The Guardian

Author's Note: Okay, so I know this took a ridiculously long time in coming. However, I hope it was worth the wait! My life has been so hectic as of late that I'm not even going to pretend to know where all of my time has gone. Apparently, out the window! But thankfully my plot bunnies have started running around again so I have more of a drive to update. Let's hope they keep on goin'! (Anyone got any energizer batteries?)

Operation 06: Initiate

R-2-F

It was nearing eight by the time that Naruto found himself pulling into the parking lot of a rather crowded club located in the heart of Downtown Chicago. The blond agent peeled into a parking space outside of said club with practiced ease and threw the Porsche into park as he felt himself beginning to tense up with what he knew were pre-mission jitters. In a couple of minutes Naruto was going to walk through the doors of the Accolade and meet with one of Zabuza Momochi's henchmen. After that he would be taken to one of the back, private rooms so that Naruto could meet with Zabuza's right hand mand, Haku. Kiba would then arrive approximately twenty minutes after Naruto first entered the club so that the two agents would not arouse suspicion by arriving together, though they were to never have met before this meeting where they both just happened to be.

In that twenty minute window, it was solely up to Naruto to ensure the success of the assignment.

Somehow, this thought had been rather discomforting to both agents, though neither dared to voice their fears to their superior. Tsunade had already been unhappy enough when Naruto had delivered his report on how matters were going with the Uchiha. Or rather, that matters weren't going at all. Because of this he and Kiba had simply chosen to go along with Tsunade's plan without question.

After all, an angry Tsunade was much more dangerous than any crime lord.

Heaving yet another heavy sigh, Naruto cut the power to his vehicle and withdrew the key from the Porsche's ignition, cutting the car's gentle purr short. He pocketed the small device in the pocket of the slacks that he had been forced to wear. The blond winced when he looked down at his attire, hating the fact that Tsunade had actually made him wear a suit…an Armani suit at that.

After playing dress up doll for the Director, Naruto found he never felt quite like himself.

Reluctantly, Naruto straightened his tie and checked his suit for fuzz or unsightly hair before exiting the safe haven of his vehicle. Since he was impersonating the son of a wealthy British family it was Naruto's job to look his absolute best. He reached forward and tilted the rear-view mirror down so that he could see himself in its reflection and ran a hand quickly through his hair, perfecting the already sculpted blond locks that had taken Tsunade almost a half hour to tame. Naruto paused to flash his reflection his most charming smile, winking at himself cheekily.

"Damn, I look good in a suit."

With that last bit of encouragement Naruto finally climbed out of the car and straightened his suit, earning the stares of many of the women waiting in the line outside of the club. The blond, noticing the attention he was receiving, made a show of brushing imaginary dirt off his jacket's sleeves. He caught the gaze of a brunette woman that was openly drooling over him and gave her a suave wink. The woman's date seemed to notice that her attention was directed elsewhere at that point and made a show of turning his partner so that her back was towards Naruto, shooting a glare over the brunette's turned shoulder at Naruto as he did so.

Shaking his head slightly in an attempt to clear the grin from his face, Naruto finally began to walk towards the club. He easily navigated his way around the waiting line and around to the front door where the red rope broke so that special guests could cut in front of the crowd and enter. As Naruto did just that he paused to give the couple he was cutting off a charming smile that appeared every bit apologetic, earning an understanding nod from the man and an appreciative glance from the woman accompanying him.

As Naruto turned to face the club entrance once again he found himself staring up at the bouncer who pointedly stood between the blond and the door. The bouncer stood with his massive arms crossed across an equally built chest, looking every bit as intimidating as any crime lord's flunky should. Naruto came to a direct stop before the body guard and slipped fully into the role of the sole heir of one of Britain's most wealthy Lords. Naruto leaned in slightly so that the bouncer could hear his words over the crowd without the blond having to raise his voice.

"Excuse me, sir, but I'm here to meet with a man named Haku. Would you be so kind as to let me pass?"

"You're name?" The bouncer demanded warily as his eyes swept Naruto's meticulous form.

"Marcus Adair."

The bouncer immediately straightened his posture and stepped aside with a sweep of his massive arm that was meant to be graceful. "Right this way, Mr. Adair. We've been expecting you."

Naruto nodded his head in and flashed another charming smile towards the bouncer. "Thank you very much, sir."

He began to walk in the indicated direction, leaving behind the crowded entryway to the club and the bipolar bouncer. As he walked Naruto took care to take slow, leisurely strides and to not let his gaze look anything other than mildly interested in his surroundings. In all reality he was memorizing exits and other significant landmarks with each step he took, and at the same time mentally running various methods of escape routes that would be necessary should the meeting turn sour.

Despite the mile-long line waiting at the entrance of the Accolade, the club was surprisingly empty. The few guests that were lucky enough to have gained entry all wore their best attire; The women could be seen in satin gowns and gems that could easily have fed a third-world country while the men wore immaculate suits made of the finest fabrics money could buy. Clearly, this was where the city's best made an appearance to show off their wealth to the other equally rich members of society.

Naruto tugged self-consciously at his string necktie, feeling highly out of place despite his expensive suit and carefully sculpted hair. As an FBI agent there were not many times that he was forced to attend gatherings such as this, and when the odd occasion did occur where such a thing was necessary, Naruto usually found a way to weasel out of the assignment in the end. However, all of those times of playing hooky were now coming back to bite him in the ass. The blond was at a complete loss as to how to act whilst surrounded by high class members of society such as this.

"Mr. Adair."

Naruto froze upon hearing his alias addressed so suddenly. His back stiffened as he forced what he hoped was a look of mild surprise onto his face, slowly turning to face the one who was addressing him. With little effort he summoned a polite smile, making his expression appear all the more sincere. Now that he was facing the other, Naruto realized with a start that he was being addressed by no other than Haku himself.

"Ah! You must be Haku, I presume?" Naruto recovered silkily while making a point of lacing his words with his best British accent. He hoped that his smile didn't appear nearly as forced as it suddenly felt. Naruto found that his throat suddenly felt tight and that his heartbeat had increased tenfold. Actually, the blond would be surprised if Haku couldn't hear his heart hammering in his chest as well as Naruto could.

"You presume correctly." Haku replied, not unkindly, his effeminate features displaying nothing other than polite curiosity as he openly addressed Naruto's appearance. "And it just so happens that my associates have informed me that you are Marcus Adair."

Naruto nodded his head and outstretched his hand in formal greeting. "Right you are." He took care to keep his smile charming and his eyes unveiled, though there was no reason to truly mask his own analytic gaze as Haku made no move to do so of his own. Even as Haku easily took the extended hand in a friendly handshake, it was clear that both men were focusing more on the strength of the other's grip than the courtesies behind the gesture. Despite his overall dainty appearance, Naruto found it would be clear to even the most amaturely trained eye that Haku was far more than he liked to appear. For one, though oversized and billowy in nature, Haku's apparel did little to conceal the noticeable curve of lithe, well toned muscle that lay beneath the thin fabric. The young man was undoubtedly small, that much was for certain, but his lithe form spoke of a formidable amount of strength that Haku no doubt tried to conceal. After all, it was much better for an enemy to underestimate you than to have them know of all your hidden quirks. Even the assassin's eyes, deceptively soft and innocent, held a darker depth to them that no ordinary man could possess.

"If you'll follow me, then, Mr. Adair."

Naruto was broken from his silent scrutiny by the assassin's silky voice. The blond managed to react with the speed worthy of one of the best agents on the FBI's pay roster and made a show of flashing the older man a wink. "Please, call me Marcus."

Haku's face flushed for the space of a heartbeat before his carefully crafted mask was firmly back into place, this time with an edge of annoyance tugging at the corner of his lips. "Very well, Marcus. It will be as you wish." The raven's voice still sounded every bit as silky as before, although it too was laced with disdain at Haku's instinctive reaction to Naruto's words.

Well that answers that question, Naruto mentally gloated as he eyed the flush that continued to stain the other man's cheeks despite his otherwise indifferent mask.

Haku, noticing the other's scrutiny, cleared his throat and raised his chin in an attempt to regain his intimidating air. "If you'll be so kind as to follow me, we'll take our conversation some place more private." Haku intoned emotionlessly, though his eyes remained speculative as they raked Naruto's form.

"Of course." Naruto grinned, stuffing his hands in his pockets in a lazy gesture that was meant to soothe the other man's nerves. The investigation would go nowhere if Naruto managed to scare their sole link to Zabuza away, after all. With this thought in mind, the blond put on his best 'innocent' face and waited for the older man to lead the way further into the club.

With only a moment's hesitation, Haku did just that.

R-2-F

"Hey idiot, you back yet?"

When no answer arose to meet Sasuke's inquiry, the raven chanced opening his door the rest of the way and flicking on the hallway light. The sudden brightness of the hallway caused Sasuke to squint his eyes and earned a groan from the exhausted raven. He'd holed himself up in his room for hours after Naruto's departure, first working on homework and then moving on to putting together a new song for the band. Before Sasuke had even realized it the minutes had turned into hours, and night had long ago given way to early morning. A glance at the clock would reveal the time to be well past two in the morning.

"I'll take that as a no, then." Sasuke intoned dryly as he scratched absentmindedly at the back of his head. He then began to pad barefoot into the kitchen without fear of running into his obnoxious roommate. As he walked, Sasuke was oblivious to the fact that his loose sweatpants had slipped dangerously low onto his hips, giving anyone who could be watching quite a view of his hipbones and the curve of his lower back. He also failed to pay attention to the fact that his hair was sticking in every direction due to countless hours of threading his hands through the black locks in frustration.

Not that any of this mattered, since his roommate was out doing god knows what and Sasuke was thus the only one in the apartment, right?

Wrong.

"Well someone looks like they just had a good roll in the hay."

Sasuke spun around in an instant, at the same time throwing open the drawer next to him and rummaging blindly for the revolver that lay hidden beneath the towels in the drawer. His breathing became ragged in the space of a single heartbeat as fear took hold of the raven. In the darkness of the kitchen t was near impossible to discernt he intruder's features. His build was clearly formidable- the sparse light from the hallway was sufficient enough to outline his impressive muscles and give him an even more intimidating air.

Sasuke froze.

Only one thought was capable of going through his mind, and it repeated itself over and over like a mantra in the young Uchiha's head.

Itachi had finally come for him.

"…Itachi," he hissed lowly. His hand finally grasped the cool steel of the revolver. Sasuke wasted no time in drawing the weapon and aiming it between where he assumed his brother's eyes were. In the dark it was difficult to tell anything, much less the location of his assailant's forhead. The raven's fear was quickly replaced by cold anger. Standing before Sasuke was the man who was solely responsible for ruining Sasuke's family- no, for runing his life. It was because of this man, his brother, that Sasuke had become the person he was now. This broken, empty shell of a human.

It was Itachi's fault that he was alone.

Sasuke clicked the safety off of the gun and switched his hold so that he now held the revolver steady with both hands. All those months of target practice with Kakashi were coming back to him, reminding him to tighten his grip, drop his shoulders, and to use both hands to ensure that the bullet hit the target dead on. Sasuke's breathing was ragged as his grip tightened on the trigger, just a hair's breath from firing.

"Woah! Take a chill pill, little bro!"

Light suddenly flooded the kitchen as the intruder switched on the overhead light. For a moment Sasuke was forced to shut his eyes to will away the pain of the sudden switch from darkness to the overly bright light of the florescent bulbs above the sink. He realized in only a second his mistake, but he feared that even that would prove to be a second too late. He overcame his spell and forced his eyes open to retrain his glare on the now revealed face of…

Gaara's brother, Kankuro.

Kankuro's eyes widened comically as he took in Sasuke's defensive stance and then the gun that was trained on his own forehead. The brunette took a step back and raised his hands in what was meant to be a pacifying gesture. "Damn, Sasuke! It's just me!"

Sasuke visibly sagged.

Kankuro, his shock at the raven's greeting making him ramble, launched into a full blown tirade about Sasuke's lack of hospitality skills, never mind that he had broken into the apartment in the first place. The oldest Subaku began to pace back and forth across the kitchen, now waving his hands in the air irritably as he preached about gun safety and the fact that Sasuke should never have been allowed o possess one in the first place- homicidal brothers be damned.

Sasuke, of course, ignored all of this.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Subaku?" He bit out, ashamed of the way that his hands were shaking as the traces of adrenaline began to fade. His anger and fear began to give way to the hollowness that Sasuke had become accustomed to, leaving behind a wave of dark bitterness in its wake. Sasuke struggled to lock away all emotion and regain his familiar mask of indifference. However, he did not manage to do so before Kankuro took notice.

Kankuro's face softened as he finally paused to take in the younger man's appearance. Despite the tough front that Sasuke was struggling to put on, the raven's naturally pale skin had lost any color it may once have possessed and his body visibly shook. The young Uchiha's body had gone lax except for his tight grip on the revolver that was now aimed dejectedly at the floor. It appeared that the last traces of adrenaline were the only thing keeping Sasuke standing.

"Sasuke." Kankuro spoke softly, his voice carrying such pity that it was enough to sharpen the younger man's gaze into familiar daggers. The oldest Subaku ignored the half hearted glare aimed his way and slowly closed the distance between himself and the Uchiha. As he walked, Kankuro's eyes never left Sasuke's. The oldest Subaku found that the closer he got to Sasuke, the more his shaking became apparent.

He carefully reached out and took the loaded pistol from Sasuke's frozen fingers, having to gently pry the gun from the raven's hold. Sasuke didn't even seem to realize he was so reluctant to let go of the gun. His eyes had become wise and unseeing. He stared at the entranceway to the kitchen as if expecting Itachi to actually come through the door at any moment, claiming that this was all a joke and that he was simply using Kankuro as a distraction.

It certainly sounded like something the oldest Uchiha would do.

"Where is he?" Sasuke finally whispered, his voice hoarse and shaking as badly as his body. "Where's Itachi? He's here…isn't h-he? He c-came…for me…finally. He…came."

Kankuro's eyes softened marginally at the broken sound of Sasuke's voice. "No one's here but us, Sasuke." he interrupted, though the raven continued to chant his morbid mantra. "Itachi isn't here, Sasuke."

"Not…here?"

Kankuro shook his head grimly. "No, Sasuke. Not here."

"He d-didn't…come…for me."

And that was all the warning that Kankuro got before the young Uchiha collapsed into a heap on the kitchen floor.

R-2-F

"Please, Marcus, have a seat." Haku intoned politely. The raven gestured towards a large, high backed chair that stood in the center of a make-shift circle of chairs. The chairs lined the walls of the small room located in the very back of the club. Clearly, this room was intended for meetings of some sort. However, the various chairs lining the wall only served to make the room appear packed, and gave Naruto a slight feel of claustrophobia.

Haku took a seat himself next to the indicated chair while Naruto was busy gaping at the room around him. The assassin casually crossed his legs and his eyes pointedly flicked from Naruto to the still-empty chair beside him.

Naruto, taking the nonverbal hint, hurriedly moved to take the indicated chair with as much remaining grace as he could muster. Even without looking at the other man Naruto could feel Haku's intent gaze on his own profile. It was all Naruto could do not to fidget under those dark eyes. It took effort to keep his features level so that they revealed nothing, but somehow Naruto managed. He schooled his features so that he seemed nothing more than politely interested in his surroundings.

"So, Marcus," Haku began pleasantly, resting his elbows on the arms of the overstuffed chair and steepling his fingers thoughtfully before him. "Tell me a bit about yourself. I find you're a bit of a mystery to me, and though I do enjoy mysteries, I like a good story even more."

Naruto caught the twinkle in the older man's eyes and was surprised to see the earnestness behind his words. How's this kid wind up as one of the Mafia's most feared assassins? How'd he even get mixed up with Mist in the first place? Naruto wondered silently. Despite the surprise he was feeling, Naruo did his best to act ignorant of Haku's now searching gaze. It appeared he'd been quiet for too long, and now the agent was forced to act as if his momentary silence had been one filled with thoughts of his past.

"Well," He began slowly, as if preparing to launch into a full retelling of his childhood. "I'm afraid it's a bit of a boring story, actually."

Haku was undaunted and continued to look on curiously. "Let's allow me to be the judge of that, shall we?" Despite the overall gentle tone of the raven's voice, there remained a slight bite to his words.

"Okay…" Naruto conceded hesitantly, his futile attempt at deterring Haku effectively thwarted. "Well, as you may know the Adair family is quite well known in Britain. We have connections with several of the main corporations in the country, so I guess you could say we have a fair amount of leverage in the homeland." Naruto glanced over at Haku, satisfied to note that the assassin appeared to be buying Naruto's every word. "I was raised accordingly, I suppose. I was taught to handle account books, to judge the stock market, and to handle business deals all by the time I was thirteen. I was allowed to sit in on my father's mergers by fifteen and I was an active member in my father's companies by seventeen."

Naruto shrugged, casually placing his hands behind his head and leaning back comfortably in his seat.

"Fascinating." Haku supplied, his voice revealing that he truly seemed to be amused by the blonde's tale. "However, you failed to include in your story how exactly you became involved with clients such as myself, Marcus."

Naruto answered Haku's secretive grin with one of his own. "Now, I don't believe that I said these 'business deals' I took part in were entirely legal, did I?"

Haku laughed softly in response to that. "Indeed, you did not."

Naruto's smile remained firmly in place as Haku stood and moved across the room towards what appeared to be a small fridge, which when opened revealed itself to be exactly that. Its shelves were filled with various different bottles of alcohol. Haku bent at the waist to peer into the cooler to observe it's contents, making a soft noise under his breath that Naruto guessed was a thoughtful hum.

"How about a bit of brandy to make ourselves a bit more comfortable?"

Naruto's smile turned into a full blown grin, one that Kiba claimed made him look like he was a fox on the prowl. In an essence, that's exactly what Naruto was at the moment. "I've found things can only take a turn for the better when there's brandy involved."

"Indeed." Haku consented, retrieving the bottle and beginning to pour two glasses.

Just then a knock sounded on the door, drawing both men's attention to the portal that shut off their little meeting room from the rest of the club. A minute later the door opened slowly and a man that Naruto did not recognized leaned into the room politely.

"The other guest has arrived, sir."

Haku's smile turned full blown. "Bring him in then, Mitzu. We were just breaking out the brandy."

Naruto's eyes rose to subtly meet Kiba's as the brunette entered the room, moving with a grace that was completely uncharacteristic of the man Naruto knew as his partner. The blond suppressed a smirk as the formal introductions were made, keeping careful to make his face completely neutral, even as he rose to 'meet' his partner. "Good evening, the name's Adair. Marcus Adair."

He was proud that his voice managed to sound so sincere, and Naruto was certain that his voice gave nothing away. Had it done so, the force behind Kiba's handshake would have been much more fierce.

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Adair. My name is Roarke McKenna."

And so the dance began.

R-2-F

"Where is he?" Kakashi demanded, pushing his way past Kankuro and into his ward's dorm. It only took a second before Kakashi's eye fell on where Sasuke was sitting on the couch, curled in on himself defensively and slowly rocking back and forth.

The professor's gaze softened.

"Sasuke." He bade softly as he crossed the room in only a few short strides, completely ignoring Kankuro who continued to stand awkwardly by the door. Upon reaching the couch, Kakashi knelt down before his charge's huddled form and carefully laid a hand on top of Sasuke's head. The young raven visibly flinched at the touch and tried to shy away from Kakashi, but the grey haired man would allow no such thing. His hand dropped to Sasuke's shoulder and Kakashi used that hold to draw his ward to him.

Sasuke made a move to struggle but his balance was already overturned and he fell hard against Kakashi, nearly sending them both to the floor as a result. However, Kakashi quickly compensated for Sasuke's added weight and managed to balance them both. At first Sasuke remained completely rigid against his guardian, but Kakashi's steady breathing served to slowly soothe the raven's panic. As Sasuke's breathing began to calm the remains of his self control began to ebb away, reducing the Uchiha into a trembling mess.

"It's alright, Sasuke. I won't let him get you." Kakashi chanted softly, beginning to rock the younger man slightly and cupping the back of Sasuke's head securely in his palm. "Itachi can't hurt you. You're okay."

Those comforting words were all it took to send Sasuke over the edge. His hands shot out to grip frantically at the cloth of Kakashi's shirt and he clung to his guardian for dear life. Tremors shook the raven's body as he allowed himself to give into the fear that had poisoned his mind. Sasuke knew that Kakashi would never acknowledge the wetness that was already sinking into the fabric of the older man's shirt as a result of Sasuke's silent tears.

Sasuke's tears had always been their little secret.

The sound of the door opening and closing for a second time was enough to draw Kakashi's attention away from his ward, though he went back to the task of soothing Sasuke the moment he saw the familiar faces of the three other members of Sasuke's band- all of whom looked positively homicidal upon laying eyes on their broken bandmate.

"What the hell did you do?" Gaara growled in an uncharacteristic display of open rage. He whirled on his older brother with narrowed eyes that had turned sapphire with anger.

Kankuro cowered under the collective glares sent his way. "I didn't mean to scare him! … Okay, so maybe I did-" The glares all darkened. "- but not this bad! I just wanted to borrow his stereo system for this party-"

Neji looked positively murderous. "You broke into Sasuke's apartment and threw him into an emotional relapse over sound equipment?"

"No! Well, yeah, kinda. But that wasn't my intention-"

"Intention or not you achieved it." Shikamaru interjected flatly. "Well done."

"Yeah, but-"

"You realize that you could have been shot?" Gaara inquired darkly, his voice shaking in anger. "Though it's no less than you would have deserved, you fool."

"Hey-!"

"Gaara really has a point." Neji continued cooly, cutting Kankuro's sputtering off once again. "I almost wish you had been shot, simply so you would pay adequately for putting Sasuke through this."

"I'm inclined to agree." Shikmaru admitted without so much as a hint of remorse. "But then Sasuke would feel even worse for shooting a friend, so that would be a bit counter productive."

"But then again, what kind of friend would knowingly send another friend into a panic attack?" Neji demanded relentlessly. "And over sound equipment, no less?"

"A shitty one." Gaara and Shikamaru replied in unison, their voices simply matter of fact.

Kankuro hung his head in defeat. "I'm sorry." He said softly to the room at large. His eyes were fixed on the floor to avoid looking the others in the eye. He knew they were right- it was stupid of him to act so thoughtlessly where Sasuke was concerned. Kankuro knew the raven's past all too well and he hadn't even considered how sneaking up on Sasuke would cause his friend to react.

Kankuro had really messed up this time, and he knew it.

"Boys, I think you've said more than enough." Kakashi interjected gently before anyone could speak another word. His arms were still full with Sasuke, but Kakashi was relieved to find that his ward's trembling had all but ceased. It meant that the singer was slowly but surely pulling past the shock that had so firmly gripped him. "I thought you were here to see Sasuke? Or was I mistaken?"

There was no missing the threat beneath those falsely cheerful words.

Shikamaru, Neji, and Gaara all seemed to deflate as if just now remembering the truth of that statement. They moved as one across the tiny living room and towards their friend, coming to a halt just in front of the couch.

"Hey, Sasuke." Neji called softly, as if unsure whether or not it was wise to disturb his friend. The Hyuuga's eyes visibly softened as he took in Sasuke's bent form, though the singer's face was still mostly hidden behind Kakashi's shoulder. "How're you holdin' up?"

"I should think that'd be obvious." Shikamaru snapped as he took a seat on the couch next to Sasuke and Kakashi. He placed a hand soothingly on the raven's back.

"Of course it's obvious, moron. He's trembling like a leaf." Gaara growled, taking a seat on the arm of the couch next to Shikamaru. He pretended to be completely oblivious to the dark glare that the drummer sent his way, causing Shikamaru to resort to physical retaliation which ended in Gaara nearly falling off of his perch on the arm of the couch.

"Boys." Kakashi scolded softly, the finest hint of steel in his voice. He looked up and caught all three men's gazes in tern, his eye just as sharp as his voice. "If you can't behave, get out."

All three band members simultaneously snapped their mouths shut.

Sasuke, meanwhile, seemed oblivious to everything that was going on around him and was content just to lean against his guardian and allow Kakashi's steady breathing to lull him to sleep. He knew that the other members of the band were in the room, and he was slightly aware of Kankuro's awkward presence, but nothing seemed to mean anything to him at the moment. Everything was a nice, white haze where Sasuke had distanced himself from his surroundings. He was vaguely aware that there was conversation surrounding him that was being carried on in hushed tones, but the words refused to form themselves in his mind and just remained soft murmurs.

The only thing that Sasuke was certain of in that moment was Kakashi's presence, because with Kakashi came the foreign feeling of relative safety that Sasuke had sorely missed since moving into the campus dorm. Why had he moved out in the first place? The reason escaped Sasuke as he felt Kakshi shift his hold on his body, moving so that Kakashi was sitting on the couch with Sasuke curled against his chest securely. Sasuke was pretty sure that his feet were in Neji's lap at the moment, but his mind was too far away to care much.

All that mattered was that, for the moment, Sasuke felt safe.

Operation 06: Terminate