Hey guys! Just a tad late on the update, but you know how it goes. I've had more time to write though and work on the story so I'll be back to a new chapter every two weeks until completed. Looking about roughly...25 chapters. (That's my guestimate.)

Please read & review! Constructive criticism okay but no flames!

Chapter 11

Jiraiya's Past

Jiraiya led them back into the building. They went down the hallway and back into the foyer before turning to go up the stairs. Sakura glanced into the ballroom as they passed by. The party was still going, loud with drunken chatter and beautiful music. No one would have heard the commotion outside unless they had also left the party.

She could only hope no one else had witnessed the terrific scene.

Once up the stairs, they went down the left-wing corridor. The second floor was reserved for office space. Her uncle did not hold a seat nor cared much for politics unless they affected his travels, but he had friends in high places. It was no surprise that he had permissions others did not.

She was firmly sandwiched between Kakashi and Naruto as they walked. Sasuke had left. There had been so much she wanted to say, to ask, but not in front of the others.

Her mind was no longer clouded with emotional turmoil, but her head throbbed with uncertainty. She knew it was wrong to kiss him back, but should she feel guilty for feelings she could not control?

There was still the possibility that his hypnosis reached farther than she realized, and that it manipulated how she felt when she was around him. Could it linger in her thoughts though? She spent entirely too much time thinking of him when he was not around. She deemed it doubtful.

She was only human, and a woman could only take a handsome man's teasing for so long. Her fingers touched her bottom lip. She had kissed men before, but none had solicited such a reaction from her. It was fluent but powerful. Like a waterfall.

Naruto was right; for how smart she was, she was still naïve to the world.

"Uncertainty becomes you, Sakura." She muttered to herself.

Her body was drained. The only thing that kept her going was the leftover adrenaline. Her brain, and her body, simply wished to stop this all and go to sleep, hoping it was all a dream. The way her knee throbbed from when she fell, she knew it was not.

Jiraiya stopped in front of a door and pulled out a key. He unlocked an office, the assistant mayor's she believed, and they shuffled in. Once inside, she noticed that the men gravitated to one side of the room. She did not follow. Instead, she stood by her lonesome.

It felt as though she was on trial. It made her feel uncomfortable and stubborn.

"How did you find me?" Sakura asked. Feeling defensive, she decided to strike first. Go on the offense.

Kakashi was the one that answered. "We were looking for you. We had found some documents about Sasuke that paralleled with false identity cases. We had believed that he was potentially a criminal and that you might be in danger."

"And you were," Naruto added.

'I can handle myself,' was not the response to give, though she wanted to say it. The truth was that she had needed help. What would have happened if Sasuke didn't come to her rescue? She would have been dead before the others made it outside. He had risked exposing himself for her.

Even if she managed to stay alive long enough for the others to find her, would their bullets be enough? Would they be paralyzed in fear? Shikamaru looked like he was still having trouble with it. He was eerily silent, staring at the wall as if he was too lost to know what was going on.

Shikamaru's strength was his sensibility. He breathed analytics and bled logic. He would have the most trouble accepting that vampires and werewolves existed. It had taken her some time too, and she sympathized with the sleepless nights he would have.

That all of them would have.

"How could you be so thoughtless, Sakura? You should have said something right away." Jiraiya scolded. She had never seen him so serious, with his arms crossed in front of his chest and his face screwed tightly.

She balled her fists at her side, trying to keep her temper in check. "It would have been thoughtless to say something. How was I to know you were privy to the supernatural? If I went around spouting nonsense like vampires and werewolves, you could have had me committed." Sakura spouted back.

"There are several things in question, as of late," Kakashi jumped in, perhaps to act as moderator. "for now, we should be thankful no one was harmed." He said calmly, but Kakashi always seemed calm.

He sat against the wooden desk. "Sakura explained how she learned of such things. However, the questioning burning in my mind is how you knew, Jiraiya."

All eyes turned to the elder. It was a question they were all curious about. Sasuke had mentioned the excavation, and now she too pondered about the real reason. Naruto and Sakura had been given a makeshift story, used to cover the truth. Had Jiraiya known what he was digging in?

Naruto did not look happy about being lied to. It must have hurt him the most, seeing as Jiraiya had taken him in and he trusted the man in totality.

Jiraiya took a few beats in silence. Begrudgingly, he answered. "My father was killed by a vampire."

The room was shocked by this admittance. None of them had known. Sakura had been told that her grandfather had been killed by a robber, but had never asked for specifics since it would be difficult to recount such tragedy.

Now it looked as though Jiraiya was reluctantly going to reveal what had happened to him.

"I was a young boy when it happened, but I still remember it as if it was yesterday..."

Flashback:

"Mother," A 7-year-old Kizashi whined, tugging on his mother's skirts "Father isn't home yet."

"Father will be home soon," She reassured the child. A 10-year-old Jiraiya stood near his brother, arms crossed. He was too old to whine, but he felt the same as his brother. Father had promised to spend time with them tonight while mother went to the Cadewell's, but he had yet to show. "Why don't you two wait in for him in his study?" Yua suggested.

Kizashi pouted.

"Come on, Kizashi." Jiraiya reached out to his little brother. "You can play with your marbles while we wait."

"But I don't want to wait," Kizashi whined, still clinging to mother's skirt. Jiraiya huffed.

"That is all that is left to do until father arrives." He responded bossily. His mother was quiet, but the look on her face said to check his tone.

After mother prodded, Kizashi grabbed onto Jiraiya's hand. Yua put on her coat and met the coachman outside. They waved goodbye to their mother from the window as her carriage went off, then they went to their father's study. As promised, Jiraiya grabbed his bag of marbles and presented it to Kizashi. The child was immediately delighted, emptying the bag on the floor. Marbles scattered. Jiraiya shook his head as he sat in the corner. He pulled out his book, studying the maps of Europe.

"Why are you always looking at that?" Kizashi asked curiously. "It's boring. Even the pictures."

"The map looks boring, but the places aren't. I study the map so I can travel there one day."

"Huh," Kizashi said, not quite thoughtfully. "Okay."

They sat, doing their respective activities. The sound of clacking marbles was distracting, but if it kept his brother from asking a lot of questions then he could deal with it for a bit more.

"Yua? Boys?"

The brothers perked up.

"Father's home!" Kizashi bolted, leaving his marble mess on the ground. 'Finally.' Jiraiya thought. He was just as eager to see his father, but he had to be more mature since he was older. He gingerly set his book down and picked up the remains of Kizashi's marbles, putting them back in the bag and setting it on the desk before walking out to greet his father.

"My boys!" Haro exclaimed. The coat he had slung over his forearm dropped as he went down to one knee to catch Kizashi in his arms. He stayed crouched, waiting for Jiraiya's embrace. Jiraiya could not help it, he ran the last few steps to him. Once in his embrace, Jiraiya noted that his father was sweaty. He found it odd, and when they broke the embrace he also noticed the bags under his eyes. Their father was a doctor who worked long hours, but he had never come home looking this disheveled. 'Must have been a particularly difficult day.'

But something didn't sit right in him about his father's demeanor.

"Where's your mother?" Haro asked. It was a normal question, but now that Jiraiya noticed the oddities, he picked up on the slight inflection in his tone he tried to hide. He was also speaking a little too fast. Kizashi talked that way when he was trying to hide something so he wouldn't get in trouble, although it was obvious when his brother was going it.

Haro made eye contact with Jiraiya, then he reached out and grabbed the top of Jiraiya's arms. "Where is your mother?" He asked again. There was a smile on his face but his voice was firm. Could he tell that he was holding Jiraiya's arms too hard?

"She went to the Cadwell's." Kizashi piped up with a blank face. He picked up on father's strangeness too.

"Right..." Their father breathed. "It is game night."

He stood. "No matter, we will pick her up on the way. Boys, pack your bags. Were going on a trip!" He announced suddenly. It was meant to sound exciting, but...

The boys stared up at him.

"Is something wrong?" Kizashi asked innocently.

Their father's face dropped. His charade was not working well. Jiraiya saw his father's face mold into a mix of emotions, most of which he did not understand. Were they in trouble?

"Of course not." He told them. When neither boy made a move or replied, he sighed. Then relented. "Listen, Jiraiya. Kizashi. Father did something very important today. Some may say foolish, but you need to know," this time when he reached out to touch each boy's shoulder it was gentle, "that we must choose the right thing to do. Always."

Jiraiya did not like this lecture.

"Now, hurry upstairs, and pack your bags. We need to leave tonight." Haro said as he stood to full height. His heir of authority returned.

Jiraiya shook his head dutifully, and Kizashi mimicked the action.

A loud knocking sounded from the front door.

The sound jarred Haro and he froze. His face went white as a sheet. He slowly swallowed and stared at the wall above the young boy's heads for a hard minute. He did not need to shush the boys to keep quiet because they sensed the tense air. Even Kizashi stood still as a stone.

Another series of raps came from the other side of the door.

Slowly, their father bent down to the boy's height. His voice was a whisper, if you could call it that. Jiraiya struggled to hear him.

"Go to your rooms and hide. Do not come out until I tell you to." Haro's breath hitched. "And do not make a sound."

Jiraiya grabbed onto Kizashi right away. He was resisting the urge to run as fast as his legs could and he knew that Kizashi was thinking the same and would have a hard time controlling himself. He took his brother's hand to keep him from running and led his younger brother up the stairs with light footsteps.

Being a child that had snuck to the kitchen for a midnight snack, he knew where all the creeks were in the stairs and the hallway. By the time they were tucked into Jiraiya's closet, it felt as though it had taken them 10 minutes they had gone so slow.

His small hands shook as he closed the closet door but then chose to leave it open a crack. In the child's thoughts, he thought the click of the doorknob would be too loud. Any noise, like their uneven breaths, was too loud.

Jiraiya didn't know how long they sat there in the dark. He could not hear anything besides his heart beating and his brother occasionally squirming in the cramped closet. The silence was a good thing, right?

Jiraiya debated. He did not know what was upsetting his father, but perhaps he was mistaken. It could have been his mother at the door or the postman. Who would want to harm his father? He was a beloved doctor.

It did not occur to him that his mother would not have to knock to enter her home, or that postmen did not deliver this late.

He turned to Kizashi and whispered, "Stay here until I say so."

Kizashi clung to his arm, his nails digging into Jiraiya's arm. "Dad told both of us to hide." He whimpered. "I don't want to be alone."

"This could all be a misunderstanding."

"Then why hasn't father come to get us?" Kizashi asked, but Jiraiya ignored him as he slowly opened the closet.

" I promise I'll only be gone five minutes," Jiraiya told his younger brother. Kizashi let go of his arm and drew his knees to his chest quietly. Jiraiya managed to persuade him, but how was he to know if he could keep his promise?

Just as slow as going up the steps, Jiraiya made his way down them. He had checked to make sure the coast was clear. The foyer was empty. He heard noise, voices, coming from the right. He carefully followed the voices, sticking close to the walls. The voices led him to his father's office.

The door was ajar. Jiraiya took advantage of this and peeked in. There was a man Jiraiya had never met standing adjacent to his father, studying the bookshelf. Although it was hard to tell if Jiraiya would recognize him. He could only see part of his face and that he had dark hair. His father stood in a way that Jiraiya could only see his profile, regarding the other man and holding a drink of some kind.

"How has the young Maxwell been fairing? I hear her health has taken a turn for the worst." The man asked casually.

"Yes, Miss Maxwell is not doing well, but I am confident in her speedy recovery." His father responded. His voice sounded level, but Jiraiya could see that the glass he held was shaky, and he knew the false pleasantry look and tone his dad was trained to have when talking to difficult patients. Or past difficult patients that talked to him when he was out with his family.

This was different though. Difficult patients were easy enough for his father to handle, and he was more anxious than when that old biddy had confronted him in the square because he wouldn't give her more pills.

Whoever this stranger was, he intimidated his father. Was this the man he was afraid of? It sounded like they were talking about work. Maybe this man was his father's boss. 'What could father possibly have done to upset his boss?'

The conversation dropped off. The stranger moved in a way where Jiraiya could see more of his face. He took in the stranger's face. The strange man's eyes were watching his father's every move, but he also had a casual smile. The room was tense with fakeness.

As if noticing how closely he was being watched, his father turned his back on the man's scrutiny, pouring himself another drink.

"Are you sure you would not like some? It's quite good." His father asked politely.

The man continued to stare down his father's back. Jiraiya did not like the predatory look in the man's eyes.

"I think you know I prefer a different drink." The man said simply.

Haro left his drink and turned back around with his friendly mask still on, but even from his hiding spot, Jiraiya could see that his father was sweating.

"Whatever do you mean?" He replied innocently.

The stranger sighed. "You are a good man, Haro. We were quick friends when I first started working at the hospital, were we not?"

"Yes, I would say so."

"So why would you turn me in to the Hospital board?"

Haro's mask fell, shattering all around him. "I don't know what you are talking about."

The stranger's eyes narrowed. "Come now, no need to lie. You saw me that night when I visited Miss Maxwell. I thought I sensed someone else, but things can get hazy when I feed."

Jiraiya's eyebrows knitted as his mouth twisted. What were they talking about?

Haro did not respond, but his face had gone white again.

The man folded his arms. "I don't blame you. I was sloppy that night, and you are a good doctor. You were just doing your duties and checking on your patient."

"I did not tell the council what I saw," Haro admitted quietly.

"I know. They told me what you said." The man said. The man made a tutting noise. "Unbelievable," He mocked. "Those reports are supposed to be sealed, but they were so quick to tell me."

Jiraiya did not like this man. Even though he was acting friendly, it was a strange friendliness. It sounded too light to be threatening, but it was.

The man started to walk around, studying the room as he spoke.

"You're right. You did not tell them that you saw me drinking Miss Maxwell's blood, that would be too fantastical." Jiraiya's face morphed into disgust. This man was drinking people's blood? That was so gross! And...scary. He understood why his father turned him in, and why he was afraid of him. The man said more. "Instead, you told them that I stuck a needle in her and that you had noticed I had a high mortality rate." The man turned to glower at Haro. "That is not fair to attack my reputation as a doctor."

"Y-you were hurting her."

"I am only feeding when I cannot get blood from the reserves. I cannot control what I am. I want you to understand that."

Haro was quiet. Jiraiya was frozen as well, unsure of what he could do. He was afraid that if he tried to run or go back upstairs now that the stranger would catch him and hurt him. Perhaps that was how father felt and why he wasn't moving.

The stranger lifted the family crest wax stamp and inspected it. He sighed as he put it back down. "I was not lying about you being my friend, Haro. But I also cannot let this go."

Haro's head shot up and his eyes widened. "I won't tell anyone. I'll tell the board I was mistaken."

"That never works. Trust me, I've done this before." The stranger replied, he made a slow circle around the desk, stopping to face Haro.

"They did not believe you, by the way." He added. "But still, it will cause complications. You may mean what you say now, but your consciousness will eventually win over your promise. Others will begin to look into my charts. They too will notice the high mortality rate. Start to ask questions." The man frowned. "I will have to move. I like it here."

"Please, don't hurt my family." Haro pleaded. It hurt Jiraiya to see his father, who was always so strong and authoritative, being broken down.

"As far as I'm concerned, there is no need to involve your family." The man walked closer to his father. "This issue is between you and me."

"...What are you going to do?" Haro asked. He fisted his hands at his side, no doubt to hide the shaking.

The stranger slapped his hand on Haro's shoulder. Haro jumped at the sudden contact.

"Relax. What I am offering is so much better." A curling, nasty smile rose to the stranger's lips as he spoke. "Eternal life."

This was when both he and his father learned of what the stranger was and what he could do. The word "Vampire" burned into his young mind. Then the stranger started talking of power and prolonged life. Things that Jiraiya did not understand, but it also appeared as if the man was desperate for his father to.

"Think of everything we could accomplish together." He finished with a smile.

Haro did not return the smile. He looked more afraid than ever before and was barely holding it together. Seeing this, the stranger's friendliness dissipated.

"But I can see that the offer does not appeal to you. In fact, it disgusts you, does it not?" The stranger's mouth twitched as he said it.

Haro panicked. "N-no. I-"

The two figures blurred. The stranger moved faster than Jiraiya's eye could keep up with. He slammed his father into the wall with the one hand still planted on his shoulder.

"I am sorry Haro. I'll miss your companionship, but I cannot deny that I am going to enjoy this."

Was it possible to look angry but delighted at the same time? Because that was what Jiraiya saw in this stranger. This...vampire.

Haro tried to struggle out of the man's grasp, but it became obvious that it was no use. Jiraiya watched as the man buried his face into his father's neck. Haro cried out in pain, a guttural sound that Jiraiya felt deep into his bones.

Jiraiya's legs shook. He should help his father, but he was too frightened to move. So he stood there and watched his father go limp. The man finally let go, his mouth red, and his father dropped to the floor in a heap. Then he pulled a knife out of his pocket.

Tears flowed down Jiraiya's cheeks as the man crouched down to his father's unmoving body with the knife. Something in the back of his throat caught. The noise was tiny, but the man's head snapped to the door he was peeping in. Jiraiya stepped back in horror.

The man's eyes were a blazing red, brighter than the color of the blood on his lips. His teeth were also stained, and Jiraiya saw that some of his teeth were sharp like that dog that bit him last spring. Beyond the color was the scary look in the man's eyes. A craze lit inside of the crimson irises.

He had been caught.

Jiraiya stumbled back, then dashed away. He was not careful with his steps anymore, he just needed to get away. Not wanting to lead the man to his younger brother, Jiraiya aimlessly went towards the kitchen. There he hid in the cabinet under the sink and waited.

The cook found the frightened boy the next day, still shoved into the cabinets.

End Flashback

"My brother was still upstairs in my closet, and my mother had gone straight to bed when she returned from the Cadwell's. My mother hadn't woken up yet. I had to lead her to the body that morning." Jiraiya stated ruefully. "The vampire covered his tracks by slitting my father's neck and destroying the office."

Sakura's heart bled for her uncle.

Jiraiya took a deep breath. "When the police showed up, I told them it was a robbery gone wrong."

"You didn't tell them about the other doctor?" Naruto intervened.

"I gave them a rough description of what he looked like, but I did not tell them everything, no. I thought no one would believe me." He added quietly, "Much like Sakura."

Realization of their similar situations made him feel guilty for his earlier outburst.

"I once got brave enough to go to the hospital to ask about him, but I didn't know his name so I just wandered around until a nurse scolded me. I didn't see him, and I've never seen him again since. He skipped town."

Jiraiya wrapped up his story rather quickly. He could not forget about the night his father died, and an obsession awakened within him. One much like her own, Sakura surmised, yet while hers had been rooted in fear and her thirst for knowledge taking over, his had been in hatred. He wanted revenge.

Jiraiya had always wanted to travel, and his newfound mission mixed well. History was intertwined with myth, and he deemed it his job to discern the truths in the cultures he visited, searching for any supernatural monsters like the one that killed his father.

"I don't know why he left me alive, but I know he saw me that night," Jiraiya explained ruefully. "I'm going to make sure he knows it was a mistake, once I gaze upon his lifeless eyes."

Thus, the lore around the Uchiha Kingdom attracted him to Romania.

"In the hunter's guild, it is well known that the Uchiha's were a powerful family of vampires. They were presumed to be wiped out. Rumors circulated in the community that a few had escaped extermination, but well, no one could confirm it as they had never seen one. Or possibly, lived to tell anyone."

"A friend that runs in the same circles knew a member of the Romanian council that approved the excavation site. This councilman also wanted to learn the Uchiha's secrets. His grandfather had told him stories of monsters, vampires, that had lived in the mountains before they were wiped out."

"The idea was for me to uncover those secrets, and share it with him. He had never been able to, and I had the reputable reputation that the rest of the council members deemed worthy."

"I wanted to learn from the source what vampires were. What made them what they were. What made them weak. The old Uchiha land and castle were hard to find but they were supposed to be abandoned. The risk of running into danger was lower than if I wanted to go to Transylvania. In my research, the only known Uchiha alive was said to be a distinct relative that could walk in the sun, and that was supposed to be impossible for vampires."

Jiraiya's hands fisted at his side. "Not only did I put my family in danger, but I've gained nothing from it." Jiraiya was aggravated; he had followed this lead only to bring danger back to Applegate. Sakura understood the feeling. She had thought she was the one that put the town at risk.

Truly, she realized now that it was neither. It was impossible to control life.

"So, what do we do now?" Kakashi asked, rubbing his chin. "None of us have dealt with this sort of thing, and it's not like I can tell my boss there's an overgrown wolf, that no one has seen, rampaging the streets. Along with a bloodsucking vampire that everyone seems to love."

Jiraiya huffed. "Unfortunately, the bloodsucking vampire is right. That werewolf is still out there, and along with whoever is behind its attack, and we're not going to get any help to do it." He grimly looked at the other men. "We need to kill them before they harm anyone else. Whoever is behind the attack is smart, and seems to hide in the shadows until the opportune time. Which means we have time, but how much I don't know."

Sakura fidgeted as the men continued to talk. Jiraiya spoke with such conviction, but they had no idea where to start. The wolf had orders that involved Sakura, so she knew it would be only a matter of time before she ran into the beast again. She could only hope that it wouldn't come after her anytime soon. In the meantime, she needed to freshen up on her shooting and find some silver bullets.

Guests filtered out the door. Her parents hadn't noticed her absence, and she joined their side without mention of it. All the cheery faces with drunken red tints were none the wiser to the dangers that lie beyond the door. The open door left a chill, and she hugged herself to soothe her prickled skin.

She felt something warm fall upon her shoulders. She looked up. Naruto wrapped his jacket around her.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently.

"For now. I think the events of the night haven't fully sunk in yet." She replied, watching clueless partygoers pile into carriages.

Hesitantly, he asked, "Are you thinking about Sasuke?"

"Yes," Sakura admitted, continuing to look at the partygoers.

"He does not seem like our enemy, for now, but he is still dangerous. Jiraiya says that vampires are full of trickery and not to be trusted. We must be careful with him."

"I am aware." She responded. Sakura knew that well enough, she had been dealing with him for months.

Naruto reached up and cupped her cheek, tilting her head to look up at him. "I know, but I worry about you."

The action brought about a whip of anger. She moved from his touch. "I'll be fine." She said hotly. His hand fell to his side.

She knew that her reaction was prickly, but she did not want to be touched right now, and cupping her face was far too intimate. Her tone had been too harsh though.

She did not want to look at his crestfallen face. Instead, she gently bid him goodnight and followed her parents to their carriage.

All she wanted was to be left alone tonight.

Naruto made a rare trip to the library. He needed to brush up on some history before he went to France next month, if he would still go, where they were going to display a piece of art recovered by his team. Research and books were not his strong point, but he always made an effort to do his best.

He knew that the art book he needed was on the back wall of the library but could not remember exactly where. Although he was thankful that they were not kept at Jiraiya's (cluttered) home, Jiraiya had been the one to bring his research books here, so they were disordered. That did not matter much, because another problem was that he could not remember the title of the book.

Ten minutes went by as he scanned the shelves, pulling out one after another to quickly flip through the pages. Thankfully, Uncle Kizashi had given them one section so he would not have to look through the entire library. Yet he was running out of shelves to look through. Had it been moved?

A chill ran up the back of Naruto's neck. He grabbed it out of instinct. 'what was that?' He mused. It felt like he was being watched. He had been on edge since the Founder's ball, and this paranoia had clung to him since. He attempted to busy himself to avoid thinking about it, but fucking vampires. It felt surreal. He turned to take a quick peek to relieve his anxiety.

Imagine his surprise when someone was standing at the library door.

"Ack!" Naruto jumped. The book went flying. Whirling, his back went flat against the bookcase as he was confronted by none other than Sasuke Uchiha. The recently revealed vampire leaned against the doorway, his arms folded across his chest. They stared at one another, Naruto's eyes wide while Sasuke almost looked bored. The book hit the floor with a loud thump.

"Did I frighten you?" Sasuke inquired, amused.

Naruto frowned. "Is that not the goal when you sneak up on people?" He fired back. His right hand stuck close to the pistol on his hip. They had agreed to some sort of truce with the vampire, but Naruto could not let his guard down. He had just learned what a vampire was last week. That was not enough to feel comfortable in one's presence.

He was still coping that Jiraiya had kept this secret from him. the man that saved Naruto from the streets and become his father. The man he looked up to. The trust between them was damaged, and he was hurt that Jiraiya had held the burden of the truth of his father's death to himself.

Naruto made an effort to be understanding. Jiraiya tried to fill his head with teachings about vampires and how to defend against them, but again, it had only been a week since he had learned they existed.

They were supposed to be hunting the beast, but Naruto felt lost. Kakashi and he was tackling any reports or sightings of a beast, wolf, or dog, and they had even gone through Konoha forest at the edge of the town once looking for the werewolf. He felt vastly unprepared and even argued about searching the forest, but Jiraiya assured him they would be fine and handed them silver bullets. He had, after all, had silver in his gun last time. Naruto had just shot first.

So far they had found nothing.

"I thought you aren't able to enter a home without being invited in first?" Naruto pointed out accusingly.

"Mebuki and Kizashi have invited me in plenty of times," Sasuke replied smoothly.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, tilting his head in suspicion. "Have you snuck in before?"

"No. I prefer not to be rude." Sasuke answered back simply.

"How did you get in today?" Naruto asked. The disbelief was still evident in his tone.

Sasuke shrugged. "I knocked. A maid let me in." He stalked a little closer. "I was looking for you."

"You were?" Naruto caught himself. He would not look like a fool in front of Sasuke. "Why?" He asked suspiciously.

"Your surrogate father is a dilettante when comes to the supernatural. Do not blindly follow him to your death."

Naruto's jaw clenched. He may not know what he was doing, but Jiraiya had been studying and hunting creatures like Sasuke for years. "You know nothing about Jiraiya."

"I know that detective of yours tracked down rumors about that worker that went missing in Romania being seen in London," Sasuke said mysteriously. "And I know that employee has not returned to his family, and they have come to you for help." Sasuke crossed his arms. "Tell me, why would he return and not see his family?"

"I do not know. I am not the detective." Naruto shot back.

Everything Sasuke said was true; Humphry came from a poor family who lived in the Whitechapel district of London, so they had turned to Naruto for help. They played on his guilt since he was the employer, and even though they had agreed upon a settlement for not going to the press, Naruto felt like he needed to help them.

It was Humphry's mother who swore she saw him, walking down the street. She called out to him and thought he heard her, but he disappeared into the crowd. The older woman had traveled to Applegate to tell Naruto this in person, perhaps to gain sympathy from her tears.

It worked. Naruto planned on going into London to see if he could track Humphry down. Although he doubted that the young man had much to do with the werewolf.

"When I was first turned, a strange phenomenon occurred with the people around me." Sasuke studied an ink stamp on the desk. "Half of my own people feared me, they were disgusted with what I had become. Even if I became it for them." The last part Naruto barely heard because Sasuke said it under his breath, but he heard it nonetheless. "The other half became proctors."

"Proctors," Naruto repeated, the term foreign to him.

"Yes. They developed a cult-like obsession with me. They viewed me as some sort of god, or demon. They worshipped me and were desperate to please. Since then, I have learned that is not uncommon in the underworld to have proctors."

"So you are saying that this worker was taken, and is now a proctor?" Naruto clarified. He was uncertain of the possibility that Humphry would blindly follow a 'master'. Humphry had a kind heart and earnest disposition.

"I suspect so," Sasuke confirmed.

"Do you have proctors?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing.

Sasuke ignored the question. It was evident that he was not going to answer.

Naruto relented. "And how do you know all this?"

"I have my sources. Like you do." Sasuke retorted.

"Then you know we have to at least corroborate that Humphry truly is in London, and if he is, that we can safely return him to his family." They also had several things to discuss with the man surrounding his disappearance. If he had any valuable information about whoever was stalking Sakura would be beneficial as well.

"You need to be careful. You are messing with powers beyond your comprehension." Sasuke responded.

"Is this you trying to help us?" Naruto almost snorted. He had never liked Sasuke to begin with. The man being a vampire just confirmed how shifty he was.

"It is just a warning. You do not know what you are up against, and clearly at a disadvantage." Sasuke stated easily. It ticked Naruto off how calm Sasuke was, and he had a feeling that Sasuke knew this.

"And neither do you. That is why you are here, isn't it?" Naruto responded, folding his arms across his chest. Why else would Sasuke have this conversation with him?

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. With that look, Naruto knew he was right. He continued. "If this lead might help, then we should at the very least look into it. What I wonder is why you haven't."

Sasuke frowned. He pushed off the wall he was leaning on and Naruto thought he might come closer. Naruto instinctively tensed but forced his muscles to relax. He would not be intimidated.

"Consider my advice an act of goodwill."

With that, Sasuke turned his back to Naruto and walked out the door.

"Wait!" Naruto called out, surprising them both.

Sasuke stopped just past the doorway and tilted his head to show he was listening.

"Was that your only intention with Sakura then? Investigating her connection to the werewolf?"

Sasuke leaned to face Naruto with a smirk and said, "Wouldn't you like to know?" then turned to walk away.

Naruto pursed his lips. "Bastard." He said under his breath. He picked up the book he dropped, absentmindedly staring at the cover. He stood there for a moment, thinking about what Sasuke said and unsure of what to do.

Naruto admitted that Sasuke was clever, but it sounded like both of them had yet to yield results in their endeavor. For some reason, this made him uneasy. And this forced him to make a decision.

End Chapter! We get Jiraiya's past along with some Sasuke and Naruto interaction. Let me know what you think!