Crimson Ties

Chapter 29

Sasuke walked into the Yamanaka flower shop and his eyes searched for Ino. His father had demanded that he joined the team to interrogate all of Sakura's friends. His father was positive someone would know exactly where Sakura was and where she was headed if she left the village. Sasuke knew better than that though, Itachi would have made sure that no one knew where they were going. 

  His eyes finally found Ino and he walked over to her. She looked up and him and smiled softly. 

   "Hey Sasuke, it is really weird seeing you here. I am not sure that you have ever been in the shop before. How can I help you?" Ino asked. 

   "It's about Sakura. My father believes she has left the village and we are hoping someone knows where she is. So my father sent me along with some other officers to ask around." Sasuke explained. 

   "Oh, well I haven't seen her for a few days now. She is usually really busy at the hospital so I very rarely see her anyway. I am probably the last person you should have visited. Have you asked your brother if he has seen her?" Ino asked. 

   "Unfortunately, Itachi is currently on a mission and can not be contacted. We prefer to leave him out of this. Being distracted on a mission is the last thing he needs. Thank you for the information. I will let you know if we find her." Sasuke said as he left the flower shop.

 Sasuke sighed as he ran over the list his father had handed him. His father demanded that he be the one to ask her parents. He already knew they would never find them, but for the sake of acting normal, he headed in the direction of the Haruno residence. 

    Itachi glanced down at the fire he had built for the two of them. There wasn't any motels or homes for miles, so they had to camp for the night. They had made it to the land of Iron just a few hours ago and he was already regretting it. The snow and wind made them both cold and the fire only dulled the chill. 

   Sakura returned with a few stacks of branches to feed the fire for the night. They would have to stay close together to avoid freezing to death over night. Neither of them had decided to bring anything for warmth as they had hoped to avoid the land of iron. They had to go through here to throw off his father in their search for the couple. Itachi knew this would be the last place his father would ever suspect them going towards. They would be safe heading in this direction for awhile. 

   There would be no other villages in this direction or even small towns. They were in a completely desolate place for now. There would be no evidence of them anywhere.

   "We have to dispose of everything we use before we leave in a few hours. There will be no trace of us, it isn't safe to leave anything behind." Itachi stated. 

   Sakura nodded in agreement, her face hiding a hint of sadness. He hated that she had to leave everyone and everything behind. He hated all of this for her. She had been forced to leave her own home because of his clan's selfishness. He fully understood why everyone in the village shyed away from them now. They were selfish and only did what was best for the clan, never the village. They would do whatever it took to make them the strongest and would stop at nothing until that was completed. He knew they had experimented on other clans to be powerful but now he is certain it was never mutual. They were feared for a reason and now he perfectly understood why.