The Disappearance of Haruno Sakura

By Chemicalisation

The Sixth Chapter

"You are late today, dear," said Noriko, a picture of elegance with her brown hair carefully coiffed back and her dress simple, expensive, and surprisingly fear of wrinkles despite the long day. She smiled as she and Ino sat down for dinner. "Did the clinic keep you?"

"Um no," murmured Ino. She straightened her posture. Her mother, belonging to a genteel background, abhorred the popular practice among young ladies to sit like like hooligans. "I visited papa's grave."

Noriko's gentle smile faltered. "Yes. It was good of you to do so."

"I'm sorry," Ino looked at her mother whose lines on her face showed the burden of the struggles from the last two yeas which she thought she would never have to carry. "I shouldn't have mentioned him."

Noriko looked into her bowl of rice. "I feel terribly lonely without him," she confessed. "He was always right beside me. He held my hand when I ran away from home to marry him and I held his when he returned from his every mission." Her eyes filled with tears. "He always came back and in the end, I suppose I never considered that one day he might not."

Ino slipped her hand into her mother's. Noriko was always composed in manner and decorum that Ino never was. She would arrange flowers in her little shop while father would take Ino to kunai throwing practice. She knew that her mother often wished that Ino had taken more after her. But in the Yamanaka clan, mastery over the shinobi arts was much more highly prioritized than any interest in the art of being a proper lady.

Noriko dabbed her eyes with a napkin. "Oh look at me. Such an old lady," She let out a watery chuckle and turned towards Ino. "This must be difficult time for you, and here I am making this all about myself."

Ino gave a tiny smile. "Its all right, mother."

"Have there been any developments?" pursued Noriko.

Ino pulled her hand away her from her mother's. "No, nothing," she said, struggling to hide her irritation. Every time anyone asked her this question, it hit her exactly how little she knew. Kakashi and Shizune remained tight lipped and she did not know as to whether it was due to the lack of information on Sakura's whereabouts or the nature of it.

Noriko blinked and chose not to discuss the change in her daughter's attitude. "I met Sakura, just the day before she left for her mission. She had come to the shop to buy some flowers. She looked quite put out, I dare say, for being sent on a mission so soon after returning from two month mission somewhere in the Land of Snow."

Ino tapped her chopsticks against the bowl. "Especially since Sakura was sent on these missions alone. Its lonely and she probably felt it. I barely saw her in the last ten months."

Noriko raised her eyebrows. "My, how dangerous to send her alone and on one mission after another," She paused. "It just goes to show the level of respect the Hokage sama must have had for her abilities."

"Yes." In a bid to change the topic, Ino asked, "Have you decided as to how you will vote on the treaty with Kumogakure?"

Noriko paused. "I know you don't agree with this-"

Ino leaned forward and put her elbows on the table, ignoring her mother's pointed stare. "How can you do this? This treaty will increase the imports into Konoha manifold and will adversely impact the civilian sector. Not to mention the Yamanaka flower shop. We have every reason to fight this!"

Noriko placed her hands on her lap. "May I speak?" She waited for Ino to slump back into her chair before continuing. "I would like to remind you that Yamanaka clan is a shinobi clan. We have first and foremost a duty to Konoha. To protect the village and to preserve its peace. We cannot be as difficult so as to prioritize our financial interests at a time when so many around us are still suffering from the aftereffects of the war."

"Its not just about financial interests, its about having a say!"

"Ino." Noriko's voice rang out loud and clear before turning gentle. "It is what your father would have wanted."

Ino looked away.

"Sasuke," said Kakashi. He examined his former student with a critical eye from his chair, ignoring Naruto who stood who stood a little behind Sasuke. Sasuke loomed over Kakashi at his desk, creating a shadow on an otherwise lovely morning. He was taller than what Kakashi remembered. His dark hair brushed against his shoulders and entirely covered his left eye. His dark cloak was long and fell to his ankles, possibly to hide the fact that his left arm was no longer there. Kakashi wondered whether Sasuke had been able to deactivate the rinnegan in left eye or whether, as it had been with Kakashi with sharingan, Sasuke purposely covered his left eye to stop expending the energy that the rinnegan usually required. Looking at his worn stature, Kakashi felt a flash of concern. Had Sasuke been taking care of himself?

"Do you know why I sent Pakku after you?" asked Kakashi, knowing better than to voice his concerns regarding Sasuke's health.

"I received summons from both you and Naruto, that there was an emergency," said Sasuke, his voice low. "The letters didn't expound the nature of it."

Kakashi flicked his gaze towards Naruto before resting it back upon Sasuke. "Sakura is missing."

Sasuke's expression remained passive but Kakashi wasn't exactly born yesterday. Sasuke's body had tensed, barely discernible under his cloak . No matter how much he much he had denied it in the past, Team 7 meant something.

"When?" asked Sasuke, his voice clear and low.

"Oi! Is Sakura with you?" asked Naruto, jumping in front of Sasuke. "Both of you should have at least sent us a message before going off."

Kakashi held back a sigh. "She went missing six weeks ago," he said, drumming his fingers against the table. "She was due to return from a mission in Ishigakure but she never showed up in Konoha. While investigating, we contacted Suna to see if they might have some information regarding the area or if any of their nin had spotted Sakura while passing by. They told us some of their shinobi had seen you nearby Ishigakure around the time Sakura was there." Kakashi leaned back into his chair and looked at Sasuke. "We were hoping you would know something."

"I don't," said Sasuke. His demeanor was stiff. Kakashi checked himself from saying any comforting words. Anyone else would accept them, but Sasuke was more of a type to walk straight out of the room, convention be damned.

Naruto looked at Sasuke with surprise. "You didn't meet with Sakura chan? I thought that's why you were there!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto from the corner of his eyes before moving his gaze back to Kakashi. "I met with her. But I didn't know she had disappeared. I left before her mission was completed."

Kakashi interlocked his fingers. "Did she say anything or suggest anything as to whether she felt herself in danger? Or whether she was planning a detour?"

"No," Sasuke bit out. "We didn't talk about it."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "What did you talk about?"

Sasuke cocked his head. "Mind your own business, Kakashi."

"Oi, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. "Kakashi sensei is only trying to-"

"Its alright, Naruto," Kakashi waved Naruto's concerns aside. "If you remember something then let me know."

Sasuke nodded and before anyone could edge in another word, he turned and walked out of the room.

"Oi, Sasuke!" Naruto ran after Sasuke. "Oi, baka!"

Sasuke stopped outside in the busy corridor of the Hokage tower and allowed Naruto to catch up to him.

"Sasuke," said Naruto as he straightened himself. "We will save Sakura chan. But until we can, we have to trust Kakashi sensei to find out where she is." He looked away from Sasuke's passive gaze. "I know its hard. Every time I think what some bastard might be doing to Saku-"

"Naruto," Sasuke's voice was firm, "Sakura is strong. Don't doubt her so easily."

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered. He looked at him and almost as if he recognized the palpable fear that he only felt in himself, he moved towards Sasuke, gripping his right arm under the cloak. "She will come back," Naruto whispered, his head falling between his shoulders. "Sakura chan won't leave us so easily."

"She said she won't marry me," Sasuke stated. Naruto's head snapped up. Sasuke cleared his throat. "That's what we talked about. When I met her at Ishigakure."

Naruto remained silent, his head reeling. Sakura had loved Sasuke as long as he had remembered. How could she break off the engagement when they had been through so much? "Its just jitters," he said finally. "When she comes back, she'll tell you how wrong she was. Don't doubt it!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto, marveling at the optimism which came so easily to him. But before he could say another word and disabuse Naruto of his delusions, Yamanaka Ino was upon them.

"Naruto. Sasuke," she breathed as she caught up to them. "Hokage sama told me you two might be around here somewhere."

Naruto released his grip on Sasuke's arm. "Has something happened?"

"Kiba kun just came back from his mission. He says…" Ino shook her head as if in disbelief. "He says he saw Sakura. In the Land of Sound."

A/N Ino's mother, as far as my knowledge on the matter extends, has not been given a name in the manga/anime. So I just decided to call her Noriko after the name of the voice actress who voiced her in the anime. So what do you guys think? I would love to know in which direction you think the story is going in.

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