Although Sakura Haruno had been officially designated a missing-nin, life in Konoha continued much as usual, remarkably free of idle gossip.
Tsunade had carefully controlled the dissemination of information regarding Sakura's situation, limiting knowledge to a select few: Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, Team 10, certain personnel at the hospital, and naturally, the ANBU Black Ops.
Kurenai hadn't given Team 8, who participated in the events of that night, a detailed account. Thus, while Hinata, Kiba, and Shino harbored suspicions, they remained unaware of the exact circumstances.
Tsunade worked diligently to contain the news, preventing its wider spread, with the Elders and the Hokage Council assisting in managing the narrative. After all, Sakura's identity was sensitive – she was the apprentice of the current Hokage. Such an incident could potentially diminish Tsunade's standing within the village. While Tsunade herself bore no responsibility, her recent inauguration made her vulnerable; the impact might not be huge, but it existed nonetheless.
Karin had been unusually quiet these past few days. A full week had passed with no sign of Sakura. The explanation given to Sakura's parents, Mebuki and Kizashi, was that Sakura had departed on a long-term mission. They didn't seem suspicious, and life carried on, but every time Karin thought about it, a heavy weight settled in her chest, like a stone blocking her heart.
Junko was about to take her graduation exams, leaving early and returning late each day. Karin couldn't bring herself to burden her friend with this news and potentially disrupt her focus. And so, Karin grew increasingly withdrawn and silent.
After lunch one day, Karin found herself unable to stay home, fearing her distress might arouse Mebuki's suspicion. She decided to head towards the hospital.
She had just descended the stairs and hadn't yet reached the main street when someone blocked her path.
Seeing the figure wearing an animal mask, Karin knew it was ANBU.
"Uzumaki Karin, come with me," the operative stated flatly.
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Karin instinctively resisted. With Sakura gone from the village, her sense of security felt fragile.
The ANBU member hesitated slightly at her words before reaching up and removing his mask. "It's me."
Staring at the familiar, coolly detached face, Karin blinked. She recognized him – Sakura's teammate, Uchiha Sasuke.
"What do you want?" Karin asked, still wary.
"It's about her. You know who I mean," Sasuke said, replacing his mask. "Let's talk somewhere else. Follow me."
Karin watched Sasuke walk ahead, then bit her lip and followed. Her first impression of him hadn't been great, and now that he was ANBU, she felt even less inclined towards contact. But when he mentioned her… he had to mean Sakura.
She trailed behind Sasuke as he led her through a series of twisting streets and alleyways. After a while, she noticed the surroundings becoming increasingly deserted. "Where are we going?" she couldn't help but ask.
"The Uchiha Compound," Sasuke replied. "It's the safest place in Konoha right now."
Yeah, how could it not be safe? Karin thought wryly. It's completely abandoned. What high-ranking official would have nothing better to do than waste time monitoring this place?
Silently, Karin continued following Sasuke until a perimeter of gleaming white, skeletal structures came into view.
"Wh-what is this?" Karin stammered, unnerved by the eerie sight.
"It's nothing. Leftovers from her fight with an enemy. I haven't cleaned it up," Sasuke said dismissively, stepping through a gap in the bone wall.
Karin cautiously followed him inside. The interior wasn't much different from the village proper, with streets and houses, but utterly devoid of people. The ubiquitous, stark white bone structures only added a layer of horror to the desolation.
Her perception of Sasuke shifted instantly. How could he live here? Wouldn't it be terrifying at night? Karin certainly wouldn't have the courage to stay in such a place.
Soon, they arrived at Sasuke's house. Once inside, he removed his mask again, set water to boil for tea, and poured a cup for Karin.
Karin picked up the cup, hesitated, then took a tentative sip.
Sasuke observed her cautious demeanor without comment, taking a seat opposite her. "What do you know about her situation?" he asked directly.
Karin set down her teacup and remained silent for a moment before replying, "She killed someone. She's been listed as a missing-nin."
At her words, Sasuke's fists clenched tightly. He took a deep breath. "Do you believe that?"
Karin shook her head firmly. "No. She's too kind, too gentle… How could she possibly kill someone…?"
"She was framed," Sasuke stated abruptly.
"Wh-what?" Karin stared, stunned.
"Someone framed her. I'm currently investigating it," Sasuke said calmly.
"Who? Who framed her?" Karin demanded, her emotions flaring. "Tell me, who did this to her?!"
"Calm down first," Sasuke instructed. "Believe me, I'm just as furious as you are. But the person who framed her is one of the village's high-ranking officials."
"Who is he? Tell me!" Karin shot to her feet, glaring intensely at Sasuke.
Sasuke met her gaze coolly. "If you can't calm down, I see no point in telling you."
He needed a level-headed ally, not a hot-blooded idiot like Naruto. After hitting dead ends in his own investigation, Sasuke had remembered Karin and her close relationship with Sakura. Still, he hadn't approached her rashly. His time in ANBU had rapidly broadened his understanding of the world; even with Karin's loyalty to Sakura, he couldn't discount the possibility of her having been turned by Danzo. The countless cases of espionage and counter-intelligence he'd encountered in ANBU had shown him a different, more treacherous side of reality. After several days of observation, however, Sasuke felt she was likely trustworthy enough to approach. Even as an ANBU operative, there were things within the village he couldn't handle alone.
Sasuke's words brought Karin up short. She took a moment, visibly reining in her emotions, then sat back down.
"Okay. I understand. Tell me," Karin said, her voice steadier.
"This is all Danzo's conspiracy. Danzo Shimura – he's from the same era as the Third Hokage," Sasuke explained. "While I don't understand his motives yet, Lady Hokage has confirmed his involvement. However, the evidence is scarce; he executed this plan flawlessly, leaving almost no trace. Investigating alone has proven difficult. That's why I need your help."
Karin nodded. "Alright. But let's be clear – I'm not helping you. I'm doing this to help her."
"That's perfect," Sasuke replied. "Since we've reached an initial understanding, I'll tell you everything I know. I need you to help me conduct some investigations within the hospital."
Sasuke proceeded to detail the current situation to Karin, and the two spent some time devising a plan for cooperation.
For Shikamaru, his connection with Sakura wasn't particularly deep. Although he sensed something suspicious about the whole affair, as a mere genin, he could only follow the village's official directives.
Choji and Ino, however, were quite upset. Ino had always viewed Sakura as a rival, yet Sakura had often genuinely encouraged her to approach Sasuke. Ino could tell Sakura's support was sincere, which had significantly improved her opinion of the pink-haired girl. Now, Sakura's sudden defection left a bitter taste in Ino's mouth.
Choji, too, was saddened by Sakura's departure. Though not as sharp as Shikamaru, he had gleaned from Asuma-sensei's words that there was more to the story. The thought of losing a comrade who could appreciate food as much as he did genuinely pained him.
The incident left both Ino and Choji feeling downcast, but as low-ranking ninja, their words carried little weight, and there was nothing more they could do.
Deep within the mountains of the Land of Water, a young woman flickered through the forest, burdened by a bundle larger than herself.
It was Sakura. After searching several towns without finding the specific medical equipment she needed, she had resorted to asking for directions while continuing her search. Finally, in a town roughly the size of Konoha, she located a hospital that looked reasonably well-equipped.
What followed was pandemonium within that hospital. Large quantities of medicine and medical instruments began vanishing inexplicably, leading the hospital director to fire several warehouse managers in frustration.
This was, of course, Sakura's doing. Honestly, she didn't need quite so many supplies just to operate on Mei Terumi. But stranded deep in the mountains, it was better to have backups. Besides, Mei's injury wouldn't heal in a day or two, and Sakura had no intention of simply letting her go free. Seriously? she thought. Attack me like that and expect to just walk away? As if things are ever that easy.
Locating the cave again, Sakura dismantled the camouflage at the entrance and dragged her haul inside. Mei was still unconscious.
Sakura moved closer to check her condition, her brow furrowing in concern. She reached out and touched Mei's forehead. She seemed feverish. The situation wasn't good.
First things first, she needed to deal with that wound. If infection truly set in, Mei's life would genuinely be in danger.