Chapter 14: When Doves Cry

Sasuke scratched his scraggly chin as he scoured over the various land plats. He hadn't had time to shower and shave since he finished reviewing the file that Itachi gave him. The courthouse opened up at eight in the morning and he was one of the first through the door. The clerks had been giving him funny looks all morning, but he didn't care. He was a man on a mission and he wasn't going to leave until he got what he needed.

While looking over the plats, he studied a select few that seemed insignificant by themselves. They were small, but all strategically located. An idea started to form. He grabbed the plats and made copies. He would have to go to city hall and talk to the city developer about pricing. If he remembered the numbers correctly, he could possibly pull something off. Luckily for Sasuke, he had resources at his hand and favors to call in. He would have to get back to his apartment to shower and change; it wouldn't do to talk business looking like a slovenly pig.

He knew would succeed where Itachi failed. The task wasn't simply about trying to make his girlfriend happy; though that was still the driving force. If he could save the Kyuubi Mountains, then he would have done something that Itachi hadn't. That, in and of itself, was motivation to forgo lunch and press on. He had nothing to lose.

She hadn't even completed her first week at ICHA, but Ino could already tell that this was what she wanted to do after she got her Masters. Not only were they letting her do field work, but she also got to work with the biologists on researching plants. They hoped to discover the potential each plant had to offer. There was also the added benefit of getting to be with her two boy-toys. Never had she met two guys who were willing to share the same girl. Both were talented in their own way and equally adorable. Ino had Lady Luck on her side and she knew it.

She was taking some notes down on some different varietals of flowers they had found in the woods when she heard a loud commotion outside. The noise was so loud, that all of the researchers in her cabin decided to drop their work and head out to see what was causing the ruckus. When Ino and the rest of the scientists got outside, they all noticed several new faces in the crowd. They were unloading boxes of research from muddy ICHA jeeps.

Another researcher commented, "it's the guys from Lightning Lakes. I thought they weren't supposed to get here until next week."

Curiously, they all gathered around the other ICHA scientists. It was a chaotic scene. Ino noticed that Karin was trying to comfort a white-haired man while Jiraya and Tsunade were talking to a pale-man with long black hair.

"Orochimaru, what are you doing here so early?" Jiraya asked.

"It was Akatsuki. They somehow got the government in Kiri to pull our permits and kick us out. They only gave us an hour to get everything we could before they razed the place."

"What!?" Tsunade screamed. "They can't do that. That's illegal. What sort of operation do they run? What about our research, our buildings?"

Orochimaru looked down on the ground. "They burned it down. Whatever we couldn't get into our jeeps, they just destroyed. We were able to get all our personnel out alive, but our research . . . "

"Those bastards! Jiraya! Get Nara on the phone. I need him to bring a lawsuit against Akatuski and whoever else is involved in this."

"Tsunade, that's not the only thing they did." Orochimaru looked sadly over at his weary crew. "They burned the woods surrounding the lakes and did a fish kill. The bulldozers and machines were already waiting to push all of the rubble and ash aside before the last tree even fell."

Jiraya and Tsunade stared at their colleague in shock. Jiraya was the first to speak. "How bad was the damage?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "I don't know. I think they destroyed the area only as far as their property line, but I doubt it."

No one knew what to say after hearing what had happened. The crew from Lightning Lakes were all still in shock. They saw their facility burn to the ground along with the area they were trying to preserve. Many of them were in tears, holding onto one another for comfort. Naturally, the crew from Konoha was stunned to hear how ruthless Akatsuki had been. The thought that Akatsuki had also set its sights on the Kyuubi Mountains put everyone on edge.

Tsunade sensed the tension in the air and raised her voice to address the crowd. "Everyone! I know that the news about what happened to Lightning Lakes comes as a surprise to you all. But we shouldn't let this set back deter us from our goal. We will continue to fight to keep ICHA in business and preserve these lands. I will personally see to it that Akatsuki gets sent through the ringer for their blatant disregard of the law. Now I want everyone to help the crew from Kiri get situated and organize their research. Everyone should already know how we were going to transition the new crew so let's get started and stay focused. I'm not letting any construction crew or builder step one foot near this place if it's the last thing I do. Now let's move!"

The speech did its job and the crew sprang into action. Team leaders gave out orders and crews worked diligently. They needed to document the research and keep all of the specimens safe.

Ino helped to moveboxes of plant specimens into her cabin. She unloaded the samples, taking note of beautiful shapes and colors of the flowers that resided in Kiri. There was a melancholy feeling in the air. She knew that most of these flowers and plants were only indigenous to the environment of Kiri. She also knew that Lightning Lakes was one of the last places were a few of these species lived. With the utmost care, Ino placed the samples in their proper place. Rows of reds, blues, and pink petals were a stark contrast to the white boxes they were housed in. The smell of smoke from the fires masked the flowers' delicate scent. She reached out and touched one of the flowers, admiring the softness. She pulled her hand back at the first onset of tears. Ino may not have been there to see the fires that ravaged the lands, but she could feel the pain from miles away. Too much had been destroyed, and Ino only saw a small fraction of the many things that were lost that day. These flowers were the last of their kind and the last that would ever be.

A/N: Short bridge chapter here. The next chapter will be much longer. Sakura and Naruto get some special guests. In other news, I will be participating in NaNoWriMo for 2012. Originally, my husband was going to, but he decided against it this year so he could finish up his fanfic "Last of the Cetra" (highly recommended for any FF7 fans). This fic was actually my NaNoWriMo story from 2011, but this year I think I'm going to dabble in original fiction.