For those of you who have doubts (it's definitely understandable, I don't update frequently XP), please don't worry. I will see this story till it's end. Haha! It's a promise~!

Moving Forward

"You've got to be kidding, Naruto!" Sakura burst through the door of the apartment, panting. "What happened yesterday?"

Naruto was lying down on the couch, with the balcony door wide open. She paused, slightly taken aback by the two large bruises on his face. Was that also another reason why he refused to come to work today…? Sakura took a step forward, the previous adrenaline dissipating completely. The bruises were indeed ugly—reddish-purple and the surrounding area swollen. Sakura suspected that the two boys definitely did not play nice.

"Did you get into a fight with Sasuke-kun again?" She crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe.

Her tone was slightly accusing, but laced with much concern.

"Well…" Naruto sat up, resting an arm on his knee thoughtfully. "Something like that."

"But Sasuke-kun wouldn't have upped and transferred to Sound so easily."

"…It was Orochimaru." Naruto muttered, spitting out the name with disgust.

"The director with the prosthetic arms?" Sakura's head shot up. "Wha— How…?"

"Seems as if he had contact with Sasuke for a while after the Milan saga." Kakashi, of all the people, showed up in the apartment.

"Geh! It's the pervert!" Naruto recoiled.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried. "He's Sasuke-kun's manager—show some respect!"

"Eh? How'd you know?" Naruto turned to her.

"Tsunade-san told me."

"And you two seem to be Sasuke's friends." Kakashi cracked a warm smile, coming into the living room. "My name is Hatake Kakashi."

Friends.

At that word, Naruto blanched. Sakura watched the blonde avert his eyes from the manager before meeting them dead on again.

"Why did the Hokage approve his resignation?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head slowly, as he made his way over to sit beside Naruto on the couch.

"Konoha's in a tight spot. We can't do anything at the moment. If we withhold the resignation, Sound will say we're denying Sasuke's rights and that will make the company look bad." His fingers tapped on the armrest in a steady beat as the man continued. "If we sue them, Sound will immediately tweak the judge and jury to their favour. Plus, getting a good attorney for a case like this is expensive nowadays."

"So we just sit back and wait?" Naruto muttered, disappointed.

"Surely there must be another alternative to this." Sakura frowned. "I mean, there's just no way… it's just impossible to think that Sasuke-kun would leave just like this." Her voice wavered.

"You could sabotage Sound." Kakashi was smiling again, though neither Naruto nor Sakura laughed. "In case you were seriously considering that option, Sound may be a small company but it has roots everywhere. They are powerful in a sense that they have the contacts." Kakashi let his words hang in the air for a few moments. "They could kill you."

"That's why Hanaki Fumiko—," Sakura started.

"Ah," Kakashi nodded, "indeed. Her contact database was in fact, from Sound. And she was murdered."

"Murdered?" Naruto practically flew out of his seat.

Sakura however, was much more composed, "But I thought she committed suicide…"

"Wait, huh?" Naruto did a 360 degree turn from Kakashi to Sakura and back to Kakashi again. "Fumiko's dead?"

"Don't you read newspapers, Naruto?" Sakura asked, eyebrow raised. "She committed suicide because she couldn't handle the pressure. Or so it said."

Naruto opened his mouth without any words coming out of it before snapping it shut again and sitting down.

"She was murdered." Kakashi repeated. "The police is on the case but the former Hokage knows Orochimaru well. She was staying at a hotel after quitting Konoha. There were some complimentary snacks and cookies on the table, supplied by the hotel management. Apparently, she died soon after taking a bite."

"Poison?" Naruto wrinkled his nose, trying.

"In copious amounts, yes."

"Were the snacks she consumed individually wrapped?" Sakura asked. "And… did the ingredients list state almonds?"

"Yes, and yes." Kakashi nodded, "The police did say that there was a lingering smell of almonds in the air when they found her."

"Hydrogen cyanide." Sakura stated, without doubt.

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled and he grinned under his mask, "Exactly."

Naruto blinked rapidly, "Hey, Sakura-chan… Is that edible?"

"Of course not, you idiot! Look at Fumiko, she died!" Sakura retorted. "Hydrogen cyanide is a colourless chemical that smells like almonds. In concentrated amounts, it's vapours can inhibit an enzyme called cytochrome c oxidase which is essential for cellular…" Her eye twitched as she saw the wheels turning in Naruto's head. "Basically, it can kill you in as short a time as one minute if you breathe in too much."

"And how did the snake-bastard get his hands on such a thing?" Naruto exclaimed, clearly disturbed.

"Contacts~" Kakashi sang, resting his cheek on his hand. "This chemical is widely used various industries."

"And we just let Sasuke go to him like that." Naruto jaw hardened. "Damn it…." The whispered words echoed hollowly throughout the living room.

"Well, the police will still try to track down whoever did it. The only lead we have now really is hydrogen cyanide." Kakashi shrugged lightly. "If only we could produce some concrete evidence though…"

"Would that be enough to topple Orochimaru?" Sakura asked.

"I'll do whatever it takes to bring that snake—,"

"You'll have to continue working, Naruto." Kakashi cut the blonde short. "Otherwise, your Iruka-sensei will get mad. We'll be sorting this problem out with the Hokage."

"Please, let me—,"

"You too, Sakura. We can't have Tsunade-san's pupil slacking off now, can we?" Kakashi smiled again. "It's rare that someone else gets to learn from her."

He got up, looking fondly at the both of them, "Well, I'll be off then."

He just about reached the front door when Naruto hollered, "Wait! When did you start calling Iruka-sensei by his first name?"

Kakashi chuckled mildly in amusement and continued walking.

"This boy… He seems interesting, doesn't he, Konan?"

"Indeed. He does have quite an inheritance left behind by his parents… And Jiraiya is actually his legal guardian. Most people would assume Umino Iruka. The boy might not even know it himself."

"It appears that inheritance will only be made known after Jiraiya dies. Only then will Akatsuki headhunt Uzumaki Naruto."

What was she doing here?

Here in Yoyogi park, on this lovely autumn day?

Hinata sighed, resigning to pressing the tips of her index fingers together. The visible frown on her face was an obvious sign that she was still mulling over something. Before she knew it, a man had sat down on the same bench beside her. She realized it with a start, after an embarrassing ten minutes.

The Hyuuga heiress knew it wasn't some girly crush anymore. She knew the moment Naruto came to her rescue yet again when Neji was antagonizing her.

I… love Naruto-kun. Hinata blushed fiercely at her self confession. But who does Naruto-kun…? Could it be Sakura-san?

Again her mind shifted back to the picture she saw on Tsunade's desk and she really couldn't help but think… But no. If it was, why did Sasuke suddenly resign and let himself be hired by Sound? Was Naruto-kun so upset over it until he decided to play truant today? Did the two have another fight?

She knew the picture bothered her. They looked… really good together. Hinata continued her trail of depressing thoughts. She hated the fact that she felt slightly relieved that the Uchiha quit. She envied Sasuke… He was always close to Naruto. Hinata didn't know how to face them, both Naruto and Sasuke. No, not yet. She couldn't face them now, not with her emotions in such a jumbled mess.

Hinata's heart reached out to the blonde. How could Naruto possibly be OK? Sasuke and Naruto were practically glued at the hip, from what she's seen. And judging from the picture, she knew instinctively…

She knew instinctively that there was something special.

"—eason, season of love~ La la la…"

Snapping out of her reverie, her face turned bright red once more when she realized that someone with an acoustic guitar was serenading in front of her and that man. She immediately stood up, shoulders tensed and eyes wide, quite clearly embarrassed. But the person was already on his way to his next victims.

"U-um…" Hinata turned around and bowed, "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."

"Of all the misunderstandings I've caused, this is the first time I've been apologized to." Came the man's stoic reply.

"Eh?" Hinata straightened her back and stared.

That was when she really had a good look at the man.

She froze.

The man didn't move a muscle, he didn't even seem surprised. But he watched her nonchalantly.

"Oh, what's this?" Another man came forward, his skin, was strangely tinted blue. "You breakin' another heart there, Itachi-san?" Hinata risked a glance and pressed her lips together tightly—the man was practically towering over the both of them.

The man turned to the one who called him, unfazed. His face never changed—the look of disinterest never left it.

"It would not do Akatsuki any good if we make enemies with Hyuuga Corp., Kisame." He stood up slowly, ignoring the fear he instilled into those pale lavender eyes.

With that, Itachi strode off, his ebony hair flowing with his elegant gait, and the coat he was wearing streaming gently behind him as he took each step.

"Indeed." His tall companion muttered to himself, gave Hinata a particularly nasty grin, before he too, left.

Hinata sank to her knees, her legs weak after coming face-to-face with two employees of the up-and-coming Akatsuki Agnecy.

Sasuke was checking into a particularly exquisite hotel in Bali. He blatantly ignored the leering eyes of many rich, lustful businessmen—many of them whom he knew were already married—and the women, both young and old, who simply stared after him as he made his way to his room. Bearing a striking resemblance to his elder brother, his very presence was considered ethereal.

But he was human.

His phone vibrated in his pocket again, but he paid no heed to it. He already knew the person who was calling. The moment he joined Sound, he was already assigned to certain projects. There was no time to block the number.

Until now.

In the privacy of the room that was booked for him, he flipped open his phone, seeing '201 missed calls and 157 messages'. All of them… from one number. Before he knew it, blonde hair and blue orbs penetrated his mind, along with that never-say-die smile. He clicked his tongue, snapped the phone shut after blocking the number and hurled it towards the window in irritation and self-disgust.

"Usuratonkachi…"

"What the—," Naruto cried, looking angrily at his phone. "That bastard blocked my number!"

"I'm still amazed that you managed 201 calls in less than a 24-hour period." Sakura sighed lightly, tending to the last of his bruises.

"Say, how'd you know all of that poison stuff?" He tried calling rowling when he heard the same recorded message.

"I've studied chemical engineering before." Sakura answered. "Though I didn't want to do it."

"Sasuke, you asshole." Naruto grumbled, tossing the phone onto the couch.

At the mention of the name, Sakura's soft hands stilled, her small happiness immediately chased away. Naruto turned to her questioningly, and to his despair, saw tears running down those fair cheeks. Sakura gently took Naruto's right hand in both of hers, her shoulders shaking.

"Naruto…" She started, "Promise me. Promise me that you'll be Sasuke-kun back to us. Back to Konoha Studios."

His reply was almost instant.

"Yeah!" Naruto smiled, squeezing her hands.

Sakura snapped her head towards him, and somehow, she started crying all the more harder.

"I definitely will." Naruto resolved, his eyes shining bright. "I'll drag his sorry ass back here to us."

"Thank you…" She whispered. "I'll be going now. Call me… if the bruises still hurt."

"Wait, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called after her.

When she didn't respond, he assumed she wanted to be left alone.

Assumed, that is.

Sai was on the way to Naruto's apartment, so he found it quite puzzling that Sakura was cradling herself in a corner at the main lobby. Was she unaware that tears were still falling from her eyes? The emotionless artist walked over to her, even though he had no idea what to do.

Best follow the book he borrowed.

"Are you OK?" He asked.

Sakura gave a humourless laugh, "Do I look OK to you?"

Well, that backfired spectacularly.

So he tried the next one.

"What happened?"

She didn't answer him.

Sai continued to stand there, debating over what social skills he had to apply to this situation. There was this one book that said that girls need ice cream when they're sad. Sai contemplated. So should I go get ice cream…? Ah, but what flavour? As he turned to head for the nearest convenience store, a hand tugged at the hem of his blouse.

"Do you think Naruto is an idiot?" Sakura's voice cracked as she spoke.

"It has been proven time and again." Sai sat down, smiling his trademark fake smile. "But my impression of him has always been 'dickless' though."

She frowned at the vulgar word.

"Why… am I so stupid?" Sakura sighed, choosing to hug her knees.

"To me, you've always been ugly, but not stupid."

Sai did not really understand why the uppercut was directed to his now very sore chin when really, he was just telling the truth. Did women not like being told the truth?

"That was a rhetorical question."

"Oh."

What's worse—Sakura began to cry again.

"That stupid Naruto… Why did he," She sniffled, "Why did he agree to that promise? I-I'm such a horrible person. What was I thinking? Forcing that on him." She burbled. "Yet, h-he said yes. He acted as if nothing had happened. Why?"

Sai stayed silent, unsure of how to proceed.

Whilst Sai was thinking hard, Sakura recalled the look on Naruto's face as he enthusiastically accepted that heavy burden. His eyes were squeezed shut and his grin a little too wide. He was in so much pain… Sakura clenched her hands into fists. He was obviously hurting too. The fact that they were always working together everyday… living together… eating together… God, and I know Naruto likes me. But I love Sasuke-kun. I love him. I love him so much I'd die for him!

It seemed, as the days passed, Naruto and Sasuke had both grown to be equally important to her. She could not imagine her life without one or the other. They were her precious friends, even though it was just barely six months. Sound Agency had strict rules and regulations for their models, that bordered on violating employee rights. They were not allowed contact with anyone other than people from the same agency. No interacting with other so-called competitors either.

It was as good as losing Sasuke.

And to think, that the Naruto who had put up with her selfish desires and her cruel words would be the same person who would bring her back the happiness that she so wanted.

All because of her.

"Forcing such a burden on him like that…" She drew a shuddering breath, "I'm absolutely horrible."

"Like I said, ugly but not horrible."

This time Sai got punched in the gut.

"Are you trying to make me feel worse?"

Sai winced, "I'm only telling the truth. Plus, there was this book that said that giving nicknames could help you build relationships with another person. Especially friendships."

"And let me guess…" Sakura growled. "Naruto nickname is 'dickless' and mine is 'ugly'."

He nodded, still smiling, "Oh, but yours is 'hag', actually."

"I really want to punch you one more time."

"Please don't." Sai puts his hands up. "Expressing your anger using creative means is better for the heart."

He held up a copy of '100 Ways to Keep Your Heart Happy'. He set the book down onto the nearby table and passed Sakura a piece of blank paper. He also gave her a cheap black pen.

"What am I supposed to draw?" Sakura took the materials, tapping the tip of the pen on the paper, not bothering to wipe away her tears.

"How about that flower arrangement over there?" Sai pointed towards a vase of flowers decorating the space next to a wall.

Sakura stared blankly at the flowers, twirling the pen as she tried to figure out how to get the shape of the vase right. She began to sketch faint lines on the paper before she realized that one line was drawn wrongly. Gritting her teeth and flipping over the paper to start again, she found herself looking at a beautiful picture of another vase, filled with different flowers.

"Wow…" Sakura ghosted her fingers over the delicate picture. "Did you draw this?"

Sai gave the picture a quick once over, "Yeah."

"Amazing!" Sakura momentarily forgot her distress. "Is there a title for it?"

"No."

Sakura faced him, "Eh? Why not?"

"I can't really bring myself to name any of the pictures I've drawn, including this one." Sai continued reading his book. "I don't feel anything when I'm drawing them, looking at them or thinking about them."

"O-oh." Sakura returned to the drawing, at a loss of words.

Peering closer at the page Sai was reading, she wondered why was someone, who claimed to be emotionless, reading books like these? When Sai looked up from his book again, he saw Sakura marching away, back straight and head held high, despite the tear stains marking her cheeks.

"Where are you going?" He stood up, still the book.

"To become stronger." Sakura answered, not looking back. "So that I can share the burden."

Sai cocked his head to one side, confused. When he resumed to read the page, the following words were:

Friends can help each other by sharing burdens as well.

Naruto hadn't moved from his position since Sakura left. He kept glancing at his phone, although he was pretty sure that there would be no response from the person he was trying to contact. He sighed, opting to look around the room (funny, had it always been this large and spacious?). He noticed something with a shiny edge peeking out from beneath the leather couch. Curious, he crawled over to it and picked it up, discovering that it was actually a shard. Squinting at the design on it, a memory resurfaced.

It was from that time. Naruto let the piece settle on his palm. Where we fought with our fists for the first time. He saved me… from that vase.

Pocketing the porcelain chip, he walked over to the kitchen, hoping he could comfort himself with one of the pleasures of life—instant ramen. As he opened the cupboard, he frowned, noting the number of packets had significantly reduced. Instead, there was, funnily enough, a small container of salt labeled with a post-it note. Written on it, was the word 'sodium'.

It has unbelievably high amounts of sodium…

"Ah!" A light bulb went off in Naruto's head. "That asshole threw out half of my stash! When did he…? And bastard! Even I know what sodium is!" He swung around, royally pissed.

Then, all at once, the anger drained out of him. Of course… Naruto pressed a hand against his forehead. What was I expecting…? A smirk? Deciding to just get something to drink instead, he scrounged around the bottom cabinets for a cup. And his gaze fell upon the black coffee mug that was Sasuke's. That idiot was in such a hurry to leave, he couldn't even bother to take along his mug?

Suddenly, it was as if a dam was broken. Vivid memories flooded into Naruto's mind, swirling around and reminding him about things he did not want to remember.

Their first meeting on the airplane, their first Y² shoot (which was a disaster), eating pizza together at Pervy Sage's place, Sasuke informing him of Tsunade's whereabouts after the Versace show, Sasuke telling him he looked like shit, Sasuke's face as he was being tickled, Sasuke making him hot chocolate after he'd made Sakura cry, Sasuke finding him after he ran off in search of Sakura, reading that old newspaper cutout, their first kiss (which was totally unintentional), their second kiss (which was intentional but sucked because the wound on his tongue wouldn't heal for a week), that moment at hot springs, and Sasuke…

Sasuke holding his gaze with the breeze fluttering through his hair and his cheeks tinted pink from exertion, thanking him as the sun set.

God, he couldn't even fill a book with all the times they had shared. We could've made it two books. Naruto thought bitterly. Or three.

Hating how the apartment felt so alien to him at this point in time, Naruto hurried to get out of the place. But as the lift doors opened, another person he recognized stepped out.

"Geh!" Naruto balked, lifting his arms in surprise. "Sai?"

"Hello, Naruto-kun." Sai was smiling. "And how are you today?"

"Somehow, my day has just gotten much worse." Naruto put a hand of his hip and sighed exasperatedly. "Why are you here?"

"I have to pass a message from Tsunade-san to you." Sai said. "She says I'm going to be Sasuke-kun's replacement for future Y² projects."

The very atmosphere around Naruto grew tense.

"Replacement?" Naruto repeated the word hollowly. "There's no way Sasuke can be replaced. Ever."

"Actually, it's all in your mind." Sai replied. "According to a few books I've read, it's really just about putting the past behind you and moving on."

"It's really as simple as that?" Naruto asked, his voice still dangerously soft.

"Yes. Even with someone like you that has no peni—,"

"Don't fuck with me!" Naruto shouted, large tears spilling from his eyes.

Sai's eyes widened before he became serious, discarding the smile.

"Tell me, Sai…" Naruto's voice did not tremble, even though he was crying. "Does the book tell you how to deal with all the memories the person's left behind? Does the book tell you how to deal with all the hurt that comes along with a bond that someone tries to break? Does the book tell you how just another person can waltz in and fill the big, gaping black hole that threatens to swallow you?"

His sobbing was met with no response.

"I guess not, eh?" Naruto rubbed his eyes roughly with his forearm as the tears gradually stopped.

"This bond you share with Sasuke-kun…" Sai began, "is really quite interesting."

This caught Naruto's attention.

"Personally, I can't understand why you'd want to win back a friend that has betrayed you and caused you so much pain."

"What? You've never been through it before?" Naruto crossed his arms, still seething.

"I've never been through anything." Sai shrugged lightly. "I don't have emotions."

"I'm going to see Granny Tsunade." Naruto jabbed at the button for the lift.

"What for?" Sai asked. "I've already passed on the message to you."

"Well, I'm going to tell her," The intensity of Naruto's gaze bore right through Sai, "that I can't work with a guy that has an attitude like yours!"

"The body was stolen?" Iruka repeated the words in disbelief.

The policeman he was currently talking to nodded gravely.

"But how…?"

"The pathologist rang me up early in the morning. She was going to check the body for the mark that you've drawn for me here." The policeman handed them a piece of paper that Kakashi had given him about a week ago. "Turned out the whole body disappeared. They're still looking for it. Imagine that, a whole body gone—without a trace."

The picture consisted of three tomoe, or a mitsudomoe design.

"And just like that, you're going to close the case? What about the girl's parents?" Kakashi took a step forward, in a way that intimidated the man.

"They're just starting to move on." The policeman scratched his rotund belly nervously. "Best not to remind them about it for now. The mother gets a nervous breakdown whenever she hears her daughter's name. We'll just have to wait for another murder if you want to catch this guy."

"I see." Iruka nodded. "Thank you for your time, officer."

The man tipped his hat and walked off. So Orochimaru had connections with pathology labs too? Tch! Kakashi thought angrily.

"Though I never knew that Mitarashi Anko had this tattooed at the base of her neck." Iruka breathed, staring at the drawing. "Does Orochimaru brand all his models like that?"

"Yes." Kakashi held his chin, barely hearing him. "To us, it may just look like a pattern. But I suspect it's a code. Most probably Orochimaru sends his models as a go-between pass on messages to his connections. This pattern confirms that it's from him."

"And that mark was going to be our trump card. To think that Orochimaru has thought up to this point. Which is probably why he never got caught." Iruka held his chin. "Having only Mitarashi to testify as a witness won't be good enough."

The two had hopped on the earliest flight back to Japan after Kakashi had called Sasuke. Kakashi had taken the chance to meet up with Sakura and Naruto, the latter of which Iruka had spoken so fondly of. Iruka had to report back to Sarutobi at the same time, so he missed the chance to check on the blonde. Kakashi had told him that Naruto was frustrated he couldn't do anything now, but other than that he seemed OK.

Keyword being 'seemed', that is.

"You know, Naruto nearly got killed once. He got rammed by a car when he was nine. It was a hit and run." Iruka's gaze met Kakashi's. "I thought I'd lost him. He clung onto to his life cause it's precious to him." Iruka continued. "If it's Naruto, I don't think he'll ever let go of Sasuke. Knowing him."

And for the first time since last week, the smile lines reappeared around Kakashi's right eye.

Hinata was sitting in front of her computer—a rare occurance. Normally, she would be at her own sewing room, amidst the tangle of threads and pieces of fabric. Records on Akatsuki Agency were almost non-existent, save for their homepage and the addresses of their offices. Headquarters was in Paris, and there was a branch in Tokyo. It was a new but very small organization, established only about a year ago. There were rumours stating that they a very impressive team, made up of several big names, which made them a formidable foe to all in the fashion industry. Of course, the moment Uchiha Itachi joined them, all eyes were on the organization, watching.

Funnily enough, there was hardly anything on the great Uchiha debacle either. Granted, it was ten years ago since it happened, and it was splashed all over the news during that time, none of the articles or write-ups provided any detail. They merely retold the story in their own words. She noted that it was only after that live interview with Uchiha Itachi during the talk show did the media take notice.

Could all of this have been planned? Hinata re-checked the dates of several articles, reconfirming what she had discovered.

She knew that the Hyuugas and the Uchihas often dealt with each other even though they were bitter rivals (fashion would not be fashion without models after all), but after that incident, the number of transactions with the Uchihas decreased to almost none. Even if Hyuuga Corp.'s primary partner was Konoha Studios, a lot of other companies relied on them for stylists and clothes, such as Suna and even Sound. She even heard from the elders that the company recently made a deal with the Akatsuki. Hinata sighed, So why…?

Results of four hours of research:

1. Akatsuki's upper echelon only consisted of at most, ten people.

2. 10 years ago, Uchiha Itachi left Konoha and subsequently did projects on his own before being employed by Akatsuki Agency.

3. Legal guardianship was granted to Hatake Kakashi when Sasuke was 15, as his natural guardians were deemed unfit to raise him by the Social Services.

Her phone ran, bringing her back to her bedroom. She answered the call, too distracted to pay attention to the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"…Hinata-sama?"

She nearly dropped her phone, "Ne-Neji-nii-san!"

"How is your injury?"

Reflexively, she touched the cut on her cheek. Her fingers met with a rough scab, but there was no more pain.

"It's better now, thank you."

Neji dropped his formal tone to a more conversational one, "I… apologize for my earlier actions."

"O-oh." Hinata replied after a few minutes, having been practically stunned to silence.

An awkward silence befell the two. But it was rather short-lived. Something struck Hinata as she noticed her monitor was still on the Akatsuki's webpage. She relayed her idea to her cousin, including the pieces of information she had listed down in her head just minutes ago.

"I believe our father might know something regarding this. The elders would be the first ones to go too, but they will not cough up the information so easily." Neji's interest was no doubt piqued.

"Do we have any other options?"

"Might I ask why are you so keen on this?" There was a hint of curiousity in his voice.

"I…" Hinata paused. "I love Naruto-kun… So if there is any way I can help him, I will." Her tone was steady, her back straight and confident.

She waited.

"Naruto, huh?" Hinata had to strain her ears to hear that. "I see. Then, I shall contact you once I delve deeper into this matter."

Hinata's lips curved into a smile… before they started to tremble. Salty drops splattered onto the wooden flooring of her room.

She had gotten her cousin back.

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose and clicked her tongue in annoyance. The hearty laughter on the other end still persisted. Well, that was only because the person she was talking to knew that she couldn't physically harm him at the moment—he was in Paris whilst she was in Tokyo.

Curses.

"And then, I still remember that time in grade school," Jiraiya sniggered before it ended in a snort, "when you had no bust and you said you wanted to become a model. It was hilarious!"

"Jiraiya." Tsunade's voice was strained. "I doubt you called me specifically to reminisce about times that we can never return to."

That killed the laughter immediately.

"Alas," Jiraiya sighed, shifting the phone to his other ear, "where has your sense of humour gone, Tsunade?"

She chose not to answer, earning herself another exaggerated sigh.

"Akatsuki has been working with Sound of late. Well, one of the members anyway." Jiraiya suddenly shifted from playful to professional. "His name is Sasori. Apparently, he specializes in corrective surgery, somewhat like Kabuto."

Tsunade gave a small grunt, indicating that he continue.

"Also, I've heard that the Akatsuki knows of Naruto's inheritance." There was a slight pause. "It's a speculation. They're going to be headhunting him."

"What?" Tsunade eyebrows were knitted together in worry. "They know?"

"So it seems."

The conversation died for a while, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

"Be careful."

"Ahaha!" Jiraiya laughed again. "It's unlike you to be so concerned, Tsunade. Come now," He said, "I've survived before."

"Hmph," The Fifth Hokage smirked, "don't get cocky."

She ended the call then—there was nothing more to be said. However… there was one thing she could do to ease her heart. Just one.

"Shizune!" She shouted, throwing open the door of Konoha Studios and marching her way down the rusty spiral staircase.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Her assistant came running after her.

"We're going to the bank."

"The bank?" Shizune's eyes grew wide with horror. "Don't tell me…"

"Yes, Shizune." Tsunade grinned, "I'm betting that Jiraiya will not come back from Paris within the next four months."

After all, the Legendary Sucker always lost her bets.