Snake Den

"Human trafficking?!" Naruto burst out, slamming his fist onto the table as he stood up, startling the girl.

The bartender motioned for him to sit back down, which Naruto did. "Judging from this one's appearance, she was probably just recently sold."

Both ninja looked at the girl, who continued to hopelessly fumble with the spoon she was trying to pick up.

"They cut their tongue right away so they don't talk back and don't leak any information out about the black market. Some break their fingers so they can't write down messages for help. Others beat them deaf so they can't hear and others break their legs so they don't run. She is one of the more fortunate."

"Fortunate!?" Naruto stood up angrily once more. "How in the world is this fortunate?" he spat out, chakra forming around his clenched fists.

"Get ahold of yourself, Naruto. We can't afford to have you turn here," Sasuke uttered under his breath as he tightened his grip around the blonde's shoulder.

"Mother…mother could be one of them…" the disheartened boy whispered before finally yielding in defeat. "Mother…she has… the same qualities that fit…" Naruto looked away to prevent his tears to be seen.

How could Sasuke not relate? Each night since he and Naruto began the search, it was always his beautiful mother that appeared in his dreams. It was her warm smile and deep blue eyes that lulled him to sleep, that reminded him that tomorrow would be a day worth living for. Because tomorrow might be the day that they find her, be the day that they discover some trace, some sign that she was still alive and well, because with each tomorrow, there will be hope.

But hearing this robbed the optimism from his heart. The probability of mother being alive was not unapparent, but the chances of her being well was not looking up. Was she eating alone was no longer the concern. For weeks, the brothers searched and wondered, for what reason—what possible way—that mother would have been taken. Be it past enemies, they already searched and revisited each and every single one. She was not there. Be it places she went and may have gotten lost, they checked twice over. Still to no avail. But now they hit their worse fear—that mother was taken—against her will and forced into something that no one should ever have to live through.

He could just imagine how she struggled against her captors, how she must've fought until she had no energy, how each second she clung to the hope that her two sons—the two she raised as Leaf's best shinobi—to come to her rescue. And how she waited, to be rewarded by disappointment.

"But not all of the girls are treated this way." Both Naruto and Sasuke gave their full attention to the man once more. "Some actually get taken into very nice families who treasure their beauty. You can consider them as brides for sale."

They didn't dare imagine anything more, only hoped that their mother was still in one piece.

"Where are they sold?" Sasuke finally broke their silence.

The man shrugged. "Can't say, the market is all over, doesn't just stay in one place, ya know? But since you found one, you might still be able to find their den around the area."

That was all they needed to hear. Sasuke tipped the man handsomely before stepping out. When they were outside, Naruto created a shadow clone in which he ordered to escort the young lady to Sakura. This was the least he could do for the pitiful creature. If not for her, they'd probably still be wandering recklessly.

....

Indeed, as the man from the restaurant assumed, there was small cave hidden around the outskirts of the barren area. The two shinobi proceeded cautiously as they surveyed the abandoned den. It wasn't until they reached the end when they found some hint.

Behind a large rock where probably only a squirrel would fit, Naruto discovered a familiar swirl drawn on the ground.

"Sasuke, mother was here."

Sasuke went to confirm with the symbol edged onto the ground. Sasuke nodded at Naruto who expected the same delight in his brother's eyes, but was confused when he found something slightly different. He didn't leave the blonde hanging for long.

"This is one of Orochimaru's abandoned dens." Sasuke's crimson eyes flickered in the dark.

Naruto winced subtly at the name. Whenever that village deserter was involved, nothing good could ever come from it.

"That means…"

"We find him."

…....