Chapter Four

"A man of honor would rather choose to die on his feet, than to live on his knees."

Suigetsu was awarded with a promotion for his exceptional performance on this difficult task, and thus Kakashi removed the mental barricade that blocked all memories of Suigetsu from the rest of the Order's members. In reaction to complaints (mostly from Naruto's part), Kakashi had stated that it was a necessary safety precaution for Suigetsu to succeed in his mission. Intel department was still processing all the data their Elemental recruit had brought in, but from Suigetsu himself we already learned the location of a few major drop points for their contracts and their ways of stealing ours.

Come to think of it.

It was quite the question why people sought their services so much, as a lot of the assassination orders in the bizz were much more discreet and less notorious for their methods. The only thing they had going for them was a low price and many members. Upon being asked about the cost of our services, Itachi always said that top quality came with a higher price to pay. And top quality was one thing that's for certain when hiring the Black Rose.

It's almost as if Moon's Eye had fun in killing witnesses, I thought wryly, knowing the deep, hidden killing pleasure people like Naruto got when they got carried away. But at least he had a good excuse, with a demon possessing his body and all. And then again, how many times had I caught myself experiencing joy in being in control of my victims' fates?

It took a lot of self-conscience and discipline to become an assassin. To be able to acknowledge the fact that you kill for money, and the guts to admit it to people's faces with a head held high. No one should have the right to call themselves assassins, though, without any proper training. This is where the discipline part came in. At a young age, kids were given access to firearms, lethal gadgets, and magic. To resist the need to 'show off' took a lot of willpower, especially for a fourteen-year-old. A calm and collected mind along with a perfect execution of skill were the only remedy against failure.

The first kill a person makes comes with an immense price in the form of remorse and self-loathing. It takes a lot to be able to resist giving in to the darkness and remaining conscious of your actions. Inevitably, this first kill also awakens something much, much more terrifying than any of the aforementioned dark emotions. That was bloodlust. A buried desire for a second victim. The yearning for possession, for having someone's life in the palms of your very hands. Again, this carried great risk, for I have seen many that turned their lust into obsession. Eventually, they were hunted down and killed themselves, because of their own inability to control the desire to kill. Their inability to stay human, so to speak.

They would become Ghouls; soulless, wretched organisms that draw their life force by taking it from their victims. Even though once human, every function to interact with other humans was gradually shut down in favor of the basic instinct of survival. In response to repeated appearances of Ghouls and the loss of many innocent lives, Ghoul Hunters swarmed like the plague. Whether your motive was to avenge a loved one lost to these vile creatures, to prevent more innocent death to spread or simply make money from it, if you carried a gun and knew how to shoot it, you had a possible future as a Ghoul Hunter in your grasp.

Of course, there were times when fate was on such bad terms with one, no amount of training could nullify that. The only time that ever happened to me was when a good friend of mine got taken hostage by a bunch of criminals that randomly showed up during one of my hits. How and why that friend had been invited to a corrupt officer's banquet was a mystery I had sworn to solve, but have had no luck with so far. That friend hadn't known about my work as an assassin, and refused to talk to me even after saving his life ever since.

Two weeks later rumors spread that Kabuto Yakushi had joined the Disciples of the Moon's Eye. Needless to say that I have never felt so betrayed in my life.

I sipped from my beer as I watched Shikamaru Nara and his father Shikaku from Intel scan millions of lines, codes, numbers and letters in search for everything useful. Shikaku and Shikamaru were tactical, strategical, numerical and financial geniuses. With their ability to control movement by linking shadows in combat (rightfully earning them their titles of Shadowmasters) and their brilliant minds both on and off the battlefield, the Nara duo made an invaluable asset to the Order of the Black Rose.

Kiba joined me in watching the Naras do their work, also carrying a beer with him. He didn't speak, so neither did I. This went on for a few minutes, until Shikamaru suddenly called on our full attention.

"Got work for you fellas, if you're up for it."

I nodded sharply, signaling that I was listening to what the junior Shadowmaster had to say. Said Shadowmaster gave us a set of coordinates, which pinpointed the location of a Moon's Eye outpost. Seeing as how Suigetsu (somehow) got this intel from the personal files of the Moon's Eye leader, he was dead sure this intel was solid. Shikaku sent out his assistant to fetch either Kakashi or Itachi.

Once the latter showed up, Shikaku told him the exact same thing Shikamaru told us, and Itachi in turn informed Kakashi using telepathy. I had done a little research on our telepathic ability once, and found out that only in extreme cases of mental stability, this technique could be used during combat, because it took complete mental focus for it to work. This made it very impractical (not to mention lethally dangerous) to use during combat, because knowing what your opponent is up to is the first step to victory. Itachi himself was the only one to ever have successfully used the technique to its full potential in a combat-like situation, when he and Kakashi were running the training course of our Order.

Itachi closed off his conversation with Kakashi, and thanked the Naras for their efforts as he beckoned me to follow him. I obliged, and strolled after him through our compound, often referred to as 'HQ' by the members of the Order.

Once we arrived at his office, we found Naruto and Kakashi already there. I smirked unintentionally, admiring and respecting my brother's excelling skills even more than I already did. I greeted my partner in crime and Kakashi, who smirked and casually greeted me, respectively.

Meanwhile, Itachi had sat down behind his desk and folded his hands in front of his face. He sternly looked from Naruto - hanging in a chair in the right corner - to Kakashi - posting at the wall right next to the door - to me, casually sitting in a chair in the left corner.

"We have pinpointed the location of a Moon's Eye outpost," Itachi said in his official voice. He then took a map of the city, its surroundings and every small village, settlement and camp known to man from a drawer behind him, and spread it out on his desk. He picked up a marker and drew an X somewhere in the forest, close to the edge of the mountain ring. "This outpost would be a great tactical asset once it is in our hands," he added before looking at Kakashi.

The masked man continued: "That's why Itachi and me agreed on sending you two to secure it." His visible eye shot from Naruto's to my gaze.

I knew that look.

When Kakashi had that look in his eyes, there were lives on the line.

"One question," Naruto butted in while studying his nails. "Our favorite water brain was part of that damn organization for a year. I'm sure he'd know where their headquarters are; I suggest we round up the entire Order and launch a full-on assault on the Moon's Eye."

"We'd get wiped out," Itachi stated boldly. "Even though we highly outrank the Moon's Eye in skill, their troops still far outnumber ours. Too far to compensate with our outstanding skill," he added before Naruto could voice his response. The latter closed his mouth and grumped something inaudible.

"Intel ran some calculations," Kakashi said while digging up some files. "We'd be about fifty members short in our current state. We're a small organisation," he added matter-of-factly.

The Order of the Black Rose was, indeed, a small organisation. The top consisted of three people: Jiraiya, Itachi and Kakashi. Tsunade and Shizune worked double shifts to keep the Meds & Research running with just the two of them. Intel consisted of the Nara duo, and Shikaku's assistant, Konohamaru. Our main hit squad, lastly, was made up of seven (before Suigetsu's return six) people; Naruto, Suigetsu, Kiba, Karin, Anko, a guy named Shino Aburame (a bug expert that worked with poison and long-ranged rifles) and myself. Adds up to a grand total of fifteen members.

The fact that we were still top of the bizz when it came to efficiency was definetely something to be proud of, I thought with a self-satisfied smirk.

Itachi cleared his throat to return the attention of the people in the room to him. "We have sufficient intel on this outpost to expect a big success on this operation," he said folding his hands in front of his face again. "We're all counting on you."

"What do we know about the number of hostiles?" I asked, finding it odd that this vital piece of information was missing in our briefing. Kakashi sighed. Itachi looked away.

"We... don't."

Naruto let out a feral snarl. "Listen, I'm not putting my ass on the line again for some mediocre hit on Moon's Eye."

"We sent out Shino to do some global recon," Kakashi reassured him. "Your operation starts once he returns with an accurate assumption of their numbers."

I crossed my arms. "It better be accurate. I agree with Dobe here. This doesn't sound too convincing if you ask me."

"That's why we're sending in the best we have."

"Don't give me that shitty-ass flattery," Naruto growled. "I want a double paycheck this month."

Itachi and Kakashi looked at each other for a brief moment, obviously using their telepathic communication again. Finally, Kakashi agreed on paying our monthly income for this special op. I smirked and high-fived Naruto.

"Dismissed," Itachi grunted. "Get some training done, rest up, do whatever you do before a mission. Just remember that the entire Black Rose is counting on you."

Both me and Naruto nodded stiffly, realizing the stakes of this secret operation. Should we fail, not only our lives, but Suigetsu's an indirectly, every member of the Order's lives were in danger. Of course, sometimes sacrifices had to be made in times of war, but in this case 'less is more' applied. The less sacrifices your side had to make, the more you would gain from it. True, aside from Jiraiya, Itachi and Kakashi, Naruto and I were the best the Order had to offer. But that didn't mean that we were a foolproof machine of success. Still, too much depended on this operation for us to fail everyone and save our own sorry hides. 'Death before dishonor' was and forever will remain my motto, and right now might be the perfect time to live up to it.

Naruto nudged my shoulder, the sorrow pouring off his expression like a waterfall. "We're done for, aren't we."

I took a long pause before replying. Were we done for? It was a good thing to be confident in your own abilities, but some of the worst mistakes an assassin could make was overestimate himself or underestimate the enemy.

"Confidence, Dobe," I replied eventually, a small smirk creeping up my face. "We may not be able to outclass Kakashi and my brother, but we're certainly worth the extra money our dearest superiors are paying us." I placed a friendly hand on his shoulder, looking deep into his blood red eyes. "Trust me, Naruto. Believe in me, but most importantly, believe in yourself."

Naruto sighed, rolled his eyes and slapped my hand off. "Spare me the pep talk. If I need a shrink, I'll go see Jiraiya." He turned away from me and took a couple of steps before stopping in his tracks and looking at me over his shoulder.

"Just promise me that I won't have to go through using the demon's powers again."

The silence that followed his statement was so painful that it was almost impossible to bear. I looked down, unable to face my friend any longer. I didn't want to lie to him and assure him that the demon wouldn't be gaining another hold on his soul, but I also didn't want to tell him the truth that the demon's powers may very well be our only option of succeeding. The blonde smiled wryly.

"I see." He looked away from me and sighed. "Don't blame yourself, Sasuke. You'd be a fool not to make use of my potential."

"Then I'd rather be a fool than put you through this torture." Naruto froze, building my confidence. "I can't promise you that you won't have to draw on the demon's powers, but I will promise you that I am going to try everything in my might to prevent it from happening."

[Author's Note]

Sometimes, a night's sleep and another look on things is the best remedy for a writer's block. How I managed to get writer's block only four chapters into the story is beyond me, but it was there alright. I think I'm cured though. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please let me know what you think. Reviews are the air that us authors breathe.

Signed,
VictimofYourOwnCreation