Warnings: Post series, so it will contain spoilers at least to this point of manga; violence, disturbing murder investigation things, and other things I will tell you about when the time comes.


The Hunting Ground

Chapter One


There was something soothing in the ritual of cleaning recently used blades. It didn't really matter if they had been soaked in blood or not; if they'd been used, then they had to be cleaned.

Sasuke was sitting on the wooden steps just inside of his family house; the same place Itachi had once been - a long, long time ago - accused of killing his best friend. That ancient history was less painful now, when he knew the truth, but he was nonetheless aware at all times. With every piece of steel that became shiny and clean under his experienced hands the voices were growing quieter in his mind. As far as he was concerned, that was the only real difference about Konoha since he got back for good; the voices never used to grow quiet, not even for a little while.

Everything else was as he remembered it – none of his business.

The ANBU that came to him was the one with the cat-like slits for eyes. Sasuke knew that as soon as the man settled his weight on the rooftop across form his house, on the other side of the fence. It was not the chakra signature, as he was doing a good job of concealing it. But when he landed, he divided the weight unequally, favoring one leg. He'd been around there before, to give Sasuke one message or the other, so there was no place for a doubt; it was the ANBU in a cat mask and a slight damage of the right ankle.

Sasuke laid the kunai he'd been working on back to its place and walked out.

The ANBU landed in front of him.

"Hokage-sama requires your attendance in his office in fifteen minutes."

He was gone before Sasuke had the opportunity to say anything, which was just as well. It was not as if could say he would not go, even if he had a reason not to. He hurried up to the house to change the clothes that was dirty and ripped after this morning's training. A regular lower-ranked shinobi ensemble would be enough but Sasuke needed his gloves to cover his hands, which had been burned to the point of blistering that morning.

This was the first time Naruto had summoned him to the Hokage tower.

Sasuke couldn't know for sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he knew it had to be something important, something that would turn what little of life he'd managed to grasp upside down. Naruto made a point of not letting Sasuke anywhere near him. The sting was there even though he didn't really want to be near Naruto all that much, no matter what differences the years had made in them.

Every mission he'd get from a nameless ANBU, who'd bring the paperwork to his door. The only times he could see Naruto was when Konoha had something official going on. For such occasions, Naruto, as the current Hokage, had to be present.

Sakura was around often enough, though. Luckily, she'd grown up, so spending some time with her was not a hardship - it wouldn't have been even if she hadn't always brought news, told stories about the world outside and Naruto and his plans for Konoha's future. Sasuke couldn't agree with a lot of it, Naruto was changing too much of the way things worked, successfully, for generations. He'd kept his opinions to himself. It wasn't fight he was willing to invest himself into.

There were no guards in front of the Hokage's office, which was an odd sight. It probably meant that the meeting was important enough to put the guards where they'd be more than just an accessory - or that Naruto's reign had greater flaws than Sasuke realized. He wanted to knock and announce his arrival, but the door opened from the inside just as he raised his hand. Sakura gave him a smile, still holding the knob – an odd smile that told him nothing about the nature of the occurrence.

There were other people aside from Sakura in there. Nara, Naruto's adviser or what ever the technical term was - a dark haired guy Sasuke remembered from the academy - was bending over the desk, reading something. The Hyuugas – Neji and his cousin, Hinata were standing on the side; that Sai person also, Shizune next to the desk and the Aburame clan heir on a side. The elite of the new Konoha, plus – ah, right there - the Hokage.

Naruto was sitting at the table, in tan pants - which he obviously acquired in Suna - and black shirt, with the pouch across his chest in Kumo style. Either diplomatic travels managed to teach Naruto how to dress or he'd hired someone to do it for him. But that was where the good impression ended; the dark circles under Naruto's eyes and the unusual paleness spoke of several long, sleepless nights in a row.

Naruto was swinging his legs like a kid, prompted back on his arms and giving Shizune a mock glare, saying loudly, obviously still unaware Sasuke was walking in, "I don't think he'd be horribly impressed to see me sitting in a chair, so stuff it."

Shizune glared right back at him. Working for Tsunade for years had made her very resilient.

"It's not proper."

Naruto scoffed, "Well, neither is keeping a pig in the office, but you don't hear me complaining, do you?"

Sakura, still on Sasuke's left, laughed softly under her breath and whispered, "He's not complaining because Ton-Ton eats all of his paperwork and most of the clothes I manage to force on him."

Sasuke almost opened his mouth to say something - like that Naruto was probably hiding his paper work and accusing the pig so he wouldn't have to work - but he stopped himself in time. Sakura's warm, friendly tone almost made him answer in the same manner, with some kind of a half-insult. It was hardly the time or the place. He was there for a mission of one kind or another, and that was all.

Sakura sighed and closed the door, letting it make as much noise as it was necessary to snap Naruto's attention to them. His back straightened and he scanned Sasuke up and down, in a sharp and intense way that made him think he was being searched for either wounds or weapons. The blue eyes were bright, shining happily when they met his; as if Naruto were quite happy he got to see Sasuke.

"Hokage-sama," Sasuke spoke first. He needed to keep a distance of his own, but it was hard to mean it. He was supposed to bow his head and crouch in front of the Hokage as well, but he wouldn't do that unless Naruto demanded it. Which, ironically enough, he just might do because of the way Sasuke addressed him.

It was a familiar fact Naruto didn't like very much to be called that. People in the village, in all those conversation Sasuke had heard around, wondered about that - it was odd, and wouldn't someone as starved for attention as Naruto had always been enjoy his title?

Naruto was not starved for that kind of attention, but it would be hard to explain that to people. He wanted to be acknowledged, not to play royalty, so when people acted as if he was anything but an equal, it was normal enough that he wouldn't like it.

So stressing out the title was bound to make that glint disappear.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He didn't say anything, and after a moment of holding Sasuke's gaze levelly, he went around the desk and sat down. Shizune nodded approvingly, because Naruto bow looked serious and very professional. He took a folder from a pile and threw it on the far side of the table, closer to Sasuke, and indicated that Sasuke should take it.

"Your file. Skills, missions, official evaluation and personal opinions of people you worked with in the last year," Naruto said.

Sasuke took it, but didn't bother opening it. He knew what missions he had been to, and if his assessments were not good enough for whatever Naruto was trying to accomplish then he would have to say it. It was not as if Sasuke had done a proper mission, suitable for someone with his qualifications, in forever, anyway.

"It says you're not completely incompetent," Naruto intoned, aiming to insult. Sasuke could have told him that with the possible exception of Naruto himself, and even that only when it comes to the sheer power, he was the very best Konoha had ever had. But as Naruto knew that better than anyone, Sasuke kept quiet and waited. Naruto finished, "So I'm going to give you an important job. Show him."

The last part was directed to Nara, who frowned at the words.

"I have to say one last time that I don't think this is a good idea."

Naruto, still keeping his burning blue eyes on Sasuke, answered in a clipped tone that suited him surprisingly well and made Sasuke want selfishly they were twelve again so he could call Naruto names, "Noted. Show him."

Nara opened another folder and passed him a photograph. There was a dead body in it, nothing else. It was a young girl, slightly blue and swollen, with filthy and shredded cloths.

"A drowning?" Sasuke asked the quiet room. Naruto nodded.

"She was an academy graduate, found dead in the Forest of Death early this morning," Nara informed him. "A single gate was left opened. When a guard examined it, it turned out that it was not unsealed, the chain was simply broken."

Sasuke could feel his eyebrows rise. Unsealing those chains would be much easier than breaking them, if you had any skill at all. Breaking the chain in size and quality of those on the gates of the Forest of Death would be a ridiculous effort for a shinobi – even for a first year academy student. That meant who ever did it was either leaning on his probably impressive strength a great deal or not a ninja at all – at any case, it was not the girl herself the one who opened the gate.

"The autopsy showed," Sakura picked up, casting a quick look at the photo over his shoulder. "That she was in a genjutsu at the time she died."

How they were able to make that kind of conclusion, Sasuke had no idea. Maybe the pupils stay dilated, or maybe there was something on the brain. He was actually curious about it, but this was not a good time to ask Sakura.

The situation was odd at the very least.

He tried to sum it up. "So, someone put a twelve your old girl in a genjutsu, lured her into the forest – breaking the chain to do it – and let her drown. Or they drowned her himself?"

Sakura shook her head. "There is nothing on her body to indicate she was held under the water. There are no signs of struggle at all on her. All the water was in her lungs."

She said the last part as if it was some kind of clue, so Sasuke glanced at her. She explained.

"When someone drowns, they automatically cough the water out, and then the vocal cords in the throat constrict and seal off the air tube. Most of the water ends up in the stomach of the victim. But it is as if her body didn't react at all. She just calmly breathed the water in and died."

Genjutsu was meant to deceive the mind, not the body. To make someone's body not react, to draw them under so deeply to turn off automatic body functions, you needed to be very skillful in the area and have a lot of chakra.

The only person Sasuke thought could have done this was himself, actually. He turned back to Naruto, who was looking at him expectantly, and asked, "Why am I not arrested?"

Naruto grinned, his big, foxy grin wide enough count his teeth. The look in his eyes had something savage in it when he asked, "Why? Was she your best friend?"

Sasuke didn't react to that. He had made his choices and regretted them on his own; Naruto, as important as his role was, had nothing to do with it. It was obvious for years now that despite the chasing and yelling, despite the beatings and all the fear for him that Sasuke appreciated if nothing else, Naruto would never forgive him. It was not that he cared very much; it would just be nice not to pretend at all, instead dropping it like this without a purpose.

No one else reacted, either. Naruto's grin faded, and so did the wildness from his face.

"Sorry," he said almost softly, as if he were really sorry. "You're not arrested because everyone demanding you should be failed to supply a reasonable motive."

"I think my suggestion is still valid," Neji Hyuuga said, speaking aloud for the first time since Sasuke had come in. Sasuke recognized his voice, but did not turn. Whatever a Hyuuga had to say about him was not good by default, and not worth his full attention.

Instead of Naruto, Sakura answered, a bit snappishly, "As you are not a medic, I don't think your evaluation of someone's mental health is adequate. We've finished that argument."

"Naruto won," Sai added.

"That," Naruto said, waving his hand at the room in general, but he kept his eyes on Sasuke. "And also, you have an alibi."

He had an alibi? That wasn't true. He was home alone last night – just like he'd been every other night. No one could confirm that, though. ANBU stopped making a horrible noise on his rooftop a long time ago, for better or for worse. He looked at Naruto, waiting for an explanation, but none came.

"In my opinion, that is not enough to get you off the hook, especially as that alibi is shaky at best," Nara said, giving Naruto a short scorning glance that erased Sasuke's last doubt that Naruto simply made the entire alibi thing up. "But it seems like where everyone else sees a suspect, our Hokage sees an expert."

Naruto was rubbing his eyes, stifling a yawn. Noticeable sarcasm in the statement wasn't even reaching him, most likely. He looked tired and his voice sounded tired when he spoke to Sasuke again.

"So go and find the monster who did this, and bring him back here, and I will go and pick up a few tips from the torturing crew in the meantime, so I can meet the bastard properly." A short silence followed those words, before someone cleared their throat. Naruto snapped his head up. "Oh, yeah, and you have to take Hinata with you. Like a teammate, only there'll be just the two of you."

Hinata? Sasuke didn't expect to get a complete freedom under the circumstances, but Naruto didn't really believe she would be enough to keep an eye on him? Or was it the other way around, Naruto was forced into making him work with somebody, so he gave him this girl as a sign of trust? Sasuke turned to look at her, and even though her cheeks reddened, Hinata gave him a small, formal bow and held his gaze for several seconds.

It was good enough. Also, she could use the byakugan. That might become useful at some point, or at least the kunoichi network could. It was more than probable that she had been trained for it instead of her sister.

"Is that all?" Naruto asked the room. No one answered, so he continued. "Give us a minute, then."

No one looked particularly happy, but they all left without complaining. There was something distantly eerie about them obeying Naruto like that, even if he was doing his job better than expected.

When the door closed, Naruto sank down in his chair, much like Sasuke imagined he would when left completely alone.

"Proper," Naruto mumbled, stroking smooth surface of the desk with the tips of his fingers. Sasuke could feel a tickle down his spine as a small amount of chakra leaked from them. He waited, but Naruto didn't seem to be using it for anything.

Suppressing the urge to turn the sharingan on, Sasuke still waited. There was nothing else for him to do. He wouldn't call Naruto an idiot, no matter how random and inappropriate his behavior was. He wouldn't ask what Naruto was doing. It was not his concern.

Naruto said, clearer now, "If you call me that again, I might throw something at you. In front of anyone who happens to be present."

He meant it, of course. Sasuke never heard Naruto saying something he didn't mean. It unsettled him, and not because Naruto threatened to throw something at him; even with the power to break a mountain down in half with one hand, Naruto was still Naruto and his aim, just as always, would stray to the left.

What troubled him was that Naruto was acting as if they were friends, and they weren't.

Naruto snapped his head up to catch Sasuke's gaze with his own and, with the movement, the leaking of chakra stopped. "Don't fuck this up, Sasuke. I know it's not what you want, but it's the only thing I can give you right now. Okay?"

Naruto voice slipped to almost pleading by the end. Sasuke swallowed the tiny urge to reassure him. It really wasn't what he wanted. It was not really a mission; it won't bring him many points, or respect of Konoha – probably not even money.

Still, it was okay. Maybe because someone bothered – and Sakura was defending him as well - but it somehow seemed more important that Naruto did. Even after all this time, after everything that had happened, he couldn't stop himself from reacting to the effort.

"You look like shit."

Naruto winced a little, looking hurt. "I don't feel like using henge for you, asshole. If you don't like how I look, watch the birds through the window or something."

How is it possible at all for someone to be this insecure? Why would Sasuke comment on the way he looked, anyway? "What I meant was, you look tired."

Naruto's shoulders relaxed again.

"Oh," he sighed. "I am tired. It's all the paperwork."

That was an obvious lie. Sasuke was willing to bet something very important that the paperwork was something Sakura and Shizune took care of. And perhaps that pig, too. He made an annoyed little hum in response.

Naruto lifted his head at the sound of it and gave him an open and curious look. "I want to reopen the police station," he declared, as if that was an appropriate thing to say with that kind of expression on your face. Sasuke's mood, which was getting a little better, went bleak in an instant.

"I don't want to work there."

"I know that," Naruto said impatiently, as if they were having a conversation about the subject many times. And anyway, it was painful to think about things Naruto did or didn't know. In the back of Sasuke's head, a voice sneered 'dogs'. He shut it up, hoping Naruto would start to make some sense soon. "It wouldn't be the same, more like actual police and not military organization. But even the way it was, it had an important role. If we had the police, now it would be them doing this, not you. And I'm sick of having to waste skillful people on domestic violence." Naruto peered at him though the fingers he was using to support his head. "I actually wanted to ask Hinata to be in charge of it."

"What do you want from me?"

Naruto laughed a little. When the bitter edge if it softened, he said, "She's not really for missions far away from home. The further away she goes, the successfulness rate is lower. And then there's byakugan – that must be good for the police business. But she is so shy, I'm just not sure if she can handle it."

Sasuke thought about how women in clans were cultured. Naruto was uneducated and soft, but it was best not to say anything. It is not like Naruto would care for the advantages, and he would probably break the network – which wasn't a good idea, especially considering his plans for Hinata.

"So you want me to tell you what I think, after this case is over?" Naruto nodded. "That is why you chose her to work on this with me?"

Naruto nodded again, then shook his head shortly and asked, "Do you have the access to the station?"

It was quite unbecoming for him to blink owlishly in response to a question, but that was exactly what Sasuke did. The access? Like what, keys? Wasn't the building sealed?

"What?"

"Two ANBU are in hospital because I sent them to search the place, just in case. It was Sakura's idea; I would've just sent the workers to clean it." The guilt was clear on Naruto's face when he added, "They'd be dead now."

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, because Naruto was getting sidetracked and it's hardly earth shattering notion that Sakura had good ideas from time to time.

"Traps - mostly katon based. The place is full of them, but they didn't activate right away."

Sasuke didn't want to go inside, first or at all, yet he said, "You should have sent me in before anyone else."

The police of Konoha, the precinct, function of the entire establishment – it all linked and reminded him of things he had no intention to let haunt him. He was the logical choice, though yet he was sidestepped and some idiots went and triggered traps that were probably in plain sight.

Naruto sighed, "Right, because we were all expecting the police force to have set traps all over the place before going home to have warm diner and be massacred."

That should have stung. It didn't, because the words made it click in his head. The traps were obviously something standard, set so the Uchiha clan business would remain private, even the part of it located in a public institution. It was an attempt to keep what information power they had for themselves.

So maybe the traps weren't in plain sight. No wonder ANBU got hurt.

"It was probably a standard procedure, Sasuke offered. " There might be something among my father's things."

He never touched much of what's left from his parents. It was obviously a good time to start. Naruto nodded his acceptance.

"That's all. I think you should probably go now, before someone convinces my guards you're trying to kill me right now," he said, official and clipped again, but with a bitter edge again. Sasuke turned to the door, and almost reached them when Naruto added. "And Sasuke? No more late night walks and pretty boys for you until the case is closed. Clear?"

For the first time today, Sasuke felt as if he actually got an order. That Naruto knew about his little habit was not as unsettling as the fact he decided to make his knowledge official. Prostitution in Konoha was neither customary nor illegal, and it was none of Naruto's business what was he doing in his free time. There might be some explanation for the request, like reputation and how would people feel about his involvement or whatever.

However, Sasuke felt as if this was some kind of a personal revenge, for who knew what. So he stepped over the threshold and said, just before closing the door behind him, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

He was not surprised when a kunai broke through the door just next to his ear and then made a hole in the wall across the hall. Naruto's aim was still off to the left a little bit – and even though Sasuke was expecting it, he almost moved out of the way too late.

On the distant part of the hallway, Sakura was waiting for him. She smiled at the hole in the wall, as if it was an inner joke. Perhaps it was.

"I'm sorry," she said, which was unexpected and at odds with her expression.

"What for?"

Sakura sighed. "If you wanted to go into the station, you would have done it by now."

The consideration was nice, but unnecessary. Besides, there are better things to talk about if Sakura had the time and the will to talk. "Naruto said the traps were mostly katon based. They are hard to set in a way to last for more then a decade. How were they triggered off?"

"When one of the ANBU entered the hallway that leads to the basement - or at least, that is the best we could conclude. He said that as soon as he put his leg on the first step, the fire started in front and behind him. When we compared the statements, it turned out it was the exact time some minor fire and gas appeared seemingly out of nowhere on the first floor."

In an enclosed space? What were they keeping in there?

He knew what to look for now, at least. It was probable that there was something among his father's things – Sasuke remembered vaguely a conversation his parents once had over the diner table about indoor katon traps but nothing specific. It might be enough to give him a push in the right direction, though.

Sakura was looking him, an expectant look on her, so Sasuke acknowledged he'd heard her with a small nod.

"Shikamaru thought we should find some older shinobi – there must be someone in Konoha who knows a little about how the station worked," she said, taking his right hand in hers. Sasuke wanted to snatch it back and ask what she thinks she's doing, but Sakura stopped initiating personal contact without a purpose on him a long time ago. So he let her do as she pleased, even though it took some effort. After a moment, he could feel cool feeling of her chakra in a healing technique. She was treating his burns. The relief was immediate; Sasuke hadn't even been aware how painful it was until she took the pain away. "But that would be just wasting time, and I told him that. I understand his motives for advising Naruto to keep you at a distance, but we don't have the time for those games now."

Sasuke understood Nara's reasons for advising Naruto to keep him at a distance, as well. The fact remained that people would never trust Naruto completely, especially if they were old enough to remember the Kyuubi attack. Being friendly with Sasuke wouldn't help.

He sort of wished Naruto wouldn't listen to that particular advice anyway.

"They would not be of any help," Sasuke confirmed. She was right; it would be a waste of time if he was right about the reasons the Uchiha had for putting up the traps.

After a moment of silence, Sakura asked, "Are you going there right now?"

"No. I have to go home first."

"Can I help?" she offered, serious frown on her face, with eagerness nothing less forceful now than it was when they were kids. Decent as her skills had become, Sakura was still far too slow. Having her there would be unnecessary risk.

"No," he told her, and thought about how to phrase the next bit. The chakra on traps did not look any different than chakra on seals to him. "But a Hyuuga would save me some time. The sooner we deal with those traps, the sooner I can focus on the murder."

Sakura smiled – maybe that request was fitting into the kind of help she was offering. "I will talk to Hinata, then."

And then she glanced around in an obvious way that was more suitable for an Academy student than a kunoichi and whispered, leaning closer, "Did he tell you he wants her to lead the station? I think it's cute."

It was not cute. It was reasonable enough, but nothing else. The small part of him thought he was supposed to be asked first, even if they knew he'd refuse. A bigger part of him thought Hinata's crush was quite ridiculous and Naruto's ignorance even more annoying than usual.

And talking about Naruto, what was wrong with him anyway? He was very obviously sick, which had never happened before in his memory.

Sasuke didn't want to ask. He didn't want Sakura to think he cared that much. But the curiosity got the better of him, so all he could do it keep his voice carefully impassive when the words got out, "What's wrong with him? He looks like a drowned rat."

The glance Sakura gave to the surroundings was very professional this time. She looked nothing less of thoughtful, as if she turned for no better reason then to clear her mind and find something to focus her eyes on. No one out of hearing range would have any reason to think she was asked a question.

Of course, there was no one else close enough to matter. If there were, Sasuke wouldn't have asked her anything.

"I'm not allowed to talk about it."

He couldn't help but stare at Sakura for a second at that answer. She shook her head, to emphasize the meaning behind her words, and Sasuke walked away, not answering and not asking any more questions.

Sakura called from behind him, "When should I tell Hinata to come to the station then?"

It was noon already. It might take some time for him to find what he needed, and then some more to study it and double check it. As much as he didn't want to postpone the investigation, there was nothing to be done about it.

"Tomorrow morning. 6 AM."

If Sakura said anything else, Sasuke didn't hear it. He made his way back across the Konoha on foot. Walking helped him think clearer, but he tried to stick to the shadows.

The sun was at its peak and uncommonly hot for June.