don't own naruto but I do own a tree
She kept her gaze salutary and low, only flickering up ever now and then to catch a person's suggestive eye, lingering on her form. She wore her hair down, glamorous gold locks swayed alluringly in time with the music; shorter wisps of hair masked half of her face, creating a mysterious silhouette.
Her movements like satin, her body seemed to ripple, hips curving exquisitely with every low melodic beat, adding to the allusion with her arms enticingly out stretched. She had cast her spell over the bar, no man could tear his gaze away.
Ino was magnetic from the moment she had walked in, attracting every man's attention, and latching on to it with the subtle arching of her back and the slow rhythmic sway of her hips. She had done her job with style and ease, her main objective to create a diversion.
While shikamaru discretely mingled in with the lustful patrons. It was a working man's bar, it was frequented by very few women, and the rare few that did visit, would be disgruntled wives looking for their wayward husbands.
Ino was a novel and very welcome distraction, allowing Shikamaru to drop names and ask questions here and there, with out ever really being noticed or remembered.
'Men are truly simple beings' Shikamaru thought as he slipped back out the tavern doors 'And women over complicated disasters.'
That had been entirely too easy, he had manage to acquire all the necessary Intel in matter of hours. Now all they needed to do was actually locate the target, which would require the expertise of the rest of his absent squad members.
He sighed as he leant back onto the damp grimy wall, currently waiting for Ino in a secluded alleyway, around the corner from the bar. What was taking her so long, her cue was to leave five minutes after he did. Peering down at his watch, it had almost been about twelve minutes since he had left.
Scanning the poorly lit pub door, then back down to the watch on his wrist. He reluctantly decided to go back in, upon entering he found to his dismay; she was no longer there. She couldn't have left he'd been watching the entrance from outside.
He the swallowed lump of apprehension that had risen from his chest, still managing to think of several different possible scenarios. He checked the area for another exit, the was a back door but it was bolted shut, no one should have been able to come in or out of it.
"Hey" he said in his gruffest voice, approaching one the men at the bar, "you see where the pretty blond went?"
The man chuckled, "your best giving up on her mate, I saw her leave with Takeo, the man lives up to his name if you know what I mean."
"I am not sure I do, is he some tough guy around here or something." He probed a little further. Buying the guy another drink, hoping it would make him a little more obliging to give out information.
"You could say that, Takeo could take you out alone." He said drunkenly eyeing up Shikamaru slim frame. "But even if you could take him, he runs with this gang."
"Gang?" Shikamaru repeated
"Yeah you know how it goes, you mess with one you mess with them all, No matter how much you want the woman, she just aint' worth it, there are plenty of others in the sea and all." The man said consoling Shikamaru with a pat on his back.
"Dammit" he cursed as he left the bar "What the hell Ino why didn't you stick to the plan now, I've got the troublesome task of looking for you" He was grumbling in his head as he paced back and forth looking for any clue that would point him in the right direction.
"O stop moaning, you do nothing but moan gessh Shika." Shikamaru jumped startled by the sudden intrusion of Ino's voice in his head.
"I hate it when you do this, where the hell are you" Shikamaru thought back.
"It couldn't be helped it the only way I could contact you." Ino saw the sudden surge of images in his head, the countless possible ways she was injured or detained, all fueled by his imagination. "Calm down Shika I am fine."
"Just listen carefully, I am with this man." An image of a tall muscular man with a scar on the right side of his cheek appeared in his mind. "His names Takeo, he thinks I am some high end prostitute, he said he wanted to buy a night with me for his boss."
"I hope your going some where with this Ino, we've got bigger fish to fry them some lowly gang of thugs." Shikamaru cut in.
"Of course I am!" He could also feel the hint of indignation that came with her thought "look" she showed him the image of a tattoo on the back of the man's neck, more specifically a tattoo of a black Kanji spelling the words 'luck in disaster'. "Doesn't this look familiar." Ino thought with satisfaction, as Shikamru's mind raced through all the reports he had read of nin missing and loyal randomly turning up dead the only thing common with all of them was this tattoo.
"Make sure you stay in contact with me Ino, I am going to the rendezvous point to get the others." He could feel her emotion of determination as she thought the words "understood." Then the connection was cut, and he was once again alone in his mind.
If Ino came through and this man was somehow connected to the ninja deaths, then this man could be the answer that helps him unravel the whole mystery.