"What are you talking about?" Sakura pressed nervously, her tone alerting the expressions of Naruto and Kakashi.

"Where are you?" Mebuki pressed with a heavy sniff.

"I'm at work—Mom, what is going on? You're not making any sense. Are you okay?"

"I can't tell you over the phone," Mebuki sobbed, causing Sakura's heart to clench painfully. "I need you to come to the hospital—I can tell you everything here."

Sakura shook her head, "I need you to tell me what's going on now, Mom, not-"

"I CAN'T," Mebuki barked, shocking Sakura. "I was told I can't disclose anything over the phone. You have to come to the hospital."

"Is it you? Are you okay? Is it dad?"

Mebuki's breath caught in another sob, "Just please hurry, Cherry."

The phone hung up, Sakura's jaw hung slack as she gazed at the screen of her device. She whirled around, facing Naruto and Kakashi with wide eyes, "I need one of you to drive me to the hospital right now."

"Hospital?" Naruto and Kakashi echoed in unison, twin sets of brows shooting up.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Is Mebuki okay?" Kakashi pressed.

Sakura shook her head, the anxiety causing her tears to begin to well, "She said she can't tell me? I don't know. She was crying—she sounded freaked out. I just need to get to her ASAP."

"I can take you," Kakashi replied without missing a beat. "I'll run to my office right now to grab my keys; I'll meet you at the front door." Kakashi leaned down, kissing Sakura sweetly before remarking, "It's going to be okay, honey. Everything is going to be fine."

"I hope so," Sakura sniffed, wiping away a tear. "She really sounded freaked out, I-I don't-"

Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder, "Whatever it is, we'll handle it, okay? Just focus on taking a deep breath."

Sakura nodded, muttering a soft thank you before Kakashi turned on his heel to head to his office while Sakura parted to head to the front doors of DonDon. Naruto was swift on her heel, talking as he walked, "I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not," Sakura replied sharply. "I don't know what's going on and I'm still mad at you—I really don't want to be around you right now. If you don't recall, you very nearly hit me in the face."

"Mebuki is just as much my mom as she is yours, Sakura-chan. If something's happened, I want to be there to help." Naruto huffed, "I'm so fucking sorry, okay? I—I lost control and—I just wanted to help."

Sakura stopped in her tracks, pulling an about face to sneer at Naruto, "Help? How are you going to help, Naruto? By kicking someone's ass?"

Naruto blinked, frowning, "It's not like that, Sakura."

Sakura scoffed, cocking her head to the side, "It isn't? Because it sure as shit was like that earlier. I mean, you said Ino had a fucking cue. A cue? Were you just going to beat Kakashi senseless? Did you have anything planned besides that? Did you even think about talking to me?"

Naruto scratched the back of his shaking head, "Sakura...I'm sorry, okay? I fucked up. You've got to understand-"

"No, YOU'VE got to understand—I'm an adult, I make my own choices. I am not some helpless crybaby, Naruto-"

"I never said you were," Naruto snapped back, scowling. "I've never treated you like one, either. I've always respected your space, an-"

Sakura snorted, casting her eyes skyward, "That's rich. That's why you freaked out and just decided on fighting Kakashi? That's why you didn't give your actions even a second thought? That's why the moment I'm getting better and back to myself, you close your grasp over me? What—do you not want me to be independent? Do you like being my fucking caretaker? Would you prefer it if I couldn't function day to day like before? It seems like you'd rather I be freaked out so you can comfort me and be my hero?"

"Excuse the fuck out of me?" Naruto quipped, his scowl deepening. "You know it was never like that to begin with. I'm your friend, Sakura. I'm your brother. I'm here to help you and protect you—not put you in a fucking cage. I understand that you're getting better—and I'm fucking happy as hell to see you laughing and smiling like you used to. Believe it or not, before today, I was also pretty happy about you and Kakashi, too. But please, when I get a fucking call from a mad Ino that Kakashi took advantage of you, all I'll ever see is red. That's my nature, don't pretend like you don't know that."

"Your nature?!" Sakura shouted, shaking her head and pointing a finger hard in his chest. "What a shitty fucking excuse. You mean your nature to be a raging asshole? Your nature to-"

"Was I an asshole when I held you when you were sobbing? Was I an asshole when I'd bring you down from your episodes? You didn't call me an asshole when I fucked Sasuke up. I know I fucked up with Kakashi, I know I should have spoken to you—but I mean, fuck, even Kakashi isn't this pissed about it, and I hit the poor guy."

"You can't just charge at any minor thing," Sakura bit back. "You can't just beat everything up to help me."

"Being taken advantage of, like you've been before, isn't minor, Sakura."

"It's like you don't trust me to take care of myself," Sakura sniffed, crossing her arms and stepping back. "You still think I'm helpless."

Naruto shook his head, "I never thought you were helpless to begin with. You're far more capable to help yourself. But I'm here to help, too-"

"By beating someone up? Where is the logic in that? I mean, you just said you were happy about Kakashi and I. You didn't stop and think, hey, she's an adult—she can do what she wants with someone she clearly has feelings for."

Naruto held his arms out on either side, "I don't know what the fuck you want me to say, Sakura. I'm sorry, okay? I'm fucking sorry."

"Yeah, you're sorry now—but what about next time? What about when something else happens, are you going to barrel through and fuck everything up in sight?"

Naruto scoffed, letting his arms fall to his sides, "What the fuck do you want me to say? What do you expect, Sakura? For the longest time I've gotten so used to protecting you tooth and nail—and now...I mean, fuck. Give me time to adjust, okay?"

"What I want is for you to just give me space. Lay off, okay?"

"Space? Sakura, I was gone for a whole week to give you space, okay? Ino and I have been giving you space. This one incident doesn't mean we aren't giving you space."

"Fine- stop trying to protect me, how about that? I don't need protecting anymore, okay? I'm fine. I'm safe." Sakura turned her head, feeling more tears slip out with each passing minute.

"I can't do that," Naruto remarked softly. "I've been protecting you since the day we met."

"And it's time you stop," Sakura bit coldly.

"I can't do that."

"Then leave me alone," Sakura replied. "I...I need to clear my head, okay? This back and forth is the last thing I need right now."

"Fine."

Sakura turned, continuing up the stair toward the front doors where Kakashi stood, keys in hand while he texted rapidly on his phone. He glanced up, pocketing the device, and humming, "Are we ready?"

Sakura nodded, "I'm ready."

Kakashi jerked his chin at Naruto, "Are you coming?"

"Yes, I am," Naruto answered at the same time Sakura replied, "No, he's not."

Sakura cast Naruto a withering glance, "Did I not say give me space?"

Naruto's brow ticked, "Sakura, I'm coming whether you like it or not."

"Naruto," Kakashi began slowly, "maybe it would be best if you stayed behind."

Naruto shook his head stubbornly, "Say what you want to say, I'm fucking going. Mebuki is my mom, too. If something is up, I want to be there."

"What business is yours?" Sakura snapped, glaring.

Naruto jut a thumb at his chest, "It's been my business, Sakura."

Sakura scoffed, but turned and faced Kakashi, muttering, "Whatever. Let's just go, we're wasting time."

Kakashi glanced between Sakura and Naruto before giving a slow nod, "Alright. Let's go."

He was in pain.

At least, he was.

He couldn't feel his body. That was, he couldn't feel the pain he had been in only moments ago. Seiichi was delightfully numb, head to toe; lethargic and slow. Around him he could hear the distant murmur of voices, a steady beeping; steps down wood floors, the hushed whisper of a woman.

"Has he woken, yet?"

"No."

Seiichi made a grunt in the back of his throat, struggling to open his eyes and blink away the deep lethargic thrum he was under. He shifted, feeling around him what he thought to be a blanket and something uncomfortable in his arm.

"Where...am I...?" He managed to slur, laying back down and swallowing thickly. Fucking gods his mouth was dry.

"You're awake," the feminine voice sang softly, deft hands feeling around his wrist and gently tapping along his face. "How does this feel around here?"

"Where am I?" Seiichi asked again more firmly, his voice slowly coming back to him.

"You're at the hospital," she replied quietly. "You came to us in a really rough position. You've sustained a lot of damage and you're quite lucky to be alive. If this man hadn't found you, you'd be dead."

In an instant everything came flooding back to him, Seiichi shot up straight in the hospital bed; eyes wide, flicking around the room wildly, "Where is he? Where are they?"

The nurse paused, blinking, "Who's they?"

"I'm here," came the satin voice.

Just behind the nurse, sat in a chair next to door, was a fairly handsome man with a mop of red hair; bearing typical blue jeans and a black shirt. He didn't appear to be threatening, if anything, his appearance was almost child-like in some manner. His face a mixture of boyish and grown; dusty chocolate eyes lined by surprisingly thick lashes.

This man...Is in the Akatsuki?

The nurse glanced back at the red-haired man, "Oh, yes—this is the gentleman that saved you. You should count yourself lucky—and consider him a friend." She reached for a cup, handing it to Seiichi, "Here- drink. You're dehydrated."

Seiichi took the cup, remarking while not breaking his gaze with the man, "Remind me, ma'am- what happened to me? I can't seem to remember."

The nurse cast Seiichi a sympathetic look, "He found you like this in an alley and brought you straight here. What happened before, we don't know. We are going to have to rely on you to remember so we can report it to the police."

Seiichi chuckled darkly, handing the cup back to the woman, "I'm a Japanese Agent, ma'am."

She gasped, "Of course you are, the wounds make sense. Is there anyone you would like me to contact for you?"

Seiichi shook his head, wincing, "No, I'll handle it...How long am I here for?"

She hummed, "As I've said before, you've sustained a lot of injuries. Some fractured ribs, broken nose, a gunshot wound—we'd like to keep you here for a couple days before discharging you."

"I don't have a couple days," Seiichi replied, scowling.

"Give it a day, at least," the red-haired man spoke up, causing Seiichi's gaze to flick back and lock on him. He continued, "It's like she said—you've sustained a lot of wounds."

"You would know?" Seiichi bit back bitterly.

The man plucked a shoulder, "Not me, personally."

The nurse glanced back, unsure, "Is there anything else you need?"

Seiichi shook his head, "No, but I won't be here long."

She huffed slightly, shaking her head before making her way out of the room. A dense silence hung in the air as each man stared the other down for what seemed like an immeasurable amount of time. Seiichi could feel his jaw tick in anger, perfect brow crumpling sharply. Seiichi's mind was running a million miles an hour. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to leap across this room and pummel the red-haired fuck before him. On the other, Seiichi was more than aware of his delicate position—both physically and situationally. Should he try anything, this man would easily overpower him given his wounds. Secondly, this was Seiichi's shot at getting intel. He was a sitting duck—or maybe it was the other way around, he wasn't sure. Either way, he needed to play his cards right and milk this fuck for all he could.

It was the red-haired man that broke the silence.

"Sasori."

"What?" Seiichi bit.

He waved is hand, "My name is Sasori."

"Sasori," Seiichi echoed sharply. "Can you explain to me why I'm in the hospital and not bleeding out on your-"

Sasori held up a hand, cutting Seiichi off, "Hold on."

Slowly, Sasori moved to his feet; walking to the left and peering past the green fabric sheet before going to the right and doing the same thing—making his way back to his seat. He folded one hand over the other patiently, remarking, "So, you would like to know why put myself in danger and didn't leave you for dead?"

"Something along those lines. More like, tell me why I shouldn't alarm the agency an Akatsuki member is sitting right in front of me and get your ass locked up forever?"

Sasori gave a small grin, "Two reasons. The first being, I have all the information you're looking for and then some. I can get you every Akatsuki member's location—and then some. I can tell you what they're planning to do, where they're going, and what they're doing. The only thing is we have so much time before they come to understand I'm gone for good—for now, they'll think I killed you and am taking care of your body. Secondly," he flashed two fingers, grin widening, "you'd be doing me a favor tossing me into prison."

Seiichi's brow ticked, "A favor?"

Sasori nodded, "There's nothing I want more than to pay for my crimes, Agent. I hate the Akatsuki as much as you do, and I can promise I hate myself more than you hate me."

"I seriously doubt that," Seiichi spat. "You Akatsuki—you're monsters. Just look at what you did to Sakura."

Sasori frowned, "I had nothing to do with Sakura. That was all Hidan's doing."

"Hidan- he's your leader?"

Sasori shrugged again, expression going stone once more, "If that's what you'd like to call him. Hidan has been losing his mind for years, becoming more and more desperate."

"What's got him desperate?" Seiichi pressed, "And who do you have on the inside? I remember you said you had a man on the inside who's been helping you fucks."

Sasori sighed, "He's desperate because he owes the Yakuza a fuck ton of money. He's desperate because he's losing power and territory. He's desperate because his head is seriously on the line—as is all of ours. See, we have a peace treaty with the Yakuza. We get our territory for a pretty penny, they leave us the fuck alone. Hidan has not been paying the Yakuza, and they don't take that too kindly when it comes to cash. In desperate attempts, he was kidnapping women for ransom—bigger drug pulls, you name it. Unfortunately, Sakura was one of them. While most of the women were assaulted, they weren't put through the hell Sakura endured. He was really losing it. Torturing her and the like. I hated to see it, which is why I sent Kisame out with Sakura during the ransom exchange instead of myself. Kisame is known for being big and clumsy- I figured if your men were there, he'd be an easy shot."

"We fucking got him, alright," Seiichi cut in strongly. "But not because of you. Furthermore, if you hated it you should have saved her."

Sasori jutted out his lip fecklessly, "Details, Agent. What I'm getting at is Hidan is a loose cannon. More so now than he's ever been. He's on the final straw with the Yakuza. Should he not come up with the money- and it's a lot—in the next five days he's as good as dead. The whole Akatsuki is. As far as saving goes, it's not that easy. Hidan had a hand on her 24/7. If it wasn't Hidan, it was Deidara—another member."

"That man—the other voice there you said was leverage- who is he?" Seiichi pressed.

"That is Kizashi—Sakura's father. Both you and I know he is an incredibly wealthy businessman with stocks and the like. He's got more accounts than I've got fingers and toes. Hidan figured he could use Kizashi as leverage to the Akatsuki."

Seiichi shook his head, "So, what—he's going to plop Kizashi down in front of the Yakuza and say, 'here's your pay'?"

"That's what he thinks he's going to do, anyways," Sasori yawned, seemingly bored. "He's not that creative detective, which is why he's lost his grip on everything. He thinks that the Yakuza can force him to hand over all his accounts and assets to the Yakuza—thus paying what the Akatsuki owe and then some. He had even talked about overthrowing the Yakuza boss—however, no matter the dream, we all know that's impossible. Nothing can kill that man, regardless of the thousands of grunts you'd have to get through."

"That's his plan, then? Take Kizashi to the Yakuza and walk away scott free?"

"Again, Agent—he's not creative."

"You never answered my other question—who do you have on the inside?" Seiichi replied sharply. "Is this man helping Hidan with the Yakuza?"

Sasori shook his head, "As far as the Yakuza goes, our man is hands off—for good reason. If the Yakuza knew we had a man, they wouldn't have a treaty with us because it would be seen as a liability since he's not a Yakuza himself. That man goes by the name of Solo."

Seiichi's body tensed, causing his teeth to grit and his fist to ball, "Solo? Solo has been the fucking man backing up the Yakuza—for how long?"

Sasori plucked a shoulder, "Longer than I've been with the Akatsuki."

"I can't fucking believe it," Seiichi muttered, gazing down at his clenched fist. "I can't fucking believe that fuck would dishonor-"

"Believe it, Agent," Sasori cut with a sigh. "Believe that there are twisted people in this world, and not all men are shining knights like you."

"I've seen scum like you and Solo—so don't fucking lecture me on good and bad men, when it's my job to take down men like you; men like Hidan, and men like Solo. I am going to make sure every single one of you fucks pay for what the fuck you've done."

Sasori offered another small grin, humming, "I know you will, Agent. That being said—it's time we make a plan."

Seiichi was opening his mouth to speak with the sounds of sobbing could be heard approaching the large room they were in. The same nurse from before ushered in a petite woman with short blonde hair sobbing into her hands, shoulders shuddering as the nurse moved her over to the left behind the fabric separating them.

"Just rest in here, ma'am. If the police have any other questions, they'll come back to speak with you more," the nurse hummed sympathetically. "How are you feeling?"

"D-dizzy still," the woman sniffed. "My head is throbbing."

"Mmhmm- unfortunately you'll feel that way for a bit longer until the medication kicks in. In the meantime, drink plenty of water and just rest here in this bed. Do you have family coming?"

"Yes," she hummed sadly, "my daughter."

"We'll talk about this when we're alone," Sasori muttered, crossing his legs and pulling a phone out of his pocket. "You rest—you'll need it."

Seiichi scoffed, "Like I'm going to sleep with you in the room."

Sasori shrugged, "Do or do not—I don't care. Spend all your time eyeballing me—but I'm going nowhere. Hidan has eyes, if I'm out right now someone will likely report it. We'll have to move at night at any rate—it's the afternoon. So, sleep."

"Go fuck yourself," Seiichi growled, settling back into his bed and crossing his arms. "I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"Suit yourself," Sasori remarked casually, a pinging sound emitting from his phone as his thumbs began to rapidly tap on the screen.

Doing as he said and keeping his eyes on Sasori, Seiichi immediately began to formulate what he was going to do. It was clear Solo was not someone to be trusted, and Solo's behavior about any Akatsuki case made sense knowing now the fucker was in on it with them.

Fucking Solo.
He should have known.

He should have known the moment Solo threatened his career about targeting more members. He should have known the moment Solo locked away Akatsuki case files. He should have known this whole time—fucking anyone in the Agency should have.

Was it just Solo? What was he telling his higher ups? How was he hiding the evidence—how were they able to get away with crime for so long and not get caught? Did Solo have someone else helping him? Seiichi could feel his face burning, a combination from the drugs wearing off and his own surmounting rage. The fact that Sakura was being targeted again—even if she wasn't in direct harm, for now, it was her father they had. Her father who, if Hidan is as much of a loose cannon as Sasori says he is, could be killed or tortured despite being leverage. What if Hidan changed his plan? What if he found a better way—and didn't need Kizashi?

Seiichi wasn't sure just what he was going to do, but he was going to do something—and fast. Lives were at stake and time was not on his side. All he could do was, unfortunately, trust Sasori—to some extent. It was clear the man had an agenda—but was it really to get thrown in jail.

Did he really seek out that kind of justice? Or was this all apart of some bigger Akatsuki ploy.

Either way, Seiichi was on his guard.
Either way, no matter Sasori's true intentions or not—he, along with Solo and the rest of the fucking Akatsuki—were going to rot away for the rest of their lives.

Of that, Seiichi was positive.

Obito tapped his foot impatiently, chewing hard on the inside of his cheek; glancing at his phone every other passing minute. It had been an hour since he'd heard from Rin—an hour since she texted him telling him she was taking a bath because her stomach hurt. An hour since he called and she didn't answer, an hour since he sent endless texts with no reply. He was at work and had several more hours until he was supposed to be off, but he was about to get the fuck out of there and head home to Rin.

This pregnancy has not been easy on her.

While they let the outside world think they were doing just fine, truth of the matter was the pregnancy has been a struggle since day one. From multiple miscarriages to the most awful, relentless morning sickness—she really was under a lot of strain. On top of it, she was still working and doing life in between the near constant pain she's in...

Obito felt awful.

He felt like her pain was his fault—and he did everything he could to ease her load as much as possible. Taking over cooking dinners, doing all the chores in the house, working overtime so she wouldn't have to put in as much hours at work. On her beck and call should anything happen, midnight drives to the hospital—it really was miserable for her and he was trying his damned best to make it better for her. Aside from the physical pain she was in, there was the hormones and the emotional pain, too. She felt like she was losing all her friends due to the pregnancy, seeing as most of them were still single and going out to party. She felt guilty and depressed, expressing to Obito she felt like her body wasn't made to have a baby; expressing in disdain that her body was broken and they'd "lose this baby, too." He couldn't count on both hands how many times he's held her sobbing frame; kissed her temple, muttered soothing words, and did his best to reassure her everything was going to be okay. And, for a bit,

he thought maybe Rin was on the up and up. At least, that's what he thought.

Ever since her run in with Kakashi, she's been downhill.

Her health has been bad, her mental and emotional state were a wreck—and really, so were Obito's. He couldn't believe the shit Kakashi told him that day...At least...

That's what he thought.

The more he watched Rin's behavior, the more she lashed out on Obito; the more he began to connect the dots. Kakashi was an honest man, and whenever he did omit something—it was for a greater good. Obito had some sense that Rin maybe had a crush on Kakashi, but the knowledge that they used to date really set it in stone for Obito. Her attitude, her sadness—it all made sense. It felt like Kakashi had broke her heart all over again—because Obito knew when Kakashi pushed Rin towards Obito, heartbreak was involved. A clean cut so she could move on. He hated it and he was pissed they both hid something so important from him...but he got it.

He didn't want to, but he did.

Additionally, Obito still loved Rin.

He loved her more than the sun and the moon and the stars combined. He loved her with everything in his chest—his whole fucking heart. Rin's new heartache over a man who does nothing for her anymore drove Obito to win Rin back all over again. He was going to swoon her like he'd done once before—try harder to get her to smile at him instead of crying in a corner. He was willing to look past everything, even forgive Kakashi, as long as Rin loved him back. He was even going to drop the Sakura thing because it really was a person Obito knew nothing about—he was being his old bitter self and drawing conclusions from nothing.

Really, Kakashi always had a way of making sense, and he hated it.

He also hated how ugly he had been—about everything.

He hated it and he hated himself.

He did, though, love Rin more than life itself. He loved her more than he loved anything else the world could offer. He was going to be better—for Rin. For his child.

And, maybe Kakashi would forgive him. Maybe, they could be brothers again.

Maybe.

But right now, all that mattered is Rin.

His phone blare loudly, jolting him. He snatched the device, answering quickly, "Rin?"

"Obito?" Rin called, her voice pressed and strained. "You need to come home."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I'm just in a lot of pain," she replied, sniffing. "More than I can handle. Please, come home and take me to the hospital."

Obito kicked himself back from his desk, standing and grabbing his keys, "I'm on my way."

Rin sniffed again, her tone now a sob, "Hurry."