Back in the Haruno household a pink haired girl could be found sitting quietly on her bed in her room. On the outside it appeared as if she was simply bored, but on the inside there was a tumult of emotions just trying to escape. She was feeling elation at finally getting her Sasuke-kun back. She was somewhat depressed that after finally getting him back here she still can't see him. She's pissed that Ino has been out on a mission for the past week and she hasn't been able to emotionally unload on anyone. Then there's the undefinable feeling of sadness, guilt and fear that was mixing in the pit of her stomach that she has been avoiding thinking of since the mission.
She has been dealing with the other emotions well enough, in fact within the first 2 days of being back in Konoha. Everytime she thought about it she would just breakdown and even Inner Sakura made no comments or even any ideas of what to do. She tried training on her own until she was exhausted but couldn't afford all the landscaping bills that followed after trashing 2 training areas completely. So for the past four days she has been doing double shifts at the hospital until Tsunade found out and ordered her to take the weekend off.
Now, after getting a fitful night of sleep and refusing to acknowledge her conciousness for a good 3 hours after waking she is sitting on her bed hungry, and depressed. She would have spent the remainder of the day on her bed as well if she hadn't forgotten one thing. That one thing being the weekly sparring session she had with Ino every weekend when they weren't on missions.
One hour earlier at team ten's training grounds.
'Oh she better have a good reason for blowing me off like this! Oooohhhh I bet forehead-girl got stuck on another late shift at the hospital and hasn't even woken up yet. Hehe I should tell her that I'm sorry about suggesting a plastic surgeon for her forehead, instead I found a nice construction crew that specializes in big jobs! HAHAHA! Man that's a good one I should remember that one for when I see her.' thought Ino.
Ino thought of more insults to throw at her rival for a solid fifteen minutes until she realized that Sakura still hadn't shown up.
'This is ridiculous. She's usually here before me! What could be keeping her? Well if she's not gonna come here then I'll just have to go find her. Hm I should eat first though, I would have earlier but I thought I was gonna have a nice spar and didn't want a full stomach. Besides I think better on a full stomach, oh what am I thinking! I've turned into Chouji! Well I do think better on a full stomach, or at least that's what Shikamaru said. Or was it he thinks better of me? I should ask him the next time I see him.' Ino pondered.
With her thoughts set on getting some food then some revenge, in that order, Ino left the training grounds.
Present time.
Before Sakura could figure out what it was that she seemed to feel she was forgetting, she heard an insistent knocking on her door. Knowing that her parents wouldn't be home for the rest of the day, she was fully prepared to give the person a piece of her mind for making her get up.
Opening the door on a familiar they both pointed at eachother and screamed simultaneously with righteous fury in their eyes, "YOU..." Sakura and Ino said together.
"...look like shit." finished Ino somewhat lamely.
"Where were you today? I was waiting for you for a good fifteen minutes! Why do you look so worn out?" Questioned Ino.
"Oh crap is today Saturday? I am so sorry Ino, I totally forgot. I've been running double shifts down at the hospital for the past couple of days and then it just completely slipped my mind. Now Tsunade has actually ordered that I take the weekend off! Can you imagine that slave driver actually ordering someone to to slack off? Hehe." Laughed Sakura weakly.
"Cut the crap Sakura. Tsunade wouldn't order you to rest just because you were tired. She'd just keep pushing you so you can learn to take sleep whenever you can like she does, or that's what you told me anyways. The only other time she ordered you to rest was when..." Ino was about to say "when you and Naruto failed to retrieve Sasuke that second time when realization dawned on her.
"Sakura what's happened to Sasuke now?" Ino asked hesitantly.
"Oh Ino it's so complicated..." whined Sakura.
"Hey I've got all day Sakura. Just because we're rivals doesn't we're still not friends... sometimes at least" Joked Ino lightly.
"I just don't know where to start and what I'm allowed to tell you..."
"Well just tell me what you can." Ino said, wondering just what could be so classified that she would hesitate telling her best friend about it.
So Sakura proceeded to outline everything that happened from when Naruto was captured until she met Orochimaru in the forest. She excluded any mention of why Naruto was captured and left the kidnappers nameless, save for Itachi. No mention of Akatsuki was made since it was classified to most Jounin as well.
Once she was done Ino spoke up with the first question that had been lingering in her mind since she started.
"But why did they want Naruto?"
"I can't say Ino, sorry." Replied Sakura.
"Okay then... so where is Sasuke?" asked Ino.
"I don't know exactly where he is, Tsunade just said he was to be confined and that I was not to see him. He's in Konoha at least." Once she said that she cast her eyes downward slightly. "Naruto and I finally brought him back." She smiled faintly at this.
Ino then asked the question she knew was bothering Sakura the most. "What do you think happened to Naruto then?"
"I don't know. When I got back with Tsunade and Jiraiya he was gone. What really stumped us what that there was barely a sign of a struggle, well for NAruto anyways. Usually there are huge craters or leveled trees. All we saw was some blood, a fair bit of broken trees and 17 thrown kunai. We figured out which direction he ran off from, there was a small blood trail, until it stopped in a clearing. There he must have stood for at least a couple minutes since a slightly larger pool of blood was found. That's all that we managed to find because the trail seemed to stop there. Kakashi was too tired to summon Pakkun and we couldn't find a trace. That's all I know since Tsunade-sensei hasn't told me anything else." Sakura answered.
"Don't worry about it Sakura, knowing him he'll pop up anyday now. Not even Tsunade can keep him away from Ichirakus for long. The only reason, or so Chouji told me, that he managed to stay away from Konoha for 2 and a half years before was because he had Ichiraku ship him some of his dried ramen once a month to hold him over." Ino said
"He he I know. Kiba stole his package one month and he actually sent that big frog to investigate! That thing was the size of a small house! Man did it ever scare the crap out of Kiba! He can't even look at a toad without sweating a little anymore." Sakura laughed.
"Yeah Gamakichi was so funny. I can't believe Naruto could already summon something so big!" Ino replied.
"Thanks Ino-pig, for listening and everything. It just feels like I traded Naruto for Sasuke. Oh what am I saying! Of course Naruto is all right he's Naruto!" Sakura yelled.
"No problem Forehead girl. I'm sorry about giving you the phone number of that plastic surgeon before about the forehead reduction." Ino replied.
"Really? Why thank you Ino." Sakura accepted the apology gratefully.
"Oh yeah, I should've known he couldn't do anything for you, so I found a nice construction company that specializes in BIG jobs!" Ino proclaimed. 'Yes, she walked right into that one!" thought Ino triumphantly.
"I'd have to assume you know them after they built you a new barn there Ino-pig! By the way you seem to be gaining a few pounds, you should really train more if you want to stay fit." Sakura retorted vehemehently.
"I'll show you who has been training, I'll kick your butt so bad it'll be as swollen as your forehead, although it is awfully close already." Ino replied quickly.
"Bring it Ino-pig."
"You're on Forehead girl."
And with that they left for the training agains to resume their weekly rituals.
Author's note: Okay that will be my last short chapter. Hope you're enjoying my Fanfic. Man this was the hardest chapter for me to write. First off Ino is really 2 dimensional in the manga, and I just have a hard time thinking like a girl so please girls offer a poor boy some insight to what I may have missed! As always I appreciate reviews, especially constructive criticism. If you're gonna flame (which sadly I have received none, what am I chopped liver to you flamers or what?) please make it funny. If you want to know why they spoke so little of Sasuke it'll be explained later on (probably) but I will explain anyways now since it's not tooo important to my storyline or development. WARNING MINOR SPOILER:
Sakura and Ino just never broached how they've felt about Sasukes leaving and thus they'll be having a slight heart to heart later on about the subject when they find themselves pursuing the boy again. You'll be pleasantly surprised at their seperate reasonings. HAHAHA I am such a bastard! Leaving a teaser in the spoiler I am so mean! See you in a few days with a much longer chapter! No days set to post it. Not because I can't get it out, I'm just too laz y to )