Sakura's mind once again went back to the five shadowed figures she'd seen appear out of the corner of her eye just before she made it around the corner and could break into a headlong chakra-enhanced sprint. As she ran harder than she had her in entire life, and icy fingers of dread began to around her heart, she cursed all the times she'd been forced from the fray in these situations.
I must get stronger!
From within her, there was an echoing sense of satisfied agreement.
She repeated the mantra with every step as she hurtled down the deserted boulevard toward the nearest Chuunin station. Sakura slid to a halt directly in front of the shut door and gulped down some air; as she tried the handle and the door slowly opened inward the thick scent of death slammed into her with almost physical force, and she reeled backwards in horror, one hand reflexively coming to her mouth. The two Chuunin on duty at the station, one of whom she recognized from her frequent social trips to the gate, were both impaled to the ceiling and walls with what looked like dozens of shards of bone, with blood and viscera staining everything in the room. The analytical part of her mind noted that the intruders had knowledge enough of their defenses to quietly eliminate the sentries near Sasuke… and there was another station not far from where she currently was. The part of her that was still internally screaming in horror was ruthlessly suppressed for now.
As she skidded to a stop near the second, larger station, the smell of burned flesh told the story of what she'd find inside, but she knew that she had to check anyway. With a steadying breath that she then held, Sakura forced herself to look within for survivors, but a quick visual survey through the smoky interior - several more Konoha shinobi had been pinned to the walls with long, slender shards of bone, while the rest had had their chests or faces caved as if struck by a great force - confirmed her fears. As she once again surveyed the empty streets, Sakura began to approach a state of true panic.
Her mind raced as she tried to get her breathing under control, having taken several steps upwind of the station before leaning against a wall in an effort to steady herself. She didn't have time to keep checking official sources of assistance; Sakura would have to assume they had all met a similar fate at the hands of the intruders. The fact that they clearly had no qualms butchering their way through Konoha's shinobi but had allowed Sasuke to notice their presence and send her away, unharmed, revealed much of their intentions. Thinking logically, the only reason she could come up with that they would act as such would be if they wanted Sasuke alive; by extension, she was only still among the living because they must not want to bias Sasuke against them needlessly, and she desperately clung to the thread of hope that he was still alive and well.
Sakura hated to involve her in this for a variety of reasons, but she was rapidly running out of options, and it was the best one she had. After taking one last steadying breath, Sakura forced herself to ignore the strident protests of her burning thighs as she took off once more at top speed towards Ino's home. If Naruto was there he'd be able to raise an alarm clear across the city with his clones, and together with Ino they could hopefully figure something out before it was too late.
Please still be there, Ino, Naruto!
Using his feet to brace himself on the stool, Naruto thrust his elbows behind him to crack his upper back and then twisted left and right with swift movements to take care of the lower, followed by cracking his neck and then all of his fingers, one by one. Ino flinched dramatically at each satisfying pop, and when she saw that Naruto was finished gave him a thumbs-up.
"Good try, Naruto, but we Yamanaka specialize in this sort of thing." She straightened her posture, held her arms in front of her angled just so, and after a slight moment of tension there was a sudden wave of pops that reminded Naruto of the snacks the street vendors liked to sell during festivals.
At his bewildered and awe-filled look, Ino said, tone positively dripping with smugness, "Say it."
"Aw, Ino, c'mon… do I have to?"
She folded her arms and looked down her nose at him imperiously, the action aided by the the height of the counter she was perched upon. The effect was somewhat ruined by the corners of her mouth twitching up and down as she fought to maintain a stoic expression.
With a sigh, Naruto hopped off of his seat before prostrating himself in dogeza. With a tone of mock contrition, he said, "Oh great, wise, and beautiful Yamanaka-sama, please accept my humble apology; you are clearly the superior shinobi. Next to you, I am nothing."
He held this position for a moment more before Ino's composure broke as she tried to suppress a laugh with a deep breath, with the end result being an echoing snort that sent the both of them into fits of laughter.
After they managed to collect themselves and Naruto reclaimed his seat, he said, "How did you do that?"
She waggled her eyebrows at him, "As you know, we Yamanaka are superior shinobi in every possible respect. That's one of the simple chakra control exercises we're taught as children; it helps us with the Inton we need for our clan techniques."
Naruto's eyes went warily to the doors in the room before making their way back to Ino; he held a hand up to his mouth and whispered, with much drama, "Hey, hey, can you tell me that? Your clan's spooky mind stuff is all secret, right?"
Ino dismissed his concerns with a wave of her hand, "I haven't told you anything that isn't public knowledge, but," she winked at him, and her voice took on a teasing note, "thanks for the concern."
It was at that moment that Sakura burst through the door, the force not so much knocking it from its hinges as causing it to disintegrate and send shards of wood flying across the room, and skidded to a halt in front of them.
Naruto recoiled in shock as Ino said, "Sakura?! What in the world-"
He shared her surprise, for Sakura looked as though she'd been through another romp in the Forest of Death; hair matted and stuck to her scalp with sweat, eyes bloodshot and wild, with smears of dirt and tears in her dress, Naruto began to feel a sense of dread rising in his gut as Sakura leaned heavily on her knees to take a series of deep, gasping breaths, her shoulders shaking violently. In between labored breaths, she forced out three short sentences, and each one was another frozen dagger plunging into Naruto's heart.
"Five Oto shinobi. Multiple allies KIA. Came for Sasuke."
Ino was instantly transformed into a professional, and a tiny cynical voice in the back of Naruto's mind pointed out that, had it been anyone but Sasuke in such a position, her reaction would not have been so dramatic. This was not the time for bitterness, however, and so he chose to address Sakura instead.
"Where are they? How long has it been?" He gave her a quick once-over glance for serious injuries. "You alright?"
She waved off the concern as Ino handed her a glass of water, which she downed in three large gulps. By now, Sakura had recovered enough to stand fully upright, and she fixed her gaze directly on Naruto.
"It was at his place, under three minutes ago. They let me leave… I don't understand it, but this isn't the time to try and figure it out! You need to make as many clones as you can and alert every shinobi still in the village! Ino, is any of your family here?"
Ino said, "No, no, they're all out on missions," as Naruto nodded intently and dashed out through the ruined door; Ino and Sakura could hear the sound of multiple waves of shadow clones being created and sent out, all shouting at the top of their lungs. This, combined with the fact that they were slowly spreading out around them, created an ever-expanding circle of noise centered around Ino's home.
As Sakura led the way back outside with Ino close behind her they could see a wave of lights in homes being turned on as Naruto's warning spread. Several Narutos could be seen escorting civilians in the opposite direction of where the intruders had last been spotted.
Ino gasped and grabbed her arm; as Sakura turned back toward her to ask what it was, she could see a large fireball rising up into the air from the direction in which she'd come from.
"Naruto, Ino, we need to go now!" Sakura was shocked to hear the note of command in her own voice, and the shock continued as the two of them dutifully fell in behind her as they rushed toward the fireball, Naruto leaving clusters of clones to continue spreading the alarm as they went.
We're coming for you, Sasuke!