Last Time:

"But that was one incident, wasn't it?" Naruto questioned as he looked at the Uchiha. "After one incident, you can't necessarily determine that the powder was at fault, right?"

"That was just the first incident tonight," Shisui answered. "There were at least four more incidents just like the one at The Loft Apartments across the city. All the victims having some track of that gold powder on them. We're still waiting on toxicology reports on them all and a report on what's in the gold powder."

Naruto sighed. He shoved his hands in his pockets before looking at Minato. "I'll see if I hear anything about the gold powder from anyone at school the next couple of days. Then on Saturday night I'll head over to The Garage over in the Thirteenth Ward and talk to Haku and see if he knows anything."

"I'm counting on you, Naruto-kun," Minato said with a smile.

Opposites Attract: Chapter 7 – "The Thirteenth Ward"

"Ever since the introduction of the latest street drug, Styx, there have been fifteen reported instances this week alone. Each of these incidents have resulted in bystanders or the user themselves being critically injured or even dead. The latest in the series of incidents was from earlier this evening when a young man, age seventeen, launched himself in front of an oncoming train in Shinjiro Station."

"Honestly," Yuki Haku shook his head in disappointment as he leaned back against the plush couch in his lounge and looked away from the tablet on the coffee table in front of him, "the stories get worst and worst by the day." He ran his fingers through his hair and looked at his nails. "To be honest, I was surprised to hear that you were planning on stopping by the Thirteenth Ward to see me, Young Master."

Across from him, Naruto sat with Sasuke to his right and Sakura to his left. As promised, Naruto traveled to the Thirteenth Ward to meet with Whirlwind's head distributor. The past couple of days had been difficult considering the citywide panic that'd been spreading through the adults as they began to worry about their children and younger relatives. It was to the point where there was a citywide curfew but even that didn't help much.

"Have you heard anything?" Naruto questioned.

Haku thought for a moment and tapped his chin. He let out a heavy sigh and crossed his legs. "I wish I could help you Young Master but I haven't heard anything about who's distributing the stuff. Clearly, it's none of my people seeing as Whirlwind is all about moderation. And there's no way in hell Sir Minato or Lady Kushina would authorization the distribution of something like this. Plus, I like my setup with Whirlwind too much to go behind their backs and distribute something without their consent first."

Naruto let out a heavy sigh.

"But then again," Haku leaned forward in his seat, "I'm pretty sure I saw some Phoenix emblems the other day while I was out at Infinity."

Naruto's eyes widen before he looked over to Sakura. He could see how tightly she was clenching her fists and doing her best to keep her shaking from being seen. He reached over and placed his hand over her fist and could feel the sweat that had collected in those few seconds.

"If you'll excuse me," Sakura muttered as she slowly stood.

Naruto looked to Sasuke and saw that he was already on his feet and escorting Sakura out of the room. Naruto stared at the door for a moment before looking at Haku, his eyes narrowed. "When did you see them?"

"About three nights ago, but I didn't report it seeing as I wasn't entirely sure I saw the emblem in the first place," Haku responded. "I have thought about it recently though considering they're the only people I know that don't care that they'd be distributing a literal death sentence to their customers. Sure, they've been silent and inactive for years now but they're not called Phoenix because they like the name."

"I guess it would be too much to ask what these people looked like?" Naruto questioned.

"Indeed it would be, but I'm sure the owner would be more than happy to let you look at the security footage from that night," Haku said with a sweet smile.

"That's alright," Naruto said with a sigh as he stood up. He watched as Haku did the same and they both reached out to shake the others hand. "He's there tonight, isn't he?"

"He is," Haku answered. "I'll text Zabuza and let him know you're on your way over."

"Thank you, Haku," Naruto said and watched Haku nod before removing his phone and taking a seat back on the couch.

"Apologize to Lady Sakura for me, will you?" Haku requested as he began to type out his text.

Naruto turned his back and waved. "I'll tell her," he called as he patted Kiba's chest and exited the room with him. He sucked his teeth as he shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way down the steps and towards the party raging on down below.

"Phoenix huh?" Inuzuka Kiba muttered as he followed behind Naruto. "The last time we heard anything from them was almost five years ago."

"And back then my parents thought they had come to an understanding with their leader at the time but I guess that's not the case anymore," Naruto said. As they made it to the bottom of the steps, he bumped his fist against Kiba's. "If you see or hear anything over here then call me."

"I will," Kiba assured Naruto.

Naruto nodded and made his way out of the warehouse that'd been converted into a night club. As he entered the parking lot, he saw Sakura leaning against his car while Sasuke did his best to try and keep her calm. Naruto could already see the tears streaming down her face and how badly she was shaking. He quickly made his way over and watched as Sasuke step aside and let Naruto take his place in front of Sakura.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, look at me," Naruto instructed and watched as Sakura continued to be distracted by her own thoughts, the fear prevalent in her eyes. He knelt so he could look Sakura in the eye, her eyes already red from crying. "I swear to you I'm not going to let anyone in Phoenix get anywhere near you, you hear me?"

Sakura swallowed hard and managed a slight nod. Naruto nodded in return and stood and watched as Sakura immediately hugged him. He wrapped her arms around her and rubbed her back, his chin on the top of her head.

"Sasuke," Naruto looked to him and saw the defeated expression on his face. He wore an apologetic smile. "Can you head to Infinity for me and ask Zabuza for the security footage from three nights ago? Once you get it, bring it back to the house please."

Sasuke looked at Sakura for a moment longer before scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, I can do that. I'll let you know when I'm on my way to the house."

Naruto nodded and watched as Sasuke climbed onto his motorcycle and drove off. He looked at Sakura for a moment before using his thumb to wipe her cheeks. "There, there. Let's get you home to Okaa-chan and Otou-san, okay?"

Sakura nodded as she sniffled and rubbed her eyes. She climbed into the backseat of Naruto's car and laid her head down on the seat while Naruto got in the driver's seat. She stared blankly at the back of the driver's seat and Naruto looked at her through his rearview mirror. He pursed his lips before driving out of the lot and heading back to the house.

Seventh District: Whirlwind Yakuza Estate – Main House

Kushina let out a heavy sigh as she sat beside Minato and continued to watch the news. She ran her fingers through her hair before leaning back against the couch and crossing her legs and folding her arms. "Things are really starting to get out of hand."

"They are," Minato agreed as he stretched and rubbed the back of his neck. "They're moving more weight then I originally thought from the look of things and it seems like they're not sticking to a single area either. Since they're reaching every corner of Konoha, they're definitely more interested in the money than a specific demographic and it can't be that expensive if even high school students are capable of purchasing the stuff."

"It's definitely becoming a party drug fairly quickly," Kushina comment as she continued to watch the latest story develop on the news. "And like you said, they're reaching every corner of Konoha which means they're operating a fairly large cell of distributors. But then again, with the amount of people we have operating within Whirlwind, we'd usually be able to sniff out lowlifes like this in no time which means there's very few of them."

"Lady Sakura? Young Master what's wrong with Lady Sakura?" Minato and Kushina heard Iruka's immediate concern as the front door opened. The two of them immediately hopped off the couch and rushed into the foyer to see Naruto carrying Sakura who clung tightly to him, her tears having stopped but her body still shaking violently.

"Sakura-chan," Kushina quickly rushed over and put a hand on her cheek, a clear look of concern on her face. "Sakura-chan what is it, what happened?"

Minato came over as well and shared a look with Naruto who wore a conflicted expression on his face. He looked at him for a moment before looking at Sakura who was on the verge of crying again. "Iruka-chan, do you mind taking Sakura up to her room please and then calling Kakashi-kun home please?"

"Of course," Iruka obliged and went to take Sakura but only watched as Sakura clung to Naruto tighter and buried her face in his neck. "Lady Sakura."

"I'll take her to her room, Otou-san," Naruto said and saw Minato nod in agreement. "Sasuke'll be here soon. He can tell you what's going on once he gets here."

Kushina nodded silently and watched as Naruto carried Sakura up the stairs and disappeared into the hallway. She rubbed her arm before looking at Minato. "She hasn't been like this since we first brought her home…"

Minato pursed his lips at the memory of when they first brought Sakura into their home almost seven years ago. He clenched his fist at the thought of everything Sakura had been through before then and he couldn't suppress the rage that flared up within him.

an hour later

"Phoenix?" Kushina repeated in disbelief and watched as Naruto sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair while Sasuke nodded. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. "Those bastards!"

"Kushina, calm down," Minato advised and saw the look his wife shot him. "I'm just as upset as you but storming out the front door is going to work seeing as we don't know how many of them are here in Konoha in the first place. We still need to go through the security footage from Infinity and even after that, there very well may be more than just the few Haku saw at the club that night."

"I already went through the footage while I was at the club," Sasuke spoke up. "There were four of them there that night and from the looks of them they weren't distributing in the club that night. I already got screenshots of their faces and sent them over to Shisui-nii and Itachi-nii. They should be getting back to me in a few hours, two tops with their names."

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," Minato said in an appreciative tone. "Seeing as they're members of Phoenix, it's not going to be impossible to find them in any kind of police database. Members of that yakuza aren't necessarily known for their pristine records."

"I just can't believe those assholes have the audacity to push something like this through our city," Kushina spit. "I need a drink," Kushina groaned as she stood to her feet and walked away from the small dining table in the kitchen. She was passing the archway when she saw Kakashi approaching. She immediately stopped in her tracks and looked at him. "How's Sakura-chan?"

"Asleep," Kakashi answered as he entered and put his hand sin his pockets. "I gave her some of her medication and she calmed down a bit before falling asleep."

"Why did it have to be Phoenix?" Naruto questioned quietly.

Kakashi sighed. "Seeing as it is Phoenix, maybe we should pay them a visit? It's not guaranteed but they may something about who's operating Phoenix now and why they've decided to push into Konoha?"

"Do you really expect me to go and sit across those waste of space pieces of shits?" Kushina questioned with a snarl. "After everything they did to their own daughter they're lucky that we left them alive in the first place!"

"Kushina-chan," Minato muttered and watched as his wife retreated to the bar and began to shuffle through bottles anxiously. Minato sighed as he stood and walked over to her, his hand going over hers and feeling how badly she was vibrating with rage. "I'll go on my own so you don't have to see either of them, okay?"

"How can you stand to face them knowing what they did to Sakura-chan?" Kushina questioned, her voice breaking. "How could anyone willingly do that to their own child? They're monsters…"

"I know," Minato cooed as he kissed Kushina's forehead and felt as she hugged him tightly. He hugged her in return and kissed the top of her head a few times. "Kakashi-kun, can you make a few phone calls for us and getting us on the visitation list for tomorrow afternoon at four?"

Kakashi nodded. "I'll let you know when everything is confirmed."

"Thank you," Minato said with a soft smile as Kakashi bowed slightly and left the room. "Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun, thank you for your work today. When Itachi-kun and Shisui-kun get back to you with the names, I want you to get that information out to everyone we have on our roster here in Konoha so they can keep an eye out for them, okay?"

"Of course," Naruto nodded before standing with Sasuke. They both bowed towards Minato and Kushina before exiting the kitchen and leaving the two of them alone.

As the two of them walked, Naruto could see the defeated expression on Sasuke's face. He couldn't help but feel guilty himself seeing as Sasuke had never seen Sakura in that state before.

"Even though you were here that night that Sakura was brought here, you never actually heard about what happened to her before then," Naruto began and the two of them stopped walking. "It's probably for the best if you didn't know considering the content but I don't want you to think that you can't help Sakura. You've done more than enough to help Sakura become who she is in the last seven years and to be honest, I don't think she'd be who she is today if you weren't around."

Sasuke wasn't entirely sure how to respond. He rubbed the back of his neck and avoided eye contact with Naruto. "It's just hard seeing Sakura become so fragile like that..."

"I know," Naruto agreed. "But this is Sakura we're talking about; she'll bounce back in no time at all and be back to normal."

Sasuke nodded in agreement with a small smile on his face. "You're right. She'll be back to normal soon."

To Be Continued…