uchiha. "Collecting as much information as possible is a good idea, especially when we don't have much information in the first place. We are practically going in blind if you consider the fact that we have limited ideas on what to expect."
"I'm not saying that it's a bad idea… I guess I just wouldn't of thought of that." Naruto admitted.
With that, all five of them headed out, ready to start their day. Making headway through the forest was indeed monotonous, especially since there was still an awkward silence like the day before, but Sakura at least felt a little better after talking to Hinata. She could still feel that Sasuke was just as tense as the day before, if not a little more so because she knew that he had not slept much, maybe only two or three hours while Sai took his turn to watch over the group, and that's if he was able to sleep at all himself. Was he used to getting such little sleep due to his last three years of travelling? If so, his physique did an amazing job at hiding it.
As Sasuke had said earlier, it didn't seem all that long before Shio port came into view, holding its place beside the sea. Sasuke guided them to the official traveling roads when they reached the outskirts of the little port so as to not create suspicion of them just appearing out of the forest, a gesture of goodwill and peace in a sense. Shio was not a ninja village by any means, so the people who lived there were mainly civilians. As a port though, they probably had ninja and samurai pass through on a constant basis as they traveled through the Land of Water on their business.
Walking through the East gates of Shio, Sakura noticed that the people didn't seem to pay any attention to her and her teammates, though it seemed that some of them took a second glance at her, probably for her bright pink hair. Her bright pink hair wasn't at all common, and the only other person who even had a semblance of pink hair was her father Hizashi, though his hair was a rather dull shade of it.
"We should split up. It will be easier and faster to work in smaller groups." Sasuke suggested shortly after they had entered the gates. He probably wanted to come up with a plan of sorts before they entered the bustling crowds of people that tightly packed the streets of the small port town. It was like Konoha's market place, but it seemed twice as busy since it was also smaller. The town itself also gave off a more traditional feel, it's roads still made of stone, and many buildings still made of wood. The close proximity of the sea also brought green algae and plants to grow into the buildings, giving the place a funny musty scent mixed in with salty air. It was obvious that this town saw lots of travelers by it's somewhat weathered state.
"Hinata-chan and I are teaming up then!" Naruto announced in response to Sasuke's plan. No one was surprised as they all suspected that would be the case since they were husband and wife. Despite the fact that they could end up distracted, no one bothered to verbally reject that possibility.
"Sakura, you pair up with Sai," Sasuke ordered. Sakura couldn't help but feel her chest fall in disappointment, although she was also relieved at the same time. She really would have liked some one on one time with Sasuke, even if they would have to seriously be working on their mission. At the same time though, she knew being alone with him and the current awkward tension they were avoiding wouldn't be helping their situation at all. Not to mention the fact that if she knew Sasuke, and she did, the fact that he had her pair up with Sai was him indicating that he wanted his personal space.
"Ask around and see what you guys can find out about what's going on with the island. Let's meet back up here in a couple of hours." Sasuke informed. "I don't think I really need to tell you all this, but being obvious and prying too deep will cause suspicion, and might cause some trouble."
"Ask about rumors, fit in, and don't pry…" Naruto repeated. "Got it. Well see you guys!" With that, he grabbed Hinata's right hand with his left, heading off into what looked like a ramen shop with Hinata in tow. It may not be Ichiraku's, but clearly lunch and ramen was on his mind. Sasuke, Sakura and Sai watched as they headed off.
"Okay, well, we will try and find out what we can in the next couple of hours then," Sakura sighed, wondering which way she and Sai should head off. Perhaps visiting the local inn would be the best place for them to start at least. "We will meet back here in a couple of hours. Good luck, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke felt was seemed like a jolt of discomfort upon hearing the way his named rolled off her tongue. It sounded different. Apprehensive, maybe even awkward. It was unusual he thought, but considering how tense things had been the last couple days, he was just glad she was saying something to him.
"Hn." Was all he responded before turning away to head off in his own direction. He had seen Sakura eye the place he would have initially gone to as well, but he could start somewhere else. After all, this wasn't his first time doing this sort of work. When he travelled and stopped to help people in need, he would often investigate rumors first in order to work out a plan to help those in need.
He was ignoring it, a deep unsettling gut feeling, telling himself that Sai was more than capable of protecting Sakura, he couldn't help but feel a little ominous. Irritatingly, their silence and awkwardness towards each other was affecting his decision making.
The Inn had been the first place that Sakura and Sai and went to investigate, and although their first attempt didn't seem to provide much useful information, after going around the other places in town that the others hadn't already visited landed them back at their starting point.
So far, their information hadn't been much different from what they already knew. Civilians here wouldn't know much about chakra monitoring, but they did notice odd lights from the island that sometimes appeared, and they had seen more ninja from the Land of Waves pass through, wanting to get a closer look at the island. They had also heard of some rumors of people disappearing as well, but for the most part the people seemed to believe that it was just a myth. The only new and possibly pertinent information that they seemed to have acquired was the fact that a local bandit gang seemed to be more active than usual, and it seemed to start escalating once odd things started happening on the island. This made both Sai and Sakura suspect that they might be involved in the recent disappearances of sorts.
"It's really odd." Sakura began as her and Sai began to walk back towards the spot they had originally started their investigation. "It just seems strange that the civilians here really don't seem too bothered or concerned by what's going on around them."
"I agree." Sai replied. "Even as a member of ROOT, when I carried out missions to gather information it seemed like information that the locals had weren't quite so obscure."
"It's like they aren't even paying attention. Not a single person seemed overly concerned about disappearances." Sakura wondered, concern in her voice.
"Though it would seem unlikely, it could be everyone isn't saying much because disappearances around here might be more common than people would like to admit. Many people cope by pretending there isn't a problem, and for a town that depends on tourism for their livelihood, advertising that they have a gang problem or that people are going missing isn't exactly something they would want to do, no matter how bad the problem is." Sai suggested. Sakura agreed. His explanation had plenty of logical sense to it.
"Well, that may be easy enough to put together, but the hard part is definitely decided on what we should do next. If we couldn't get much information, I doubt that the others had much better luck."
"True. It is time to head back and meet up with the others though. There's nothing we can do without hearing what else they were able to find out." Sakura nodded in agreement.
"I suppose you are right." The two of them began to walk back to the main area where the five of them had originally split. Intel gathering had momentarily distracted Sakura from her current problems with Sasuke, but despite the current awkwardness of their relationship, she was still eager to see him. She walked quickly, with Sai close in tow. She was walking with enough force that you could hear the audible clack of the short heels of her ninja sandals.
"Let's cut through here. I think it will get us to where we are meeting faster." Sakura stated, turning towards a darker and more narrow alleyway. Sai didn't seemed bothered to think anything strange of it since the direction was directly towards where they were headed.
He took a couple more steps, seemingly in tow behind Sakura before it seemed like a tangible thick darkness suddenly swallowed her up, an expression of confusion and fear etched clearly on her face as she was about to yell out to him, but no sound escaped.
"Sakura!" Sai yelled frantically, the event unfolding almost too fast for him to react or comprehend. She was just gone, the alleyway now empty as if nothing had transpired at all and not a thing was out of place. Before Sai knew it, everything began to go blank and he couldn't feel himself as he fell to the ground before his world became completely black.
Well, now what's going to happen?
Sorry about the long wait for this update! Time seemed to slip away way too fast, and I was having a hard time deciding on how exactly I wanted this to set up the events to come, and how I wanted it to end. I decided after all that it was better to just go with something that I felt I could make plausible than not write at all. If I strived for absolute perfection, nothing would ever happen, haha.
Working on the next chapter now. I'm really trying to plan on getting this next chapter out around Christmas at the latest, instead of it taking a few months.
Thanks so much for reading, and I hope I was able to convey the awkwardness and feelings between Sasuke and Sakura in this chapter! Be prepared for some major FEELS in the next couple chapters.'