All rights to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Sakura could confidentially say that she is a person that did not get embarrassed often. In her mind, other people's thoughts didn't matter; it only mattered what her own family thought of her. However, in this situation, it was her family that was looking upon her, and their own innate biases were forming. Why was she with Itachi? Why were they in the same room together? Why were they in the same room together next door?
Gaara's expression clearly showed how upset he felt about the situation. If anyone from the Underground was to find out that she had ties to the police chief, then they would eliminate her instantly. That put Sakura in immediate danger. He was already worried enough that she could get hurt at one of her matches, but in this case, she could be killed. Sakura had made it her mission to protect him from everything, but clearly she didn't know danger when it was living right next door to them. He might be her little brother, but all of his overprotective senses were kicking in. It did not matter to him that Itachi was the police chief; the safety of his sister mattered more than anything.
Sasori was unsure about how he felt about the police chief being so close to them, especially his cousin. It would have been great if it was any other man, and for any other reason than the predicament they were in. He had been wishing that Sakura would get a boyfriend at some point to match her innately domineering nature, but this was completely different, since the man she had walked out of a room with was not a lover, but an employer. However, if it the situation was what it looked like it was, then he would be happy to comply.
"Sakura-nee…" Gaara said slowly, looking between the two of them.
Sakura sharply turned towards Itachi. "You have to go somewhere, don't you Itachi?" She asked rhetorically as she started pushing him down the hallway in the opposite direction. "Go do your job!" She said with one final shove. Itachi retained his composure as his feet were forcefully moved along the floor. He understood that staying would only delay his duties, so he decided to comply with Sakura's tacit request to not talk to her family.
Before Itachi reached the end of the hall, he glanced over his shoulder towards the family behind him. They seemed to be in some kind of deep argument, with Sakura notably threatening her older cousin with her fist. It was then that he caught the eyes of her younger brother. He could have broken eye contact right then and just walked away, yet he didn't. In the spur of the moment, Itachi sent a small smirk towards the red head and watched as his eyes narrowed into a glare. Even when Itachi left the scene, the smirk remained plastered to his face.
He wondered what outcome would come about by his small action.
Bastard. Gaara cursed in his mind. That smug Uchiha had the nerve to give such a sly expression to him, prompting him to think something of the situation he probably shouldn't. He knew his sister; he would argue that he did better than anyone else in the world. He also knew that there was little chance Sakura would warm up to someone like Itachi, especially just over the course of about a month.
He had little doubt that Uchiha Itachi was an honest man, very responsible to say the least, but he and Sakura came from two completely different worlds. Gaara knew that someone as rich as an Uchiha was ignorant to the struggles that their family had to deal with – likewise, he acknowledged that he was ignorant to the issues of the wealthy – and Sakura grew to hate the upper classes because of their lack of understanding.
In Gaara's mind, there was no one that was good enough for Sakura. She might have been rough around the edges, impatient, and – at times – quite rude, but she was the strongest person in the world in his eyes, both physically and mentally. She was the bolster that held the family up, despite her dishonest means of upholding it.
Gaara looked over to his cousin and his sister, with the former trying to cover his face from her threatening fist. Despite this, Sasori wore a smile on his face, a sign that he was only jesting. Whenever he did, however, he barely managed to walk away, so he should know better.
"What the hell do you mean, 'I approve'? What do you think is going on, idiot!?" Sakura exclaimed as she harshly hit Sasori on the side of his arm.
"Please Saki, we have neighbors." Sasori said in a hushed tone. Sakura fumed and was about to retort, but Gaara quickly unlocked their door and pulled her inside, with Sasori following closely behind. "Okay, now we can talk."
"Listen boys," Sakura said with a heavy sigh, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that he moved in next to us, but I knew that you would react like this. Besides, it doesn't concern you." Sakura said with a shrug.
"You think it doesn't concern us? Do you think you don't concern us?" Gaara asked seriously. Sakura had never seen such a fierce look directed to her from her brother. She knew not to take it personally and that Gaara was only looking out for her, but she was in no way going to let her little brother berate her for trying to keep them safe.
"Gaara, back down, and mind your tone." Sakura said in her most assertive voice, placing her hands on her hips. Gaara faltered a bit and shifted his gaze, aware that he had spoken disrespectfully to his older sister. However, he did not find it right to apologize to her then; she was still at fault for withholding information from them.
Sasori rolled his eyes. "Alright you two," he said, standing in between them and placing one hand on each of their shoulders, "Gaara, Sakura's right. Don't speak out of turn. She was only trying to protect us, so no use getting upset." He said. He then turned his head to face Sakura, "And don't castigate him for arguing, Sakura. He's worried about your wellbeing, as am I. You can understand the stress he is going through knowing that by Uchiha-san living next to us; it might put you just a step closer to death."
Sakura reached up and clasped the hand on her shoulder, giving Sasori a reassuring nod. She then looked at Gaara, her expression considerably softer. "Thank you for caring so much, Gaara. Trust me, I don't like that he is living next door either, but it would be hard to sneak around with him without someone noticing. This is the place where there are the least eyes. Besides, he's seldom home and never allows himself to be seen when he leaves." She walked up to him and gave his ear a gentle pull, one of the few ways she showed affection.
"Okay, just make sure you're careful." Gaara said in his reserved tone; he was looking down but Sakura could still see a faint uneasiness in his eyes.
"Aren't I always?" Sakura asked rhetorically. Sasori was about to open his mouth to say something, but Sakura sharply turned to him and put her pointer finger to his chest. "You shut up." Sasori immediately closed his mouth. "Anyway, how was the art exhibit, you guys?" She asked.
"We'll talk about it over lunch. You haven't had any, right?" Sasori asked. Sakura shook her head. "Well, I'll make some fried rice. You two should go wash up, especially you Gaara. We had a long car ride." Sasori said.
Sakura shrugged and went to her room, while Gaara remained by Sasori's side and stared after her. Sasori clapped Gaara on the shoulder. "You know she's old enough to take care of herself. Have more faith in her."
"I have more faith in her than I have in anyone else in this screwed up world." Gaara said sincerely. Sasori nodded with a smile.
"I feel the same way." Sasori said as he went to the fridge to bring out the ingredients he needed. "But I do wish she brought home a boy one day. Don't you think that she and the Uchiha would make a good couple?"
"No." Gaara deadpanned immediately after Sasori finished his sentence. With that, Gaara broodily stalked off, muttering incredulous curses under his breath.
Sasori smiled as he sighed deeply. "I still think they'd make a nice pair."
Later that night, while everyone except the moon offed their lights, Sakura laid in bed while staring at her ceiling. Things were definitely becoming more risky for her family. She wished she could relocate them until the situation calmed down, but with what money? There was no way that they could afford another apartment, even in a city less expensive than Tokyo. Sasori might be able to fend for himself, but Gaara was still in school, and he needed someone to support him. Sakura closed her eyes in thought. I could send him to…
No. No, she couldn't. There was no way she would allow Gaara to go back to her.
Her mother had walked out on their family when she was nine years old, when Gaara was only four and in need of a mother. She left them for a rich businessman, saying that she couldn't live with Kizashi's gambling habits anymore. Yeah, well neither could I, woman. Sakura thought in spite.
It was not like her mother was the nicest of people, anyway. She would always find some way to complain about her or her father, and never even gave a second glance to Gaara. She never approved of Sakura's boyish nature, and always berated her by saying that all she wanted was a girl who wore dresses and went shopping with her. Her mother never wanted anyone like her nor Gaara, and she didn't even have the decency to hide it. It was best if she never reentered Gaara's life, otherwise he would once again be deprived of the love he deserved.
So that left no one. Of course, she could try to get them under protection by the police, but she knew that any change in the norm would rouse suspicion. Sakura groaned and turned over to lie on her stomach, burying her face in her pillow. Her life was so complicated.
What the hell did she do to deserve it? Even if she did do something in a past life, Gaara and Sasori did not deserve the life they got, bless their souls.
Sakura knew that she had to sleep, since she had her job on top of her undercover work. She wanted, for once, to see her brother off to school. Her late nights have taken a toll on the overseeing of her brother. While he was one of the most responsible people she knew, she felt a need to spend more time with him. Perhaps it was because of the fact that any of these days, she could be shot dead if she was discovered. With how she was living, she was surprised that she hadn't already.
With the thought of death on her mind, she drifted off into her dreams; ones that were terrifying enough that children would call them "nightmares", but Sakura would not use such a strong word. Any escape was peaceful for her, no matter how scary it was.
The true nightmare, in her eyes, was reality.
Unbeknownst to her, there was another individual who was awake at the time. He was stationed outside of the door, in the hallway that connected all of the apartments, with his head down in his knees as if he was asleep. Actually, it was quite the contrary, as his mind was racing with countless hypothetical situations, stemming from his own anxiety. He squeezed his eyes shut and clutched his head to try to rid him of the incessant fears and thoughts he had; it was, in a word, unbearable for him.
"I do hope that you have not been waiting here for me all night." A voice said from above him. Turning his head to the side, the redhead looked up into the face of Uchiha Itachi. His face was shadowed from the light of the hallway, but he could still make out the inherently condescending gaze that the man gave. The man said nothing in response, simply turning his head away with a slight sneer. "You're Sakura-san's younger brother, are you not? Is there something you wish to discuss?"
There were a few moments of silence as Gaara stood up, but Itachi was a patient man and knew that younger man would speak eventually. Gaara never looked up to meet Itachi's eyes and kept his gaze fixated on the ground. Gaara started to shake slightly from the emotions bottled up inside him, emotions he was so sure were going to make him implode.
"I believe that you are not just here to inform me of how uncomfortable you are about this situation?" Itachi inquired.
Gaara had to prevent himself from scowling outright. "I wish you Uchiha would stop talking so pedantically. I can see why Sakura-nee can't stand your bunch." Gaara muttered under his breath, in his usual wispy tone.
He began to feel a little guilty of not showing proper decorum towards a respected figure. At that point, Gaara began to calm himself down, and his shaking stopped considerably. Itachi saw from this that he had a much better temper than his sister, but he still gave him time to recuperate his overwhelming emotions.
He then raised his head to look Itachi dead in the eyes. "I do not mean you any trouble, Uchiha-san, but I wanted to let you know that with this investigation comes a lot of risk, for both you and my sister."
"I am aware of this-"
"I don't think you are, Uchiha-san." Gaara said sharply. "Sakura-nee may have told you this, but you do not seem to be taking as much caution as you should." Gaara took a slight step forward so that he just half a foot away from the other male. "The Underground is a horrible place, where they do a lot worse crime than just theft. All of them…they're killers." Gaara paused for a moment, looking past Itachi to the end of the hall, as if he was unable to look at him anymore. "I've seen it once. Sakura-nee did something they didn't like too much, back when she first started fighting at sixteen."
"What happened?" Itachi asked curiously.
"It is not something that any of us talk about, and I ask that you do not mention it to Sakura-nee." Gaara prefaced. "I don't remember it that well, I was only a child at the time. But I do remember a gunshot…in the market where she and I were shopping." His head dropped, trying to abate the pain from the memory. "They weren't trying to kill her – that much I knew. Even if they wanted to do more damage, there were too many people around to get close to her without someone noticing. However, I remember the threat that he left for her."
A young Gaara knelt down next to his injured sister, shaking her with wide eyes as he watched her blood poor from the wound on her leg. His mind was not registering much, especially not the man who was weaving through the bystanders and walking towards them.
In the next moment, a piece of paper dropped in front of Gaara, barely visible through his blurred vision. Gaara looked up, but the man who had dropped it had walked away. The ambulance arrived – someone probably called one when they saw Sakura fall. While the adults on the street took care of Sakura, Gaara looked down at the paper that seemed to have dropped from nowhere. On it, there was a single sentence:
"If you mess up again, the next bullet won't miss."
"Since then, I haven't been able to sleep peacefully because I know that every time Sakura goes down there…no, even when she doesn't, she is in danger. The worst part is that even if she wanted to leave, she wouldn't be able to. No one can leave the Underground unless it is in death. They can't risk their secrets getting out."
Itachi had an inkling that this was the case. He had seen his fair share of brutality as a member of law enforcement, yet he knew that they were dealing with something much more malicious than he had encountered before. If they were willing to take arms against a child because she made a mistake, he might be dealing with the hardest of criminals in this case.
"My apologies if this sounds rude, but as much as you think you are able to understand, you cannot. Trust me, I don't dislike the rich as much as Sakura does; this is an issue of situation." Gaara explained.
Itachi nodded. "It is alright. I am conscious of our differences, but they should not matter when it comes to the investigation."
Gaara took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I am sorry to be a bother, Uchiha-san. I am sure that you have other things to attend to. Just one more thing," Gaara started, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Besides Sasori-nii-chan, she's the only person I have left. Even if she says she can take care of herself, please watch over her." He finished with a pleading bow. Itachi found himself vicariously relating to the boy, something he had never been able to do with anyone, let alone a teenager, before. What Gaara conveyed was more mature, more reserved – it reminded Itachi a bit of himself. Like him, the young man before him did not look accustomed to showing his emotions, and it must have been a great deal harder to show it to someone he didn't know.
"I can assure you that her safety is my priority in this investigation, and I have taken necessary precautions in order to keep her out of immediate danger." Itachi said truthfully. He didn't mean for anything to happen to Sakura, and would have made his best effort to keep her as sound as possible, regardless of Gaara's remarks.
Gaara's eyes narrowed by a small fraction as he took another step forward. He was only a bit shorter than Itachi, so he was able to look straight into his eyes, as if he was calculating something. Itachi looked straight into his as well. Perhaps he would be able to find out what Gaara was looking for before he did.
"You feel something for her, don't you?" Gaara asked finally, his face retaining its stoicism.
This took Itachi by surprise, and by this slip in his mental block, he unconsciously raised his eyebrows. He was unsure how Gaara was able to deduce that by simply looking at him, but he supposed that he was just good at reading people. If he were to ever join the police force, he would make a good interrogator. Almost no one was able to deduce what Itachi was feeling, and the fact that a mere high school student did so with ease was incredible, yet almost insulting. He usually was not so easy to read.
"What leads you to believe that?" Itachi asked, his voice remaining stable despite his slight amazement at the youngster's abilities.
"I am attempting to make sense of the look you gave me earlier." He said stoically.
Itachi smiled slightly. "I will not answer a 'yes' nor a 'no'." Itachi responded curtly. He then turned to go back into his own apartment, leaving a stoic Gaara in the hallway, who was watching his every move carefully. Itachi opened the door, but before he went in, he halted, turning back to Gaara. "I will tell you this, though. Your sister is the most peculiar person I've ever met." He said, before entering his apartment and closing the door behind him.
A yes, hm? Gaara thought with slightly balled fists. It was definitely an unfavorable development in his opinion. He knew that his big sister was too dense to notice any signs that the Uchiha gave. He knew he would have to watch over her himself. He just hoped that Uchiha Itachi's reputation of being a man of all work would be upheld.
Once again, Sakura was readying herself to leech information off of the patrons of the Underground. Fortunately, she didn't have a fight that day, otherwise it would have made the process much more unbearable; her muscles were still sore from the last fight she had. It never truly occurred to her that she had fought in the Underground for more than six years already.
Time flies when you're beating other people up.
Her first order of business was to talk to Zetsu again to see if he found anything out about the money that Hidan had gotten. If she had to be honest, she did not know if she could trust his word. She'd known the crooks of the Underground for years now – almost all of them had a separate agenda. Of course, there were those who just could not live in Upper Tokyo, people that did not have the means to survive. Yet, if Sakura had learned anything from her six years as a fighter, it was that appearances could be deceiving.
As she expected, she found Zetsu at the bar where they first met. Sweat trickled down her neck, and she was unsure if it was from her anxiety or the stuffiness of the room. Nevertheless, she took a hair tie and brought her pink stands up into a messy bun, letting her neck cool and her nerves calm. The small fact that Itachi was there and that he would be telling her what to say if she got stuck gave her a little comfort. All she had to do was act the part.
"Another strong whiskey please." Sakura ordered the bartender as she sat down at the stool next to her bi-colored associate. He did not look at her immediately, but she could tell that he had noticed her presence.
"Sakura-san, it is wonderful to be seeing you again." Zetsu said with a smile. Well, truly it was a half-smile as his black side could not move. Sakura gave him a nod of affirmation, but refused to say anything more; it was not as if the feeling was mutual. "So regarding your little inquiry into Hidan, I believe I have found something that may be of interest to you."
Sakura looked at him as she sipped her drink. "And what might that be?"
"Well, it is much better if I show it to you, if I may." Zetsu said politely.
"Don't go with him unless he tells you what it is. You don't want to be walking into a trap." She heard Itachi say into her ear.
"Sorry, but I'm not one for mysteries. Either tell me what you found or I'll cut our relation here." She threatened.
Zetsu's eyes widened, wanting to prevent a misunderstanding, and he shook his head innocently. "It is nothing like that, Sakura-san. My apologies, I believe I got carried away by this investigation." Zetsu said as he raised his white arm to scratch his head sheepishly.
He doesn't look like such a bad guy. Sakura thought to herself. In fact, he seemed to be quite genuine. However, she held what she knew about the Underground to heart, and did not allow his persona to cloud her judgment.
"I truly don't mean to make you guarded, Sakura-san. I was just hoping that you would still agree to go with me even when I tell you where we will be going." Zetsu replied, which did nothing to calm Sakura's nerves.
"Then where are we going?" Sakura asked impatiently.
"…The Black Market."
Now Sakura saw why he thought she would be wary about going there. That was a part of the Underground that she had tried to avoid for years. It was the area that had one of the highest kill rates in the world, mostly because even just breathing wrong could get someone a bullet through the head. Kisame had warned her to keep away from there; apparently he had lost someone dear to him down there and he never went back again.
Nonetheless, Sakura wasn't afraid of them, nor anything they could threaten her with. It was true that the Black Market was known to be the place where all of the crooks of the city hung out, so if the police wanted to catch their culprits, that would be the best place to look. The reason she hadn't gone down there before is because you need special permission to enter, and that was something many people of the Underground did not have.
If Zetsu was offering to get her in there, then the rest of the investigation would be a lot less bothersome.
"Are you still willing to go, Sakura-san, knowing the risk?" Zetsu asked, leaning his burned cheek on his chin on his hand.
Sakura gulped down what was left of her whiskey. "I get my ass beaten by guys twice the size of me every week. I give negative shits about risk." She finished, give a slight burp afterwards. Zetsu looked at her amusedly. As the old saying went, bravery and stupidity were separated by a thin line. He wondered which side the Tokyo Terror was on.
"Well then, that was easier than I thought. How about some tequila shots before we go? My treat." Zetsu offered.
Sakura laughed boisterously, although it was muffled by the loud sounds around them. "You flatter me. I can never pass up a great opportunity like that one." With that, Zetsu flagged down the bartender and gave him their order. "But one more thing." Sakura said as she leaned in closer. "If you do anything that I don't like, I won't hesitate to crush your head like bubble wrap." She whispered menacingly.
As she retreated, she saw the white part of his face form a bead of sweat. "I-I expected no less from you, Sakura-san." He replied sheepishly. Sakura smiled in response before downing her shot.
There was one hallway of the Underground that no mere dweller dared to traverse. 'The pitch black tunnel looked like a portal into a void that would suck a person in and leave no trace of them afterwards.' That was something that Kisame told her when he first told her of his experience there. Sakura scoffed at this description, saying that it sounded like some cheesy line out of a movie. However, when she stood in front of that tunnel, she could not help but think the same thing.
There was something about it that gave her a chilling premonition. Perhaps it was because of her knowledge about the atrocities that happened there, and that only some of the most hardened criminals had permission to enter. Regardless of the danger, her cause mattered much more. Itachi most likely did not know the backstory of the Black Market, and what he did not know wouldn't hurt him. She had a feeling that he would be cautious about sending her down there if he knew the extent of the danger.
Sakura sighed and shook her head. Even if Itachi seemed to be a hardened police officer, she could tell that he had a small soft side.
"Are you ready, Sakura-san?" Zetsu asked from beside her as he motioned to the hallway.
"I don't see why I wouldn't be." Sakura replied sharply as she passed by him.
Quite fearless, I see. Zetsu thought. It will be fun to observe whether her sanity will hold, another voice in his mind responded.
The walk down the hallway was long – awkward to say the least. Zetsu did not seem to be affected by this, however, as evident by how he gave his usual gleeful half-smile. He walked a small ways ahead of her, and she made sure to keep her eye trailed on his every movement. He looked like he had a slight skip in his step, as if walking down the hallway was the most jovial experience in the world. This just increased Sakura's suspicion of him.
"Keep a close eye on him. Don't let him out of your sight." Itachi ordered her softly.
If it had been just a couple of weeks ago, then she would have given him some sarcastic comeback, even if it was only in her mind. However, she knew that he was trying to help, so she couldn't bring herself to it. Sakura sneered internally, though not completely out of discontent. I didn't think that bastard could ever grow on me. She thought with an internal cackle. Guess appearances really are deceiving.
"You're quite interesting, Sakura-san. I don't know if anyone in Tokyo could have accomplished what you have, let alone a young woman." Zetsu remarked from in front of her.
Sakura focused back on him and narrowed her eyes. "What are you trying to imply?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing! It was just a comment. I'm just truly amazed by your strength. Like I said, I've been a fan of yours for as long as I can remember." He appeased quickly. "I really don't mean to offend you or anything like that."
"You seem to pass a lot of these comments, in my opinion."
Zetsu said nothing to that, but merely gave her a smile over his shoulder. "You seem to be quite keen about finding your money, aren't you?" He asked nonchalantly.
Sakura raised an eyebrow at this. Way to change the subject, jackass. What aren't you telling me? "Why shouldn't I be? This is my money that I am concerned with." She replied.
"Say that you do not want it to be illegal money because you might be tracked if you received it in your fights." Itachi ordered.
"Besides, I don't want that money to be illegal. Some of that money comes to me when I win my fights, and I don't want the police tracing it back to me somehow. I'm not going to cover for his sorry ass." Hell yeah, I'm so smooth. Sakura said as she gave herself a mental high five. She hoped that Itachi was proud of her too.
Wait…why would that matter to her?
"I see. I suppose that is a valid point." Zetsu said with a shrug. He then focused his gaze in front of him. "Oh look, we're here."
Sakura looked past Zetsu to the big wooden doors that spanned the solid rock wall. In front of the doors were two guards. She could barely see them in the darkness they were in. What she could see was that they were both wearing some sort of demonic masks.
They were immediately on guard when they saw her, someone they probably knew didn't have permission to enter. "It's alright boys, she's with me." Zetsu said, holding his hands up in an appeasing gesture. Both of the guards looked at each other for a moment before standing down.
"We should not be letting her through, Zetsu. It is against the rules." One of the guards said.
"But do you remember all of the favors I have done for the two of you? I had to break some rules to do those things, and I expect you to do the same."
The guards hesitated for a moment before stepping aside to let them pass. "Just make sure she doesn't cause any trouble, or it will be on our heads." The other guard said.
"She knows the conduct around here by now." Zetsu replied, motioning for Sakura to follow him. "Come, Sakura-san."
Sakura followed silently, not looking at the two guards as she and Zetsu passed through the wooden doors. Again, they were faced with a dark hallway, yet this one was shorter and it had a bright light at the end of it.
"I thought that the Black Market was stricter about who comes in and out." Sakura remarked.
Zetsu gave another half-smile on his white side. "They are, but I have more connections down here than anyone else in the Underground. You could say that I have just about the same amount of influence as those who run the Market." He said, jerking his head down the hall to motion her to follow him.
"To me, that translates to you being just as dangerous." Sakura said with her arms crossed, keeping put as she watched Zetsu walk slowly in front of her.
Zetsu chuckled a little. "Perhaps…or perhaps not. I guess that is for you to deduce on your own." He said as he continued down the hall. Sakura dug her nails into her upper arms as they were crossed. She didn't have a good feeling about any of this.
Regardless, she quickened her step to catch up with her guide.
They finally reached the end of the tunnel and entered the light at the end. At first, Sakura had to squint her eyes because she was unaccustomed to how bright the room was. Just from the sound alone, she could tell that it was a huge area, potentially the largest part in the Underground. From what she had heard, the Black Market was huge, and it ran under not only Tokyo, but some of the neighboring cities as well.
It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust, but when they finally did, she was met with a ginormous (as the rumors said) cavern with lights hanging far above them on the ceiling jagged rock walls. Unlike other places in the Underground, the walls were not a charcoal or slate color. These walls looked reddish-brown with tinges of orange, a type of rock she didn't even know existed in Japan. The ground below them was evened out and looked somewhat like golden sand, stretching across the entire area with small protruding rocks scattered about. Hundreds of stalls – some selling guns, some making poison, some auctioning off jewelry that she knew was stolen – were lined up in many neat rows to make way for the hoard of patrons that walked between them.
"Welcome to the Japan's Underground Black Market. A beautiful place, isn't it?" Zetsu said, looking around with pride. "I always liked to think that the creators of the Market got the design for the cavern from A Thousand and One Nights, that old desert tale. It's quite a work of art, I can tell you that." He rambled irreverently. "Come, I know exactly where to go to find what you're looking for."
Sakura nodded dumbly as she began to follow Zetsu. However, just as she took one step into the Black Market, she heard a gunshot; as if it was slow motion, a body started to fall towards her. Quickly, Zetsu reacted by yanking her harshly away with his black hand, allowing the body to fall face-first before them. Instantly, blood leaked out from the wound on the large man's head, staining the sand below him. Sakura looked up to see the perpetrator that caused the man's death – a middle-aged man that was dangerously spinning a pistol around his index finger.
Sakura did not flinch when this happened; she had seen more than a fair share of shootings in her life. When she looked up at Zetsu, she saw him stare down at the man's body apathetically, almost spitefully. She was not exactly sure of this, since she was facing the black side of him, but she could tell that the air around him immediately lightened when he turned towards her, a smile on his face.
"Well, isn't this eventful! Come on, let's not waste any time." He said whimsically, the eye on his white side squinting as his grin grew wider. Another set of chills ran down Sakura's spine. Clearly this man had a different agenda, just looking at his attitude. Either that, or he had some kind of mental disorder.
"Hey, someone get this damn shitbag outta here!" The murder yelled, a cigar in his mouth. Immediately, four smaller men surrounded the large cadaver and lifted him up, with great difficulty. They then took him somewhere to Sakura's right, walking among the crowd with a dead body while they moved passed them like it was nothing special. It probably wasn't.
Zetsu and Sakura continued their little excursion through the Market, with Zetsu again leading a few paces ahead. Sakura's eyes were tempted to wander around her – to look at all of the different illegal substances people were selling. However, she, very uncharacteristically for her, kept her head down and refused to look at anyone in the eye. She scowled at her own weak appearance, but she knew that it was for the greater good. She was not sure what the people of the Underground were capable of, and the Black Market was a completely different league of unpredictable. Who knew what would happen if she looked into the eyes of someone down there?
She might as well make a deal with the devil if she did.
Zetsu led her towards one of the middle kiosks, where a woman with blonde hair tied up in a ponytail was squatting near a flat rock where three other men were playing cards. The woman had an eye scope over the side that was directly facing them, but it was covered by one of her blonde bangs. Because of this, it made the rest of her face concealed.
"Deidara!" Zetsu called out, making the woman turn her head towards them. When she finally faced them, Sakura immediately realized her mistake.
Oh shit. That was no woman – it was a man. And the worst part was that it was a man that she knew.
She was hoping that she would never have to deal with this idiot ever again. Deidara went to the same art school that Sasori did before Sasori had to drop out due to their familial issues. The two of them seemed to be good enough friends, despite getting into arguments about what the true meaning of art was all the time. Sakura just found him downright loud and irritating, and she vowed to herself to stay as far away from him as possible. She supposed that it was due to this that she had no knowledge of him being a part of the Underground.
Deidara came over to where Zetsu was while entranced with a large pouch that he was holding, probably filled with piles of cash that he had gotten from winning gambles. Even when Zetsu put his hand on the blonde's shoulder, he did not look up. "Sakura-san, allow me to introduce you to the best bomb maker, as well as the biggest gossiper, in the Black Market. Deidara, I would like you to meet the Tokyo Terror herself."
At hearing that nickname, Deidara's head immediately shot up, almost completely ignoring his "friend" next to him. "Sakura-chan! It's so nice to see you, un!" He exclaimed happily.
Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously at him. She didn't want anyone to find out their relation to each other, especially since that relation came through her cousin. If this idiot was ever to screw up something, which was not far from him, then the Underground might come after Sasori to get to him. He wasn't worth that kind of risk.
Zetsu raised an eyebrow. "Do you two already know each other?"
"Un! I know her through her co-" He halted his dialogue right when Sakura gave him the eye that promised him that she would break every single bone in his body if he mentioned her cousin. "Co-co-coach, the big fish man, yeah! He's on all of the big sports magazines in Upper Tokyo." Deidara covered up. Sakura breathed an internal sigh of relief that Zetsu did not seem to question his small blunder. Even if he suspected something, she hoped that her family was at least out of immediate danger. Deidara coughed a little before continuing. "A-Anyway, what can I do for the two of you? It's not like you to seek me out especially, Zetsu, un."
"Well, we're hoping you can help us in a little inquiry that we are doing." Zetsu said, motioning for Sakura to pick up the conversation.
"We need to know if Hidan has been getting any illegal money out of here lately. Money that he's been using to bet on me in my fights." Sakura said.
Deidara's expression immediately turned into a scowl. "That bastard Jashinist. Sounds like something he would do." Deidara said with a shake of his head. "But why are you so focused on this one individual, Sakura-chan?"
"Call me Sakura-chan again and I'll kill you –"
"Almost everyone in the Underground uses illegal money, so it's not only Hidan." Deidara finished, effectively brushing off her threat despite the goosebumps that went down his spine.
Crap. I didn't think of that. C'mon Itachi, give me something! She internally panicked. Luckily, her plea was answered.
"Say that it is because of the current investigation that is going on. You want to know whether Hidan has been stealing from the jewelry stores around Tokyo to make his money." Itachi supplied quickly. Sakura repeated what he said in her own words, which in turn made Deidara nod nonchalantly.
"I don't see the harm in finding out. It's not like I care about him anyway, un." Deidara said with a shrug. "Hey Zetsu! If he does end up being the culprit for the thefts and murders on Upperground, can we turn him in and get the bounty on his head?"
"That does not sound like a terrible idea, actually." Zetsu replied with a smile. This smile seemed much less jovial than his others did, though. Sakura took note of this and kept quiet, she had no desire to take part in their conversation.
They walked a little further towards a group of stalls, all of which involved some sort of jewelry, probably stolen of course. They walked to one in particular, one that had a large black curtain separating what was inside from public view. Before them was a glass case, one that someone would see in a regular jeweler's shop, with all kinds of exotic, yet outrageously priced, ornaments.
"Oi, Kakuzu! Get your greedy ass out here!" Deidara called towards the back of the stall. After a few moments with no show of the owner, Deidara heaved an exasperated sigh and went behind the table towards the back. "I'll be right back." He said.
"Make sure not to get killed, Deidara." Zetsu commented lightly. Deidara waved him off and went behind the curtain. "He's taken us to the right place. If there's anyone that knows about Hidan's whereabouts, especially if it has anything to do with money, Kakuzu's the person to ask." He said to Sakura, who was examining the masterpieces in his display case. "These are real treasures. You see that one over there?" Zetsu asked as he pointed to a necklace that had an elegant silver chain and a black gem in the middle.
"I think I've seen that somewhere before." Sakura commented unsurely.
"You probably have. It's called the Devil's Eye, and it was swiped from an Ethiopian noble about two hundred years back. I'm not surprised that Kakuzu has it in his collection."
Sakura turned to him in shock. "So how much is that thing worth?" She asked.
"Just look at the price tag. Kakuzu is not a dollar off in his appraisals." Zetsu replied.
Sakura took a look at the necklace's price tag, her eyes widening at the sickeningly high value. "2.8 billion Yen!? For that thing?" Sakura exclaimed as she pointed at it.
Just then, a dazed Deidara was tossed on the floor next to Zetsu on the floor. Both Zetsu and Sakura looked the idiot fall before looking up at the large man that had thrown the blonde like a rag doll. "That necklace is worth more than your life, so you should learn to respect it." His deep voice commented.
Sakura looked into the sea green eyes of a large man that had stiches going up his arms, and as far as she could guess, his entire body. He wore a mask over his mouth and covered his head as well. He was no more intimidating to her than Kisame was, having an odd appearance himself, but this man seemed to be much more malicious in nature than her friend.
"Why are you bothering me, Zetsu? I was counting my money." Kakuzu asked. At some point, Deidara had sprung up like a jack-in-the-box, complaining about how Kakuzu could have strangled him to death, with no one particularly caring.
"We need some information about Hidan's whereabouts. Has he turned in any jewelry to you and gotten a hefty sum for it?" Zetsu asked.
Kakuzu's mask moved for his mouth to form what she could assume was a scowl. "Who's asking?" He asked impatiently.
"I'm asking." Sakura butted in, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I'm not surprised that Hidan has gotten under the skin of anyone he comes in contact with, but what does a fighter want with him?" Kakuzu asked.
"He's been making money off of me and I need to know if it is from the jewelry that is currently under investigation." Sakura explained briefly. "Look, I've already had a long night, so if you could just give me what I want, I'll be on my way."
"I don't give information away without a price." Kakuzu responded.
"How about I save you the price of repairing your jaw when I break it?" Sakura threatened as she moved closer. She had to be physically restrained by both Zetsu and Deidara.
Kakuzu looked at her disapprovingly, but knew that she very well may carry out her threat. He did not desire to spend his money on something as troublesome as medical bills. He breathed an annoyed sigh before complying, going back to the dark hole that he once emerged from. Deidara gave her an impressed expression; he had never seen anyone threaten Kakuzu into showing them something. That girl was truly something else.
Kakuzu came back a few minutes later with some pictures in hand. "This is what he turned into me last week. I don't know enough about Upper Tokyo's news to know if they have been recently stolen, but it earned him a total of eight hundred million yen." Sakura examined the pictures. Many pieces of beautiful jewelry were displayed, but she wasn't exactly sure if those were the pieces that were stolen.
"I have to compare those pictures with the ones at the station. Get them from him any way you can."
"Well, we got what we came for." Deidara said, breaking the small silence. It was obvious that he just wanted to get as far away from Kakuzu as he could. He roped one arm around Zetsu's shoulders and started dragging him away. "Come on, Zet, let's get something to eat."
Sakura watched the two wander off somewhere, which created the perfect opportunity for her. "What do you want for those pictures?" Kakuzu raised an eyebrow. "I need them, alright?" She said impatiently.
"Like I said, I don't do anything without a price. Threatening me won't work this time." Kakuzu replied.
"Listen, I'm broke as hell. I don't have any money I can give you." She admitted.
"There is worth in more than money." He commented, motioning her to come a bit closer. She did so warily, and he leaned in as well. "Information is also very valuable. I need some on a man that you have recently fought: Kimimaro."
Sakura looked at him questioningly. "That guy I fought, like, three months ago? What do you need from him?"
"He's stolen a few things from me that I am none too happy about. If you can supply me a location of where he is, then the pictures are yours." Kakuzu bargained.
Sakura thought hard about what she had last heard about Kimimaro. It was not as if she kept tabs on her opponents.
"Well, last thing I heard was about a month ago, when he was seen causing some trouble in some business district in Tokyo. You know Nihonbashi, right?" Kakuzu nodded. "He was on the news over there. They said something about him being a local, so I'm guessing that he lives around there." Sakura said with a shrug. "I hope that's enough for you."
Kakuzu nodded curtly. "Indeed. You've been…most helpful." He replied, choosing his words meticulously. He slid the pictures across the display case over to her side. "A pleasure doing business with you." He said no more before he disappeared back behind the curtain. Sakura collected the pictures and put them in the back pocket of her black jeans.
Just then, Zetsu came bursting through the crowd towards her. "Sorry about leaving you, Sakura-san. I hope you're satisfied with the information we got." Zetsu said, panting a little.
"Yeah. I'm going to get out of here, though. I can't stand to stay longer." Sakura said.
"I don't know how much longer they'll allow one of my guests to stay either. I'll lead you back out." He offered. With that, the two were on their way.
"Well done, Sakura-san." Itachi said into her ear set. She gave a small smile, even if he could not see it. Itachi sounded as stoic as always, but she could detect just a small twinge of pride in there, however tiny it was. For some reason, it made her feel elated.
She wondered how long that feeling would last.
"Breaking news: a deceased man has been found in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. This young man of twenty-three years, identified as Kaguya Kimimaro, has been found with multiple bullet wounds in the head and chest. The perpetrator was not caught on film because the attack took place in a blind spot of the street camera. Take caution when roaming the streets, as the assailant is still at large."
Hi everyone! I really hope you guys enjoyed this extra-long chapter! I had a lot of time to work on it because of my trip to Malaysia and India, but I'm back in the States now so I'll try to update more regularly.
SASORI IS AN ITASAKU SHIPPER! Is anyone else super happy about this? I was thinking about making Gaara a closet shipper too, but I feel like that would be too easy for Itachi. Let me know what you guys think!
Please drop a review if you're feeling generous, because I'd love to know what you guys think – what I'm doing well and how I can improve as a writer.
Special thanks to: Korranders, mbravesgirl7, magnolia 11, Eleanrode, Itachan, darth-sakura, Rhearenee, and loveitasakuxx for taking their time to review!
And, as always, I hope that everyone is having a fantastic day wherever they are! See you guys next time!
