Sai did not like the fact that he'd been forced to bring the woman along on his surveillance. He'd agreed to go on the dinner date for very different reasons than what she likely surmised. She was essential to his case; the more he spoke to her, the more he was confident she wouldn't serve as much of a lead for what he was investigating.
What she knew about Akatsuki was what he'd expected to hear from her: that they were a gang and nothing more. The information regarding Hidan was a pleasant surprise; it had been information that he hadn't been made privy to. Either she was a stellar actress, or she was genuinely unaware of the ties that she held.
The more he spent time with her, the more he was sure it was the latter.
What he knew was that Akatsuki was a much bigger organization than just a small gang. They masqueraded as such, but in his investigation, he'd found that their ties were much more widespread than anticipated. It was a top-secret mission that he'd been working on for months now, gathering what information he could. He'd determined that each of its members came from various cities and were often picked for a specific skill set they each had. They had money coming from somewhere he hadn't been able to trace, and they were planning on making more significant moves in the future.
What she'd mentioned about Hidan had caught his interest. Once they'd parked the car out front of a house where their target had stopped, he opened a small laptop and logged into the systems at the precinct, bringing up the case that Ino had mentioned. It was a lot of information to peruse through; it seemed that Dr. Haruno had managed to link Hidan to several crimes, all of which had the same M.O. Hidan was by far the sickest individual he'd run into that was part of the group. Still, based on what was in the file, he appeared to be acting alone and not as part of Akatsuki in a handful of the murders. He made a mental list of each of the victims' names for later, intending to do some further investigation into the cases. He might have to talk to Dr. Haruno about what she'd found; her notes were wonderfully detailed, but he found it was better to go to the source at times.
Not to mention, she was his only surviving victim. There might be things she could remember that she might not even know she was aware of.
"Earth to Sai," came the blonde's voice from the passenger seat. He snapped out of his reading and turned to her, wondering what it was she wanted now.
"Yes?" He hoped she wasn't expecting him to provide any sort of entertainment. That was not his duty at the moment.
"I asked if there were any other cases or names you needed to investigate that might have gone through the court system. If I'm going to be here, I might as well help you do a little research. I'm the one who prosecutes the high-profile cases in the city, so if there were something big, I'd be able to find it. If nothing else, I can reach out to some of the other DAs in other cities and see what they can get for me." He was a bit suspicious at how genuine she was being; it wasn't her fault. He pondered for a bit, considering. She was sincere in her offer to help; he could tell by her body language that she was eager to assist in any way she possibly could.
"Sure. Let me find a few names." He dug through the files and pulled out a notepad, scribbling a few names down that he knew from other cities. If she could get in touch with other DAs and get him information, it would be better; she likely had a better rapport with them than he would as a foreign operative. "See if you can find anything on these names." That ought to keep her busy for a while. Maybe then he would be able to focus on watching for any suspicious activity.
Hours passed as the two of them worked in silence. Ino had found what she could and made notes to call other offices tomorrow, eventually reclining the passenger seat and making a small bed for herself. She was sound asleep in the seat, her sweater folded into a small pillow with her jacket over her like a blanket. Sai couldn't help but watch; sleeping like that, she appeared so innocent like that. He reached over and tugged the jacket so that it covered her arms better, tucking it gently around her. Seeing her tonight and like this, he couldn't believe her to be a threat at all.
Nevertheless... He'd have to keep an eye on her. If she had no associations, that meant she could potentially be a target due to her innocence; he wasn't about to let that happen if he could help it.
The sound of voices caught his attention, causing him to glance out the window, seeing his target standing there. He was standing next to a taller man; the man's right arm appeared to be a prosthetic, and he walked with a cane in his left hand with a briefcase slung over his shoulder. His hair was short and brown, with the sides shaved, some military cut, Sai realized. He knew exactly who it was; he was a prominent defence lawyer that Sai had only heard rumours about.
"You can't keep running from the authorities," the man said. "Idate, you're going to have to go in and speak to them eventually. It'll be easier that way. As long as you and I go in together, then that will be fine. Just go in, answer a few questions, get everything cleared up, and you can move on from this whole mess."
"If I go into that precinct, I won't come out. I know I won't. There's someone there who won't let that happen," Idate explained. "Any other city, I would do it. Not here. Not in Konoha." Whoever this mystery person was, Idate was worried about their presence. He was wanted for questioning in another case, which meant that Sai could theoretically bring him in...
Yes, he'd have to do that. He had his case to look after. Now was his chance; he would be able to call for backup. He quickly roused Ino and whispered to her ."Call Detective Uzumaki and let him know I need a transport car for a suspect at this address. Quickly. I'll arrest him." In a flash, he was out of the car, approaching the two men with a casual, non-threatening gait.
"Idate Shimura? Sai Gaka, ROOT investigator," he said as he flashed his credentials and badge. "You're wanted in connection with several cases that you've yet to appear for questioning when summoned, including a recent case here in Konoha. I need you to come down to the station and answer some questions." Idate appeared frustrated but relented.
"Okay. Fine. But I'm bringing my lawyer," he said as he glanced back at the other male. "Danzo Shimura, my... father." That pause caught Sai's attention, but he was confident it was a line of questioning he wouldn't be able to pursue, not if Danzo were his lawyer. This was going to be incredibly difficult to handle.
"Sure." He saw Naruto's squad car arrive, leading him over to it and giving the blonde a nod before Idate and his lawyer were put in the back seat of the vehicle.
"Thanks for coming," he said to Naruto.
"That's Idate Shimura?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "He's wanted in connection with the Akasuna case. Uchiha's out of town for the weekend, but I can question on his behalf if that's all right."
"After I'm done with him, that will be acceptable," Sai replied. "Can I trust you to take him to the station and get him processed? I need to get DA Yamanaka home. She's been a wonderful help tonight. I couldn't have caught him without her assistance." He glanced back at the car, where Ino was still half-asleep sitting up in the front seat.
"Sure. Hey, take care of her. She's a good friend." It was clear Naruto respected the woman based on his tone.
"Yeah. I will." Sai made his way back to the car, turning the vehicle on.
"We're done?" Ino asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it, even?" She was exhausted. She hadn't slept well in the car; it was not the most comfortable place to fall asleep.
"Yeah. Thank you for allowing me to utilize your vehicle. I would not have been able to catch him were it not for your assistance. You are a wonderful asset." He smiled at her. "I will take you home and will catch a cab back to the office, as I have a line of questioning I must pursue with our suspect. I hope that you will find that adequate." He felt a little bad having put her out in such a manner for the sake of his case, but it couldn't be helped.
"Oh, of course, that would be wonderful if you could. And you don't have to apologize. I don't get to see a whole lot of action working at the office, so this was a nice change of pace." Ino was more than accommodating to him, willing to help him if it meant solving whatever case he was working on. She was still intrigued by whatever it was he was working on. "I'll come in a little later this afternoon and get in touch with those other offices you wanted me to look into. They should be able to get me the case files I'm looking for. If nothing else, I can see if Detective Uzumaki can bring up some files for reference, too." She confidently puffed her chest out. "Whatever it is you're looking for, the crew at Konoha PD will make it happen no matter what!" Even half-asleep Ino was energetic and ready to go. Another reason for Sai to believe she had nothing to do with what he was investigating. Nothing at all.
They drove back to her place, and Sai bid her farewell at her front door, hailing a cab and heading back to the precinct. He'd get some sleep later after he'd had a chance to interrogate his suspect. He could see the two of them in one of the interrogation rooms, with Detective Uzumaki waiting in one of the observation rooms.
"There you are," the blonde greeted energetically with a smile. "So what's the deal with this guy? Never seen him before, although I've seen his lawyer around here," he added with a grimace. It seemed those around the precinct weren't fond of Danzo Shimura; then again, that was to be expected with a defence lawyer.
"You're head of the gangs unit, right?" Sai asked, to which Naruto nodded. "So you've heard of Akatsuki, then. I've been tracking their members and known associates for months now because we at ROOT believe that Akatsuki is more than just a gang. Their members come from various cities, and they've been implicated in more crimes than expected. I came here to follow this one—Idate Shimura—because this was the last place he was implicated in a crime."
"The Akasuna case," Naruto replied knowingly.
"Exactly. DA Yamanaka said that you were taking charge for Detective Uchiha while he's away for the weekend, correct? I would not be opposed to sharing the interrogation if there are questions regarding the Akasuna case you would like to ask. I do not think he is going to talk much given his lawyer is present, however." Sai didn't have very high hopes for the interrogation, but now that he knew that Idate was around, he could engage in more covert surveillance. He would find something. He knew he would.