Disclaimer: Could sue for it…but I hate paperwork.

Thank you reviewers: Fireotaku18, ovicati, kiki2222, Alecksander92, NaRu3kYbI

Chapter_10: The Witness

Night had long since fallen, enshrouding the two men who walked along Konoha's treacherous streets in thick blackness. The dark curtain was pulled back in places, the few sections where street lamps hadn't broken from lack of maintenance. But those patches of light were too few and far too far between. The deeper shadows in the alleys and doorframes contained the menace, the threat feared only by the weak, those who would succumb to the knives and bullets of those who lay in wait for the small amount of green paper they carried in their pockets.

But these two were not afraid of the dark or of the shadows. They were not men to be preyed upon by those menaces. In Konoha's unlit streets, like so many they had walked before, where violence were the right to rule; these men were kings.

They crossed the Naruto Bridge, making their way steadily to the derelict ruins South Konoha held in plenty. One building in particular, an ancient warehouse at the very edge of city limits was their chosen headquarters and their current destination.

A cell phones shrill cry broke through the placid calm of the evening.

One of the pair, a large man who wore a hood over his thick tangle of black hair and a metal mask over his stitched together face, moved to answer it. He reached inside his coat to a hidden pocket next to his heart; the red clouds dyed into the heavy black fabric bunched and morphed as his hand searched.

"Really, Kakuzu?" The other of the pair quipped haughtily. "You couldn't have put your phone on vibrate? You've ruined my terrifying image."

"Shut up Hidan," The man call Kakuzu flicked eternally bloodshot green eyes in the other man's direction. "Or I'll kill you."

Without another word to his counterpart, the hooded man opened his still shrilling device and placed it near his ear. "Yeah,"

Hidan heard the voice on the other end, it sounded like Kisame, say 'We got the name."

"Do you want us to take care of the annoyance?"

Whatever replay Kisame made was lost in a far off gunshot. But Kakuzu's reaction was all Hidan needed, to know that the man had been told 'no'.

"Fool," The hooded bounty hunter growled into the phone.

"I hope that you're not talking about me behind my back right in front of me." The man with silver and square, attractive features joked.

"Hidan," His partner's voice was a menacing growl. "Shut up…or I will kill you!"

"Hidan's smirk only grew as his companion's irritation rose. Getting a reaction from his permanently assigned partner was only too easy ever since Pain had put them both on the 'obvious squad'. For the last week or so, it was their job to be as out in the open as possible without drawing an unnecessary amount of attention from the local civil authority. That had meant 'no killing' and that was killing Kakuzu.

The silver-haired man chuckled at his personal joke while his partner finished with Kisame.

It was certainly enjoyable to so easily grind this man's nerves to dust, the man mused, his fingers toying idly with the simple chain on which his religion's large circular medallion hung. But the constant threat of death was less than delightful. Hidan was getting tired of having to watch his back twenty-four/seven to avoid getting destroyed by his on-edge partner. He had to figure out a way to sooth Kakuzu's fragile nerves.

"Hold it, both of you!"

The pair paused and turned to face the idiot who had just called out to them.

Well, the man wasn't completely stupid, Hidan thought. He'd brought some friends. Humor flitted briefly across the man's brown eyes as he began to count…out loud.

"One…two…three…"

The ringleader, a tall, well-built man with brown spiky hair, smiled. "We've been ordered by our leader, Boss Hebi, to stop anyone wearing coats matching yours and bring them in for questioning."

Hidan continued his counting, unfazed by the man's posturing. "…ten…eleven…twelve…"

"Give yourselves up,"

"…fifteen…sixteen…"

"You have been warned this once."

"…eighteen…nineteen…twenty…"

"If you come with us peacefully, I will make sure that you are treated fairly."

The silver-haired man snorted and stopped somewhere around twenty five; there were more, but it didn't really didn't matter how many they had anyway. He wasn't afraid. In fact, he couldn't have been happier. This was just what the doctor ordered to cure Kakuzu's overwrought nerves. "Hey," Hidan called out to his partner. "Which half do you want?"

The hooded man snorted. "My hunger will be satisfied, that is all that matters. You will take so long to kill your first that I will have destroyed the rest by the time you come for more."

"Hey," Hebi's spokesman called. He had overheard and felt the beginnings of unease swimming around his stomach. This wasn't how people typically responded to his overwhelming show of force. "We're still here and you haven't given me your answer."

"Don't be so jealous," Hidan shook his head. "I can't help it if the guy that I serve desires perfect adherence to his rule and rituals?"

"Just hurry up if you want more than one." Was all the one with blood-shot eyes said as he started a slow walk towards the group of about thirty Hebi men.

"Yeah, yeah," Hidan chuckled as he shed his Akatsuki coat, baring his muscular torso to the night's biting chill. The luminescent silver lines of scars gleamed in the light of the full moon as they criss-crossed the man's chest and abdomen; too many to count.

The man drew out a knife, well worn but sharp. Achingly slow, he pushed the blade across the firm skin of his chest, the flesh parting and seeping dark liquid. When the cut had become the length of his forearm he stopped, pulling the red stained blade free from his torn flesh with a wet sucking sound.

The Hebi men watched in horrified fascination as something like shadows began to dance along the masochist's skin and suddenly it wasn't a man standing before them, but a skeleton, the terrifying maw twisting in pleasure.

"Run!" The ringleader had shouted a split second before the other was upon them. Those who were not cut down by the hooded man scattered, hoping that their comrades would serve as distraction enough for themselves to get away.

By then Hidan had joined in the massacre. Before the Hebi spokesman could do anything more than turn and cry out, he was knocked down, the cold pavement serving to cushion his fall.

His attacker was atop him in a split second, straddling his waist with strong thighs and pinning arms with the full force of his weight. The skeleton above him cackled, it was a horrid, demonic sound that echoed madly, mingling with the cries of the dying.

Hidan's arms spread wide, his head thrown back until the base of his skull pressed impossibly against his spine, the insane laughter somehow still barking from his parted lips.

"Lord of Murder…" The insane man called out to night and plunged his knife, still dripping with his own dark fluids, into his victims' throat. What scream of utter agony the man made never emerged…from his mouth. It came instead from the slit in his throat a harsh whistle, the blood bubbling around the blade buried in his esophagus. The knife continued to travel, slicing downwards to split the flesh all the way to the sternum, the blood of two men mingling in a ritual darker than sin.

The last sounded that the unfortunate gang member heard on this earth were the cries of his companions, the mad laughter of the 'man' who killed him and three words.

"…accept this sacrifice!"

It wasn't until later, after Kakuzu had reluctantly sewn up his latest self-inflicted wound in the name of ritual and they were once more walking, that Hidan remembered the small gasp, horrified brown eyes peering out from behind a garbage can and the click of a camera phone.

サスケ

He didn't come today…

Naruto's finger's fumbled slightly on the key he held between his pointer and thumb.

It was his turn to lock up the café. Actually it was Shikamaru's turn, but no one had seen the Nara since last night.

Kiba had offered to stay and help him with the last few checks he had to do, but Naruto had politely declined. His canine loving friend had wanted to get home since he'd gotten to work that morning and Naruto couldn't blame him, not with a woman like Hinata waiting for him. So here the blond was, alone at eleven o'clock at night with nothing to occupy his mind but the previous nights events.

He'd spent the entire day trying not to think about last night or his subsequent wet dream. But he'd caught himself replaying the scene with the two men in the room over and over in his head. And he had to wonder…It had appeared that they were enjoying themselves, but that was what they were paid to do. Could doing something like…with another guy…would…could it really feel good? And how the heck could two guys even...'do it'? He couldn't honestly come up with an answer, and anyway, every time he'd started along that particular train of thought, Kiba or Ino or Sakura would always ask if he was coming down with a fever since he was so flushed. So he just gave up, making a mental note to Google it later, when he'd built up his courage again.

All that was currently bothering him about the whole series of events now was his wet dream and the fact that his subconscious had chosen Uchiha Sasuke to be his paramour.

So far, the only explanation he'd been about to come up with was his pent up sexual frustration. It had been, what, eight years since his first and only sexual encounter. The girl had been sweet, bright red hair and a quiet personality. She'd reminded him of the pictures he'd seen of his mother growing up. Naruto had even fancied himself in love. They had both lost their innocence one warm summer night on a grassy hill lit by the stars. One month later she had moved away with her parents when her father transferred to Rain. He had tried to stay in contact, but when it became very obvious that she had gotten over him and had no intention of waiting for him, a heart-broken Naruto finally stopped calling.

Since that one failed romance, there had been on one else. At first the blond had made the excuse that he was happy the way his life was and he hadn't wanted to complicate things by adding a demanding girlfriend. But as the years dragged by, he began to see a little into himself. He'd loved that girl, as much as any sixteen year-old boy could love anyone. He'd entrusted her with the fragile pieces of his heart. And now that Naruto had gotten them glued back together, he wasn't sure if he wanted to have them shattered again.

The blond took a deep breath and exhaled, watching the expelled air twist and disappear as it cooled. There was no denying that the Uchiha was probably the most incredibly good looking man he had ever met. Everything about him; the way he walked, barely talked, dressed. The man knew how gorgeous he was and also knew how to show it off to his best advantage. There was no real mystery as to why his mind had picked him for its pleasure, he was stunning.

The blond shivered, shaking his head. This was exactly the sort of thinking he'd been trying to avoid all day. He didn't want to think about this guy at all. He needed to think about something else…anything else.

He refocused on the AWOL bartender instead. Naruto was a little worried about the brunette. Usually if Shikamaru was sick or not coming in to work he would call ahead. To skip without telling anyone for no reason at all was just out of character for the brunette.

Naruto continued to stew as he dug into his pocket for his cell phone, selecting one of the few contacts he had stored in it. As it rang for Shikamaru, the blond finished locking up the café and began to make his way home.

The answering machine picked up after two rings; either the Nara forgot to charge his cell, or he was in a area without coverage. The calm voice on the other end encouraged him to leave a message, but warned that the call probably wouldn't be returned unless the caller was Tsunade or the President.

"Hey, man it's me. Listen we're all kind of worried about you. Call me back you lazy bum so I can get some sleep tonight. I had to stay late and lock up for you. This is the last time that I'm covering for your slug-butt. See you tomorrow."

He flicked the phone shut, but Naruto still couldn't shake the uneasiness roaming around in the back of his mind. He simply couldn't help but fell that something was wrong.

In that moment, the blond made up his mind to stop by Shikamaru's place. The Uaumaki spun on his heel and began to bustle in the opposite direction. He hurried down the dim streets, spurred on by the growing chill and the thought of finding his friend safe and sound. It would be worth getting called an idiot by the Nara once he got there, just so long as he found the brunette lounging around his apartment.

Naruto laughed. It was a lame attempt to reassure himself, and hitched as he shivered, but the tactic worked a little at least. He wasn't as worried now. Only apprehension swirled around his brain.

At least he had something to distract himself from errant, awkward thoughts of Sasuke…

He rushed around a corner and glanced up just in time to gasp out as he collided with a man coming from the other direction.

Reflexively, the blond fisted both hands into the material of the man's coat, bunching it at the shoulders while he fought not to overcompensate for the sudden stop by pulling both he and the other man over. His chest pressed against the stranger's, so tightly that he could feel the heat coming through the thick jacket and the firm, lean muscles under the coat.

Naruto glanced up and cursed his reflexes. He'd grabbed onto Uchiha Sasuke...again!

The blond pushed back, still muttering expletives as he quickly too two steps away from the Uchiha. He wondered if it was too late to turn and run the other way, or if the escape was worth offending the powerful man since they had quite obviously seen each other.

Visions of Sasuke ordering his henchmen to drag Naruto back and demanding an explanation in his oh, so calm and collected tone of authority ran through the blonds' brain. Before he could make a decision either way, Sasuke made the choice for him.

"Naruto,"

Crap, it was too late now. "Hey," The blonds' hard swallow was visible even in the distorted half-light cast by the barely functioning street lamps. His hand drifted upward and began to rub the back of his neck, a nervous habit which Sasuke recognized from the night before. "What a coincidence, meeting you here on this street all by yourself in the middle of the night…" Naruto winced when he realized just how stalker-ish that sentence sounded. "I-I mean…" He tried again. "…you're here and I'm here…" This wasn't going well.

Sasuke surprisingly enough came to his rescue. "I took the night off."

The blond suddenly registered his outfit. The raven was not clad in his typical stylish and sexy clothing; he wore a black and silver Columbia jacket over dark blue jeans and a black leather loafer-type shoe that Naruto had never seen before. Although that wasn't all that surprising he'd never seen the shoe, he wasn't exactly known for his styling outfits.

It was weird to see the Uchiha not dressed in something that walked off a runway. In the clothing he wore right now, the man almost looked…normal; drop-dead gorgeous and frighteningly sexy, but more normal than Naruto had ever seen him before. He found that he liked the change, not that he didn't like the clothing that Sasuke normally wore, but the casual look made him seem more approachable. Not that he was looking…

Naruto cleared his throat and forced his thoughts off that uncomfortable track.

"A day off huh?" He grinned wryly. "Yeah, I'm sure that you're very stressed because off all that 'work' you do sitting around and watching everybody in your club. It must be really stressful, rubbing elbows with all those high-class clients. What a pain."

As soon as the words left his mouth Naruto regretted them. Sasuke said nothing as he walked past him and on down the street, but the air around the Uchiha crackled with a very frightening aura. Guilt overcame the defensive sarcasm and Naruto reached out to grab Sasuke's arm.

The raven's head whipped around, his face never changing, but the look in his eyes was…murderous. Naruto almost let go of Sasuke's arm, almost. But for some reason the idea of watching Sasuke walk away mad at him unsettled the blond. He wanted to clear the air between them, he couldn't explain why.

"Don't get mad, please," The Uzumaki blurted. "I was being a jerk. I'm sure that it's a bunch of pressure and hard work and all that. I totally couldn't do that. I can barely handle all the weird crap in my life; I think that if I had to run a business with all that financial stuff on top of everything that's happening now, I'd go insane."

He'd loosened he grip on the raven's arm, allowing Sasuke to take back his trapped limb. The man did, but made no other move to continue his walk away from Naruto. The blond wondered at the relief the man's inaction triggered within himself.

"What's been happening to you?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked and stared dumbly into the Uchiha's direct gaze. The question clicked and suddenly he was searching for an escape route again. Sasuke wanted to know what kind of things were causing him stress at the moment… Well, there was the pressure of working something like sixty hours a week, there was that stupid incident with the gay dance partners and the really hot wet dream afterwards. There was this odd fascination Naruto was beginning to develop with the man standing directly in front of him. There was all the Akatsuki crap going on and trying to take them down as Kyuubi, a role he hadn't even been able to assume for days. These weren't exactly topics which one would discuss over coffee.

"Well…" The blond stammered and remembered the reason he had been heading in this direction in the first place. He spat out the excuse and hoped upon hope that the Uchiha would swallow it. It was true after all, just not the whole truth. "A co-worker of mine is missing and I'm pretty worried about him."

Thankfully, Sasuke's curiosity seemed pacified. "Missing,"

"Yeah," Naruto heaved an internal sigh of relief. "Nobody's seen him since last night and he didn't show up to work without any advance notice which is totally like him. So I was on my way over to his house right now to see if he'd okay."

"Where does this co-worker of yours live?"

"Shikamaru?" Naruto glanced over his shoulder and pointed off down the dark street. "He rents an apartment a few more blocks that way. I think that he said the complex was owned by a friend's cousin or something like that." The blond wasn't sure why Sasuke needed to know that detail, or why he was rambling, but his mouth continued to work. "Anyway, you'd know it if you saw it. It's tall and made of brick and it's a little run down, but…why are you laughing? What's so funny you jerk?"

The Uchiha's 'laugh' had consisted of a single "Che…" and the slightest lift to the corners of his mouth. But the blonds' reaction was understandable; it was probably the most he had ever seen Sasuke smile. It was the most the raven had ever let anyone see him smile.

"You've just described half the buildings in this city."

Naruto's temper flared, igniting a brashness which Iruka had warned him about. He tended to make poor choices when he was angry, more impulsive and less rational than normal. This time was certainly no exception.

Before he could rethink the impulse, the man had taken up the Uchiha's wrist again and was hauling Sasuke down the street. He ignored the heat seeping down his neck and muttered bad-temperedly.

"Fine, I'll show you, you jerk."

.:XX:.

It was exactly as Naruto had described. The building had been originally constructed using brick, which looked to have been close to fifty years ago by Sasuke's estimation.

Several large patches of the crumbling red brick had been filled in or replaced completely with cement. The effect was almost comical; the clash of light grey and russet brick forming a haphazard patchwork which looked something like the blotchy completion of an adolescent.

The alley had indeed contained several mainly black fire escapes; though these too were well aged. The rust on many showed through the poor attempt to repaint them.

Unfortuantely, this sad apartment complex blended in quite well with the buildings around it, a gloomy testament to the economic distress Konoha was feeling right now.

"See," Naruto's triumphant grin was plainly visible even from where he stood five feet away. He had long since released Sauke's arm when he had been thoroughly convinced that the Uchiha wouldn't run away. It hadn't taken much effort on the raven's end, a simple: "Let go of my arm moron." A few minutes later they had arrived at the place, the blond happily shoving his hands into his pocket.

"I told you."

"Do you plan on staring at it all night?" Sasuke redirected sardonically, a tone he was not in a habit of using in the company of those whom he did not know well. But the question was already posed, thus it did little good to rehash such trivialities.

The blonds' body language changed immediately from 'exhalant' to 'nervous'. He kicked at a crack in the sidewalk with the toe of his tennis show and mumbled. "You might as well come too."

Before the Uchiha could open his mouth, Naruto was rushing to explain. "You're already come this far, it wouldn't be fair for you nit to find out."

Sasuke chose not to point out that since he had no connection to this 'Shikamaru' person, it really wasn't all that critical to him to find out whether the man was all right or not. To bring things like that to Naruto's attention would also drag out other tid-bits, such as: the raven wasn't a typical part of his life. So pointing it out would've made the blond feel awkward around him again.

They walked in. Sasuke grit his teeth as the door squealed slowly open and shut behind them.

The inside was even more decrepit then the outside, if that were possible. The carpet, what little hadn't been worn away from years of tenants shoes scraping over it, was dirty and cement grey. The three fluorescent lights which still functioned at all, flickered, casting a barrage of shadows dancing across the ancient living room set pushed carelessly against one paneled wall.

Sasuke couldn't believe that someone would willingly live in such a place. If this was a form of capital punishment, a place of exile, he might not have wondered why Naruto's friend would subjugate himself to such sub-standard living conditions. But it was not; to the Uchiha was wondering not simply about the former, but why the man would pay for the privilege. Surely there were better accommodations to be found in Konoha even in this hard time.

The blond led him past the elevator. A crudely written, age wrinkled paper sign stuck to the stained aluminum doors declared that the machine was 'temporarily out of order'. Sasuke wondered how long temporary lasted in a place like this.

They headed up a set of stairs near the back which was in the same condition as the fire escapes outside. Rust showed prominently through the black paint and the steps groaned in protest when the combined weight of both men began to climb up. This was ridiculous.

After what seemed an eternity, they finally reached the fifth floor. Naruto stopped led the way through another badly squeaking door to the long, unlit hallway beyond.

"This way." The blond started off into the blackness with the boldness of someone who could see perfectly. The Uchiha kept up, though he trailed his fingertips along the rough wall as he went. He had no desire to crash into anything and appear the fool.

They stopped in front of the last door on that hall. "Here it is." The Uzumaki tapped his knuckles sharply against the coarse wood, calling his friend's name quietly. Sasuke was glad at least that Naruto had the presence of mind to consider the rooms around them were more than likely filled with sleeping tenants.

The blond received no response.

Frowning, he rapped again, this time a little louder. "Hey, Shikamaru, it's me, Naruto. Hurry up and let me in."

Once more the door stayed firmly in place. No sound emerged from inside.

Sasuke's eyes had adjusted to the dim light. He watched as the blonds' hand curled into a fist. The man drew back his arm, ready to pummel the door with a series of hammering blows which would more than likely wake every person on this floor who wasn't already awake.

He grabbed Naruto's wrist a fraction of an inch from the door, glaring at the blond miscreant.

"Idiot."

The raven let go and knelt, pulling out a small metal case no bigger than a deck of cards from inside of his coat. Sasuke opened it and delicately selected a thin something from inside, lifting it out and away pinioned between a thumb and index finger before bending over the lock.

Naruto was about to ask what exactly the Uchiha was doing when he heard a soft 'click' and the door swung inwards.

"Yes!" The blond fist-pumped and pulled Sasuke inside the apartment, kicking the door shut as they came through. His excitement drained away as his gaze travelled around the small room.

The place had been trashed. Furniture had been overturned, all two pieces besides the bed. The mattress lay half off the wire bed frame; springs stuck out from gigantic slashes in the material. Pillows had been torn open and feathers littered the floor. Books and what few knick-knacks Shikamaru processed had been thrown about, either smashed or shredded.

The wallpaper had been torn away in some places, the mulch green hanging down in loose folds. At first glance, that destruction blended in with the chaos around it. But a second inspection revealed the reason behind the madness. Where the wallpaper had been torn away formed letters on the unpainted wall behind. "Fear the Akatsuki…"

The curse that escaped his lips was weak and faint as Naruto's legs gave out. He fell to his knees in the middle of the apartment floor, feathers flying up on the sudden cushion of air. Realization and despair and despair gripped his chest as he stared down at the pile of resettling feathers between his knees.

"I knew it…" He whispered. "I knew something was wrong." Moisture gathered at the corner of his eyes, but Naruto was too dazed to care.

"Why would someone do this?" The Uzumaki managed between gulps of air. "Who would do something like this to Shikamaru?" Wild assumptions began soaring about is shock numbed mind.

This was his fault, he was sure. Somehow the Akatsuki had found out that he was Kyuubi and they were punishing him. They were going after his friends; this was all because of him…

"Naruto," Sasuke's voice seemed to be coming from far away.

His vision blurred, but this time it wasn't the tears. Black threaded along the edges of his world, fatigue weighed down his limbs, making it impossible for the blond to move. He tipped backwards, slowly collapsing into the wrecked floor as unconsciousness wrapped its welcoming arms around him.

ナルト

He was safe. He wasn't sure exactly where he was, somewhere on the southern end of the Naruto Bridge, but he was still alive. For the moment at least.

The brunette hadn't stopped cursing his stupid out-of-character moment since he'd made it the night before; although, at the time, it had seemed like the friendly thing to do. Now he was on the run, hiding for his life and wondering how his safe and sound mentality had gotten him into such a predicament.

Oh, yeah, it hadn't…

He'd gotten tired of Ino and Sakura quickly after Naruto had left. The prospect heading alone to his poor excuse for a living space was as unappealing as staying and listening to the two slightly drunk women writing odes to this Uchiha Sasuke's unerring beauty. He'd supposed that heading to 'Sound' after his foolish blond friend was probably as good an option as the other two. Naruto hadn't said that he was heading to the Uchiha owned club, but Shikamaru was no simpleton. It was so painfully obvious where the blond was going that it was almost sad.

He'd planned on catching up with the man on the way, being a sort of moral support and having a few more drinks before he went home.

Fate, however, had not been so kind.

He was almost over the bridge before it happened. There had been thirty of them, they had appeared before Shikamaru had time to do anything but hide behind the nearest available cover: an overflowing garbage dumpster. It was there he had had watched events unfold; the calling out and the slaughter which followed. He hadn't even realized that he'd taken his phone out until he'd snapped the first blurry picture. He'd taken twenty or so of the grainy photos by the time the two men had left in pursuit of the few who had escaped their initial assault.

Hands numb and trembling, the brunette had crept from his hiding place and quickly snapped a few images of the bodies.

He'd figured on turning the pictures in to the police that night. But when he'd arrive half an hour later, sweating and chest heaving from his frantically paced sprint, nothing had remained of the station but a smoldering mass of concrete and disembodied limbs. After that, Shikamaru hadn't know what to do. He'd been banking on giving the information to the only honest cop he knew: Sarutobi Asuma. Now, the brunette didn't even know if his friend was alive anymore. He would've called Kurenai, but his phone had died on the way to his apartment.

Shikamaru's finger's tightened around the dead device in his pocket. The data stored on his memory card was enough evidence to condemn both men he'd seen last night to prison at the very least. And he had a feeling that they knew what he had and the implications of those images. They weren't going to let him get away.

They had discovered him somehow. They'd figured out that he was there during the killing. He wasn't sure how, or how they'd found out where his apartment was located, but they had.

The only thing that saved him was his impulse to look into his room's window. He'd seen them inside, literally tearing through his room. The hooded one had spotted him and crashed through his window, not wasting time opening the dirty glass. Shikamaru had heard the crash of a heavy body impacting against the rusty metal of the fire escape. He'd started running then and he hadn't stopped until exhaustion forced him to take shelter in a building nearby.

He was somewhere in the South end of Konoha in one of the many derelict constructs which dotted the neglected area. He knew that he couldn't hope to hide forever. But he had nowhere to go. He wasn't even sure who he could trust.

He had to think the situation through.

The brunette took a deep breath to steady his pounding head and racing heart. His veins still thrummed with heavily pumping blood, his hands shook with unspent adrenaline. He leaned against the nearest wall, sinking slowly to rest on the dust covered ground. The next breath came easier, calming him and clearing his head.

Asuma had always that he had a good head on his shoulders. He needed to stop reacting and start using his intellect.

Shikamaru thought that he remembered Naruto saying something to him about his foster father dating a detective. The blond had also mentioned that the guy…Kakashi something or other, was working on a case to bring down the gangs, but lacked solid evidence to link the crimes to the organizations. Shikamaru knew enough about Naruto to know that he could hardly approve of the man if he was crooked which meant that he might help the Nara, provided Shikamaru could find him in the first place. That seemed to be the problem which needed solving because the brunette had no idea where this Kakashi lived, or even where Iruka stayed for that matter.

But he had been to Naruto's plenty. Ideas started swirling, forming and reforming as his mind worked hastily. Naruto would know where Iruka lived at the very least.

It was decided then. The Nara would get to Narutos', ask him for directions to Iruka's home and then get the information to the man's cop boyfriend. It was simple enough, but one he hoped could be completed before he was found and sacrificed to whatever messed up deity the silver-haired man served.

Shikamaru was about to stand up when he heard a familiar voice just outside the wall at his back. Fear pooled in his gut and he could feel his pulse starting to speed up again.

"Man, this is so annoying Kakuzu. Where else could he have gone off to? This is pointless; we must've searched half the city. This is such a pain."

"Shut up," Shikamaru's eyes widened and his blood ran cold. They were both still on his trail. They were close and they were getting angry. "…or I'll kill you!"

"Oh, come on, don't be so tense." The brunette heard the Satanist say. "I know you're just as tired as I am. Why don't we take a break for a little bit? I'll even let you kill the guy when we find him."

Shikamaru strained to hear the other's response through the pounding of blood in his ears.

"Yeah…"

The Nara's relief was short lived.

"…but let's check this one building out and then we can take a break."