Chapter Fifteen
Don't trust a book by its cover

Sakura thought about Egypt a lot following her conversation with Kakashi. Mostly her travels with him.

And Gaara. He had been cruel. Unforgiving. Simply a cover to get close enough for her own motives. But things hadn't been all bad.

Sakura twirled the coin in her fingers around slowly. It was a cheap little memento. Bought from the gift shop in the museum Gaara had taken her to one winter night. The coin itself had no meaning but the memories attached evoked a nostalgia that sank deep into her chest.

She could almost hear their footsteps as they paced the marble corridors. The hush that lay over the rooms as if the high ceilings were absorbing their murmured conversation. For a street rat, Gaara was surprisingly knowledgeable in both history and literature. Passion colored his usual monotone when he spoke on his favorite subjects. That icy demeanor warming into something almost gentle.

"For you, ya amar," Gaara had told her, handing her the small coin in that small, cheesy gift shop. Somehow, the term 'beautiful' had always sounded sincere coming from his lips.

Sakura looked down at the coin now. Upon its gold surface was some ancient god, its name long since worn away by her fingers. Parts of it polished from years of tracing the edges. She still wasn't entirely sure why she had kept it after all these years.

Closing her fingers around the coin, Sakura flicked her eyes up just as Ino dropped into the bench across the table.

"Hey," the blonde said.

"Hey."

Ino studied her, her eyes briefly falling to the hand that was fisting the coin. "Are you alright?"

Sakura managed a cool smile. "Fine. What's up?"

Ino didn't look quite convinced but she didn't say anything, her gaze instead turning to a busboy as he passed, his arms full of dirty dishes. "So, I asked Shikamaru to look into that thing you asked me," she said, her attention slowly turning back to Sakura. "There wasn't anything sent between Madara and Hashirama electronically. Only payments and a couple of addresses."

"Addresses?" Sakura repeated. "To where?"

The blonde shook her head. "I didn't recognize the ones Shikamaru told me, but I'll have him send them over to you. Maybe you'll know them better than me."

"When?"

"Shika said he'd have the file ready tonight."

Sakura hummed noncommittally but didn't offer any other comment. Just blew the steam off her coffee and sipped it.

When it was clear she wasn't going to say anything more, Ino shifted the conversation, "Naruto and I finished delivering everything."

"Any problems?" Sakura asked, her thumb resuming its smooth sweep over the coin in her hand.

The pointed look Ino shot her made her sigh.

"Let me guess. Kabuto?"

Sakura didn't need to hear Ino's reply to know the answer. Still, Sakura didn't immediately move to stand. Instead, she finished her coffee and laid a few bills on the table before she finally turned back to Ino. "Shall we go pay him a visit then?"

The bell above the door chimed as the women made their exit. A lonely, gold coin on the tabletop shining in the setting sun, slowly growing cold in abandonment.

xx

This part of the city was always dirtier than the rest. A little grungy. The type of place one expected to kick rats with each step. Even the tavern reeked of dishonesty, of betrayal waiting to happen. Every person in the bar eyed everyone else like they were waiting for any reason to stab someone in the back.

The perfect place to find a seedy, dishonest man.

Sakura smiled at the bartender behind the counter as she passed. A look that was more of a warning than a greeting. He said nothing. Only watched her pass, Ino and Naruto flanking her like two rays of sunshine. Just waiting to burn someone.

The door to the backroom was closed when they reached it. Sakura walked in without knocking.

Inside, three men sat around a large table. In the center was Kabuto. His eyes widened behind his glasses when he spotted her.

Sakura just smiled pleasantly, her eyes falling to the men on either side of her. "Hello, boys. Do you mind giving us the room?"

When both began slowly slipping their hands into the inside of their pockets, her eyes narrowed. In an instant, Sakura withdrew her own gun and leveled it at the man on Kabuto's right. Behind her, Naruto had his own weapon out, trained on the man on the other side.

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. It wasn't a request," Sakura nearly snarled. "Get out."

Like cockroaches exposed to sunlight, both men scrambled from the room. The door slammed shut behind them. Naruto lowered his gun but kept it in hand as Sakura tucked hers back into her pocket. Without invite, she crossed the room, the heels of her boots thudding against the wood like death knocking at the door, and deposited herself down into the chair across from Kabuto.

A few minutes passed without either speaking. Sakura observed Kabuto silently, taking in his gaunt features and the faded bruising under his chin. Someone had definitely taken a swing at him. Raised his guard and lowered his trust. His beady eyed flickered from Sakura to Naruto and Ino and back again.

"We've always gotten along so well in the past, Kabuto," Sakura said warmly. Like she hadn't just pulled a gun on one of his men. "Tell me, what bothers you?"

He remained silent, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.

Sakura released a quiet sigh. "Kabuto, darling," she tried again. "Haven't I always gotten you what you asked? Why are you so intent on troubling me?"

"It isn't my fault," Kabuto blurted out.

Her brow arched curiously. "Oh?"

"It's my investments," he told her quickly. "The cash isn't flowing as fast as it used to. I'm trying to get you your money but I have other obligations. As soon as I get paid, I will send you what I have-."

"You see, that's the problem, isn't it?" Sakura said. There was nothing outright threatening about her tone but Kabuto froze like she had put a gun to his head. "When we first started, you agreed that payment would be given upon delivery of the goods and lately you have failed to do so. I'm done giving you chances, Kabuto. Give me my money or you will find yourself at the bottom of the East River."

The blood drained from his face.

With her point made, Sakura stood but she didn't immediately turn to leave as she looked down at him. "This is our last meeting on the matter," she told him. "The next time you see me, it will be your last."

Then she swept out of the room. Naruto and Ino followed her obediently, the former sheathing his gun before leaving that tense backroom.

Outside, Sakura turned to Naruto. "If Kabuto doesn't give us payment in the next twenty-four hours, find him."

"You want me to bring him to you?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's been awhile since I've had to clean up a body. And it's always a good reminder to the rest of my clients what'll happen should they stray from our agreement."

He shot her a smile that showed his cruel excitement before he jumped into his jeep and drove off.

Sakura just watched him go, not sharing the sentiment. There were few things in this business she didn't enjoy, and punishing those who defied her was not one of them. It was more of an inconvenience than anything.

Ino didn't speak the entire drive back into downtown. A rarity for the normally chatty blonde.

At a streetlight, Sakura glanced over at her. "Are you mad at what I said in there?"

Strangely enough, Sakura half-hoped she would say yes. That Ino would ask her for an out. That seeing Sakura near her cruelest would convince Ino that this life wasn't what she wanted for herself.

That hope was short-lived when Ino turned her gaze from out the window to look over at Sakura. "No. Why would you say that?"

Because Sakura had essentially just signed a man's death certificate. She didn't know if Ino's lack of horror or even concern relieved or made her feel worse. Perhaps Ino was cut out for this line of work.

In the end, Sakura chose not to answer. She turned her face forward again as the light changed green before she continued towards Ino's townhouse. They exchanged few words when they pulled up out front. Only Ino telling her that Shikamaru would be in touch soon.

And soon it was.

Less than twenty minutes later, before Sakura had even arrived home, Shikamaru texted her an address. It was to a cafe. A little hole-in-the-wall place with a dozen tables and intimate lighting.

Shikamaru wasn't there when Sakura arrived. She ordered herself a coffee and sat at one of the back tables. Near the emergency exit and with a view of the entire room. She didn't have to wait long.

Cloaked in a black hoodie and dark jeans, Shikamaru slinked into the shop. He weaved around the tables and deposited himself into the chair across from her. There was an unusual frown on his face. He wasn't happy about something.

"I never disliked you," he told her in a tone that wasn't exactly friendly.

Sakura said nothing. Simply arched her brow over her coffee mug, waiting to see where this conversation was going.

"I never approved of your lifestyle but I never hated you for it," he continued. Then his tone sharpened. "Until you dragged Ino into it."

"I did not drag Ino into it," Sakura told him levelly. "She asked me-"

"She just lost her parents."

His tone was hard enough to give her pause. Sakura stared at him. Observed the way the low lighting cast his face into something harsh and unforgiving. A look she had never seen on the usually nonchalant man. For the first time, he seemed like someone capable of working with the CIA. Lies, deceit. Tip toeing on the edge of what was right and what was necessary.

Sakura didn't flinch away. Merely met his gaze evenly. "I get it," she told him quietly. "I really do. But ultimately this was her choice. So, if you want to keep her from harm, I suggest you help me. Because the only way I can ensure her safety is by having accurate information myself."

Shikamaru didn't immediately reply. His eyes narrowed minutely, as if finding her words more threatening than factual. In the end, it didn't really matter which he believed. He passed her a flash drive.

"A full list of the locations Hashirama gave Madara," he said, his voice that bored monotone once again. "I haven't figured out the significance of them yet, but I have a few guesses."

Sakura curled her fingers around the black device, barely the size of a bullet. "Which are?"

"Some are shipping yards," Shikamaru said. "I think Madara might be composing a list of active ports and warehouses that move product in and out of the country."

"But?" she asked when he trailed off.

"But I don't know why Hashirama would be paying Madara for that information. The money should be flowing the other way if Hashirama is doing Madara a favor."

"Meaning that Hashirama must want some knowledge about these locations," Sakura surmised.

Shikamaru nodded.

She considered this until the man across from her stood. Sakura didn't move to leave with him. Merely tilted her head back to meet his gaze. Even in the dim lighting, she could see Shikamaru still wasn't overly pleased with her.

"Ino was my first friend," Sakura said quietly, stopping him before he left. "I won't let this world take her like it took me."

To her surprise, the corner of Shikamaru's mouth twitched with cold humor. "As if you can actually stop it."

Sakura sat alone in the cafe for a little while longer after that. Some emotion she couldn't quite name curling and uncurling itself under her breastbone. The little, black USB on the table reflected the overhead lights faintly.

Eventually, Sakura reached for it again, plugging it into the little tablet she had brought with her. It took a second for the files to transfer over. When they were ready, a window popped up. She pressed the button to open the document.

Sakura read through the list quickly, the furrow between her brows deepening with each line she read. Because it wasn't just one or two addresses that were familiar.

She recognized all of them.

xx

Sakura found herself alone that night. She sat in one of the kitchen chairs she had dragged over to the window, a pillow under her to cushion her rear against the hard wood and her feet propped up on the windowsill.

A shot glass and bottle of tequila sat near her foot but both remained untouched. Sakura considered going to bed. It was well past midnight. Actually, as she glanced at the clock on the wall again, she saw it was past two in the morning. But she couldn't quite seem to pull herself up from the chair.

At least not until she heard a loud knock at the door.

Twisting around in her chair, Sakura wondered who would be bothering her at this hour without so much as a phone call. In the end, her curiosity won out. She made her way towards the door, swinging by the kitchen table where she had left her gun, before she unbolted the lock and pulled the heavy door open.

Tobirama stood before her. Covered in blood and panting like he had run half a dozen blocks. Wide eyed, Sakura stared at him before she yanked him inside her apartment and stuck her head out into the hall to ensure he hadn't been seen. When she found it empty, she pocketed her gun and slid the door shut again before she turned back to Tobirama.

Only to find herself face-to-face with the barrel of a gun.

Sakura stared at it before she looked past it to look at Tobirama. "Well this is one hell of a greeting."

"You're a traitor," he snarled, his face twisted in rage.

That accusation made her next heartbeat pound through her chest but outwardly she remained calm. She simply eyed him, taking in the fury that seemed to radiate off of him in waves and the blood that clung to his clothes and skin. It stained his jeans and crusted along the backs of his hands. She didn't know how much of it was his and she didn't ask. He couldn't have been too injured if he was standing there pointing a gun at her head.

"Excuse me?" Sakura said smoothly. But there was an edge of something menacing in her undertone.

"Akatsuki knew we were coming. They ambushed us the second we stepped through the door," he told her. "They cornered us in the warehouse and picked us off one-by-one. I barely escaped."

She blinked in honest surprise, considering for the first time that the blood on him was likely from his own men. A raid of that scale must have cost him three, maybe four dozen men.

It took her a moment to process. "You think I told them?" she asked with quiet incredulity.

His immediate answer was shoving his gun further into her face. Automatically she took a half-step back, only too aware her back was literally to the wall.

"Well I don't have any actual proof that you killed Sasori," Tobirama said darkly. "How do we know you didn't meet in all that time you were away and flip sides?"

Sakura laughed. But it was harsh and absent of amusement. "And I what? Stabbed myself?" she countered.

When he just continued to glare threateningly, her eyes narrowed, "Are you fucking kidding me, Tobirama? I gave you those guns for that raid. Why would I give them to you if I had planned to kill you in the first place?"

"To make it look like an accident."

"Accident? If I wanted you dead, there are a hell of a lot easier ways to do it than by siding with Akatsuki," she snapped. "I'm only here because Hashirama needs resources and I owe him. Killing you would be the opposite of helping him."

It was the first thing she said that seemed to get through to him. His rage subsided somewhat. Not much but enough that the harsh sneer on his face lessened to a deep frown. "And yet you still haven't told me why you are helping him," Tobirama said, his tone almost causal. Like he didn't still have a loaded weapon an inch from her face.

"I don't owe you an explanation. I don't owe you shit," Sakura retorted harshly. "I am the only person who has shown you an ounce of decency - perhaps ever - and this is the thanks I get. No wonder you're such a miserable asshole."

His scowl returned. "I don't need you. And neither does Hashirama. We were fine before you came along-"

"We?" she repeated with a laugh. Then she fixed Tobirama with a cruel stare. "As if any of this is yours. Everything you own is because of Hashirama. Before him, you had nothing. Take him away and you're still left with nothing. You are and always will be a gangster, Tobirama. Nothing more."

Rage burned bright in Tobirama's eyes, but underneath all of that there was something else. Bitterness? Or perhaps resentment? She had the feeling she had struck a nerve, hit a little too close to the truth, which was where his real anger was stemming from.

Either way, his gun held steady. Sakura wondered if she had pushed him too far. If he was going to lodge a bullet between her eyes.

Then her phone chirped from a notification on the table, drawing his attention for a fraction of a second. It was all Sakura needed.

With quick movements, she grabbed the barrel of his gun with one hand and Tobirama's wrist with the other, using her fingers to disengage the magazine from the weapon before she racked the slide against the counter. Both the magazine and the remaining bullet in the chamber hit the floor with a metallic clink until she was standing with an unloaded weapon.

It was all over in the blink of an eye. Tobirama stared at the gun in her hands. Then the bullets on the floor before he met her gaze.

Sakura stared back coldly. "Get out. You're no longer welcome here," she told him icily. "If you break in again, I'll shoot to kill."

Tobirama glared at her for a minute more before he slipped out of the apartment without a word.

Even after he was gone, Sakura didn't immediately move. She glanced down at the gun in her hand, trying to process what had just happened. How could things have shifted so quickly. She hated the way she felt. Like a teenage girl that had just broken up with her boyfriend. She was pissed at Tobirama, but even more pissed at herself for letting things come to this. There were more important things that needed her attention.

Sakura deposited herself back on her chair in front of the window after putting Tobirama's gun away. She placed the weapon in one drawer and the bullets in another before washing her hands of the blood that had lingered on the weapon.

She didn't know how long she sat there thinking. Or rather, trying not to think. About Tobirama or Hashirama. About why she was here in New York City. About her past.

The sun was beginning to peer through the skyscrapers when Sakura finally went to bed. She dreamt that morning. Of the day Hashirama had found her in that orphanage in Russia. Even twenty years ago when she was still only six, Sakura could still recall the safety and security she had felt curled up in his arms as he brought her home. Brought her to Tsunade. The day that put her on the path to where she was now.

And the assignment she knew she was not allowed to fail.

to be continued...

Sorry for the delay. Please ignore all errors - feeling a little rusty.

Thank you to those who reviewed. You really help motivate me. I really appreciate all those took the time to leave a comment!