"Explosions"
"Boom!" A huge explosion was heard from the middle of the forest. A huge fire and smoke were covering the whole area. A group of ninjas came to stop the fire. They used Water Style Techniques to cease the flames. Slowly, the fire vanishes, and all that was left were ashes.
"I called you four to search for the perpetrators and investigate the sudden explosion in one of the Kaminarimon's laboratories," Kakashi said while looking at each of them. Four people were called for a new mission in the name of Sakura Haruno, Sai, Hinata Hyuga, and Naruto Uzumaki.
"You can rely on Hinata's Byakugan to search for evidence and Sai's investigative skills to successfully accomplish this mission," Kakashi added.
"We decided to put Sakura and Naruto along for support." Shikamaru, who was beside Kakashi spoke.
"Lord Sixth, an urgent request from the Kaminarimon's owner!" Shizune hurriedly enters the Hokage's Office.
"Agh.. you can just drop the 'Lord' thing Shizune," Kakashi said.
Shizune hands over a scroll to Kakashi. Kakashi immediately reads what was written on it.
"There was an assault inside the Kaminarimon's company?" Kakashi muttered.
"What? They had directly attacked the office?" Shikamaru was shocked.
"They are desperate over something important," Kakashi said.
"How do you say so?" Shikamaru asked.
"It is just my hunch." His quick replied.
"After your investigation in the laboratory, proceed to the Kaminarimon's company for details about the assault. Understood? Kakashi said.
"Yes Sir!" They answered in unison.
"Move now!" He ordered. The four of them immediately leave the office and ran towards the forest.
"Did you see anything?" Sai asked Hinata.
"6 kilometers, northwest direction," Hinata said.
"Yosh!" Naruto muttered and they ran forward northwest direction.
After few minutes of jumping off trees, they had finally reached the target point, the burnt laboratory. They stood at the laboratory's facade. A police officer guides them inside the laboratory. Hinata kept her Byakugan activated. They kept walking inside the building to look for some evidence.
Hinata approached the corner of the building.
"What did you see Hinata?" Sakura asked.
They followed her and they saw some shuriken and kunai.
"They might be some fighting before the flames burned the building," Naruto muttered.
"There were ninjas guarding this laboratory but, I don't know what the perpetrators' motives for taking this down." The police officer said. He picked one of the kunai and started the inspection.
"Keep those shurikens and kunais, they are a help for the investigation," Sai said and the police officer started picking up those weapons and wrapped them in a clean cloth.
They walked towards the building's exit and decided to proceed to the main office.
Some of the ninjas were roving around the office for extra security. The perpetrators might attack them anytime.
"Thank you for coming here. I would like to ask for your help." The owner of the Kaminarimon's company was in front of them.
"What happened here?" Sai started to ask some question to him.
"A group of ninjas attacked my laboratory in the middle of the forest. That laboratory was producing gemaki cards to be sold in the market. After that bombing incident, they attacked this office. Some of my guards got killed and some of my important items like the cards recently produced were stolen by them." He explained.
"Besides these incidents, are there any unusual events that happened after?" Sai asked.
"Nothing unusual happened recently but, I should not just sit here and wait for them to attack again before moving. Please capture those perpetrators immediately." He pleaded.
Sai nodded. The four of them headed back to the Hokage's Office to report about the information they had gathered.
"Hmm. They are after those cards." Kakashi muttered.
"I have an intuition that this is all about competition," Sai said.
"Business?" Naruto asked.
"Exactly," Shikamaru confirmed.
"Kaminarimon Company is the biggest company in the village. There might be other companies, specifically the smaller ones which tried to drag it down. These smaller companies were outweighed by the Kaminarimon's company that's why they are trying to destroy it." Kakashi explained.
"That's awful!" Naruto complained.
"The investigation was only the first part of your mission, what you are going to do now is to capture those perpetrators and take back those gemaki cards to the Kaminarimon Company," Kakashi said.
"Our problem now is we don't know who are those perpetrators and their location," Naruto said.
"Don't worry about it, remember those kunais we have gathered from the laboratory? They were a big help." Sai said.
"I see," Naruto replied.
"We need to divide our team into two so the searching process will be easy. I'll take Hinata with me." Sai said.
"But, is it fine with you Hinata?" Naruto asked. Sai was confused. Hinata was surprised by his statement.
"Yeah, it's fine," Hinata replied.
"She must not be that comfortable with you Sai, ya know?" Naruto said with a weird face.
"Idiot! This is a mission and Sai is better known for this kind of job being a former member of the Anbu and a member of the investigation team. So you should trust his orders." Sakura told him.
"Don't worry I will take care of her but, I think Hinata doesn't need protection," Sai said and smiled.
"Yeah, Hinata's strong but, y--" Sakura did not let him finish and grabbed his ear away from Hinata.
"Stop with your rantings, will you? Hinata's gonna be fine. You're overreacting." Sakura said still grabbing his ear.
Hinata laughed at them.
"They're really close to each other," Sai said.
Hinata looked at him and then moved her sight downwards and spoke. "Yeah."
"Let's go," Sai said and they moved. They were currently looking for the location of the perpetrators.
"Do you see anything?" Sai asked Hinata.
Hinata shook her head. No progress.
"I see," Sai muttered.
"Sai? Any leads?" Naruto, who was on the other line. They were using wireless mic equipment to communicate even though they were distant from each other.
The Shinobi world was evolving. There were new technologies that emerged but the heart of a shinobi still remains.
"Sadly, no," Sai replied.
"I see. How's Hinata?" He asked. Sai looked at Hinata before he answered.
"She's fine." He answered. Naruto did not respond after that. They continued looking for the perpetrators' location.
"No progress. Let's have some rest for now." Sai said. They settled in front of a campfire having dinner. Naruto's cheerfully talking to Hinata giving her silly jokes while Hinata's laughing at him.
Sai noticed Sakura jealously staring at them. She then turned her gaze on her meal and her lips painted a sad smile.
"They look so happy together," Sai muttered. Sakura looked at him and smiled.
"Yeah," Sakura replied and gave him a bitter-sweet smile.
"What about you and Sasuke?" He asked.
Sakura's face was surprised then she looked away. She shook her head saying nothing's going on between them after Sasuke left the village to atone for his sins. She then remembered Sasuke saying "Maybe next time" but when's that next time? So I'll just wait here until he gets back? What if he won't come back? She thought.
"Why do you keep on chasing Sasuke when you are able to find someone else, someone better than him?" Sai said. Sakura paused for a moment feeling so shocked. She knew Sai and Ino was currently a thing.
Ino was her rival on Sasuke before. She even declared it herself but, now she had Sai who's with her every time. Sakura thought that Ino made the right decision of letting Sasuke go and she had found a better guy like Sai. Ino's always ahead of me. She always had a better life compared to me. She thought.
Sakura was saddened by the thoughts in her head. Her mind was messy. She was confused about her feelings towards Sasuke. She was thinking of keeping him in her heart or letting go of him. I always make wrong choices. She thought again.
***
The next day they continued searching for the perpetrators. Sai and Hinata; Naruto and Sakura.
"Sakura, do you have access to Sai and Hinata? The connection suddenly lost. I'm worried about them." Naruto said.
"You are really worried about Hinata, aren't you?" Sakura asked.
"Hmm. Yeah. I am relieved when she's with me." Naruto replied. Sakura smiled bitterly.
Hinata's lucky. She had Naruto. Sakura thought. She remembered how Naruto goofed around her when they were still kids. Naruto had a crush on her for a long time but, she kept on ignoring him and chased after someone who neglects her feelings all the time now she's not even sure if Sasuke had the same feelings towards her.
What if I chose Naruto over Sasuke? What would my life be? She thought. She shook her head. What are you thinking Sakura? She scolded herself.
"Are you okay, Sakura?" Naruto asked her. She was so surprised by Naruto's sudden statement and got herself outbalanced. She fell from the tree she stepped on.
"Waaaaaaahhh!" She screamed. Naruto immediately jumped towards her and saved her from falling onto the ground.
They settled on the ground while Naruto's carrying her. She looked at him and he looked back at her.
"Are you okay?" Naruto worriedly asked her.
"Y-Yeah! Thank you, Naruto." She said. Naruto puts her down.
"You look so bothered. Are you okay?" He asked again.
She did not answer.
"Are you thinking about something? Maybe that's very important. You're not that preoccupied when it's nothing." He added. Sakura was looking at the ground. She was just listening to him.
She suddenly hugged Naruto. She could not bear the heavy feelings she had at the moment anymore. She has no one to talk to about her feelings. She wanted to scream if that would make her better. She cried. Naruto knew Sakura's bearing something in her heart, something sad and painful.
"I was thinking, what if I chose you over Sasuke? Would my life become better? I think I've made the wrong choice. I keep on making wrong choices every time." Sakura said in between her sobs. She was still hugging him. Naruto was silent and was just listening to her.
Naruto held her shoulders.
"Listen up Sakura. I did not know what love really is until I saw Hinata's memories of me in that genjutsu. I don't have anyone, nobody made me feel I was loved instead people around me made me feel I was hated and cursed. I was so lonely. Nobody took away that loneliness inside me, the reason why I seek love and attention and make friends with everyone. I know how you feel right now. You are looking for someone who will take away that loneliness inside you. I know and you know it is only Sasuke who can take away that loneliness in your heart." Naruto said. She moved Sakura away from his chest and looked at her crying face. Sakura looked at him.
"Hinata made me feel I was loved and worth dying for. I was too dumb to not realize it sooner but later. Sasuke's heart is lonely as well I know, and it is only you who can take away that loneliness from him. You are just confused with your feelings right now. I am pretty sure who I want to spend the rest of my life with. I want to grow old with Hinata and die in her arms. I love her with all of my heart and I know you love Sasuke with all of your heart too. Don't give up on him. You made it this far just think of the things why you keep on waiting for your love to be paid back. Just don't stop waiting for him, he'll be back for you for sure. If he won't then, you can come to him anytime I think." Naruto told her.
Sakura cried even more. She remembered telling Naruto things back then. Now he was lecturing her. She was grateful to Naruto.
"Naruto, thank you for helping me clear all my doubts. Thank you." She said.
"Agh. You helped me back then I was just repaying you." Naruto replied. Sakura gave him a smile.
After few minutes Hinata and Sai arrived. They had finally found the perpetrators' location. They immediately moved and headed towards the perpetrators' area and accomplished their mission.
They had successfully captured the perpetrators and hand over the gemaki cards to the Kaminarimon Company. Naruto and his friends returned to the village.
They bid farewell to each other upon leaving the Hokage's Office. Hinata and Naruto were left behind. Sakura and Sai already left them. Hinata was silent.
"Hinata let's go home. Wait, want to grab some ramen? My treat!" He declared.
"Hm.. sorry Naruto, I need to get home as soon as possible, maybe next time?" She refused.
"A-ah, okay. Then let me accompany yo--" she interrupted him.
"It's fine. Don't worry about me. Get some rest." She said then ran away.
"Wait, Hinata!" Naruto called out for her but she kept running away. She left Naruto in confusion.
"What's wrong Hinata?"