Chapter 13. Let the Buyer Beware

"Be careful what you purchase, you'll find it isn't worth it."

|Naruto|

"N-Nanadaime, you're in before 9? That's early, especially for you."

I looked up to find Haguruma in my doorway.

"Aa." I nodded my head, "A building on Hatake Street caught fire but it's unclear how it started. I'm looking to see if the building was up to date in terms of the new regulations. Need something?"

"You always see right through me." He smiled nervously before stepping into my office, and he shut the door behind him, "Uh, something urgent came up and I'll have to be leaving."

"That's fine." I stood up, shutting my laptop, "What's the emergency?"

"That's the thing," Haguruma rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact, "I can't exactly tell you."

I tilted my head, "What?"

"It sounds weird, I know!" He raised his hands before I could question him any further, "But, for personal reasons, I-I just have to go. Gomen."

I placed my hand on his shoulder, "Haguruma you goof, what're you apologizing for? If it's that important, don't worry about explaining it to me, ya know."

He nodded in appreciation, "Arigato, Nanadaime. Hontōni, Arigato."

I slapped his back as he moved to the doorway, "Don't worry about it."

I turned back to my desk and took a seat. When the door didn't click shut, I glanced up and saw Hinata was holding it open.

"Hinata?" I cleared my throat, before quickly trying to cover my surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried…" She said as she looked around the room, closing the door behind her, "Since you never came home last night."

"Well, I did, just very, very late. I mean, I had to get changed and get the car, right?" I joked, hoping to get a small smile from her, but her lips didn't budge.

"Naruto-kun, where were you?" Hinata questioned, crossing her arms.

I raised my hands, laughing nervously, "Whoa there. You know eating with the guys isn't some quick affair, eh, thing. We sat down for almost two hours before everyone decided to go."

"You left the house at two. Two hours is 4 o'clock. Where were you for the other 10+ hours?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, ya know." I continued, laughing again, "Sakura-chan happened to be at Yakiniku's too. I hung out for a bit and then she invited us to her house—"

"Who's us?" Hinata interrupted.

"Me and a friend of Sakura's, Sasori. He moved to Konoha from Suna and he's an interesting guy. He actually got up and sang in the—"

"Okay." Hinata waved her hand, cutting me off, "So you went back to her house and spent the night? Why didn't you call?"

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal." I answered, leaning forward, "Okay?"

She kept her eyes on me, and I felt a bead of sweat run down the side of my face. If I didn't switch the focus soon, I'd run out of things to say.

"Did something happen?" I questioned, taking the chance to flip the script, "Why are you interrogating me?"

She sighed, "Gomen, but I have a feeling you've been avoiding me lately and I don't know why. I tried to think of what I did to upset you, but I can't—"

"You've done nothing wrong." I reached across the desk and held her hand, "Trust me."

'If anything, I'm the one who's…' I let that line of thinking run out, not wanting go down that road.

She looked down at our hands before coming around the desk and taking a seat on my lap, her head laying down on my chest, "Naruto-kun…"

I patted her arm softly, cursing myself all the while, 'How the hell do you live with yourself?'

I was brought back to reality when I noticed Hinata was looking up at me. Unexpectedly, she kissed me, clearing my mind from any thoughts for a moment. But guilt quickly sank in, and I broke off the kiss. That was a mistake, and I realized it too late as Hinata immediately stood up.

"Hinata, gomen, I—"

"No, it's fine." She cut me off quietly, eyes downcast, "You're at work. I get it."

I quickly shook my head and reached out for her, "It's not that, you just…surprised me, ya know."

She didn't respond, and I watched in pain as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Hinata?" I called, standing up.

"No, gomen." She wiped her face, and held up a hand, indicating she wanted space, "I'll…I'll see you at home."

Before I could say anything, she left, shutting the door behind her. I paced around my office as I reviewed my fumble. All she had wanted was a kiss, and I couldn't give it to her. If I didn't sort myself out soon, there would be a lot more tears.

Racking my brain for answers got me nowhere but I couldn't just leave things like this, so I picked up the desk phone and dialed a number. It rang once, twice before the call connected.

A familiar sigh let me know I hadn't been sent straight to voicemail, "This had better be good."

"Warui." I straightened up as I took the phone off speaker, "I need a favor."

|Karin|

"So, how long have you had this car?" I asked as I stepped out of the vehicle, shutting the door.

"Eight years." Suigetsu answered as he got out, "Liking it?"

"I mean, yeah, I've always had a thing for antiques." I answered.

Jūgo stifled his laugh and I flashed him a quick smile before turning back to Suigetsu.

"Ha ha, very funny." Suigetsu rolled his eyes, "Let's just get this over with."

Clicking his tongue, Suigetsu left me and Jūgo behind, yanking the shop door open and heading inside.

I turned to Jūgo and jerked my thumb at Suigetsu, "Did I hit a nerve with the car?"

"He loves that thing more than you'll ever know." Jūgo answered, holding the door open for me.

I shook my head, "I'll never understand men and cars."

"Please, that's only him." Jūgo chuckled.

I was glad we were talking like this. Yesterday's interaction with him had me paranoid that I'd blown my cover. After sleeping on it, I realized that outburst was very Karin-like, and feared he might have recognized me, but during this whole drive he had yet to confirm such suspicions.

'I guess I worried for nothing. Still, I really have to double down on this persona.' I resolved myself.

On the outside, the store looked like any old mom-and-pop shop but inside trinkets and doohickeys lined the shelves and stands.

'What could we possibly be getting from a shop like this?' I wondered, looking around for some kind of clue.

"En, where the hell are you?!" Suigetsu cupped his hands to his mouth and called for the owner.

Jūgo rolled his neck before leaning against the front counter and shutting his eyes, and I began to feel a bit disappointed.

In under a week, Sasuke had been pulled into the inner circle of the entire organization and was securing the boss's trust. Sure, it had been a stroke of luck that Pain had chosen him, but it didn't change the fact that his report would be much more decorated than mine.

'Stupid, this isn't some game of who can do the most work. We're doing this for the city!' I scolded myself, 'Focus.'

"Ah, warui, warui!" A beige-blond man stepped out from a door down the hall, "I thought I heard someone calling but I wasn't sure!"

With a goatee, diamond-shaped glasses, and a red headband, he looked like an absolute hippie. His manner of speaking supported this comparison, as it sounded like he was going to start preaching to me about pollution.

"Check the time," Suigetsu tapped his watch, "We agreed on 11, right? It's 11:15."

"Then you guys are late." The man grinned, "Not my fault."

"You—"

"Can we talk business?" Jūgo stood up from the counter, his voice hitting an octave lower than what it had previously been.

His demeanor had also changed. Jūgo had always been tall, but his easygoing nature made it so you never really noticed. Now he was perked up and puffing out his chest, not so much that it looked forced, but enough that someone who was around Jūgo would notice as he wasn't usually like this. A dangerous aura was around him now…he was different.

'Of course he is. He joined the damn yakuza. Jūgo, the guy that couldn't kill a fly.' I almost shook my head.

I was getting too comfortable around them. The past was the past, in the present, two guys I could've sworn were sweethearts were now members of a hardened criminal organization.

"Hehe, alright settle down." En gestured for us to follow him, "I even brought something special for you today!"

Sitting on a light brown couch was a green-eyed skinny man with shoulder-length brown hair. He looked up at us nervously, before returning his gaze to the magazine in hand, but I could tell he was still watching us.

"Who's this?" Suigetsu questioned, not bothering to be discreet.

"This is Haguruma-san!" En went around the couch and clasped his hands on the man's shoulders, "He the Konoha Fire Department's Tech guy, and he has brought you all something very technical."

Haguruma nodded and reached for a black suitcase under the coffee table. Laying it on top, he opened the box and revealed a light grey canister with some type of string sticking out. Suigetsu took it from him, inspecting the container.

"And this is?" Jūgo asked, unimpressed by the small bin.

As Suigetsu turned it around, I saw the red wire attached to a small motherboard and put two and two together.

"A bomb." A sick feeling moved around in my stomach.

En turned to me, snapping his fingers, "Bingo! She gets it! By the way, who are you again?"

"An associate." Suigetsu answered before I could say anything, and he tossed the canister back to Haguruma, "It looks pretty but does it pack a punch?"

"No safe is safe, get it?" En laughed, to none of our amusement, "Ah, you guys are no fun. But seriously, detonate one of these babies and you'll be leaving a landmark."

"One of these?" I repeated, turning to Haguruma, "You have more?"

"A couple." He fidgeted nervously, "Like, 20."

"20?" Suigetsu smirked, turning to Jūgo, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Jūgo was also smiling, but not in that warm, fuzzy way of his. This smile was devious like he was up to no good.

"And this thing can blow up anything?" Suigetsu questioned Haguruma again, working some sort of plan in his head, "Even a double-barred steel door, or a highly secure vault?"

"It's a c-combustible corrosive so anything that's left after its exploded will be melted away," Haguruma explained, "I don't think anything in this city can withstand it."

"I see. Now…" Suigetsu flicked his head to the side and Jūgo drew his pistol from his back pocket and held it up to Haguruma.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" En looked between them, "Suigetsu, what's the big idea?"

"Shut up, En. Depending on how this goes, I'll kill you too." Suigetsu didn't even look at him, his eyes focused on Haguruma, "Why would a firefighter be making bombs to give to the yakuza? Do the police think we're stupid?"

"I-It's not a setup!" Haguruma raised his hands, his eyes wide with fear.

"Then why are you making the bombs?"

Haguruma looked at me fearfully, but I played the innocent character I had been assigned and acted like what was happening didn't interest me.

Suigetsu noticed where his gaze was going and stepped in front of me, "What are you looking at her for? Don't know why you're making bombs? Is it a compulsion? Does it just happen?"

"M-Money!" Haguruma choked out, "I need the money, okay?"

"Bullshit." Suigetsu spat, "Firefighters get paid like feudal lords. You've got five seconds to tell me the real reason, or at least think of a better lie."

"It's not a lie!" Haguruma stated adamantly, "I-I messed up and I need some money. I need a lot of money!"

"5…"

"What else do you want me to say?!"

"4…"

Haguruma looked at En, who sighed and shook his head before turning away.

"3…"

"Please! Is money not enough of a reason? People do crazy things for money, right? Why can't I be one of those people?!"

"2…"

Once again, he turned to me, hoping for some kind of help. Maybe because I was a woman, he felt I'd be more compassionate about the matter, and I was.

"1…"

"I believe him." I spoke up, looking at my nails and acting detached, "My husband and I didn't get into this for righteousness' sake. Money makes the world go round."

Suigetsu looked back at me, surprised, "You vouch for this guy?"

"If he's lying, you can always take care of him, right?" I hurled internally at the suggestion of taking his life, but kept my face composed, "Besides, it sounds like you need these bombs."

Suigetsu looked to Jūgo for a second opinion and Jūgo nodded, lowering his firearm.

"Alright." Suigetsu turned back to Haguruma, "So, 20 bombs? We're buying all of them, so you're gonna need to make some more."

He reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a thick card. Haguruma took it hesitantly, glancing from the card to Suigetsu.

"That's our contact information and where to find us. Get those bombs to us by Wednesday." Suigetsu snapped his fingers quickly, "No tardiness, no excuses, understand?"

"Y-Yes." Haguruma nodded hurriedly.

Suigetsu turned to En and stuck his hand out, "Sorry about what just happened. Can't be too sure nowadays."

En shook it grudgingly but had a smile on his face, "How could you ever think I'd betray you? If you guys go down, so do my profits!"

"Glad to know you care." Suigetsu rolled his eyes and turned to Jūgo, "Car?"

"Yeah." Jūgo nodded, and the two started for the door.

"Come on guys! Hang out a little! Why don't I show you some…" En's voice trailed off as he followed them outside.

It was just me and Haguruma left in the room. As he locked the briefcase, he spoke.

"A-Arigato, ne. For speaking up for me." He didn't raise his eyes to mine.

I shrugged, "I'm just telling it how I see it. Whether you're telling the truth or not, we'll have to find out."

"Yes, I am." He nodded, "I am."

I eyed him for a second before continuing, "Well, I saved your ass, and normally when someone saves my ass, I do them a favor."

That got his attention. He looked up at me with surprise, a hint of uncertainty on his face.

"It's nothing that'll get you killed." I assured him, taking out the letter I'd written in the dead of the night, "My niece wrote to me a while ago, and I've been trying to mail my response for weeks, but I never have the chance. Think you could drop it off?"

"Oh, I…" He scratched his head, looking as if he wanted to decline.

"Not to her." I clarified, "Just drop this off at the post office. Let the address and the stamps do the rest."

"Oh. Oh, okay." His eyes lit up, "Yeah, yeah I can do that."

I gave him the letter, "Arigato."

"N-No problem." He nodded, folding the letter and putting it in his back pocket, "And you are?"

"Fujikage Misaki." I held out my hand.

He shook it quickly but just from those few seconds I could feel how he was trembling, "N-Nice to meet you, Misaki-san."

'I could understand if it was Suigetsu but why's he so scared of me?' I wondered as I left that backroom and exited the store.

En was standing by the car, resting his hand on the roof and murmuring something to the two inside. As I approached, he straightened up and clapped his hands.

"It was nice doing business with you!" En boomed, turning to walk away as I got in the backseat.

"Oi! Aren't you forgetting something?" Suigetsu called him back.

I noticed that they'd switched positions, Jūgo was now driving and Suigetsu was in the passenger seat.

"Oh!" En snapped his fingers and reached into his long sleeve shirt, bringing out a rough-looking lunch bag, "For you, my lady."

I took the bag from him and shook out its contents. An M1911 clattered to the floor of the car, and I brought my hands to my mouth.

"Arigato, En." Suigetsu nodded and Jūgo put the car in drive, "We'll talk soon, ne?"

En nodded and we drove off. Once we reached the stoplight, Suigetsu's eyes met mine through the rearview mirror.

"Let me explain." He held up a hand before I could start, and I nodded and crossed my arms.

"I told you we'd be running an errand for the boss and that was the truth. Sort of. This was the first stop, now we're going to the next."

It didn't sound unreasonable, but something was telling me not to let it go so easily.

"Why didn't you just tell me that at the start? Two jobs, it's not like I would've bailed."

"You're right, I just—" He sighed, shaking his head, "I don't know, it was a dumb move on my part."

I nodded, "It's fine, I guess. But what do I need a gun for?"

"Ahem, this next job is gonna be kind of dangerous." Suigetsu turned around in his seat, "I figured you'd need something to protect yourself."

That raised flags in my head, 'Sasuke-kun's not with me. What are the odds I'd be getting into a gunfight when I'm not with him?'

"Suigetsu, how am I supposed to do this?" I asked, wanting the full story, "I've never held a gun before, talk less of shot one. What exactly am I getting into?"

He turned to Jūgo, pleading with him for help but Jūgo shrugged his shoulders, "Don't look at me, I'm not good with words."

Suigetsu hung his head and took a deep breath, "We're meeting Shojoji, the leader of another criminal group, and even though I think he's sick, the boss needs him."

"And why do I need to be there?" I was still unsure of my role.

"Because…" He shut his eyes, "Because he won't meet with us unless we bring a 'pretty' girl."

"Oh." I wanted to get angry, but I could already feel myself going numb as I was reminded of my past, "So I'm the hooker you brought to negotiate."

"It's not like that." Suigetsu reached for my hand.

I weakly tugged my hand away, "Like hell it isn't. Can you honestly say I'm just supposed to stand there and look pretty?"

"I won't let him touch you." Suigetsu said firmly, "I swear."

"Yeah right. Let's say his only condition for working with you is to—to have me…" I faltered as I gave him an example, "What are you gonna do then?"

"I—"

"Fuck, stop the car…" I touched Jūgo's arm, and he slowed down enough for me to open the door and vomit.

'Why me? Why this? Why is it always…' I stopped thinking as I hurled up this morning's breakfast.

"Misaki-san?" Suigetsu called, concerned.

"Find…someone else, Suigetsu." I wiped my mouth with a handkerchief, "I'm no one's whore."

Suigetsu got out of the car and came around to my side, "Scooch over."

I reluctantly gave him room to sit beside me, and propped my head up with my arms, "What?"

"Jūgo you can keep going." Suigetsu told him before pulling the door shut and turning to me, "Listen, we need you, alright?"

"Why me?" I said quietly, not wanting to risk upsetting my stomach again by raising my voice.

"Because you're smart." He tugged at my arms and forced me to look at him, "And capable. I'm not bringing you because you're a ditz, I'm bringing you because you're an intelligent woman who can hold her own."

I remained silent, unsure of what to say after hearing his thoughts about me.

"Just play nice." Suigetsu continued, "Laugh at his corny joke, smile when he smiles at you, that'll be all. Once we get his support, we'll hightail it out of there, I swear to you."

"…Okay." I relented, shutting my eyes, "Okay."

|Sarada|

"And how much is in here again?" I asked, turning the box over and trying to gauge its weight.

"Five pounds." Kirara blew a bubble of gum, "Kū said a little block wouldn't spark your imagination enough. This much should be fine though, right?"

'Five pounds?' My head spun at the amount, but I nodded all the same, "Yeah. Yeah, this is enough."

"Cool! Guess I'll catch you later!" Kirara called as she walked down the steps and towards the black Subaru Impreza standing out front, "Kokuyō! Can we stop by the cleaners for my pink dress?"

I couldn't hear his response from the door, but Kirara's whine let me know that he hadn't agreed. They sped off and disappeared in a matter of seconds, leaving me with the sketchy brown parcel. I shut the door once I was back inside and grabbed a Coke from the fridge before heading up to my room. I covered my face with a surgical mask before grabbing some scissors from the drawer and opening the package.

Recalling the expression on Log's face after he had sniffed this stuff, if there was one thing I knew, it was powerful. I'd done my research as best as I could but there didn't seem to be much information on it except for a couple news stories on hospitalizations in Iwa due to someone overdosing on it. I felt a little sick reading as I began to wonder if I was helping to market a killer drug, but none of the stories I read mentioned any fatalities because of the product.

I lifted the white brick from the box and stared at it, covered in layers of Saran wrap. Drugs were a completely different ballgame than drinks. At least with alcohol, there was a semblance of familiarity as everyone knew what it was, but this? I racked my brain thinking of ideas but in the end, I figured I would leave the talking point to Kū. However, when it came to packaging, I had some thoughts on that.

With my Coke now finished, I envisioned a chunk of the brick being cut off and molded into thin cylinder rolls, like joints. There could be at least thirty rolls in one can, and with the can sealed, anybody passing by wouldn't think twice. This would allow for the product to be sold out in the open, maybe a food stand could be the cover spot?

'Yeah, that could work!' A food stand would lower suspicion even more.

And for safety measures, there would be real sodas too, with a password being necessary for those that wanted to purchase shabu. But what would the password be? As I started to think about it, my door burst open, and I almost leapt off my bed.

"Sarada! Let's—"

"Kami, Mama! Have you ever heard of knocking?" I asked as I scrambled to grab the brick and turn around, my back facing her.

"Oh, gomen. I just wanted to…daijōbu?" She took a step forward, "You're not looking at me, is something wrong?"

'Everything's wrong!' I could not be seen with this brick.

Even if Mama was out of the loop sometimes, there would be no mistaking drugs. If she caught me, it was game over.

"Nothing's wrong. What do you want?" I snapped, slowly slipping the brick towards the covers.

"Whoa, no need to have that tone." She sounded upset, "I wanted us to go out together."

"Yeah? Well, I can't today so, bye."

There was silence for a moment before I heard the ruffling of clothing, "Sarada, talk to me. There's something going on, isn't there?"

"Mama, why do you assume there's some bigger explanation?" I responded, inching the brick under, "I just don't want to hang out with you!"

"But…why?"

"Because...you think that little talk we had fixed everything?" I bit my lower lip before continuing, just wanting to get her out of here, "That party was the one time I asked you for something I really cared about, and you said no! And you just wanna skip over that?"

"I didn't! But I just thought that—"

"You're always thinking, but you're never doing. You don't care about me, you never did, some kind of mother you are, you need Papa's validation for everything."

"I—"

"Damn it, Mama! Leave!" I finally got fed up and yelled at her over my shoulder.

When I finally heard the door click shut, I relaxed and stuffed the brick back into the box. After I had sealed it back up, guilt came over me.

'I shouldn't have yelled at her like that.' I admitted to myself, and for a second, I thought about going out there and apologizing.

Then my phone lit up with a text message, and I unlocked it before reading. It was from Inojin.

We need to talk.

Why? I replied, confused at the sudden message.

Ever since I'd told him about his father's extramarital affairs, we had kind of drifted apart.

It's about my parents. I guess I should say I need someone to talk to.

That melted my heart. Ok, I'm here for you. Where should we meet?

Lightning Burger. I'm waiting.

I sent a thumbs-up emoji before shutting my phone screen off and grabbing the black purse I'd taken from Mama. As I pulled on my socks, I looked at myself in the mirror and went over what I was wearing. A dark pink hoodie, black leggings, and I jumped into black fur boots to match.

"Eh," I said aloud as I wiped my glasses, "I've worn worse."

I grabbed the doorknob and started to open the door but stopped once I remembered what I'd said to Mama. How could I face her? Would she even let me leave after all that?

Not wanting to take any chances, I decided to leave from my window, 'If Boruto can climb in, I can climb out.'

I carefully stepped out onto the roof and closed the window behind me before attempting to climb down. Panic seized me when I started sliding, but I quickly caught my breath and allowed gravity to do its job.

Once I was at the edge, I looked down and the sight made me feel queasy. I could never tell from outside, but the second floor was a considerable distance above the ground. Dropping from here would do more than shake me, it was possible I'd break my legs on impact.

'But I can't go through the front!' I told myself, gritting my teeth, 'Come on! There's got to be a way.'

My eyes searched the ground for some kind of inspiration and landed on the hedges by the electric box. I calculated that they couldn't be more than six feet, in terms of longitudinal distance. As for latitude…well, the second floor was already high up.

I stood up and balanced myself, still wondering if this was worth risking my legs for.

Inojin's text came to mind, "I guess I should say I need someone to talk to," and that was all the encouragement I needed.

I took a leap of faith, literally. I landed stomach first into the hedge, my legs bouncing off the floor and an electric kind of feeling shooting up them, but as I stood up and stretched, I realized I was fine.

Grinning to myself, I jogged down the street towards the Autumn Leaf Train Station.

|Sakura|

'Are you really sniveling over what that brat said?'

"Shut up." I said, blowing my nose, "Of course you wouldn't care."

'I don't care because she's a kid. Who gives a fuck what she has to say? If you'd grabbed her and beat the shit out of her like I told you, you wouldn't be feeling this way.'

I wiped my eyes, "Yes, because violence would've been the best way to resolve things."

'Did I say that? It would've been the fastest though! But I don't need to tell you this. You remember those high school days: the raging bull Sakura! You were unstoppable.'

"That was back when I listened to you. And what would happen after every fight?" I tried to counter.

'A detention here and there never hurt anyone. Besides, you turned out alright. You still got to be a doctor! Although that dream went down the drain after—'

"Shut up." I cut her off.

'…Still not speaking about him I see. Oh well, onto more pressing matters. You know all that bullshit Sarada said was just to get you away from her, right?'

"But…why?" I wiped my face with my hands, "We talked, we hugged, we laughed. I may not have apologized, but I thought—"

'Are you even hearing me? It's not about that!'

"Then what is it about?" I stared at myself in the mirror.

'Use that big head of yours. What else could have her so disgusted?'

It didn't take two seconds for an alternative to come to mind.

"No." I said.

'Yes. She knows.'

"No, she doesn't." I shook my head, turning on the cold water and splashing it on my face.

'It's the only explanation. Her mother is fucking her father's best friend silly and she can't stand to be around you.'

"I-I'm not—"

'Come on girl, let's not try and twist the picture. You're a horndog, it's okay! Women need love too, and you're getting yours. I do feel bad for the boy though.'

I kept my face under the water but couldn't block out her voice.

'After all, he told you he loves you. But you didn't say it back because you don't love him. Again, I'm not attacking you, but couldn't you be a decent person and let him down gently?'

"I…"

'Then again, I know you. You won't tell him because then he'll lose interest and your one source of relief will disappear, just like that.'

"That's not true." I raised my head out of the water defiantly, "I just don't want to hurt him."

'Please, spare me the theatrics! He's a dildo with legs! Where're you gonna find something like that again? Although Sasori seems to be warming up to you so maybe…'

I blinked away the tears and reached into the shelf for the Paroxetine bottle.

'Are you sure you wanna take that now? It's supposed to be taken at the same time every day. You're six hours early.'

"I don't care. I want you gone." I shook out a tablet and swallowed it with a swig of Umeshu.

'And with alcohol? I didn't realize how much I was upsetting you. But you know what they say, when you go off-schedule things can get worse…'

"I don't care. Go away." I covered my ears with my hands.

'You do know that doesn't do anything, right?'

"Go away." I repeated.

'Hmph, foolish girl. Are you going to be this annoying throughout or—'

"Go away."

'Stupid, these meds need at least eight days to fully kick in. You're gonna be stuck with me for—'

"Go away…" I repeated, shutting my eyes, "Go away…"

|Sasuke|

I checked my watch: 3 o'clock on the dot. Karin had left around ten and I still hadn't heard any word from her.

'She's fine.' I assured myself, 'She can handle her own.'

And although I was worried about her, there were more pressing matters at hand.

I watched as the children scattered at the wave of the Kakuzu's hand, each darting in their own direction, frantically searching for something. One of them held up something shiny triumphantly, and a few others congregated around him. Together they walked back to the man and engaged in excited chatter. The few stragglers came in as well, only one other having a grin on her face as she held a similar shiny object.

I got out of the car and approached them from behind.

"And what do I always say?" Kakuzu asked.

"Money rules the world!" The kids answered in unison.

"That's right." He nodded, "Remember, at the end of the day, a dollar is still a dollar. But a friend can turn to an enemy or a traitor or a fiend."

"Kakuzu-san." I called as I walked up to them, "What are you teaching the youth?"

The kids looked from me to Kakuzu, interested in this new character who seemed to be on friendly terms with him.

"Alright brats, get out of here." Kakuzu ordered, shooing them playfully, "Ora move!"

The girl who had found a shiny object stuck her tongue out at him, "Nyah! Be here tomorrow old man! We're not through yet!"

She tossed him back the coin before smiling and running off with her friends.

"Good kids." He nodded his head, "Real good kids."

I looked at him and he laughed.

"What? Didn't think you'd hear that from me, did you?"

I shook my head, "You really sounded like an old man with that one."

He laughed again and stood up, "You know why I like 'em? Because they're walking sponges. They soak up anything and everything in a matter of seconds. Science says kids are the fastest learners, and if it weren't for their motor skills, they'd be top of the food chain."

I recognized that last bit as sarcasm and chuckled, "Guess I'd better watch out."

"Aa, that's the first thing to do with these ones." He nodded, "No one ever suspects a kid for nothing, but you'll soon find…" He brought a small notepad out from his jacket pocket.

"That these shortstops can be the best spies." He handed the notepad to me, and I saw that it was filled with names, "Can you believe the amount of crime these guys spot that KPD hasn't even noticed?"

"Takayama Shinji?" I recognized his name as one of Sarada's teachers and read it out loud, "What's this P next to his name?"

"Pedophile. But it could be pervert, predator, whatever floats your boat."

"You're kidding." I looked at Kakuzu in shock.

"On my honor." Kakuzu placed his hand over his heart, "One of my birds saw him kissing one of his students in his backyard."

"Why don't you report him?" I asked, "Give the police an anonymous tip and get that bastard off the streets!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Kakuzu wagged a finger, "Come on now Toshiaki-san, you should know my M.O. by now. If I give the cops an anonymous tip, what's in it for me?"

"But—"

"I know, I know, he's a predator, I'm not going to overlook that. So, what I do is I send him one of these," He took out a polaroid from his back pocket, "In a sealed envelope with instructions."

The polaroid depicted a scene of something disgusting and I looked away, "Instructions that say what?"

"Something along the lines of, I know who you are, I know what you've done. Pay 5K every week into this account, stop what you're doing, if I catch you again, I'll report you. The usual blackmail trope."

"So you let him continue?" I shoved my hands in my pockets to avoid grabbing him.

He shrugged, "It works. He's been spooked for the past three months now. But guess what, since you feel so strongly about it, I'll report him today."

I gritted my teeth for what I was about to say next, "No…no need, if you're still getting money from him don't mess it up on my account."

He smirked, "You should see yourself as you try to choke out that lie. But if it makes you feel any better, I wasn't doing it just for you. I was thinking about locking him up anyway. My birds say they haven't seen anything, but I have a feeling he's getting around me somehow."

I nodded, "Alright then."

"Is Misaki pregnant?" Kakuzu asked.

"What?" I stumbled, taken aback by the question.

He crossed his arms, "Well, by the way you flared up when you learned he was a pedophile, I'm wondering if that's daddy instincts kicking in already."

I smiled to ease the tension, waving my hands, "No, no. I 've always felt strongly about that type of thing. But one day we'll have our own and it helps to have one less creep off the streets."

"Mm." Kakuzu looked beyond me wistfully, "I…always wanted kids."

"Did you?" I perked up, interested in this revelation.

He nodded, "And I wanted my kids to have kids. And my grandkids to have kids. A bloodline that would go on to the end of time. Something that would be truly immortal."

"So why didn't you?" I asked, "Waiting for the right woman?"

He leaned against the swing bar, "Nothing that pompous. Just…never got around to it, sad to say. Now I'm shooting nothing but blanks."

I cleared my throat, "Mm, and no family? No nephews to take in or impact?"

He shook his head slowly, "I've been alone for a long, long time."

Something about how his voice lowered towards the end made me want to pat him on the back, but I wasn't sure we had gotten that close.

He cleared his throat, "But let's get to business, eh?"

I nodded, "Oyabun sent me, he said you'd explain everything in person."

Kakuzu smiled, "That's right, that's right. We're going to meet an important piece in the boss's next move, but he's pretty paranoid."

"Understandable." I rubbed my chin, "You can't be too careful in this business."

"Exactly." Kakuzu snapped his fingers, "I'm glad you get it. Here's the thing, we already knew each other before I was a part of Akatsuki, so he trusts me. It's you he's worried about."

I raised an eyebrow, "But we're all in this together."

"I know, I know, but he wasn't hearing it. So, don't think too badly of me for this."

I didn't get a chance to ask what he was talking about before a sac was yanked over my head and I was pulled from the back.

"Kakuzu! What the—What?" I squirmed under my captor's grasp and felt more hands shove me into the ground.

"Don't fight it, don't fight it." Kakuzu's voice was coming from above me, "Like I said, he's pretty paranoid."

I was lifted up and with one wiggle I confirmed I been bound tightly. I was dragged some distance and there was the sound of a van door sliding open before I was tossed inside.

"You're in good hands, Toshiaki-kun!" Kakuzu laughed, "Trust me!"