Chapter 2:
[Sorry for the delay! University had me beat, hopefully now that its summer I'll be able to update more! Please remember to leave your thoughts and comments on the comments section!] ((I do not own Naruto!))
Sasuke had been standing in front of the brothel for almost five hours, it was already dusk and it was raining hard. Sasuke was drenched in rain as he looked on towards the brothel as if she would suddenly burst from its walls. The men guarding the brothel didn't wear any ninja headbands, just traditional kimonos, but by the looks of them Sasuke could tell that they were skilled warriors.
Mercenaries, so far from Kyo...What are they doing in Konoha? And guarding a brothel that nobody knows about? Thats very strange, thought Sasuke. The men shifted their feet and began to glare at him, Sasuke placed his hands on his pockets while he counted the number of men in front of him. There are six in front of the brothel but I can bet that there are more inside, at least three to watch over the women, in case a customer decides to run or beat them. There also must be at least two in back, to prevent the customer to escape if the men inside don't capture him...Or to prevent the women from escaping. Why such heightened security? This building is complete inconspicuous unless you venture inside, nobody would know its true purpose.
Suddenly, a man with grey kimono approached the building, his long brown hair and white eyes were a dead giveaway for Sasuke. If a member of the main family from the Hyuga clan is here, it means that this brothel is not only known by the Uchihas but by other clans. Sasuke chuckled as he observed the man entering the brothel. Clever, it was smart of them to put it inside the compound, knowing full well that since The Uchiha clan has always been in charge of the police force that it would never be found or reported. But what does the clan benefit from having an illegal brothel inside Konoha?
An older man stepped out of the brothel, Sasuke turned his attention to him. Just like the guards he was wearing a traditional kimono and had a beautiful red umbrella, he wore his hair gray into a graceful braid while his haggard face merely grimaced at Sasuke, the guards walked towards the man and stood behind him. This is bad, I'm outnumbered and without my pouch on me, I won't be able to smoke bomb my way out of here. And I certainly can't fight them here, with civilians everywhere, I have to think of a plan and fast, thought Sasuke as he placed himself in a more defensive position.
"My men tell me that you've been here for quite some time, are you interested in one of our girls?" said the man with a lecherous smile but Sasuke merely glared at him. "You are most welcome inside, we have beds, good food, tea and-"
"I don't have any money" said Sasuke with cold indifference.
The man's countenance changed quickly as he whispered something to the nearest guard. The guard nodded as he proceeded to crack his knuckles, the other men following suit.
"It's nothing personal young man, we can't have poor ninja standing in front of our doors, scaring off customers, it's bad for business," said the older man. He walked towards one of the guards and whispered, "Make sure, he doesn't come back anymore. Are we clear?" And with that the guards closed in on Sasuke.
They all came at him with force. Although Sasuke was able to successfully avoid most of their attacks, one of the guards delivered a massive punch that made Sasuke fly to the nearest light post. Sasuke slowly stood up, but was immediately grabbed by the neck and pinned to the light post. His vision was blurring, and his body felt heavy, he saw a bright green light emerging from the man's knuckles as he felt his chakra rapidly being drained away. My chakra reserves will be completely gone in a couple of minutes if I don't do something right away, I can't even activate my sharingan. thought Sasuke as the man squeezed tighter on his neck, making it harder for him to breath.
"Thats enough!"
The guards turned and faced a young woman, her long black hair was tied in a loose ponytail that moved with the wind, her hime style bangs complemented her big purple eyes and soft pink lips. She wore a bright yellow kimono with a light green obi, a dark blue haori with white tabi socks and zori sandals. Her delicate features contoured with anger as she directed herself again at the guards, particularly at the man still holding Sasuke by the neck.
"Miyamoto-san thats enough! Leave him alone!"
"The Boss told us to get rid of him, we ain't running this business for poor ninja, so go fuck a client instead of telling us what to do."
"He is a client, you overgrown troglodyte!"
"What the fuck are you talking about? He has no fucking money!"
"He doesn't need any damn fucking money, you imbecile! That "poor" ninja that you are almost squeezing to death, is the son of the head of the police force! If word gets out that you killed Fugaku Uchiha's son, there's not gonna be any business. So let him go and fuck off!" said the woman in a threatening tone.
Miyamoto let go of his hold on Sasuke and the woman rushed to help him up. She placed his right arm on her shoulder and her hand on his waist, lifting him off the ground and onto his feet. Slowly but steadily, she was able to make Sasuke walk. She lead them inside the brothel, guiding his steps.
Little by little, Sasuke regained a bit of his energy and his vision began to clear. He realized that he was now inside the brothel. He recognized the hallway as the one the old woman had taken him through his first time there. The young woman led him towards a room almost at the end of the hallway. She opened the door, and led him in. She set him down on a chair next to the window, then quickly went to the bathroom located at the end of the room and stayed there for a couple of minutes. Sasuke realized where he was just as she returned with a small clean towel and a bottle of alcohol.
"Honestly, for a ninja you sure are pretty reckless" said the woman smiling kindly at Sasuke. He felt his cheeks redding little by little.
"I'm sorry, Koyuki-san."
"You need to be more careful. Those men down there aren't your usual guards. They are trained assassins from Edo, and they use chakra draining weapons that are dangerous to ninja. So it wouldn't be wise to anger them. Not that I need to tell you that," said Koyuki as she dabbed the cloth with a bit of alcohol. "I'm sorry, but this is going to sting a little".
Koyuki placed the cloth gently on Sasuke's face. He winced at the stinging sensation it brought but also felt a sense of comfort. He breathed in the smell of chrysanthemums and sakura petals emanating from Koyuki and a sensation of relief and longing washed over him like a waterfall. Sasuke watched her every movement as she moved to and fro: placing the cloth and the alcohol on the small night table close to the bed, pulling a small kettle from the small chest nearby, and then heading to the bathroom. He could hear the water rushing from the faucet. He shifted a little in his seat.
What the hell am I doing here? I should be home, he thought as he took a deep breath, looking out the window. From here he could see most of the compound as well as part of the Hokage Monument. It was still raining heavily and a sort of cold wind had taken place but it didn't diminish the beauty of scene before him. Koyuki came back with two cups in hand and handed one to Sasuke.
"Drink it, it'll replenish your strength," said Koyuki with a smile as she leaned on the window and sipped from her cup. Sasuke nodded and drank as well. He winced when he tasted the liquid and swallowed it as quietly as he could.
"How is it?"
"It might be the most horrible thing I've ever tasted, but I suppose that's a talent in and of itself." said Sasuke with a grimace on his face.
Koyuki laughed heartily and placed her cup on the edge of the window. Koyuki walked toward him and placed her hands softly on his face, gently brushing his bangs to side. She checked for any injury that she might have missed. Sasuke breathed in her scent again and closed his eyes, relaxing.
"So why did you come here again?" asked Koyuki softly as she gently lowered her hands from his face and moved toward the window. He opened his eyes and looked at her again. He stood up little by little.
"I wanted to see you again".
Koyuki sighed and then smiled.
"You know that you can lose your job right?"
"I know, but I still wanted to see you" said Sasuke plainly as Koyuki sighed deeply.
"I have to work soon, Sasuke-sama."
Sasuke blushed slightly as embarrassment washed over him. "I'm sorry. I was inconsiderate."
"No, it's ok," said Koyuki smiling tenderly at him. She walked towards him and squeezed his hand gently. "Come back tomorrow, at midnight. And this time don't wait in front of the brothel. Climb through my window. I'll leave it open for you."
"But won't the guards notice if someone is climbing through the window?"
"You're a ninja aren't you? Be stealthy about it," said Koyuki as she giggled at him. Sasuke smiled slightly as he looked out the window.
Suddenly, somebody knocked on the door.
"Yes?" replied Koyuki as she loosened her obi belt.
"Koyuki, you have a customer."
"Coming!" said Koyuki quickly. She then looked at Sasuke who was getting ready to jump through the window. Koyuki gave him a quick squeeze on his arm and whispered in his ear. "Remember, tomorrow at midnight". Sasuke nodded in understanding and jumped from the window.
He landed softly on the ground and proceeded to check his surroundings. He realized that he was in the back of the brothel and much to his relief there wasn't any guards to be seen. He quickly ran towards his house, jumping from roof to roof as fast as his legs could take him. When he finally got home his legs buckled with exhaustion. He manage to muster a bit of strength to climb his bedroom window and once inside his room, he collapsed on his bed.
He tried to process everything that had happened in the past few days: his promotion to jonin, celebrating with his family and friends, meeting Koyuki and how she had begun to consume his mind, little by little. He shook his head, feeling immensely guilty.
He had just begun to be intimate with Sakura and things were starting out fine. They had nothing serious of course and almost nobody knew about it, but still they had already gone out on a couple of dates with a few kisses in between. Being a ninja left almost no room for normal dating, so soon after a brief courtship, if both their parents agreed, they would be married. Even thinking about Koyuki was something like a betrayal towards Sakura, not only his precious teammate and friend but soon his girlfriend and later wife.
But he couldn't get her smile out of his head or her gentle hands and the way she smelled which was utterly intoxicating. He kept thinking about her and what she did for a living-giving men pleasures which they should be at home enjoying from their wives-and how miserable she must be. Sasuke knew that most women who are prostitutes only turn to that life because of how little options they have. Sasuke wondered if Koyuki was once a normal woman whose husband or family fell into debt or that she was forced into the business by being manipulated by a man she loved.
It was then that Sasuke realized that he knew nothing about this woman who was consuming his mind except for her name, which was probably fake. His body started to give in to exhaustion as Sasuke began to close his eyes little by little and drift into a tired slumber.
Morning approached in Konoha. The sun rose, shining down on every building in bustling village. In the Namikaze/Uzumaki household, Kushina was already preparing breakfast while her husband Minato was already sitting at the table reading a newspaper. They were exchanging pleasant small talk when there was a knock on the door.
"Honey could you get that?" asked Kushina. "I'm still frying eggs."
"Of course" replied Minato as he smiled at his wife and placed his newspaper on the dining table. He walked toward the door and opened it. Standing in the doorway were Kiba, Shikamaru, Shino, Chouji, Neji and Rock Lee. Minato smiled at them. "Well hey, isn't this a surprise."
"Hey, Minato-san. Is Naruto in?" asked Kiba with a smile.
"He is. Would you guys like to come in? We're just having breakfast."
"Did you say breakfast?" said Chouji as he entered and sat right down on the dining room table.
Kushina laughed as she pointed to Chouji and the boys. "Come on in! Make yourselves at home! I'll make extra portions for all of you".
With most of them sitting at the dining table, Neji approached Minato respectfully. "Hokage-sama, I do not mean to be rude but we all must speak to Naruto first. It's important".
Kushina pointed towards the hallway with her spatula, smiling. "Naruto is in his room. You guys can go and get him. I'll call you guys down when breakfast is ready."
Neji nodded to Kushina and Minato and gestured for the others to follow him. It wasn't hard to find Naruto's room, since his door was filled with pictures of ramen and comic book heroes.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the door and opened it. As expected, Naruto's room was a complete mess. There were clothes and weapons strewn about everywhere. His walls were filled with posters, and his desk with pictures of his teammates, friends and family. Naruto was sleeping on his bed in his boxers, snoring loudly and drooling. Kiba whistled loudly and Naruto jumped straight off his bed and onto the floor.
"Hey! Whats the big idea?!" said Naruto with a scowl on his face as Kiba and the rest started laughing.
"Move and get dressed. After we eat some breakfast we need to leave," said Shikamaru in his usual bored tone.
Naruto scratched his head as he stood up to face them. "Why the hell for? It's my day off!"
"Sasuke hasn't been home in a couple of days. He hasn't been seen since his party and, well, his mother is pretty worried," said Shino.
"What?! Did you ask Itachi if he knew where he was?!"
"We did but he doesn't know either, although he does have his suspicions on where he might be. Since it's really sensitive information, he only revealed it to us just in case trouble starts brewing," Chouji said as Naruto nodded in understanding.
He looked at his group of friends. "Tell me."
The group looked at each other as Neji stepped forward and faced Naruto.
"Itachi believes that he might be frequenting the brothel that's inside the compound. But that's unlikely since Sasuke left his wallet in his room and-"
"Whoa whoa whoa, let me get this straight. Sasuke Uchiha, the biggest tightass, workholic, no-social-life-ninja in the village, who just barely mustered up the courage to take Sakura for a date, is frequenting a brothel?" Naruto laughed.
Neji sighed as he massaged his temples. "You can laugh all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that he's been missing for awhile now and that's the only lead we have. So get dressed. We're leaving the second we finish eating."
They left Naruto in his room to put on some fresh clothes after a quick shower. He combed his wet hair with his fingers and tied his headband on his forehead.
He left his room and headed towards the dining table. Chouji was already eating his third plate; Neji was speaking with Minato; Rock Lee and Kiba were chatting about Taijutsu; Shino was talking to Kushina about the role of insects in chakra control; Shikamaru ate silently; and Kushina was serving a small bowl of meat for Akamaru.
"Well, it's about time you woke up! Would you like some toast and bacon with your eggs?" said Kushina in a playful tone.
"Sure, Mom."
"Honestly, you get lazier everyday, Naruto. Soon you'll be able to beat Shikamaru in that department."
"Oh, leave him be. He rarely has any days off. Besides, I'd rather have him here than chasing girls and gambling like that Shisui Uchiha," Minato said as he grabbed Naruto and ruffled his hair. Naruto sat down as his mother placed his plate in front of him before sitting down with her own plate.
"Speaking of Uchihas, how's Sasuke doing? I heard he was promoted to jonin," Kushina said as she beamed at Naruto who had his mouth full with breakfast.
"Yeah, he was! We all celebrated a couple of days ago at this new Edo style barbeque joint in the compound" replied Kiba excitedly at Kushina, while Minato looked curiously at the boys.
"Edo style barbeque?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage! It's located near the ninja weaponry shop. The food is pretty amazing!" said Lee with his usual enthusiasm.
Minato scratched his head in confusion. "Since when has that been there? I don't remember authorizing the construction of a barbeque."
"Well, actually, it's the old beef bowl restaurant. They just changed owners," said Kiba casually as he finished eating.
Naruto had just finished his breakfast and was standing up with the others following suit. Kushina got up and started picking up their plates from the table.
"Don't stay out too late guys! And please make it home in time for dinner, Naruto!"
Naruto waved at his mother and left the apartment with his friends, jumping from the balcony to the ground.
Naruto couldn't help but think about what his friends had told him. Sasuke had been missing for a few days. Usually that wouldn't worry him because Sasuke tends to go off on his own but usually he lets somebody know where he is. But this time, it's different. It's like he disappeared like a ghost and the only lead they have is apparently a brothel inside the compound. Naruto rubbed his temples in exasperation. No wonder they couldn't tell any of the girls. They would flay Sasuke alive. Especially Sakura. Not to mention that going to a brothel was illegal for ninja.
"I keep thinking about this guys, and it's so unlike Sasuke to do this. Like, he can barely talk to a girl. Better yet, he doesn't even like talking to girls. He rarely gives anybody the time of day, except, well, us. And even then, how do we know that it is Sasuke and not somebody else? God knows that all those Uchihas look the same," said Naruto with a laugh.
Neji looked at Naruto and rolled his eyes. "I know. But Itachi is counting on us."
"Then why doesn't he do it? It's his brother after all. Why send us?" asked Chouji.
Shikamaru shot his teammate an annoyed look. "Because, you idiot, Itachi is taking over as head of the police force. If word gets out that Sasuke is missing it could cause a huge problem and Itachi looking for him is a dead giveaway."
"Besides, it could be nothing more than Sasuke's mother overreacting. But we still have to check it out," said Kiba nonchalantly.
The boys searched for Sasuke all throughout Konoha, jumping and exploring every building, every crevice, nook and cranny, to no avail. Now deep into the night, they regrouped in front of the Uchiha compound. Naruto, in his annoyance, threw a rock towards the sky.
"Goddamnit! Where the hell is he!?"
"Shino did you search for Sasuke's chakra signal with your bugs?" said Kiba,
"I did, but Sasuke has hidden it quite well. Either that or he has blended his chakra with the rest of his clansmen in order for us not to find him."
"Well he's not a jonin for nothing," said Shikamaru, sighing deeply and rubbing his temples.
"It's almost midnight, guys. We should regroup and try again tomorrow," said Lee with a tired look on his face.
Suddenly, Shino spoke. "Wait, I'm getting something." A small insect flew toward his finger. He stared at it for a small while and looked at everybody. "Guys, I think I have something."
"What?! Where is he then?!" Naruto asked impatiently.
"I'm getting a very faint chakra signal from Sasuke. But it's moving fast and I can't put a precise location."
"Leave it to me," said Neji, as he activated his Byakugan, and immediately scanned the compound until he was able to hone in on Sasuke. He looked at Kiba and Akamaru "Sasuke is in the far right of the compound next to the training grounds but he's moving fast, I need you two track his scent and make sure we don't lose him"
"You got it! Lets go Akamaru!" Kiba smelled the air as he, Akamaru and Neji took the lead, they jumped quickly from rooftop to rooftop. After twenty minutes of intense running, Naruto noticed that they were already in the far north of the compound where old and derelict buildings from the time of the founding of the village stood. Suddenly Kiba, Akamaru and Neji stopped in front of the back of a light blue building; Neji gestured at the gang to keep quiet, they blended with the shadows as they saw Sasuke approaching the building. Sasuke was wearing a long dark cloak with a hood that covered his face, he looked up towards the third story window. Sasuke quickly jumped towards the open third story window and grabbed onto the ledge and climbed inside swiftly. Kiba then nudged at Naruto and smirked
"So, looks like your old pal Sasuke has a taste for whores"
"We don't even know if this is a brothel you asshat" said Naruto glaring at Kiba
"Naruto is right, it could be Sasuke's new hideou-"
Suddenly Neji was interrupted by the sight of a woman, her upper body was clearly seen dangling from the second story window, her breasts moved vigorously as she moaned in pleasure while a man could be seen thrusting behind her and pulling her hair. Naruto blushed and looked away as did Shino and Shikamaru with a tinge of embarrassment and annoyance on his face, Chouji held a shocked expression while Rock Lee clenched his fist in determination saying YOUTH! with a completely red face, Neji turned to see the scene unfold behind him only to turn again facing his team with an embarrassed look on his face. Kiba just smirked and grabbed Naruto and placed his arm around him
"That cinches it, this is a brothel. Looks like Sasuke's not as innocent as you thought Naru-chan" said Kiba as he playfully grabbed Naruto's cheek. Naruto pouted and stuck his tongue out at Kiba. Neji glared at the two as he spoke
"Brothel or no brothel, its clear that our job is done. We've located Sasuke and since he's in no danger, theres no reason for us to track him or interfere with his business."
"Wait a minute, Itachi told us specifically that we were to find out where he is and once we did, we had to escort him back home. Not find out and then leave, that's sloppy and you know it Neji" said Shikamaru matter of factly
"So that means that we have to enter this place?" said Shino quietly
The gang looked at each other awkwardly, each shifting their feet and looking aimlessly either at the floor or at the sky. After 5 minutes of this awkward silence, Kiba stomped his foot on the ground and glared at the boys
"We can't just sit here and do absolutely nothing! Itachi-san tasked us with a mission and we're not gonna fail it just because Sasuke is in a building full of naked women!"
"I'm not entering that den of iniquity, it would be a dishonor to myself and my clan and I would never be able to look at Hinata-sama in the face ever again" said Neji as he blushed and turned his face away
"You won't be able to face Hinata?! I won't be able to face Sakura, my mom and her! And of they find out I was in that place...They would kill me!" Naruto said with a shudder as he screamed at Neji.
"Look at both of you! I can't believe that you two are the slightest bit intimidated by mere girls. I swear, women are troublesome" said Shikamaru sighing in annoyance, Naruto then glared at Shikamaru as he pointed at him
"Oh yeah? What would Temari and Ino do if they found out you were in this place?!"
Shikamaru shuddered and looked at a wall with a face of pure horror, Naruto then nodded and said "Thats what I thought!"
"No wonder Itachi didn't want the girls investigating this, it would've been utter chaos and Sasuke would've been worse for wear" said Chouji quietly while Shino nodded
"Hey I got an idea! Why don't we just let Lee, Shino and Chouji pick up Sasuke? They all have nothing left to lose" said Naruto while nervously smiling at them
"Are you insane?! Ino will tear me a new one if she finds out!" said Chouji screaming at Naruto while Lee began to cry and said with an aghast look on his face
"Thats nothing compared to what Ten-Ten will do to me! She'll use me as training dummy for her weapons plus Sakura will pummel me and may never want to see me again!"
Shino said nothing and looked at the wall with a completely red face, Kiba then stomped his foot on the ground in exasperation and anger
"Goddamn it! You're all acting like academy brats! We're ninja! No matter the mission, we carry it out and we do it successfully! The brother of a comrade of ours gave us a mission and all of you are just gonna turn back like cowards just because you can't handle seeing some tities?!"
The boys shifted their feet awkwardly as a strained silence overcame the atmosphere, Kiba angry gestured for Akamaru to come with him. He then glared at the boys with disdain and said
"If you guys won't come with me, I'll do this mission by myself! Come on Akamaru!"
Kiba ran towards the brothel with Akamaru in tow as Neji yelled at him
"Kiba no! Come back!" said Naruto
"Goddamn it Kiba! C'mon guys, lets follow him and make sure he doesn't make trouble" said Neji as he and the rest of the guys began running behind Kiba
"How troublesome" said Shikamaru with annoyance marking his features
Koyuki sat on her usual chair by the window with Sasuke sitting on the floor next to her. She was wearing a light blue kimono with a small dark blue obi while barefoot, her hair laid loose around her left shoulder as she looked down on Sasuke. Sasuke was wearing long dark blue pants that cut off around the shin with bandages around his legs and black ninja shoes, with a black long sleeved shirt and a silver necklace with the uchiha crest. Sasuke smiled slightly at her as he spoke softly about trivial things like his team and his friends, Koyuki would giggle and respond usually with a witty remark that would make Sasuke chuckle.
"I love the fact that you ninja get to travel all the continent and go to all sorts of places and see all sorts of people and eat all kinds of food. Thats so cool!"
"You make it sound as if we go on vacations" said Sasuke smiling softly at her, looking at her as she crossed her legs. He couldn't help but stare as her kimono lifted up showing her thighs, Sasuke blushed and looked away
"I know but still thats pretty amazing, getting to go where ever you please, even if it is for a mission" said Koyuki sadly as she looked outside of her window, Sasuke stood up and looked at her, he leaned on the window as he looked at her gently.
"Can you leave during the day?"
"Sure, only on certain days and we're only allowed to walk inside the Uchiha compound"
"Oh, well um…"
"What is it Sasuke-sama?" said Koyuki as she stood up to meet Sasuke's gaze, Sasuke looked away embarrassed and waved his hand as if to brush off the subject.
"Its nothing, forget I mentioned it"
Koyuki merely smiled as she grabbed Sasuke's wrist and squeezed it tenderly. She looked out the window and gazed outside, taking in the fresh air and night sky. Koyuki saw a group of men running towards the brothel with a huge white dog, Koyuki pulled on Sasuke's sleeve as he turned towards Koyuki.
"What is it?"
"Look at that huge white dog! How cute, I've never seen anything like that!"
"White dog?"
Sasuke then looked outside, and saw Akamaru running towards the brothel with Kiba next to him, but behind Kiba was Naruto, Neji, Rock Lee, Shino, Chouji and Shikamaru.
"Fuck, shit" said whispered Sasuke as he turned away from the window and picked up his cloak from Koyuki's bed and put it on as quickly as he can.
"Sasuke-sama?"
"I have to go" said Sasuke as he headed towards the window ready to jump
"Whats going on?" said Koyuki worriedly at him, Sasuke then looked at Koyuki softly
"I'll come here again during the day, leave the window open for me"
And with that Sasuke jumped Koyuki's window, he gracefully landed on the ground. He took one last look at Koyuki's window and sighed as Kiba and the gang appeared within minutes.
"Well I gotta say you are one hard man to find Sasu-chan" said Kiba with a smirk, Sasuke merely glared at them and said curtly.
"We can't talk here, meet me at the training grounds near my house"
And with that Sasuke raised his hands and made the tiger hand sign, a puff of smoke appeared and Sasuke disappeared. Kiba then threw his hands in anger
"Damn theses fucking Uchihas and their damn Body flicker technique! NOT ALL OF US CAN FUCKING MAGICALLY POOF TO PLACES! Goddamn it!"
"Kiba quit your bitchin' its getting on my nerves"
"You know what's getting on my damn nerves? You're goddamn teammate thats what! Disappearing for days without telling nobody where the fuck he is, making us chase him all over fucking Konoha and in this damn compound that is a fucking maze which lead us to a goddamn brothel and then when we do find him, he disappears asking to talk to us in some damn training grounds. You know what that is, Naruto?!"
"What?"
"Some fucking bullshit thats what!"
"I'd rather have Sasuke as a teammate than a teammate who talks so much shit even the damn toilet is jealous!"
"What the hell did you just say to me, you damn punk?!"
"You heard me!"
In that moment, Naruto and Kiba started to brawl. Between haphazard punches and lame kicks they managed to hit Chouji, who then also joined them in the brawl. Rock Lee and Neji managed to grab Naruto and Kiba respectively while Shino and Shikamaru grabbed Chouji. They separated the boys but they still kept angrily shouting at each other, while Neji, Shikamaru and Rock Lee tried to calm them down.
"HEY!"
The boys' voices mellowed down as they saw a young woman from her window, she had short black hair with dark eyes and large pale lips, her red kimono was open and her breasts were exposed. Annoyance marred her pixie like features as she glared at the boys, who couldn't help but stare at her.
"If you idiots aren't here to buy some pussy kindly fuck off! Go take your gay shit somewhere else! A girl is trying to earn some coin!"
The young woman then closed her windows with a bang, promptly embarrassing the boys. Rock Lee and Neji let of Kiba and Naruto while Shino and Shikamaru release Chouji. After an awkward silence of 10 minutes, Shikamaru sighed and looked at Naruto and said.
"So, do you where those training grounds are?"
"Oh, yeah I do"
"Well lets go then"
The boys followed Naruto towards the training grounds, they ran and jumped as fast as they could. Even in the night, the Uchiha Compound was teeming with life and people walking to and fro. The tea houses in particular were full of tired ninja that were just returning from missions as well as the restaurants and gambling houses that were also filled with people. After 20 minutes of intense running, Naruto stopped in front of a wooded area, Sasuke was waiting for them, he was leaning on a tree with his arms crossed. He then proceeded to walk towards them.
"What took you guys so long?"
"WHAT TOOK US SO LONG?! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR PUNK UCHIHA AS-" said Kiba as his mouth was immediately covered and pulled back by Chouji and Rock Lee. Sasuke stared at them curiously as they subdued Kiba, Naruto then took off his shoe and threw it at Sasuke. It hit him clean in the face
"What the hell was that for you blond asshole?!"
"That was for disappearing for days without letting anybody know where the fuck you were! You fucking jackass!"
"Nobody told you to go and find me, I'm a jonin I can take care of myself"
Naruto then threw his other shoe at Sasuke and again it hit him clean in the face, Sasuke officially annoyed with Naruto also threw his shoes at him. Both boys began brawling with each other; punches, kicks and hair pulling. They kept at it until Neji and Rock Lee separated them with Shikamaru and Chouji in the middle trying to ease the tensions between the boys.
"You are such a fucking jerk, you hear me Uchiha!" said Naruto as he struggled in Rock Lee's arms while Sasuke merely glared at him
"Tch and you are such a bitch"
After a few minutes, Neji and Rock Lee let go of Naruto and Sasuke, who went to look for their shoes. Sasuke looked at Naruto softly and then placed his hand on his shoulder
"I'm sorry if I worried you Naruto, it wasn't my intention. Sometimes I just need some time alone, next time I promise I won't disappear"
Naruto smiled and hugged Sasuke joyfully, but then whispered in his ear angrily
"Don't think you're off the hook that easily, you owe me for making me miss dinner at my house and for disappearing for days just to go to that brothel, Sasuke"
Sasuke laughed awkwardly as he grimaced at Naruto, he scratched his head
"Hey, why don't I take all of you guys to Ichiraku during the day? As a reward for all your troubles"
"Make it Yakiniku-Q and we're even" said Chouji
"And here I thought you didn't have money after going 5 days straight to a brothel, man the Uchihas sure have deep pockets" said Kiba with smirk
"Hey, watch it dog breath or I'm not paying for you" said Sasuke teasingly at Kiba, both boys smirked at each other as Rock Lee burst into tears.
"Friendship is so beautiful! So full of Youth!"
Rock Lee went towards the boys and hugged them as much as he could in a tender group hug, that made most of them blush and laugh. After a few minutes of hugging, the boys separated.
"Well it's late, lets get Duck butt head here back home! I'm starving" said Naruto smiling at Sasuke as Sasuke glared at him and then chuckled. As they walked Chouji exclaimed
"Man I'm beat, can't wait for tomorrow, I'm gonna get double servings of everything"
"Same here, me and Akamaru are gonna eat until we burst"
"You guys take it easy, I'm not made of money" said Sasuke as he glared at them
"You have no right to complain, this is your punishment for disappearing" said Neji as he smiled softly at Sasuke. While they accompanied Sasuke to his house, the boys shared a light conversation until they arrived at Sasuke's house. They all said their goodbyes and went to their respective homes while Sasuke climbed the window to his room. He threw himself on the bed, not even taking off his shoes, he quickly drifted to sleep as his window was left wide open as the wind brushed against his body.
Meanwhile in the gates of Konoha, a small elite group was being lectured by Fugaku Uchiha
"You were chosen because you are the best of the best, the most successful and bravest covert agents, this village has to offer and now you shall demonstrate Konoha's strength in the battle ahead. We are facing against an enemy long forgotten in the pages of history, whose strength, cunning and abilities are those of legend. Our allies in the Land of Earth are facing such an enemy, we cannot forsake them! As leaf ninja, we have a duty to keep the peace and help those who are in need. The mission is simple, we are to assist the Tsuchikage's troops in anyway we can, we fight until the last man standing, but given the secretive nature of this mission. If any of you die, your bodies will be immediately destroyed along with your ninja records. Any and all evidence of your existence in Konoha will be erased immediately, is that understood?
"Yes, sir!" said the ninja in unison
"Good, then lets move out" said Fugaku as he began to run towards the trees with the group of ninja behind him. Kenta hiding behind a tree, managed to hear the entire conversation. Making his way covertly inside of Konoha, he ran from building to building until he reached a house in the edge of the Nara clan forest. The house was a traditional style house built during the founding of the village, Kenta opened the door and entered. Inside was the figure of a person, hidden by hood and cloak.
"You're late"
"Sorry, I was gathering information"
"So tell me what do you have?"
"Right now at this very moment, a group of elite ninja have just left for the Land of Earth with no other than Fugaku Uchiha leading them. I estimate that they will arrive there in 3 days at least."
"I see, so finally Konoha has shown its true colors"
"Yes, with what I've seen, it is proof that we must act swiftly and- "
"No" said the figure as they lifted their hand to interrupt Kenta
"No? What do you mean by no?! We need to act immediately, they sending a group of ninja to help the insurgents is proof enough of their disobedience!"
"We cannot act, at least not in this particular moment. Konoha is a sleeping giant with a strategic position, incredibly talented ninja and enough resources to tip the balance over to the ninja's favor and win if we engage them blindly"
"Then what do you suppose we do"
"We need to take down Konoha from the inside, once Konoha's government becomes unstable. We take it down with our full force, but for now we need to keep doing as we have been doing for past week now. Gathering intel and observing their movements carefully" said the figure matter of factly as they crossed their arms, Kenta merely sighed and nodded
"Understood"
"Meet me here again next week" said the figure as they approached the door, Kenta grabbed their arm gently, the figure turned to face Kenta
"Be careful, these ninja are more dangerous than you realize" said Kenta worriedly, the figure brushed off Kenta's hand as they headed toward the door.
"Failing my mission is more dangerous than some idiots doing cheap parlor tricks"
And with that the figure left the house, leaving Kenta with a profound feeling of both dread and comfort.