Are we just failures?
Mama, have I failed you?
'Cause I think I'm doing just fine
- Taste The Sky by Verre
"This whole thing is beyond ridiculous, Kakashi."
Kakashi Hatake looked up from the novel he was reading and smiled. "Life is always ridiculous, Asuma."
Asuma Sarutobi exhaled a cloud of smoke. Usually he would have given a biting answer to Kakashi's unhelpful, cryptic answer but today it seemed to make sense to him. Things really hadn't been going in the right direction lately.
"This Uchiha kid's got some balls," Asuma said. "To talk down to all the elite like that."
"I don't know - he sounded pretty respectful to me."
Asuma laughed. "Respect? Yeah right. You could practically see the hatred in his eyes. I could feel it all the way across the room." He shivered inwardly. That Sasuke Uchiha was trouble, he just knew it.
It was a whole day after the meeting with their new leader and the entire city was buzzing with gossip already. In their office in the Konoha Police Headquarters, Kakashi and Asuma had nothing much to do. Apparently the crime rate had dropped drastically ever since the news of Danzo's death had been leaked.
"Honestly, I can't blame the kid," Kakashi sighed. "After what happened to his clan."
"The massacre? I thought that happened because of another Uchiha."
Kakashi leaned forward thoughtfully, interlacing his fingers underneath his chin. "That is what they say. But back when I worked for the ANBU, when it was freshly formed following Danzo's succession, I heard...rumors."
"Rumors?"
"Mostly controversy crap. That Itachi Uchiha, the offender, had been framed."
Asuma shook his head in defeat. "You know, I've lived in this city my whole life and it never ceases to surprise me."
"Luckily no reporters got a wind of that," Kakashi grimaced. "Even if they had, the ANBU probably did to them what they do best - disposal."
"Framed by who, though?"
Kakashi stared at him for a moment with contemplation before winking suddenly. "If I told you that I would have to kill you."
"Stop kidding around, Hatake, and get to the point." Asuma bit into his cigarette as he grinned.
"By the very man who's funeral is today, they say."
The ring on his finger burned.
Sasuke knew it was just in his mind, a figment of his imagination.
But the moment he had slipped it on, in front of the countless glaring eyes, he could swear he had felt something like an electric shock travelling from the tips of his fingers to his spine. His heart and mind began racing. He felt like he was breathless after conquering a mountain that was said to be unconquerable.
It had been exhilarating. The moment had felt better than he had ever imagined it would be.
All at once, he had forgotten about the scrutiny and hostility surrounding him. He had forgotten the darkness and his purpose. None of that seemed to matter anymore.
So that's how it feels.
Power.
He could finally see why Danzo had been so reluctant to give it up.
Sasuke looked down at the old map of Konoha City spread out in front of the table in front of him. The flickering flames of the fire blazing in the fireplace in front him cast small shadows on the browning paper and his profile. The longer he stared, the less familiar the place looked.
Once this had been his home. Now it didn't feel like it.
Almost lovingly, his fingers reached out to trace a certain corner of the city. It had been outlined prominently with red.
Soon, Sasuke thought, his head tilting back and eyes closing tiredly.
The ring on his finger burned and he loved every second of it.
It was late at night when her shift finally ended.
As she passed by the tattoo parlor on her way home, Sakura was tempted to go inside and see Sai. But he hated being interrupted while he was working and she was tired to the bone.
What a day it had been.
Zaku Abumi was the most difficult client she had encountered yet, considering Konoha was full of them. He was proud, rude and cocky. Her earlier impression of him had been accurate - he was from out of the city. Oto, to be exact.
Sakura climbed the steps to her apartment laboriously. She had been seeing more and more Oto natives in the club lately. It hadn't been a coincidence - the recent migration of people from Oto and Konoha had been causing more and more problems in their land.
Oto City had seen years of turmoil between its citizens and elite and had finally crumbled under pressures of poverty and inequality of wealth distribution. Most of the former upper crust of the city had moved to Konoha and its nearby towns in search of new prospects and beginnings.
If only they knew that it was easier said than done here.
The city was unforgiving to new occupants. Sakura knew from experience.
But Zaku was different. His every word, move and look told her that this was a man that could not be bullied into submission. That meant only one thing: he was backed by someone very, very powerful.
Someone powerful enough to scare Oshiro out of his wits. Oshiro, who had years and years of experience of working in the shadiest sectors of Konoha.
She suddenly remembered her boss's words as she unlocked her flimsy apartment door.
As important as this whole club.
How easily her and girls' lives could be summarized given the right amount of money and influence. How easily it was to get rid of them without even a second's thought when it was their only source of livelihood.
Her mind was still bitter as she swung the door open and was met with the familiar darkness. And out of that darkness, there was a sudden movement and something mewled, brushing up against her leg.
Sakura jumped and then laughed. "I had forgotten about you!" She bent down to pick up the scrawny cat. It looked at her lovingly with its brown eyes and meowed again in greeting.
She turned the light on and carried the cat in her arms to the kitchen. There on the floor lay a bowl of water, some cat food and a bag of litter.
Sakura smiled. Thank you, Ino.
Settling back on her old couch, she raised the feline up and gazed at it.
"Now then," she said. "What do we call you?"
