The Gangs All Here
Uchiha Fugaku stops what he’s doing to turn towards the door that just burst open. Sasuke shuts the door and without even taking off his sandals quickly comes over to him and tells him how Sakura is currently with T&I. Sasuke, never one to be openly flustered, has hair all disheveled and a worrisome look on his face.
“Who told you this?” He asks wondering how Sasuke came across sensitive information.
Sasuke hesitates, “I would rather not say.”
“Can you trust the source?” Because he has to know, for if it’s not accurate then anything he does to try and help could be turned against the clan.
Sasuke frowns and looks down, contemplating. “It was Nara Shikamaru who told me and I know he would only tell me if he was sure.”
“Do you know when they took her?”
Sasuke shakes his head, “I know she was at the hospital since yesterday, and when I went to go visit her about ten minutes ago is when Shikamaru told me. He didn't tell me anything other than that T&I has'er.”
“Did he tell you discretely?”
He can tell his son is resisting an eye roll but he needs to know.
“Yes father.”
Fugaku nods, he can meet up with Shikaku and Inoichi and see if they have any information. They would be the best course of action right now. If Sasuke’s teammate was taken to T&I early this morning then chances are they are probably working on her right now. The dimension hopping Sakura seems to be tough but not that tough. With that, he turns from his son.
“You need to keep out of this Sasuke, I’ll take it from here. You make sure Naruto is distracted and doesn’t know about this.” He tells his son as he goes to his room. He changes out of his kimono and into his police uniform consisting of a blue haori and hakama, then briskly walks by Sasuke who still looks worried.
He pauses and pats his son’s shoulder, “Sakura is strong and she will get through this.”
Sasuke nods and with that he takes off to where he knows Shikaku would be at this time of day… It’s lunch time and if nothings changed he should be at Yakiniku Q with Chouza and Inoichi.
He walks with purpose and occasionally nods at the clan members that nods towards him. Once he’s out of the Uchiha district he takes to the rooftops and quickly makes his way to the restaurant. Every minute counts. Especially if Sakura is being tortured, and seeing as how Kakashi is away on a mission he wonders if the girl has anyone to advocate for her aside from him and Minato.
Multiple scenerios are running in his head and he braces himself for what he is going to have to disclose to the old Team Ten. Without Kakashi or Itachi around to justify their reasoning for withholding information from the Hokage this can go south really quick. He’s going to need Minato on his side. He can see Team Ten’s chakra signatures from within the restaurant. Fugaku summons a ninneko while on top of the restaurant. The cat appears before him with a poof looking irritated but when are they not?
“Mew, what? Mew mew.”
“Tell Minato to get here now.” He says to the ninja cat.
“Mew.” The cat responds then poofs away in a cloud.
Fugaku doesn’t wait long before the yellow flash appears before him. Minato straighten his vest and looks down at the chakra signatures in the restaurant then turns his steely eyes to his friend.
“So we’re doing this now?” Minato asks wearily.
Fugaku nods solemnly. “Things have changed.”
Minato and Fugaku head into the restaurant and go straight to the table in the corner where the men are eating. Inoichi notices them first and taps Shikaku’s arm, they both set down their chopsticks and stand as they are approached.
“This can’t be good.” Shikaku states to his team and Inoichi smiles knowingly. Chouza slurps the rest of his soup in seconds before standing also.
“You guys wouldn’t happen to be joining us would you?” Chouza asks looking down at the rest of his meal. Inoichi looks on with sympathy, his friend had just said how hungry he was, what horrible timing.
Fugaku shakes his head, “Maybe next time.”
“Wish we could. But I have to be back to work soon to help with evacuation preparation.” Minato states.
Shikaku sighs and throws down some bills on the table. “Best be off now then…”
They decide on Shikaku’s house as it’s nearby. Once they’re there they take to the office that oversees the backyard where the Nara deer like to roam. Shikaku goes to his desk and puts together the documents laying about and puts it inside his desk. Nothing has been said and the trio is patiently awaiting for Fugaku and Minato to begin. Inoichi takes a seat on a chair next to the large bay window and Chouza takes a chair in the other corner while Shikaku sits at his desk leaving Fugaku and Minato standing before the window so they can all see each other.
“Your son told Sasuke that Sakura is in T&I.” Fugaku says to Shikaku. Shikaku looks disturbed at this and rubs his chin while looking down at his desk in thought. Minato looks over at Fugaku shocked at the news. No one told him that Sakura was taken in!
“I noticed Shikamaru and Ino looking distressed but I thought it was the usual.” Shikaku shrugs, it wouldn’t be the first time those two would end up in drama. Shikaku looks over at Inoichi because usually it’s Ino dragging Shika into trouble.
Inoichi meets Shikaku’s stare with his own questioning one.
Fugaku having children of his own knows what is going on. Their kids know something and had been smart enough to have it go over the commanders head and the captain of intelligence’s head. No small feat but not surprising with whom their fathers are.
“So you didn’t know Sakura was in T&I?” Fugaku asks the both of them.
Shikaku’s face subtly shadows, “That’s classified. What I want to know is what this has to do with you Fugaku… and Minato?”
Minato sighs and rubs the back of his head, “You guys know that Sakura is on our son’s team, it’s only natural we be concerned seeing as how this was done without Kakashi’s knowledge. Sakura’s father has no say in her life anymore according to Kakashi.”
Inoichi frowns at that, he knew Sakura's mother passed away and then she took a break. He didn't know that the father abandoned Sakura... Ino never said anything and usually Ino is vocal about her concerns with her friend.
Fugaku asks Shikaku, “How did your son find out classified information?”
The insinuation is there that Shikaku somehow let it slip to his kid that Sakura went to T&I.
Before Shikaku can grit out a response Chouza laughs trying to break the ice, “Those kids are something else Fugaku. We can’t put a leash on them! You have a genius son yourself, you know how it is. They find out regardless!”
Minato turns to Fugaku knowing the police chief could have a few choice of words for that and shakes his head. ‘A genius son,’ meaning he only had one. Mind you, Fugaku knows Sasuke isn’t exactly a genius but he’s not stupid.
Inoichi sighs while standing up unable to sit any longer with the building tension. There’s something else going on that Minato and Fugaku has not spoken of yet and he’s tired of waiting and doesn’t feel like hearing anymore back handed comments.
“What is it you aren’t telling us?” Inoichi asks.
“You may want to sit back down,” Minato says wishing they could crack the sake out. “Sakura is from another dimension and no the Hokage doesn’t know yet.”
Dead silence and then Chouza begins chuckling, his belly bouncing as he does and he puts a hand to his chest and his laughter dies down as he notices that the two before him are still serious. Inoichi's brows have jumped to his hairline, his eyes wide with disbelief while Shikaku just shakes his head and then stands.
“You’re serious?” Shikaku asks crossing his arms.
Minato sighs heavily and nods. “Yes.”
“I found out through Nekomata, the head of the Uchiha cat summons.” Fugaku explains. “Nekomata had felt something from another dimension come here, and they were not the only summons to feel it, other summons know of this too.”
Minato takes over from there and explains what has happened from Kakashi finding out that Sakura was not who she claimed to be, to what Itachi found out, to finding out more of the dimension traveler during their time with her.
Inoichi groans, “And none of you thought to tell the Hokage, well no wonder why she’s in T&I! If Kakashi caught on what makes you think Anbu wouldn’t catch on? I expected better from the both of you.”
Feeling chastised Fugaku turns and looks out the window turning his attention to a wandering deer in the field. Minato turns to Inoichi.
“It wasn’t that simple then and it still isn’t now. This new Sakura wasn’t planning on staying and she would have ended up in T&I regardless. At first we wanted all of us to be there, meaning Itachi, Kakashi and I, but then Itachi ended up on a mission, then the kids ended up on a mission. Fugaku only just found out. For kami’s sake it’s not like she went unsupervised. Kakashi, Tenzo and Sai have been keeping an eye on her.” Minato states and looks over at Fugaku who looks back.
Yeah, let’s not mention Sakura was missing for about half a day…
Chouza shakes his head, “How bizarre. Why would a sage do something like that?”
Minato throws up his hands, Kami if he knows.
Fugaku turns back to them, “Nekomata also had no answers on that… We only know from Itachi that it was because the sage believed this other Sakura should be here where we don’t have war and an evil goddess.”
Shikaku sighs and sits back down, “So why come to us then? You can’t expect us to go behind the Hokage’s orders and get Sakura out do you?”
Fugaku shakes his head, “No, we want you,” he says looking at Inoichi, “to be the one to do her mind walk. Word cannot get out she’s from another dimension and seeing as how she’s already in T&I… telling the Hokage now won’t help us in the long run.”
Inoichi stands up quickly, “Well then I better get going.”
The Yamanaka leaves with anticipation, he wants to get into this dimension travelers head and see for himself what this is all about. He wonders if Ino knows about this at all, she’s Sakura’s best friend afterall… so she must have noticed a change. But why didn’t she mention that to him? Inoichi frowns at the thought of his daughter not trusting him. Well, he’s going to be there for Sakura and do his best to protect her and maybe get to the bottom of it. He’s going to have to speak with Ino too.
Shikaku watches as Minato and Fugaku leave.
“If it weren’t Minato and Fugaku telling us all this I would've called bullshit.” Chouza says to Shikaku.
Shikaku rubs his face tiredly, “This is a real mess. And somehow our kids are involved which if that doesn’t seem to make matters worse…”
Chouza pats his shoulder, “You remember all the trouble we got in? Remember how much our parents went crazy!?”
They both let out a good laugh thinking about the old days.
“I’m going home, I’m still famished and then I’m going to see if Choji knows anything. I’ll keep you posted.” Chouza takes his leave.
Shikaku goes to his son's bedroom door and opens it peeking in, feeling only a tiny bit bad he's invading Shika's privacy. He steps inside and takes a casual look around trying to see if anything stands out, but there’s nothing. Shikaku peers down at the papers on the desk and doesn’t find anything. He pushes the papers to the side and finds a paper with a small list. Checkmate.
‘Dimension travel’
‘Genjutsu /Kekkai Genkai’
‘Psychosis’
So his son does know and if he knows then Ino and Choji knows. And Sasuke knows which means Naruto knows. Kakashi, Tenzo, Itachi and Sai knows. Also Minato knows so Kushina knows, and Fugaku’s wife Mikoto knows. Shikaku’s head is now reeling. At this rate everyone will know before the Hokage and the whole village can be executed for treason.
Shikaku pinches the bridge of his nose. Just earlier this morning he was thinking about how wonderfully calm it’s been. Why did he jinx himself? And he’s going to have to tell his wife because he’s not about to face her wrath over something like this!
“Dad?” He hears behind him and so he turns meeting his son’s frightened stare. Like a deer in headlights.
“Let’s play a game of shogi and discuss some things.” He says in a tone that leaves no room for dispute.
Shikamaru looks at him then down at the paper he’d been staring at then nods and sighs, “Yeah, alright.”