Bonded Souls

Chapter 8: News

Sasuke and Sakura were up promptly the next morning, packing their things as they waited for Karin's arrival. She'd prepared for the chance that they would come with her, knowing Sasuke wouldn't pass up the offer. They needed something to do, and the more Karin could offer them for intellectual stimulation, the better.

Sasuke and Sakura rode one of the snowmobiles while Karin rode the second, stashing them in a shed further down the mountain. After that, they took up a spot in the back seat of Karin's large truck, doing their best to stay out of sight. Karin took every back road to avoid other vehicles that she could, breathing a sigh of relief once they reached the house. It was evening by the time they'd stopped taking the back roads, hauling their things up to one of the spare rooms Karin had set up last night.

Sasuke's burner phone rang, and he pulled it out, looking at the caller I.D. It was the number for Naruto's burner. He opened the phone, remaining silent until he waited for something to be said. He had to be sure that it was Naruto he was talking to.

"Ramen's the best," the blonde said over the line, and Sasuke could hear the seriousness in his tone. Usually, a comment like that would have been full of Naruto's usual optimistic outlook on life; this time, it was different.

"For fuck's sake," he replied, running a hand over his face. "Way to take your goddamn time." How the hell had it taken Naruto this long to get back to them? It'd been well over a week with no word from anyone back in Konoha City. He saw Karin and Sakura staring at them and held up a finger, wanting to ensure that Naruto had information for them before bothering to put it on speaker.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know," Naruto griped. Sasuke could hear him talking to someone else on the line, though he couldn't tell who. He was telling them not to get out of the car and to lock the doors... Why? Oh, now it was time to let loose the dogs of war. He moved to the counter and hit the speaker button, biting his lip in frustration.

"Naruto, what the hell is going on? You're on speaker, by the way. Sakura and Karin are here." The girls looked at him expectantly, then looked at the phone, waiting for Naruto's answer.

"Yeah, Sasuke, that's the problem. I don't really have an answer for you. Hold on." Sasuke looked at Sakura, who mouthed something at him and shook her head. She was just as frustrated as Sasuke, though she was less open about it; she just wanted to make sure everyone was okay. Sasuke was rooting for answers to whatever the hell was going on there. They heard the sound of knocking on something, then a few seconds later, a loud crash. Sasuke knew that sound all too well.

"You know I know what the sound of kicking a door down sounds like, right?" What the hell was Naruto doing, breaking and entering? Sakura's eyes widened at Sasuke's ability to pick up what the sounds were; she would never have picked that kind of thing up. This whole conversation was making her nervous; she'd started to shift her weight back and forth, wringing her hands in front of her.

"For fuck's sake." Naruto's words frustrated Sasuke even more, but he wasn't the first to speak; Sakura was quick to answer, slamming her hands down on the counter.

"What? Talk to us, Naruto!" Her voice was firm and demanding. She was tired of the jerking around. He seemed to ignore them, focusing on something else, but why would he call them if he didn't have answers? What kind of ridiculousness was this?!

"Listen, I--Hinata's been kidnapped." Sakura's mouth opened in shock. Hinata? Since when had Hinata become involved in things? This was news to both Sakura and Sasuke. "They were going for her sister, Hanabi, but she got grabbed, and Neji got shot trying to stop them. I tried to call Sai, but I can't find him anywhere, and he was staying at the safe house with Ino. She's nowhere to be fou-- damn it!"