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Title: Floodgates
Chapter: 6/26

Chapter 6

This illustrious event Sasuke was forced to follow was going on for an eternity. Nearly five hours had passed since he'd sensed Saitou enter. The tag should have been placed on the assistant by now but no one had appeared yet with the telltale sign. While all that time passed, Sasuke had crouched high up on the roof of the adjacent building, impatiently cooling his heels.

He lazily sharpened the blade of his katana as he waited, pulling languorously along the length of it, a practice he found therapeutic. After a while, he began to wonder if Saitou had completed his half of the bargain. A self-serving, bloodthirsty weasel like Saitou would have no misgivings about turning on Sasuke, for reasons entirely his own. But then Sasuke reconsidered; such action wouldn't be in Saitou's own best interest.

Finally tiring of his habitual action, Sasuke replaced the katana to its scabbard, enjoying the sharply metallic slide it made going through. It clicked into the end cleanly with a beautiful sharp snap.

He settled back on his haunches and listened briefly to the gossiping masses in the street below. Had he the interest or inclination to sort through the names and innuendos, there was probably a treasure trove of valuable blackmail material free for the taking. But such things were not part of his job, so he let the muffled sounds roll by him like background music.

Still high from sex with Naruto, he felt a strange mix of contentment and anxiety. The blonde wasn't there when he awoke, but that was no more than Sasuke had expected. Naruto had been a bit freaked out; a not entirely unreasonable reaction considering it had obviously been his first time.

Sasuke smiled to himself and straightened his back. He found a strange pleasure in realizing that fact, even though he normally hated breaking anyone in.

But Naruto had been different from the men Sasuke usually took home. Nervous at first, dazed, and weirdly compliant, but never completely submissive. He had reacted beautifully. And unlike a lot of the stupid boys Sasuke slept with, he'd not been altogether passive. He'd pulled and pushed and grabbed and tugged and probably would have screamed as Sasuke had promised, if Sasuke hadn't covered his mouth with his hand. Then Naruto bit down and his teeth broke right through skin.

The assassin hummed lightly to himself and let out a short breath.

He still had the claw marks on his back.

He squeezed his hands together to stop the trembling.

Then his head jerked up in recognition. Finally the target had left the party. Since he had designed these particular chakra tags himself, there was no way Sasuke could mistake one. It was a signature, but not one anyone could trace.

He waited a moment until the target split off from the crowd then followed silently across the rooftops. He needed to delay until the target was alone; the work was best done without witnesses.

This person, however, was an imbecile, a lucky break for Sasuke that made his job easier. The target practically held up a sign advertising for someone to come and get them. They had no guards, no friends, not even a sense of logical self-preservation, instead choosing to take solitary nighttime strolls through unlit back streets.

Deep and silent within the concealing fog Sasuke remained unnoticed by the target. Sighted people relied so much on their eyes that they often missed what was right in front of their faces.

No one else within the city block seemed to be awake. They had traveled too deep into the residential area and it was too far into the night for most people to be up. Knowing the time was ripe, Sasuke leapt down from the roof and landed directly in front of his prey. She started to scream at the sudden manifestation, but Sasuke quickly covered her mouth so all that could be heard was a short, incoherent noise. He drew his katana from the scabbard and drove it cleanly through her heart with one thrust. He waited motionless until he felt the flicker of her final heartbeat and the last of her breath against his palm. Before she could fall and bleed evidence all over the street, he cauterized the wound with a fire jutsu on the blade as he drew it out. Then he picked up her lifeless body and absconded with it into the night.

Not a soul outside had stirred.

Once he reached a safe distance he retrieved his tag, effectively erasing any sign of his involvement, not that anyone could have traced it. He was no longer in the system, or rather he was so long in it that no one remembered him anymore.

Kneeling down, he felt over her face for any distinguishing marks that would sufficiently identify her. She was pretty, that was all; there was nothing special about her. Without the whole head, no part of her face was uniquely notable. He could take the eyes, but he had no reason to think they were in any way distinctive.

Hands were better. Hands said a lot about a person and were generally easier to recognize.

He pulled out a knife and sliced the hand off, using the same fire technique as before, taking his proof as easily and neatly as slicing through clay.

He was never messy.

He decided to take an eye as well, just for insurance. Feeling back over to the socket, he slowly and carefully collected chakra to his fingertips and pressed them in beside the eyeball. It came out whole and perfect, the long nerve extending out like the melting tail of a comet. He regarded the organ with his blindness before stowing it away and smirking with satisfaction.

Orochimaru wasn't the only one he'd learned from in Sound.

--

He thoroughly disposed of the remainder of the body and any vestige of his passing before taking his twofold parcel to Saitou.

As always, his passage into the heavily protected residence went undetected and Saitou's "expensive" guards never knew he was there.

There was a reason Sasuke was "very expensive".

He set the package on Saitou's desk, took a seat in the throne-like chair, and waited. It was hours before the man would return home, but through his long days of blindness Sasuke had learned how to wait.

The scent of Saitou reached the room before the man did. "Is it done?" The man didn't appear surprised to find Sasuke waiting for him.

The assassin turned his head towards the voice and let his sightless eyes go hooded with disdain.

"Ah, yes," the man observed dryly as he circled his desk. Sasuke's head slowly followed him, his eyes almost acting as if they could see. He heard the sound of string snapping and paper rustling as the package was opened, followed by Saitou's perusal and subsequent dismissal of the objects inside.

"Very good, my friend," Saitou continued and pulled out one of the large drawers of his desk directly by Sasuke's leg. The thunk of a hefty stack of paper announced the arrival of the outstanding payment. The assassin stood up, took the stack, and carefully hid it away in the folds of his robe. At least with Saitou, he didn't feel the need to count it. With their longstanding partnership, the man knew better than try anything that would lead to his inevitable demise.

His business done, Sasuke brushed by and headed to the open window.

Just before exiting, he heard the sound of something dragging languidly across the desk and being lifted it up. There was a pause, pregnant and thoughtful.

After a moment Saitou said, "She had beautiful eyes, didn't she?" His voice held an eerie dreamlike quality.

Sasuke leapt onto the window ledge. "I wouldn't know," he remarked impassively.

"No," the man mused. "I guess you wouldn't."

--

Sasuke pulled his shirt down over his head, annoyed at the stickiness of sweat on his skin and now his shirt as well. He could smell himself and this other nameless man all over his clothing. Now they'd need to be laundered, possibly burned. He felt around the floor for his keys, which had been haphazardly tossed aside in the middle of everything and grumbled when he found them, stuffing them into his pocket.

The sweet scent of smoke filled his nose in a way he didn't like and he tried in vain to wave it away with his free hand.

"So," the man lying lazily in the bed asked, "Did that blond boy ever find you?"

Sasuke paused momentarily then began strapping on his sandals. "What would you know about him?"

"Oh, nothing much," The older man blew a long puff of smoke straight over the brunette's back, which offended him in a way similar to nails on a chalkboard. "Just that he was in the shop asking after you. Had an old photo." The man informed him. "You were a cute kid." The shop owner waited a little bit again and flicked ash on the bed sheets. Sasuke heard each little particle land like an anvil. The man took another long drag off his cigar then said offhandedly, "I told him where I thought you might be."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at nothing, did the last of the buckles and stood.

"Yeah," the man continued, much to Sasuke's annoyance. "I wouldn't have minded getting him in bed either; he was a sweet thing."

Sasuke took up his small pack and secured it tightly to his back. "I don't think he'd like that," he said lowly, without any apparent interest.

The man nodded, the cigar bouncing in his teeth dangerously, and hummed a nonverbal agreement.

The man watched in silent appreciation as Sasuke headed for the door with the graceful and deadly movements of a man who could silently snuff out a life like it was an everyday occurrence. The elder man was so entranced that the cigar in his hand finally reasserted its presence by burning the edges of his fingers. Sasuke could smell the distinct odor of burning flesh mixing in with everything else to make an unpleasant bouquet. The man swore then sucked on the fingers, before speaking again. There was curiosity than fear in the man's voice when he asked, "I guess the sweet little thing found you then?"

Sasuke inclined his head vaguely towards the inside of the room and let the side of his mouth curl up the tiniest bit.

Then he left without a word.

--

The weather was as fine as it was like to be for the next couple of days that Sasuke stayed in the misty city. He had spent it alone in his rented room, quietly counting his money as he relived recent events. The job had been neat, quick, and easy, and had earned him a pocket bursting with cash. Now he could finally go home.

About the only thing left to make it perfect would have been more sex with Naruto.