CHAPTER THREE
Okay, I've already lost at my "every couple of days" uploading. But I've had a hectic week. Travelling, volunteering, working, catching up with friends and family and trying to prepare for placement (and trying to find time to go to the gym) I haven't had any time for writing or uploading.
But don't worry, I'm still trodding along. When it gets a bit tough I'll aim for once a week to try not to scare you all too much. I'd also like to thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I appreciate them and read every one (of course!) and they really help keep me sitting at this computer and writing when I have a million things to do. I promise not to let you all down and keep going. I have so many great ideas for this story so I don't want to let it end because I was lazy or too busy to write it down.
Anyway, here's the next installment. We're starting to close in on some action.
Let me know what you all think!
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"Hey boss, you're back early. How was lunch?" Konohamaru smiled at the Hokage as he entered the office hallway.
"Hinata was feeling tired so I took her home to rest." Naruto frowned. "Do you think I should check on her to make sure she's okay? Maybe I should send an ANBU to watch over her to be sure." He mumbled mostly to himself.
Konohamaru rolled his eyes. "And what happened the last time you sent an ANBU to watch over her?"
Naruto cringed, "She freaked out when she thought someone was following her and came here for help."
"Which wouldn't be any good for the baby." Konohomaru finished.
Naruto nodded, heading back into his office. "… But if I send Sakura…"
Konohamaru sighed.
_FURY_
Sakura grumbled to herself as she finally finished a fourteen-hour shift and was ordered to check up on Hinata on the way home. Just because he was the Hokage now didn't mean she was at his beck and call every second of every day. She had a life! Her own home to get back to and husband to feed. She was not a glorified mid-wife. Hell, maybe she would prefer that because at least then she would be getting paid for her trouble. If it was anyone but Hinata Sakura would have refused and knocked the idiot into the next century.
But it was Hinata.
She was always there for Sakura whenever she needed a hand to help or an ear to listen. And she had been doing that a lot lately, so the least Sakura could do was check in on her in lieu of her controlling husband.
Sakura smiled to herself. Hinata had been a rock for her over the last month. Even in her incredibly pregnant state, she kept coming around to check on Sakura after finding her in a precarious mental state four weeks ago. Besides, if anyone knew anything about being pregnant it would be Hinata. Sakura knew all the facts, she studied it, talked hundreds of women through it and even delivered a few babies – but she'd never been pregnant before. She just needed some reassurance that she was going to be a great mother.
And that Sasuke would be back before she started to show.
Hinata was also the only one who currently knew about Sakura's pregnancy. Sasuke had left for another of his long missions a month ago and little did he know that he left more than his long-time girlfriend waiting for his return. He left her pregnant, and now she had to wait for him to return – whenever the hell that would be! – to tell him about it. She certainly didn't want to be showing before he got home. Then the whole of Konoha would be talking about the baby she was having with her disappear-
Sakura froze, her mind blanking as she finally reached the Uzumaki home.
Sure, her chakra was a little out of wack due to the early stages of the pregnancy, but her senses had not yet been hindered. Something was very wrong.
Sakura paused, her hand instantly falling to her flat stomach. Should she go in there? Or should she get help first? Swearing at herself, her fist clenched. She knew that even at eight months pregnant Hinata would jump into a fire for her rescue so she shouldn't be hesitating.
Reaching for the door, Sakura almost pulled it off of the hinges. She was so tense. The gaping hole left in the entryway alerted her to a chair that was on its side, and a hanging picture of Naruto and Hinata on their wedding day unhinged. She didn't waste time on the small stuff.
Refusing to alert any possible enemies of her presence, Sakura skidded throughout the house. More destruction followed. Fruit bowl smashed on the floor, fruit everywhere. Gaping holes in a cupboard door and couch, stuffing everywhere.
The closer she got to the master bedroom, the worse the destruction became. Sakura's heart was beating recklessly in her chest just looking at the damage. Scratches on a doorway, door completely off of its hinge. The bed was thrown apart, sheets and mattress stuffing scattered across the room, engulfing the room in white. Sakura glimpsed past a crumpled bed sheet and found a leg from the bed broken, splintered and leaving the large king lopsided. A lamp ruined on the floor, bulb smashed. One thing was for certain; there was no one left in this house.
Spiking her chakra to alert the nearest ninja Sakura checked the last few rooms; untouched from the destruction. Hinata nowhere to be seen. Spinning on her feet, Sakura ran to the front door, breath pounding in time with her heart, hoping to meet a fellow ninja at the door.
She was in luck.
"CHOJI!"
_FURY_
Choji was heading home from Yakiniku Q when he heard her.
It had been a fairly wonderful day for him, no busy plans, catching up with Kurenai first thing in the morning, then his team for lunch. He made a little bit of time for training between the two events, but to him, eating was more training than working out could provide. He was trying to put on those three extra kilos that would really support him in a new jutsu he was trying to invent. He was almost there, but inventing new jutsu was hard.
He was debating chakra usage and endurance when he heard his name anxiously echoed across the street.
Sakura looked frantic.
"What's going on?" He called out, running toward the pink-haired medic. "Are you okay?" He assessed her for injury, surprised when he found none. Was she having a panic attack?
"Hinata's missing!"
Choji blinked. "Missing how?" Was she simply not home? Did she head out for something to eat… Why was Sakura so-? He paused, eyes catching sight of a chair knocked over in the doorway to the Uzumaki home.
"She-"
Sakura started talking, but Choji was no longer listening. He pushed past the girl and headed straight into the Uzumaki home, taking note of the same things Sakura had seen moments ago. This was so wrong. He paused at a fallen picture of Naruto and Hinata on their wedding day, bright smiles on their faces. He startled.
"Naruto," he mumbled, panicked. "We have to tell Naruto."
Sakura cringed at the thought, but knew it needed to happen immediately. "I'll get him."
Choji nodded, "Bring him here. I'll get Ino, she might be able to find out what happened here." He shunshined out before explaining any more, or Sakura could ask. She rarely saw the big man so serious. But then again, this sort of situation-
Sakura shook her head, pushing the thoughts away. "Naruto," She whispered, and formed the Tiger seal before shunshining to the Hokage's office.
_FURY_
Naruto was silently swearing at the files in front of him. He hated the administration part of his job. Which sucked, because ninety-nine percent of his job was administration. Filing, reading reports, signing stuff.
But he loved his job, so he put up with it. Because the rest of it made paperwork worthwhile.
The talking to people he loved – even if said people were flirting with his wife. Flirting with his wife he loved (even though Konohamaru continued to tell him that wasn't part of his job description). He loved travelling to the academy to see the students and visiting the hospital and the old folks home. He loved meeting people from all over the world and telling them how good Konoha is, and asking them about their homes. Sometimes they had ideas that could make Konoha even better! He loved the few chances he got to go on an actual mission, or travel to far away villages on 'diplomatic' missions with his wife or his friends..
He just hated paperwork. Reading, writing, signing. He hated it. His clones hated it. Konohamaru hated hearing him tell his assistant how much he hated it.
Speaking of, Konohamaru could hear his boss grumbling to himself outside the office, and sighed in agitation. He also had to do a lot of paperwork! It was thanks to him that the Hokage could go on his little adventures, because Konohamaru organised all the bloody things!
Konohamaru riled himself up. If they could sway jobs for a day, his boss would see how cushy his job really was! He was just about ready to throw the door open and give that Hokage a piece of his mind-
When his own door burst open.
And a pale-faced Haruno burst through the entrance.
"What's wrong?' Konohamaru was instantly on his feet, looking for the threat. "Are you okay, Sakura?"
The pink haired woman shook her head repeatedly. "I don't think anyone is going to be okay after I deliver the news."
"What news?"
The voice came from through the door of the Hokage's office.
Naruto swung the door open softly, eyes narrowed upon the woman in front of him. Sakura was clearly upset, breathing heavily, face pale. He couldn't understand the fear she appeared to be showing. "What's going on, Sakura? Did something happen to the Teme?"
Sakura blinked before looking away, "No, Naruto," She took a deep breath for courage, cursing Choji for making her be the one to tell him. She should have gone to Ino and left Choji to deal with the aftermath of Naruto hearing that Hinata was… Hinata was… "Hinata's missing."
Naruto stared at her blankly for several long seconds. The longest seconds of her life. Sakura heard Konohamaru gasp in horror behind her, but the Hokage had yet to respond to her words. Sakura could only tell that he had heard her because for a brief moment, his eyes flashed blood red, narrowing into slits before flashing back into blue so quick she almost missed it. His mind was clearly in overload as he must've been trying to decifer her words.
"What do you mean my wife is missing?" The words came out flat, but his eyes were narrow, nostrils flared, and jaw clenched. His eyes stayed blue, however, as confusion and shock seemed to overcome the fear for the moment.
Konohamaru stayed deathly silent.
"She's been kidnapped." Sakura blurted out, talking faster than her mind could filter, "I went to your house – it was – a mess. There must have been a struggle." Naruto's eyes began flickering from blue to red to back again at an alarming rate, and Sakura took that as an order to talk faster. "I don't know where she is. There wasn't.. there wasn't any blood!" She didn't check close enough to check, but she would have said anything to calm the Uzumaki in front of her at that moment. "Choji!" She blurted. "Choji knows. He's bringing Ino to your house now. He thinks she can help! I-"
Naruto had clearly heard enough. He grabbed Sakura by the arm and Hiraishined to his home.
He still hadn't said a word.
_FURY_
Another one done.
Review.