Chapter Twenty
There is always a cost in the end

Sakura stayed in Israel another three days before heading back to New York. She tried to tell herself it was everything to do with the warm weather and checking in on her contacts, and nothing to do with her concerns over Kisame and Mossad. Or Itachi.

He had headed home the following day. She hadn't heard from him since that night. Which was fine, she told herself for the umpteenth time.

Failing to bite back her sigh, Sakura darkened the screen of her phone and tucked it into her pocket. As soon as her plane completed its taxiing and came to a stop outside the terminal, she stood from her seat and collected her suitcase. Together, she and the rest of the passengers filed out of the narrow aircraft.

Following the familiar halls, Sakura swept through customs and down to the lower level where the taxis picked up passengers. She hadn't called Kakashi for a ride, not really in the mood to talk. Things were becoming complicated.

Stopping on the sidewalk, Sakura glanced down the terminal for an available cab. She hadn't even the chance to hail one before a familiar BMW pulled up to the curve in front of her. Tires nearly screeching as it came to a stop.

"Get in," Tobirama told her through the open passenger window.

Shit. Things were about to become even more complicated.

There was no point in arguing. The look on his face told her he would drag her into the car if he had to.

Without a word, Sakura threw her bag in the backseat before she slipped into the sleek car. Tobirama took off before she had even fully closed her door.

They drove in silence for several minutes before Tobirama spoke, eyes straight ahead. "We have a problem."

Sakura resisted her sigh, instead resting her chin on her fist as she peered out the window. "When it comes to you, there's always a problem, Tobirama," she muttered. "What is it this time?"

She felt his glare linger on her a moment before his eyes returned to the road. "Akatsuki is moving again. They raided one of Hashirama's shipments coming in and burned down one of the ports we had further south. Over a dozen of our men got caught in the crossfire. We're holding them off the best we can, but it won't last."

"And what do you want me to do?" Sakura asked, her voice tinted with something close to boredom.

Tobirama nearly slammed on the brakes at the next light. This time he was full on glaring at her. "We're paying you for your help," he told her sharply. "I expect that you'll give it when we need. And that includes this."

"Except you're not paying me for my help," she said simply. Factually. "You're paying me for my guns. And as long as I continue to uphold my end of the bargain, you can't have anything to complain about."

When Tobirama didn't reply, she peered at him. The only give away of his upset was the white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Then that too relaxed. "If this is because of what happened that night in your apartment-"

"This has nothing to do with that," Sakura interrupted. His chance to apologize for that had long since come and gone.

"Then what is it?"

Sakura didn't answer. They were almost at her apartment. She waited until he stopped at the next red light before she reached for the door handle. "I'll get your boys what they need."

"Sakura-" he begun.

But she was already opening the door. Without a word, she collected her bag from the backseat before she made her way down the sidewalk. The light turned green, but Tobirama made no immediate move to go. Only once the car behind him blared his horn did she hear the harsh squeal of his tires as he sped away.

That sound rattled around her brain the rest of the walk home. Without bothering to turn on the lights, she dropped her bag near the front table before she left again.

For a while, Sakura wandered down the city streets, her jacket wrapped around her and her hands tucked into her pockets. Spring was beginning to thaw out the cold frost of winter, but the air still chilled her skin and twisted around her hair like death's caress.

She slipped inside a restaurant just as the bartender flipped the 'open' sign on. Smiling at him, she ordered a shot of tequila before she wandered to the piano in the back. With no one but the staff to hear her play, she unleashed her thoughts, letting the music take hold of everything she wanted but yet couldn't express.

The notes came from the deepest corners of her mind, soothing her stresses, her fears and all the anger that seemed to stem from everywhere. Tobirama, Tsunade, Hashirama. Even Itachi. The last of which surprised her, considering her latest visit with him had been…pleasant. Still, she orchestrated those notes until she scrubbed her soul clean.

Sakura was still sitting before the well-used instrument when Ino arrived some time later. The soundboard was closed, her shot glass half-full. Sakura sipped it slowly, her gaze a million miles away.

"Hey," Ino said, sliding onto the wooden bench beside her.

Sakura blinked, turning her attention to her oldest friend as she slipped a pink wig off to expose her long, blonde hair underneath. "How did it go?" Sakura asked.

Ino smiled, grabbing Sakura's shot from her and swallowing it back in one-go. She set the glass on the piano before she held up two fingers towards the bartender. "Good," Ino said. "Madara's man followed me all week. To the ports, to a few meet ups." Then she smirked. "To the mall. And the nail salon. Three times."

Sakura laughed, the sound bubbling out of her mouth without force. A burst of true amusement. "Let me see."

Ino held up her hand, letting Sakura inspect her perfectly manicured nails. And they were perfect, her gel coat not even scratched. Whoever had done Ino's nails had done it meticulously.

"Everything else went smoothly?" Sakura asked.

Ino nodded. "Hyuuga got his shipment. He's very happy with your work, and Kabuto is actually paying on time for once. Seems he took your threat seriously."

The blonde paused as the bartender arrived, smiling as he dropped off their drinks. The moment his back was turned, her smile fell. "Naruto's been watching your port," Ino continued, her tone turning grim. "He says at least three shipments have dropped in the last week. And they don't seem to be slowing down."

"Three?" Sakura repeated.

Ino confirmed with a solemn nod. That news made Sakura frown. Deeply. An unsettling feeling sinking down into the pit of her stomach. There was no way Akatsuki could move that fast. Not without help. There was something she was missing. Something she couldn't see.

"I have to drop one more shipment to the Senju. After that, we pull everything in," Sakura eventually said. "Until I figure out what's going on, we keep our store. No more deliveries."

Ino blinked in surprise. "You're going to lose a lot of money."

"It's just temporary. Until at least Temari gets back to me."

"Temari?"

"An old contact of mine in Africa," Sakura told her. "She deals with information. She's incredibly resourceful. And accurate."

"You're having her look into the port then," Ino guessed.

Sakura nodded. "Tell Naruto to freeze everything. I'll let you know when we can move again."

"And when one of your customers gets upset?"

Sakura just shot her a look. "Tell them to talk to me."

Ino didn't look too convinced but she relented nonetheless. They didn't speak much after that. Sakura lost in her thoughts as Ino eyed the other patrons.

Only once their shots were empty did they stand from the piano. Sakura straightened the collar of her shirt while Ino adjusted the locks of her pink wig before she slipped it over her head. Her blonde hair disappeared flawlessly.

"What do you think? Should I make it permanent?" Ino asked playfully before she made her way towards the door.

Sakura couldn't resist her smile. She waited exactly three minutes before she too headed out into the night. She didn't know why but for some reason she chose to take the bus home. It was almost completely empty, the usual rush of commuters already gone. Only a single woman in a waitressing outfit and a young, teenage couple to share the ride with.

Sakura sat by the window, three rows from the back. Watching the moisture gathered on the outside panels of the window. The bumps in the road bounced beneath her feet.

Everything was quiet. Content. Which is why when someone sat beside her on the next stop, Sakura glanced at them sharply. Only to kill the sharp retort on her tongue when she recognized Shisui, dressed in a pair of jeans and a black hoodie.

She waited until the bus merged back in with traffic before speaking, "It's been awhile."

Beside her Shisui smiled, those familiar dimples appearing in the corners of his mouth. "Did you miss me?"

"Like a bad hangover."

"Hangover is just a sign of a good time."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at that, but she cut the banter short. Her stop only a handful of blocks away. "It's been almost three months, so either your only objective was to get me to talk to Itachi. Or you've been working on something."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, a smirk on his lips that reminded her eerily of Itachi. "You're too perceptive for your own good, you know that?"

She smiled in return but didn't speak.

Slowly, that teasing smile slid off his face. "I've been following Hashirama," he told her.

Sakura cocked her brow in surprise. "That's a dangerous thing to do."

"I know."

"Then why do it?"

"Because of what you told Itachi." When a look of confusion passed over her expression, he supplied, "That it'll be easier to take out Madara by taking down Hashirama as well."

"And what did you find?"

"That Hashirama has a lot of money," Shisui said. His gaze fell forward, casually peering at the other passengers as the bus bumped along. Studied them. Then his attention returned to her. "And not all of it was obtained through his business."

Sakura couldn't help the slightly condescending laugh that bubbled out of her mouth. "This may surprise you, Shisui, but most people in the one percent don't earn all their money the traditional way."

However, Shisui didn't share her amusement. "I'm not talking about a small portion. Nearly eighty-five percent of Hashirama's income is from some other means. Something under the table."

That gave her some pause. "His business is a front?"

Shisui simply inclined his head in her direction. "I mean, it does generate revenue, but less than five hundred thousand a year. Nowhere near the multimillions it claims to. Which means Hashirama is making his profit elsewhere. And he's paying someone a good chunk of change to make it seem like it comes from his business."

"Have you figured out where his money coming from?" Sakura asked.

Shisui shrugged. "Not yet. But it has to be the underground."

Sakura hummed low in her throat as she considered that. If Hashirama really was that deep in the black market in the States than she would need to tread carefully. A lot more carefully than she had been recently.

Outside, the streetlights flashed by as the bus trucked along. It took her a moment to realize they had passed her stop. By a few blocks. Shisui was looking forward again when she glanced at him. It took her a moment to realize that he seemed to have no stop in mind. Like he was riding the bus purely for the fun of it.

"You didn't find me just to tell me that, did you?" she asked.

Shisui's eyes flickered to her but it was a moment before he spoke. "No," he said quietly. "Our company is getting frustrated that we haven't had more leads on Madara. They want to shut down your work with Itachi."

"And what does he think about that?" she murmured. When Shisui didn't answer, she smiled. "Itachi doesn't know, does he?"

"Itachi likes you. I don't know if he thinks you can actually get us information or if he feels like he wants to help you or whatever, but our company is becoming impatient," he told her. Both not answering her question and answering one she never asked.

She got the impression Shisui was torn on his opinion of her. Both wanting to see her as nothing but a criminal, but also wanting to help her for the sake of his cousin. She understood that. That was how her relationship with Kakashi had begun. On opposite sides but with the same goal.

And not that she would ever admit it aloud, but she wanted Itachi. His help was proving to be invaluable to her. Even given his affiliation.

"What do you want me to do?" Sakura eventually asked.

From inside his pocket, Shisui retrieved a cell phone with a micro-USB cord attached to it. He held it out towards her. "You're the only one who can get close enough to Madara. Plug this into his cell phone and it'll make an exact copy. It'll even receive all his new incoming text messages and emails."

Sakura stared at the device in his hands for a very long moment. "You want me to steal Madara's cell phone?" she repeated like he had just asked her to rob a bank that was already surrounded by police. Because he pretty much had.

"No, he can't know it's missing. Otherwise, he'll just get a new phone. We just need you to plug the phones into each other. The transfer only takes five seconds," he told her. As if that made it any better.

She eyed him flatly. "Madara has a lot of people after him. He won't just leave it laying around."

Shisui stared right back. "This is the only thing that will keep my company happy."

A long moment of silence passed. Shisui waiting for her answer as Sakura seriously considered dropping her entire relationship with him and Itachi and the whole CIA.

Then Sakura took the device from his hands. "I fucking hate your company."

Shisui's response was a smirk as the bus rolled to a stop. And without another word, he stood and slipped out into the night.

xx

"You're sure this will work?"

"Of course, it will," Sakura told Ino not for the first time. Like if she kept saying it over and over again she might actually convince herself.

Ino held Sakura's gaze for a moment longer, silently conveying her lack of belief. They were both aware of what might happen should they fail. But neither mentioned this before the blonde turned away. She slipped into the crowd seamlessly, her elegant, black dress melting in with the crowd.

The black-and-white affair was already in full swing. Where people with too much money wore clothes that cost too much and sipped from champagne whose flavor wasn't worth the price of the bottle. At least it was an open bar.

In the back of the room, Sakura sipped from a flute filled with one of those champagnes. The rich, golden liquid bubbled in her mouth and left a pleasant tang on her tongue. Absently she ran her fingers through her hair as her eyes scanned the room. The texture of the black wig she had borrowed from Ino was silky and smooth. It felt real. But more importantly, it covered her own, unique hair color.

Sakura hadn't specifically been invited to Hashirama's party but she hadn't been turned away at the door either. As if he had suspected she might join for a night of conversing and scheming and making deals.

She had been careful to avoid running into him. And Madara. Just in case either of them recognized her even with her new hairstyle. Because it would be impossible for Sakura to lift Madara's phone. Not when both men trusted her so little already, their observant eyes scrutinizing her every move.

But Ino…neither Madara or Hashirama had ever seen her face before. It would almost be too easy for the blonde to slip in and out without being noticed.

Sakura hoped.

Sakura's attention sharpened when she saw Madara slip his phone into the pocket of his pants as a pair of men approached him and Hashirama. The perfect distraction. Sakura held her breath, her drink halfway to her lips as Ino went in for the kill.

As if completely by accident, Ino bumped into Madara mid-conversation as she tried to slip between him and a waiter with a tray of drinks. She apologized with a pretty smile and made her exit cleanly, only pausing once to grab a hors d'oeuvre from another staff member with a platter before she took her time rounding back to Sakura.

"Have you done this before?" Sakura asked, unable to keep the impressed note out of her voice.

Ino just smiled as she smoothly passed Madara's cell phone over. "I may have swiped a credit card or two in my younger years."

Sakura replied with an amused smile. She set her drink aside before she withdrew the cell phone Shisui had given her from her purse. Just as he said, the transfer only took five seconds. Curiously she flipped the phone open, amazed at how much information there was on the device. Phone calls, text messages, emails. Even recent Google searches. She was reluctant to even give this back to the CIA. She would benefit from it enormously. She could spend the next week looking through Madara's information.

Flipping the phone closed, Sakura returned the cell to her purse before she passed Madara's back to Ino. "Are you able to get this back to him?"

Ino smiled. A little sweet. A little cunning. "Of course."

Without a word, Ino made her way back out into the room. She weaved through the other men and women dressed to impress, only stopping once to pick up a drink at the bar.

Sipping from her glass, Sakura eyed Ino curiously, wondering exactly what her friend would do. It took a few minutes for the two men Madara and Hashirama were chatting with to depart. The very instant they were gone, Ino was there. This time, she engaged Madara, offering him an apologetic smile as she passed him a fresh drink. Sakura didn't even see her replace his phone in his pocket.

Ino was far better at this than Sakura thought.

Smirking, Sakura sipped her champagne. She wasn't entirely sure what drew her gaze to one side of the room, but her eyes wandered. Stopping when they landed on Tobirama.

There were a handful of others with him all engaged in conversation, but he seemed to be paying them no mind. Instead, his eyes lingered on Ino. Before they shifted to Sakura. Their eyes met.

In that moment, Sakura knew Tobirama knew it was her, even with her mild disguise. Knew he had watched the whole scene play out. She doubted he was aware of exactly what had just occurred but at least understood he had witnessed something he wasn't supposed to.

Sakura didn't bother trying to hide from him. Merely held his gaze for a moment longer before she turned away and headed towards the door. Ino only a minute behind her.

to be continued…

Please ignore all errors - we completed a fairly uncomfortable passage last night and I'm wiped. Hope you guys enjoyed!