In a matter of seconds, the gallery was engulfed in thick, white smoke which prevented everyone from seeing anything.

It resulted to a widespread panic amongst the guests—screaming and shouting, and pushing everyone towards the doors because some thought that there was a fire in the building while the others believed that it was a terrorist attack and the smoke was a signal that the place was about to be bombed.

Genma's team swiftly acted the moment someone noticed the smoke. Some of the guards stationed out front immediately opened the double doors for the entrance and exit while the technicians and another security team opened the ventilators inside the gallery to clear the area. However, the smoke seemed to be endless, and the more they tried to diffuse it, the thicker it got.

"What the fuck's happening?!" Genma groaned as he and Yamato ushered Tobirama and Tsunade towards the safe room inside Kakashi's office.

"This isn't tear gas nor sleeping gas. It's just a smoke screen." Tobirama said, his voice muffled because he had an arm over the half of his face while he held Tsunade to his side who had Pakkun clutched to her chest.

Yamato was busy giving orders to the guards to usher everyone out safely. They've switched on the spot lights right on top of the double doors, and Ayame who also knew her way around the gallery, calmly stepped behind the podium, switched the mic on and instructed everyone to follow the spot light for a safe exit.

"Uncle, what's happening? Do you think this is a robbery?" Tsunade worriedly asked upon reaching Kakashi's office at the same floor but Tobirama ignored her.

Since his office was built and designed to withstand both harmful and harmless attacks like these, the smoke failed to infiltrate the premises, allowing them to converse freely. They shut the doors to prevent the smoke from getting in while Yamato remained outside in order to help the other guests in finding their way out.

When Tobirama continued to ignore her while he steered her movements towards the direction of the safe room, Tsunade snapped.

"Uncle!"

"Be quiet and go inside the safe room." Tobirama ordered.

"But…"

"No buts, Tsunade. I'll come get you when it's safe. But you may be right. This may be a robbery. Millions worth of paintings are housed in this gallery. That's enough motive for this to happen." He said as he punched the code for the safe room to open, pushing his niece inside. When the steel door shut closed, Tobirama looked at Genma.

"Have you contacted Kakashi?"

"H-his phone couldn't be reached, sir. The calls wouldn't get through." He stuttered, thinking about the worst case scenario that could happen because of the sudden attack in the gallery.

"Calm your nerves, Genma. It's my son we're talking about here. Right now, our priority is to figure out why such an attack was made. Let's go."

Genma watched Tobirama adjust his coat, punching digits to a security panel where a hidden compartment suddenly appeared from the walls of Kakashi's office. It revealed where the emergency weapons were hidden and Tobirama grabbed a few small guns, adding to the ones he already had with him.

As one of his security detail, Genma knew that the big boss could perfectly handle himself. He was, after all, the founder of the Black ops. But for him, he would always follow Kakashi's rule: that during times of emergencies like these, the topmost priority should be Tobirama, next would be Tsunade for being the second heir of the Senjus, third would be his family members, then all the rest shall depend on the gravity of the situation.

"Genma, focus." Tobirama called, throwing a gun at his direction which he caught easily, hiding it inside his coat.

"Let's go."

Genma followed his boss, leaving Tsunade safe behind locked doors. When they stepped out of Kakashi's office, the smoke had already died down and the crowd had already thinned out as they were all transferred to the lobby for investigation. That's when Sai appeared and stepped in front of them with a grim look on his face.

"What's wrong, Gazelle?" Genma asked.

"She's missing."

"What?!"

"I've traced and retraced all the possible steps she could've taken ever since the smoke broke out but I couldn't find her." He confessed with dread in his voice. "Sakura's missing…"

Tobirama looked at Genma as pieces finally started to make sense. They have all been fools for thinking that this happening concerned any of them. He had been far too conceited that it had been about him, his son, his wealth, his business that he had forgotten about the girl who had weaved her way in their lives.

He was temporarily lost in a state of shock that when the glass panels inside the gallery exploded, it was too late for him to seek for cover as millions of shards of glasses went flying everywhere.

Fortunately, Sai and Genma were fast to grab on the thick fallen curtain which they used as cover against the glass shards. They were able to protect their boss, but several guests have been injured because of the explosion.

"Genma, this may only be just a distraction. They may still be here. Sakura may still be here. Find her. As for you, Sai, come with me." Tobirama ordered.

Both men nodded and swiftly got on their feet. Sai followed Tobirama towards the security room while Genma went to the second exit. He contacted Yamato and told him about the situation while he simultaneously looked out for Sakura.

"No sign of them here. No Sasuke, no Sakura. But I've seen the rest of the group. I should probably go there."

"Yes, and take them all to one of the function rooms. I'm guessing our boss would want to talk to them later." Genma instructed.

It was just after he ended the call with Yamato that he received a call from Tobirama.

"Get out of there now, we've just spotted her and they're taking the executive elevator. We'll try and stop it. Hurry."

Without wasting a beat, Genma dashed towards the exit, trying his best to shove all the people out of his way. The people were still in panic after the explosion so it was a little difficult to squeeze his way through but he made it to the grand lobby of the 4th floor which was still packed with people. He then ran towards the location of the executive elevator and saw a man carrying an unconscious Sakura in his shoulders.

He figured out the reason why it was so difficult to locate the woman. Her hair and dress were covered with a dark coat and to others it may seem like she was just being rescued because of her state. But if one was sane enough to think about it, no one would take the elevator in cases of emergency because that was a risky escape—except of course if the perpetrators were the ones staging the escape. It meant that they have a control over the security system of the whole building.

Genma's view was continuously being blocked by the number of people passing in front of him, but he was positive that the man who was about to take the elevator was alone.

"I could take him." He thought as he brought his gun out and pushed forward.

When he was close enough to lock his target within shooting range, he stood his ground amidst the sea of people and fired one sure shot. But the man who was carrying Sakura casually turned his head, the bullet missing him only a few inches away from his face as he brought out his own gun and aimed it at him.

Because of Genma's reflex, he immediately hid behind one of the pillars, effectively concealing his body from the attack but the shot never came, instead—another round of explosions occurred as millions of glass rained on them once more, causing everyone around him to scream in panic for the third time.

When Genma peeked from behind the pillar, he knew his target was able to escape, but he was positive on what he saw.

Kakashi was right. He was right all along. Because inside that elevator, it was Sasuke who had Sakura.

He was the one who took her.

He was her abductor.
.

.

.
Taking note of the arrow on the elevator, Genma swiftly went for the stairs when he saw that it was going down. He refused to use one of the elevators nearby if he was correct in assuming that Sasuke's people may be controlling their security system.

'It's better to be safe.' He thought as he dialed his partner's number and told him about what he saw and what he intended to do. It was necessary to report all his movements especially at crucial times like these when he was most likely to be gunned down.

Racing down the flight of stairs, Genma still worried about Kakashi's absence but he had a different mission now—and that was to save Sakura Haruno.
.

.

.
The cold night air hit Genma in the face the moment he stepped out of the establishment. He frantically looked around, searching for a sign of Sakura and her abductor but there was nothing to be seen.

"This is…this is impossible! Fuck!" He cursed because as he was racing down the stairs, he alerted all the security on the ground floor to be on the lookout for their target. However, all of them also looked a little lost when he looked at them and demanded for answers. That's when they heard a whopping sound from above as a chopper emerged from the building's rooftop.

Genma had been tricked. But the realization came a little too late for him.

The chopper had already been on the rooftop. They may have timed its landing with the explosions to conceal its noise. And since Sasuke's team may be directly connected to their security system, they may have changed the movement of the elevator midway.

"Goddamit!" Genma screamed at the deafening sound of the chopper's take off while he pressed the speed dial button alerting Tobirama's aerial security.

In a matter of seconds, helicopters from Tobirama's side appeared and a pursuit of the enemy chopper ensued. But what Genma didn't know was that he was tricked yet again.

Because as all of them were distracted by the aerial pursuit, an unsuspicious white SUV passed by them with Sakura held captive inside, completing their escape.

It was already too late.


At the cemetery…

"Collect the body and let's go. We have no business left here." The man who seemed to be their leader ordered.

The two men closest to Kakashi tucked their guns in their belt holsters and approached his body. The wind had blown the smoke away but the smell of the gun powder could still be tasted in the cold night air.

Picking his limp body up, the man on Kakashi's left side slung his arm over his shoulder and they started to walk back to their car.

That was the one mistake they did—and that was to turn their backs on him.

Kakashi took that blink of an opportunity to attack them while the rest walked back to where their cars were parked. He drew the blade that was hidden beneath his sleeve and slashed—first the man's throat on his right while he roughly shoved the other to the side, sending a high kick towards his chin, stopping him from alerting the others.

Kakashi, through his stealth movements, thought that he could pick them one by one while their backs were turned to him, but after he kicked the second man's face, the man accidentally pulled the gun's trigger which he managed to grab, killing one of his comrades as the bullet hit the back of the head of one of them.

"What the?" The original shooter immediately turned to him and swiftly fired a series of gunshots when he saw a dead comrade and a conscious Kakashi.

Since the cemetery was nothing but a plain field of well-trimmed grass, there was no place for Kakashi to hide. So, he grabbed on to the man he kicked before, took the gun from his hands and pushed forward, using the man's bulky body as his shield.

The remaining men shot at him but all their bullets landed on his human shield.

The five remaining assassins tried to surround him, shooting at his direction with everything they've got but he surprised them by throwing the limp body forward which landed on one of the men and used the ample time his enemies used as they reloaded their guns.

Kakashi swiftly took the spare gun his human shield had before its body fell, and shot the man who was about to be crushed by his comrades bulky body. Then, he fired three shots to the man on his left, one bullet landing directly on the gun he was holding, causing it to misfire and explode on his hand as well as blinding him because of the shrapnel.

The man screamed in pain, and being the good guy, Kakashi quickly removed his tie, used it as a blindfold on the injured man and used him as a shield for the second onslaught of bullets his killers fired.

The man was killed in mere seconds after a dozen of bullets hit his body.

'At least he didn't suffer anymore.' He thought while he made a grab for the man who made it to his side, punched him in the throat and slammed his head on one of the marble stones. He heard a bone crack and a gush of blood oozed out of the man's broken skull.

"Ah. Shit. I'm sorry I broke yours." He whispered to the marble stone softly, giving the second to the last enemy a chance to get behind him, grab him and forcefully stab a knife to his side.

Kakashi grunted in pain but he was able to slam the back his head on the face of the man, breaking his opponent's nose, successfully loosening his grip on the knife.

The enemy staggered back, giving Kakashi the chance to pull the knife out and stab the man in the neck and leaving the steel there.

Kakashi clutched his side to stop the bleeding while he watched the man fall to his knees until his last dying breath. That's when he heard another click of a gun and remembered his final opponent—the original shooter was still alive.

It was only with a hair's breath that Kakashi managed to dodge the bullet fired towards him. He was able to face his opponent and was prepared to dodge the next series of bullets but it turned out that it was already the last one.

Out of luck, the man threw the gun at Kakashi to distract him so he could attack him head on, but Kakashi was prepared as he met the man at the middle with equal force meeting all his punches and kicks to the gut.

When Kakashi had an opening, he was able to twist the man catching him in a ranger's chokehold. The man forced to struggle and get free from it by elbowing Kakashi's side especially the injured part but Kakashi refused to budge and it only resulted to them kneeling on the grass.

"H-how are you alive?" The man choked out as Kakashi successfully pinned him to the ground, straddling his waist to prevent further struggle. Kakashi smirked behind his mask.

"Hell refused to accept me yet. So the devil brought me back himself. Oh, and this is how you kill people." He said, eyes glinting in cold rage as he brought the gun he had been hiding and shoved it directly inside his enemy's mouth. The man screamed in terror but Kakashi didn't stop until his enemy's head was nothing but a lump of flesh and bones.

Through his mask, Kakashi gladly took a huge breath of the smell of gun powder before he stood up, dusted his knees and his blood stained dress shirt, then glanced at his wrist watch. He frowned.

"Ah. What a delay." He muttered to himself as he started walking towards the front gates of the cemetery. He then brought his phone out from his coat pocket but realized that it was no longer working because it was his phone who received the bullet which was supposed to be for his heart.

He suddenly stopped on his tracks and studied all the dead bodies surrounding him.

'Maybe some of them has a phone.' He wondered while he searched the corpse's body for a working phone until he was able to find one.

He immediately dialed a private number and spoke to the one in charge at the other end of the line.

"Good evening. This is 000-787-321. I had an encounter in the private cemetery at X town. I need a major cleanup asap. Thanks."

After the call, Kakashi casually walked back to his car but realized that his tires were slashed clean. That's when he heard his "work" phone ringing inside the compartment. He circled to the other side so he could bring his phone out and found that it was Genma who was calling.

[Kakashi. Where are you? You have to get to the gallery now. It's urgent.]

Kakashi's eyes narrowed while thinking of what could be more urgent than cleaning up the corpses he left behind.

[Sakura's been kidnapped...]

Upon hearing the dreadful news, Kakashi ended the call without so much of a word to Genma and took a deep breath. He could feel his borrowed eye twitch as he realized that both he and Sakura were attacked at the same time.

What's worse was this was what he wanted to prevent, that's why he placed Sakura among her friends, guarded by his men and his father. But it still happened.

Suddenly engulfed by an inexplicable anger, Kakashi punched the window of his car, completely breaking it before walking towards the car owned by his enemies and drove away.


Kakashi parked the car a few meters away from the scene. He immediately called the cleaning agency, asking them to dispose of the car while he observed what was happening outside the establishment he owned.

There were a lot of police cars and several ambulances parked alongside it. There was also an aerial patrol loitering overhead while some vehicles were from different TV stations who were now probably reporting the scene, live.

Kakashi knew that it was unwise to just walk towards the scene considering his condition—silver suit and hair disheveled and covered with blood—but he had no choice. The whole of his building was swarming with cops and he didn't like being stopped and questioned. So, he did what he had to do. He removed his titanium silver coat, hung it on his forearm to strategically conceal the dripping blood on his side and on his slacks which was of the same color, loosened the buttons on his charcoal dress shirt, ran his hand over his hair and removed the custom made mask he had on.

Compared to most of the victims that night, he looked just a little disheveled but not enough to be stopped by medics to be checked. He also didn't look like he just came back from a killing spree, so there was a lesser chance for him to be stopped by the cops…

His real problem were the reporters.

Kakashi swiftly got past people until he made it to the grand lobby of his establishment. He was able to spot Genma and Yamato who were still preoccupied of leading more injured people out. But even before he could approach them, he was immediately spotted by one female journalist followed by a few more, and in a matter of seconds, he was already bombarded with questions.

"Kakashi Hatake, sir. Aren't you lucky to not have been here during the attack? Would you mind telling us where you were at the time?"

"Do you have any idea who would do such a thing?"

"Is the attack related to the business? Or was it to sabotage the career of the anonymous artist?"

Several dozen questions were thrown his way that his own men immediately saw him. Kakashi didn't answer any of the questions, instead, he just walked steadily towards where his team was as several of the security detail scattered around the lobby came to his aid to prevent the reporters from pursuing him.

Once he reached them, Genma was about to say something but stopped when he saw how Kakashi looked like. It was Yamato who beat him to it.

"Boss, what happened?!"

Kakashi only looked at them before asking his own question.

"Did you see who took her?"

"I think its best if we talk about that somewhere else." Genma answered glumly but Kakashi refused to drop the question.

"Tell me who took her, Genma."

Genma felt how Kakashi struggled to choke the syllables out, gritting at every word. He may appear calm but there was a quiet boiling rage brewing within him that even those who didn't know him felt it.

Right at that moment, Kakashi looked like he was prepared to blow up the whole of his building, taking everyone but him if he didn't get the answer. Thankfully, Tobirama appeared to calm him.

"Kakashi. Let's move this somewhere else. Your friends—they're safe inside one of the function rooms."

Containing the little sanity he had left, Kakashi followed his father towards the room he mentioned while Genma and Yamato trailed behind, leaving their posts to Izumo and Kotetsu.


"Tell me what happened, son." Tobirama asked to keep his son calm but Kakashi simply sighed and answered bluntly.

"They made a mistake of keeping me alive."

The older man accepted Kakashi's sarcasm but he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the clean bullet hole on his dress shirt and the blood on his side.

To be shot that way, it meant that he was faced with a formidable enemy or he was simply caught in a surprise attack. Whichever it was, it still terrified him to think that his son was in danger. Tobirama was perfectly aware of his son's capabilities but this only reminded him that they weren't immortal.

At that moment, he was as worried as any father would be to his beloved son.


When Kakashi entered the room, there were only five people inside. Tsunade, Ino, Hinata, Temari and Choji. The rest were all missing, and Kakashi could already grasp the gist of the situation without anyone explaining it to him, but he still wanted to know what took place during his unfortunate absence.

The last four suddenly stopped conversing, eyes widening in surprise and astonishment the moment he made an appearance. It was only Tsunade who dashed towards him, punched him on his shoulders first before enclosing him in an embrace and then asking for a medical team to tend to his wounded side. She didn't speak a thing. She just remained silent as she tended to his wounds but he stopped her temporarily.

That's when Ino stepped forward, more focused on his face than his bloodied condition.

"Kakashi?" She whispered under her breath as she finally saw the face behind the mask. However she couldn't find it in herself to make a comment about it because she was more worried about other things.

"Kakashi… a lot of our friends are missing. What's happening why won't they tell us anything?" Her lips were trembling as she forced to keep her tears in check while she looked around the room particularly setting her eyes towards Genma, Yamato and Tobirama.

"Are they safe? Where could have they gone?"

"Sai's safe." It was Genma who finally answered, hoping that his response would give her solace.

"How would you know?!" Ino spat. "Sai, he—he just suddenly disappeared a while back without even saying anything. I don't know where he went. I don't even have any idea where he is!"

"He's with us. He's currently at the security room reviewing the video footages before the attack." It was Yamato's turn to explain, but it didn't help because Ino's rage just kept on rising.

"Why the hell is he with you?! Why won't you tell us anything? Why can't you give us a direct answer?"

It was at that time that the double doors of the function room opened once more, revealing Sai who casually walked forward while carrying a folder as though no attack had just happened a while back.

"Calm down, Ino. I'm with them." Sai answered as he took a spot beside Yamato. " I would also like to apologize for leaving you behind despite the commotion. It's just that…I had a mission to do. But I failed, and for that, I apologize." However, instead of facing Ino, Sai faced Kakashi's direction, bowing his head to him for his mentioned failure.

Kakashi only kept a passive face and that's when Tsunade took the initiative once more to tend to her brother's wounded state. He allowed himself to be ushered in a nearby chair while the others continued to discuss about what happened.

"What mission are you talking about?!" Ino asked, but Sai still had his gaze focused on Kakashi.

"I was supposed to look after Sakura…but our friends were able to take her."

"I—I don't understand." It was Hinata who choked the words out while Temari demanded for answers.

"What do you mean friends took her? How about the others? Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba? Where are they? Why are we the only ones here? Are they really missing?"

To that, Genma sighed. But instead of directly answering the woman's question, he directed it to Choji who seemed to have prepared himself to answer such questions.

"I think, Choji could enlighten us of what just took place."

The three women looked bewildered as they all looked at Choji who was standing beside them.

"Huh? What's the meaning of this, Choji?" Ino asked.

Choji looked at each of them once before he gave an answer.

"Our friends…they aren't missing. It was Sasuke who took Sakura. Naruto, Shikamaru and Kiba helped him." He confessed.

"What are you talking about. Is this some kind of a joke?" Temari asked, not believing a single word her friend just said.

"S-she's right. Sasuke would never do that to Sakura." Hinata muttered.

"But he just did." Genma confirmed.

"That's a serious fucking accusation! You don't even have evidence!" Ino bellowed.

Yes, she was glad that Sai was safe, but to accuse her best friends of such crimes were just unacceptable.

"Calm down Ino. That's the reason why I'm here. I've brought a picture from the security footage we've reviewed a while back. Here it is."

Sai offered the envelope to Tobirama, who looked at the contents of it first before giving it to the girls. There was only a single picture inside. It was a picture of Sasuke inside the elevator with Sakura on his arms.

"They were very thorough in avoiding the cameras. This shot was taken by the hidden camera behind the security panel of the executive elevator." Sai explained.

"I—I don't believe this." Ino mumbled.

And that's when Choji decided to speak up, telling them the story of their group.

He explained to them that he was once a member of a group similar to the task force of the country, similar to what Kakashi and the others are. Only that, they were a small group, and that what they did were illegal. They were employed by whoever has the money to pay them, but most of the time, they carry out the wishes of government officials. However, he believed that their current employer was an outsider syndicate. One who falls under the first category of people who needed their services.

"How could that be? We all grew up together?" Hinata asked.

"Remember the times where we had to go on an all-boys field trip and you'd go to your own trip? Then we'd disappear for several weeks…months even?" Choji started to explain while the three girls nodded. "We've been made to undergo training during those times."

"Was that the reason why you all looked so tired and beaten up whenever you get back?" Temari asked.

"Yes."

"Why?" Now, it was Ino's turn to ask the question which everyone wanted an answer to, but it was Kakashi who answered.

His wounded side had already been wrapped with a gauze and a bandage and they all watched him button his dress shirt as he joined their group once more.

"That's because you are the sons and daughters of very important people who own multi-million dollar companies…and your fathers…they are all members of the organization."

"If that's true then why aren't we trained like the boys?!" Ino complained.

"Simply because you already have representatives." Kakashi said as he pointed at them one by one. "For you, it's your very own father." He said, while pointing at Ino. "You, it's your brother." He said, referring to Gaara while he pointed at Temari, and finally, to Hinata… "As for you, it's your cousin."

The three women couldn't help but be speechless because of what Kakashi said. All of them were undoubtedly thinking of those situations which strengthened Kakashi's statement and they couldn't deny the fact that there were a lot of them.

When the girls couldn't think of a way to rebut such statement, Temari turned to Choji and asked.

"You said you were once a part of the team. Why did you leave?"

For a second, Choji looked glum and unable to speak, but when it looked to them that he had gathered his wits, he began speaking.

"That's because once we're given a mission, we have no other option but to execute and deliver. It doesn't even matter whether the target is a family or a friend…if the name is given then…you know what happens next." Choji took a deep breath before he spoke again. "Because of this, my—my uncle died in my very own hands. I thought I could handle it, but the guilt ate me. That's why I left."

All of them were silent after Choji's story. The women were especially silent because they know who he was talking about. All of them even went to his uncle's funeral, and to hear such revelation shocked them at wit's end.

Suddenly, no one no longer knew anybody. It seemed as though all the years they've spent with one another were layered with lies and deceit, and it was without a doubt difficult to stomach.

At that moment, there was only a single thought circulating among the minds of Ino, Hinata and Temari…If what Choji said was true, then…Sakura…would she die?

"C-can anyone tell us why they've taken Sakura? Compared to all of us, she's just…" Hinata trailed off.

"It is believed that she holds a very valuable information about several very important organizations. One that could also make or break the mother syndicate." Genma answered and the three women refused to ask further questions because the more they knew, the more complicated things seemed to become. And to think that their friends, their lovers were involved in such a dangerous game…they refused to think about the worst of it…unfortunately, Sai gave them the gist of it all.

He spoke.

"It doesn't even matter whether she knows of such information or not. Once she denies it or she confesses…there's only one path left for her and that is…"

"I won't let that happen." Kakashi interrupted, startling the girls who had been unfortunately involved in such a mess.

"Kakashi's right." Ino added. "Sasuke would never…"

"Oh, but he would…" It was Choji who shattered his friend's false hope.

It looked as though Ino still wanted to say something but a cellphone suddenly rang, completely interrupting the flow of the conversation. It was Tobirama's.

All of the people inside watched him as Tobirama answered the call. When he brought his phone down, the expression on his face couldn't be read as he looked at Genma, and then Kakashi.

"It's our aerial security…they said that the chopper they were chasing exploded mid-air and that...there were no survivors."

"Then t-that means…" Genma stuttered.

That's when Kakashi stood up and walked towards the double doors…but even before he could step out, he faced them all and left one final statement.

"Sakura's not there. That was only a distraction…I—I won't let anything happen to her. I won't let Sakura die."


TBC