Who Am I?

Chapter 19: Fear

Hearing that fact, Ino nearly whirled on him but found she was too in shock to be angry with him. "I can't... Are you implying that she, or Detective Uchiha--" She couldn't believe this. How could he not trust them?

"It is not that I do not trust them, Ino. It is that they, too, may be under surveillance. The threads of this Akatsuki... I believe they run far deeper inside the world around us than we have been expecting. I would not be surprised if they have surveillance directly inside the precinct, especially since Detective Uchiha's older brother seems to be connected, at least according to him. Think about it. A suspected Akatsuki member nearly killed Dr. Haruno. Detective Uchiha has investigated at least three cases--including Dr. Haruno's--that have involved suspected Akatsuki members. One of those suspected members is potentially his brother, albeit under an alias. It would not surprise me if they were also under surveillance by its members." Even he was afraid. This case was getting bigger and bigger the more they looked at every new factor. It was dizzying to try and keep up with.

"Wait, do you think... could they be--" Ino was suddenly worried for her friend's safety, feeling panicked and frantic. She was brought back to reality by Sai's hands firmly placed on her shoulders, drawing her attention back to him. How he was calm among all this chaos, she would never understand. Not in a million years. At the moment, she welcomed it because it was one of the only things keeping her from losing her cool any more than she already was.

"I believe that they are safe. I... I am monitoring their movements to ensure that there is a quick response time. I began doing so after learning that Dr. Haruno was a target for a former Akatsuki member. Detective Uchiha is with her, and while I may not know him well... I suspect that he would do everything in his power to ensure her safety." The mention of Sasuke being with Sakura seemed to draw Ino's attention briefly, making her think. They were... together? Meaning... Uchiha had grown the balls to actually go and talk to her?

"Hold on. You said he's with her. You mean like, with her right now, as in, physically?" She had to know if that was the case. It meant a whole lot if Sasuke had worked up the courage to talk to Sakura. He'd been incredibly nervous and worried, and she could have sworn she'd never seen him looking so guilty.

"Yes, right now," he said with a confused frown. Talk about a quick distraction. That was the main point Ino had taken from his statement?

"Well, I guess that means he grew a pair," she said offhandedly, closing her eyes and taking a calming breath. "So... what do we do now? Do we investigate this?" Who else could they even trust to handle this investigation?

"I have called Detective Uzumaki on a secure line and asked him to open an investigation. I have also contacted Chief Hatake and asked him to keep the matter as quiet as possible. The investigation will not go on record with the precinct for the time being; they will be secure files that only the three of us will have access to. When I deem it appropriate, I will add Detective Uchiha into the investigation. For now, we need to focus on ensuring your safety. Do you think it is possible that your father may be in danger as well?"

Ino shrugged. "I don't... really know. I haven't talked to him in a few months; he sort of just... fell off the radar the last little bit. I mean, we've texted back and forth a little, but we haven't really done any family stuff, you know? He's always busy, and last I checked, he was out of town to begin with." Her father often took a lot of business trips, given his psychology work. He was frequently guest lecturing at different colleges and universities around the world.

"I hate to ask this," Sai began, feeling a sense of dread in his stomach. It was an answer he didn't want to consider, but he had to ask. He needed to have Ino's perspective. "Do you think it is possible your father could be behind what happened here at the shop?"

Ino was shocked at the boldness of his question. "I..." She thought about it, about all of the things she'd learned, the things she was investigating, and she couldn't formulate an answer. Not a direct one, anyway. "At this point, I'm not even sure. I don't know if I even know my own parents anymore. They've lied to me my entire life, so how can I really know whether this is something my father would be capable of or not? How am I supposed to know that they didn't just set this up as a ruse to warn me?" Her head hurt just thinking of everything. She rubbed her temples with her index and middle fingers, groaning in frustration. Sai watched as she struggled, wishing he hadn't had to ask that question.

"Let's... head back to the safe house. I think it's best if you're not seen anywhere near this, and I can get in touch with Detective Uzumaki over other secure lines of communication. For now, it is best that you're kept safe and that we do our part when it comes to looking into your family and their dealings. The more answers we can find, the better off we will be." He had to reassure her as best he could that things would turn out all right. Her safety was paramount. For now, it would be looking into their family's dealings right from the get-go to trace things. Uzumaki could handle the rest. Sai had to trust those two to get the job done and find out who it was within the police force working for Akatsuki. It seemed like the conspiracy was getting bigger and bigger the more they looked into it.