Hello readers! This chapter contains a lot of scene jumps. Hopefully, it won't be too confusing to follow. I apologize if there are any spelling and grammatical errors I didn't catch.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own this plot.

Target 8: Unexpected

Emotionless dark orbs scanned the dry erase board looking at the schedule of various employees and available examination rooms. He had just returned from the field after an unexpected discovery he had gotten a glips of that ANBU needed to know about. They needed to be the first ones to collect evidence before ROOT got their hands on it and possibly tampered with the results. Luckily most of the coroners working today had a packed schedule, but he needed to make sure none of them were assigned that specific case. When he saw an available autopsy room, he quickly scanned his surrounding to ensure there was no one around to witness him tampering with things. Once it was safe, he wrote down the name of an unquestionable doctor and the case number to ensure it was set. As he walked away, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a particular number.

"It's me Kakashi," he spoke into the receiver when the line was answered. "I've set up an hour window for a team to come to examine what ROOT brought into the morgue."

"Is it what we've been looking for?"

"Can't confirm it is a hundred percent," Sai responded. "But based on the report you sent me, I think we might have some proof about the experiments happening again."

He sat a the end of the rectangular dining table, cleaning and polishing his used weapons. His firearms were disassembled into their separate components to be thoroughly cleaned and examined for damages that could hinder its usage. Set to the side was an open laptop running a search. When the computer pinged, Sasuke shifted his gaze to the screen and watched as results popped up. He ran the cloth in his hand over the blade of his sword one last time before settling it down on the table. He began to thumb through the findings in search of the perfect opening to get his team more concrete evidence. The opportunity had to enable him to pull off the job without drawing unnecessary attention. Onyx orbs spotted a particular scheduled event on the calendar that worked in his favor but needed to be a fairly clean task. A smirk made its way across his lips as he started to assemble his firearms and think of a plan. This was going to be a fun challenge.

Sasuke came up with several possible strategies, but the best tactic required getting Sakura involved. Her only task would be to keep him company before and after the assignment to avoid suspicion. Openly asking her to participate was out of the question even though she didn't have to lift a finger. He could already imagine her rejecting the idea when there was a possibility of him taking the life of another human being. He had declared two days was all he needed to the director and this was it. The only solution was to get Sakura to participate unknowingly by setting everything up perfectly so that she wouldn't suspect anything. He despised keeping things from her, but this time it was necessary.

As he finished putting his silver handgun together, he heard his stomach grumble. It was close to noon and they hadn't eaten anything. There wasn't anything stocked in the kitchen except for some vacuum-sealed coffee and tealeaves. The closest town was more than a half-hour drive and Sasuke knew it wouldn't be fair for him to leave his wife alone as he went to get food and supplies to bring back. The only thing that concerned him was Sakura. She was the main target. Her uncommon hair color was enough to draw unneeded attention and would make her uncomfortable not knowing if she was entirely safe. The easiest solution to being unnoticed would be to have her dye her hair so that she wouldn't be that easily recognized. There was some temporary hair dye stocked that would washout with the removal solution, but it wasn't something he wanted to force her to do. It wouldn't hurt to ask her thoughts about it before deciding anything. Then again, having been with her for so long, he couldn't imagine her with any other color but pink.

Placing the finished gun down, he got up to go check on Sakura. She had expressed wanting to be alone to soak in the tub to unwind and ease her jumbled thoughts. He had agreed, giving her whatever space she needed to collect herself. She was mentally tired, completely weary of all the things she had to absorb and accept. The burden of his secrets had been lifted off his shoulders, but the guilt was still there. He knew she felt like a caged bird and needed to be freed, but there were risks. Taking a glance at the clock, he noted that she had been in there for more than an hour already.

He went to the closet to grab a change of clothes more suitable for the chilly weather outside. Sasuke figured he should also rinse off and redress his wounds. Opening the bathroom door quietly, the relaxing scent of lavender flooded his sense of smell. He entered the heavily steamy bathroom and heard the shower running. Not wanting to disturb Sakura, he closed the door behind him and hung his clothes up. He tossed his pants and shirt off on the floor as he went to the sink counter to remove the bandages covering his various injuries. He would hiss occasionally while removing the dressings on some of the wounds. Luckily the ointment developed by Tsunade had sped up the healing process of his body that the trauma his body had sustained didn't look as bad as it did twelve hours ago. The ointment he had applied had spent up the healing rate of his wounds and doubled as a sort of medial glue to lacerations he had received. The bruisings were reduced to light brown and yellow shade when they were black and purple to begin with. After removing the final article of clothing, he walked toward the open shower to join his wife only to be surprised at the sight of her.

Her usual bubble gum pink hair was now jet black.

She stood under the running water, with her neck tilted back to let the shower rinse her locks. Her eyes were closed to let droplets run down her face. Slender fingers weaved through any tangles, separating the strands to smooth them all out. Her exposed body glistened from moisture layered over her flawless peach skin. Dark orbs stared at the woman completely captivated by her beauty and innocents as the need to touch and feel her body against his grew. She was like the essence of spring in the presence of death; it was ironic they matched the Greek deities perfectly. He treaded slowly toward her, keeping his strides against the tiled floor silent. When he stepped into the open shower she had moved her hands to ghost over the wet surface of her face and neck. As her fingers grazed over her collarbone, he reacted on his hormonal instincts and tugged her body flushed against his. A gasp escaped her lips and she opened her eyes to meet her husband's hungry gaze.

A light blush appeared on her cheeks from their intimate position, clearly knowing where the situation could lead. Lean strong arms were wrapped around her petite waist, preventing her from escaping and allowing him to examine his wife. He could tell she had lost weight and it wasn't just the baby weight she had gain during the pregnancy. Her complexion was slightly paler from all the stress and lack of nutrients. His right hand trailed up her spine, sending chills all over her body. Once his hand reached her wet locks, he took in the sight of her with dark hair. It was strange to see her with a head full of black instead of pink, but she still looked as breathtaking.

"It would be less noticeable," she whispered, answering the pondering questions likely on his mind.

While looking for any bath salts or essential oils she had come across some hair dyes. After looking over the details and instructions closely, she thought it wouldn't hurt to try for a day or two since it was temporary. If it didn't work out, she would have her pink hair back easily with the removal solution.

"Does it look okay?"

Sasuke answered her by sealing her lip with his. She was taken by surprised his by the action but softened into his touch. Her hands slid up his chest and around his neck. She tilted her head, deepening the kiss more as one of her hands clenched a fist full of his slightly drenched hair. When their lungs screamed for the need of air, their lips parted only millimeters away from each other.

"I will take that as a yes," she said smiling.

—xXx—

She stood in front of the mirror staring at her naked reflection as she rubbed the towel against her damp locks to dry them as much as possible before getting dressed. She knew she had soaked in the tub for quite a while, especially since she was waiting for the dye to settle in. On the other hand, she felt like hours flashed by when she was in the shower. Her lips were slightly swollen, but it was expected from all the kissing she had been doing. Her husband had respected her decision of not becoming sexually intimate with her and settled for a heated make-out session.

Finally taking in her appearance as she placed the towel on the sink's counter, her eyes saddened at how she looked. She was fully aware she had lost weight from all the emotional and physical stress, she just never imagined it to be this drastic. Her hands grazed over the smooth surface of her abdomen. The twenty pounds she had gained during the two trimesters of pregnancy were gone. A majority of her body fat had diminished along with the lean muscles she possessed. If she allowed her health to decrease any further, she would have become a walking skeleton in no time.

Emerald orbs looked down at her abdominal region. It was strange and painful to endure the thought of having been pregnant, but with no child in sight. For over six months a life she had created with her husband lived within her. The blood her heart pumped to enable her to live had traveled to the womb, supplying blood to the developing life that had resided there. The new life was a sign of a new beginning for them, a symbol of their love for one another, a bond that could never be broken, but now it was gone.

From a distance, Sasuke had watched her every movement and expression. Wrapping the towel he had around his waist, he silently approached his wife and embraced her naked form from behind. If only he could turn back time, he would, to make everything right just for her.

Naruto pulled at the collar of the blue plaid button-up shirt he wore under a gray sweater vest with his left hand, trying to stretch the material to make it more comfortable. The dark blue trousers felt a little too tight in some area as he walked, following his seniors down the hall. He sore someone was taunting him with the choice of clothing that he despised. Kakashi wore a dark gray button-up shirt with a black tie and black dress pants. Tsunade led the way, walking tall and proud in an olive green blouse and black pantsuit with black heels.

"Why do I have to dress up like this to help collect evidence?" Naruto asked, still tugging on his shirt collar.

"It's just a precaution Naruto," Kakashi said. "If someone does unexpectedly appear, we at least have a cover we can stick to."

"As long as you don't say anything stupid to give us away we'll be fine," barked Tsunade. "Remember we're from the university's science department that conducts research the body farm."

"What the hell is that?"

The older man shook his head in disbelief. "In simple terms Naruto, we study how the dead decay."

"Oh, okay." He paled when fully processed what his mentor said. "Wait, what?"

"Shut it," Tsunade ordered. "We're here."

They entered through the double doors and the overwhelming odor of decay and burnt flesh washed over them like a tidal wave. Naruto's hands immediately flew up to cover his nose and mouth as his brows furrow from the stench that surrounded the dead. On the large metal slab in the middle of the room was a corpse, burnt beyond recognition. Sasori and Shizune stood on opposite sides wearing personal protective equipment as they worked on the decease. The chest cavity was open, with the front of the rib cage cut out to access the internal organs. Hinata stood close by with a tablet, recording notes the two doctors mentioned. Tenten was tagging various swabs and containers of samples and logging them into another tablet. Neji was taking photos as instructed to document the findings for later analysis and digital reconstruction.

"What do we know so far?" Tsunade questioned, approaching the group.

"Victim is male," Hinata answered, reading from the notes. "Estimated age is somewhere around the thirties. Based on what we were able to deduce, six feet eight inches and around two hundred twenty pounds. The cause of death is multiple gunshot wounds to the chest."

"Oddly most of the organs are in better shape than we expected," Shizune said. "It's completely unexpected especially with the number of bullets we've collected."

"Almost four full magazine worth," Tenten added. "Striation marks match Sasuke's handguns."

"Damn, overkill," Naruto commented. "Must have pissed time off teme real bad to be shot that many times."

"I doubt it," Neji interjected. "Sasuke conserves his ammunition and wouldn't unload that many bullets unless it was necessary."

What Neji said was right, the dark-haired man had one of the most accurate shots in the branch, and wasting ammo out on the field wasn't his style. There had to be an unknown factor that pushed the person in question to unload four magazines upon just one person. Tsunade scanned the metal bowls that contained the internal organs that had been pulled out. They were larger than the average person's and didn't sustain the amount of damage that it should have from a large number of bullets.

"Anything unusual?" Tsunade asked.

"Does going through three surgical scalpels just to get him open qualify?" Sasori responded.

The older woman looked at the red-haired man with a brow raised. He used his right elbow to point to the small medial tin by him to show proof. Her chocolate orbs looked at the contents within and saw the broken medical tools, all snapped at the blade. There were also two disk cutters blades used for cutting the ribcage that seemed to have its edges dulled down. She was skeptical since bladed surgical equipment was the sharpest in the industry and wasn't easy to break.

"Though burnt, the muscle tissue is dense," Shizune said. "I've never seen anything like this before."

Kakashi picked up the small evidence bag with the ammunitions still in perfect condition. "I believe it's safe to assume this person had gone through enhancement experimentations."

The sky was completely overcast with thick gray clouds hovering overhead. The low heat radiating from the vents kept the occupants warm within the vehicle. The forty-minute car ride eventually led them into the closest town from where they were. The main road was decorated with winter-themed elements. The snow had been pushed and piled aside to allow automobiles and pedestrians to roam easily. The store buildings were no taller than two stories made of bricks and concrete, most with a large window to allow passerby to window shop. The various retail establishments had signs painted on their windows or on easels to advertise for more customers. Families were out spending time together and shopping for the holidays that were fast approaching. Sakura was curious about where they were since nothing looked familiar. She was aware they weren't in Konoha, but still within the state.

Sasuke drove along the two lanes road, with his left hand on the steering wheel and right arm resting on the middle console. He wore a dark gray turtle neck long sleeve with a long black coat, black scarf, black slacks, and a pair of winter dress shoes. She wore a light gray tunic, a dark gray scarf, a long beige coat, thick black leggings, and light gray boots.

"Is it okay for me to be out?"

He shifted his gaze toward her before focusing them back on the road. "We'll be fine here."

Once Sasuke spotted an available parking spot, he pulled into the space with ease. Sakura snapped out of her daze when she heard the driver's side door close. Realizing they had come to a stop, she unbuckled her seatbelt then turned to open the door, only to find her husband doing it for her. He held his left hand out toward her to escort her out. A small smile appeared on her lips as she accepted his offer. He closed the door behind her and locked the SUV. After he tossed the key into his pocket, Sakura linked her arm to his while he led her to their destination.

As they walked, her emerald orbs looked at the various products shops had displayed in their windows. With Christmas just around the corner, she wanted to get a few small gifts and hoped they would have time to shop a little, even if it was for a short period. When Sasuke came to a stop in front of a small restaurant's entrance, he held the door open to allow his wife to enter first. She thanked him quietly as she entered and was taken back by the beautiful interior. The bottom half of the walls were made of bricks with a warm yellow painted on the top half. The lights were slightly dimmed, giving the place a cozy feel. Placed on every dark cherry table was a single candle ready to be lit when customers were seated. The smell of smoked maple circulated the facility from the burning fireplace on the far side of the room.

"Onii-chan is back!"

She turned her gaze at the counter and saw a pair of teenage twins. They looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't recall when she had been them. Both had dark eyes and a head of black hair that was cut in similar layered styles that would work for both genders. The boy was dressed in a white button-up shirt and black pants while his twin was dressed in a white dress with a black ribbon around the waist.

"And he brought pretty onee-chan with him too!" the girl said.

"Denka, Hina." Sasuke stepped forward, leading his wife in toward the counter. "It's been a while."

"What brings you here onii-chan?" Denka asked.

"I need to talk to your grandmother," he answered, pulling out one of the stools for his wife. "Is she here?"

"Grandma's upstairs," Hina said pointing to the set of stairs by the kitchen door. She turned her innocent gaze toward Sakura. "Onee-chan looks just as pretty when we saw you on your wedding day, but your hair wasn't black."

Sasuke took off his jacket and scarf, placing them on the seat next to his wife. "Cook something up for us," he said to the twins. "I'll be back after I talk to her."

Emerald orbs gazed over at her husband. He nodded slightly, telling her she would be safe with the twins. Once he saw her relax, he ascended the stairs up to the second floor. When he reached the upper level of the building, the overwhelming scent of herbs reached his scenes, giving him a slight headache. He turned to his left and headed toward the sole door at the end of the hall. Before he could even knock, a horse voice inside spoke.

"I know it's you Sasuke," an elder voice said.

Not bothering to wait to be permitted to enter, the dark-haired man opened the door to let himself in. Drapes covered the frosted windows for allowing any source of natural light into the room. At each of the four corners were three lit candles, barely providing enough light. In the center of the dimly lit tatami room sat an older woman smoking a long pipe. He heard low hissings and knew she had her two small felines at her side. After taking off his shoes, Sasuke closed the door behind him and took a seat on the ground in front of the woman.

"Now what brings you here?" the woman asked after taking a drag from her pipe.

He pulled out a roll of large bills from his pocket and placed it on the small table. "My family's debt had been paid off."

She let the puff of smoke out from her mouth before pushing the roll of money back toward Sasuke. "Keep it," she said before inhaling from her pipe again. "The remaining balance no longer exists." Sasuke stared blankly at the old woman, confused by her action. "My sources told me what happened. Consider this as a form of my condolences."

Sasuke didn't say a word and took back the wad of cash. They sat in a minute of silence with neither saying a word. Seeing the older woman didn't have anything else to say, he stood from his position and bowed slightly to show his respect. He turned to leave and was ready to walk out of the room when the old woman spoke.

"My sources also informed me of one other thing Sasuke." He stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. "Keep an eye on your wife."

—xXx—

They walked in silence along the busy block of shops with her arm linked to his. While she was enjoying her meal, she had asked the twins where she was. Sakura had learned they were in a remote city that was a good two hours away from the metropolis. After enjoying a delicious brunch from the twins, they left to purchase needed groceries. Sasuke led her to an open plaza surrounded by many taller buildings, name-brand stores, and high-end restaurants. A few of the restaurants were five-star rating places she had read about in a magazine and had always wanted to try. The couple continued walking until the supermarket came into sight. He accompanied her to the entrance before releasing her arm from his.

"I'll meet you inside," he said.

"Do you need to work?" she questioned with saddened eyes.

Sakura didn't know how else to ask if he was going to carry out an assignment. She had accepted the fact that his job wasn't ordinary, but at the same time, she couldn't imagine him ending another's life. He understood what she was asking and shook his head to answer her. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two large bills then placed it in her hand.

"I won't be long," he assured her. "Stay alert. Call if there's anything."

She was hesitant but nodded in understanding. Shoving the money he had given her into her pocket, Sakura couldn't help feel nervous on her own. Once she had entered the facility, Sasuke turned back in the direction they had come from.

Ten stations with different density ballistic gels were set up at the end of the shooting range. At the table located ten feet back were five fully loaded magazines and an empty handgun. After returning from the mortuary, Tenten was given the task of test firing the same ammunition Sasuke had used to find results similar to what they had documented. With some minor help from Naruto, everything was almost ready. Tenten was setting up the computer she hooked up to a high-speed camera above the first station to ensure it would collect the needed data.

"When can I start shooting something?" Naruto whined.

The weapon specialist pushed one more button on the electronic then nodded at the blond. With excitement flowing through his body, the blond agent took the empty handgun and loaded it with the first set of rounds. He set the noise-reducing earmuff on as well as a pair of clear safety goggles.

"Fire in the hole!" he yelled happily before aiming the gun.

Without any hesitation, he unleashed five rounds into the first ballistic gel and then another five rounds into the second. Numbers were being cracked into the computer as the high-speed camera recorded the velocity and display the results of how far the bullets traveled. Once the magazine was empty, he pulled it out to load the second set but was stopped.

"Move on to the fifth station Naruto," she said.

"Why?" he asked.

The female agent pointed to the computer screen. Curious, Naruto put the weapon down and looked at what was being displayed. He was clueless when he looked at the image and data, unsure of what it all meant. All he saw were bullets logged in the stiffen jelly with a majority of the rounds he had fired at least three-fourths of the way through. Only three were only inches away from exited the other side of the ballistic gel.

"The density at the first station mimics a normal human being minus the skeletal structure," Tenten informed him. "I upped the solution, increasing the density by ten percent at each station."

Naruto didn't understand all the science, but he knew one thing; they weren't dealing with any normal humans.

Sakura pushed the small cart containing some nonperishable goods and grain products toward the fresh produce section. She didn't ask Sasuke how long they were planning to stay at their current accommodation and figured it was best to stock up about five days' worth of food. When she reached the produce section, she went straight toward the tomatoes. It was her husband's favorite and was a simple ingredient that could be used in a lot of cooking. As she was focused on picking the pulpy red fruit, she didn't notice her husband's arrival. Not wanting to startle her, he picked one tomato and held it out toward her. Confused by the hand, she followed to see Sasuke standing by her. She took the tomato he selected to bag and turned her attention to pick some more.

"Where did you go?" she asked

"To made dinner reservations," he answered her.

She turned to look at him and tilted her head in confusion. "For the two of us?"

He nodded. She wasn't supposed to be out in public unless there was a detailed security plan in place around her, but even then it was still safer for her to stay hidden away. With her hair now dyed a dark color, she was less noticeable, but it wasn't guaranteed to work. Sakura didn't doubt Sasuke's ability to protect her; she was more concerned about being a hindrance to him. As skilled as he was, there was no way they were going to have a romantic dinner anytime soon, especially when her safety wasn't assured.

"When is the reservation for?"

"In two nights."

Emerald orbs widened slightly, surprised by his answer. She never expected him to arrange an evening out during these unpredictable times. She was grateful to the bit of freedom her husband was granting her now before they would have to return to headquarters. Without a second thought, Sakura stood on her toes and pecked him quickly on the cheek. A light blush appeared on her cheeks as she smiled at him in gratitude before turning to pick more tomatoes. A small smirk made its way across his lips, he missed seeing that cheerful side of her.

They continued through the store together acquiring more groceries. His dark orbs followed her as she led the way, studying her movements and action. Even though they were married, it left like they were in the dating stage of their relationship again. Her spirit had become carefree as if nothing had changed in their lives. He knew it wouldn't last forever, but he would cherish every moment he had. Deep down, he wondered if she was forcing herself to put on a happy face for him.

As they were headed to the checkout counters, the sudden cry of a small child caught their attention. Sakura looked in the direction the sound was coming from and spotted a little girl, no older than three standing along with her tiny gloved hands placed over her eyes as she cried. She had short dark hair and was dressed mostly in dark colors minus the pink scarf and beige boots. Melting at the sight of the girl, Sakura went to approach the crying girl. With no say in the matter, he followed behind her. Sasuke wanted to stop his wife, but he knew when it came to children, there was no stopping her. Sakura came to a stop before the child and crouched down to her eye level.

"Are you lost sweetheart?"

The child continued to cry as she nodded to answer. The pink-haired woman let a smile grace her lips as she pulled out a pack of tissues from her pocket. Sakura pulled out a sheet and held it up to the girl's face.

"Let's wipe those tears away," Sakura said gently removing the girl's hands away from her face. "We can't let them ruin that cute face of yours."

The child voluntarily moved her hands and revealed her watery black orbs and rosy cheeks. Sakura kept her smile as she dabbed the tissue over the girl's cheeks and under her eyes. She began the calm down a bit but continued to sniff between each breath. As she got a closer look at the adolescent, Sakura noticed her dark eyes and hair resembled photos she saw of her husband and brother-in-law in their youths. As she thought about it more, the little girl had similarities to her nephew as well.

"Are you here with your mommy?"

The little girl shook her head. "Mommy's an angel." Emerald orbs blinked in confusion. What did the child mean by her mother was an angel? "How about your daddy?" The girl shook her head again. "Who did you come with?"

"Mommy Anna," she girl said between sniffs. "I looked for her, but I can't find her."

"It's alright," Sakura reassured. "We'll help you find her."

Sasuke stayed quiet behind his wife and observed her interaction with the child. Her maternal instinct had kicked in and he couldn't help but feel like he had wronged her for the loss of their unborn baby. She was a natural when it came to interacting with children, putting their needs first, and making them feel safe.

Sakura stood up and turned toward her husband. "Do you think we can- oh." Sakura felt the girl tug onto her coat and looked to see her somewhat hiding behind her as she stared up at Sasuke's intimidating stature. She stroked the child's head lovingly to ease her. "It's okay sweetie, he's not going to hurt you." She turned her attention back to Sasuke. "Do you think it's possible to ask if the store has an intercom system they can use to help find her guardian?"

"We can try," Sasuke responded.

A smile graced the woman's lips before she turned to kneel before the child again. "Let go see if we can find your mommy Anna."

Sakura held her hand out for the little girl which she slyly took hold of. Sasuke led the way to the customer service counter by the turn gate entrance with the lost child walking between them. The sight of the three of them together made it seem like they were a family. When an employee who was carrying several glass bottled products to reshelve drop two, the little girl jumped. She instantly grabbed hold of Sasuke's pants leg with her free hand and huddled closer to him as the walked. Bewildered by the child's action, he glanced down at the tiny human then turned to his wife with a slightly raised brow who was trying to hide a giggle at her husband's confusion. He had to shorten his strides to adjust to the presence of the girl holding onto him. When client services were in sight, there was a woman with slightly wavy shoulder-length brunet hair frantically talking to the manager.

"Please you have to help me find her," the woman said. "She's a little girl with black hair and the biggest black eyes. She can't be hard to spot with her pink scarf. She was standing right beside me and then she was gone."

The couple heard the simple description the woman had given, they figured the child with them must be who she was looking for. Sakura leaned down the child who had was huddled against Sasuke's leg.

"Sweetheart," Sakura calmly said, then pointed in the direction of the woman. "Is that mommy Anna right there?"

The little girl shifted her position to be able to peak through the shopping cart. Upon seeing her guardian, her body language changed.

"Mommy Anna!"

The said woman whipped her head around at the sound of her name. Sakura led the girl from behind the cart and she instantly lit up.

"Aya!"

Aya released her hands on the two adults and ran into her guardian. Anna kneeled with open arms as she told hold of the girl. She hugged the child and breath a sign in relief.

"I thought I lost you," Anna said pulling back from the child to get a better look at her face. "Don't ever run off like that again."

"I'm sorry," the girl said.

Anna picked up the girl and looked at the couple that had reunited them. Her blue orbs slightly widened before she quickly regained her composure. She stood up with the girl in her arms and walked over to the couple. Sasuke noticed the minor reaction change and shifted his position to be ready to move if something were to happen. He couldn't quite remember when, but he knew he had seen the woman before.

"Thank you," Anna said when she stood in front of the couple. She bowed a little to show her gratefulness. "I don't know what I would do if I lost Aya."

"I understand." Sakura smiled. "A child is everything to a mother."

Anna smiled in return. "Aya here is my goddaughter," she said. The little girl turned to face the two adults that helped her and smiled. "I promised her mother before her passing I would protect her no matter what."

"She's lucky to have you," Sakura responded.

"Please let me repay you somehow," Anna insisted.

"It's fine," Sasuke said to the brunet. He turned to his wife. "We should go."

Sakura nodded at the man beside her then turned her attention to the family. "You don't owe us anything for reuniting you two," Sakura said. She then turned to the little girl and waved. "You be good for your godmother now sweetheart."

Aya waved her left hand at the couple as they turned to go complete their grocery purchase. Sakura smiled one last time at them before turning to face forward. Sasuke shifted his gaze to look at his wife, presuming the woman beside him was in an emotional turmoil, but she had unexpectedly remained tranquil. He noticed her eyes were slightly distant and her hands were clenched into the sleeves of her jacket. She had adapted to their situation, never mentioning their names, and made things brief. It was something hard for her to do when as a doctor she connected to people to establish trust. He released right his hands from the shopping cart and took hold of Sakura's left. Sasuke gave her a gentle squeeze to reassure her he was there to support her.

"Damn it all, yeah!" Deidara slammed his hand on the metal table. "Explosives are my specialties and I can't figure this one out!"

The blond was sitting in front of various scrap pieces of metals the team was able to collect to attempt to piece together what sort of explosive device was built to destroy the building. After testing traces leftover on the fragment pieces, he was able to figure out that they weren't ordinary pipe bombs. The only thing left to decipher was how the smaller explosives were set off. It all seemed easy to Deidara until he hit a wall.

"The destroy clock parts indicates it was a timer," Shikamaru said.

"I know that smart ass!" the blond said. "Tell me something I don't already know, yah."

"Troublesome."

If only his old man wasn't currently at another branch collecting and sharing some needed intelligence. The tired agent let a yawn escape his mouth; he had been at this since five in the morning and still, they couldn't figure anything out. The only break they had gotten was during the high priority briefing earlier and a short lunch break. Based on the blueprints of the property, he assumed the enemy's strategy was to cover up their tracks by burning all evidence. The architecture was robust that multiple smaller bombs were placed around to ensure complete destruction. The trigger had to be unique and set up perfectly so that only specific actions would set it off. A timer-based trigger and pipe bombs didn't go together; it was a rare combination. He hunted through his mind, trying to recall if there were any reports he had read that yield a similar scenario.

"I wonder," Shikamaru muttered.

Deidara looked at the younger man with a crooked brow. The brunette pulled out a sheet of tracing vellum and layered it over the blueprint. He grabbed the black marker and began to draw on the translucent paper. Curious blue eyes looked at what was being mapped out but were unable to follow. The small notes looked like chicken scratches to the explosive expert.

"From what we were able to collect from the reports, the initial explosion was here," Shikamaru said pointing to a smaller room that was located at the back area of the building. "The pipe bombs were placed in these areas." He marked various locations around the edge with an X. "These detonated almost one at a time after the initial blast with a two-second interval from each other."

He grabbed a folder with photos taken of the scene and handed them to Deidara. The blond looked over the photos of what was left of the location; the collapse of the building structure was similar to construction demolition. Shikamaru then pulled the computer screen mounted on the wall closer to them and began to run a search.

"I remember skimming through a report once that mentioned a similar structure collapse, yeah," Deidara said. "Big bomb controls the little bombs. For something like that, it is usually a remote trigger, yah."

Shikamaru emphasized the particular section by tapped a spot on the blueprint several times. "The enemy planned for Sasuke to be the one to initiated the countdown unknowingly."

"Then how did Sasuke start the countdown?" Deidara questioned the genius standing before him. "Did he shoot something or did a body land on something? Was it a pressure-based trip?" He tossed the photos onto the table. "This is not some sort of engineering someone can learn in school or off the Internet, yah."

The result of the search was completed and displayed on the screen before the two. It was a report written years ago by Kakashi and signed by Shikamaru's father. A majority of the incident matched the current one they were working on. Both pairs of eyes looked over to read the concluding paragraph.

"I think we need to go back, yah. Might also need some digging machinery with us too."

PLEASE REVIEW! It is greatly appreciated. To all of those that have reviewed, favorite, and/or follow, I thank you very much. I hope more will leave a review to allow me to hear what their thoughts are.

I've kept my promise on completing this chapter faster than the last one. I seriously hope I didn't lose anyone with jumping around so much. If I did, please tell me! I couldn't help myself by comparing Sasuke and Sakura to Hades and Persephone; it just fit perfectly. Yes, I had Sakura dye her hair black! Don't worry she will have her bubblegum pink hair back in a later chapter.