Chapter 3:

The sky pale blue sky slowly faded into a deep lavender, making the snow on the rocky terrain appear violet. A darkly clad figure quietly made his way around, looking for a cave suitable enough to make camp in. After finding a shallow cave high up in a mountain, Uchiha Sasuke quickly prepared a fire and made himself as comfortable as he could. He was 65 kilometers Northeast of Iwagakure. For the last week, he had remained in the same 15 kilometer radius, scouring over the terrain in search of the two missing shinobi. While it was important that they were found, it wasn't just the ninja who were missing: it was an important scroll that was meant to be shared by the five Kages.

Namiashi Raido and Yamashiro Aoba had been tasked with traveling between each Kage, ensuring that each one had the opportunity to examine it. Ironically, the scroll contained information of abnormalities that Sasuke had found during his redemption journey. He had spent months working with Kakashi and Shikamaru to compile all the information found. While they had only gotten through a small portion of what Sasuke discovered, they still felt the need to inform the other Shinobi leaders of his discoveries. If the information came to be something more than what the Konoha ninja suspected, a Kage summit would be called to discuss the matter. Due to the delicacy of the information contained in the document, two capable jounin were chosen to deliver it from Kage to Kage, and the scroll was protected with a seal that was only known to these village leaders. Raido and Aoba made it to the Raikage and Mizukage successfully, but suddenly disappeared after that. Almost two months after their visit to the Raikage, there was no word from either of them, and the Hokage deployed the first team of shinobi to find them. After three teams returned empty-handed with no new information, Hatake Kakashi had no choice but to call on a man who could search from the shadows: Uchiha Sasuke.

After three months of searching, Sasuke had heavily narrowed down the possible locations of the two ninja. They had definitely traveled to the Northeast of Iwagakure, and it seems they had been kidnapped. He was traveling as fast as he could, utilizing his powers to the best of his ability. He wanted to find the ninja, rescue them, and send them on their merry way. He wanted to be back home again. It was December, and the New Year was only a few weeks away. It was supposed to be his first New Year celebration as a Husband, and although he would never make a big deal out of it to her face, Sasuke missed his wife dearly. The nature of his mission had meant he could not send her any letters or reassurances of his well-being. While they had been apart before, this was their first time apart for more than a week-long mission since their marriage. It had led to many lonely, cold nights where he craved the comfort of Sakura's warm body and comforting presence.

Sasuke sighed, poking the fire before pouring some boiling water into an instant ramen cup. He was incredibly sick of eating ramen and couldn't understand how his best friend and brother, Naruto, could eat it every day. Sasuke missed the fresh tomatoes his wife always bought for him and the warm dinners that she always seemed to have time to make, no matter how tired she was from a busy day at the hospital. He missed the pleasant look on her face when she'd come out from their room, ready for the day, to see that he had made her breakfast. He missed taking quiet, companionable walks with Sakura around Konoha, and he missed the loud, passionate nights they shared together in their bed with the moonlight streaming, making Sakura look like a goddess.

Were it not for his need to protect Konoha and the future generations to come, he would have turned down the mission. The scroll was essential, however, to securing a better future for those who were already living and those who had yet to come. That didn't, however, make the ache in his chest any lighter. He finally had a home and family again. The past 10 months with Sakura had spoiled him. He would wake up to a warm home, with a beautiful wife, and could live a life he had never thought he deserved. He hoped that eventually, little feet would grace the floor of the Uchiha household. The thought of being a father both terrified and pleased him. How we do as a father? Would the child love him? Respect him? Sakura had assured Sasuke that he would make a wonderful father, and that their child would love him. She had also joked that if the child looked like its father, the biggest problem they would have was attention from the opposite sex. Sasuke secretly hoped the child would have the same cherry blossom pink hair, especially if it was a girl.

He could not, however, dwell too much on his children that hadn't even been conceived. Instead, he needed to focus and think. While he knew the general location of the missing shinobi, he only knew the name of one master criminal in the area: Goda. Sasuke knew that this man had something to do with the disappearance, but his specific motives were beyond Sasuke. It was why Sasuke had to find the men quickly. No doubt the scroll was the object this Goda was interested in, but there was no way he had been able to find the seal. In fact, Raido and Aoba were probably being tortured at that moment in order to try and pull information from them. They would not break, however. So it was up to Sasuke to find them before they were seriously harmed. He carefully studied the small map he had of the region after finishing his ramen, and determined that there were a few more mountains in the area that he had not surveyed.

As Sasuke prepared to sleep that night, he was quickly pulled awake by several strange chakras he felt stealthily making their way up the mountain towards his cave.

Unsheathing kusanagi, Sasuke activated his sharingan, preparing for battle.

"Finally," he breathed. He was getting somewhere.

Sakura tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, carefully going over her map of the Land of Earth. They had traveled all over the Western side of the country, with no sign or trace of Sasuke.

"Maybe we should just head to Iwagakure." She pondered aloud. "Then I can meet with Kurotsuchi. I haven't seen her since she became Tsuchikage. I also need to get some better fitting clothes. These are starting to become a little too tight. And we can stay in an inn, though I can't visit a hot spring. But I can get all the tomatoes and dumplings I want!" Sakura sighed dreamily at the thought of being able to relax. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, her pregnancy was taking a toll on her traveling abilities. "What do you think, Karin?"

"Well, I suppose it would be a good idea to evaluate what we know." Karin thought, adjusting her glasses. "We may learn more about Sasuke's whereabouts in a central location. News travels faster in bigger cities. It's only about a two days' slow walk from here, but if you're feeling up to it, we could make it there by lunch tomorrow."

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded in agreement, and the two women departed their camp with resolve. It wouldn't be long until they could sleep and eat somewhere warm. It was freezing outside, and Sakura was especially suffering from it. While she was relatively warm enough, the amount of layers she was wearing made were tight on her stomach. She longed for something loose and comfortable to wear. She was now five months along in her pregnancy, and the only thing she knew for certain was that Sasuke had not been in the western side of the Land of Earth. With that in mind, she needed a central location to get her thoughts together. She had thought numerous times of summoning Katsuyu and having her deliver a message to Sasuke, but she knew that it would be difficult for even her slug friend to find her husband.

"Where are you, anata?" Sakura thought as she hopped to another branch. Due to her immense chakra control, Sakura was lighter on her feet than the average pregnant woman. She was able to use chakra to cushion her feet and increase her agility so that the baby wouldn't be harmed during her travelling. Sakura wanted this child to be as strong and beautiful as his or her father. She instantly pictured a small boy in her arms. He looked like a miniature Sasuke, with jet black hair and onyx eyes. He would smile and coo, producing a smile on even her husband's stoic face. "I hope he or she looks just like you, Sasuke-kun."

Karin was a few steps ahead of Sakura, keeping a secure eye out for any danger. Sakura had learned a great deal about her companion during the past few months. She learned that her favorite food was okonomiyaki, and that she loved perfumes. She knew almost as much as Ino did about flowers, but rather than knowing the meanings, Karin knew what scents mixed together well to create different aromas. Sakura learned that Karin had a lonely childhood, and that she felt like her life had purpose since coming to Orochimaru, where she had recently begun researching how to create perfumes that could be used as weapons. She also knew that there was only one person who could truly irritate her beyond all sense: Suigetsu. One thing Sakura had not approached with her yet, however, was her feelings for Sasuke. Sakura remembered that during their first meeting, when Sasuke had ordered Sakura to take Karin's life, she could tell that Karin held strong feelings towards Sasuke. The current nature of her feelings towards Sasuke, however, was a mystery. Did she still harbor a longing towards him? Or had those feelings gone away? Sakura had long suspected that there was more to Karin's emotions than she let on, but the delicacy of the topic dictated that it should only be approached at an opportune moment. For now, Sakura was happy that Karin seemed as delighted with their friendship as she was.

The two shinobi had been travelling for several hours, and it was well past lunch time when Karin stopped dead in her tracks.

"Sakura, stop!" She hissed. "I just detected three filthy chakras. They seem full of malice."

"Should we turn back? Or do you think it would be safest to just hide in the trees?" Sakura asked, considering which alternative would be most suitable.

"If we stay up here, they shouldn't notice us. They're walking without any hurry. They're probably just common bandits. They should pass below us in about 2 minutes."

Karin was dead on. The group of strangers walked directly beneath their location in two minutes' time, making no effort to conceal their whereabouts.

"Do you think the boys up North have had a chance to ambush the freak yet?" One man with a rather ugly scar on his forehead asked.

"Depends. If the idiot just waltzed into Goda's territory, then I'm sure he's already been taken care of." Another rather pretty man with long blonde haired said.

"I don't know, Juba. He's scary. Probably got some powers beyond what we know. I wouldn't put it past him to put up a good fight." A third man with an eye patch said.

"Lighten up, will ya Ishii? He doesn't stand a chance with the boss." Juba said. "What's he doing poking around anyways, Kiki? I know he's been looking all over Land of Earth, but I never found out why."

"We kidnapped some shinobi from his village." Kiki began. At this, Sakura froze with fear in her heart. "Seems they had something the boss wants. I don't know, didn't ask too much. All I know is that every other ninja who has gone in search of them has come out empty handed, except this guy. Made the boss real angry." Kiki said. "Now, Goda wants to lure him in to our hideout so he can take care of him. I don't think it'll be too easy to, though."

Sakura wasn't just fearful anymore; she was beginning to get angry.

"This guy's found out more information than he should have. So the boss will probably resort to extreme methods to beat it out of him." Kiki continued.

"This is all assuming the boss is able to capture him, of course" Ishii interjected. "Uchiha Sasuke has a reputation for being more powerful than any other of his clan was."

"Damned Uchiha," Juba hissed. "He should have just died with the rest of his clan, or better yet, in the war."

"Would've served him, and us, better." Kiki agreed.

At that, Uchiha Sakura's very, very short temper blew. You could insult her all you wanted, but NO one could say a word about her beloved husband. And with that, she quickly jumped out of the tree in front of the group of thugs.

While the men appeared startled at first, they immediately began to snicker.

"You lost, sweetheart?" Juba inquired, eye brow raised. "I'll bet we could show you the way."

Karin jumped down behind Sakura as she began to slowly make her way towards Juba, an expression of sweet serenity on her face. Juba, who was a good head taller than her, smirked and wiggled his eyebrows at his comrades. Sakura stopped right in front of him, a beautiful smile gracing her pretty face.

"Hello. I'm Sakura. Uchiha Sakura." She announced, with heavy emphasis on the Uchiha. After seeing his smirk turn to shock, Sakura very slowly lifted her hand before channeling her monster strength, and proceeded to flick Juba in the middle of the forehead, sending the blonde flying into a tree. The tree shook and came down with a crash. Juba lay in the debris, unconscious, probably sporting several broken bones. Sakura turned to the other two men, who were cowering in fear. Karin silently watched, totally surprised at Sakura's immense strength and frightening face.

Sakura made her way to the other two men. "Now, I don't know who you men are, but let me tell you one thing." Her deadly voice could have stopped any man in his tracks. It reminded Karin of a siren. Enticing, but in a dangerous and poisonous way.

"My darling husband, Uchiha Sasuke, is more dangerous than any of you idiots could comprehend." She stopped right in front of them, fists clenched. Ishii pulled out a kunai, with the intention of fighting back against her.

"And if you ever say anything about him again, I will bring him to you personally so you can have the opportunity to see so for yourself." With that, Sakura kicked her heel against the Earth, sending a shockwave through that caused Ishii to go flying backwards into a nearby boulder. She then turned to Kiki. "And just so you know, if it weren't for my dear husband, you wouldn't even be alive right now. He saved your scummy life, along with everyone else's during the war. Don't ever doubt him or question his worth, because if you do, I'll make sure you never see the light of day again." With that, Sakura punched him in the gut, sending him directly to a pile of snow.

"You could've left at least one conscious, you know." Karin said, hiding her admiration for Sakura's strength. "Then we could have interrogated them."

"Interrogation isn't my specialty," Sakura retorted. "My friend Ino, or even Sasuke would be better at it. I know you specialize in Chakra sensory and detection. It would be better if we took them to Iwa and had the Tsuchikage's special forces interrogate them. They'll be easier to transport if they're unconscious. In fact, I could probably have Katsuyu transport them there ahead of us. My only concern is them waking up before we get there and have the chance to fully explain what happened."

"I have something for that," Karin responded, pulling a small blue perfume bottle from her pack. "This perfume is laced with a sleeping drug. The effects will wear off in twenty-four hours, but not a minute before. If they've been drinking alcohol, then it will last for an extra three hours. And by the smell of this one," she kicked Kiki, "they definitely have been."

Sakura nodded, going to pull Juba from the debris. "It sounds like these men work for some sort of crime lord. I'm sure that Iwa will be thankful to have more information on them."

She grabbed the criminal by the collar, pulling him to Kiki, where Karin was spraying him with perfume. She then grabbed Ishii, and went to summon Katsuyu. The giant slug appeared, happily greeting Sakura.

"Sakura-chan!" She gushed. "You look beautiful and glowing! How can I help you?"

"Katsuyu-sama, I need you to split yourself into three and take these men to the Tsuchikage's office. Tell him that these three criminals are working for a crime lord, and that we've captured them. We will be there by this time tomorrow. I'll explain more in depth when I get there, but they won't be able to wake up until about 6 or 7 o'clock tomorrow."

"Yes, Sakura-chan. I'll see that it gets done!" Katsuyu said as she split herself into three.

"Thank you, Katsuyu-sama." Sakura bowed as Katsuyu wrapped herself around the three men and slowly sunk into the earth.

Karin and Sakura were left alone once again.

"Let's get going. I'm ready to be in Iwa." Sakura stated with newfound resolve in her voice.

Karin nodded, and the two women leapt back up into the trees and began traveling again.

After about five minutes had passed, Sakura heard Karin ask in an uncharacteristically timid voice "Sakura? Do you really think Sasuke is in danger?"

Sakura paused for a moment, considering her words. She thought about Sasuke, and his strength in the face of darkess. "No," she replied. "He is not in danger."

"But…how can you be so sure?" Karin pushed further, worry creasing her brow.

"Sasuke-kun is strong. Far beyond what most can comprehend. He can handle these thugs; I have no doubt." Sakura paused for a moment before continuing. "Besides…I would feel it if something happened to him. Our hearts, and our feelings, are connected."

Karin did not give a verbal reply, but instead simply nodded. The two women fell into a silence, and Karin began to think.

The more she had gotten to know Sakura, the more she saw why Sasuke loved her, and she knew that it wasn't just because she had a pretty face. Her heart was as pure as her chakra. She was kind, loyal, and incredibly optimistic. Coupled with a strong temper and an unreasonable sense of justice, the woman was a force to be reckoned with. Now, Karin knew that in addition to her endearing personality, she was an incredible kunoichi, with immense strength, keen intellect, and medical ninjutsu that rivaled her sensei's. She didn't just fit with Sasuke, she complimented him. Where he faltered, she could help him learn and grow, and vice versa. They had a bond that was connected in a way that Karin just did not understand, and probably never would. It was private.

It seemed that Karin was growing fond of Sakura herself, and began to value the very different bond of female friendship she had never had. Despite this, she still harbored feelings toward Sasuke. She couldn't help that she loved the man. While Karin enjoyed traveling with Sakura, she was worried about what her heart would do once they finally found Sasuke. Would jealousy get the better of her? Or would she be able to let him go?

"It doesn't matter," Karin thought to herself, slightly shaking her head. "He's not yours to even let go of."

Karin turned to look at her traveling companion. Sakura's chakra had dimmed immediately after departing again, but it had recently regained its glow. Sakura's lovely face was set with determination.

"She's not giving up on Sasuke-kun," Karin thought. "Instead, she's pushing forward to make sure that she does her part of making Sasuke's mission easier. She's doing what she can for him, without even a second thought."

Sakura truly was a strong woman. She would always put others first, especially her loved ones and friends.

"I will do the same," Karin decided, with a similar determination as Sakura. "I will ensure Sakura's safety, and get her to Sasuke. And this isn't just for Sasuke anymore. This is for Sakura. This is to nurture the new bond we've made."

Karin turned to Sakura and gave her a genuine smile. Sakura, though shock passing through her eyes at first, quickly became delighted, and flashed a similar smile. A silent understanding came between the women. There bond was strengthening and blossoming into a great friendship.

The two women continued to travel for a few more hours until they were only about 3 hours away from Iwa. They made a small camp that night the same way they did every night. They made the same tea, ate the same ramen cups, and slept in the same bedrolls. The kunoichi, however, were different. They were both changed, with newfound resolve and a determination to find Uchiha Sasuke that made this night different. They were comforted, knowing that no matter what came to them, they both would have a friend by their side.