Note: Omg! I'm so overwhelmed by all the amazing reviews! You all are incredible and your support and inspiration are what gives me the motivation to continue this story!

I apologize for the fact that some of these are longer than what drabbles should be; like I said before, I'm not very good at writing short ficlets so please bear with me!

RedVelvetLips-I am also contemplating how Sakura's character should develop at this point; I can see her feeling resentful, yet also confused because of the fact that she's with Naruto, yet she can't seem to help the jealousy she feels over Sasuke choosing the last girl anyone would have expected him to choose. So at this point, I intend to show more of her confusion and the resentment that comes with it as she struggles to come to terms with everything.

Kanayla-You are the sweetest! Your reviews rock and they really motivate me and inspire me! And I agree with you! I haven't seen all of Naruto Shippuden as of yet but I can already see the abuse between Sakura and Sasuke and it really grates on me; my sister is in that kind of relationship and for me, I don't care how much you think you love the person, it's NEVER okay to allow yourself to be treated that way! Therefore, I feel that Sasuke and Hinata are a much more believable couple because 1. They are very similar in what they've gone through in their past and plus, Hinata doesn't try to change him into a person she thinks he should be; She simply accepts him whereas Sakura keeps trying to convince herself that he'll change and that is so naïve in my opinion.

Cookie-chan99-Thank you so much! I intend to keep the updates coming as often as I can!

DivineGlory-You are too kind! I'm definitely excited to continue Sasuke and Hinata's blossoming relationship and of course, Sakura is gonna play a relatively huge part in this because I simply love a bit of angst with my romance; it makes it all the more exciting! ;)

Camenea-SpesNaenia11.29-Thank you so much!

As a last note, I know that some have felt that Chapter 13 was a bit too fast in the aspect of Sasuke and Hinata but I fully believe that Sasuke is dealing with a lot right now and all the emotions that are suddenly bombarding him are going to be confusing and at times, will overwhelm him. However, don't fear because I have no intentions of rushing things, in spite of the fact that they've already had their first kiss…things are still going to progress gradually, as planned; remember, Hinata is still heartbroken over Naruto's choice so she's not likely to just leap into Sasuke's arms—she has things to work through first so just be patient, trust me and read on.

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Chapter 14-Conspiracy

It was one week into their mission and already, Sasuke was about ready to tear out his hair. Since the mission was to be conducted off the books, they'd had an exceedingly difficult time in gathering information once they'd reached Suna, not to mention that the Suna Councilmen hadn't welcomed them warmly—in fact, Sasuke had a sneaking suspicion that they weren't welcomed at all.

They were most likely tolerated specifically because they were the Kazekage's personal guests as well as his friends but beyond that, suspicion and mistrust followed them wherever they went.

As he sifted through the various files and scarce information they'd managed to dig up so far, Sasuke let out a growl of frustration; they were getting nowhere at this rate; if they didn't pick up any solid leads or suspects soon, this mission would fall apart at the seams.

Damn that Kakashi.

He had charged Sasuke with the impossible and now, the raven-haired man was paying for it…dearly.

And as if these frustrations weren't enough, there was the matter of Sakura.

The Uchiha gritted his teeth, his dark eyes gleaming with an almost murderous intent; he was two wits away from snapping the infuriating woman's neck— hesitant glances and uncertain questions had his patience running paper thin and he swore he was about to lose his sanity.

Just then, the door to his room opened and in walked said-infuriating medic nin with a small worn journal in her hands.

"Shikamaru just came in with this; I think this is the last of it—he had to sneak into council room though to get it…it wasn't easy; he was almost caught." She worried her lower lip, the nervousness evident in her emerald eyes as she stood there, watching him as he leaned over the small desk, flipping through the small book's pages.

"This is sensitive information—some of these entries are…whoever this councilmen is, they should not have access to this." He glanced up briefly, eyeing Sakura with stoic, expressionless eyes. "Is Nara certain he wasn't followed?"

"Yes. He double-checked."

"He's lucky then; damn fool needs to be more careful."

"He is an excellent strategist, Sasuke; we couldn't have done this without him, you know that."

"Hn."

She sighed heavily and decided to settle herself in a nearby chair; she was exhausted.

"So. What do you think?"

Without looking at her, Sasuke's eyes carefully and meticulously scanned every line on every page, paying close attention to every detail; the wording, the context and the subject matter."

"This journal has two separate authors. They have encoded this journal to appear as mere notes that are taken during mundane meetings regarding unimportant matters…but there is a very distinct code hidden within these notes. Whoever these two are, they have been passing sensitive information back and forth between them—their method is this journal and I must say…it as a remarkably clever and effective one. Each member of the Suna council is required to keep a journal at every meeting and at the conclusion, each journal is then examined and turned over to the Kazekage and his advisors. They probably have two journals in their possession; this one which holds the encrypted code and then the other which is doubtlessly kept as insurance in case they were to be caught. They could then present the journal without any fear of suspicion, all the while having this one hidden in a carefully concealed place. Both journals have their purpose; this one passes sacred information via code and the other is a back up to keep this one's existence a secret."

"But…if there are two authors than…that would mean…"

"Yes. There is in fact more than one traitor amongst the officials of Suna. And if this journal is anything to go by, the spy has been hiding himself in the midst of the councilmen—cleverly hidden in plain sight which is the least likely way of arousing suspicion. The Kazekage is suspecting someone nameless and faceless, he would never think to look at those nearest to him; he expects an imposter, not a friend-turned-double-agent."

"Then…what can we do?"

Sasuke pulled out a blank sheet of paper and began scribbling furiously. "I have to get a message to Kakashi; it is the only way to avoid it being intercepted by any Suna messengers; as of now, we can trust no one, save for the Kazekage and perhaps his siblings. Everyone else is a suspect and from here on, we must tread lightly.

"But…that means it could be anyone! Sasuke that's a wide suspect pool, how on earth are we supposed to narrow it down? We can't just go around interrogating everyone, can we?"

At this, the Uchiha's stoic expression melted into a devious smirk as he folded up the note and summoned his hawk. "That is why we set a trap. If the spies are under the impression that we have nothing, then they are very likely to let down their guard and they will become careless." The hawk took off out of the window and Sasuke's black eyes followed it until it disappeared into the night sky. "I have sent word to Kakashi; he will know what I have planned and he will do his part."

With that, Sasuke snapped the journal shut and held it out to Sakura, his expression serious. "Tell Nara to return that exactly where he found it; if we hope to catch these criminals at their game, then they must believe they still hold all the cards."