Chapter Thirty-Two
The lies we write in blood

The instant Sakura shifted her car into park, her phone rang. Her brow ached curiously when Ino's name flashed across the dashboard. She hadn't been expecting her call, but Sakura answered nonetheless, using the control on her steering wheel.

"What's up?"

"Hey, I know you're about to head into a meeting but I saw something today that I know you'd wanna hear about."

"And what might that be?"

"A large shipment that was supposed to go to the Akatsuki warehouse Tenten's men are handling was diverted," Ino said.

Immediately Sakura's suspicions and interest pique. "Diverted and went where?"

"Newark."

"Let me guess," Sakura said flatly, the wheels in her head already turning. "To the warehouse where Tobirama's men were ambushed."

On the other end of the line, Ino hummed. "The very one."

"Hashirama said that he had dealt with that a while ago," Sakura said, her voice nearly a growl. But her annoyance wasn't directed at Ino. Rather at Hashirama himself.

"Apparently not."

Sakura took a moment to take a deep breath and calm down before she returned her concerns to the matter at hand. "Has Tenten said anything about a lack of shipments?"

"Not to me, she hasn't," Ino told her. "And to be honest, I'm not particularly sure why Madara chose that warehouse. It's on the border of town."

"Perhaps to have them all in one place?"

"Perhaps, but it makes me wonder if he discovered you took over that second warehouse," Ino said. Then she added, "But I found something else that might help you. The shipments were sent by a man named Killer Bee."

A frown crossed Sakura's lips when the name sparked no memory. "And who is that?"

"He's a major arms dealer for Akatsuki from what I've gathered. Perhaps their biggest."

"And?"

"And," Ino said, like what she said next held more worth than all the gold in the world. And they did. "He was very good friend of someone you knew."

They ended the call soon after that. Sakura's mind raced with the information Ino had given her. Sakura wouldn't have much time, but if she could pull her strings exactly right, she might be able to screw Madara over in a way that would hurt him indefinitely. She would just have to move fast enough.

But before that, Sakura needed to talk to Tenten first.

Cutting the engine to her car, Sakura headed down the city block. She made her way towards a club with a line out the door and nearly halfway down the street. Sakura found Tenten in her office. Up the stairs guarded by two tough-looking men. They let her through with a single nod.

"Tsunade," the brunette greeted with a pleasant smile.

Lee sat in the corner, polishing a Taurus handgun that looked like it had seen some action as of late, but he looked up upon her entrance and greeted her with a bright smile. Sakura returned it with a considerate nod before she lowered herself down in the chair across from the other woman.

"Thanks for meeting me on such short notice," Tenten said.

"Of course. What can I do for you?"

The brunette got right down to business. "There's been some shifts in the Underground. It looks like Akatsuki has been stretching out their reach, finding allies in every corner they can. They're not backing down."

"No," Sakura agreed. "And I didn't expect them too. Akatsuki knows that I'll be challenging them. And if they're any smart, which they've proven time over that they are, they know it'll take nothing short of an army to shut me down."

"Which is becoming quite the pain in the ass," Tenten told her, a small bite to her tone.

Sakura simply smiled as Tenten grabbed the pack of cigarettes on her desk and withdrew one. She bit the end between her teeth as she flicked her lighter to life, holding the flame to the end of her smoke until it smoldered red.

Sakura allowed Tenten a moment to get her nicotine fix before she asked evenly. "Tell me, how is everything going at the warehouse?"

Tenten inhaled deeply and blew a breath of grey towards the ceiling before she answered, "It's been running smooth. My men have kept things in order."

"Any new shipments lately?"

"Not too many. Just a few here and there. Overall, it's been pretty quiet," Tenten said.

A moment of silence passed. Then, like waves washing over the sand, understanding fell over her expression. Because if Akatsuki was getting ready for a major assault, things wouldn't be quiet.

"Fuck, how could I be such an idiot?"

Sakura bite back her urge to frown. She wanted to snap at Tenten for her oversight, but Sakura knew now that the brunette had realized her mistake, she would work tirelessly to correct it. It not only was a dangerous error but a stark embarrassment.

"Akatsuki is aware the warehouse has been taken," Sakura said out loud so there could be no mistaking. "They're looking to build their assault elsewhere."

"How could they know?" Lee asked.

Kisame, was Sakura's first thought. She didn't know if the slip was his fault and frankly, right now it didn't matter. She needed to get the situation under control. Everything else could wait until later.

"I don't know," Sakura said, not sparing him a glance. "Obviously someone let something slip, but that's not our primary concern at the moment."

"What do you want me to do?" Tenten asked, her tone a little meek. As if she were still embarrassed by her grave oversight.

Sakura shook her head. "Nothing yet. There's something I have to do before I can figure out how we move forward."

She didn't have to glance at the brunette to know that her answer didn't quite please her, but Tenten didn't argue. Instead, she stubbed out her cigarette on the corner of her desk and stood just as Sakura did.

"I'll fix this," Tenten promised.

Sakura shook her head. "It's too late. We need to move on. I'll let you know soon what I need."

With that, Sakura made ready to leave. Only before she could make it even two steps, Tenten stopped her. "One other thing, Tsunade. I have that order you asked for."

Pausing, Sakura turned to glance back at Tenten. "Already? That was quick."

Tenten simply smiled, relieved that she could at least do this one thing right. "You said you needed it fast."

The brunette jerked her chin towards Lee, who was already on his feet and making his way towards the closet in the corner. He disappeared inside for a minute before he returned with a black box. Inside was a single Glock. 9mm and as black as the midnight sky. And exactly what Sakura needed.

xx

If there was one thing Sakura avoided, it was children. They were young and bubbly and still learning about the world and all it had to offer. They had their entire lives laid out before them with the chance of a bright, happy future. And that was something Sakura didn't want to be responsible for destroying.

Tonight, however, she found it unavoidable. Especially when the place Sakura found herself was the inside of an elementary.

The school was decorated for the night's occasion. Flickering fairy lights and white flowers lined the entrance of the stone building. Inside, silk cloths hung from the ceilings and covered the counters where parents could purchase snacks and drinks. All to make for one magical night at the ballet. A show that the five- and six-year-olds were likely more excited for than the parents themselves.

It might be just a performance put on by children, but the adults were dressed as if they were attending the New York City Ballet, most wearing expensive evening gowns and designer suits. They chatted in small groups with crystal glasses of champagne in hand.

Sakura fit in seamlessly in her flowing, gold, lace dress. She slipped through the crowd easily, her intentions set solely on her goal.

As it turned out, Killer Bee was not a difficult man to find. He stood out like a sore thumb with his slicked back, bleach blond hair and broad, stocky figure. He was seated alone, his attention captured by one of the pamphlets the greeters at the door were handing out. It made it easier to appear casual when he wasn't observing.

With an elegance that had been drilled into her, Sakura grasped the long skirt of her dress with one hand, her small clutch and her own pamphlet in the other, before she maneuvered around the other attendees.

"Is this seat taken?" Sakura asked, already lowering herself down beside him.

Killer Bee glanced up and gazed at her, his eyes raking down her form carefully before he gave a small shake of his head. "No."

Smiling, Sakura made herself comfortable before she opened her pamphlet and gave it a onceover. For appearance's sake.

"This should be quite the performance," she said after a moment. "The kids have worked so hard."

"So, they have," Bee agreed. "My niece has been going on about it for weeks now."

"How darling."

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Bee glance at her. He seemed to study her a moment before asking, "Which one is yours?"

His tone had suddenly turned a little stiff, a little sharp. Immediately Sakura knew he had recognized her. She closed her pamphlet and raised her eyes to meet his, her gaze cool. "I think you know," she murmured.

A frown settled upon his hard features. "You're Tsunade."

"So I am."

"You have quite the pair coming here," he said, his entire presence suddenly unwelcoming.

It only made Sakura smile. "I have many things, but a 'pair' is not one."

His stern expression didn't shift. "I know what you want and I'm not interested. You may feel free to threaten me, but I promise you, you cannot shake me."

"That I don't doubt," she agreed pleasantly. "Which is why it's a good thing I have no threats. I simply want to talk."

"Your relationship with my company says otherwise," Killer Bee said. He lowered his voice slightly as a couple passed, but his gaze never left hers.

Sakura waited until the passing parents were out of range before she continued, "Perhaps. Still, it's worth a try."

When Bee simply stared at her, she added with an easy tone, "It's come to my attention recently that you are a friend of Naruto's."

There was a small shift in Bee's expression. Minimal, slight. So minute that she would have missed it had she not been watching. She had to bite back her smirk. It seemed Ino's information was spot on.

"What of it?" he asked after a small pause.

Sakura simply smiled comfortingly at his defensive tone. He was almost too easy to read. "I came to extend my condolences."

Bee stared at her a long moment before understanding passed behind his expression. "He's dead."

She nodded, a somber look falling over her face.

To her surprise, Bee sat back in his chair before he ran a hand over his hair, pressing his flat locks even flatter against his head. A look of what appeared to be sadness crossed his expression, but it was gone as quick as it had come.

"To be honest, I'm not surprised," Bee eventually said. "Kid always had a bit of a soft heart. Too bad. I liked him. He was always sending gifts to my niece."

"I was fortunate enough to get to know Naruto in the months before his death. He was a good guy like that," Sakura murmured quietly.

She made a point of leaving out the part where he was also a not-so-good guy. With the whole moving and trading arms for her and all. He died in a way fit for how he had lived.

Then she fixed Bee with an unwavering stare. "He'd still be here though, if it wasn't for your company."

When Bee glanced at her, there was a look of confusion on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"Your leader had him taken care of."

"For what reason?"

"Honestly, for being in the wrong place at the wrong time," she told him.

Which wasn't technically a lie. Just not even remotely the whole truth.

"That's the problem with your company," Sakura continued. "They don't care what they have to do to get what they want. Maybe next time, it won't be Naruto that's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe it'll be you."

"They wouldn't. I'm too important to them," Bee said with the utmost confidence.

Sakura merely turned her gaze to the stage as the overhead lights began to dim. Her next words a mere whisper for only him to hear: "But your niece isn't."

xx

That night, there were no stars out. They were hidden. Polluted by the light from the city. Still, Sakura stood on the sidewalk with her head tilted back as she stared up at the sky, searching for any tiny glimmer as if it may give her some answers.

When they didn't, she returned her gaze back down. She eyed the street around her, taking in the couples that walked hand-in-hand as they headed to dinner or perhaps back home. They all appeared so happy, so content.

Sakura missed that feeling. The briefest thought of calling Itachi crossed her mind, but she dismissed it as quickly as it had come. There was something else she had to do tonight. Someone else she had to see.

Slipping her hand into the pocket of her jacket, Sakura retrieved the phone there. It was a burner, her own purposely left in her apartment. Hashirama picked up on the third ring.

"Sorry for the late call," Sakura greeted with more pleasantness than she felt. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

On the other end of the line, Hashirama gave a brief pause. "Sakura? I didn't recognize your number."

"New phone," she told him. "My other one took a bit of a swim. Are you busy?"

Hashirama gave a small huff. Of amusement or annoyance, she didn't know. "At three in the morning? Yes, but what can I do for you?" he asked.

She got right to the point. "We need to talk. I just got news on Madara's movements that I think you'll want to hear about."

"And what might that be?"

Sakura didn't immediately answer. Instead her gaze wandered over the shadows across the street. As if she were expecting Madara to be lurking just out of sight. For the first time, she felt a little nervous. Normally Kakashi had her back. But tonight, she knew he was across town. Watching the warehouse in Newark. Exactly where she had asked him to be.

"I can't tell you over the phone," Sakura eventually said. "Madara's been watching me again."

There was a small pause before Hashirama released a long sigh. "Meet me at my warehouse along the river in an hour."

Then he hung up.

And she did. And hour before sunrise, Sakura arrived at Hashirama's property. She had been there only once before nearly a year ago, but it hadn't changed much in the time. She followed the parking lot around the side of an office building until she came to the warehouse behind it.

Near the entrance, Hashirama's car sat running. His part-driver, part-bodyguard jumped out upon her approach and opened the back door for her. She smiled her thanks at him before she slipped inside.

Hashirama was busy on his phone when the door shut behind her. Sakura simply waited patiently, crossing one leg over the other. Beneath her, the leather seat was smooth and soft. A complete contrast to the hard, clunky gun strapped to her hip. The one Tenten had given her earlier that day.

After a minute, Hashirama finally darkened the screen and looked up. He said nothing for a minute, taking in the men's shirt she was wearing. She had tucked the ends into her jeans to hide the bagginess but it still hung on her form.

Hashirama said nothing about it. Not that he needed to. His judgement was written all over his expression.

"You said you had information," he finally began.

Sakura nodded, unfazed by the disapproval in his gaze. "I do. Madara is moving again. My sources say it's somewhere in the south."

"Do you know where?"

"Not yet," she lied. "My bigger concern is that there seems to be more allies helping Akatsuki. Do you know how they're gaining such a following so quickly?"

That news made Hashirama frown. "Madara is very persuasive and Izuna is violent. And they both have money. It would not be difficult for them to find more men."

"So how do we stop them?"

"Simple," he said. "You cut off their finances and therefore their means to gather more men."

Sakura shot him a flat look. "Madara's not an idiot, and as much as I claim Izuna is, he isn't either. Their accounts are going to have the highest level of security and safeguards. It's not like we can just call the police and have them freeze their assets."

"I said the solution was simple, not easy," Hashirama chided. Then his expression relaxed. "But if we can figure out a way to do that, then we will weaken their attack."

Sakura hummed her agreement but didn't reply.

Hashirama only allowed the silence to envelope them a moment before he spoke again, "If Madara is planning to strike from a new location, we need to focus our concerns on that at the moment. Your last reports were calculating a massive assault, which means that we will need to attack before Akatsuki does. Catch them off guard while they're still organizing."

"I agreed," she said.

"Then we need to talk to our informants in the Underground to see if they've heard where Madara might have moved his operation."

Sakura nodded but remained quiet as she considered her conversation with Ino earlier that day. She also thought about how Hashirama had so easily tossed Tobirama aside. Like his brother was nothing more than a clingy child when he had killed for Hashirama, and nearly been killed himself.

"Do you remember the warehouse in Newark?" Sakura asked quietly. "The one where Tobirama's men were ambushed?"

A look of confusion passed over Hashirama expression. "What of it?"

"You said you took over the assault. Did you burn it to the ground?"

She had expected Hashirama to lie and say he had. Because that was what he had promised Tobirama after he had nearly been killed.

To her surprise, Hashirama shook his head. "No, but my men hunted down every man that was there that night and took them out. The warehouse is still there, but I guarantee it is empty."

Like a light turning on, it suddenly occurred to Sakura that Hashirama had always planned on betraying his brother. Perhaps he had even known Tobirama would be ambushed that night and had hoped he would be killed. It would have been easier than an outright betrayal. The thought nearly made her sick. For Hashirama had always played the part of a caring brother. Both to Tobirama and to everyone around him.

Taking a slow breath, Sakura reigned in her emotions. She was quiet a moment as she chose her next words carefully.

"And if the warehouse isn't empty?" she eventually asked.

A thoughtful look passed over Hashirama's face. "You think Madara relocated Akatsuki's stores there? It would be a smart move on his part. We should confirm they're there. Once we do, we can prepare to strike."

"I'm already prepared," Sakura told him. "My guns are all accounted and Tobirama's men are on standby."

Just as she expected, Hashirama went suddenly still. His expression remained the same but his eyes hardened. It seemed as if the very world outside the car paused as well. "I believe we already discussed this," he said evenly, sternly.

Sakura remained unfazed. "We did," she agreed. "And while I appreciate your input, I have decided that it is best to keep my plan as I had originally arranged it."

Hashirama didn't immediately reply, but his upset was apparent in the way his mouth suddenly tightened into a firm line. He was angry with her. Beyond angry. "You are much too arrogant for your age. You forget that I am the one who saved you rom that orphanage."

She resisted the urge to childishly roll her eyes. "How could I? You remind me every chance you get."

"And yet you're still an ungrateful whore," he said, pointedly eyeing her oversized shirt again.

It was then that she realized he thought she was sleeping with Tobirama again. His incorrect presumption nearly made her laugh but she bit it back. Instead she shrugged. "I've been called worse."

By him and by others, but it still left a sour taste in her mouth. Her easy expression melted away as those familiar feelings of resentment began to stir. She had pushed them down for so long, compressed them and kept them hidden that she could barely contain them any longer. But she did. Because she had to. At least until her job was finished.

"You think you saved me," Sakura told him, her tone one of cold indifference. "But really you condemned me. You sealed my fate that day you chose me. And your own."

And like a light had been turned on, Hashirama's expression shifted. Only a faint look of understanding passing behind his eyes. "Tsunade didn't teach you her trade," he said quietly, almost as if to himself. "She trained you to be an assassin. To kill me."

What happened next only took a matter on seconds. Hashirama reached for his gun a split second too late. He wasn't even given the chance to unholster it before Sakura withdrew her own weapon and fired a single shot. The bullet ripped through his knuckles. Blood splattered against the leather seats as he choked back a sound of pain.

Outside the car, Hashirama's bodyguard reacted to the gunfire. Sakura barely spared him a glance as she fired two shots through the window, both striking him center mass. He hit the ground with an audible thump.

Smoke rose from the barrel of Sakura's gun as she redirected it at Hashirama, her expression void as if she were watching a dull movie unfold before her.

"You shouldn't have betrayed Tsunade," Sakura told him matter-of-factly.

Across the way, Hashirama gripped his mangled hand, thick blood clots and bits of tissue coating his flesh. What Sakura could only describe as hate filled his eyes.

"Tsunade was weak," he spat. "She got what she deserved. I should have never brought you to her."

Sakura shrugged nonchalantly. "Perhaps, but I'm not here to be Jury or Judge."

"Just Executioner," he retorted. "Tobirama will never forgive you. He'll kill you for this."

Hashirama was grasping at straws now, desperate to save his own life. Sakura knew he would never lower himself to begging – he was much too proud for that – but he would do everything he could to coerce her otherwise.

"What Tobirama doesn't know won't hurt him," Sakura told him.

A sneer crossed Hashirama's face then. Sakura pulled the trigger the same instant he made to lunge for her. Gracelessly, he slumped back into his seat, a thick trail of blood slipping down the center of his forehead where the bullet at entered.

Sakura stared into Hashirama's lifeless eyes for only a few moments, refusing to allow herself to feel. It surprised her at how easy it was. She felt no regret or relief with his death. Hashirama had been her assignment from the start. And she had completed it.

xx

It had been a warm summer night the night Tsunade had given Sakura her mission. Sakura had been sitting in the dining room, disassembling and reassembling a new 9mm when Tsunade had turned her back on the setting sun to observe her actions.

She had a glass of vodka in one hand, a cigarette between her fingers, which wasn't unusual. What was unusual was the fact that it was still Tsunade's first glass. By the end of dinner, she was normally well into her third.

"You've been studying the documents I gave you?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura looked up from the dismantled weapon to nod. "Yes."

"And what can you infer from them?"

"That given Hashirama's current status, he's going to look to expand his territory in New York within the coming years. His brother, Tobirama, is helping him for now but Hashirama's going to need to side with more allies to ensure that he can keep reaching without the threat of spreading himself too thin," Sakura answered.

Tsunade was quiet even after Sakura finished. She took a long drag off her cigarette, her eyes never leaving Sakura from where she sat at the table, before she stubbed the smoke out on the railing and crossed the room.

Sakura remained quiet as Tsunade lowered herself into the chair beside her, her haze eyes only briefly looking away to peer at the pieces of gun laid out upon the table.

"Finish it," Tsunade ordered.

In only a matter of seconds, Sakura rebuilt the weapon she had just taken apart, magazine loaded with a bullet in the chamber. The start of a smile crossed Tsunade's face.

"You're ready," she said.

When Sakura shook her head in confusion, Tsunade told her, "In the coming years, Hashirama is going to need help expanding his territory, just as you said. When that time comes, I want you to offer your services. You're to get close to him. Make him trust you, make him want to bring you closer. And when he is completely reliant upon you, you're going to kill him."

Sakura only stared back in confusion. "I don't understand. You're family."

Tsunade barked out a loud before she took a long sip from her glass. "Perhaps in name, but you of all people should know that family is not who you are born into."

Sakura didn't reply to that as she dropped her gaze, but Tsunade continued nonetheless.

"That man has taken advantage of me for years," she murmured, more to herself than to Sakura. "I can't kill him outright, which is why I've taught you everything I can. You will do this for me."

xx

All of Tsunade's training had suddenly made sense that day. Why she had taught Sakura her trade, how to lie, how to work the Underground, how to fight. How to murder. Sakura's entire life had all been leading up to this.

And now it was over.

The weight of her mission had been pressing down on her for nearly six years. Sakura thought she would feel free, but now that she was sitting here, Hashirama's corpse growing colder with each passing minute, she knew she was just getting started.

After all, if the next part of her plan was to work, she would need to frame Madara for the murder.

to be continued…

Thank you everyone who waited for this chapter. This summer has been madness between constantly moving, dealing with personal issues and just general lack of motivation. Not to mention that this chapter alone went through SIX rewrites. I appreciate those of you who continued to drop in reviews every now and then. They really pushed me to keep going. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be posted as the next two weeks will be insanely busy as well, but I do promise not to make you wait so long again.

Thank you again to those of you who reviewed! You really keep my motivated!