Chapter 5
“You have to spill everything to me. I need to know how it went!”
Ino and Sakura sat in the tea shop where they always met each other on a Sunday morning. Sunday was always a designated day off for Sakura unless there was an emergency. It had been 3 days since her date with Sasuke that Ino helped plan. It had also been about a day since Sasuke left to go on a mission. She wasn’t sure when he would exactly be back, but from what he told her was that it could be about a week or two depending on how bad the threat actually was. A four man team was sent out to handle the situation that consisted of Sasuke, Sai, Hanabi, and Kiba.
“Before I get into any details you are the best for helping Sasuke-kun with that date. I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
“Well, what do you expect? You deserve the world. Ah shit! I totally forgot!”
“Forgot what?”
“I didn’t give him any shovel talk. I’m a terrible friend.”
“It’s fine. He has already received enough from Tsunade-sama and Naruto. I do find it weird how they both threaten to take his other arm.”
“So you’re telling me they knew before me? How is that even possible unless… no way. You guys have been dating and told no one!”
“We’ve been dating since the night he came back or well the morning since he confessed to me in the morning. We kept it a secret for a couple days and even up to a week besides from Tsunade-sama and Naruto. Sasuke-kun told Naruto while I told Tsunade-sama while Shizune was also there. Sasuke didn’t want to tell anyone else until he was comfortable. Naruto must've said something because next thing I know you helped create the perfect date for me.”
“I can’t be mad at you for that. I just hope you realize that Sai also knows and this will spread quickly. Which also means you know who will find out.”
“I don’t even want to think about that. If it happens I just have to face it. I’m sure if it happens while Sasuke-kun is with me he won’t hesitate to punch either one of them.”
“I’d be happy if he did. Anyways just tell me the details.”
“I’ll go over the simple things and if you need me to go into more detail just ask. We talked a lot so we could get to know each other again since it has been a while as we ate the food you and Sasuke-kun prepared. Very good by the way. We held hands, cuddled for a good amount of time, and fed each other food. He gave me a head massage and helped me relax. When we watched the stars is when he finally asked if he could kiss me and I said yes. We kissed once and then we kissed more after that. We stayed there for a while before we left together. I led the way as I basically dragged him while we held hands all the way back to our apartment. Before you comment, yes he is living in my apartment and now it’s technically our apartment . I don’t think I’ve told you about our cat yet either. His name is Daku.”
Ino didn’t even try to hide her smile as Sakura gave the details of the date in a simple fashion. She didn’t know about the cat they now had, but she did know that they did live together. She did question how far they were into their relationship due to them living together and them having a cat.
“You guys sound so cute and romantic. I won’t ask what you talked about since it’s not my business, but I will ask you this. How far are you into your relationship? Have you had sex with him yet?”
Even thinking about having sex with Sasuke later on into their relationship made her heat up. She covered her face in embarrassment. Ino started asking questions, assuming that she has. She kept shaking her head in response. She collected herself with a sigh, returning her hands to her side while her head went back to looking at Ino. Ino had a smirk across her face.
“No, we haven’t. We probably will one day, but not right now. Sasuke is not ready for that and I’m definitely not ready for that. He still has a lot of trauma to unpack that he wants to get through before we start to get really serious. I’m definitely not ready yet and it’s not a priority to me. Plus I don’t want to deal with having to freak out about stressing out over potentially being pregnant, but then not pregnant like you do.”
“Okay, no need to bring that up. It was only twice and it was really scary.”
“And I told you that if you're stressed, your menstrual cycle can become longer or shorter, your periods may stop altogether, or they might become more painful. For at least you and I they become shorter.”
“Ugh, don't go all doctor on me.”
“Sorry, it’s a habit.”
“So, with Sai and Sasuke gone on a mission that means more girl time.”
“I’m down.”
“I’ve never really caught up with your training with Hanabi, but how is that going?”
“It’s good. She has made good progress so far and soon enough I’ll be done training her. She asked me to teach her medical ninjutsu so she could have it in case of an emergency. I agreed so I taught her that and a few other things. Due to her experience she is now on that mission with Sasuke-kun, Sai, and Kiba as their medical ninja along with being an extra tracker. She doesn’t need to follow the medical ninja rules since she isn’t technically one like how I was. They would still need to protect her if needed, but I know she can handle herself. Depending on how she handles this mission it will decide if she needs more training. Sasuke-kun didn’t tell me what the mission was, but he told me that if it didn’t get stopped quickly it could grow into a big threat. Besides that I know I’ll be having fun with whatever they bring to the village. I was told recently by Kakashi-sensei that there’s a chance of me having to deal with poison items. I was prepared for it anyway since that seems to be a usual occurrence.”
“As expected since you’re so good at what you do.”
“Indeed. So, how is the sensory division department going for you?”
“It’s good. There’s not much that can be done due to us being at peace, but if anything like the Kido situation happens again I can do something about that.”
“I don’t even want to talk about Kido. That tailed beast bomb hurt like a bitch. I wasn’t even paying attention much, but I think I lost a limb. Either way when I stood back up I was just fine.”
“Well, you are lucky since you can regenerate. If you couldn't, you would have joined the missing limb club of your teammates.”
“Happy that I did since it would make my job incredibly hard as the head of the medical department.”
Sakura and Ino by this time we’re already on their third cup of tea. Gossiping and catching up with each other. They were planning to leave shortly. Ino already suggested they binge watch romance movies that just recently came out. Watching romance movies together was a typical thing for them. They both always got into them even if they knew how they would end. Once the both of them finished their final cup of tea they took their leave. They were going to go to Ino’s place since that’s where they would usually go. Eventually they would probably have to visit Sakura’s apartment to feed Daku. Plus Ino would be able to meet Daku. Either way she wouldn’t be able to stay really late into the night since she had work in the morning. Ino was working at the flower shop tomorrow so she wouldn’t be in for a shift unless they needed the people. Like stated with the problem with the barrier team it was the same with the hospital, to an extent. It just wasn’t as chaotic as it used to be.
———
The group of four consisting of Sai, Sasuke, Kiba, and Hanabi left early in the morning for the mission Kakashi had given them. Rumors have been spiraling that a new organization was formed in the Land of Wind closer to the Land of Sand. Shinobi have been sent to the known location of where this organization was, but none have returned. They are either rumored dead, missing, or have joined the organization themselves. Kakashi had gotten word of this and he created the team that was currently on their way. He didn’t believe it would be necessary to send out Naruto and potentially Sakura for this mission since they had other duties as of right now. The threat was high, but not high enough. If backup was needed they would be the ones to send.
Sasuke was appointed the team leader. His battle intelligence was above the rest of the team and with this opportunity it would also show how he would be in a team since he has been solo for quite some time. Kiba was their main tracker for this mission. Akamaru paired with his great sense of smell will be beneficial. Sai, being a former Anbu black ops member, was used for extra manpower to aid Sasuke. With the use of his birds as well they would be able to get to their destination quicker than they would on foot. Lastly, Hanabi was the assigned medical ninja for the team. The byakugan would aid them as another form of tracking and with Hyuga techniques she possesses she would also be able to aid in combat.
Sakura had upped the game when it came to preparation for medical ninjas on missions. She created two scrolls, that were quite long, with a list of poisons and one with different ingredients that were typically used to create poisons. With a drop of poison or blood infused with poison it would be able to determine what poison it was and then if the poison was unknown to the created list the medial ninja would move to the ingredient list. It would take some time for the scroll to determine an answer for the medical ninja. If it was green it meant yes while black meant no. There was a possibility for yellow, which meant it was a mix of this poison with something else, but there were very few times that would happen. Due to all many poisons existing the scroll was quite long. If none of these options worked the said medical ninja would bring back a vial for Sakura or Shizune to analyze. Along with these scrolls the team would be stacked with soldier pills in case of an accident or if the mission were to go into overtime. Sakura contemplated if bandages or simple medical care should be included just in case of chakra depletion, but in most cases from mission reports they were not needed due to the soldier pills. Either way she included them just in case anything were to happen. Lastly, scrolls were packed with extra water if it was needed.
The group of four was currently taking a break. They’ve been traveling for about 5 hours. They made good progress on Sai’s birds. The supposed destination was about 4 hours away. To decrease suspicion half way through the 4 hours they would begin to travel on foot. Sasuke had been thinking on the game plan throughout the time they have traveled so far. They had two weeks to complete this mission so there was no need to rush it. From that conclusion it seemed this mission would mostly favor stealth. That would mean if they were to barge into the base of operations there was a high chance they would speed up the process of their so called mission. Sasuke turned back to the group, clearing his throat to get their attention. Their eyes drifted over to Sasuke in an instant. This was his game plan.
“When we arrive we make camp nearby, but not close enough to be seen. We will not be attacking for the first day. I need our trackers to keep an eye on the base to see the change of guard rotation. Once we have an idea of guard rotation we’ll sneak it at the most appropriate time. The first goal is to determine what they are doing. Once we have that we move to phase three of the operation. We’ll begin taking down enemies one by one when it is appropriate. We’ll be in pairs of two, but the mission is the same for us all. We need the trackers on different teams along with our offensive ninja. Kiba and Sai will be with each other while Hanabi will be with me. If you need medical attention send a bird.”
The group of three so far agreed to the plan of action so far. All of them kept quiet expecting more.
“We’ll be leaving a few people we are here to take down alive to question or torture if needed.”
Sasuke’s eyes toured the area until they landed on Sai. He got the message Sasuke was trying to give him and nodded.
“We’ll report our findings each night, if there are any, to the Kokage. If he believes we need backup we’ll get it. We do not know how big this base is and how many people are there. Killing will be necessary, do not be a wimp.”
Sasuke ended his dialogue there. He didn’t feel the need to answer questions, as he believed he delivered the mission strategy well. The group would be departing from their break shortly, which happened 10 minutes later once everyone was settled. The plan was simple, in two hours they would switch to running. That’s exactly what ended up happening and just like Sasuke expected they arrived at the base. They could see it in the distance. Searching around Sasuke was able to find a cave they would call their own base for the time they were here. They set up their bedrolls, water supply, and food supply next to them.
“I will start patrolling. Rest while you can. Either Kiba or Hanabi stay up to get guard rotation once either one is tired, wake up the other. Share your findings with one another once you have your findings done for the whole day then we will devise a plan when best to attack.”
The rest of them nodded. Kiba volunteered himself to go first, letting Hanabi rest for a bit. Sai went to draw for the time being while Sasuke took off to patrol the area to pass time due to him not being tired.
———
Sakura and Ino were into their 5th romance movie of the day. They had takeout spread across her coffee table. Speaking of coffee tables, Sasuke had finished the coffee table he had been working on yesterday with the help of Naruto even though he stated he didn’t need help. It matched the apartment perfectly and was able to store items under, which was perfect. As much as Sakura was into these romance movies she was starting to get sick of them for the day at least. She set down her empty plate of food onto the coffee table once she was done with it. She wasn’t sure when this movie would be over.
“After this movie is done I’m going to leave. I have to feed Daku plus I want to go to bed early since I have a really long shift tomorrow. We’ll it’s another 48 hour shift. Before you say anything it’s needed since I need to complete paperwork for the hospitals I’ve been helping get situated in different lands as well as I need to continue research. A new paper just came into the library and as a request I have it at my office. Also a bunch of shinobi are getting physicals done. Plus I have important surgeries in the morning. I probably also have to train people.”
“Forehead, I wasn’t going to question. I know you’re a workaholic and I can’t stop you from that.”
“Oh. Good to know for next time.”
“Yeah, whatever you say. Anyways pay attention we already missed the first kiss.”
“I’m looking. Don’t need to worry about that.”
Sakura adjusted her body to rest her legs on the couch on her side. She rested her head on the edge of the couch. She didn’t even remember the plot of this movie, but she’ll probably figure it out by the time it goes on. They always went through the cycle of watching really good ones then they started to get terrible. Sakura just had to deal with it. From the context clues she was getting she assumed the plot had to either be friends to lovers or strangers to lovers. That seemed to be the typical setup for the romance movies they watch. They did find good enemies to lovers. If she had to describe her relationship with Sasuke it would definitely be strangers to friends to enemies to friends to lovers. They certainly had an interesting track record, but it’s going good now. All worth it in her opinion. The movie wrapped up nearly an hour later. Even if a romance movie always ended the same way, Sakura always felt something from them. At least this time around she didn’t feel lonely since she officially was with Sasuke.
“I’ll help you clean up before I leave.”
“Good.”
“In my defense those couple of times were when I got called into the hospital for emergency surgery. You can’t count that.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Just had to make sure.”
“Oh yeah you know our usual hangout with everyone will be coming up once those four return from their mission, right?”
“I completely forgot about that.”
“Not surprised your head is always in the gutter when it comes to those things. You should announce your relationship to everyone that day.”
“I’ll have to think about it plus it’s up to Sasuke-kun. Like I stated earlier I don’t want to rush him when he’s not ready. I would be a terrible girlfriend if I were to do so.”
“Yeah yeah. Just help me clean up already.”
“I’m coming, don't worry.”
“You’ll be saying that to him one day.”
“Don’t make me throw something at you. I have very good aim.”
“I would hope so since you’re a ninja.”
“Just shut up already.”
Sakura picked as much of the trash and leftover food from the coffee table that she could pick up. Ino did the same as well. With there being leftover food one of them scrapped it out of the takeout boxes and into a plastic container. All of it could fit into one bigger container so that is what was decided. Sakura threw out the paper containers that were originally holding the food.
“Do you need help with anything else or is it alright for me to leave now?”
“No need to worry. There’s nothing else you can do anyways.”
“Got it. See you around.”
“You too! You better get laid soon.”
“We’ve been over this plus Sasuke-kun isn’t even here.”
“Whatever.”
Sakura waved goodbye to Ino before exiting the blonde’s apartment. She was going to be able to make it back in time to feed Daku at the appropriate time. While Sasuke is gone it’ll be hard for her to feed Daku at times since she’ll be working. She personally asked Hinata to feed Daku while she’s in her 48 hr shift. She would have asked Ino, but she would be busy as well. Naruto wasn’t on the table since he would somehow accidentally kill Daku by forgetting to feed him. With a click of a key, the door to the apartment was opened. She was greeted with Daku at the door waiting for her.
“Hey, Daku. I’m sorry for being late if I am. I was out with a friend. Anyways, let's go feed you.”
Sakura hung her keys up near where she placed her shoes. Daku led her to the bathroom where all of his stuff was located. She filled his bowl with dry food and gave him wet food. He still needed to gain weight since he was still underweight.
“Daku, you’ll be sleeping with me tonight. Sasuke-kun won’t be back for a little bit since he’s on a mission. Just join me when you’re ready.”
Sakura made her way to her room. She left the door cracked open for Daku to enter. She changed into a big shirt and bicycle shorts to sleep in. She wasn’t planning to go to bed as of right now. She wanted to read in her bed for an hour or two then head to bed.
———-
Main Entrance - Entry Option 1
Time: 12am - Guard Number: 4
Time: 2:59am - Guard Change - 15 to 30 seconds of unguarded entrance
Time: 3am - Guard Number: 4
Time: 6:59am - Guard Change - 15 to 30 seconds of unguarded entrance
Time: 7am - Guard Number: 4
Time: 11:59am - Guard Change - 1 minute of unguarded entrance
Time: 12pm - Guard Number: 6
Time: 4:59pm - Guard Change - 1 minute of unguarded entrance
Time: 5pm - Guard Number: 6
Time: 11:59pm - Guard Change - 15 to 30 seconds of unguarded entrance
Time: 12am - Guard Number: 4
Status: Entrance too risky to use as an entry point
Side Entrance -
Time: 12am - Guard Number: 1
Time: 4:59am - Guard Change - 15 to 30 seconds of unguarded entrance
Time: 5am - Guard Number:1
Time: 9:59am - Guard Change - 15 to 30 seconds of unguarded entrance
Time: 10am - Guard Number: 1
Time: 1:58pm Unguarded Entrance 2 minutes
Time: 2pm - Guard Number: 1
Time: 7:59pm - Guard Change - 15 to 30 seconds of unguarded entrance
Time: 8pm - Guard Number: 1
Time: 11:59pm - Guard Change - 15 to 30 seconds of unguarded entrance
Time: 12am - Guard Number: 1
Status - Entrance gives one open spot for infiltration
“The side entrance is our best chance. We have hours to prepare and rest accordingly. How many people have you counted in the base?”
Sasuke asked, turning his head to Hanabi and Kiba.
“With the amount of information both Kiba and 1 have learned we’ve counted 40 people. That includes the guards.”
“I would assume they range from chunin to Anbu level. It won’t be an issue. We’ll take the leader and a close subordinate to torture them. Hanabi, I want you to knock them out and take out their chakra points. Sai and Kiba will take over to tie them up. Once they wake up begin torture. Hanabi will be with me to take out the remaining guards then collect anything of value to their plans. Once the leader and subordinate spill everything we finish up. I will be burning the base down once we leave so if we did leave anything behind no one would be able to access it. We’ll decide then if we take the two hostages or if we kill them.”
They all collectively agreed on the plan Sasuke brought to them. They also all knew that it would be best to take their time. An option on the table was taking out the guards when guard changes were happening so the new guard wouldn’t expect a thing. That could also give them the option of one of them going undercover. If this was the option Sai would be best fit due to his Anbu experience. With Kiba they would worry about his anger, Sasuke for being too quiet, and Hanabi there wasn’t any worry, but she decided it wasn’t the best idea for the mission overall.
“I don’t believe having me go into there dressed as a guard would be the best thing. I would be a new person to them and they wouldn’t give up new information to someone who is new. We’re better off being sneaky and taking guards out until we get to the leader and subordinate.”
“Fine. Rest up. We have 8 hours.”
Kiba, Hanabi, and Sai hummed into agreement, adjusting themselves into their bedrolls. Sasuke set up a trap at the start of the cave they were resting in and another closer to them just in case. Sasuke didn’t feel the need to rest. He was used to being up for a long period of time and he recently woke up from 6 hours of sleep. It was better for his teammates to sleep. If it was up to Sasuke he would have cleared the base out in the matter of minutes, but that would mean no hostages nor information to gather. He just needed to know what was being planned, stop it, and collect anything that would be necessary to bring back.
They were given a week to complete this mission and that was when backup would come unless they are sent out quicker if they send a note. Sasuke didn’t think it was necessary. This would at most take 3 more days to clear the rogue ninja quietly without people finding out. Then ideally it would only take a few hours for integration and torture. After that they wrap up what they found and Sasuke would burn up the place. Perhaps they would also make it collapse on itself, but who knows.
Sasuke woke everyone up two hours before the guard change would be done. He requested everyone to overlook everything they had with them just so they could be safe. Sasuke didn’t want to risk anything. Also something to consider that he thought about was his first decision was to blow up the whole base, but if they had anything that would harm the environment it would get into the air and pollute it.
“Everything is set, Sasuke. My medical supplies are perfect along with any other weapons I’ve brought with me.”
“Hn. Once we get in I want us to get a better understanding of our surroundings. Since we’ll be inside, Hanabi and Kiba will most likely be able to pick up more. Kiba will also be able to smell better.”
“Of course I will be able to smell better.”
About 10 minutes before the guard changed they got set up to enter. The side door was small and it only required one person to guard. Which was good on their end. Sasuke requested everyone to enter before him. He was the fastest among the group so he didn’t need to worry he just needed to worry about his team. They also had to worry about Akamaru. All of them hid behind a rock. Sasuke was the one to keep an eye out for when the guard change would happen. He noticed the movement of his legs go from nothing at all to turning around in a quick motion to face the door. Sasuke kicked the person behind him to give them the signal that the guard change was about to start. The signal got passed down. Sasuke peered out of the corner of the rock. He was slightly bent over to make himself appear to be smaller and to also help cover up footsteps. Even with being a ninja, different terrain can always be an issue. Sasuke was always playing it safe. That was how it did it on the road, but at the same time he didn’t have to worry about stealth.
“Let’s go.”
The guard opened the door and shut it behind him. Before it could fully shut Kiba caught it with his foot. Opening it slowly, they entered one by one. Sasuke closed the door behind him slowly so it would not cause any noise. Using their chakra, they stuck themselves onto the wall then the ceiling. Kiba made sure to hold Akamaru tightly so he wouldn’t fall. Hanabi helped him just in case. They watched the guard that was stationed for the next shift walk to the door they entered through. He seemed to be in a conversation, but it didn’t mean much to them. The next step was for them to find a place to stand up on like metal bars or platforms. The group was able to find platforms to perch on after having Kiba and Hanabi search. They were steady enough for Akamaru to be able to stand on.
“I can see that there are about 27 in this main room while the other 13 are elsewhere. I would assume 7 of them are on guard duty as of right now so that leads us to 6 in separate rooms to pick off.”
Hanabi stated, byakugan activated. Sai then followed up with a statement,
“I assume we are still taking the same groups of two. We’ll split up to take those 6 that are not in the main area of the base. Kiba, let’s go.”
Sasuke and Hanabi jumped from platform to platform. She guided them to a room where two of the 6 people were talking. They nodded at each other before making a move. Sasuke pulled his sword out and in incredible speed both individuals were killed. Hanabi and him quickly lifted the bodies onto the bed, covering them to make it seem like they were asleep. She took the time to clean up the blood before it stained completely with the help of Sasuke using a water jutsu. Whatever remaining stain was easily covered up with a henge. They exited the same way they came out. There was no worry for the body to smell due to the fact that it takes 24-72 hours postmortem. Internal organs begin to decompose due to cell death; the body begins to emit pungent odors; rigor mortis subsides. 3-5 days postmortem: as organs continue to decompose, bodily fluids leak from orifices; the skin turns a greenish color. Their next target was a few rooms down in the kitchen that was created in the base. Sasuke took care of the killing and Hanabi disposed of the body into a big garbage can that was nearby. As for Sai and Kiba, they finished their room quickly and the group of 3 were paired together. After leaving no evidence they all met up at the same place they started.
“34 more missing ninjas remain.”
“Any of you guys pick up anything that they’re doing here or was I the only one paying attention.”
“Kiba be quiet. We don’t need you to get angry. I was able to pick up a few things while with Sasuke. He did as well.”
“Yes, they created a poison that is water based and hard to track. They plan on dumping it into the lake they have here since it would travel and eventually all water will not be drinkable. There’s also the chance word of what happened with Kido and Sakura spread. As they are trying to replicate someone’s chakra or at least trying to succeed in that matter.”
They had information that would technically be enough for all of them to take each of them out, but Sasuke felt like there was more to it. They had to still go on with their plan of action to get the leader and the co leader.
“One by one we’re going to pick them off as they leave. If the two hostages we want leave we start with the plan.”
That was the plan. They split up into the same groups and they would meet up with one another in 4 hours. This continued on for 16 hours until they were down to 22 people. They barely moved from what they were doing and some even slept in the main room, which they found weird. There were only 15 people inside as of now. They were starting to notice the lack of people. Sasuke could tell they were informing their leader of something, which sent the leader into a panic. The leader ended up walking off with the other person they needed. Sasuke sent Sai a nod and took off. Hanabi joined Sai afterwards to go after their main targets.
They received the signal from Sai minutes after. Sasuke and Kiba were set to deal with the remaining enemies once they got the signal from Sai that they got the hostages. They could take 15 people. With that they split up themselves to deal with those said enemies. They needed to be taken out and they also knew the commotion would most likely bring the guards back in making it a 22 v 2. It won’t be a bother. It certainly wasn’t. Sasuke stood amongst all the dead bodies. Blood was pouring from their wounds. Kiba was still getting used to the smell since the smell of blood was very overwhelming.
“Go to the other two. I’m going to deal with the bodies.”
Kiba nodded, walking off with Akamaru next to him. The guards from the outside did come in, but were easily taken out. Some did give him trouble, but nothing he couldn’t deal with. This reminded him of a fighting ring he took part of during his travels. He took the bodies one by one outside, tossing them a little bit away from the entrance. When all the bodies were stacked and looted if anything of value to their mission was there Sasuke burned them with his fireball jutsu. The smell of biting flesh didn’t bother him much. After some time only bones were left. He didn’t care what would happen with them next so he simply left them there. He entered the building once again. Sasuke overlooked everything as he passed by to go check on the hostages. He thinks he saw the poison he overheard about. He did also see some specks of hair and skin under a microscope when he peeked inside. That must be the other thing he caught on about. Sakura had given him an idea of what happened with Kido and thinking about how someone could pretend to be him all the way down to the chakra didn’t sit with him correctly. Sasuke joined the rest of them in a smaller room. He noticed they were both tied to a chair and were still unconscious.
“Separate them by room. I’ll take the leader and Sai you take the other. If you two want to participate in the torture too feel free if not you might want to leave.”
Sai did what he was told and Kiba went with him. Hanabi stayed with Sasuke. The room stayed silent besides everyone’s breathing. That silence was gone an hour later. It was filled with screams, grunts, and pain. They had gotten nothing from him at all. He wasn’t dealing with the torture well. Sasuke put his finger onto the guy's nose. Then he spoke,
“The more pressure I put I can cave your nose in and kill you instantly. It only takes 2 pounds of pressure.”
Sasuke began to put pressure onto the man’s nose. He felt the bone begin to break and cave in. He could also see and hear the man to beg him to stop. He relaxed his hand, letting it go to his side. That was when he confessed to what he was doing here. He confirmed that they were making a poison that would go into the water, plaguing it, so the world would not be able to drink water once again. The leader also seemed to have been in contact with Kido and got information on how to do what he did. The targets for this were Gaara, Naruto, himself, and Sakura. They must have figured out when Kido was taken out by Sakura they should work on recreating her. That was all he would tell them. Sasuke ended up slitting his throat there and watched as he choked on blood.
Sai was able to get some information out of the second guy, but not as much as Sasuke did. It made him laugh thinking about how the leader couldn’t handle torture for long. At least with his time with Orochimaru he could withstand being tortured and to torture. The second hostage told them about the other bases they had. There were two more, but not as big as this one. They were also not that far into the poison process along with the other process. They were told about the locations of the other bases. Sai wrote them down. The last hostage was then killed.
Hanabi was already in the other room testing all of the seals to see if the poison already had a cure. The scroll was quite long. She ended up getting help, but it was no use when they all turned red. Hanabi took a couple vials of it and slid it into a secure spot in her backpack. There was no need to collect the DNA stored here when Sasuke was going to burn down the whole place.
The whole base was set into flames shortly after. They watched as it burned and the rocks began to collapse into the base itself. Whatever DNA was left in there was now burned. With the mission complete it was time to return home. Due to the lack of sleep everyone was dealing with they decided to sleep the night before making their way back.
———
“There were 40 people in the overall base including the guards of two entrances. Using Kiba and Hanabi we mapped out the guard schedule. We later used that time to enter when we had enough time. We split into groups Hanabi and I then Sai and Kiba. Both trackers lead us to kill off individuals that weren’t in the main room. We kept this pattern and would meet up every 4 hours. They wouldn’t move out of that area for a while so that is why it took time. The leader noticed and began to panic, leading his right hand man with him to a separate room. Sai and Hanabi took care of them as we took out the rest of the enemies. The leader gave us his motive. It was a poison that was made to be put into the water to contaminate the water. He then also described the same thing that happened with Kido, but this time trying to do it with Gaara, Naruto, myself, and Sakura. The second guy gave us locations to the other bases.”
Sasuke handed him the paper of other bases that Sai gave him earlier. Hanabi also then handed the poison she collected (about 4 vials).
“Thank you. Great job! It seemed Sasuke handled being team leader well. With this new information I’ll send out Anbu to deal with the rest. I’ll also be sending the poison to Sakura to deal with. If it dies and ends up contaminating the water we need a solution. I’ll have Shizune help as well and also bring this to the hospital.”
Kakashi handed the vials to Shizune. With a simple nod, she left the room. Kakashi’s focus returned to the group. A smile appeared under his mask.
“You’re dismissed. Go rest after that long mission.”
It turns out they spent 4 days on the mission and returned on day 5. Sasuke grunted in response, leaving afterwards. Sakura was most likely working and it being near the time for her to get off he decided to pick her up.
Sasuke entered the hospital. He surveyed the room for Sakura, but no luck. He was able to catch Shizune and she led him to her office.
“Sasuke, just so you know. I’m not as vocal as Tsunade-sama is, but if you hurt her you’ll be hearing from a lot of people. As a doctor there’s a lot of things I could do to you.”
“Hn.”
Sasuke entered along with Shizune. They were greeted with Sakura doing research on poisons. How convenient. Clearing his throat, Sakura looked up and her eyes brightened.
“Sasuke-kun, you’re back! Shizune, what do I owe the pleasure of?”
“New poison Sasuke and his team brought back. Don’t worry about it now, I think he’s here to take you home. Hanabi also did well on the mission.”
“Thank you for the information and I’ll talk to Hanabi myself soon. I’ll get working on this tomorrow too. Thank you again.”
Shizune left, leaving the two by themselves. Sakura jumped up from her chair and made her way to Sasuke. She practically jumped into his arms and begged for a kiss as she leaned closer to his lips. Sasuke set her down with a smirk leaving Sakura in an embarrassed, but sad mood.
“Let’s go home.”
Sakura nodded, taking the first step out. In her mind she expected a lot of kisses when she got home. She wanted nothing more than that.