Criminal Case ~SasuSaku~

Chapter 26

"Thank you all for leaving your families at this hour for your job. It's well appreciated. You all should know by now, that I would never interrupt your personal lives, if it weren't for something very serious." The blonde-haired chief scanned everyone's facial expressions, showing she means business.

Sitting in her seat, she continued, "I was just informed by Sai, that one of our own was captured by the Akatsuki. We don't know their motives with her yet, but-"

"Her?!" Kiba started, his voice rising, "Who was taken?!"

Closing her eyes in frustration at him, Tsunade said, "If you'd let me finish, Inuzuka. . . Anyway, just to ease the ongoing questions, Haruno was the one abducted."

Wary whispers echoed throughout the large room, until a booming voice interrupted, "What, how!?" Kiba questioned, his facial expression showing confusion and anger.

Sai butt into the conversation, and stated with his eyebrows slightly furrowed, "She was apparently dropped off at the 24/7 grocery store by her friend, and when I went with her to pick up Haruno, she was gone, with a piece of their signature cloak left behind."

Tsunade nodded, "Right. We were planning on doing an investigation tomorrow, because Nara and Haruno found something very important to the Akatsuki case. Shikamaru," she looked at him, "I'll let you do the rest."

He nodded, "Today Haruno and I went to South Avenue, because we both suspected the Akatsuki's hideout was located there. From research, we discovered there were rumors of an underground area, where the head of the Uchiha household is, which is where Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha used to live. Once we got there, her and I did indeed find a door on the ground underneath a tatami mat. We can't be sure that's their hideout, but that's why we were going to do an investigation tomorrow. Plans have changed now."

Everyone in the room looked at each other with questionable glances, and the pineapple-haired detective continued, "Now that Haruno is gone, and all fingers point to the Akatsuki, we are going to go there tonight, coming in with as much force as needed."

"Wait," Naruto started, "How can you be so sure that the underground entrance you found is indeed the Akatsuki."

"Good question, Uzumaki, but I have one to ask you as well. Don't you feel that it's ironic how we just discovered this information just today, and Haruno disappears with traces of the Akatsuki being left behind?"

Thinking for a moment, the sun-kissed blonde said, "I see now."

Smirking, Shikamaru replied, "Good. Even if we're wrong, which I doubt, we still need to do everything we can to get Haruno back. Tonight is when we enter South Avenue silently. A few people need to guard the perimeter, and the rest will go to the location silently. Are we clea-"

"One question," Kakashi started, "What are we going to do about Sasuke Uchiha? Wasn't the plan to bring him in and take down the Akatsuki at the same time?"

Closing his eyes for a moment, Shikamaru opened them with determination in his eyes, "That plan has changed. Haruno is our main priority now. She will be brought back."

~*~*~*~*~*~

The vulnerability she felt was excruciatingly painful. What could she do to get out of this situation when nothing worked? The ropes on her wrists were tightening with each movement she made, and Sakura could feel the circulation being cut off. The dehydration in her system was pushing her to the brink of blacking out, and the hope that somebody would come for her, was slowly diminishing. It's only been a few hours, but she expected Sasuke would worry for her. Even though they had a fall out that morning, all she wanted to do was see him. If Sakura was going to die here, she wanted to tell Sasuke how she felt.