Chapter 10: Surprise Arrivals
Bridgewater Terrace Apartments 214
10:00 PM
Sakura looked cautiously outside the window, into the deep blue sky. She counted her breaths one by one and counted her fingers one by one. It was all there, but she felt empty. Like, something had been stolen from her, like she had left something back at Kurokage that she would never be able to retrieve.
She turned away from the depressing view to face her newly-reunited best friend, Ino Yamanaka who was still as gorgeous as she remembered. She had shown up 10 minutes earlier, proclaiming a surprise sleepover. Damn, she had missed having a best girlfriend. Ino's long blonde hair was in her usual ponytail with her hair curled. She wore fitted track pants and a tight pink sweatshirt.
Ino let out a delighted giggle as she plopped onto the navy blue sofa with a large bowl of buttered popcorn. "God, I feel like I'm back in high school again." She grinned over at Sakura, who was curling her hair into ringlets.
The pink-haired girl looked up, "Hmm? Oh, yeah, same here." She responded distractedly. She bit her lip in annoyance at herself. Couldn't she at least act excited for Ino's benefit? She loved Ino to death and was ecstatic at their reunion but it couldn't have come at a worse time, right in the middle of an undercover operation. She had to lie about everything. She had to be cautious that she didn't slip up, or Anko would order Ino's assassination.
Ino cocked a waxed eyebrow, "What's up with you? I kind of thought you would be happy to see me after you left Japan." She sniffed arrogantly, not wanting to show any hurt.
Sakura cursed mentally, she was way too easy to read, so much for being a spy. "I like somebody." She blurted out and then almost immediately regretted it. She remembered the last time she had confessed to Ino about liking a boy; she never heard the end of her teasing.
The blonde woman grinned slowly, in a Cheshire-like manner. "Oh? And who is this boy? Or girl." She added teasingly.
Sakura rolled her eyes, "Wow. You would." She muttered under her breath. "I-never mind. Let's just watch the movie already. Forget it. I just met him; it's nothing, besides you would tell him." She got up to reach for the rented movie but Ino let out a screech of victory.
"It's Sasuke, isn't it?" she cried triumphantly. "You like your boss!"
Eff.
Sakura froze and clenched her jaw together, well; Ino wasn't her best friend for nothing. She turned to face her friend's gorgeous face. "Nope. You're wrong." She answered calmly, trying to use the lying skills she thought she had.
Ino smirked, "Oh yeah? Please Sakura. I can tell when you're lying from a mile away." She laughed good-naturedly but that just made Sakura's blood run cold. Was that true? Then, would she find about her affiliation with Kurokage...what about her other secrets?
She snapped out of her reverie and decided to tell the truth. She would have to keep the lies to a minimum if she was to stay undercover. "Fine, you got me there." She growled.
Ino chuckled, "I understand your attraction. I mean, why not? He's hot. He's got money. He's charming. You'd be blind to not blush in front of this guy." She causally tossed popcorn in the air and caught it in her mouth. "You're lucky, though. You work directly for him. You get to spend time with him." She smiled cunningly.
Sakura sighed and buried her head in between her knees, "I know. But, isn't it a little weird? I just met him and the crazy thing is," she looked up, "I feel like I've seen him before, not in a corny way, but like I've actually seen him before in the past." She whispered the last part unconsciously.
Ino gagged, "Okay, okay. Stop. Stop, with the 'I feel like I've met you before' crap. It's sickening." She put her hands around her neck, like she was choking.
Sakura stuck her tongue out, "Like you haven't done cheesier things in high school." She paused, "Anyways, he is certainly good looking and everything, but…" I'm a killer. She silently added.
Ino rolled her eyes, "But what? Shut it, forehead. He may have a fiancée, but by the time, I'm done with you, he'll drop her faster than last season's collection of Burberry."
Sakura frowned, "Wait…what do you mean 'when you're done with me'?" she recoiled in horror as she realized what it meant.
She gave a sly smile, "Why, a makeover, by yours truly. Of course, it won't take as long, seeing as how gorgeous you already are. I just need to touch up a few things. Add shine to your hair, give you a manicure and a pedicure, detox your skin, and other stuff." She flipped her own, blinding blonde hair over her shoulder. "It'll take at least 4 hours." She shrugged.
Sakura's mouth dropped open and she backed away, "C-c'mon, four hours? I'm fine. I'll pass." She insisted hastily.
Ino glared, her ice blue eyes piercing Sakura's skull, "Do it, or I tell Sasuke." She growled menacingly.
Sakura reddened, and protested, "T-that's blackmail!" she wailed.
Ino shrugged, checking her own cuticles, "All's fair in love and war."
Uchiha Corporations, downtown Tokyo
9:30 AM
Sasuke growled irritably and barked at Tenten, "Where the hell is she?" he asked. He fumed silently, he didn't like it that she wasn't here. It didn't seem like Sakura to be late, what if something was wrong?
Tenten shrugged and coolly looked through a stack of files, "She called and said she was stuck in traffic. Didn't I tell you?" she took a long sip of coffee, "And don't act like you didn't just get here a couple of minutes ago." Tenten had her hair in a ponytail today with her hair curled. She wore dress trousers and a ruffled lavender blouse.
He frowned and looked at his reflection in the glass window; he had dark circles under his eyes. It wasn't his fault that he lived right above one of the hottest clubs in town. He constantly heard music pumping through his hard wood floor and it kept him awake, especially on stressful nights. He growled at his unmerciful friend, "A lot of help you are." He muttered under his breath.
The phone rang at her desk and she held up a finger, "Just a second. Hello?"
She listened for a little bit and then she grew pale. "Yes, however, I was under the impression that you weren't visiting for quite a bit." She answered nervously, twiddling with her hair.
Sasuke stopped and glanced curiously over, who was it?
"Yes, I understand. Of course…today? Oh! Ah—I'm sure that won't be a problem. Yes, thank you for calling, see you very soon." Tenten put down the receiver with trembling hands. She looked up her eyes wide, "Oh, shit." She whispered.
He came over worriedly, "Who was that?" he asked hurriedly.
She grabbed her cellphone and began dialing numbers in, "The FBI representatives." She hissed.
Sasuke froze, "The FBI? They're not supposed to be here so soon! Are you sure?" he demanded.
"Either that or it was somebody who could perfectly imitate Gaara Sabaku's voice." She snapped angrily at her boss's reaction. She took a breath as the person on the other end of the line picked up, "Kiba, the FBI is coming in less than half an hour, and I need you to set up all precautions. Understood? Good." She snapped the phone shut.
Sasuke stood still, "Okay, calm down Tenten. What does Gaara-san want? An inspection? Is somebody in our office a person of interest?" he questioned.
She wailed, "I don't know, he just said he wanted to drop by, which could mean anything!" she rushed around nervously. "Should I contact Madara?" she panicked.
Sasuke shook his head, "Don't. Neji and I can deal with him. Just calm down, it's probably just a formal routine thing the FBI has to do."
Tenten silently nodded and attempted to calm down. "Alright, you and Neji get down to the conferencing room. I'll contact Sakura and tell her to hurry up. Should Kiba proceed with identity checks?"
Sasuke nodded, "Of course and also—"
BAM! The door slammed open as Sakura came hurrying in, looking flustered. She looked incredibly gorgeous even in her rushed state with her skin radiant and her hair in a bun with two chopsticks enfolded in her pink locks. She wore a short plum dress, a white and black blazer and matching black tights completed with heels. "Eff. I'm sorry I'm late. Traffic was horrible and I overslept." She moaned.
He smirked, his mood considerably lightened just from seeing her. "First week, and you're already tardy." He teased.
Tenten's voice was strained, "As much as you guys feel like flirting right now, we have a dilemma. Remember? FBI agents? Does that ring a bell?" she reminded them in an annoyed manner.
Sakura looked up surprised, "FBI? Why would the FBI be doing in a business corporation?" Was it for the reason she thought it was? Because of Akatsuki? She had to be careful not to slip up around them.
Sasuke shrugged it off, damn; it was getting hard to deal with his double life. "Nothing, it's just a routine inspection to make sure we have no corruption going on in our business. We don't so, it'll just take a few minutes." He ran a hand through his dark spiky hair.
Sakura snorted inwardly, no corruption? She started, "Is it alright if I accompany you to the meeting?" she asked hesitantly. She needed to find out what they were going to say, what information was going to be passed.
Sasuke shook his head, "Nope. Confidential meeting." He shrugged and put on his suit jacket and proceeded to leave the room, "Come on, Tenten."
Tenten threw an apologetic look over her shoulder, but followed her boss out the door.
Sakura sulked silently. Maybe she could hack into the security network. She was a bit rusty, but she could try it. She might as well take advantage of the situation. Sakura looked around cautiously and then sat down on Sasuke's comfy leather chair and began logging in. She took off her shoe and pulled out the heel which was a USB conveniently disguised into her footwear. She pulled the USB in to the computer and waited for it to hack in.
Her blood ran cold as she heard footsteps approaching, damn it. She should have locked the door! She got up calmly and stood up right as a red haired woman came walking in the door with her ID card hanging loosely around her neck.
"Oh!" the lady exclaimed in surprised. "I thought Uchiha-san would be here." She giggled nervously, glancing from side to side. She wore a fitted blue argyle sweater and a short pleated skirt, that made her look more of a schoolgirl than an office worker.
"Well he's not." She responded coolly. "He's in a very important meeting right now. He asked me to contact Kiba-san in security. Would you happen to know what floor that's located on?"
The red-haired woman snorted, "He works on Level 5, however, only executives can access that floor, like me." She held up her ID card smugly. Sakura could see the name on the ID card, Shiori Tsukami.
An idea burst into her head, how perfect. Sakura began structuring out her plan, calculating the amount of time and the things need, a skill she learned from Anko. She even had the right equipment necessary. Sakura stepped forward and connected her fist to the woman's stomach and punched hard.
The woman was pushed back, and she lay on the floor gasping for breath, the wind knocked out of her. Sakura could see that her eyes were already closing, she was going unconscious. Sakura stood over her body and took out on of the chopsticks in her hair and removed the protective covering to reveal a needle. She took it and stuck it into her leg, "Sorry." She muttered under her breath. "This is going to leave you a little disoriented, oh and, you won't have any memory of me." She snatched the ID card off her body and took a red strand of hair.
From her purse she withdrew a vial and she gingerly placed the strand of hair within the concoction and shook it up. It was a replicant poison that allowed her to take the appearance of somebody for 20 minutes at the cost of excruciating pain circling through the veins. Not only did it allow you to have the physical appearance, but the voice, the DNA, everything was replicated, so that you physically were that person, only you could control their mind. It had been tested multiple times by Kurokage and although it left the user weak, it wasn't a fatal drug.
She bit her lip and placed the vial down. "First, I'll take your clothes." She muttered to the red-haired woman. "That way I can maximize my 20 minutes." Cringing, she undressed the woman and slipped off her own clothes and put on the argyle sweater and black pleated skirt. "This better be worth it." She growled under her breath.
She held up the drug, looking at it for a few seconds and then she tipped it over, right into her mouth.
Uchiha Corporations Level 5, Security Quarters
9:41 AM
Kiba Inzuka was a tall, lanky man with floppy brown hair and strange red scars that ran along his cheek, which were a result of betraying the FBI. He had been caught hacking the FBI server and passing along information to Akatsuki, he had been tortured, but that was so far in the past, he laughed at the memory today. He now worked for Akatsuki as their main security guy. As he was in charge, he hardly had to do anything, except for emergency security precautions. He had been surprised to see through the security camera, the Sabaku Siblings, or the Sinister Siblings as he had nicknamed them.
They were ruthless, efficient, and could sniff a mole a mile away. They were all from Japan, but resided in America, being representatives for the FBI. He particularly hated Temari, the oldest, as she had been the one to catch him. She was a bossy woman, with her blonde hair always styled away from her striking face. Gaara was the quiet one, but it was the quiet ones that you had to watch. He did things perfectly, never tripped up and always did things without a hint of emotion. Kankuro was the ill-tempered one and also a master manipulator, he earned the nickname 'puppeteer' because of the way he could control people with his actions and words. Looking at the Sabaku Siblings made him seethe with rage but he chuckled to himself, knowing, no matter how hard they looked, they could never come up with solid evidence that Akatsuki resided within Uchiha Corporations. They probably suspected it, but they would always come out empty-handed.
He heard a knocking at his door and he rolled his eyes, it was probably one of the lower recruits asking him a basic question. "Come in! Doors open!"
The door opened to reveal a tall curvaceous red haired woman, who was panting, like she was out of breath. Her face was contorted into an expression of pain. "Yeah-are you—are you, Inzuka-san?" she asked breathlessly.
He looked over at her curiously, "Yeah, that me. Are you okay?" he asked frowning. He sat up straighter as he didn't usually see attractive woman coming up to him every day. He would have thought having an adorable puppy, Akamaru, would have attracted some females, but sadly, he was left single.
She nodded and waved a careless hand, "I'm fine, just ran up the stairs so—so—I'm a little out of breath." She bit her lip. "I wish to watch the conference going on between the FBI representatives." She held up her ID card for access.
He examined it half-heartedly, if she could access this floor, it was practically unnecessary to make sure that she wasn't a spy. After all, there was a top-notch security system installed. He read the name, "Shiori Tsukami. Level 5, all right here you are." He opened up the security cameras within the conferencing room." He glanced over at the woman whose jaw was clenched tightly. Whatever. She probably had period cramps.
Sakura, in Shiori's guise turned to Kiba, and hit the back of his head, with a solid swing of her fist. She held him up by the shoulder, so that he wouldn't come crashing down on the keyboard. "Thanks." She muttered between gasps. "You're a huge help." She took out the last chopstick from her hair and removed the covering and stabbed it into his neck. It was the same poison she had drugged Shiori with. It was a fast acting poison that left the victim disoriented with memory loss and only lasted for 5 minutes. When they woke up, they felt fatigued, as if they had just fallen asleep. She inserted her USB into his laptop and waited for it to copy data over onto her flash drive. "Come on, come on." She muttered.
Waiting for it to complete, she turned to the security screen and watched the meeting with mild interest. Knowing the FBI's tactics from past experiences she knew that they were subtle. They wouldn't try anything risky at a formal meeting like this. She saw the three FBI representatives, two boys and a girl sitting across the table from Sasuke, Tenten and a brown, long-haired man she assumed was Neji, Tenten's boyfriend. Sakura smirked as she examined the couple, they did look good together; she mused. Sharp pains stabbed her in a dozen areas all along her body and she had to lean onto the desk for support. She hissed out an oath and let out a sigh of relief as she heard a light beep from the computer signifying that the copy was done.
She closed the screen, to erase any evidence of her being here. She pulled out the USB as it completed and blew a kiss to Kiba,
"Your help is always appreciated." She smiled smugly.
Uchiha Corporations, Level 2 Conferencing Room
Earlier…
Temari Sabaku hated Sasuke Uchiha with a passion. He was the epitome of all the things she hated in a guy. He was good looking and he knew it. He was cunning and intelligent and he knew it. To top things off, he was so sure of himself that he would not get caught by the FBI. Of course, the FBI couldn't arrest Japanese Mafias as really had no legal business in Japan if it didn't affect their own citizens, but, they had an alliance program with Tokyo PD. They helped Tokyo PD find the corruption and the PD ripped out the corruption by the roots. It was a satisfying job and ideal for her as she had been born in America by two Japanese refugees. She liked returning to her roots and helping people.
She glared at him with her steely blue eyes and cleared her throat, "Morning, Uchiha-san, as always, it's a pleasure to reacquaint ourselves again." She greeted with a false sweetness to her voice.
He snorted, "Cut the crap, Sabaku. Let's get to the root of why you're here." His eyes burned so intensely that they resembled hot coals, on the brink of exploding.
Gaara's eyes flickered to his sister, "Temari." He said simply in a warning tone. He was on good terms with his sister but, when she got caught up with her rivalry with Uchiha it annoyed the hell out of him.
Temari pursed her lips, "Hmph. I'm not trying to start anything. I wouldn't have to be here if the Uchihas' had anything to hide." She added ruefully, crossing her arms together over her sleek FBI vest.
Kankuro crooned, "Now, now. Let's all be the happy siblings we know we are. Uchiha's right after all. We need to get to the point, after all—we have some business to attend here in Japan." He leaned back and smiled charismatically.
Neji gave a crisp nod and handed him a file, "This contains our progress, all information you need to know about the company in recent years."
Tenten looked on stiffly at the interaction between Neji and Kankuro. She eyed the gun partially concealed by Kankuro's jacket and viewed it distrustfully. "I-is there any reason why your appointment had to be moved up, Gaara-san?" she questioned with narrowed brown eyes.
Gaara looked up, a tad bit surprised at her sudden question. His eyes remained blank and devoid of emotion, "Ah, no. Merely, our secretary was incompetent and scheduled a more urgent engagement resulting in a conflict of schedules. I do apologize for the inconvenience." He gave a little tilt of his head. "You're quite lucky that you have such an apt secretary Uchiha."
Sasuke nodded silently and glanced at Neji whose fists clenched tightly as the conversation turned to Tenten.
Temari smirked as she saw Tenten turn pale. "Is it possible, Uchiha-san that she also knows of your— affiliations?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow. She watched as Tenten turned whiter than a sheet and grasped her clipboard tighter.
"If you did, she's the weak link of your secret. She could, be the one to undo all your hard work in concealing your true line of work. Just think, the slightest drop of truth serum in her food could result in destruction…" Tenten's mouth opened as she tried to protest but no words came out. Temari continued, "Remember Uchiha, we don't have mercy on people like you." She turned to Tenten, "Better do something about your loose lips if you want to save your friends." She taunted.
Neji stood up, slamming his fist down on the table, "Enough!" he growled. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about! All these conspiracy theories you have against our company are unsubstantial! I don't care though, keep Tenten out of it!" he hissed.
Temari was a bit taken a back and looked at Sasuke was it possible that this man had no knowledge of Akatsuki? She snorted, how had Uchiha managed to keep it under wraps from his right hand man? And how was it possible that Tenten knew about Akatsuki but Neji didn't?
Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward and hissed, "Temari, I think you dropped something on the floor, I heard something fall." He suggested in a steady voice.
Temari furrowed her brow confused; obviously he was trying to say something. She bent down to pick up whatever it was and under the desk she clearly saw the outline of a gun, directed straight to her head. She inhaled sharply and let out a low chuckle. She knew that Sasuke wouldn't shoot her right here but the message was clear. Shut up or I'll hunt you down.She straightened up, "Must of have been something else." She replied nonchalantly. It was fine for now. She wouldn't tell Neji about Akatsuki, her job was to get justice, not spread knowledge of mafia groups. It interested her that he was so protective of his friends while he was a killer. It pained her to let him win this petty victory, but she wasn't going to fall to his level.
Sasuke leaned back with a cocky smile, knowing he had won. "Anything else, you need?" Tenten let out a sigh of relief as the three FBI agents stood up.
Kankuro shook his head, "No, thank you very much for your time." He looked over at Tenten apologetically, "Excuse my sister for her sudden outburst. It's not like her to off like that."
Neji growled, "She's crazy and I don't want her talking crap around here."
Temari gave him a withering glare and then turned to leave. She slipped on a pair of tinted sunglasses and stepped outside the conference room, sauntering out confidently,
Just wait, Uchiha Sasuke, I'll bury you with all the dirt I have on you.
A/N: I FIGURED OUT HOW TO INSERT LINES! YAY!...oh gawsh i sounded stupid. sorry, for like the longest time I couldn't find the button and then my cousin did...i'm like oh. I KNEW THAT. JUST TESTING YOU.
CHAPTER TEN! YEAH! We're getting into them double digits! Okay, so I hope you enjoyed it and I sincerely apologize for not updating as quickly as I usually do. There was a stupid error with fanfiction and I could have had this updated days ago, so I apologize. SO I made this chapter longer for you guys! Things have been a little hectic, but I'm balancing it all out. Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW. REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS HELPFUL and they help me UPDATE FASTER.
Regarding the plot, if you're wondering how such a ditzy woman got to be a LEVEL 5 executive it's called wealth and connections, she's loaded heheh, anyways, oh! and the NORIKO AKIHIKO will be in the next chapter, do not worry, i did not just abandon it! I just wanted to add this part before i got into the clash that happens in the next chapter.
I don't know about you guys but I like writing about the spy and the disguises part so the next chapter will have ALOT of that. Tell me how i'm doing on that part. Does it sound to unrealistic, its supposed to be a bit, but not over the top. OHKAY THANKS YOU GUYSS!
Anyways people have been wondering how old I am, I don't see how this is relevant but I'm thirteen! Yuppers :)
Thank you so much for your support:
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