A/N: Sorry for the delay! FF was being kinda weird. Here's the next chapter.
The rest of the night was tough to get through. Naruto was so stressed out that hardly anything could keep his attention for long. Sasuke was too preoccupied with thinking about how he could slip away and track down a lead.
Dinner passed them both slowly. Naruto kept glancing back and forth between his spaghetti and the TV, his mouth pinched in a frown as he watched the news.
"No missing persons report," he murmured to himself almost too quietly to hear. His grip tightened on his fork. "What the hell are they doing?"
"If her disappearance is due to gang-related reasons, I doubt they'd put it on the news," Sasuke pointed out tiredly. "Not with Shimura's weird connections, anyway."
"It's Orochimaru," the blond pointed out.
"He's worked with him in the past, remember?"
Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but shut it a few seconds later with a scowl. "I hate that they're not doing anything about it."
"We can't just rush in without a plan, Naruto." Sasuke sighed. "That's the quickest way to get yourself killed."
"Well, you- " he rebutted, before cutting himself off with an angry sigh. " You just- you're- y'know what, you're right. Sorry, Sasuke."
Sasuke eyed him warily as he took another bite. Something about the look in his best friend's eyes didn't settle quite right with him.
After that awkward dinner, Naruto took first pick at the shower while Sasuke got to work.
After everything he'd tried to find, it was still strange that certain details were eluding him. Of course it was obvious that Shimura was preventing certain details from reaching the media, and of course it was obvious that a criminal like Orochimaru would be kept rather hush-hush (considering whose fault it was that he was still at large), but Sasuke expected more.
His brow furrowed at his Word document, and he leaned back in the chair and sighed heavily. Things were still not adding up. And if he continued to be so sloppy, then Danzou would get kidnapped, and it would be his fault because he didn't act fast enough!
No, focus, Sasuke. He thought, narrowing his eyes. Work with what you have. Robberies along the rich end of town, an increase of gang activity, and Shimura's new plan for increased police presence…
It's not hard to put two and two together when it comes to the funding, he thought sarcastically. If it's true that he's connected to the robberies, or at least the increased gang activity, then it's not a stretch to believe that he's siphoning at least a cut of the money for police funding. And if the public ever raised questions, he had enough of a foot into the door of politics to distract them from it.
His door opening took his attention from his work, and Naruto walked in shirtless, toweling his hair dry.
"Extra homework?" He asked.
"You could call it that," Sasuke replied distantly. Focus. Possible distractions from his illegal activity would include…
"Gang violence?" Naruto read over his shoulder. "Huh. That's a pretty big theory you've got."
Sasuke paused, turning to stare critically at his friend.
Naruto frowned in the beat of silence. "What? I've been weirded out by Chief Shimura for a long time. Something about him just rubs me the wrong way, and it's not just because he holds the world's biggest hateboner for my dad."
The black-haired boy snorted at that. "He still hates your dad?"
"Apparently." He shrugged with a wry grin. "He glares at me every time he sees me, so it's not hard to assume. He's weird enough to hate him even though he's dead."
"I guess so." Sasuke couldn't help but think about his own family. "I'm pretty sure he hates me too."
"Meh, he hates everyone." The blond shrugged, sitting on the bed. "Anyway, what're you thinkin'? Is he behind the crime wave?"
"Possibly," Sasuke theorized with narrowed eyes. "Either he's a direct part of it, or someone is coercing him. And with his reputation…"
"There'd be a better chance for a snowball in hell than someone terrorizing him into helping," Naruto finished. "I don't know a single person with that kind of pull."
"So he's gotta be a part of his somehow. But how much?"
The two boys sat there quietly for a few moments.
Then Naruto slipped the towel from his head, his hair sticking out in all directions. His contemplative look was cast towards the floor as he fiddled with the ends of the white fabric.
"Whatever you're planning," he said slowly, turning an intense look towards his friend, "count me in."
"Absolutely not," Sasuke snapped, whirling around to stare incredulously at him.
"I'm the former mayor's kid, remember? I'm not a complete idiot."
"No, but I wouldn't forgive myself if you ended up missing because of my research." He clenched his hands into fists, staring the blond down.
Naruto gave him a look. "Wouldn't he want to get rid of me anyway?"
"Why would he just abduct an innocent party?"
"Leverage." The blond was so sure of his words that it took him aback for a minute. Something about his words didn't sit right.
"Wha- but- why would you-?" His incredulous frown deepened.
Naruto shook his head, waving his hand. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."
A fresh towel hit him in the face, making him flinch back. When it dropped into his lap, Naruto was smiling at him.
"Hurry up and take a shower so that we can play some video games." He chuckled. "This tense atmosphere is really putting a downer on things."
Please tell me what you thought!