"Itachi-kun!" Kio called, running toward the gate.

Itachi turned around to look at her. He was on his way out of the school when Kio called out to him.

Class had ended. He usually walked Kio home, but being assigned to Sakura's case and hearing about Kio's meeting with the school body, he opted to walk out of the school on his own.

"Kio," Itachi said. "I thought you have a meeting after school."

Kio smiled and stopped in front of him. "It was moved to next week," she said. "Are you going to fetch Sasu-chan?"

"Not today," Itachi said. "I have some work to do."

"Oh," Kio said. "You'll be in the police station again then."

Itachi shyly smiled. "S—something like that."

Kio frowned. "Aren't you overworking yourself?"

Itachi chuckled. "I'll be fine," he said. "Would you like me to walk you home? I'll be going somewhere close to your street before I go to work."

"Sure," Kio said, quickly latching her arm around Itachi's.

Itachi smiled and walked her home.

When they reached Kio's house, Itachi bid her goodbye and took a turned toward the town. Kio watched him walk away, thinking he was going to see his father in the Police Office.

She turned to walk into the house when he noticed a note on the window, probably from her uncle.

"I won't be at home by dinner," Kio read the note.

She sighed. It wasn't like she didn't know how to do house chores. She just wasn't that good in cooking dinner the way Kakashi was. So instead of getting inside the house, Kio decided to head to town and buy herself some ramen for dinner.

Kio cheerfully trotted out the gate and walked to town. If she was fast enough, she would be able to catch Itachi on his way to the police office.

So Kio excitedly walked down the street. It didn't take long for her to spot Itachi in the street. She was about to call him when she noticed Itachi taking a street that didn't lead to the Police Office, or to the nearest Police Station.

Kio looked curiously at Itachi and decided to stealthily follow him.

Itachi stopped in front of the Yamanaka's flowershop. He glanced at the flowers on display and walked into the shop.

Kio looked thoughtfully at the shop.

Maybe he was planning to buy his mother some flowers. Was it her birthday? Was it his parents' anniversary?

A few minutes more and he walked out with a bouqet of white roses.

Kio froze. Was it for her?

But Itachi walked down the street and headed somewhere away from the Police Office and away from the Uchiha compound.

Kio swallowed. Surely he wasn't lying when he told her he was going to work.

She followed him more carefully until he arrived in the hospital. She watched him walke to the nurse station and stiffened.

The nurses in the station smiled admiringly at him.

Uchiha Itachi afterall was, like any Uchiha, was known for his good looks.

Was he going to give the flowers to one of the nurses?

Kio shook her head and held back the tears that were moistening her eyes. She took a deep breath and sneaked closer to hear what they were talking about.

"How is she?" Itachi asked.

Kio stiffened.

The flowers weren't for a nurse.

"She's better," a nurse answered. "She's asked about you."

Itachi smiled. "I see," he said. "Thank you." He turned to walk further into the hospital.

"Will you be spending the night here?" the nurse asked.

Kio covered her lips from gasping.

"I'm planning to," Itachi answered. "But I'll give you an update on that later."

"Okay," the nurse said. "See you later!"

Itachi nodded and walked toward the nearest elevator with the bouquet still in his hands.

Kio looked away.

Maybe he was visiting a relative. Had there been any Uchiha's taken to the hospital? No. Itachi would tell her. Had there been a friend of Itachi's that could have been taken to the hospital?

She had grown up with Itachi, and she knew all his friends – none of which had been admitted to the hospital.

So who was the 'she' he was visiting? Surely he wasn't in love with someone else..?


Sasuke sighed as he reached the door of their house in the Uchiha compound.

He and his friends talked about their plans again while on their way home after class. And though he was glad he had the task of gathering intelligence, something his clan was known for, he was clueless on how he would do the task.

Unlike Shikamaru's father or the Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku was strict. He wasn't someone Sasuke could speak freely with. Pulling a joke on him was next to impossible.

And Itachi, though Sasuke could tell him anything, would quickly notice the reason behind his queries.

So how would he fish for information?

Well, there were their relatives… Obito was dense like Naruto so perhaps he can fish some information from him. Perhaps he can speak with him about the proper strategies in guarding an important person in various situations, since he seemed to be in-charge of protecting Sakura.

He was in this line of thought when he noticed Shisui staring at him from the porch of the house.

"Hey," Shisui said.

Sasuke glanced at him. "You're back."

Shisui smiled. "You don't seem as excited as your statement."

Sasuke smirked and walked to sit beside him. "Sorry."

Shisui chuckled. "That's quite a deep line of thought you got there," he said. "I thought you won't notice me. Is something wrong?"

"Nah," Sasuke said. "I just had this… assignment."

"Assignment..?" Shisui asked. "Uchiha Sasuke is worried about an assignment? Kid, an Uchiha never worries about an assignment," he said, smiling. "What's it about? Let's work on it."

Sasuke smiled at Shisui.

That was one thing he liked about Shisui – he was a lot older than Itachi but he was cool.

"It's not really school-related," Sasuke said. "It's more like a dare. You know how we're into this ninja manga?"

"Oh yeah," Shisui said. "That story where there's this character with red eyes."

"Yes!" Sasuke excitedly said. "You know about that?"

Shisui chuckled, scratching his head. "I read it too."

Sasuke smiled. "Awesome!"

"So what's this dare about?" Shisui asked. "Are you guys going to do a cosplay?"

"No," Sasuke said. "We've just been discussing stuff about some facts in the story. Do you know this chapter in the manga where they guard a very important person?"

"Oh yeah, yeah," Shisui said. "The lead characters were supposed to transport the guy somewhere after they guard him in the hospital, right?"

Sasuke nodded. "Well, my friends and I have been debating on how they should have done it because they were easily attacked by the enemy in the story."

Shisui smirked. "You kids are taking the story too seriously."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "It just seems cool to think about how some stuff in the story apply in the real world."

Shisui sighed and looked away – his eyes turning grim. "Yeah," he said. "It's a bit scary too."

"Scary?" Sasuke asked.

Shisui smiled at him. "Just kidding... So you think there's a better way to guard the guy in the hospital?"

"Yeah," Sasuke answered. "…Like they should keep the guy at the very top floor of the hospital. That way, the only way to get there is through the door and the guards would only have to keep their eyes on the door."

"That's good," Shisui said, nodding. "You're really an Uchiha."

Sasuke smiled.

"If I were the enemy though, I'd expect you to have the target at the very top floor though," Shisui said.

Sasuke looked away. "That's possible," he said. "But how can you get to the target knowing the circumstance?"

Shisui smirked. "Well, if I were the enemy, I would sneak into the hospital through the maintenance routes, disguise myself as a hospital staff, and walk casually through the front door without the guards even daring to check me."

Sasuke frowned. "So I'll just make sure the guards check every staff," Sasuke said.

"Ah! Good thinking," he said. "That can work."

Sasuke excitedly looked at Shisui. "So in real life, they would keep the guy in the top floor of the hospital, right?"

Shisui chuckled. "If he's not that badly wounded and in need of ICU equipment, yes."

Sasuke nodded. "And there's no way the enemy will get to him."

Shisui looked away. "Well," he said. "There is a way. I mean if I totally think whimsically about this."

Sasuke smiled. "You always think whimsically about things."

Shisui chuckled. "That's right," he said.

"So how are you going to reach your target?"

Shisui looked at Sasuke. "Guards have breaks too," he said. "So if I'll be able to disguise myself as a guard, I'll give them some food dosed with laxative and tell them it's from you. They'll take it, eat it, and they'll rush to the bathroom. While away, I'll slip into the room."

Sasuke frowned. "I'll keep guards inside the room too, then."

Shisui laughed. "If the target is conscious, he might not want them inside the room."

"But if it would keep him alive," Sasuke said.

"That's true," Shisui replied, nodding. "But usually, the target's family will already be inside the room to guard him. And depending on the importance of the target, you may not be allowed to impose such designations even if it's for the safety of the target."

Sasuke nodded and sighed. Sakura won't be with anyone though…

Shisui smiled at him. "You'll be a great police officer someday," he said. "You'll be very good at protecting people."

Sasuke scratched his head. "I doubt I'll be as good as Aniki."

Shisui took a deep breath and sighed. "That may be true, but then again — you shouldn't be anything like him."

Sasuke looked sadly at his hands.

"You should be you," Shisui said, smiling at Sasuke. "And you'll be a very good detective someday, Sasu-chan."

Sasuke smiled shyly – his eyes looking out at the garden devoured by the glum afternoon glow.

"I'll help you see her," Shisui said, cutting the silence filling the air.

Sasuke froze.

"But you have to promise me something in return," Shisui continued, glancing at Sasuke.

Sasuke stiffly looked at Shisui. "I—I don't… I don't know what you're talking about."

Shisui chuckled. "Weren't we talking about how you can break into Haruno Sakura's hospital room just now?"

Sasuke looked away – his cheeks flushed. "N—no… We were talking about a manga chapter…"

"Fine," Shisui said, standing up from his eyes. "I guess I was wrong and you won't need my help. It's a shame, really. I know her guards and I can easily 'persuade' them to let you in without alarming the police department."

Sasuke looked surprised at Shisui. "Y–you can do that?"

"Of course, I can," Shisui answered. "The question is if I will do that. Afterall, there doesn't seem to be a need for that," he said, winking at Sasuke.

Sasuke looked away in deep thought for a moment.

Sakura was the only survivor in the massacre. That meant she was the only witness to the crime and that was enough reason for the police to keep the security in her hospital room tight. It was difficult enough to sneak into someone's hospital room without ticking their families off. It would be harder to sneak into a heavily guarded room, unless they had help from someone in the police force like Shisui.

Sasuke glanced warily at Shisui. "Would you do that..?"

Shisui smiled. "Sasu-chan," he began. "I've known you since you were brought into the Uchiha compound. If you're going to do something stupid, it's not just out of impulse – it's always because of someone or something dear to you. So would I do this for you? Absolutely! Besides, she might also need her friends at this time."

Sasuke sighed. "Aniki can't know this."

Shisui smirked. "Oh come on! You know me better than that!"

Sasuke smiled. That was true. This wasn't the first time Shisui would be lending him a hand in doing something "stupid." And Itachi never caught wind of what they did.

"So, do we have a deal?" Shisui asked.

Sasuke thought for a moment again. "What do I need to do in exchange for your help?"

Shisui smiled. "Just tell me how she's doing."


"Hey," Itachi said, walking into the hospital room with a bouquet of flowers.

Sakura seemed to be busy reading a book on her bed when Itachi knocked on the door. She looked at him and watched him close the door behind him.

"I brought you some flowers," Itachi said. "I figured this room looks too white for your liking."

Sakura shyly smiled at him. He was right. She didn't like the whiteness of the room. She instead wanted the homey peach hues of her own bedroom – a room she was sure she would never be able to go back to.

"How are you feeling?" Itachi asked as he placed the flowers on the vase sitting on a sidetable.

"I'm okay," Sasuke answered, closing the book in her hands.

Itachi glanced at the book and noticed how it looked similar to the book Sasuke always read when he was younger.

"Is that from my Okaa-san?" Itachi asked, smiling.

Sasuke nodded shyly.

Itachi sat down on the chair next to the bed. "So you like to read," he said. "I can bring you more books if you want. Are you interested at anything in particular?"

Sakura looked down at the book.

Itachi probably knew the book was Sasuke's since he knew it was from his mother.

"Not really," she answered.

Itachi nodded. "I'll ask Sasu-chan then."

Sakura looked at Itachi. "S—Sasu-chan?"

Itachi chuckled. "My brother – Sasuke."

Sakura turned away – her cheeks flushed.

Itachi couldn't help but snicker. "Well," he said. "I'll be here for a while. Do you want to do anything? A game maybe..?"

Sakura shly shook her head. "I can't thnk of any."

Itachi nodded. "That's okay," he said. "How about we play Twenty Questions?"

"Twenty Questions..?" Sakura asked.

"We ask twenty questions to each other," Itachi explained. "I'll ask you a question first. After you answer the question, you ask me a question. We'll do that until we've asked each other twenty questions."

Sakura smiled. "Don't ask me Math questions," she said.

Itachi chuckled. "I won't if you promise not to ask me the same."

Sakura smiled and nodded.

"So first question," Itachi said. "What do you think about the food here in the hospital?"

Sakura pouted. "Yuck," she muttered.

Itachi chuckled. "Yeah, I thought so. Your turn —," he said, smiling.

Sakura shyly looked away. "Um… What's your favourite color?"

"Black," Itachi said. "Sasuke likes blue."

Sakura's cheeks blushed. "Oh," she said.

Itachi chuckled. "My turn," he said. "You're the girl my silly brother insulted in preparatory school, right?"

Sakura looked up at Itachi. "Insulted?" she asked. The memory of Sasuke speaking to her for the first time resurfaced as the question rang in her ears.

Itachi nodded. "He said something to you while you were upset."

Sakura gasped – her cheeks flushed again. "No, no," she said. "He didn't insult me."

"Oh?" Itachi said. "I thought he said something bad to you."

Sakura looked shyly away. "No, he was just being honest," he said.

Itachi scrutinized Sakura's face and smiled. She really liked Sasuke. "It's your turn."

Sakura nodded and looked at Itachi. "What's it like to be a detective?"

"Tiresome," Itachi answered. "We barely get enough sleep when we have a case."

"But you like it," Sakura said.

Itachi nodded. "I do," he said. "It makes me feel like I'm doing something to help people."

Sakura smiled. "But you really help people."

Itachi smiled. "You think so?"

Sakura nodded. "I see you on TV a lot," she said. "And you catch lots of bad people."

Itachi chuckled. "So you don't just know me because of my brother."

Sakura shyly shook her head. "I've seen you on the news before I saw you on school."

Itachi thought for a moment and smiled back. "Here's my question," he said. "Are you my fan?"

Sakura nodded.

"Aww," Itachi said. "Thank you. That's very flaterring."

Sakura chuckled. "But you're really cool! And you're kind and nice and… " Sakura looked away. "Handsome," she whispered.

Itachi froze for a moment and burst into laughter. "Sasuke's going to kill me," he said.

"Sasuke-kun..?" Sakura asked, looking confused at Itachi.

Itachi shook his head. "It's your turn."

Sakura looked away to think. "When I'm better," she began. "Where do I go?"

Itachi froze and looked sadly at Sakura's hands. "I don't know yet," he said. "But I'll make sure you go to a safe place."

Sakura smiled at Itachi. "Thank you," she said. "It's your turn."

Itachi looked up at Sakura. "Can you help us?"

Sakura sighed and nodded. "Okaa-san would want me to," she whispered – tears glazing her eyes. But she held back her tears and smiled at Sakura. "Where do we start?"

Itachi stood up and sat down on the side of the bed, holding her hand in his. "Just tell me if it's too much," he said.

Sakura nodded.

Itachi took a quiet deep breath. "You had a new neighbor recently," he said. "What's his name?"

"Seiji-san," Sakura answered. "It wasn't him! I saw him—" Sakura winced as the image of Seiji falling lifeless, bloody and in pieces on the ground surfaced in her thoughts.

Itachi squeezed her trembling hands. "Sakura-chan—"

Sakura looked at Itachi. "It wasn't him," she said. "I haven't seen him before."

"Who..?"

"The man who killed Seiji-san," Sakura shakily answered. "I always visited Seiji-san. He's had visitors before, but they didn't include the man. And he sounded so angry at Seiji-san…"

Itachi froze. Sakura seemed to know so much more than they expected. "Sakura-chan," Itachi began. "Are you friends with Seiji-san?"


"You're not going home yet, Rin-san?" Hori, a janitor assigned in the basement of the library asked Rin.

It was late in the afternoon and the library was closing. Rin, who arrived early that morning to check the book records, was still doing rounds in the shelves with a record book in hand.

"No, I'm afraid I need to finish this before I leave," Rin answered smiling at the old man. "But I'll be out in an hour or so."

Hori chuckled. "You're still as workaholic as I remember," he said. "You won't get a husband if you keep that up."

Rin rolled her eyes. "I've given up on getting one anyway," she said.

"Aww," Hori said. "Don't be like that. Not to scare you or anything, but you see how Yonoko-san is and you won't surely want to end up like her."

Rin chuckled. Yonoko was a 75-year-old librarian – the oldest one in the building. She chose to live alone, though rumous said she was too picky in her younger years, unlike her siblings who had familes of their own in neighboring villages. She kept a small apartment in town but she spent most of her hours sitting on the desk of the library.

Yonoko loved working in the library so much, she was given her own living quarters in the library. She had been considered as the library's keeper for the past two decades.

"She seems to like her life now though," Rin said. "Maybe I'll enjoy living that way too someday."

Hori shook his head. "It would be a shame though if you don't bear children," he said. "You'll make intelligent and beautiful children."

Rin smiled. "Aww," she said. "I'll think about it then."

Hori chuckled. "Hatake-san would make strong and wise children too," he said, winking.

Rin stiffened – her cheeks blushing. She looked down at the open record book and smiled.

Kakashi was one of the few people who first knew about the job she accepted in the library. He was also one of the few who knew what she really did in her work.

She remembered her first day to work in the library. She was on her way to the library when she saw Kakashi leaning against a light post on the side of the road several steps away from her house.

She recalled the bored look on his eyes as he gazed at her. It was five in the morning. Unlike the other employees who worked in the library, her day had to start earlier and end later than theirs. Her parents, both doctors stationed in the emergency room, were still in the hospital and there was no one else who could take her to the library. She was sixteen at the time and though Konoha was one of the few villages with low crime rates, it was still dangerous for a girl her age to walk alone on the street.

It was the reason Kakashi gave her when he told her he would walk her to work. It was also the reason he gave when she saw him that evening in the library, ready to walk her home.

Kakashi was one of those unreadable boys who liked to keep to themselves. He could survive a crowd and pull funny jokes, but he didn't chat around like the other boys Rin knew. He also kept half of his face hidden – something he did to remember his father who died in a bloody battle as an elite military operative.

A lot of girls admired Kakashi. He was the first boy to break the Uchiha boys' school popularity record, partly because Obito wasn't really as handsome as the previous Uchihas who graduated in the academy. He was also the first to challenge the Uchiha's consistent academic record.

He was a genius… a mysterious genius.

She had to admit that his efforts to walk with her made her Kakashi-lovesick heart skip a beat. Employees of the library also noticed his efforts and since then had teased Rin and Kakashi about being the perfect couple.

—Then Obito confessed something to Kakashi.

Rin sighed.

"What's your decision now?" a man said, shattering her train of thought.

Rin looked up and saw Kakashi slightly leaning against the shelf in front of her.

"W—What?" Rin asked, blushing. She was hoping the warm light of the basement was enough to hide the tint in her cheeks.

Kakashi raised a brow. "Weren't you thinking about getting a husband?"

Rin looked away.

"Well?" Kakashi asked. "What's your decision?"

Rin looked up at Kakashi's jaded blue eyes. "Where's Hori-san?"

"He already left," he answered. "He said good-bye but you seemed too immersed in your thoughts."

Rin nodded and looked at the books on the shelf. "Why are you here? I thought you had an investigation to work on."

"I'm working on it," Kakashi answered.

Rin stiffened and looked at Kakashi. "What do you need?"

"An Uchiha's been hanging around the archives lately," Kakashi began.

Rin looked anxiously at Kakashi. "Is it Obi—"

"You keep a log here, right?" Kakashi asked.

"Y—Yes," Rin said. She looked back at the door that led to a separate room in the basement. "Let me get it for you."

She rushed to the room.

Kakashi walked slowly to follow her, recalling the regret in her face when she sighed minutes ago.

He had been in the basement since Hiro told Rin about getting herself a husband. He just opted to listen to the conversation, partly out of courtesy and partly out of curiosity.

Kakashi wasn't dense. He knew Rin's feelings for him. It was supposed to be a secret, but being with him made it hard for her to keep it. He had to admit he was happy she had feelings for him. But it also made him feel…guilty.

"Here," Rin said, handing Kakashi a log book. "I haven't checked it yet because the books were our priority so I can't tell you what's there."

Kakashi nodded and flipped the pages. He kept his eyes on the dates as he turned each sheet of the book. He stopped at the page with the date he was looking for and ran his fingers on the names written on the log.

The names were written in various scripts with signatures beside the time they walked in and out of the archive.

Kakashi sighed as his fingers stopped on a familiar name. It was written with a handwriting script he had seen many times in police-related documents and post-it notes.

Rin looked at the page as well. Her brows furrowed. "Is he supposed to be here?"

"That's what I was about to ask you," Kakashi said. "Aren't we supposed to ask permission to access the archives?"

"Yes," Rin answered. "Though you're one of the very few who's received full unlimited access."

Kakashi nodded. "I'll have to confirm this to another one of the very few people with unlimited access."

Rin looked up at Kakashi. "Do you think he's behind this?"

Kakashi closed the log book. "We don't have enough evidence to suggest that," he said. "But we have enough to think he knows something important."

Rin sighed. "I don't like this."

"Have any of the books been missing?" Kakashi asked.

"Partly," Rin answered. "I mean so far, all the books are here. I can't say the same for the scrolls though."

"Scrolls?" Kakashi asked. "Aren't they—?"

"Yes," Rin said, knowing what Kakashi was about to ask. "We lost its keeper recently though. And guess who's been in-charge of them while we're looking for a replacement keeper."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Haruno-san."

Rin could only look at him.


"Why can't we adopt her?" Naruto asked, frowning at his father.

That was the question Minato dreaded to hear that evening. It was over dinner when his enthusiastic son, Naruto, began a conversation about a rumor he heard regarding the recent massacre – most specifically about the possibility of his classmate surviving the incident and possibly needing a new home.

Minato expected some leakage on the case to reach Naruto since Fugaku said Sasuke and Naruto were close to the sole survivor in the incident. Fugaku and the other older Uchiha officers might not spill anything to Sasuke, but Itachi might be brotherly enough to tell Sasuke something. After all, Fugaku said Sasuke looked pretty stressed out with what happened.

"There are important things we need to consider first," Minato told his son as Kushina busied herself with placing the steamy miso soup on the table.

It was after all, Minato's turn to reason with Naruto about the matter.

"Yeah," Naruto said. "Okaa-san told me about the rules. But we'll file for an adoption, right?"

Minato sighed. "Naruto," he began. "I can try to file for an adoption but I can't promise you that she'll come home to us soon. A lot has happened and she needs some time to adjust with everything."

"You mean she's still going to stay in the orphanage after she gets out of the hospital?" Naruto asked, horrified at the realization.

Minato smiled. "The orphanage isn't just some place where kids without parents are kept," he said. "It's not prison cell for children. It's a home for kids. They get fed well there, get checked up by doctors regularly, taught lessons you also study in the academy… It's a good place. You're mother and I have been there. We can check it out too if you want."

"But she doesn't know anyone there!" Naruto exclaimed. "What if kids bully her there? She's not like you or me or Okaa-san. She needs people she know to be with her through all of this!"

Minato nodded. "I get your point. But not everything goes the way we want them to be. And things like this don't always end up bad. What if getting away from everything that's been reminding her of what happened does her some good? What if staying here makes her lonelier? You said it yourself – she's not us. She might need other things to cope with things."

Naruto frowned. "But she's – "

"Naruto," Minato said. "We're still in the middle of an investigation and we still need her help. We might take her to an orphanage once she's out of the hospital, we might take her to somewhere else instead. But there's one thing I can assure you – we won't let anything bad happen to her."

Naruto looked down at his dinner plate. His mother cooked tonkatsu that evening. She wasn't as good in the kitchen as his father, but dinner looked edible so that should be a good sign, right?

"Even if I promise to study really hard?" Naruto asked.

Minato smiled. "That's tempting – very tempting, but I just can't promise you that we can adopt her. A lot of things need to be done first. And until they're done, I won't be able to assure you anything concerning her coming home to us."

Naruto sighed as Kushina sat down across from him, smirking.

"But I can promise to treat you out for a 'ramen-off' with me if you study really hard in school," Minato said, winking.

Naruto gasped in excitement and looked at his father. "Really?"

Kushina rolled her eyes.

Minato and Naruto held ramen-eating competitions in Ichiraku whenever he had a whole-day off from his work, which was rare. The last one they had was a year ago and Naruto slurped ten bowls of ramen, beating his father by six bowls. She had to nurse the boys for stomach aches the next day.

Minato chuckled. "Of course! I'll reserve a whole day for the competition."

Naruto raised his arms. "YEAH! I'll beat you again, you'll see."

"Ha! You wish," Minato teased. "I've been practicing you know."

Kushina chuckled.

And so began Minato and Naruto's lively conversation about their last 'ramen-off.'


Sasuke grabbed the phone receiver, planning to call Naruto and give an update on their plan of visiting Sakura when he realized he was no longer alone in the house.

It was night time and his mother had arrived to prepare dinner. She was already simmering the soup when Sasuke rushed to the phone to place the call.

Sasuke glanced at his mother, who was busy humming a tune to the steamy pot of rice on the stove.

She would hear him and his conversations with Naruto. Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't good at conversing in codes. He was as bad at it as Chouji. If Sasuke tried to drop hints on him, he would shout "are we speaking in codes?" which would alarm not only Sasuke's mother, but also Naruto's parents who would no doubt hear Naruto's loud voice.

What to do?

Sasuke looked at the phone. The receiver of the phone they kept in the living room could be moved to another room. But hiding in a room with the phone would look suspicious. His mother had been keeping a close watch on him too since the news about the massacre broke out so he was sure she would notice if he disappeared with the phone.

Should he just wait for tomorrow?

Sasuke frowned. This was urgent news – what he had. It could change everything they've planned. It couldn't wait.

He glanced at the phone again and smirked.

There was one friend of his who would get coded messages.

Shikamaru yawned as a ring echoed in the living room. He was in his bedroom cozily lying on his futon, limbs spread out in a relaxing stretch.

He was done with his homework – a task his nagging mother ordered him to do while she prepared their dinner.

The ring echoed again and Shikamaru heard rushed steps from the hall.

"Hello, Nara's residence," he heard the muffled voice of his mother from the living room.

Shikamaru yawned again. He glanced at the book on his study table – the documents he 'barrowed' from his father's office tucked between its pages. There were so many things going on and for some reason, his lazyness hadn't been strong enough to keep him away from the teasing tugs his curiosity was making.

Reading documents and newspapers his father carefully stashed away was one of the few hobbies Shikamaru had. It started when he was two – when he learned how to read and realized that his father kept various village newspapers in his office. The first time he took a newspaper from his father's stash, he was caught. His father moved his stash in a different place the next day. It challenged the Nara toddler. It took him two months to successfully 'barrow' one of his father's newspapers. His father never seemed to have found out about the deed.

His father had been keeping his things in various places in the house since then. For the past two years, Shikamaru had been accessing his father's things to quench his curiosity and challenge his 'ninja' abilities. He learned in the past two years of sneaking into his father's hiding places that his father moved his things around when he noticed his things had been tampered with.

His father hadn't been moving his things around for the past year, so whatever Shikamaru was doing he was doing it well. Hopefully, it stayed that way.

Shikamaru sighed.

One of the first things he noticed in his father's stash of documents was his collection of old blueprints with almost intelligible scribbles. Apparently, his father was involved with setting up the security for a number of public buildings including the village hospital. The hospital hadn't undergone any massive renovation since Shikamaru learned to remember so it should still be of use to them.

"Shikamaru!" called Shikamaru's mother, suddenly standing near his bedroom door.

Shikamaru looked up at her.

"I said your friend is on the phone," his mother said.

"Oh," Shikamaru said, sitting up. "I'm coming."

Shikamaru walked quickly to the living room and grabbed the phone. "Yeah?"

"It's Sasuke," he heard Sasuke say. "I spoke to someone we can interview for the school project."

Shikamaru froze and stared at the newsflash on the TV.

Project..?

Shikamaru smirked. "Oh," he said. "You've set up an appointment?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "He said he'll help us get our project done."

"Ino said we need to give him a token of appreciation," Shikamaru said, glancing at his mother who still appeared to be busy in the kitchen. He noticed her eyes flash ever so slightly in his direction though.

His mother was listening.

"Yeah, I'll take care of the token," Sasuike said.

"No, we're a group," Shikamaru said. "We'll share with the expenses."

"It's not that much," Sasuke replied. "It's not that expensive."

"Hmm," Shikamaru said. "Let's talk about it tomorrow. Is he going to answer all our questions?"

"Yes – he said everything."

Shikamaru nodded. "Okay," he said. "Tomorrow." He then put the receiver down, ending the call. He walked back to the hallway.

"Don't sleep," his mother said. "Dinner's almost ready."

"I won't," Shikamaru said – eyes narrowed at the floor.

He was too busy wondering who of the Uchiha relatives decided to help them break into the hospital. It just sounded too impossible. And why would that relative help them?

What did he want in exchange?