"Sakura this is crazy. You're risking your life here!" Naruto said in a hushed tone. After leaving the Captain's office, she invited him out to lunch to inform him of her plans. To say he was not pleased would be an understatement.
"I barely got there in time to get to you last time, now you're talking about going so deep in you can't even risk contacting anyone on the force for help." His eyes were as blue as can be. And in classic Naruto fashion, he was extremely concerned about the fate of those he cared for.
"I'm going to talk to the Captain because this isn't wise. How could he- How could you- " he was losing his ability to form coherent sentences at this point.
Sakura spoke up for herself.
"Naruto, I'm going to be fine. I know what I am getting into." She said calmly.
"Yes, but you don't know who you're actually dealing with. I've looked over that photo you sent me and I cannot tell who the hell that is." He responded.
"You're risking it all for a pair of men that may not even be in the area anymore. Did you think about that?" His question was a valid one.
She had not.
"And what happens when it's time to pull you, did you think about that either?" He questioned
She had not.
"You've got to tell me you have some inkling of a plan in mind. You can't just walk into that circle of people and say 'I'm new and I here wheel and deal'" his mockery was irking Sakura.
Sakura who had not considered the true ramifications of her actions was rubbing her left arm. It really hurt. It was the arm Kiba really did a number on. She was focused only on the plate of food in front of her. Naruto saw her rubbing her arm and stopped his barrage of questions.
"Look, I'm sorry. I am just worried for your safety. You're my partner. I can't let anything happen to you." He pleaded.
As if her since of fire and vigor came back, she spoke up again. "I know you've got my back, but I need to be able to carry my own weight again." She said.
The use of the word again, bothered Naruto because it was so vague what did she mean by that?
"Sakura, you are one of the best officers the force ever saw. To this day, I'll admit you're a better detective than I'll be." He said in a slightly louder tone. This made Sakura chuckle.
"I'm worried about you Sakura." He continued in a hushed tone again "You just had to fight for your life this morning and nearly died. Doesn't that affect you in some way?"
It did. It really did, although she didn't realize it yet.
"Naruto, cops get their butts kicked from time to time. It's an occupational hazard. But, as far as this case is concerned, if you really respect and value me, you'll let me be. I can do this. If I'm in too far I will call it all off and break all ties and turn in everything I have so far, ok?" She finished.
Naruto cast a look of serious doubt towards her. He knew as well as she that she would do nothing of the sort. When Sakura's back is against the wall she fights, as a child, she would cry and scream for help, but that Sakura has long since left. This Sakura didn't ask for help- she was all the help she needed to be and that's what Naruto feared the most.
Going home that night, Sakura hadn't realized how tired she was. Her joints hurt, her back her, her skin hurt, everything hurt. She walked into her bathroom again to shower. As she removed her clothes the bruises and scars from 12 hours ago had finally appeared in their final form. Her chest legs and arms were black and blue. It was almost scary how dark her skin had become in the past 12 hours. She had scars and bruises that she hadn't seen before. She couldn't recognize the woman staring back at her in the mirror. Slowly she inspected all these new imperfections. It is going to go away she told herself. She turned her attention to the shower and got in. She scrubbed as best as she could to remove not only the dirt, but the feelings of unfamiliarity. It wasn't working so she just stood there letting the water bounce off of her.
Sakura just didn't feel like herself anymore. Something about that incident with Kiba changed her self-perspective. She couldn't seem to shake that internal feeling of panic and sadness. She knew she wasn't in the best headspace to be working, but the case demanded attention. Now was the easy part. She needed to find a believable way to take over Kiba's place as Konoha's biggest drug dealer. No problem, right? Sakura had convinced the captain of her ability, now she needed to follow through.
As she sat at her desk at the precinct, she pondered how she could do such a thing. A thought came to her. She had access to a drug dealer in-house- Kiba. He was still downstairs in the holding cell since he was booked 24 hours ago. Her legs froze beneath her. Should she really go see the man who almost killed and raped her? Under ordinary circumstances, it wouldn't even be an option. But this was not ordinary circumstances. She needed to think like him, which meant facing him. She wanted answers and he could give them to her. The precinct was busy, she could easily slip downstairs and get to Kiba. She rose and made her way over to the staircase in the corner of the building a quietly descending to booking and holding. The officer down there greeted her and opened the gate allowing her to proceed without delay. She walked to his cell and stood in front of him motionless and wordless.
His back had been turned to her and she hadn't spoken yet, but he must have sensed the presence of another person because he spoke without turning his back.
"I'm not hungry you damn pig, go away." He said flatly.
"I have no food to give you," She said.
This cued Kiba to sit up and face her moving to seated position from his lying one.
"Sakura." He seemed shocked, but the reality of everything hit him. He repeated her name with more disdain in his mouth "…Sakura. Or do you prefer I call you Officer Sakura? If that's even your real name"
She ignored the tone and attitude he displayed.
"Kiba. I need answers" she stated in a direct manner.
"Yes. I would have killed you had I been given the chance." His trademark smirk reappearing just like when they met.
She gave him a narrowed look and a pause. "Of that, I had no doubt. I lost a good bit of blood in that hotel room." She looked down for second and paused "Given the chance, I supposed I might have killed you too." She delivered this last line while maintaining strong eye contact.
"Good. Glad we're on the same page. Officer Sakura, you can leave now." he said attempting to dismiss her.
"I need answers before I go." She reminded him.
"Oh? Would it serve to lady best for me to answer these questions? Or should we fight again?" He teased.
"Maybe we could work something out. If you cooperate, I'll make it worth your while." She countered.
" 'Work something out' " He parroted back to her. "You wouldn't even have sex with me. I seriously doubt you'd help me in court." He finished.
"Kiba. I was no threat to you. It was a case. I was simply there to bring you in. Nothing more or less." Sakura pleaded. Why was she pleading? His fate was sealed. Hook, line, and sinker. Kiba would easily do 10 years behind bars.
Kiba gave her another look. This one was examining how genuine her statement was.
"Tell me about that tattoo." She started aloud. "I only know of one other person you associated with that had one to match."
He scoffed then laughed. "Ah what the hell. You'll never put it all together I might as well tell you. You and your two-bit police force couldn't be able to put it together anyway." He laughed.
"We caught you, didn't we?" Sakura said folding her arms across her chest.
"Because I was sloppy." He paused for a moment. "You think I didn't suspect anything? I know I wasn't the best man for the job. I was merely a figurehead of a much larger operation."
"I had a feeling." This gave her hope but also increased her anxiety. She began rubbing one of the bruises on her arm again. Kiba took notice.
"You enjoying my parting gift to you?" He added with the addition of a grin. "You think that was bad, you'll never know that I had to do to get this tattoo."
This piqued her interest again. She stopped rubbing her arm. "Tell me."
"Once you're in. You're in for life. There is no way out." He deadpanned to her. Rarely was Kiba this direct and matter of fact.
"Explain." A line she had picked up from her father.
"I have no incentive to tell you anything. Just us having this conversation alone would warrant my death." He was playing with her. He would give her tidbits of information then leading her on rabbit chase. Classic Kiba.
"And killing a cop wouldn't?" She offered.
"I didn't kill a cop, so I guess we'll never know, now will we?" He snapped back to her. "Besides, a death threat from a cop is child's play. I've been threatened with death before. Go ask your pompous police captain." He added as he stood and began to pace his cell.
Sakura cataloged his last statement in her mind. She didn't have time to unpack that right now, but she felt it was significant.
"Simply put, the people who gave me this tattoo spent a lot of time making sure I wouldn't squeal. I'm not about to let some girl just talk me out of the answers. One of my friends will just take my place and the circle of life will continue." He said taking a seat on his bench.
"I'd have called us a little more than friends." She said with a small smirk on her face.
There was a pause in the room as they held eye contact.
"YOU? You don't know the first thing about the people I'm in bed with." Kiba stated. She noticed how he didn't say she lacked knowledge of the art of drug dealing.
"Tell me what I need to know and as I said, I'll make sure the court knows about your cooperation." She offered again.
"And like I said, I'm not going to willingly give you any information," Kiba said shrugging his shoulders.
"The way I see it. You either help me or your reputation goes south and never recovers." Sakura was trying to play hardball. She knew Kiba valued his reputation. During their time together, he'd boast and brag about how strong his reputation had become.
"My reputation has already gone south. I've been in this business for years and have never been caught. You ever wondered why I was never caught? We both know I wasn't the world's best dealer. It's because I was well protected. I wasn't just caught on a whim someone wanted me gone."
"Who protected you?" She questioned losing sight of her topic.
"I already told you who." He said annoyance present in his voice.
"You haven't given me any names Kiba and I am not here to play games. The sooner you give me the answers I want to sooner this all ends." She barked at him.
"Why? You and your Scooby-Do mystery team couldn't put all the pieces together even if I made a jig-saw puzzle for you all the put together." Kiba had a knack for being annoying and this sentence was a prime example.
"I infiltrated your operation once. I can do it again." Sakura added with fire. He only laughed in response before locking eyes with her.
"If you manage it again, it'll be your final act." He paused to look up at the ceiling before looking back at her again. "You weren't the first undercover cop that magically found their way into the fold. I know that for a fact. Someone. Wanted. Me. Gone. You just happen to be the person to end it all for me. If I ever show my face in the streets of Konoha again, I'd be a dead man."
Something about his tone made it crystal clear to Sakura he was telling the absolute truth. Maybe there was more to Kiba's statement that an attempt to deceive her.
"You seem rather convinced you've got nothing left to lose. Why not just tell me about the damn tattoo. You seem convinced someone's going to eventually kill you." She seemed annoyed.
"There are things far worse on this earth than death by a cop, officer Sakura." He sneered. "If you really go through with your half-brained plan of replacing me, you'll learn all too quickly Itachi does not play by the rules."
"Itachi?" She blinked. "Who is Itachi?" Sakura said putting her hands on the cold metal bars.
"A man who you want no dealings with. Trust me, officer Sakura. If you go into business with him, you'll really understand the hell I lived in." He almost sounded like he was pleading with her to not do this. On some level, he may have meant this as a warning for her safety. A warning she would not heed.
"Who is he?!" She asked again.
Kiba sat down and looked at the ground and refused to meet her gaze. Sakura banged her hand against the bars. But Kiba would not meet her eyes. Sakura took this as a time to leave. As she walked away from the cell, he spoke again.
"Say goodbye to me sooner rather than later. I may not be around too much longer for any more of our talks." She didn't turn to face him as he spoke but rather held a steady pace as she left.
Back at her desk, she searched the name 'Itachi' in the local database. No results. She widened the search parameters to nationwide. One result came up "Uchiha, Itachi." Was displayed on her screen. She clicked the result. An entire dossier with a plethora of information was littered across her screen. This man had warrants from various cities and countries. He was an international arms dealer, drug dealer, and suspected murderer. The was a staggering amount of entries listed. However, most of the information she attempted to access had been redacted and classified. Of all the information she could view, the most promising thing listed was Itachi's recent criminal activity hinted he had just landed in Konoha. It was promising. One thing puzzled her: there was no photo listed. No one had ever seen this man in the flesh.
Could the photo she had be the only one? She wasn't even sure which man was Itachi. All she knew was that there wasn't enough information present for her to formulate a well-rounded conclusion. She needed to do the dirty work herself. Someone out there knew more than they were willing to inform her about.