Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 9: A Stranger's Intention
Sakura's Notes
The body metabolizes glucose from starch to gain energy. The process that breaks down glucose into smaller and simpler molecules to supply the cells is called glycolysis. This process is the fastest energy-producing pathway.
The major consumers of glucose are brain and muscle cells.
(At the Akatsuki's Headquarter)
"You are joking right?"
"Do I look like I'm joking to you?"
"Let me get this straight, our fucking prisoner, who is supposed to be locked away at the lowest level, is being given a president-class cell and receives his painting supply every week, in exchange for classified information about that crazy one-eyed elder freak."
"…"
"And instead of fulfilling his side of the deal, he fucking told you to read the records of all 200 hospice cares in Fire Nation, then verbally sent you away."
"…"
"And you just fucking complied?"
"I have been ordered to get the information out of the prisoner in any way possible. If this is what it takes, I will gladly do so."
"Why can't we just go with our signature style?"
"Because unlike other worthless trashes, this one is still valuable."
Sai refused to say anything more after leaving Konan with his parting words. The guy just went straight to his world and focused on his drawing. Konan had no choice but to go back to her office and access the city's database to pull out those records.
She has hoped to finish with the task and return to the cell at the end of the day. Imagine her surprise and frustration when she found out that there is a total of 200 hospices in Fire Nations and the average length of operation is 30 years minimum and 80 years maximum.
Suddenly she feels hopeless. Surely this is just a joke.
She is tempted to go back to his cell and yell at the killer but decides against it since it would only look like a tantrum. Reporting to Madara is not an option, he would make sure she pays for her failure.
And this is how Hidan found her in her office, reading the mountains of records, looking desperate and tired.
"Do you even know what the fucker wants you to find?" Hidan raises an eyebrow at their most efficient member in the organization. It's so uncharacteristic of her to be played around by a prisoner.
"What could interest a contract killer other than money?" Konan turns another page of the financial reports.
"Geez, after all this time at the Akatsuki, you don't get killers at all, do you?" Hidan mockingly laughs at Konan's naivety and ignorance.
"And you do?" Konan, unhappy at Hidan's tone, glares at him.
"Did you forget who I was before I got recruited?"
There is a reason the Akatsuki is the most proficient branch at capturing and obtaining information from criminals among the Konoha Police Force. All main members are former criminals, who have committed inhumane deeds in the past.
During his time at the Police Force, Uchiha Madara recognized the potential of using criminals to seek and capture other criminals. Since they are alike in minds, they would be better hunting hounds than the regular fresh-out-of-training-school newbie. Moreover, they don't need any combat or psychological training. All they need is a microchip embedded in their brains that would explode if they decide to turn against him.
Of course, Madara's proposal was met with outrage rejections and scorn by his relatives and the former Head of Leaf. He even lost his candidacy for the next patriarch. Still, Madara was adamant about his ideas. One day, he went rogue, and no one could find him even the best trackers and the latest surveillance technology.
A few years after Namikaze Minato took over as the new Head of Leaf, a new branch called Akatsuki suddenly appeared overnight with Uchiha Madara as its unofficial leader. Unlike the last time, there was no objection from the Police Force or the government officials.
People just accept it.
"Your point is?" Konan feels a chill run down her spine, remembering what she read on this man's profile.
"Other than the moneyfucker Kakuzu, there are other things that motivated us." Hidan smiles proudly, reminiscing his good old days.
"A few screws loose in the head?" Konan hisses.
Hidan narrows his eyes at the detective, already annoyed at her attitude. "Tch, keep that up and you would never complete your assignment. Don't say I didn't try to help you."
He moves to leave, knowing when his presence is not wanted. A voice stops him in his track.
"Wait."
Hidan looks over his shoulder with an arrogant smirk, waiting for the detective to make the first move.
"What do you propose I should do?"
The moment she got into this work it has been drilled in her head that pride would only hinder growth. Unlike the rest of her colleagues, she was transferred from the Konoha Police Force through the recommendation of Chief Uchiha. It went unsaid that he wanted her to keep an eye on this organization.
She had complied with the order and treated her experiences at the Akatsuki as a mission. She holds onto her belief that these men are collared hounds and keeps her distance from them. She has never gone to any of the after-hours dinners or engaged in conversations that are not work-related.
Her approach has worked out fine so far. She would never trust these men with her life, but she would trust them to follow orders. There is no reason to get to know them personally.
However, as Hidan said, this approach would not work for this case.
With renewed resolve, she swallows her judgment, and, for the first time, asks for advice from one of her colleagues.
Liking the look in her eyes, Hidan decides to lend his aid. "I suggest getting to know the fucker first."
(Flashback)
"Must you be so picky with your food, brat?"
"Say the adult who still picks at the vegetables in his lunch boxes."
"Tch, to each his own."
"Then stop getting me spicy octopus."
"It was the most convenient thing to buy on my way here."
It was a strange sight: an adult man and a child who looked no older than six were arguing over their preference in food. The child was small and cute while the man was huge and intimidating.
If there were any adults around, they would immediately report to the police or try to get the child as far away from the man as possible. But luckily for the pair, there was not a single soul in two miles radius. He had made sure of that.
"Just eat your food. I won't be able to get you anything for a while." The man rolled his eyes at the ungraceful brat.
The child, who was precocious even at this age, picked up the underlying meaning behind his words. They had a mutual understanding: him hinting at his disappearance and the child not asking any questions.
It was for their own goods.
For him, their meetings had served as the only anchor to humanity, so he didn't want to tarnish these memories with details of his profession, and the child would be protected.
For the child, he kept the bully away and treated the child as an equal. Though he always got the same kind of food, it was a small price to pay.
They finished their meals in silence after that. The playful mood was eradicated.
"I will get your favorite next time." The man sheepishly looked away from the child. An unusual hint of blush was seen on his cheeks, making him less intimidating and more tender.
The child smiled brightly, not at his words, but his message.
It was a promise to return.
"Uncle Obito, you are not even putting in the effort."
"Shut up, Shisui. I'm reading the files, aren't I?"
"I wasn't aware that you can read words upside down."
His nephew's word brings his attention back to the paper. It is indeed upside down, and so are all his "finished piles". Cursing lowly under his breath, Obito flips the current file on his hands and goes back to reading.
It only takes 5 minutes for his eyes to glaze over, a subtle sign that he lost his focus. His nephew, Shisui, who is watching him like a hawk, finally snaps.
"If you are just going to slack off, do it somewhere else. We are trying to work here." It's not usual for Uchiha Shisui to speak so harshly at his uncle, Obito, who is one of his favorite relatives, but the stress from reading the mountains of files from Mist has shortened his temper. His partner, the shorty Haku, is nowhere to be seen, leaving him to work by himself.
"Calm down, Shisui. He is as stressful as you are." Kakashi pats Shisui's shoulder to calm him down.
Shisui doesn't look like he buys the excuse. He continues to hiss angrily at his uncle who is completely nonchalant at the accusation, not bothering to defend himself.
"Is it about the mysterious file?" Itachi enters the room and breaks the tense atmosphere, his hand holding the lunches he bought at the vendors. He distributes everyone with their respective meals.
With foods in their stomachs, the four men forget the earlier argument. The animosity and stress tone down a little.
"If the file bothers you so much, why don't you ask Sasori to crack the password?" Shisui directs the question at his uncle while stuffing his mouth with the onigiri.
"What makes you think I didn't?"
The room goes quiet again. There is only one person who could outmaneuver the infamous Puppeteer, and the idea that the government system was hacked into without notice is downright scary and alarming.
They have been at Doll's mercy this whole time.
"It's too early to blame it on Doll. Who to say that there isn't a better hacker than Doll and Sasori?" Kakashi tries to lighten the situation, but his remark has the opposite effect.
At least the government is aware of Doll's existence. If another skillful hacker is operating under the radar…
"Have you given it a thought as to what the password might be?" Itachi breaks the tense atmosphere.
"It's a name, someone who is close to the hacker."
The men turn to Obito who has been uncharacteristically silent this whole time, surprised at his confident statement.
"What makes you say so?" Kakashi asks his best friend.
"The word "loyal" suggests that the creator admires this aspect of the person. Also, the last half of the riddle sounds intimate. You have to be familiar to know someone's preference."
"We don't even know the hacker. How are we supposed to find who is close to him or her?" Shisui exclaims in frustration. Another dead end.
"I think we know the person in the riddle." Itachi muses, causing the men to turn to him.
"Whoever created the file puts it in one of the most secure systems in Fire Nation which is scheduled for constant inspection and monitor. The file would have been detected whether someone investigates the "orphanage" tag or not. If the content poses a threat to the hacker, he or she would have kept it far away. And with that skill, if the hacker has the intention to harm us, the easiest way would be to leak the confidential information."
"So, you are saying that the hacker wants the content to be known. But why wouldn't he or she just give us the information? Why go through all of this?" Kakashi is unhappy to be a participant in this cat and mouse game.
He has a feeling that they are being toyed with by the hacker. That person also knows that they wouldn't give up on this case which suggests that the hacker is aware of their characteristics at an intimate level.
This knowledge scares him even more than the government being hacked.
"That's is the missing puzzle. What are we being led to do?"
(At the university's rooftop)
"… You are not going to push me off the roof, are you Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asks jokingly.
She is in the exact position the last time she was caught by Sasuke: pinned to the wall by his towering body. Though he doesn't seem like he wants to harm her today, just determined about something.
If another person comes across the scene, it would look like a couple is having an intimate moment. His lean but broad and muscular form, a result of his family's training and sport activity, completely covers her petite body. He is close enough that she can hear his heartbeats. His face is inches from hers. The tips of their noses are almost touching. He smells musky and woody, probably from the same Uchiha training ground.
By standing near him, Sakura can see why the female population fancies this boy.
A heartbreaker indeed.
"We need to talk."
Notes: Sakura's characters and intentions will be explained by others instead of by her own words. The story will be told through different perspectives. Each is important to the main plot.
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