Hey everybody! SO incredibly sorry I've been gone so long, and I'm even more sorry for this uneventful kind of chapter I'm about to give you. I'm using this as sort of a buffer because I've reached a point in the story where I really need to carefully figure out what I'm doing so I can offer you guys the best content possible. I really am trying my best to get out chapters as fast as possible, but this year is just really strenuous for me, so I'm sorry if my updates are really spaced out but I really can't help it. Hopefully you guys will stick with me for the ride and with this little story of mine. But I won't hold you back anymore, so here is chapter 31. 

            "....n do you think he's gonna wake up?"

            "Should be soon but taking so many hits from the Raikage team's barrier is rough on the body."

            "Poor Sasuke-kun... ah I can't believe Sakura is­–hic"

            "Hinata..."

            Sakura... Sakura. Sakura!

            Alarms were suddenly blaring in Sasuke's head, and he jerked up as if he had springs on his limbs, eyes darting every which way in a frenzy. A screech sounded, and a strong hand pushed him down.

            "Sasuke! Sasuke, calm down!"

            Naruto's voice. It didn't matter.

            "Sakura! I need to–" he protested, straining against his best friend's iron grip.

            The blonde pressed his forehead against Sasuke's, forcing him to look him in the eyes.

            "She's gone, Sasuke." His tone softened. "It's been a day. She's... she's gone."

            He could see the truth of his words in the severity of his blue gaze and the tightness of his jaw. Ever so slowly, Naruto released his grip, retreating off of the bed. His words settled like a weight in his chest, anchoring him in the hospital bed.

            She's gone, his inner muttered in a daze. She's gone, she's gone, she's gone. It happened again!

            His chest tightened, and his head swam. Again. She was taken from him again. Again. Again. Again.

            His breath hitched and his heart pounded against his ribcage. His mouth felt numb.

            Ah, I'm hyperventilating.

            A delicate hand grabbed his and a voice whimpered, "Sasuke-kun."

            He turned almost mechanically; his body felt like a separate entity. Familiar lavender eyes glistened, tear stains dotting the armrests of the wheelchair she sat in.

            Wheelchair?

            The sight of the large metal wheels coaxed him out of his impending panic and directed his attention to the bloody bandages around her abdomen.

            "Hinata, what happened?" he managed to croak.

            "Ah... ano... a Zetsu got into my blind spot and–"

            "Managed to break four of her ribs and take a good slice at her," a stern voice answered for her.

            The Hokage was standing at the head of his bed frowning at him.

            "And you, you rammed yourself against possibly the strongest barrier in existence about a dozen times. How stupid can you get? It's only because you're an Uchiha that you survived that, ok?"

            He turned away from her, unable to even open his mouth to retort. How could he not? Not matter how non-sensical it was, he'd had nothing running through his mind but getting her back. Even Naruto hadn't been able to stop him in his frantic attempts to break the barrier.

            Hinata squeezed his hand.

            "Do we know where she is?" he rasped.

            Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

            "Somehow they erased all trace of themselves. This level of meticulousness can only mean that they've been planning this abduction, and that can only mean one thing." She looked each of them in the eyes.

            "There's a spy," Naruto growled.

            Everyone fell silent.

            "Then we have to find that son of a bitch right now and make them tell us where she is!" Sasuke snarled, attempting to push himself up.

            "Don't be stupid and sit your ass down," Tsunade snapped.

            "We don't know what they're doing to her right now! We need to rescue her! What if–" His voice broke. "What if she's dead?"

             "They wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of kidnapping her only to kill her," Tsunade said, crossing her arms. "Zetsus are absolute idiots though, mindless soldiers who just do as they're told. Meaning this was planned by the mastermind behind their creation. They probably need her for something–or more specifically, they need her blood."

            Chills chased down Sasuke's spine. Images of Sakura bleeding out filled his brain. Hinata gave his hand another gentle squeeze.

            "But what would they need her blood for if they can already regenerate?" Naruto asked, taking a seat on the edge of Sasuke's hospital bed.

            "Even if they can regenerate, we're still able to defeat them..." Hinata mused.

            "Hinata's right, but with Sakura's blood, they might be able to regenerate indefinitely." Tsunade's gaze turned hard. "We would be defeated in an instant."

            Silence blanketed the room like a thick fog, weighing heavily on all their chests.

            "Not to mention the possibility of im–"

            Knock knock.

            Tsunade huffed indignantly and turned to glare at the opening door. A man with round, wire-rimmed glasses and a Konoha medical uniform on entered, clearing his throat as he took notice of all the annoyed looks directed at him.

             "Um... sorry to disturb you, Godaime-sama, but the other Kages are waiting for you."

            Tsunade stared at him a moment longer, causing him to wriggle under her gaze. She finally sighed, however, and walked towards the door.

            "Fine, I guess duty calls."

            The Medical Nin bowed his head and stepped aside to let the Hokage pass, but she paused in the doorway.

            "Oh right, and Kabuto, could you patch up these three. They've been injured long enough, now they just look pathetic. They've learned their lesson."

            "Yes, of course, Godaime-sama." He bowed again.

            As soon as Tsunade left, Kabuto straightened his glasses and headed for Sasuke. He shook his head, however, and pointed to the teary-eyed Hyuga in the wheelchair beside him. He blinked and nodded, a halo of green light surrounding his hands as they hovered above Hinata's abdomen.

            Sasuke glanced at his best friend as he worked, noticing the circles under his eyes and the pale sheen of his skin. Clearly, Naruto hadn't slept, though whether that was because he was worried about Sasuke or Sakura was unclear.

            Probably both.

            A spy... It indeed seemed like the only plausible option in light of the nature of the kidnapping, but Konoha was vast with a populating of almost two million people. How would they find one spy in a sea of two million people?

            Yeah but what if there's a group of them? His inner chimed in, sounding dejected.

            Kabuto's face suddenly came into his line of sight, his spiky silver bangs hanging over the Uchiha's eyes.

            "Holy shit!"

            "Ah, sorry to surprise you," he blinked, offering a close-eyed smile.

            Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Something about that smile ticked him off.

            "Your injuries are mostly internal, so you may feel some pulling on the inside," Kabuto said in that typical clinical voice doctors used.

            "This isn't my first time," Sasuke deadpanned.

            Naruto sent him an admonishing glare, but he dismissed it. Kabuto kept that stupid smile on his face and merely nodded.

            Anyway! The spy could be anyone, his inner interjected.

            Yeah, I know. How do we even find out?

            We'll probably have to do night watches to spot any suspicious activity.

            And maybe Naruto can make some clones, his inner mused.

            Well, whatever the case, we're going to find that bastard and get Sakura back, Sasuke growled.

            Agreed.

            As if privy to their conversation, Kabuto continued to smile. 

Again guys, I'm so sorry for this kind of terrible chapter. I know it's just like a filler chapter, but again, I've got a lot on my plate right now, and I wish I could just be writing all the time, but unfortunately that's not possible. Please stick with me, and if you guys need to satiate your Sasusaku hunger, I published a new Sasusaku one-shot in my Naruto One-shots book a week ago. 

Thanks to those of you who read this chapter, and I'll see you guys next time! Ja ne!