A/N: I have finally decided to pick this story back up! Sorry, but I needed a break. My writer's block was too strong to push through. Oops. Either way, please enjoy this chapter! I'm working harder to make these chapters better and longer.
Please note: If you have previously kept up with this story, I am revising and updating all the previous chapters as of 10/4/2017.
Vibrant emerald eyes stared out the windows of the upper floor, watching the steady rainfall slow to a gentle drizzle that almost looked like mist. She sat on the bed, thinking aimlessly about how much softer it was than one she'd ever slept in before. She sat with her back pressed up against the wall, knees drawn to her chest. All of this rain was starting to make her depressed, as if she didn't have reason enough to already be miserable.
She couldn't help but wonder how the rest of Team 7 were dealing with her disappearance. Did they think she was dead? Did they give up already and mourn for her? No. No, Naruto would never stop trying to find a way to bring her back. Her blonde teammate would be fiercely determined to save her. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't give up either, even if he was aloof half the time, she knew he cared. Even though Sai hadn't been part of her team as long as Kakashi and Naruto, the pinkette believed Sai wouldn't ever give up on her either. The bonds of friendship the artist formed had become very precious and dear to him.
Did they even make it away from the Akatsuki alive? She had complete confidence in her team, but the Akatsuki were a great threat that she had to acknowledge. Elite S-classed rogue ninja were a threat, even for someone as skilled and experienced as Kakashi-sensei. They had to be alive. She had to keep thinking that, or else she truly would lose hope.
Her thoughts changed direction, coming back to the people she'd found in this strange, peculiar place. Ryuzaki seemed to be the boss, even though he seemed to be close to her in age. He was the one who led this ludicrous investigation. He was the one who held a man in a locked cell who appeared undeniably identical to the brother she believed to be dead.
The strategy they'd come up with at the moment was to have Light and the other one, the blonde girl they'd arrested in connection to Kira, remain unaware about the truth of where Sakura really came from. They'd be left in the dark on the real details regarding herself. She's just supposed to be a civilian, a mere girl involved in a tragic accident who has no memories of anything except her name.
Matsuda stumbled across her as it happened, and decided to extend his hospitality and kindness to her. As a result of his kindness, she has to stay here now that she knows too much about the Kira investigation. Ryuzaki had informed her that she knows too much information to leave, at least until they could get to the bottom of the case.
This is all, of course, a just a ruse to try to help Sakura uncover the truth about Light. They all probably believed her to be crazy and doubted her, but as a ninja you never distrusted what your intuition was telling you. Sakura's gaze shifted from the windows down to her leg, the one that had been wrapped up and "broken". She hated having to pretend, but she viewed this as a personal mission that she would see through with all of her best efforts to the end.
She could hear the elevator from down the dimly lit hallway. This would be Matsuda or maybe even Watari to come get her to introduce her to the two downstairs. Sure enough, with a "ding" so quiet that only her extended senses could pick up, she heard the doors part to allow someone passage into the hallway. By the rhythm and sound of the footsteps, Sakura knew it was Watari.
She'd already placed her weapons and leaf headband at the bottom of one of the drawers in her bedroom. She'd placed her clothes there as well. Sakura wanted to be thorough and not give herself away, so she'd hidden them out of plain sight. She was wearing shorts that cut off a few inches above her knees, and a green tank top the color of her eyes that was overlaid with white lace. She was trying her best to fit in here.
Certain that she was all set, she opened the door and grabbed the crutches leaning against the door frame that she'd been given from the hospital from before meeting the elderly man halfway. He did not show his emotions, but still offered a polite smile and nod to her. She ran her hand through her long pink hair, letting out a soft sigh as she did so. It was just another habit she'd picked up from Tsunade. She turned, casting one long glance at the overcast skies, noticing the sun trying desperately to break through.
The elevator seemed to take forever to descend to the main floor, even though they were only four floors high. Watari wasn't much for small talk, giving Sakura plenty of time to gather herself. She remembered her attitude and behavior during the first few months after Light's death. Detached, distant, unemotional. Now that she's seen Light again, she's become an emotional wreck. She had to find a normal balance in her emotions. Emotional enough for the part she had to play, detached enough to complete the mission successfully. The elevator came to a gentle stop; the doors opened and it was time.
Sakura limped forward on her crutches, being sure not to much too much pressure on the leg that was supposed to be injured. She rounded the corner with Watari at her side. She could see Ryuzaki – his back was to her but there was no mistaking that shock of messy black hair that was on his head. He was talking to Light and the blonde girl that she'd seen from the computer screen during Ryuzaki's test. The rest of the team was around them gathered in a loose circle.
"Misa, we can't allow you to leave. I hope you understand that it's your only option unless you want to be held in captivity until we solve this case." Ryuzaki was speaking as if he were reading from a textbook. That was the same matter of fact tone that she was beginning to suspect was the only tone he had.
The blonde shot back, "If I can't leave here, where am I supposed to go? Do you expect me to sleep on the couch?!" Misa shrieked in both rage and horror, pouting as she did so.
"Of course not. There are living quarters in the floors above. You'll have a floor to yourself, just like Matsuda and our other guest." Ryuzaki said this just as Sakura approached them with Watari, causing everyone to turn their head in Sakura's direction.
Misa's jaw dropped, "Your hair is PINK! It's so cute! Oh Light, do you think I could pull that off too?!"
Sakura gave a shy smile, but watched Light carefully. No signs of recognition passed through his eyes. "Um, thanks?" she muttered, taken back by the bubbly personality Misa had.
Ryuzaki cleared his throat, not even bothering to turn their way. "This is Sakura. She's living on the fourth floor with Matsuda for the time being."
Light extended his hand towards her, "Nice to meet you, Sakura. I'm Light, detective Yagami's son. Were you injured on the job?" He asked this as his eyes glanced over and took in her hurt leg and the crutches.
Sakura shook his hand, eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch for less than one second, composing herself before anyone noticed. "No.. I'm actually not a detective at all."
Light looked at Matsuda and back to the pink-haired girl. Misa beat him to the question he'd been thinking, though she asked way more bluntly and straightforward than Light had intended to. "Matsuda! You brought your girlfriend here to live with you?! Maybe we can live together too Light!" Misa squealed excitedly and blushed as she clung to Light's arm.
Aizawa paced back and forth between the computers and the small group gathered, obviously impatient. Sakura sighed while Matsuda turned a brilliant shade of red. "Matsu… you didn't explain it to them yet?" She asked quietly with a slight pout.
He shook his head. "Ryuzaki said to wait for you!" he hurried to excitedly explain. "Sorry…"
Sakura took the seat next to Ryuzaki, leaning the crutches next to the chair. "Okay. No, Misa. I'm not Matsuda's girlfriend. It's a little bit complicated.." She gnawed on her bottom lip, contemplating the best way to word her explanation.
Light's face scrunched up in confusion. "Wait, if you're not a detective, why are you here working this case?"
Sakura was quick to shake her head. "No, I'm not working the case either. Matsuda found me all banged up on the street," she said, gesturing to her leg. "He brought me to the hospital. I don't have any memories other than my own name, and I don't really have anywhere to go," she said a little sadly.
Ryuzaki chose that moment to cut in, turning his piercing gaze to Light. "And even if she did have somewhere to go, she knows about the Kira case now and the people who are working the case. She's not allowed to leave." Ryuzaki focused his gaze on Light. "I have also speculated the possibility that Sakura may have been controlled by Kira when her accident took place, but that possibility is so small. Possibly less than two percent." Ryuzaki explained, scratching his chin as he thought it through again. "But Light, I'd like to ask you to work on this case with us. It'll take up a great deal of time, nevertheless I feel like the both of us together could solve this case. Your intelligence matches my own."
Light nodded his head. "I want to clear my name. I need to catch this guy so that you have no doubt anymore that I'm not Kira."
"Mr. Yagami, can you come up with an excuse for Light's absence at home?"
Light's father crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes Ryuzaki. Light, are you sure this is what you want?"
"Yes, dad, I'm sure. I have to do this," Light said firmly standing by his resolve.
Sakura watched the exchange, thoughts running through her head about when she had shaken hands with him. She'd definitely felt traces of Light's chakra signatures. She didn't understand what was going on, and her instincts were telling her that there was more to this than she could possibly understand, but the feel of that chakra was unquestionably the chakra that belonged to her brother.
"Let's get to work then."
Sasuke had roamed around the Akatsuki base and gotten acquainted with the underground facility. He was still cautious though; he wasn't sure what underlying motives the rogue group had for letting him join so easily. It didn't really matter at this point. What mattered was finding out what happened to Sakura. Whether or not he showed it, he cared for his ex-teammate and pink-haired comrade. She'd been there for him during some of the hardest times in his life. Yes, he was irritated and annoyed that she cared so much and had gotten attached, but at the same time he was grateful.
He always assumed Naruto would be the one to save her if she ever needed it after his departure from the village, but by some mysterious fate, he was the only one capable of saving her now. That's what brought him to the study he had found here in the base. There were four large shelves stacked with books and scrolls, and even a couch and a couple of chairs in the Akatsuki's library. Who knew anyone in the Akatsuki had time to read?
The spacious room smelled the way aged leather-bound books smell. Sasuke took a seat on one of the chairs. It was designed for luxury and comfort; the cushions were a deep shade of black, soft and plush and almost certainly too expensive. No one had contacted him about any assignments as of yet, so how else was he supposed to spend his time? Playing nice and making friends? Tch. Unlikely.
The dark haired Uchiha had come across many scrolls that grabbed his attention, but nothing that contained what he was searching for. To be fair, he didn't think they'd keep whatever jutsu they used on Sakura in the study. If there was a scroll containing the jutsu, it would be kept somewhere and concealed. Nonetheless, he had to search because he couldn't just sit there and do nothing.
He stood up from the chair, picked up the scrolls he had gathered and tucked them under his arm. He walked casually past the kitchen, turning the corner that led to his room. As he rounded the corner, he felt a familiar chakra signature approaching the base that froze him in his tracks. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. He took a deep, unsteady breath, and with all the willpower the Uchiha had, hastily walked into his room and slammed the door shut behind him.
Itachi. It's probable that he's just returned from completing a mission. He wondered if Itachi knew that Sasuke was now among them and a supposed ally.
He set the scrolls down on the desk along the wall. He had no interest in confronting his brother right now; he needed to focus. He couldn't afford to lose sight of his mission. If he put Itachi before rescuing Sakura, the risk was too high that she would never be saved. He could deal with Itachi later, but he also knew that if he failed, half of Konoha would be out for his blood.
He sat down at the desk, trying to concentrate on the scrolls in front of him. He picked up the first one he touched, opened it, and began looking at its contents for answers. The way this underground structure was set up, Sasuke had no idea what time it was or even if it was night or day. He spent what felt like ages poring over these scrolls, but there was nothing here.
Sure, there were a few jutsu here and there that he would probably never use, but none of these were related to a teleportation or transportation jutsu. Most of them were elemental. Growing more frustrated as time passed, the Uchiha clenched his jaw as he could feel a couple different chakra signatures moving throughout the hallways and rooms. No one bothered to suppress their chakra while they were in the base. Hidden Rain was the only village he knew of that openly accepted the presence of Akatsuki, so there was no point in masking their chakra.
Sasuke decided that he had already spent way too long mulling over these scrolls. He got in bed and tried his hardest to tune out the rest of the world, because if he didn't, he would completely blow his cover.
He'd managed to get some rest, waking to the sound of someone knocking on his door. He promptly got out of bed, crossed the room in three strides and opened the door only to be greeted by the female Akatsuki member. "You have a mission. You'll be working alone on this, just to test your loyalties," she said, handing him a scroll. "It's a simple assassination mission. You are to prepare yourself and leave immediately."
"Hn." No sooner than it took him to nod, she vanished into hundreds of tiny pieces of paper. A clone? Kekkei-genkei, too.
Sasuke strapped his weapon holster to his leg and placed his katana on his back. Casting a long glance at the Akatsuki robe that hung up in his room, he took it and put it on without another thought. With a swift flick of the light switch, the Uchiha left the room and the underground hideout behind him, effectively putting more and more distance between himself and the chakra signature of the man responsible for ruining his childhood.
The farther he travelled away from Rain, the better the weather became. Sasuke took to the trees, preferring to travel here in the forests rather than civilian paths. He opened his scroll, debriefing himself on the mission. His job was to assassinate a heavily guarded mercenary. He was the boss of some unheard of corporation that abused his authority to hire in thugs to control the economy. The place was in the Land of Waves… so it was some Gato wannabe, just like during his Genin days.
He shook away the memories. If this guy was like Gato, the mission would take him no more than two days. Half a day to travel there, one day to scope him out and complete the task given to him, and half a day's travel back to Rain. He pulled out a map, remembering to avoid any hidden villages on the way. He'd been a rogue ninja for years now. One of the first things Orochimaru taught Sasuke was routes where ANBU tended to patrol, so he'd have no problems navigating around those boundaries. He put away the scroll and kept moving, resolved to get this over job with.
"Move over!" Ino shouted as she pushed one of the nurses aside. She threw her hands over the patient's bleeding abdomen, concentrating to use her healing to the best of her ability. Since her best friend's disappearance, she felt responsible for trying to cover the slack the pink haired medic left behind at the hospital. She had even gone so far as refusing to go on missions with her teammates to take extra shifts at the hospital. She hated to admit it, but she wasn't as skilled at healing as her best friend.
The wound of the patient beneath her was almost completely healed. He began to groan as he came back into consciousness. "I'm sorry," the blonde beauty said, gazing down at him. "Just a little more, okay?"
Her words seemed to soothe him, and as she finished up, he relaxed and passed out again.
"I can take over from here Yamanaka-san."
Ino looked up at the nurse she'd pushed away. Ino nodded and walked out of the operating room to the adjacent room to clean up. She disposed of the bloody coat and gloves, washing her hands thoroughly. With one glance in the mirror, she adjusted her ponytail and gave a heavy sigh. She left the room and rounded the corner to the hallway. She made a few more turns and found herself at the front reception desk.
"Ayori-chan, do I have any more patient's charts left for the day?"
Ayori was the brunette who had been working the desk for just a few months now shook her head. "You're done for the day, but Shizune-senpai stopped by earlier. She wants you to come see her in her office before you leave."
A sour look crossed Ino's face. She'd been avoiding both Shizune and Tsunade because she already knew what they would have to say to her.
"Thank you, Ayori-chan."
Ino headed to the nearest elevator, the second floor being her destination. As soon as the doors to the elevator opened at the second floor, she could hear Shizune's voice trailing down the hallway. Apparently she was taking care of a problem with one of the nurses. Before long, a young girl with inky black hair left Shizune's office with a few tears falling freely down her face. Ino thought the girl wasn't qualified enough to be working at Konoha Hospital anyway; she had already made too many mistakes that could have killed patients. In her opinion, Shizune had given her more chances than Tsunade ever would have.
She moved to stand in front of Shizune's office and lightly knocked on the door. Shizune looked up from her small stack of paperwork. "Ino. I was hoping you'd stop by," the dark haired woman said as she glanced down at her watch.
"I just got the message from Ayori," Ino explained as Shizune put away the paperwork that cluttered her small desk space.
"Tsunade-sama and I have both noticed it and… you've been working yourself too hard." Ino opened her mouth to protest, but closed it after Shizune sent a glare in her direction. "This is an order, Ino. Take two weeks off. We'll manage things just fine, and if we can't we will send for your assistance. I don't want to see you back at the hospital for TWO weeks though, I mean it!" Shizune said almost in a pleading, yet still demanding tone. Her eyes softened as she continued, "I'm sure your team misses you. Why don't you spend some time with them?"
"Hai, Shizune-sama…" Ino took her time leaving the hospital. She was in no hurry to go home, but she didn't have anywhere else to go, either. The blonde casually walked in a direction that would eventually lead her to her family's flower shop. Her house was right next to the shop. They used to live above the flower shop, but Ino had talked her parents into getting a bigger place years ago, right around the time she became a Genin. Lost in thought, she wasn't paying attention until she almost walked right into somebody.
Her eyes focused back on her surroundings. "Hinata-chan, I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention."
The Hyuuga stood blushing in front of her. "I-it's okay. I was actually l-looking for you Ino-chan. Are you busy tomorrow?"
"No," she answered glumly. "Shizune is making me spend two weeks away from the hospital. Apparently, I'm 'working too much.'" she said in a mocking tone, using air quotes as she spoke.
Hinata already knew that Ino was working too much, so she silently agreed with what Shizune had said. "I-I have to go but.. w-would you like to get together for lunch tomorrow?" Ino gave a small smile. "Sure Hinata-chan. Our usual place?" Hinata nodded and waved goodbye, turning to head to her own home. Ino did the same, wanting to get home and relax.
As she was walking down the bustling, lively streets, the wonderful smells of all the food from restaurants mingled together and made her stomach growl. She'd skipped lunch today, realizing she was probably actually working too much. She weaved her way in and out through the crowds, heading to her favorite place to get takeout. Once she paid for her purchase, she began making her way home again.
Reaching in her pocket, she grabbed her key and inserted it into the lock of the house next to Yamanaka Flower Shop, twisting and letting the door swing open. She took her shoes off one at a time next to the door, kicking them off with her feet. No lights were on throughout the whole house. Her mom must be closing up the flower shop tonight.
Instead of eating at the table like she normally did, she took her food and marched directly upstairs to her bedroom. She was even hungrier than she realized, scarfing down the food in large bites that slightly burned her mouth. It was gone quickly. She threw the empty takeout containers in the trash can, grabbing a change of clothes on her way to the bathroom. She was going to relax, just as she had been instructed to do.
Ino grumbled under her breath as she made her way to the Hokage's office. She'd just been told about how she'd been working too hard and needed a vacation, and here she was being called to work again already.
She took the stairs one at a time, wondering why anyone would ever need her this early in the morning. She'd only just gotten to sleep two hours before she'd been awoken by a member of ANBU tapping on her window to call her to Tsunade's office. She walked right in the double doors, as they were already open and no one else was in there except Tsunade. She was sitting behind her desk.
"Ino, I don't have time to explain everything here. Follow me."
Tsunade rose from her chair, walking around her desk and started out of the room. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft clicking of her heels as they walked back down the stairs. Ino wondered where they were headed, but it became clear as they made a turn at the bottom of the stairs of the main floor that would lead to the basement of Hokage Tower.
This is where prisoners were held, and also where her father spent a great deal of time with Morino Ibiki, head of the Interrogations Unit. Ino quietly followed behind, wondering why she was here. They finally reached the bottom of the long, winding stairs. The basement had gone so deep into the ground, the musty damp smell bothered her sharp senses. They passed by a few empty cells, but as they approached the end of the hallway, Ino could detect the sounds of muted voices behind a closed door.
Tsunade stopped in front of the door, but before turning the knob she turned to face Ino, a grave look on her face. "Hokage-sama, what's going on?"
"Inside this cell is Ibiki. He's currently interrogating an enemy that was captured and brought in by an ANBU squad. This is someone who worked for Orochimaru for years, and we believe there's useful intel that can be gathered here." Ino still didn't fully understand the need for her presence, scrunching her eyebrows with a small frown gracing the beautiful blonde's face.
Before she could ask, Tsunade began speaking again. "Ibiki can't get her to talk, and we don't have time to continue torturing her. I need you here for the Yamanaka family jutsu to delve into the prisoner's subconscious."
"But Tsunade-sama, I've never used that jutsu on anyone before! I've hardly had any training."
"Ino, I believe in you that you can do it. Your father believes in you too, and normally I would ask him to do it, but as you know he's on a mission and this information may lead us to learning something about where or how to find Sakura." She crossed her arms over her chest, a worried look crossing her features. They were all beginning to understand this look. She was worrying herself sick over Sakura. After all, Tsunade looked at Sakura like she was her very own daughter.
"I'm counting on you to do this."
Great. Ino didn't deal well when she was under pressure, which was most days now. She'd been working at the hospital, taking up Sakura's slack. "Yes, Tsunade-sama. I will try my best.." She just couldn't manage to muster enough confidence to back her own words. Tsunade turned, opened the door and passed through with Ino behind her.
In the middle of the room was the prisoner, ankles and wrists strapped to a chair with chakra restraints. The girl looked only a few years older than Ino herself. She was slumped forward in her chair unconscious. The girl's hair was the color of a deep burning fire, long and red. She was very pale under the lighting, looking similar to some of Ino's patients who had lost a decent amount of blood. She was dressed in boots that came above her knees, shorts that were too short for Ino's tastes, and a purple shirt that split at the midriff that was covered in dirt and grime.
Ibiki and Anko approached the two blondes as they came through the doors.
"Hokage-sama, she's been unconscious for half an hour. The only thing I've managed to get out of her is that she's connected to Uchiha Sasuke, but she won't talk. She mumbled the Uchiha's name after she fell unconscious. I asked Anko to assist me until you arrived."
"Thank you, Ibiki. I've brought Inoichi's daughter to try to read through her memories and thoughts. Stay here with her and continue to oversee this operation. Anko, you're dismissed."
Anko replied with a quiet "Hai, Hokage-sama," before walking out of the room without another glance at the prisoner. Ibiki stepped aside, signaling Ino to begin.
Tsunade placed a reassuring hand on Ino's shoulder before walking out, letting the door close behind her with a soft click.
Ino stepped up to the prisoner, concentrating her chakra and centering herself. She had to do her best, because she couldn't stand to let anyone else down. She felt like all the other kunoichi were superior to herself, and she was so tired of being the weakest link. Without another moment of hesitation, she placed the palm of her hand on top of the enemy ninja's head, focused on her family's jutsu that she'd seen her father perform many times before.
She could see herself in the girl's subconscious mind, trying to figure out where the best place would be to begin searching for something that could tip them off. Ino was secretly glad that this girl did not have her subconscious guarded as some of the more advanced ninja do, so it gave her the confidence she needed to follow through with this assignment.
Ino began searching her most recent thoughts, seeing the girl traveling through forests and small towns with what Ino assumed was her team. She wasn't shocked to see Sasuke's face in the girl's mind, assuming this was the team that Sasuke had spent so long with after he got rid of Orochimaru. She saw Sasuke separating himself from the team, leaving and saying he had no use left for them. Through the girl's recollection, she could feel how disappointed and hurt the girl had been when Sasuke said those words to them.
As she was going through these memories, Ino spoke things she thought were of importance so Ibiki could help gather intel as well.
"Her name is Karin. She was one of Sasuke's teammates," the blonde spoke with her eyes still closed. Ino kept going through memories, most that held no significance. Unfamiliar faces flew by, thoughts and feelings for each memory. "This girl… she was at the hideout the day Light was killed. I can tell by her feelings that Light was a familiar face..?" Ino said hesitantly, wondering what it could mean and how the girl could have known Light.
"You're telling me that she knew Light?"
Eyes still closed, Ino shook her head. "I don't think she knew him, but she's definitely seen him before somewhere."
"Keep looking then. Go farther back and try to find a memory of a time she'd seen him. It may not mean anything, but it's worth looking into."
Ino nodded, reaching in her pack to pop a soldier pill in her mouth. She hadn't had long enough to rest after leaving the hospital, and she had a feeling this would take a while and a great deal of her chakra.
Hours had passed since Ino began. The early hours of this morning felt like years ago to the blonde. Her internal clock had told her that the whole day had passed her by and the sun had risen and gone down again hours ago. Ibiki stayed with her, both of them communicating and relaying information back and forth. His demeanor never wavered once and he never showed it if he was fatigued or not. Several times during this process, the red head would become conscious and begin trying to fight back and push Ino out of her mind. When this happened, Ibiki easily walked over and pressed the pressure point in the back of her neck, effectively leaving her unconscious again for a few more hours.
At this point, Ino had gone through so many memories that she felt like she knew this girl almost as well as she knew herself. She saw how she'd become allied to Orochimaru. She also felt the happiness and pride in the memory of Orochimaru promoting her to warden of the prison where he had stationed her. This is the part that took the longest to sift through. There were too many names and faces, conversations that could have been held some significance.
She was almost ready to give up, thinking about how disappointed Tsunade was going to be that this prisoner wouldn't have any information she was looking for. Just as she was getting ready to beat herself up over not being useful again, the next memory she was going through shocked her and almost made her break her jutsu. What she saw was Orochimaru visiting the prison, walking with someone around the facility chatting like friends. It wasn't unusual for people to visit the prison, so Karin didn't think too much of it. She greeted Orochimaru and barely spared a glance to his companion. To Karin, the memory would have been insignificant and irrelevant. To Ino, though, she knew better, because the person that was with Orochimaru was Light.
Ino removed her hand from the girl's head. The effects of the soldier pill were wearing off, and she was going to crash soon. She opened her eyes for the first time all day and turned towards Ibiki, a slight urgency in her tone and body language.
"Before I continue, there's something I need to ask Tsunade-sama. I don't want to make assumptions without all of the knowledge I need about the memory I just viewed."
Ibiki nodded his head in agreement and understood. If it wasn't important, it would be useless to tell him. He didn't want useless information either. "Let's take a break for a few hours. You're exhausted. Meet back here at lunch," he said, officially dismissing her.
Ino's adrenaline was pumping through her veins as she hurriedly walked away from the interrogation room, and she wasn't so tired anymore at the revelation of Light standing there talking with Orochimaru. She took the stairs two at a time, reaching the main entrance of Hokage Tower. She was right. The sun had gone down long ago, and no people littered the streets. Instead of going home, she made her way up the stairs that would lead to Tsunade's office.
Tsunade was there, and she'd unsurprisingly been drinking. However, when Ino came through the door of her office, Tsunade took in her anxious state and knew this was serious.
"Tsunade-sama.. I witnessed something through that girl's memories, but I needed to ask you something first."
Tsunade sat back in her chair. "Continue, Ino."
She hesitated only for a moment. "Karin, the girl that was brought in, worked at the South Prison for Orochimaru; she was the supervisor there. It took a long time to sort through the memories, and I saw Haruno Light at the prison, talking with Orochimaru, as if visiting. I was just wondering if.. if he had ever been sent there on an undercover mission of sorts."
The silence stretched between them for a few moments, Tsunade's body now tense. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "No. You've done well, Ino. But what could this mean? Where is Ibiki?"
Ino was just as confused as Tsunade. She was fearful that this would be the answer. "Ibiki is still in the interrogation room. He asked me to take a break and come back at lunch," Ino explained.
Tsunade nodded, knowing how tired the girl was. Plus, she needed to think about this before rushing into anything. "When you've gathered back some of your energy, go back to Ibiki. Focus on that memory and tell us all you can about it, and I mean every single detail. Leave nothing out. For now, go home and rest."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Ino turned to walk out. She wished she had more energy to keep going, but she knew Tsunade also wanted to take time to think about the situation and how to handle the information she'd just been given. She turned on her heel to leave. She was thankful that it was so late the streets were empty and she wouldn't have to try to keep up a conversation with anyone. She was in a hurry to get home to her bed, specifically her pillow.