The Heart's Battlefield

Chapter 7

The house looked like a mess. With how dusty everything was, you could tell no one had been in the house for a while. Naruto and Sasuke looked around cautiously, trying not to disturb anything as they searched around for clues. They knew Sakura was gone at this point, but there could be a myriad of reasons. They didn't want to immediately assume the worst.

Sasuke took downstairs as Naruto took upstairs. Sai was too stunned by the look of the house to be of any help. That was until Naruto yelled for the other two.

"Guys! Come here!" he yelled, panicked.

Sai was up the stairs before Sasuke could get to them and all three boys stood in shock at the state of the bedroom. It was trashed beyond belief with the mattress halfway off the bed and the dresser smashed to pieces. One hell of a battle took place in the room, and it was a surprise no one knew about it.

"She's gone," Sai said with a hand covering his open mouth.

It took the boys a moment to shake themselves from their stupor and Sasuke straightened up. "We have to tell the Hokage."

Sai nodded and the boys immediately left to leap across the rooftops. Sai and Sasuke were so quick they left Naruto behind. Tsunade was drinking when they busted through her open window.

"The hell is wrong with you two!?" Tsunade yelled as the guys tried to catch their breath.

She could see Naruto on his way trailing just a little way away on his way to the tower as well. Her mind couldn't fathom why the boys were acting so animatedly.

"She's gone!"

The words from Sasuke's mouth didn't register in the Hokage's mind for a moment. It was then she became alert. She? Who was she?

"Back up a moment!" Tsunade said with a wave of her hand. "Who the hell is she?"

"Sakura you IDIOT!" Sai screamed.

Everyone looked at the man, too surprised by his disrespectful outburst to say anything.

"She's gone! Kidnapped!" he said, his voice quiet. "No one even noticed! Not even me..."

He was crying now, his heart breaking at his inattentiveness as he let out sniffles of guilt. He knew he should have checked on her more. Maybe he could have found out sooner by checking on her more often?

"Sakura has been kidnapped?" This time the incredulous voice was Shizune. She just walked into the door as Sai broke down.

"How long ago?" Tsunade asked, her fists clenched in anger at the fact she was unaware of what happened in her own village.

"She's been broken for so long, no one cared enough to check on her," Sai muttered.

"Broken?" Sasuke asked, confused.

Sai looked up from his position to take a few steps away from the Uchiha and pointed at him. "It's your fault."

Sasuke cocked his head to the side. "My fault?"

His voice was a whisper and Sai nodded as he glared sharply.

"Ever since you came back with your little team!" Sai accused, venom lacing his every word. "Your team replaced her in everything, every setting, and no one cared enough to know it was a fake."

Tsunade perked up at that, curiosity taking over her panic for a moment.

"What was fake, Sai?" she asked.

The man shook his head, tears threatening to fall from his eyes again. "Her smile."

The words pierced through the hearts of them all and finally Naruto made his way into the room. Tsunade stood and put out her hand.