Hi everyone! Here's the next installment. For those of you who have been reviewing/pming, thank you. It seems like a lot of you are enjoying this and I'm loving hearing all of your theories on it. For those of you who have questions or are confused, please feel free to contact me. I know this arc is different than what we did before but there's a purpose behind it. There have been a lot of side plots building up to this point that you're going to see come together in the next few chapters. That being said, thank you for your patience and I look forward to hearing what you think!

"Officer," the voice instantly drew a sneer from Genma but he repressed it before he turned to face Sayuri.

"Yes, ma'am?" Genma emphasized the latter and watched the flicker of discomfort cross her face. Two can play this game, he thought.

Sayuri let the comment pass. It was odd seeing her in normal clothes; almost every time Genma had seen her, Sayuri had been in costume. Seeing her in a turtleneck shirt and a pencil skirt was disconcerting, like when he was a kid and would see his teacher outside of school. He had to be careful to keep reminding himself that Sayuri was dangerous.

"Do you remember the girl who danced before me at the club?" Sayuri cocked her head, tossing her silky black locks.

"Sunny, was it?" Genma folded his arms. "Or was that just a stage name?"

"That was her," Sayuri's smile brightened at the memory of the girl. After a moment Sayuri regained her serious attitude. "I want you to talk to her about that son of a whore that keeps showing up at the club."

"Why isn't she talking to me herself?" Genma gestured to the bustle of the morning foot traffic. "As you can see, I'm working here."

"I think the streets of the Leaf will be safe without your vigilance for an hour." Sayuri turned and began to walk away, throwing him a beckoning look over her shoulder. "Come on, officer."

…

The apartment Sayuri led him to was in a fair part of town where working class families hung their hats. Sunny was on the first floor of the building and its doors faced outside, so the pair were outside her home in moments. Sayuri knocked firmly on the door. "Sunny, it's me. Open up."

"Sayuri?" The sweet voice called out from within. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to visit." Sayuri poised herself by the door knob. As soon as Sunny opened the door and caught sight of Genma she tried to slam it shut. Sayuri threw up her arms and caught the door mid swing.

"Sunny, this is the officer I was telling you about," Sayuri leaned against the doorframe, blocking the other girl from slamming it shut. "You really need to talk to him."

"Mind your own business, Sayuri," Sunny's voice was shaking almost as hard as her hands.

"That guy isn't going to go away. This is just going to get worse." Sayuri stared her down and Sunny's eyes darted between the two of them, sizing up the threat.

"Okay, fine," Sunny sighed and opened the door. "Come on in."

Sunny's apartment was much more charming than Sayuri's. She had wrapped colorful scarves around the shades of the cheap lamps to give the room a festive glow. Decorative pillows and cozy looking blankets made the threadbare couch look inviting. Curry was stewing in the pot on the stove, filling the tiny space with a homey and comforting scent. Genma felt much more at ease than he had on the way over. Part of him had worried this was a trap but it was obvious Sunny and Sayuri were nothing alike. There were still no pictures of people around the place but the young woman had carefully tacked up posters of famous works of art on the walls.

"Would you like tea?" Sunny asked as she filled a bright yellow tea kettle covered in a daisy pattern in the sink.

"Yes, thanks," Genma sat on the couch but Sayuri kept her back to the wall. "So, what seems to be the problem, miss?"

Sayuri's eyes darted to him at the difference in address. A small smirk of recognition pulled at her mouth and disappeared.

Sunny heaved a sigh over the sound of the stove burner clicking to life. "There's this...man at the club. Sayuri says you've seen him. Tall, dark, and terrifying."

"Salt and pepper hair, face scars?" Genma gestured to his mouth.

Sunny nodded. "Yeah, that's the guy. He's been coming around the club for the last month."

"Sayuri says he's bloodied up some of the clientele there," Genma tapped his hand on the arm of the chair. "Has he threatened you or harmed you in any way?"

"No," Sunny scratched her arm self-consciously. "He's come out back to find me before. I'm never alone out there; there's always some people on a smoke break. When he sees I'm with other people he says something like, 'I'm watching you' or 'I'll find you later'."

"Has he followed you home?" Genma asked.

Sunny was putting tea bags in plain white mugs. "No. Really you shouldn't be here. Nothing's happened."

"Tell him about the alley, Sunny." Sayuri folded her arms. "Stop being a coward."

Sunny cringed at the accusation. She picked up the steaming kettle and poured the boiling water into the cups. "He's a shinobi. Not from Konoha; I think he might be a ronin. He used a ninjutsu to trip one of the bouncers. He formed hand signs and the floor came up in a block and tripped the guy. He repeated the actions and the block was gone just as fast."

"Do you have a name for this guy?" He gave Sunny an appreciative nod as she handed him a cup of tea.

"I'm sorry," Sunny shook her head. "Everyone just calls him Breaker."

"Only sycophants and twelve year olds would think a name like that was catchy," Sayuri scoffed.

"Let me guess: it's because he breaks people?" Genma shook his head. The tea was weak, little more than hot flavored water. He took a few gracious sips before he set it on the wobbly end table. "Is there anything else you can give me to go on?"

"No, that's all. And really, you don't have to bother yourself with all this," Sunny shot Sayuri an accusatory look. "I don't think you should get involved. I can handle myself."

"If there's a ronin running around causing trouble we need to investigate it-" Genma began to explain.

"I don't want to end up dead in an alley!" Sunny slammed her cup on the counter, cracking the porcelain. "Oh shoot," she cursed as she hurried the shattered mug back into the kitchen and returned with a wad of rags. "I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that. It's just with everything going on in town, like that guy who had his lungs frozen and the other one who was pushed off the hotel...I just...I think its Breaker. Strip clubs are exactly the sort of places that those kinds of people hide out in, right? Us girls, we're supposed to be stupid sacks of pretty meat. If we see something or say something, no one will care if we wind up dead in a dumpster."

Genma sat there in shocked silence. He took a moment to compose himself, reached into his kunai bag and withdrew a senbon. Sunny's eyes tracked his movement and her body tensed in readiness. The guardsman put the senbon in his mouth and rose. "I'll be sure to be discreet, Sunny. I was at the club and I think Breaker saw us. I don't think he'd connect it to you. Not to mention, it's your friend here who approached me. Her and I have history, you don't."

"Thanks," Sunny sighed. "If nothing comes of it, forget it. Girls like me can take care of ourselves. We have to."

Sayuri moved to the door and opened it for Genma. After he walked out, she followed, throwing a reassurance over her shoulder. "This is for your own good, Sunny. Remember that."

Genma walked towards the main road and was annoyed to see Sayuri keeping pace beside him. "What?"

Sayuri shot him a surprised look. "I assumed you would want to follow up with me about that visit."

"She obviously doesn't want help," Genma moved the senbon to the corner of his mouth so he could talk. "Why bother me about it?"

"Because Sunny needs the help." Sayuri stretched, the joints in her arms and fingers popping. "She's a shady little bird and thinks that she has it all figured out but that attitude is going to get her killed."

Genma stopped and stared Sayuri down. "Shady how?"

"Well, I've walked in on her making some seedy phone calls before," Sayuri explained. "Cryo-something or other, always talking about an uncle or cousin that's coming to visit by boat or train. There's no trains here. It's obviously code for something. I've always just figured she's involved with pushing drugs or something."

Genma furrowed his brows and folded his arms. Sayuri shrugged and gave him a charming smile. "Not that I'm involved in any of that. I would be lying if I said other girls in this business don't take advantage of lucrative side jobs."

"Is it possible that Breaker is just a rival drug lord's bruiser?" Genma watched her face. As always, Sayuri gave nothing away. She was either telling the truth or the world's greatest liar.

"See that's the thing, he could be, but why would he come after Sunny? She's just some broad who dances in her skivvies for a living. If she was part of the trade, what the hell would she know? It's not like they could press her for information or use her as a hostage. Like she said, she's just pretty meat. This guy's sizing her up for something else." Sayuri ran her fingers through her silky black tresses. "I don't think she's being a hundred percent honest about how many run ins she's had with Breaker. She's come into work with blood splattered on her clothes and bruises on her hands. Last week she had her wrist bandaged up like she'd sprained it."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Genma cocked his head. "You can't tell me you give a crap about this girl."

"I do, she's the cutest little pumpkin, isn't she?" Sayuri beamed. "They call her Sunny because that's what she's normally like. Sunshine and rainbows and all that jazz. It's only been recently the storm clouds rolled in. I'd say she's had shaky hands and darting eyes for only about four weeks."

"When did you two start working together?" Genma stepped aside under the awning of a nearby shop. It was lunchtime and the sidewalk traffic was picking up.

Sayuri followed his lead and stood uncomfortably close. She played with her hair and smiled up at him with gleaming eyes so passersby would think they were having an intimate conversation. Why is she a stripper? Genma shook his head. She's probably the best actress I've ever met.

"Sunny started working there about a two months ago. I've only been at the club a little more than a month and we hit it off right away. She's not as airheaded as the other broads. I get the feeling she was something more dignified before she took this job," Sayuri explained. "She knows a lot of anatomy and medicinal information. Anytime one of the girls is hurt or sick Sunny is on the scene, bandaging sprained ankles and putting together herbal remedies for them."

Genma realized he was tensing and unfolded his arms. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and feigned casual interest in Sayuri as she spoke. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I thought it might be useful information," Sayuri shrugged. "I figured she dropped out of med school or something. Anything you want to ask me?"

Genma had gotten a lot of information in a short span of time and was doing his best to sort it all out. At first all the evidence had pointed to Sayuri. After speaking with Sunny, however, there were some major factors that indicated she was somehow involved. The facts Sayuri had provided were damning but so were Sunny's own statements. Her description of Breaker as a shinobi had been more than what he would have expected of a bystander. More suspiciously, Sunny had mentioned particulars about the crimes that weren't public knowledge. She knew how two of the victims had died when the public wasn't even aware there had been deaths. These revelations warranted further inquiries if nothing else.

"Thank you for your time," Genma held up a hand to indicate the conversation was over. "I'll see what we can do for your friend."

Sayuri wrinkled her nose as she smiled. "Thank you. I knew I could count on you."

…

"That's the place," Naruto gestured through the trees to the sturdy brick building. "It's an outpost on the surface but there's a small jail in the basement. I've been listening in on the guards. They come into town after their shift and have dinner at Ichiraku." Naruto grinned like a fool. "And people say I'm no good at gathering intel."

Neji sighed. "We're just lucky they happen to frequent your favorite establishment, since you were eating on the job."

Naruto stood back, affronted. "Hey, a guy's gotta eat! This intel gathering stuff is hungry work!"

Neji activated his Byakugan. The building was full of shinobi, coming and going. The building served as a relay point for bird messengers and had a staff of two. One man was on the roof taking care of the birds and the other was on the ground floor relaying information, dispensing supplies, and so on. There was a small staff room in the back of the building that contained the staircase to the underground jail. There was a guard posted at the top of the stairs but Beki was by herself in the holding cell below.

"So? We ready to go?" Naruto put his hands behind his head.

Neji shook his head. "No. I have no idea how we're going to pull this off. We can't get back up because it would draw too much attention if we all left town geared up."

"Do you recognize any of them?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the tiny shapes moving around the building. "Maybe that could help me strike up a distraction."

Neji focused on each of them until he ended up on the guard by the stairs. "Its…it's that guard that's always by Tsunade's office. I think he's friends with Beki"

"Maybe he'll let us go down and talk to her." Naruto scratched his chin. "I'm sure he's got to feel bad for her being by herself all the time."

Neji rubbed his temples. The pair didn't have a lot of options. Beki had been isolated down there for more than a month and public opinion of her was constantly dropping. Her charming uncle had been released from the hospital and was doing his damnedest to cast Beki in an incriminating light. He had been making the rounds to restaurants and tea houses, stumbling into important figures in Konoha, and telling them the tragic tale of his niece gone mad. What really stuck in Neji's craw was that a lot of people seemed to believe his story even though they knew Beki and he was a stranger. There was nothing that man could say to convince the people who really knew her. Beki would never hurt her father; as dangerous as her powers were Neji had never seen her lose control.

Naruto had noticed the intensifying look of anger on Neji's face and gave him a soft sock on the shoulder to gain his attention. "I say we walk right in the back door and talk to the guard." Neji turned that boring glare and Naruto and he shrugged, unfazed. "What do we have to lose?"

Neji glanced over at Beki, hunched over in a hospital gown on a sagging cot in the basement. There was a hopelessness to the crestfallen look on her face that forced all doubt from his mind. "You're right. Let's go."

The pair approached casually as if they were supposed to be there. None of the others paid them any mind, even when they rounded the corner to the back door.

"Is it locked?" Naruto asked.

Neji activated the Byakugan and chuffed. He reached out and opened the back door without resistance. "This isn't exactly a maximum security set up, is it?"

Naruto beamed. "We're supposed to be here then. Everything's going our way!"

"Don't jinx us." Neji walked inside first and the guard from the Mansion gave him a questioning look. "We, ahem we were sent to- "

The guard shrugged. "Just go down and talk to her already."

"Really?!" Naruto punched the air.

"That's all right? You're just going to let us go down there?" Neji furrowed his brow. He had expected a lot more opposition to Beki being visited.

"She's not supposed to have visitors but its killing me seeing her like this," The guard jerked his thumb towards the stairs. "She's lost in her own little world down there. Beki won't cry when people are watching but I hear her when I'm up here. They've been doing medical exams and interrogating her on a regular basis. The kid is a basket of nerves, so be kind to her, okay? Maybe seeing some friends will perk her up a bit."

"Thanks," Naruto grinned. "We promise we won't bust her out."

The guard shook his head. "You kids seem to misunderstand: this is to protect her until we sort out everything that's going on. I'm risking my job letting you go down there because I know she hasn't done anything wrong and she shouldn't be cut off from the world for a misunderstanding." He waved them off. "Get going before I change my mind."

The boys took the stairs two at a time, Naruto emphatically calling out Beki's name. At the sight of them, Beki's expression only darkened. She turned her face away and bundled herself up in the blankets.

"Hey, aren't you happy to see us?" Naruto approached the bars. "It was really hard finding out where you were, you know."

Neji almost knocked Naruto out of the way. "Beki, are you well? Have they been feeding you enough? You look like you've lost a lot of weight. Are you sleeping all right?"

"My god, calm down," Naruto punched his arm. "Let her get a word in edgewise."

Neji bit his tongue to restrain himself and turned his attention back to Beki.

"I'm…I'm okay." She mumbled.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Naruto blinked in confusion. "Everyone is super worried about you. Especially Hinata. I think she's cleaned the house like, twenty times over. I saw her ironing curtains yesterday after she had already washed every window in the house. If we don't get you out of here soon, I don't think she's going to have any skin left on her hands from all the scrubbing she's been doing."

"That seems to be the theme of things," Beki buried her face in her hands. "I destroy everyone and everything I'm involved with."

"What are you talking about," Neji grabbed the bars. "What happened, Beki? Who did this to you?"

"I did," Beki bit her lip and turned her face away. "I'm a monster. I've always been a monster but all this time it's been locked up. That night my dad died, I let it out and it's destroyed everything I had."

"Not everything," Neji's voice softened. "We're all here for you. You still have us."

"I appreciate that but I don't think you're understanding me. I've only known you guys for a few years. I had my dad all my life..." Beki shook her head.

Naruto sobered, the jovial attitude fading with understanding. "Beki, what happened?"

"I did it," Beki's voice broke. "I killed my dad."

…

Genma and Aoba were perched atop rooftops across from the club Sunny and Sayuri worked at. Izumo and Kotetsu were staggered down the road hidden in the shadows of the alleyways. They had agreed to split up and follow the women when they left work. There was a chance nothing would happen tonight or that other factors would come into play that could derail the mission. If the stake out failed, the group planned to bring both women in and obtain search warrants for their apartments.

A few hours before close, Sunny walked out the back door of the club. She was alone and was walking with determination. The stripper had changed into dark street clothes and had her hair up in a fastidious looking bun.

"Isn't she supposed to work till close?" Izumo asked into the headset. "Didn't you check the schedule, Aoba?"

"No, she's definitely taking off early." Aoba looked at the paper he had gotten from the manager under the pretense of throwing another bachelor party. "Sunny is supposed to work till 3 AM."

"It doesn't look like she's sick. Follow her." Genma said.

"Roger," Kotetsu's voice hissed in the headset. "We'll radio in if something develops."

Sunny walked through the darkened streets, unawares she was being watched. Izumo and Kotetsu followed the girl, leaving Aoba and Genma to cover Sayuri. Instead of seeing the black-haired bombshell come out the backdoor of the club, they saw Breaker come out looking for someone. He dropped to one knee, spotted Sunny's footprints, and followed down the street after her.

"Dammit," Genma spat. "You've got someone in pursuit. The possible ronin from the club."

Izumo swore. "Alright, we'll keep an eye out. She might have figured out she's being followed or she's taking measures just in case. You were right. Something's fishy with this one."

"I'm going to have to follow this guy," Genma looked at Aoba across the street. "Do you think you can track Sayuri on your own?"

"If Sunny and Breaker are going to be our problem children tonight, Sayuri will be easy to track home." Aoba nodded. "Be careful guys. One of these three are our murderer."

Genma waited until Breaker was almost out of eyesight before he began the tail. The man was experienced and would periodically turn and check his surroundings before continuing along Sunny's trail. Genma hoped that the men would be able to get some answers tonight and wrap up all this serial killer nonsense before the town descended into chaos.

…

Sunny squeezed her way down a narrow alley created by two buildings that were built far too close together. Kotetsu and Izumo approached cautiously in case it was a trap. They split up, one staying at the entrance of the alley and the other leaping along the rooftops to wait on the other side. Sunny had been out of eyesight for so long they began to worry she had slipped inside a building. Just before they radioed in, Sunny reemerged the way she came with a look of horror on her face and blood splattering her clothes. She looked around and began to run as fast as she could, darting around corners and through alleys. The shinobi kept on her tail as best they could, occasionally losing her in the night only to see the shine of her hair in the moonlight a few moments after.

The pair almost ran into Genma.

"Shit," He looked around nervously. "If you're here, Sunny's close, right?"

They blinked. "Why, did you lose Breaker?"

Before Genma could speak, they heard a scream.

"That sounded like Sunny," Izumo winced. "We'd better go."

The three came upon Breaker holding the girl up off the ground, a vice like grip around her throat.

"I told you everything I know," She whined. "Would I have told you the location- "

"Shut up," Breaker squeezed. "You've been offing us one by one so you get a bigger cut on the reward."

"No, I swear! It's a misunderstanding!" Sunny kicked her legs.

"Lying whore," Breaker squeezed and the three shinobi moved in to stop him. Before they could get close enough, Breaker had crushed Sunny's windpipe and threw her useless body at them. Izumo caught her as Kotetsu and Genma stepped up to fight Breaker.

"I wonder when you idiots were going to show yourselves." Breaker folded his arms. "Too bad I don't have time to play with you."

"Hate to tell you this but you're not going anywhere," Kotetsu spun his kunai.

"We've got a couple of questions for you," Genma stuck his hand into his kunai pouch. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Don't act like you have a damned clue what's going on," Breaker laughed. "This village is going to be the laughing stock of the ninja world by the time we're done with it."

"Who is 'we'?" Genma smirked. "Cuz from where we're standing it doesn't look like you have a whole lot of friends."

"If you're referring to the stripper," Breaker jerked his head towards Sunny. "She's just some gold digging bitch who thought no one would notice she was offing people for a higher cut of the reward money. She was a cog that didn't know her place and so she's been removed from the equation."

Screams when up from around the corner and briefly drew their attention. Breaker threw hand signs and the ground opened, swallowing him whole and closing over him almost instantly.

"Shit," Genma spat. "Tsunade's going to kill us for this."

"Not necessarily," Kotetsu put his kunai away. "We have some real leads now. Let's go find him."

Izumo pressed the button on his radio. "Is Sayuri still at the club?"

"Yeah, it's all quiet here." Aoba said.

"Can you come here and wait with a body till a medic team shows up?" Izumo asked. "We've got a ronin to pursue."

"I'll be right there," Aoba's voice was tinny through the speaker. "Let me know how it goes."

Genma gestured towards the screams. "I'll go check that out while you two go after Breaker. Your teamwork is better."

"Got it," The two said in unison as they took off in pursuit of the ronin. Genma turned and headed towards the screaming. A woman in a cleaning uniform was blubbering at the entrance of an alleyway, her eyes wide in fear and her hands shaking.

"Ma'am, what's the problem?" Genma asked, looking around carefully.

"I-in the alley," She stammered. "There's…there's a man. He's dead! Blood everywhere…his head wide open…" She closed her eyes and groaned, swaying as her knees gave out. Genma caught her as she fainted and set her gently on the ground. He pressed the button on his headset. "We need another medic team over here."

"On their way," Aoba confirmed.

Genma cautiously entered the dark alley. The cleaning woman had been right, the body was a grisly sight to see. The man was young, maybe in his early twenties, dressed simply but armed to the teeth in shinobi gear. An icicle had fallen straight through the top of his head, piercing his skull, and coming out the other side.

"Did Sunny go down an alleyway?" Genma asked.

"Yeah," Izumo buzzed in. "She came out bloody. We were chasing her down when Breaker caught her."

"I think he was right, she's our killer. There's a body here with an icicle through its skull." Genma sighed. "At least that's one loose end tied up."

"I mean, we won't have random killings anymore, but what the hell are these people after?" Kotetsu asked. "They're risking a hell of a lot coming into Konoha as ronin and offing each other to boot. Whatever this reward is they're after it's got to be pretty hefty."

"Who would put up that kind of money, and for what?" Aoba asked.

"Find Breaker and we'll hear what we need to know." Genma crouched over the body. "I hope you're the last body I have to see for a while. I'm getting too old for this shit."

…

"All the gates are on lockdown," Tsunade folded her arms. "That Breaker isn't going anywhere. I'm disappointed you weren't able to apprehend him earlier, but now that we know he's involved it's just a matter of time."

The four were exhausted and could only reply to her with nods.

"Now that we know who the killer was and are on the brink of closing this case, why don't you four take some time off?" Tsunade sighed. "I know I haven't been appreciative of your hard work lately. I owe you this as my thanks for finding the underlying cause of this mess."

"Thank you, Tsunade sama," Aoba spoke for the group.

"We appreciate it," Izumo bowed.

The four walked out, their feet dragging behind them.

"I'm going home, ordering a pizza, taking a shower, and sleeping." Aoba yawned.

"Forget the pizza and the shower, I'm going to bed," Genma stretched.

"Let's not let this get the best of us," Izumo said. "Let's plan on getting together tonight for dinner to celebrate."

"We haven't gotten to see the guys in a while. Let's invite them along," Kotetsu suggested. "I could use watching Gai and Kakashi goofing off to lighten my mood."

"Sounds like a plan," Aoba smiled for the first time in a while. "I'm excited. Let's get some beers."