I actually thought they knew Sasuke was gone. The type he dumped to OROCHIMARU, and then KILLED HIM, followed by ITACHI. It's supposed to spread all over the world, isn't it? And as far as I remember, many villages, including the hidden fog, knew about the rumor of Orochimaru's death at the hands of Sasuke. How did it happen that Tazuna and Inari didn't hear anything about it is very interesting.
@ssddkkvv: I believe about Orochimaru's death that it spread, but about Itachi, i.e., in fact, akatsuki - not so much. Again, it most likely spread between the tops, at most between the ninjas, because they were initiated into the threat of akatsuki (and then most likely without details, just orientation). I'm not sure that every ordinary villager is aware of such things - they work quietly, live, etc.
Oru with the voice of an anchor.
- Come on, nothing like that! (c)
Well, well, well, well >_>