Kakashi’s mind did not stop racing with possibilities even after he got Sakura back to their room. Children going missing with word of a missing-nin from Suna being behind it all. A possible sighting of Kabuto Yakushi in the Land of Fire, not seen since the short period before he took Sasuke for his training. If there was a chance that these two were connected somehow, the copy ninja had to put the pieces together while there was still time to think. The two of them were considerable threats individually—together they would be fearsome. Kakashi could not decide which scenario would end up worse for Sakura and himself. Having placed so much effort into Sakura’s training meant that the time to develop his own skills and abilities was reduced. Still, Sakura was a fast learner and more than capable of surprising him. With what he had managed to teach her thus far, he was going to bet on her in the probable confrontations to come. 

His eye settled on her as she took her seat, raising the question of Kabuto and his possible involvement. He pressed his back against the door for a moment, then changed his mind and moved to take a seat in one of the chairs beside the window, addressing her as he did so.[color=0072bc][b] “Anything is possible. Orochimaru’s experiments take bodies; it doesn’t always need to be someone exceptional. Still, it makes me wonder just why he would need children if Orochimaru already has…”[/b][/color] Kakashi let his voice trail off. Sasuke was likely to be a sore subject for a long time. Eventually he hoped that he could bring him up without fear of her emotions raising. Although concerned, the silver-haired teacher kept his eye trained outdoors to the street below.[color=0072bc][b] “With someone like Orochimaru, it’s going to be difficult to ascertain his motives with complete accuracy. The most that can be confirmed now is that Taro is definitely in the Land of Fire, and tied to the missing children for sure. If we have undeniable proof Kabuto is involved, we’ll take that information back to Tsunade and plot our next move from there. That’s really all we can do for now.” [/b][/color]

Kakashi looked back towards her now, hoping that the answer was enough to give her something to think about. Reading her body language with care, it wasn’t difficult to tell that the combination of the day’s journey with a delicious meal had taken its toll on her energy reserves. He’d admit that he was getting tired too, having experienced the same exact order of events she did.[color=0072bc][b] “Get some rest tonight, you’ve earned every minute of it.”[/b] [/color]He said, looking to her endearingly. 

It was possible that Taro—or worse, Kabuto, if he is truly involved here—had people stationed around the Land of Fire to give early warnings of approaching shinobi passing through town searching for them. Paranoia was a must when dealing with ninja on their level. Kakashi was willing to let Sakura rest easy, allowing him to worry about that. The teacher must look out for his student, after all.