Chapter Four
An eye for an eye…
breeds a world of revenge

The hallway was empty, say for Sakura. It was quiet. Only the occasional bang from a neighboring apartment to disturb the silence. She paused outside a familiar door and knocked. Waited a minute before knocking again.

When there was no answer after the third time, Sakura looked down the hall one way and then the other. There was nothing but the cheap, faded red carpets and the endless apartment doors. One only distinguishable from the next by the wooden numbers nailed to the surface.

Sakura picked the lock of the apartment with ease. She slipped her tools back into her pocket. Then twisted the door knob open.

Blood, thick and heavy and metallic, filled her nose. The scent hit her like a slap in the face and sunk into the pit of her stomach. It settled beside the apprehension and misgivings that had been growing with each passing day without contact.

Drawing her gun, Sakura closed the door behind her. The soft click echoed in the utter, utter stillness. Beneath her, the entryway rug muffled the heels of her boots as she entered slowly.

The living room was a scene from a horror film. Blood coated the floor. Crimson seeped into the cracks of the hardwood. Splattered across the beige-colored walls. Speckled the television still playing on mute. The room was cold, the stench of death - of murder - thick in the air. On the low-sitting coffee table was a man's body, mangled almost beyond recognition.

Asuma had been dead at least two days. Possibly three.

Sakura cleared the rest of the apartment. Only daring to holster her gun when she found it empty. She stood in the doorway of the bedroom, her mouth set in a grim line. Her eyes traveled over the living room slowly, attempting to piece together what had taken place.

There were no signs of a struggle. Besides the obvious. The couch, though stained red, was undisturbed. The stacks of DVDs beside the television were piled haphazardly but not falling over, and the curtains were drawn but not torn. So what the hell happened?

Sakura found her only clue on Asuma. He was covered in so much blood she nearly missing it completely. But as she stepped closer, careful of the drying pools of blood, she realized that under all the gore and sticky crimson, there was an unusual symbol carved into his bare chest.

A circle with a triangle inside.

Her brow furrowed. She didn't recognize the character. Pulling out her phone, Sakura snapped a photo of it. Only to frown. He had still been alive when the symbol had been sliced into his skin. His heart had still been beating judging by how much blood there was around the wound.

Sadness tugged on Sakura. She hadn't been acquainted with Asuma for long, but he had always been kind to her and he always got her whatever she asked for. The last time they spoke, he had told her he was trying to get back with his estranged wife. They had a baby together. A boy, if Sakura recalled correctly.

The feeling quickly faded. This was the way of their life. Perhaps his baby was better off growing up without a father rather than with one that was so involved in the criminal life. It was safer.

Sakura stepped away from Asuma, again careful to avoid stepping in any blood, before she called out on her phone. Kakashi answered on the fourth ring.

"We have a problem," Sakura said. "Asuma is dead."

There was a pause before he asked, "Did you do it?"

"No, I didn't do it!" she bristled.

Because contrary to common belief, Sakura did not kill often. She was a good talker, able to get what she wanted without spilling blood, and if it was necessary, she let Kakashi do most of it for her. Her murder count lingered at less than two dozen.

"I don't know who did," Sakura continued with an impatient tone. "There's no signs of struggle, but there's blood everywhere."

"Was he drugged?" Kakashi asked.

She swept the room with her eyes again. "I don't see anything but it's possible..." She stared at Asuma a moment longer before raking a hand through her hair. "Shit. This throws a wrench into everything. Hashirama is expecting guns next week and now my primary supplier in the States is…" Sakura trailed off with a heavy sigh. "I need to make new arrangements."

"You do always have your suppliers in the Middle East," Kakashi provided.

She pursed her lips as she considered this. The whole point of her connection with Asuma was so she wouldn't have to go so far. It seemed she didn't have a choice until she found someone to replace the dead man before her.

"Looks like I'll be heading out to Tel Aviv," Sakura eventually said.

She turned away from Asuma to enter his bedroom. In the floor of his closet in the back hidden under a pile of shoes, she found a secret compartment. Inside was a pile of cash, a burner phone, a few handguns and a nearly half a dozen bags of cocaine. Sakura took everything but the drugs. One of the few things she wouldn't touch.

"What about the body?" Kakashi asked. "You want me to call Orochimaru?"

Sakura paused in the edge of the living room again. Weighed the option. In the end, she shook her head. "No," she said into her cell phone. "I do not feel like owing that man anymore favors. Let the police handle it."

She ended her call with Kakashi as she left the apartment, leaving it exactly as she had found it. Well almost. The three extra handguns weighed heavily under her jacket. As soon as she was outside, Sakura dialed Hashirama.

"Well this is unexpected, Sakura," he said upon answering. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I need to talk to you. Face-to-face," she told him. She paused on the sidewalk and waited for a turning car to pass before she crossed the street to where she had left her vehicle waiting. It was her first time in the BMW Hashirama had gifted her.

On the other end, Hashirama hummed. "Well I suppose I have a few minutes now. I'll text you the address, shall I."

Nearly twenty minutes later, Sakura found herself outside an office building. It looked closed with the empty parking lot and half the lights off in the upstairs windows. She followed the signs for the warehouse in the back, taking the freight elevator down to the basement.

Hashirama was standing in front of a railing overlooking the rest of the loading bay when the doors opened. The familiar sounds of an interrogation echoed against the concrete. A hard smack of flesh against flesh. A pained cry and a wordless whimper for mercy.

Silently Sakura drew up beside Hashirama. She peered over the railing and caught sight of a man sitting on a metal, folding chair on top of a rolled out sheet of plastic. Blood was dripping from...well everywhere. It streamed from his nose and mouth and a gash on his forehead. One eye was swollen shut. One of Hashirama's goonies swung his fist into his face again. Bloody knuckles smacking against wet, swollen lips.

Tobirama observed some feet away. The jacket of his suit was hung over the back of another folding chair behind him, leaving him in his button up shirt and tie. His arms were crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face. It lightened minutely when he spotted her, mild curiosity replacing the deepest pulls in the corners of his mouth.

Sakura met his gaze. Only looking away when Hashirama finally asked, "You needed to speak with me?"

His tone was light and airy, like he was simply asking how her day was. But Sakura knew better. His time was important and she better not waste it frivolously.

"I'm going to be a little slow to getting you guns," she told him.

Hashirama pulled his eyes away from the bloody seen to stare at her. "Excuse me?"

If his tone didn't relay his displeasure, his face certainly did. Outwardly he appeared calm, but his eyes were hard and his mouth was set in the beginnings of a frown. Hashirama, mobster of New York indeed.

"I'm not saying I won't be able to do it," Sakura explained calmly. "I just need a few more days. I'm going to have to get them overseas."

"I thought you said you had a supplier in the States."

"I did," she nodded. "Until this morning. I found him dead in his living room an hour ago. Murdered."

Hashirama gazed past the railing again. "You know by whom?"

"No, but there was a strange symbol cut into his skin." She pulled out her phone and passed it to him.

He studied the image for only a moment. "Jashin," he said simply. "It seems your supplier crossed paths with Hidan."

Sakura took her phone back to study the symbol again. She had heard of Jashin. A small religion in Western Africa. There wasn't much known about it. Only 'true followers' were aware of its practice.

"Who is Hidan?" she asked.

Hashirama didn't immediately answer. He studied the scene below as Tobirama stopped the beatings of the bound man. The younger Senju brother approached him and asked something not quite loud enough for them to hear.

Sakura watched too. In this environment, Tobirama was just as frightening as he was rumored to be. Hard, unforgiving expression. Stony, cold eyes. It wouldn't surprise Sakura if he gutted the man right now without blinking. That type of callousness should make her flinch and shrink away. And perhaps before the Sand Siblings it would have.

Now, she only observed Tobirama. Flashes of that drunken morning flickering through her mind. It had all been a jumbled blur. But she could still remember some. Like her hands in his hair, his fingers on her hips and thighs, his mouth everywhere. The warmth of his body as it moved over hers. His moans that sent pleasure straight into the pit of her stomach.

Hashirama was studying her when Sakura turned back to him. His eyes narrowed like he was attempting to piece together a difficult puzzle. She stared back unblinking.

"Hidan is a member of Akatsuki," Hashirama finally answered. "He is quite...cruel, even for my tastes. My sources tell me he primarily works with gathering intelligence."

His words were punctuated by a sudden howl from the man below them. Sakura turned just in time to see Tobirama pull a knife from the man's thigh. Close, very close, to his manhood. Tobirama spoke again lowly. Too softly to hear.

"You supplier must have done something to incur his wrath."

"Perhaps," Sakura murmured. She paused before adding, "Or perhaps I did."

Hashirama eyed her curiously. "The port?"

Sakura nodded thoughtfully, thinking back to the night she had burnt down the pier. In a way, she had killed one of Akatsuki's suppliers. It only made sense they would retaliate.

"An eye for an eye," Hashirama agreed quietly.

They fell silent after that. Simply watched Tobirama take over questioning whoever the unfortunately man was. Even after such a beating, he appeared reluctant to give Tobirama what he wanted. But eventually a pleased smirk spread across the younger Senju brother's face. He straightened before he nodded at Hashirama. Sakura knew that was her cue to leave.

"I'll let you know when I have your weapons," she said.

Hashirama didn't reply but she knew he had heard her. With one last glance in Tobirama's direction, she turned back towards the elevator.

"Sakura."

"Hm?"

She looked back at Hashirama but his back was to her, still gazing down at his brother. "Need I remind you, Tobirama is fifteen years your senior and someone you will be working with closely for my business. I hope you are smart enough to avoid doing anything that may compromise your working relationship in the future."

His warning couldn't be any clearer.

Sakura just smiled as she stepped back into the elevator, her words slipping through the doors as they closed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

xx

There weren't words to describe the resonance of a well played piano, in Sakura's opinion. The notes were something one heard from the soul, finding meaning and love and heartbreak with just mere sound. They could take one from reality or throw them back to a time when things were better. Or worse.

Sakura's earliest memory was in the orphanage she had spent the first six years of her life, fumbling with a piano that was far out of tune. She had barely been able to climb onto the bench, her feet tucked under her so she could see over the instrument as she tapped curiously at the dull, white keys.

Smooth notes floated through the bar now. Sakura sat behind the large instrument, her fingers moving across the keyboard with ease and practice. The song was one of her favorites. A slow, sad melody of lost hopes and a longing for something that no longer existed. One she had memorized long ago. It settled deep in the soul and hollowed out a space where the notes echoed and then faded.

There was no one to hear her play now. No one besides Kakashi and the bartender cleaning glasses behind the counter.

Every table, every chair was empty say for the one Kakashi had landed himself in. Just as Sakura preferred. It cost her a pretty penny to buy out such a high class bar for a few hours, but if she could play uninterrupted then it was worth every cent. If there was one thing she liked, it was a lack of audience as the keys moved under her fingertips. It provided her the privacy to lose herself in the music; to let go and allow the melody to flow through her until all the stress and danger of her world faded and fell far, far away…

Sakura's fingers stilled. The thud of the front door disrupted her escape. She opened her eyes to pinpoint the intruder, only for her gaze to fall on Naruto. He looked so out of place amongst the marbled floors and crystal chandelier in his jeans and fading, leather jacket. His heavy boots pounded against the reflective, black tiles as he crossed the room.

Naruto eyed Kakashi briefly as he passed. Kakashi gazed back, his hands still cleaning the handgun dismantled on the table in front of him. Neither said a word, but tension rumbled off Naruto like the calm before a storm. Kakashi could sense it too and a silent threat rolled off him as loudly as if he had said it outloud. Any funny business would be dealt with immediately.

Kakashi may not look like much. Just a handsome face on a strong set of shoulders, but underneath was a warrior who had seen war and battle firsthand, and had come out the victor. Perhaps that was what had drawn Sakura to him in the first place.

"We need to talk," Naruto said, stopping beside the large instrument.

He either didn't care or was oblivious to the fact that he had interrupted her. Likely the latter, judging by the annoyed look on his dumb face.

Sakura cocked a brow. "What about?"

"About the fact you want us to deliver six containers to the Senjus by next month," he told her.

She nodded unapologetically. "Yes. Is that going to be a problem?"

"A problem?" Naruto nearly scoffed. "We just got a new shipment in two days ago that have already been promised and paid for by your other clients. How exactly do you suppose I get that many more weapons in only four weeks?"

Sakura reached for the sugar-rimmed martini glass on top of the piano. She drank her peach-flavored lemon drop slowly, savoring the sickeningly sweet liquor on her tongue before she licked the sugar from her lips.

"You will not be securing the weapons," she eventually told him. When Naruto blinked stupidly, she continued, "I will be flying out to Tel Aviv to get them. I'll speak to my contacts directly to ensure that I get exactly what Hashirama needs."

"That's still a lot of weapons," he said, crossing his arms. "How exactly do you plan to get all of them?"

Sakura smiled. "I think you underestimate my influence in the Middle East."

"And I think you overestimate your abilities," Naruto countered. "If this deal goes wrong, both the Senju and Uchiha will go after everyone involved. Myself included."

Sakura stared at Naruto. They had been working together for a few weeks now, but this was the first time he had used such a tone with her. She suspected Jiraiya's absence had something to do with it. Boys tended to get mouthier when the adults weren't around to hear it. And being a pretty girl Sakura was used to having to earn the respect of men.

Setting her drink back down, Sakura turned on the piano bench to fully face the blond. "You don't like me very much, which is fine since I don't really care much for you either. But you do work for me and any attempts to undermine me or disobey my decisions will end with your body at the bottom of the Hudson River," she said, her voice darkening. "The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because, for whatever reason, Jiraiya finds you valuable."

Naruto didn't answer to that but his haughtiness also didn't fade.

"You don't think I'll do it?" Sakura asked pointedly.

His eyes wandered to Kakashi. "I think you will," he agreed. "But you'll just have your bodyguard over there to do for you."

Sakura looked at Kakashi then. He stared right back, just waiting for her to give the word. But she didn't. Instead she stood, lowering the fallboard back over the keys, before she slipped her earrings out of her ears.

Naruto watched her warily. "What are you doing?"

"You think I can't handle you myself," she said. "I'm going to show you that not only can I handle you, but I'll kill you with my own two bare hands if you betray me."

An incredulous look crossed Naruto's face. He glanced at Kakashi who still hadn't moved, still hadn't spoken before he eyed the bartender. When the man smartly avoided his gaze, he turned back to Sakura. "You can't be serious?"

"Afraid to hit a girl?" she asked wryly. "You better not. Your life depends on it."

And without warning, Sakura punched Naruto straight in the face.

xx

It was sometime after midnight when Sakura finally made her way home. She unlocked the door and discarded her boots before she wandered further inside, flipping on lights as she went. Her fingers went for her gun when she spotted a shadowy figure by the windows only to relax as she recognized him.

"You know that's creepy. You showing up in my apartment again. At night. In the dark," Sakura said. "One of these days I'm going to shoot you."

"Perhaps you should invest in a better security system," Tobirama said, turning to face her.

"I have a good security system." She set her gun on the table pointedly before she shed her jacket, her muscles protesting against the movements. She hid her grimace, instead moving towards the counter to plug in her phone to charge. "You just don't have any respect for privacy."

Tobirama's shoes clacked against the hardwood as he walked. "You're short tonight," he said, his voice almost amused. "Rough day? I know something that could help you rela–what the hell happened to your face?"

His entire demeanor changed the instant Sakura turned around to face him. Kakashi had insisted on helping her clean up before heading home, but she knew she looked like hell. Her lower lip was split and her cheek was still throbbing but both paled in comparison to her knuckles. She had beat the shit out of Naruto. Which was perfectly fine with her. He was an ass.

"Did Izuna do this?" Tobirama asked. His voice was so low it was nearly a snarl.

Sakura blinked. "What? No."

She wondered what made him think that. Until she recalled the way the younger Uchiha brother had wrapped his hands around her throat. The bruises had faded a week ago, but it still hurt to swallow some of the time.

"Just politics," Sakura waved him off.

Tobirama's frown lessened but didn't fade. She wasn't sure she liked that look on his face so she quickly turned away to grab some water. To flush out the blood coating the inside of her mouth.

"I know you didn't stop by just to test my security system again," Sakura said over her shoulder.

His eyes burned into her back a moment longer before finally falling away. "Akatsuki are heading north again. We just got information that they're moving into the port in Newark."

"Newark?" she repeated. "That's close."

Tobirama nodded. "We need to make a move soon. Disrupt their operations before they can set up a permanent enterprise."

"Which means you need more guns," Sakura concluded. She nearly glared when he nodded. "How many?"

"At least three times as many."

Sakura slammed her glass down onto the counter. "How the hell does Hashirama expect me to get all of this on such short notice? He already knows I'm down one supplier. What does he expect me to do?"

Tobirama waited until her shout of indignation had faded before speaking, "We need to stop them before they settled in. You and I both know that it'll be easier to undermine their operation before it starts rather than dismantling it once they're already in place."

And she did know that. Still, getting Hashirama the resources he needed in such a short time would be difficult. Very difficult. Sakura raked a hand through her hair, thinking.

"Okay, I have a storage unit in the outskirts of town. I'll send you the number and the lock combo. That should at least keep Hashirama happy until I get back from Tel Aviv," she said. "I'll talk to my connections too and see if they know who is supplying Akatsuki. Perhaps I can dry up their resources in the meantime."

Tobirama regarded her with deep interest. "You have extra weapons on spare just like that?"

"I have weapons stored up and down this coast," she told him, a cunning smile on her lips. "And I'll have more after I fly out."

"When do you leave?"

"In the morning," Sakura said. She gazed at him curiously, wondering what had prompted him to ask.

He answered her unspoken question when he slowly walked up to her, the heels of his thousand dollar shoes clicking loudly in the silence. She didn't push him away when his hands rested on her hips and slid down the back of her thighs to lift her up onto the counter. He kissed her the same as before. Hard, demanding and in control. The way she liked.

He swallowed the sound of her moan before he kissed a trail down her throat. She tilted her head back to give him more room, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

"You know, Hashirama warned me to stay away from you," Sakura said breathily, her eyes half-closed. "He doesn't want anything to affect our working relationship."

Tobirama's mouth stilled on the column of her neck. He pulled back and grasped her chin to make her look at him again. There was a look of his face she couldn't quite identify but his eyes were like fathomless, black pools, pulling her in and making her nearly forget her own name.

"And what do you want, Sakura?" Tobirama asked.

The sound of her name on that sinful tongue filled her head with thoughts of him and what he was capable of doing to her. It made her crave him more.

"I want you. To keep touching me."

That strange look on his face faded. She saw the playful smirk lingering in the corner of his mouth. "Where?" he teased.

She responded with her own smile before she grabbed his hand and pressed it flush against her center. "You know where."

Tobirama fucked her right there in the kitchen. He took her until her thighs were shaking and his name fell from her lips. And then he did it again later in her bed.

This time when Sakura awoke in the morning, he was still there. She had half a mind to kick him out of her apartment and perhaps she would have if she was staying. In the end, she chose not to wake him. Just she packed her bags and left. Trusting that if Tobirama could break in without a key, he could lock up behind himself without one as well.

to be continued...

Thank you to those who reviewed! Some of you are asking questions that will be answered later in the story - much later, so hold tight! Also what is with all the MadaSaku feels? haha (love you guys).

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