Title: Crash and Crumble

Summary: Sakura and Sasuke incur the Hokage's wrath.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Prompt: Locked Up
Rating: T
Warning(s): Language.
Comments: A mission type fic. Enjoy!

"Uchiha, Haruno," a menacing growl resounded through the Hokage's office and the two ninjas in question flinched. This tone meant that their superior was royally pissed off. "Just what the hell is this?"

Tsunade slapped a letter on her desk upside down so they could take a look at its contents. What stood out the most on the snow white page was the blood red official seal of the Fire Daimyo's office.

"Shishou, we can explain," Sakura, ever the diplomatic one, tried to calm her master even as she bore an uneasy smile. The key word – tried.

Tsunade gave her a thunderous look which instantly shut Sakura up. She knew not to trifle with her master when she was in that kind of rage. Sakura braced herself for the worst, the cool and collected presence of Sasuke at her side being her greatest support. Of course he would keep his calm, she thought wryly, recalling his previous experiences with murderous Kages, each of them wanting a piece of the criminal Uchiha.

"I especially sent you two on the easiest mission I could find, short of a D-rank. I specifically told you both to take it easy. And now I get this!" Tsunade pointed at the letter, her voice steadily rising in anger. "Just what the hell is so difficult about finding a bunch of small fry yakuzas and locking them up?!"

Sakura scratched the back of her head in embarrassment while Sasuke stayed still in spot, his face a picture of serenity, unmoved by the lecture.

"Eh, shishou... it's complicated..."

"What is complicated? Explain," Tsunade barked and her no-nonsense expression conveyed the unspoken threat of "or else" if the explanation wouldn't be to her satisfaction.

"Well, it was all really just an accident..." Sakura began.

"Don't tell me something like that!" Tsunade cut her off mercilessly, aggravation laced in her words making Sakura wince. "On such a simple mission there's no room for accidents! Both of you aren't still fresh genins but highly skilled apprentices of Sannins!" her temper flared. Sakura tried to put in a word edgewise, however Tsunade wasn't finished. "Uchiha!" she addressed the silent man. "What do you have to say for yourself? I don't believe for a second you didn't have anything to do with this... this..." she looked for a right word to express her incense, "... disaster."

Sasuke slid his gaze to meet the Hokage's sharp one and replied evenly, "It was like Sakura said, just an accident..."

Tsunade was right, for such high-skilled ninjas like Sakura and Sasuke finding some yakuzas wasn't hard at all. They tracked their targets to Tanzaku Town, the gambling El Dorado of Fire Country. Then things became much more complicated – it was a middle of one of its most famous festivals and so the city was overrun by tourists. The yakuzas couldn't find a better hideout than the great mass of people, especially since they didn't have distinct chakra signatures that would have singled them out instantly to the ninjas sharp senses.

"It's useless," Sakura muttered, discouraged as they looked over the crowd, which only thickened with the night falling over the city, from a rooftop. "There's no way we can find them here. For all we know they could be leaving at this very moment."

Sasuke glanced at her minutely. He couldn't really blame her for the negativity she expressed. Lately, it seemed like Sakura's life was a one streak of misfortune – from broken plates to worse performance on missions, however studying her tired, downtrodden expression he couldn't help but think that the main cause of her stress was overwork. Her perfectionist drive prevented her from achieving better results.

Sasuke inaudibly sighed and jumped off the rooftop, landing noiselessly in a back alley, then headed confidently in direction of the main streets.

"Sasuke-kun? Where are we going?" Sakura asked curiously, joining him a second later.

"We're going to get a drink," he replied, pointing at the nearest open bar, loud music booming from its entrance as people milled around it. Sakura's sharp eyes didn't miss a few shady characters observing it. She scowled. More yakuzas.

"You know it's against Shinobi rules?" she reminded him.

"Not when it's for the sake of the mission," Sasuke countered, smirking.

His plan worked out splendidly – Sakura loosened up after a few drinks and he would have even enjoyed himself if not for annoying men who constantly eyed his teammate appreciatively and tried to approach her. Most of them were scared away by his menacing glares, but the more inebriated ones he had to knock out discreetly, which wasn't much of a problem due to the crowd masking his movements. Still, it was getting on his nerves.

"So, what about the mission? Did you come up with something?" Sakura asked, her mood definitely improved as she sipped from her sake dish. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes glimmered from the alcohol. Sasuke found that look on her strangely appealing.

In answer to her question, he nodded. "Yes, I did. We're going to ask around." He looked to her right and she turned around to see what it was.

Sakura caught the sight of a burly man with a dragon tattoo coiled around his bulging bicep and a look of understanding appeared on her face as she grinned wickedly.

"I see..." After all, who better to ask about a missing yakuza than another yakuza?

They cornered the man in a tiny hallway leading to the bathroom.

"Where the hell are these two guys?!" Sakura shoved the photos of their targets right under the man's nose. "Tell us or I'll skin you alive!"

"I'm not scared of you, girlie! And I don't even know these punks, for fuck's sake!" he sneered at her, unafraid of her small stature. Pink hair also didn't add much to the fright factor.

A shiiiing of a very sharp sword being unsheathed diverted his attention from Sakura and he blanched as the blade was pressed against his throat.

"I suggest you answer the question, scum," Sasuke said calmly, but the threatening undertone was unmistakeable.

The man's shit-scared expression was so funny, Sakura couldn't hold in a maniacal guffaw at the sight.

He didn't have much information and the only useful thing they gleaned was a rumour about catacombs beneath the newly rebuilt castle in Tanzaku (the old one had been destroyed several years earlier by Orochimaru). It was said that they were under control of the yakuza family their targets were affiliated with. How much of it was true – it was unknown.

To justify the ninjas' actions, they were inebriated and never did they claim to be patient people. That is why, in the middle of the night, Sakura and Sasuke broke into the castle and avoiding all the traps and other security measures only thanks to their exceptional ninjas skills, they entered the catacombs through a forgotten trapdoor in the basement.

The rumour was true – there were yakuzas hiding out deep underground, thinking themselves untouchable. The fight with them however proved to be pretty much one-sided as the ninjas easily took out anyone they came across in ambushes. Finally, they found their targets.

Unfortunately, the yakuzas had enough sense to hire two rogue Iwa-nins for protection. Very aggravating Iwa-nins on top of that.

"Hey, pinky, just what are you trying to do?" the blond one jeered at Sakura as he evaded her punches unscathed. "Are you playing ninja? This isn't a place for you. You should stop this foolishness and go home. Cook a dinner for your husband like a proper woman!"

The man countered Sakura's moves with his own well-practiced taijutsu. It seemed like it was his strength which he was immensely proud of.

Sakura glowered at him and pulled her black gloves tighter. "What did you say?"

"You're not only stupid but also deaf? Go home little girl and leave fighting to men!" The man repeated himself condescendingly.

"I'm going to crush you!" Sakura yelled in rage and shot off at him with her fist cocked and glowing with chakra.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was in the middle of a fight with the other Iwa-nin.

"Hey, don't be so rash, let's talk first," the tall man suggested lackadaisically as he avoided Sasuke's deadly swordplay with some effort. "They don't pay us that much, if you give us more money, we won't stand in your way anymore."

Sasuke performed a combination of speedy strikes instead of a verbal response.

"It's okay if you don't have money," the Iwa-nin continued his negotiations. "Actually, I'd prefer another method of payment. Want to know what it is?"

Sasuke paused his attack in spite of himself. There was something unsettling in his opponent's grin, something which he really didn't like. The Iwa-nin took the silence as his cue.

"If you give us that woman over there for a night, then we'll gladly back off and let you capture these yakuzas. No one needs to get hurt that way. How does that sound?"

Sasuke saw red as boiling hot rage surged through him, his Sharingan spinning madly. Without thinking, he performed Chidori and sprang at his opponent.

The combined force of Sakura's and Sasuke's devastating attacks shook the foundations of the Tanzaku castle and an ear-splitting boom resounded throughout the city and the neighbouring villages as the newly restored building crumbled in a massive cave-in, utterly destroyed for a second time in a decade.

"You two imbeciles took down the castle in Tanzaku Town! How is that a freaking accident?!" Tsunade raged at her two ninjas.

"Maybe you should look ay the bright side, shishou. We got the yakuzas and most of their affiliates along with two B-rank missing-nins. They had a hefty sum for a bounty," Sakura pointed out, hoping this time her reasoning would calm the Hokage down.

No such luck.

"What good does it do when all the money and then some is going to Konoha's reimbursement for the damages done by you two!" Tsunade exclaimed in aggravation then groaned. "And I've just got a minor prize in a lottery... Just... get out of my sight for now... I'll think of your punishment later," she finally waved them out of her office.

Upon their exit, Sakura turned to Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, thanks for sticking up for me in there," she said gratefully. "You didn't have to take the blame. It was entirely my fault that the castle collapsed. You shouldn't have to be punished too."

Sasuke regarded her with an unreadable look, but there was something dangerous lurking in his gaze that made her a tad uncomfortable. What was he thinking?

"It's fine, Sakura. We are a team and I had a part in causing the damages," he responded evenly. "Though if you want to make it up to me, we can just go out for drinks this evening."

Sakura blushed and gaped at Sasuke, stunned by this offer coming from him of all people. Seeing his expectant look, she furiously nodded, still unable to find her voice.

Casting a full smirk her way, Sasuke turned and sauntered away, leaving a dazed Sakura in his wake.

All's well that ends well, Sakura supposed as she snapped out of her trance in a few minutes and headed hurriedly to her apartment, a big smile on her face even as she tried to recall where she left her red heels. She needed to prepare for the evening with Sasuke.

AN: After a slight delay, I'm back with the next chapter. Hope you liked it!