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Chapter 2 - Truth Be Told
A rumbling of turbofan engines and screeching of wheels signaled the landing of the Boeing 787. The picture of class, it had an elegant snubbed nose, streamlined body and blade-like tail. It was coloured a glossy white, with a a sleek design of a royal blue underside.
This image was in contrast with its passengers, or more specifically, Temari, Naruto and Kiba.
Temari looked harried and disheveled, like she hadn't slept a wink during the 21-hour flight. Which indeed, she had not, thanks to the incessant bickering of the two chimpanzees she had the misfortune of sitting next to.
Then again, that would be an insult to the chimpanzees of the world, Temari mused hazily.
The 'chimpanzees' in question were scruffy and sleep-deprived, but unbelievably, still squabbling with undiminished vigour. The issue this time was the packet of peanuts Naruto'd pilfered from Kiba.
"Puke 'em up, ya peanut-o-phile!" Kiba growled.
"I would if I could, and in your face, peanut-whore!" was the oh-so-witty comeback.
"Shut your chimp-holes", Temari mumbled wearily. If Kiba wants them so badly, he can have mine. She flung her untouched packet with dead-on accuracy at Kiba's forehead, effectively giving them an excuse to shut up, without damaging their pride.
They wondered what she meant by chimp-holes.
On the other hand, Neji as looked impeccable (without a single hair out of place) as ever.
Gaara looked as capable of beating the crap out of people, as ever.
And Shikamaru looked as bored out of his wits, as ever.
The moment the assortment of off-duty officers set foot into the Arrival Hall, a stranger in a cropped blazer and pleated miniskirt accosted them, discreetly flashing her police identification card. She then broke into a wide, open beam.
She certainly is taking 'plainclothes' to a whole new level, Shikamaru thought.
"Hi guys! I've been waiting here since forever for you to show up! How do you like New York City so far!" she said to them, like they were old high school friends coming over to visit. She was bubbling over with enthusiasm, and her platinum blonde ponytail bobbed with her. Naruto caught on quickly and jumped at the chance to play along.
"Well if the bloody slow lines at Customs are any indication of the city itself..." he trailed off, feigning disgruntlement.
"In that case I'll just have to put extra effort in showing you around, and before you know it you'll be loving this city!" Ino's pale blue eyes danced, apparently enjoying the charade.
"So where are th-," Naruto started to say.
"Where's the car?" Gaara interrupted, earning himself twin pouts from the two for cutting short their little game. He sent them withering stares, and Ino hastened to comply.
"Follow me!" she chirped, skipping off, leaving the others to rush after her.
As it turned out, the "car" was in fact a luxurious limousine, complete with the gleaming onyx paint finish, sexy contours and refined chauffeur.
"The police department here really has a lot of money to splash," Kiba remarked drily, giving a low wolf-whistle.
"What are you all waiting for? Come on in!" Ino called, scooting in. The rest followed suit, except for Neji, who did not scoot, but Elegantly Step In.
The interior was every bit as classy, with beige leather upholstery, dual air-conditioning and a state-of-the-art dashboard. It was ridiculously spacious, with a well-stocked mini-bar to boot. The windows were tinted (and probably bullet-proof) for privacy.
Kiba and Naruto were delighted and shamelessly raided the fridge to replenish the energy they lost during the flight. However, Gaara dove straight into business.
"Why bother going plainclothes and putting up an act?" he questioned calculatingly.
"Oh… just safety measures," Ino replied ambiguously, seemingly casual. However, the flicker of wariness in her eyes did not go unnoticed.
"Is there a danger you are afraid of? Someone you're hiding from?" he persisted. Ino's eyes narrowed marginally when Gaara struck alarmingly close to the truth.
"Save your questions for the higher-ups," was all she would say, and Gaara reluctantly ended his questioning.
"Hey Ino, do you have a boyfriend?" Kiba spoke between mouthfuls of chips, and the tension immediately dissipated. Naruto snorted at his obviousness, but it wasn't like Kiba was even trying to be subtle.
"I did yesterday, but I dumped him because he was being an ass," she readily answered. "He refused to buy me the gorgeous Prada bag I spotted at the boutique, can you believe it? And it wasn't even one of the more expensive ones, only a few thousand dollars!"
Naruto choked on his cookies, spraying bits onto the floor. Shikamaru pretended not to notice, because cleaning up after Naruto would be too troublesome.
"…uh, yeah, he sounds like an ass," Kiba gulped nervously, suddenly looking less keen than before.
Temari looked torn between being amused at Kiba's reaction and galvanized at Ino's extravagant ways. But soon, she fell into the sleep she didn't have the chance for in the plane. Neji and Gaara were quietly talking in a corner, both being above such chitchat.
Shikamaru entertained himself with cloud-gazing.
The group finally found them in Manhattan, standing outside the imposing edifice of the New York City Police Headquarters, as the limo sped away to god knew where.
Ino led them up the stone steps and through the high glass doors, into the lobby. Plaques of former commissioners and the like furbished the otherwise sparse walls. The receptionist, a strict-looking woman with her hair up in a tight blond bun, greeted their guide with a nod.
Ino walked right up to the lift, swiped her ID on a reader and keyed in a sequence of numbers with lightning-fast precision. The elevator doors promptly slid open and she pressed the highest numbered button – the commissioner's office.
The lift shot up, giving them the impression that they'd left their stomachs on the ground floor.
In moments they'd arrived at the top floor, and the Konoha officers exited. However, Kiba noticed that Ino remained in the lift. He turned around, hesitating, to face her.
"You're not coming with us?"
But the doors were already closing, and he only caught a glimpse of her face before they shut completely.
Shikamaru walked up to the only doorway on the storey and rang the bell.
"Come in," a faint voice came from behind the double doors. He turned the knob and pushed them open, but in place of the spiky-haired Jiraiya they were expecting to receive them, was a black-haired, fairly young man, with a cigarette dangling from his lips.
"I'm sorry but Jiraiya's busy elsewhere at the moment…" he explained.
"What, that old ero-sennin's busy peeping on girls in bathhouses?" Naruto joked brazenly, and even Kiba had to wince. But to their surprise, the man chuckled quietly.
"On the contrary, he's out dealing with some financial negotiations with the White House," he contradicted Naruto. "And by the way, there are no bathhouses here."
"I'm Sarutobi Asuma, and like Jiraiya, an alumnus of Konoha Police Department. I'm the Chief of Department and you will be working under me for the rest of your assignment here," he introduced himself, smiling slightly.
"How long do we have to stay in New York, anyway?" Neji asked.
"As long as it takes," Asuma answered cryptically. Neji stared at Asuma suspiciously, but not once did his smile falter.
"Then why go to all the trouble of enlisting overseas officers all the way from Japan, when you could easily recruit officers from nearer countries?" he pressed on.
"Konoha is one of the most elite police forces globally," Asuma answered without missing a beat.
"Then why choose Konoha, and not, say, Suna? I can testify that they are on par with Konoha, I having worked there before," Gaara added, and Asuma sighed pensively. The others watched him keenly for his answer.
"You bunch just aren't going to stop pressing for answers, are you?" he said rhetorically. "I'll just spare us a lot of interrogating and beating around the bush, by telling the truth."
"The real reason why we've selected Konoha, out of all the others," he took a long drag of his cigarette, secretly enjoying the suspense he created, "is because they have experience in dealing with the Akatsuki."
Gasps, some well-concealed, and others not, were made. The Akatsuki was a criminal organization notorious for their deadly efficiency, and encompassed all aspects of crime. From drug-dealings to assassinations to thievery – the Akatsuki had experts in all fields. They had terrorized the citizens of Konoha for a while, although the police force there held them in check to an extent.
However, they'd mysteriously disappeared a few years back, much to the relief of many. Shortly after, the six of them started work at the Police Department, so the only knowledge they had of the Akatsuki was through the newspapers.
"The ideal officers we had in mind were… older though, and would therefore have the experience we need," he eyed the youngsters drily. "It seems Tsunade had other plans; she wanted to train her up-and-coming officers."
The six of them were momentarily stunned by the implications and the potential danger, and Asuma took this opportunity to properly answer Neji's previous question.
"This assignment will end only when you eliminate the Akatsuki."
END.
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