Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...
Summary:AU. Tsunade is in-charge of a covert military base hospital (called Konoha) and Shizune is her right-hand to deal with threats to national security such as homicidal psychopaths. Dealing with grief and corruption is hard. Oddly enough help arrives from the most unlikely of places.
Pairings:Kabuto X Shizune (later on),Slight Genma X Shizune(at the beginning), One-sided Orochimaru X Tsunade. Slight: Sasuke X Sakura, Naruto X Hinata.
Info:Characters retain some ninja abilities in this fic, there are no blood line limits
Warning: Dark Plot
Ages:Most people are their 20's except Tsunade and Orochimaru, they are in their 30's.
Chapter 1 Souvenirs
P L A C E B O
The tall pale figure stood there covered in blood that was not his own and could not help but feel euphoric. The corpse's glazed eyes were rolled back and the man carelessly dropped the body unceremoniously and it fell with a thud. The room was almost completely still except for his haggard breathing, that was harsh compared to the deceivingly calm silence of the night.
Grabbing a souvenir from his latest victim he slipped into the dark shadows when the sirens sounded and people were coming to investigate.
"Damn it!" Tsunade screamed. "All those weeks of surveillance…For nothing!"
Tsunade was livid and Shizune could not blame her. This was very disappointing. They nearly had Orochimaru and he had slipped through their fingers yet again. It was almost like a game to him. Every time ANBU forces closed in on his operation, he always seemed to be within reach, to be caught and be brought to justice. Then, he would cause some sort of heinous act to cause an explosive reaction literally and/or metaphorically and like smoke he just sifts through the trap and disappear.
Shizune sighed while rubbing her temples with her eyes closed. It looked like they would have to start all over again on a new trail.
The pursuit had come to a halt for now to examine the victim for any clues, that could give inside to Orochimaru's next move. The horrible Modus Operandi (MO) was always the same with this nut. He always kept some sort of organ as a souvenir of his kill.
Orochimaru had been a respected psychologist when he was younger working as a part of ANBU forces. He was a medical prodigy and like all prodigies this one had his quirks. He acquired a god-complex and wanted to learn as much of everything as he could to be the all-knowing human being. He treated his patients by day and harvested human body parts of his victims by night. He would conduct experiments to try and find immortality.
His co-workers became suspicious of his odd behavior at work and after a little searching found his lab in an old warehouse. Tsunade and Orochimaru's professor were the ones that had found it. To this day Tsunade will not speak of what she had seen there. After becoming head of the Konoha military base hospital Tsunade had all impertinent evidence from that case file destroyed.
"Lungs."
"What?" Shizune inquired.
"The lungs are missing from the John Doe." Sakura responded. "That is not usually one of his organs he likes to keep as a souvenir. What do you suppose…"
Shizune tuned Sakura out as she saw Tsunade beckon her over.
"Sakura, let's muse over this in the morning. I have to go talk to Tsunade. Bye." Shizune replied brusquely.
Normally Shizune would not be so abrupt with the eager younger girl but she just did not share the same exuberance to try and get back on the bastard's trail just yet.
"The council has requested my presence. I trust you could keep things in order while I am busy Shizune?" Tsunade looked into my eyes waiting for her response.
Tsunade had raised Shizune for most of her life after her uncle's murder so Shizune knew that even though Tsunade's voice was steady and face was impassive, the woman was in a pretty bad state.
"You can count of me. I will make sure you are not disturbed after the meeting." Shizune replied glancing at Tsunade.
"Thank you." She graciously answered at disappeared with a cloud of smoke.
Not far away from the scene of the crime a pair of burning gold eyes narrowed at the blonde's quick exit.
Stepping into the musty smelling boardroom Tsunade wrinkled her nose. She hated attending council meetings. It was basically a time where everyone interjected in one's conversation and criticized one another. She was not looking forward to this evening.
Tsunade tried to explain why she failed to capture Orochimaru when she was interrupted for the third time.
"To get to the point, you failed us once again." The council Chairman stated pointing at Tsunade.
Muttering filled the room expressing disappointment with Tsunade and agreement with the Chairman.
Tsunade's fists tightened visibly and began to shake with anger.
For fear of the woman smashing their boardroom to pieces an elderly councilmen interceded. "I believe what the Chairman means is that for all the funding the government is putting into this facility we are not seeing enough results…"
"Exactly!" the Chairman interrupted. "Either find Orochimaru in the next 2 weeks or we will cut funding to your side-projects at the hospital. Is that understood?"
"Yes." Tsunade answered bitting the inside of her cheek to keep her from saying something she might regret. She left the room trying to figure out how to do the impossible.
It had been a long day for Tsunade.
First she had come in early to try and get a head start of some paper work when reports of Akatsuki attacks had been brought to her attention. Bombing here, robbery there and murder everywhere. It had been just a day full of death and panic. Now to top it all off Orochimaru capture which had been planned for weeks had fallen through and he had killed someone tonight.
Tsunade always tortured herself over Orochimaru's victims. Perhaps if she had figured out what he was up to sooner she could have gotten him locked up in Konoha where he could not hurt anyone.
She had decided to go back to the office because she knew she would get no rest tonight.
She locked the door behind her to ensure some privacy. She was going to turn on the light when she noticed molten gold eyes with a reptilian glint piercing through the darkness of the room. Her whole body tensed.
Orochimaru patted her leather chair as a way to invite her to sit. She stood still and calculated how fast she could unlock the door and get out before he caught up with her.
Eyeing her knowingly he chuckled at her startled appearance. Then as fast as the mirth had been there he sobered up.
"Sit." He ordered. His tone leaving no room for argument. The glint in his eyes becomming all the more sinister.
She pressed the silent alarm near the light switch and turned with the key hand trying to unlock the door.
He was next to her in the blink of an eye. Orochimaru grabbed the keys from her hand and hit some pressure points at the back of her neck causing her to temporarily become paralyzed from the neck down but still conscious.
Clutching her ragdoll like form he settled her in her chair peering down at her with an unreadable expression.
Tsunade hoped that ANBU forces would arrive before Orochimaru took his souvenir.
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