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So this is the final chapter of "Criminal Case!" I will say that the ending was quite abrupt, but that was to be expected anyway. I would just like to say thank you so much for being patient and sticking with this story for so long! I began this story in November of 2014 and I don't regret it at all. This story is my personal favorite and I truly hope you all enjoyed it!

Please tell me what you thought of this story and how I can improve for whatever I write next! Also, there will not be a sequel, so please do not ask for one.

Again, thank you so very much for the votes and comments! My goal was to get 50k reads by the end, but I surpassed my goal with over 67k reads! Now, please enjoy the last chapter of "Criminal Case."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Love does unexpected things to people. People whom have fallen in love do certain things that they would have never done before. They take risks for the ones they love and go to tremendous lengths to save those they deem in danger. It's a commitment and a bond between two people that cause them to go to such great lengths. Love is crazy, but it's endless. There is no finish line, even if one passes away, never to return.

Sakura Haruno is a cautious woman. She always has a pinch of regret deep in her emotions every time she decides to do something risky. For some odd reason, betraying her comrades and doing the unthinkable for the man she loves doesn't waver her even one bit. It's strange to her, but it's a clear sign to her that what she is planning to do is right for her. Her actions will have consequences, she knows this very well. Her friends will look at her differently after this, but she must do this for him.

Putting on her professional attire, she didn't even pull her hair back like usual. She let her pink locks hang free, symbolism that she is no longer the woman she used to be. Her emerald eyes held no emotion due to her being deep in thought. She only had one goal in mind and she had no intention of failing. Sakura stared at her gun that was left on the coffee table as she sat down on the couch. Her eyes scanned every inch of the weapon and the magazine that was filled with bullets right next to it. Making up her mind, a dreadful sigh escaped her lips as she quickly grabbed the gun with her right hand and the magazine with her left. She skillfully inserted the magazine into the gun, clicking it into place then placing the loaded firearm behind her back, the back of her black coat freely falling over the gun, hiding it from sight.

She ended up folding a full outfit and placing it in a small bag and zipping the bag up. The detective tiredly leaned back on the couch and closed her green eyes for a moment, only listening to the light sounds of the air conditioner in her apartment. Going over the plan she had in mind for the thousandth time, she went over the pros and cons of it and how she can successfully get Sasuke out. Usually prisoners are relocated to a different area, but not for Sasuke and other extremely dangerous criminals who had only been behind bars for a few days and are awaiting execution. It wasn't normal, but the cell block for those criminals was on the lowest floor of the station, nearly underground and dark with a heavy amount of security cameras (A/N: real world, I completely doubt that's how it works, but for the sake of the plot, just go with it). She contemplated hiding her identity with dark clothing and a hoody or making it seem like she was there for an interrogation, The second option was the best thing to do in her opinion.

Exhaling loudly, she opened her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows, muttering a single word, "Alright."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Did you get her home safely?" Asked the blonde detective to Sai as he walked into the office.

Sai ignored him and placed his jacket on the back of a chair and Naruto felt offended at the emotionless man not answering him.

"Hey," Naruto started, "When I ask you a question, I expect you to respond. It's disrespectful."

The dark-haired man slowly turned to his partner and gave him a hesitant stare before saying, "We all need to talk about Sakura."

The Uzumaki furrowed his blonde eyebrows and was about to say something before Kakashi walked in and gathered up his work items.

"I'll be going soon," Kakashi started as he was shuffling through files and placing them in a folder, "I just have to check the security cameras to make sure they're working okay and then I'll be leaving for Suna at 9 at night. Please don't contact me while I'm gone unless it's an emergency."

Sai's next sentence stopped Kakashi from gathering his materials when he said, "The three of us need to talk about Sakura for a bit."

The silver-haired man turned to him with a questioning look and asked, "What is there to talk about?"

Sai sat down in his chair and closed his eyes, reluctant to even continue, but he knew he had to. He opened his dark eyes and glanced at both Naruto and Kakashi before saying, "Call in Nara."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sakura slung the bag over her shoulder and looked around her apartment once more to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. With a final glance, she was about to open the door to her apartment until a knock made her hand stop from reaching for the door knob. Gulping, she slowly opened the door, but it was swung open as someone embraced her.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" The blonde woman said, embracing the pinkette whom had widened her eyes at the sudden impact.

"Ino. . ." was all Sakura could muster. She pulled away from her embrace and stared at her for a moment. She noticed Ino's blue eyes gazing at the bag slung across her shoulders.

"Were you about to leave?"

Clearing her throat, Sakura replied, "Actually, yes. Now is not a good time to talk."

Worry crossed the blonde's expression as she looked at her best friend, "Is something wrong?"

Trying to keep a stoic expression to decrease suspicion, the detective gave a small smile, "No, I'm just in a rush."

"Oh, I understand," her eyes stared at the woman and Sakura heaved a sigh.

"Ino, I never told you this, but," Sakura's green eyes narrowed at her friend when she said, "you are such a good friend and you've been one for so many years. I never showed how grateful I am, so I just want to say thank you."

Ino tilted her head to the side, asking, "Forehead, what's going on?"

She bit her lip at that nickname and looked at Ino, giving her a genuine smile she replied, "Don't worry about me. I really have to go," she pulled the blonde into a tight and desperate embrace and said, tearing up, "thank you," from there, she left Ino in place and ran down the narrow hallway to reach the elevator.

All Ino could do was stare into the apartment in disbelief, due to Sakura neglecting to close the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"You've got to be kidding me," Naruto nearly exclaimed at Sai's inquiry.

Keeping a stoic expression, Sai replied, "As detectives, we are supposed to pay attention to everything. This includes facial expressions and the tone of voice when it comes to someone talking about a certain topic. When Ugly talked about Sasuke Uchiha, there was sadness laced in her voice. I'm not going to assume she had a special relationship with him, because it's too soon to make that hypothesis, but something had to have happened between the two of them."

Shikamaru crossed his arms and replied, "How do you suppose we go about this situation then, interrogate a fellow detective just because her tone was suspicious?"

"Yes," was all he said.

Kakashi sighed at the situation and asked, "So suppose Sakura did have a special relationship with Sasuke Uchiha, which is very unlikely in my opinion, what do we do about it?"

Sai narrowed his eyes at the question, but nonetheless stated what everyone was dreading, "We confirm it with Sasuke Uchiha and do what the law tells us to do."

Naruto grit his teeth and shook his head in disbelief, "Sakura would never do something like that. You're just overthinking."

Shikamaru responded, "Sai's right, Naruto. We should take this into consideration."

The blonde's head whipped to the side at Shikamaru, whom remained calm, "Have you all lost your minds?! You're telling me that you suspect Sakura, our friend and co-worker, of having ties to a criminal like Sasuke Uchiha?!"

Naruto was fuming and it was obvious to all three other men in the room. In hopes of calming the blonde down, Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder and said in a composed tone, "I feel the same as you do Naruto, don't get me wrong. Sakura is like a daughter to me and I would never want to think of her doing something like that, but you need to remember how she acted towards hearing the news of Sasuke's execution."

Naruto's eyes widened at the memory. Her crestfallen tone and unhappy expression immediately clicked in his brain and he hated to admit it, but it did make sense. She was obviously uneasy at the mention of the unexpected news.

"I don't want to believe it. . ." Naruto muttered in defeat.

Sai stood up, "We should go see her now."

Kakashi shook his head in response and said, "She was just released from the hospital and is probably tired. Let her rest for the night and we'll go see her in the morning. This means I can't go on my trip, but I do understand the seriousness of this situation. Besides, I still have to take care of something before I leave."

Naruto softly said, "I'll assist you, Kakashi. You and I need to talk privately about this anyway, for Sakura's sake."

~*~*~*~*~*~

During the time of that conversation between Sakura's co-workers, she was in a taxi on her way to the station. Again, she was rethinking her plan in hopes of there being no flaws. The abrupt stop of the vehicle snapped Sakura out of her thoughts and she paid the driver before exiting the car. Nearly running to the side entrance that only high ranked staff could go through, she took out a card and showed it to the accessing pad and the door unlocked. She glanced behind and around her for a moment before entering.

It was no surprise to Sakura that she had to walk through a few hallways to get to the cell block. The halls were bland with a gray color and shiny white floors. She knew there were security cameras around, so in case anyone was watching her through the cameras, she maintained a professional composure, despite the situation she was about to put herself through. Her heart rate increased when she was just about to turn the corner where the cell block would be. The lights were dimming each step closer she took to her destination. Sakura's pace decreased and she immediately stopped when she saw who stood to the side of the blocked off cell block.

How did he get this position? This is below him. . .

His eyes spotted the pink-haired woman and a smile immediately arose within his lips. She internally smirked to herself, for she knew she can use this to her advantage.

"Sakura. . ." the man mumbled under his breath as she neared him.

Placing herself in front of him, she softly smiled, "Kiba."

He longingly looked into her eyes and said, "I had no idea you were released from the hospital. I've been worried sick."

Chuckling, Sakura replied, "I was actually released this morning. But what are you doing here? You're not apart of the security unit."

His gaze turned to the side and he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and said, "This is kind of like my probation."

Sakura gave him a shocked look and he chuckled at her expression, saying, "Don't worry, it was nothing major. I got really aggressive with Naruto and used unnecessary brutality when we arrested Sasuke Uchiha."

The mention of his name made Sakura grimace and Kiba noticed her change of expression immediately. His eyes narrowed at her when he asked, "You're not here to see that bastard, are you?"

Sakura gave a fake giggle and said with sweetness laced in her tone, "No, silly. I came here to see you and thank you," she looked up at him and he stared down at her with such lust in his eyes as she continued, innocence hinted in her words, "you know. . . for saving my life."

Kiba exhaled in disbelief, feeling as if he finally won her over. His hand reached for her and cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb delicately against her smooth skin, "All that matters is that you survived and we can start over-" he cut himself off when he spotted the bag that dangled from Sakura's shoulder. His eyes darted from the bag to her face and he asked with confusion, "What's the bag for?"

Sakura panicked for a moment before pulling him down to embrace Kiba in an attempt to distract him from his question. His arms wrapped around her when she said, "I want us to start over," her voice drifted as her hand reached for the baton that was behind his back and attached to his belt. She slowly grabbed it as she said, "but, I can't," her voice was breathless when she said that.

Kiba muttered, "Wha-" but was cut off when Sakura swung the end of the baton at Kiba's temple, causing him to collapse on the ground unconscious. Her chest heaved up and down as she stared at his fallen body, trying to reassure herself that he was only knocked out.

Turning his body over, she searched for the keys of the cell block and found them dangling from his pants. She quickly grabbed the key and stood from her position. She approached the door to the block and inserted the key and turned her hand, the door making a low sound confirming it was successfully unlocked. Sakura swung open the door and walked down the hall that was aligned with small rooms, guarded by a door of bars. There weren't many criminals in there, but the few that were stared at her in confusion and desperation in the hopes of the woman freeing them from their confinement. Sakura frantically looked into each room and felt a wave of relief wash over her as she saw that raven hair that she longed to see.

Running to his cell, she stared at him for a moment before opening her mouth. He was in that ugly orange jumpsuit with the top taken off, only seeing a wife beater and orange shorts. Sasuke was seated on the side of the bed, bent over with his face in his hands. She sighed at how defeated he looked, but immediately remembered why she was there.

"Sasuke," she softly said.

Without hesitation, he looked up at her and showed the most shocked expression she had ever seen. He rose from his seated position and neared her, staring at her through the bars the separated the two. In a menacing and low tone, he asked her, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm getting you out of here," she said, fumbling with the key and preparing to insert it into the keyhole. Through the bars, he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. Sakura's head whipped up at him from the sudden physical contact.

His onyx eyes stared intently into hers when he said, "Don't do this, not for me. I've accepted my fate, don't change it."

Sakura grit her teeth and shook her head, "No, you don't deserve this fate. I won't let you die like this no matter what you say to me."

His grip tightened on her wrist, making her slightly wince at his strong grip, "Don't you get it, Sakura? I've known the outcome of my actions since I made the goal to kill my brother. I've finally done so and I am facing the consequences head on."

She stared at him in disbelief and angrily replied, "And how about me, Sasuke? Were you planning on making me fall in love with you and then dying a pointless death, leaving me to mourn over your absence?"

His onyx eyes slightly widened at her words and his grip loosened on her wrist when he whispered, "Love?"

She removed her wrist from his grip and put the key in the keyhole, turning it and opening the cell, "If you think I'm going to leave you to rot in a cell and await your execution after making me fall for you, you must be stupid."

He froze at her words and asked, "Don't you understand what you're doing? You're committing a crime and risking everything."

"You think I don't know that? I've made this decision because I want you to live and I'm willing to leave everything behind in order to be with you," her gaze fell on the ground and before she could even look up, she was caught in a strong embrace that she wasn't used to.

In her embrace, he said, "Thank you. . ."

Those two words made her chest feel warm and she couldn't help but smile. As much as she didn't want to break the embrace, Sakura knew there wasn't much time, so she lightly pushed him away and tossed him the bag, "There's clothes in there. Put them on quickly, we don't have much time."

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was only a couple minutes later when the Uchiha had his signature dark clothes on and walked out of the cell.

"Okay," Sakura said, "We're going to leave out of the side of the building. Put your hood up and be very cautious of anyone approaching."

Sasuke nodded in response and walked closely behind Sakura, nearing the exit of the cell block. He noticed the unconscious body on the ground in front of the opened door and he smirked to himself at the thought of Sakura knocking someone out. Just as the two stepped out of the cell block, Sakura felt a cold gun barrel being placed on the side of her temple and a voice saying, "Don't move."

Her emerald eyes widened at the voice and she felt as if her whole world stop. Her eyes glanced to the side, seeing the silver-haired man's eyes widen at the sight of her.

"Sakura. . ." the pinkette looked to the front of her and saw another figure pointing a gun at her and she wanted to break right then and there at the sight of Naruto.

She noticed him absent-mindedly lowering his gun as he stared at her in disbelief. With quick movements, Sasuke hit the gun out of Kakashi's hand, having it fall to the ground by Sakura's feet as he grabbed the gun from behind Sakura's back and pointed it at the blonde Uzumaki. The Uchiha then grabbed Sakura's arm and forced her to move behind him and kicked Kakashi's gun to the side, out of his reach.

Naruto immediately raised the gun back at the Uchiha and exclaimed, "What the hell is this, Sakura?!"

She was on the brink of having a panic attack right then and there at the betrayal her closest friends must be feeling. No words left her mouth at Naruto's sudden outburst.

"Well?!" Naruto exclaimed once again staring at the Uchiha and glaring very harshly at him.

Kakashi froze in his place, not able to fathom the current situation he was in. He couldn't help but back away from Sakura and place himself at a safe distance. He narrowed his eyes at the three younger adults, watching as the two men threatened to shoot each other through their menacing glares. The Hatake's eyes then focused on the alarmed woman, wondering what was going through her head.

He snapped out of his thoughts when the Uchiha harshly said to Naruto, "Keep talking and I'll put a bullet in your fucking head."

Naruto couldn't help but snicker at his words and tightened his grip on his gun when saying, "That's a lot of talk for someone who is in the same situation. Where's your sword, Uchiha? Wouldn't you rather slit my throat like you've done with so many others? I would just be another addition to the countless others you've murdered."

Sasuke grit his teeth at that and Sakura couldn't stand watching this scene. She hesitantly walked from behind the man she was in love with and stood in front of Naruto's pointed gun, protecting the criminal behind her.

"Sakura," Naruto shook his head at her, "don't tell me you're. . ." he showed her a pained expression, realizing that what Sai said was true. 

She bit her lip before saying, "If you shoot him, you shoot me too."

He gasped at her words and asked with anger, "What did he do?! Did he brainwash you? Lie to you?"

"No," she looked into his blue eyes, "I'm the one who's been lying to you and our whole unit."

Kakashi said with content present in his tone, "Explain yourself, Sakura."

Looking down for a moment, the pink-headed detective replied, "All I'm going to say is that I fell in love with him and I'm willing to go to extreme measures to protect him."

The sun-kissed blonde nearly screamed, "Why did you do this? You've betrayed us!"

"There's nothing I can do about it now," her voice trailed, "you two know me better than anyone I know. You know I stick to my decisions and I trust my instincts. You two have to believe in me, like you always have."

The silver-haired man walked to Sakura and stood in front of her, the barrel of Naruto's gun lightly touching his back.

Sighing he said, "What is it you want, Sakura?" Kakashi asked with a fatherly tone, wanting to know what her true intentions are.

Sakura stared up at him, the man who she felt was the closest thing to a father figure she has had recently. Her eyes watered when she responded, "I just want to be with him."

Kakashi placed his hands on her shoulders and closed his eyes, sighing. Sasuke immediately narrowed his eyes darkly at the older man. With his eyes still closed, he said, "Naruto, lower your gun."

"Are you insan-" Kakashi cut him off.

"This is Sakura we're talking about; your best friend, someone you consider a sister. Whatever her reasons are for falling in love with someone like Sasuke Uchiha, we probably won't even begin to understand. So do as I say and lower your gun," his eyes opened, looking at the Uchiha, "you too, Sasuke."

Naruto and Sasuke were hesitant, but listened to the older man.

"Thank you. . ." Sakura told Kakashi, hugging him gratefully.

"Hatake," Naruto professionally said, "You do realize this jeopardizes us too, right? We're helping a criminal escape. It's all caught in the security tapes."

"I'll take care of that," he turned to look at Sakura, "what are you going to do now? It won't be long until Chief finds out you're gone and the Uchiha has gone missing."

Sakura glanced up at Sasuke, but then looked back to the Hatake and said, "We'll figure something out."

"Where are you going to go?" The sun-kissed blonde asked.

Kakashi looked at the couple in front of him and said, "I know exactly where they are going to go." Sakura gave him a questioning look before he continued by saying, "I have a train ticket to Suna that departs at 9. It's a week day and not many are going to be on the train so you should be able to buy another last minute ticket," he reached into his pocket and handed the ticket to Sakura.

She looked at the slip of paper in her hand before saying, "Kakashi. . . Are you sure?"

He sighed dreadfully, "Only if you are."

The detective nodded at him and looked up at him with a crestfallen expression, "So I guess this is goodbye, huh?"

He nodded, "I suppose it is. I can't say I'm not very disappointed in you for doing this, but I also know that I can't stop you. You're too stubborn."

She frowned, but embraced him once again, saying 'thank you' under her breath. During her embrace, Sakura saw Naruto's miserable expression as he stared at her with a mix of hatred and disappointment present within his facial expression. The woman approached him and said, "I'm so sorry, Naruto."

He was silent, but soon said, "Kakashi and I were in the security camera room and saw that Kiba was on the ground and the cell block door was open. We didn't know what to expect, but I sure as hell did not expect for you to be breaking Sasuke Uchiha out of jail. We were trying to find him for months and you were with him the entire time. You don't understand how hurt I am."

Shakily, she said, "I understand. I hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me," not daring to look him in the eye again, she walked away from him and grabbed Sasuke's hand, walking away from the other two detectives.

The whole time the couple walked away, Naruto and Kakashi watched as someone they cared about, someone whom betrayed them, held hands with a criminal, hoping that one day they'll find it in their hearts to forgive a traitor like her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sakura knew she couldn't return to her apartment, so in case she needed a quick escape, she brought a bundle of cash that she kept for emergencies with her, knowing that she would have to use it to get out of Konoha. She made sure Sasuke had his hood on, concealing his identity while they road in a cab to the train station. She was able to purchase another train ticket once the two arrived at the station. The pinkette felt like everything was going too fast, that everything that happened in the past hour never actually happened. But she knew that she was doing this, she was leaving everything behind because she loved him and couldn't stand the thought of living life without him.

They boarded the train without anything with them and sat side by side. Her heart rate increased once she felt the train slowly move and she looked out the window, watching as the city lights moved past her with until the lights disappeared, declaring that that was her last look at Konoha. Sakura felt a large and rough hand grip hers and she turned to look at the beautiful man that she ran away with. For the first time, she saw the look of gratitude in his eyes as he gave her a reassuring look, causing her to smile. Sakura knew she made the right choice for herself, even if she knew no one else would agree.

And as she held onto Sasuke Uchiha's hand and looked into his eyes, she thought about all the family and friends she had just left behind, wondering what Sai and Shikamaru would think of her. Yet deep in her heart, she didn't care. She had no idea what would come next, but she knew that she needed Sasuke by her side.

Sakura Haruno was assigned a criminal case that involved a man, whom experienced everyone he loved being slaughtered right before his eyes, wanting to seek revenge and soon become labeled as a troubled criminal. She never expected to fall hopelessly in love with him, but she did.

And yet. . . She doesn't regret it.