As Hinata drove back to her apartment, she couldn't shake the feeling that something else was off. She turned aimlessly down streets before remembering that Ino had said something about visiting Sakura's old place to pick up a few things. Hinata started to turn in the direction of Sakura's old house when the smell of smoke hit her nostrils, likely coming through the car's vents. She could see some of the roads were blocked off, and... was that emergency services? She counted the houses, and it was clearly from in front of Sakura's old house, though most of the blaze appeared to have been put out. If Sakura's old house was like that, then... was it possible Ino had been injured in the blast?

Putting her car back into drive, Hinata drove to the one other place she was sure would have answers: Detective Uchiha's house. She took side streets until she was around the corner from the home, parking her car and getting out. She pulled her hood up over her head and took a casual stance, walking carefully along the street and keeping her eyes peeled. There were cars outside Detective Uchiha's house as well, but these were different. These were large black SUVs with very well-dressed people in front of them and a large armoured vehicle with several men and women in riot gear standing outside it.

Wait, riot gear? That usually meant a more extensive investigation, which meant... no, no way. Had Detective Uchiha and Dr. Haruno been attacked in some way? Oh, no, that wasn't good, especially after all that Dr. Haruno had been through already. Hinata felt her heart sink at the thought. Dr. Haruno was one of the nicest people she'd ever met, always appearing with a smile and eager to have one of Hinata's cinnamon buns.

She was peeking around the corner when a set of hands grabbed her from behind, one covering her mouth as someone dragged her in the bush. Her cries were muffled by whatever gloves they were wearing, leaving Hinata at their mercy.

Naruto had taken his leave from the hospital and made his way to the precinct, picking up a few things before he headed to Chief Hatake's house. He hated to have to wake up the chief at this hour, but this was important. If Sai said he was trustworthy, then it would be good. Parking around the corner, he walked toward the house and knocked on the door loudly, making sure to check and double-check his surroundings as he waited. The door cracked open, and a mess of silver hair could be seen, dark eyes peering through the crack.

"Uzumaki?" Kakashi asked, his voice full of surprise as he opened the door fully for the blonde. "Come on in. What is it?" Naruto could tell by Kakashi's tone and demeanour that he knew whatever was happening was severe; Naruto wouldn't dare show up at this hour if it wasn't.

"Akatsuki," he said, coming in the door and closing it behind them. "We have a major problem with the case right now. Someone just blew Sakura's old house to smithereens, and ROOT's shown up and is putting the blame on Sasuke," Naruto explained. He was deeply frustrated by this entire scenario, wishing that it had been easier to handle and wishing that ROOT hadn't been moving so quickly. They were barely staying ahead of the situation, and having to handle all of this under the table felt so wrong to Naruto.

"Uchiha? No, he'd never," Kakashi said, shaking his head. "Especially in that kind of manner. He's been looking after Dr. Haruno since she was attacked." Considering the outburst Sasuke had at the office regarding Itachi, he could only surmise it was related to that. "I'm guessing that Sai's already determined something is fishy about this, am I correct?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, he has. "Don't worry. There's a contingency plan in place already, and Uchiha's safe and gone as far as I know. He's on the run." Kakashi's face looked sad hearing that. Sasuke was one of their best detectives, with some of the best case closure rates in the precinct. Naruto was a close second to him, though his case rates tended to be lower because of the nature of work he covered. Even Naruto would agree that no one could solve a homicide as Sasuke could, and his numbers had only climbed with Sakura as their new medical examiner.

"Well... that's good, at least. He must have known something was up when he saw Itachi and that Itachi was underneath a false name. Did they say what was found?" Naruto was kicking himself for not asking Sai for any more information on what had been found at Sakura's house. How could he have been so foolhardy not to ask?

"No, though I think Sai knows. There wasn't enough time for him to explain to me what was happening. I had to call Sasuke immediately and get him going before ROOT got there. We'll have to meet with everyone at some point, though we can't leave Ino alone." Once Ino was in a stable condition and could be included in the discussion, they would sit down and compare whatever notes they had on the case and how to go about things.

"Hmm... Well, if nothing else, we'll want to ensure that Sai is in a position where he has some authority with us. We'll go along with the investigation into Uchiha and Haruno, and I'll appoint Sai in a temporary position to take over Major Crimes with your assistance. I'll... do what I can to get someone that can look after Dr. Haruno's job. Is there anyone you can think of?" This was one of many reasons Naruto respected Kakashi as much as he did; he knew how to work around the law and was an excellent judge of character.

"Hmm... I might, but I have to make a few calls and see if they're available. The more people we have on our side, the better." Naruto ran a hand through his hair, sighing and closing his eyes for a moment. "How the hell did this end up happening?" He asked though he wasn't expecting an answer.

"I don't know." Kakashi shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "But we have to stay on top of it. The more we can remain helpful and distanced from the case publicly, the better. I will handle organizing meetings for all of us when we can discuss the case. For now, stay under the radar." Kakashi's instructions were clear, and as much as Naruto didn't like them, he knew following them would be necessary. With a nod, he excused himself from Kakashi's place and headed back in the direction of the hospital to relieve Sai.

Hinata tried to struggle against the grip of whoever had pulled her into the bush, fear gripping her body. The arms around her were strong, keeping her locked down and preventing her from screaming for help. She tried despite the hand over her mouth until a familiar voice spoke, quieting her instantly. "Hinata, it's me." The man waited a few seconds for Hinata to relax before releasing her, allowing her to turn around and face him.

"Neji?" surprise filled Hinata's expression." What are you doing here?" She whispered. "I thought you were on patrol tonight!" It was possible that she'd mixed up his schedule, but she was almost sure she'd had it memorized. Neji was never in this area and rarely had anything to do with Detective Uchiha unless there was a case in the area he was patrolling.

"I just finished my shift," he replied. "But I overheard something at the precinct when I was clocking out that I wanted to investigate on my own. A few ROOT agents came looking for Detective Uchiha as I logged my end-of-day reports, saying they had a warrant for his arrest. I checked in the system, and there's no warrant for him. Nothing concrete was issued. I checked for Dr. Haruno, too, and there was nothing." Well, that explained why Neji was out here investigating. He tended to be curious about these sorts of things, and many people around the precinct knew Detective Uchiha. They might not have got along with him, given he could be abrasive at times, but his peers respected him for the quality of work he produced.

"A w-warrant?" Hinata squeaked, hands over her mouth in shock. She couldn't believe what Neji was saying! Sakura and Sasuke wouldn't be the type to break the law. "Is that why—"

"Yeah, that's probably why they're there. I heard them fire shots, but no one was in the house. I know because I saw a vehicle tear off maybe twenty minutes before they arrived. Dr. Haruno's car, I believe. If ROOT's looking for them, then they're long gone." Hinata was relieved to hear that. She would never have believed that they were responsible for any crimes, not for a second. Sakura was too kind of a person, and Detective Uchiha was too determined a cop to do anything of the sort. She could barely wrap her head around what Neji was saying.

"So... I-I don't understand." Hinata shook her head, almost at a loss for words. "There's just too much going on, and I saw..." How was she supposed to describe it? That she saw her father, the head of Hyuga Securities Industries, working with someone who might be involved? That Sai might be affected and that he was lying to her? It was too much for her. She wanted nothing to do with it, and yet it seemed like she'd been inadvertently caught in the middle.

"You saw something?" Neji's tone was calm, but his posture was tense.

"Yeah, I saw... Father was outside Miss Yamanaka's place, talking to someone I didn't recognize." Hinata fidgeted as she spoke, nervousness taking over as she did her best to recount what she'd seen. "They were well-dressed, and I think they may have been part of ROOT, but I can't be sure. I-I don't understand why Father would be involved." Her father ran a private security company; what business would he have dealing with ROOT?

Neji frowned. "Yeah, there's a lot nobody understands about your father," he muttered indignantly. Neji still felt animosity toward her father over what had happened to his father; Hizashi's death had been rumoured to be an accident, but no concrete details were available. Hinata knew Neji was always suspicious about the accident, and he'd been looking into it for years and years.

"What should we do?" Hinata felt like she had a pit in her stomach. She had no idea who she should talk to other than Neji or Ino, which reminded her. Ino... Why was Sai covering for her so much? What was being hidden by him that she wasn't allowed to know about?

"We should stay quiet and observe, for now." Neji frowned at Hinata. "Is there something else, Hinata?"

"Well... I called Agent Gaka so I could speak to Miss Yamanaka, and he told me that she wasn't available... but he wouldn't tell me any more than that." Hinata watched Neji's frown grow deeper with suspicion; it confirmed the suspicion she felt about the situation, making her relieved that she wasn't the only one who felt something was off about it.

"Hmm... That's even more reason for us to stay quiet and gather what we know. Hinata... something is going on here, something big. We have to be careful, and we have to be vigilant. Please don't talk to anyone about anything until I tell you. Do you understand?" Hinata wasn't surprised by how firm Neji was; ever since high school, he'd made it a goal to look out for her. He'd been the only person who believed she was innocent when she was expelled from the Academy.

"Right. I... should head home, then." Hinata chewed her lip, checking out from around the bushes in the direction of her car.

"I'll come with you. My car is still parked at work, but... that will be fine. Do you mind if I stay?" Hinata could see that Neji was worried; she had no choice but to oblige him.

"Of course, Neji. You're always welcome to stay." Hinata liked when he stayed; they got along well, and he was just as quiet as she was. She didn't feel compelled to hold a conversation for extended periods. With the coast clear, they headed to Hinata's car and her apartment for the night.