DOUBLE UPDATE! Please read Chapter 24 first!
Chapter Twenty-Five
And they're running out of time.
The hall is empty much like Sai has stated moment ago. There are doors on each side, black in color and giving off the aura of something dark and dangerous, the dark yellow light from above gives the entire hall an eerie, sickening glow. If her feelings about the place weren't clear before, they certainly are now. Guilt clings to her heart as they pass each door.
How many are in the situation she just got out of? How many of them won't be saved the way she is? How many were taken from the streets or from their home? How many suffered at the hands of the unknown man? She will see to it that all those currently being left behind receive justice. By any means necessary. Such a fate in this place is cruel.
"The key to the main door is in his office." Sai leads her down the hall until they reach a large, dark red door. There's a single, eye-shaped symbol on it. And still, there are no guards. "He left with them. Where he goes, they follow. The others, like us, do not need to be watched. We are all tiny. We are all easily incapacitated."
Sakura feels a white-hot anger bubble in her chest. Going after children? It's disgusting. It's disgraceful.
"Key?" She manages.
Sai nods. "The key will lead to our escape. It is in his office, in a red box on the shelf." At her questioning look, he continues. "I often think about leaving, but I do not know where to go. How would I fare against a world I know nothing about?"
She squeezes his hand.
The door to the office is heavy, but Sai manages to open it himself. Sakura's thumb throbs in acknowledgment. The inside of the office is relatively dark save for the moonlight casting a pale glow over a large desk and giving way to what appears to be a bookshelf off to the side. The office its self is small and filled with dark, muted colors.
"The key is here." Sai's small size easily climbs the thick selves until he reaches the red box mentioned a bit ago and lifts the lid. Once the key is in his hand, he hops down. "We have to go to the other side of this floor in order to get out." Sakura takes his hand again. "We should move quickly. His returns are often unexpected."
Another nod and they're out the door.
Sasuke paces in his room.
It's been a couple of hours since he was sent to his room to get ready for bed so that he can be tucked in - something his mother still likes to do even at his age, much to the disproval of his father - and when she's out of his room after bidding him a good night's sleep, he's up and pacing.
"Aniki left hours ago," he mumbles to himself. "What if something serious happened to Sakura?! What if she's hurt?"
Dread fills his stomach. Sakura is his friend. His first friend outside of the family. His first anything outside of the family. She means a lot to him. She's kind and generous and willing to help. She aids him when he struggles - even if it takes some time for him to accept her help - and cheers him on when he practices, giving words of encouragement when he fails.
Please, let Sakura come back safely. Please, aniki. Please.
"Sasuke-chan? Are you still awake?" The door to his room is already opening so Sasuke stays standing where he is. "Sasuke! You're supposed to be sleeping."
Sasuke moves to sit on his window seal. "I can't sleep. Itachi-nii isn't home and neither is father. I don't know where Sakura is or if she's even okay."
Mikoto enters her son's room and takes a seat on his bed. "I know you're worried, sweetie. I don't blame you one bit, but if you stay up all night you'll be very tired in the morning."
"I don't care." Sasuke stubbornly crosses his arms over his chest, eyes planted on the tree just outside his window. "What's loss sleep compared to having a friend found safe and sound?" He doesn't know how to feel when his mother chuckles.
"You sound like your brother, Sasuke. But in all seriousness, when Sakura is brought back you'll need all your energy to see her."
He looks at her. "You really think nii-san and father will bring her back?"
"There's no doubt in my mind that she will be brought back safely. Go to sleep, please?"
Sasuke glances out the window one more time before nodding slowly. After another kiss on his forehead, he settles under his covers and stares up at the dark ceiling of his room. Sleep doesn't come easy for a long time.
"Are we really going to dig under the fence?" The Nara asks. "Because that seems like a hassle."
Shisui actually glares at their team leader. "What else are we supposed to do? Walk into the Hokage's office and ask for him to perform the seal because the majority of us believe Shimura Danzo is Sakura-chan's kidnapper? He is our Hokage and I respect him, but let us not fool ourselves. We are all bias in one fashion or another. Shimura is one of his oldest comrades."
Itachi places a hand on Shisui's arm. "We'll dig underneath."
"That won't be necessary!" A loud howl breaks out across the clearing before Ground 44. Several large dogs come bounding out of the surrounding trees, each with their human companion on them. Tsume leaps off her dog when she arrives just before them. "Allow us to dig underneath. We're much quicker."
Bowing, Shisui gestures to the large fence. "After you, m'lady."
She rolls her eyes and starts performing hand seals quickly. "Transformation: Dual Wolf Fang Tornado!*" With an amazing amount of speed and stamina, both Tsume and her K-9 companion start spinning until forming small tornadoes and then they sink into the ground quickly.
A moment later, they're on the other side of the fence; dirty, seemingly out of breath, and completely in their element.
"Damn," Shisui mumbles under his breath. "I need a technique like that."
"The dirt is unstable. Come through quickly!"
They all hop down into the large hole and crawl out through the other side. The hole sinks in its self the moment the last Inuzuka gets through. They're all filthy, but with renewed determination to find Sakura. Itachi, in particular, wants to take the head of a certain Konoha elder.
Shisui, moving to stand next to him, appears to think along the same lines.
"We need to re-adjust our groups so we can split up."
Haruno Kizashi has not spoken since he retrieved Sakura's ribbon, damp from the rain and the only thing he is visibly seen clutching. Though it's not exactly appropriate to say, Fugaku can privately admit to himself that he is impressed that Sakura's father can keep up with them as they race all over Konoha.
There is some training there, he knows. How much and how often, I cannot say. The determination reflective in his eyes is the same as his daughters. This is where she gets it from.
"We are running out of places to look," the Haruno speaks.
Before Fugaku can reply, a member of the Hyuga clan appears before them. "The new location is Ground 44. Two groups, led by Inuzuka Tsume and Nara Shikama, have already been sent that way."
"How would they be able to enter? Ground 44 requires the presence of the Hokage or a member of the Council of Elders."
The Hyuga smirks, glowing pale eyes sticking out among all the dark. "They dug a hole."
"Where is that?" Kizashi asks immediately. "I didn't know there was a Ground 44."
"That is because," Fugaku cuts in smoothly, "it's referred to by its unofficial name."
"What name?"
"The Forest of Death."
And to his amazement, the man before him doesn't falter at the name. The only sign that he feels anything is the whitening of his knuckles via clenched fists.
"We're wasting time. Someone, please, lead the way."
It's just a bit past midnight and Hinata cannot - no matter how hard, no matter desperate - sleep. She tosses and turns on her futon, silently begging for sleep to claim her. The utter mental torment of thinking about Sakura leaves a horrible taste in her mouth, leaves her heart heavy.
She heard her father and uncle speaking before they left. She heard their doubts and all the horrifying possibilities about - if they managed - what could happen to Sakura, what could be happening to Sakura right at this moment! Still, she was sent to her room with the order of not leaving it until the morning.
But Hinata can't bring herself to care about orders after tossing once more.
She pushes her blankets aside and gets up. As silently as a mouse, she puts on her slippers and grabs her small robe hanging from a hook near her bed. Quietly, Hinata walks to the door of her room and opens it. The guard outside of her room, someone she is familiar with, gazes at her with concern in his eyes.
"Can I assist you, Lady Hinata?"
"Has t-there been any word of my f-father or uncle?"
She manages to keep her stuttering to a minimum. And God, she hates the look of sympathy on the man's face.
"No, my lady. Neither has returned."
Hinata nods. "I would like to see my cousin, Neji-nii-san."
It had once been quite a shock to see the only daughter of the clan's leader and the son of the leader's brother walk around the compound, at ease with each other, at times holding hands or laughing together, under the watchful gaze of the guard assigned to watch Hinata during those times.
Now, it's a common occurrence for either child to seek the other out.
"He was here a bit ago, asking to see you but I assumed you were asleep." He dips his head. "My apologies. I sent him back to his room."
"Will you w-walk me to his room, N-Nanako-san?"
"I suppose I should. Displeasing you would not sit well with your father or uncle."
Hinata smiles a little at that. It has become a sort of joke among the members of her clan, Main or Branch, to allow herself and Neji to get away with such seemingly simple requests.
"Thank you," she replies as she steps out of her room completely and closes the door behind herself softly. "Please, lead the way."
After receiving another dip of the head, her guard escorts her to Neji's room under the request to speak with him. There's no way, in her opinion, that her cousin is sleeping peacefully at the moment if he stopped by just a little bit ago. She cannot blame him, of course. Sakura has been a positive impact on both of them, to their respective fathers, for the entire clan.
The members of both Main and Branch are mingling more often these days.
And it's because of Sakura.
As they walk down the quiet - too quiet, in Sakura's opinion - hallway, Sakura can't help but feel anxious about leaving the place. So far, everything has been easy. So far, everything has been moving along smoothly. As if something bad is going to happen the moment they step outside.
That uncomfortable gut feeling is back.
She squeezes Sai's hand tightly, silently apologizing to her new friend. He doesn't appear affected at all. Only, he looks in her direction and smiles - fake? real? unfortunate? secure? - a tiny, barely-there smile.
"We are almost there."
Sakura nods once but maintains her firm grip on his hand.
Several groups are heading for Ground 44. Several groups made up of Konoha's respected clans. Several groups filled with angry men and women who only want the safe return on a pink-haired little girl who brought something unique to their families - friendship and unbias.
Large holes are dug out via Inuzuka and their K-9 companions once they arrive. There are no complaints when people end up on the other side of the fence housing Konoha's Forest of Death covered in dirt; mud, really. For the Inuzuka, this is a common occurrence. But for all shinobi, it's a part of the job at some point.
"There are two teams ahead of all of us," Shikaku's voice rings out. "Continue on with your groups and try not to cross paths. We'll cover more ground that way." He glances down at the watch on his wrist. "There are 6 hours remaining before the 24-hour window is closed. Move fast but be careful."
A ring of confirmations answers him.
"Focus on the ground," Inoichi states while specifically looking at the Hyuga among them. "There are old tunnels, some still used, that lead to the tower in the center. If you end up at the tower, don't hesitate to check every room. We need to be thorough." As group after group takes off in the forest, Inoichi brings Sakura's father to the side. "You'll be staying with us, Kizashi-san." He motions to Shikaku and himself. After receiving a silent, stiff nod, Inoichi motions for Shikaku to lead.
"We'll find her," Shikaku states; certain.
There's no reply.
They move.
Chapter Word Count - 2,318
Targeted Word Count - 2,500
Total Word Count - 64937
If you work in retail during Black Friday then you know exactly what it's like to have your soul ripped from your body mercilessly. Anyway, we're close to a conclusion. If you guessed Danzo, you were correct. He is literally in my top five most hated characters. And yes, I brought in Sai. Why? Because I love Sai. Don't forget the poll on my profile. If you have the time, please review.
~i-just-really-like-sakura
*Transformation: Dual Wolf Fang Tornado - This is a basterized version of the original jutsu. I modified it to fit my story.