CHAPTER 9

12 a.m. Tokyo, Shinjiku

Two people that were no longer alive lying on the ground, a pool of blood around their bodies; judging from their attires, probably company workers. Another man, wearing a black leather outfit, was also lying dead not far from the other bodies, but this one looked like he was being electrocuted, and the humming electric panel just confirmed the suspicion, as well as his burned up clothes, peeling purple skin and black bones, a weird looking sword thrown somewhere in front of him, probably his.

About five or so meters away from the "dead gang" one sun kissed young man, that looked painfully alike the one and only Uzumaki Naruto, was screaming in agony, a hand on his bleeding abdomen, another was supporting his head, dropped on his knees, like he was sending prayers to the Heavens, looking like he was about to pass out any time.

Not far from him, another unknown dude in an outfit similar to what the other one was wearing was watching the scene somehow shocked, but this one was alive, had a scary looking sword in his right hand and looked really angry, probably because his partner decided to be a bitch and "sleep" in the middle of the party. That or he was killed by the wincing in pain Uzumaki. Probably both. Then the said man started to threaten Naruto, like he was some action movie super hero, ready to beat the hell out of the bad guys and save the planet.

This is the scene that Sakura has come to, as soon as she climbed the side emergency stairs and run to the end of the golden hall, a poor illuminated area was being witness to whatever atrocious battle has taken place there, probably from the electric generator.

Her emerald sharp eyes quickly assessed the situation in front of her. It didn't take a genius to realize Uzumaki was fighting the masked dude in black with a sword like he came straight from a history book and he was losing badly, so as soon as she sensed the said assassin lunging forward, gripping the sword tightly, in a position that looked unprofessional for a sword fighter, but screamed murder intent, she didn't waste anymore time.

Sakura run as fast as she could and in an instant she was in front of her Akatsuki colleague and rival, performing a butterfly kick, her delicate body spinning horizontally in a circle, like an aerial cartwheel, legs perfectly high angled horizontally, lifted from the ground and swung around.

Her small back arched, using both her hands as a support to increase the speed and help the rotation, successfully stopping the frantic assassin, by kicking him straight in the face and throwing him backwards. The said man landed on his back with a loud thud and a short scream.

He attempted to stand up and attack her again, but Sakura wouldn't have it, so as soon as she landed, she pulled out her Bo Staff, balanced it between her hands, stepped forward with her left foot and stroked forward cutting the distance between them, in a blink of an eye and hit his hand with her Staff, breaking his bone, successfully making him throw the sword.

Then with a final downward thrust, Sakura raised her right hand, lowered her left one, so that the staff was tilted at about a 45-degree angle, extended her right arm by bringing her left one across her chest, forcefully thrusting the low end of the staff downward the man's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him, causing a great damage on the bunch of nerves, creating a great pain. But just as sudden, she pushed a short senbon needle, used for acupuncture, in one of his neck pressure points, incapacitating him.

Now that she made sure he was not going to be a bother anymore, Sakura focused her attention on the suffering CIA Akatsuki. She assessed the situation, taking in the symptoms: he looked like he was going to pass out any moment, screaming at the top of his lungs (which was abnormal for such a skilled agent-yeah Sakura didn't quite like the Akatsuki members, but it didn't mean she was not giving them credit) in agony, clenching his teeth, a hand was gripping his lower abdomen, like his very life depended upon it.

Sakura run to him, placed a hand on his shoulder attempting to make him lie down to have a better view, but he started to scream and cry out more, shaking violently. She usually didn't feel pity for the other agents, it was their mission after all and they were doing it on their own free will, but the way Naruto looked like stirred something close enough to pity inside her heart. And a sudden unknown instinct to protect him kicked in, making her wish to do something to soothe his raging pain.

She tried to be as gentle as possible when she talked to him, telling him everything was going to be all right, but his eyes were unfocused, like he had difficulty in taking in his surroundings. It was like he was making a great effort to stay conscious. And the sudden pain and the cut that he was covering with his hand…everything started to fall into place for Sakura ` s sharp mind.

As gently as she could, she took his hand away, assessing the cut: it was deep and horizontal, looking like it was done by something long and extremely sharp. She looked on her left and spotted a blade with blood stains on it, that looked fresh.

Of course it was the dead masked man's, but it could have been used to kill the other two civilians. Sakura concluded it was probably used to kill them and cut Naruto.

She quickly put two and two together: a deep sword's cut, a stabbing pain in his lower abdomen, strong enough to make a man like Naruto cry like a newborn, dehydration symptoms, vertigo and slightly delirium and he looked like he was about to throw up any moment from there, only led to one conclusion:

"Arsenic poisoning…shit…"

So the sword had arsenic on its blade, and when it stabbed Naruto, it did more than cutting him, it poisoned him as well. That was bad, if there was a high dosage running through his system, which would explain the sudden symptoms, shock and dead would soon follow.

So she quickly pulled out a small vial of dimercaprol, took a syringe from her back pack (she always had medication with her, it was something she was taught by Tsunade since her first training lessons) and injected the said substance in Naruto`s vein.

She knew she was not so late, because she too received his SOS signal, successfully managing to track it on her own GPS, although it was partly jammed, but that could have been either from the aerials around or from an unknown source, maybe from the suspects that attacked Akatsuki.

A quick call to his boss Orochimaru confirmed her suspicion: Akatsuki team was following what looked like a black van, consisting in five masked men that might have been Lorane, by using a printed copy of a satellite view of the said black car, took by the Sound.

Sakura was aware of the side effects of the chelation therapy, as well as it was required to be administered with care, but it was the only way to avoid an imminent death. And where the hell were his partners anyways?

"Fuckin useless idiots…c`mon Uzumaki don't die on me, I don't want to explain your sudden departure to Neverland, to your brooding boss and frustrated Akatsuki members…"

But the said Uzumaki looked like he was already in La La Land, playing with pink aliens on Pluto…well he was always looking like he had a melon instead of a brain, but now it was ten times worse than usual. At least, he wasn't shaking that bad anymore, which was good.

Sakura heard a small buzz coming from his ear, so she took a peek and spotted his in-ear receiver. Oh good, his useless team mates were trying to communicate. She took the small device and answered the call, hearing a deep manly imperative voice at the end of the line, which probably belonged to the famous Hyuga Neji.

So Sakura promptly cut him off (oh god that was probably hurting his ego and Sakura was mentally applauding herself for that) and attempted to inform him about Uzumaki`s critical condition "Hyuga…You have to come here…ASAP…I found Uzumaki and he is…" but she stopped when she heard three consecutive shrills piercing the air.

"God, this is more annoying than the fireworks from the independence day…"

She quickly checked her tracking device to check on her playboy of a boss, that had the decency to make her job easier and eat his lunch as soon as he arrived at his company, successfully ingesting the now active small GPS device.

Good, he was safe and sound in his office, along with two more people, probably his company colleagues or business partners. So the shoots were not coming from the Mangekyou. Sakura exhaled, relief washed through her, heart thumping on her chest, forcing her to take sharp breathes in attempt to calm down the adrenaline rush.

For a moment Sakura thought that he…no she didn't want to go there. She was slightly scared that they might have heard the gun shoots, but then realized the building was probably soundproof. Sasuke looked like the type to prefer working in a silent and calm environment.

She once again focused on the injured Akatsuki member, the cut on his hip was pretty large and still bleeding and she spotted another one on his thigh. God he was made a human piñata. She quickly appliedantiseptics on the cuts (she was glad she didn't take peroxide, the cuts were deep and that would have only intensified the pain) and bandaged them.

She took a better look at the hip and the tight. Both looked pretty bad, but although the hip cut was deeper and bigger, the tight was bleeding faster and more. She quickly made sure it was not coming from the femoral artery, because if that happened the said man would have been dead and gone soon.

But it didn't, he was lucky the said swordsman had barely missed it, most likely hitting the femoral vein instead, which raised another suspicion: the Lorane were skilled swordsman, but somehow the one that made the cut didn't seem to posses great abilities. Weird…

She quickly removed one of her elastic pink arm sleeves, folded it into half to make it tighter and thicker, elevated the injured leg, maintaining the pressure on the bleeding wound using a cloth, searched for a pressure point and applied pressure against the bone and applied the tourniquet. It was the only way to stop the bleeding.

She then focused on the hip cut. God it looked really nasty, the skin was pierced and bruised, blood dropping in big rivulets. Sakura`s mind sized up her options: she needed a large cloth to make a triangular bandage for hip. She only had small bandages on her backpack.

The Sound agent quickly stripped the light pink miniskirt she was wearing over her tight black biker shorts, folded it in a triangle shape, torn the point to the base, then tied the two points around Naruto`s thigh. She then pulled the skirt up till his waistline, folding the ends.

All this time, his cries never ceasing, also it looked like he wanted to tell her something, but he choked up his words, because of his cry. He was trembling and all his body betrayed agonizing pain, salty liquid filling his half opened eyes, his tears rolling over his pale cheeks. Almost unwittingly she placed a gentle hand on his forehead, in a protective manner. This seemed to calm him a bit, for he moved his head slowly, trying to follow her hand, but somehow couldn't.

"God damn it Uzumaki…"

He needed to be taken to hospital immediately, but she alone couldn't move him and bring him down, where she knew some ambulances were providing first aid for the civilians caught in the car crashes. Sakura needed Neji for that, so she attempted to contact him once more, this time using her own devices, because Naruto`s was slightly cracked.

"Hyuga, can you hear me, this is Haruno Sakura speaking."

"Athena? Where are you, is Naruto with you?"

"He is with me, I gave him first aid, but he is badly injured and delirious. He needs medical help ASAP."

"Are you using a device to block my GPS signal? I cannot see you in the building."

"Yes, I do. But I will turn it off for you to see me. You have to come here quickly, the police is on the road. They will be here in no time."

"I can't, the other suspect I was following has shoot three times, from where the Mangekyou is located. I have to make sure he…"

"Don't worry about him yet, I checked on Sasuke, he is fine, your man is not in the Mangekyou, he is probably nearby. "

"Ok, I can see you both now, as well as the other two men, which I supposed were taken care of. I will be there in no time. "

"Roger that."

Sakura hung up on the Hyuga and took another look at his fallen comrade. She has managed to bandage his wounds and inject an antidote. He was going to make it somehow, although he needed to be taken care of immediately. She stood up abruptly, proceeding to the first two dead bodies. She pulled out her special phone and took some quick pictures.

She has seen the cut on their chest, but something didn't sit right with her. She was going to take a better look on the photos later, also she was going to ask Orochimaru to take a copy of the police's criminal investigation report, send it to her and study every detail.

She took some more pictures of the swordsmen and their swords especially. At first glance it looked like Lorane, but Sakura wouldn't jump to conclusions without further investigation.

She knew the one she has incapacitated was not dead, she has made sure of it, he was going to be unconscious for at least 24 hours so Akatsuki could take him and perform a full interrogation on him. This or leaving him to the police officers, is not like they were able to take one more incapacitated man with them. But he was valuable. Any information that could lead to Lorane was priceless.

"…mmmpppmm…r-r-raaamen….I…am….rammmmmmen…." the said delirious Uzumaki started to hallucinate, and go guess about what his little brain was thinking about. Sakura didn't know if she should be worried about his not so happy state of body and mind, or to slap herself.

"God really now…" she got closer to him, kneed on his side and checked his pulse. His heart was thumping in his chest, pulse higher than normal. Sakura really hoped his comrade would come in time, or else Naruto could develop ventricular tachycardia. She knew that in his delirious state, what the poor man tried to ask for was water. He was dehydrated because of the arsenic poisoning. And she didn't have a single drop to give him either.

Sakura studied his fingernail pigmentation and it was slightly changed. He was sweaty and extremely pale. At least the convulsions were not that severe anymore, which was good, because it was a sign the antidote was working properly. "Really now, how do you guys always find yourselves in such situations…"

She checked the GPS tracking device one more time to make sure the Uchiha was in no danger and then pulled out her phone and dialed. They needed a cover soon, it is not like they could go in hospital and tell the doctors "Well, you know, we have an extreme case of arsenic poisoning, because we encountered some Freemasons that wanted to kill us with poisoned swords, but this is ok, we are used to it, shut up, do your jobs and do not blow our covers. Oh and by the way, be careful they could come and kill you too because you helped us."

"Cherry, what is going on there? Tobirama is driving the Akatsuki crazy"

"Papa Oro, I found Akatsuki and they are in serious trouble, we need help."

"How bad?"

"Uzumaki Naruto was poisoned with arsenic, by one of the man he was fighting. I impaled the other one, but there are also two other dead civilians in the hall we are in. I called Hyuga for backup. His teammate needs to get to the hospital."

"I can see you all on the map. The Hyuga kid is coming your way using the emergency stairs, also there are two more people on the fourth floor, stuck in what looks like a storage room and one of them is not moving."

"Do you mean there are more assassins here than the ones Uzumaki and Hyuga were fighting?"

"I cannot say for sure, it might be their other Akatsuki teammate, Ten Ten. Either way, one of them is heading your way, using the stairs as well."

"So one down, the other is heading my way….then is most likely Ten Ten…or I do hope so, I cannot stay here any longer, Uzumaki is injured and I have to keep an eye on my stupid boss." Sakura was following Neji on the GPS, praying to all the Gods up there the man was going to show up quicker. She didn't have any opening in the hall and didn't know the situation outside.

"Cherry, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has just received an emergency alert. It looks like they have been informed about the murderers from Shiseido Ginza, as well as the one from Shinjuku Granbell Hotel."

That dumbfounded Sakura who tried to formulate an escape plan. There had been activity in more buildings? And the said hotel was just near Sasuke`s Mangekyou which was more than bad news. What if the assassin heads to the company and attempt to murder the Uchiha heir as well, taking advantage of the tumult? And wasn't Neji supposed to keep an eye of him? This is why he was not in the Shiseido building after all…

"Do you mean there are more murder attempts out there? Do you have more details?"

"Not at the moment, I am doing my best to gather more information and try to track the killer, but he is probably long gone by now. How is the younger Uchiha?"

"He is fine, I can see his signal loud and clear. According to the building's map, he has been in his office for three hours now, along with two other people."

"Do you mean you are able to see him on GPS?"

"Yeah…well not exactly on the normal GPS, I used the nano device on him, by inserting it into his lunch. It started functioning this morning. Thanks God he doesn't skip lunch, or else I wouldn't have been able to back Akatsuki up. Why do you ask Oro?

"Maybe it will sound strange, but I cannot quite see anything inside the Mangekyou on the moment. I get the satellite's L1 carrier frequency signals but I cannot demodulate the binary sequence. The Golden Code doesn't work for unknown reasons."

"What?! Have you tried both the Coarse/Acquisition Code and the Precision Code?" Now that threw Sakura off. What powerful signal was her sensei talking about? It couldn't have been a normal security system all the buildings usually used, that could have easily been jammed. Was it coming from the suspects? Were they concealing their identities?

"Yes. But apparently there is a very powerful foreign signal interfering with the satellite, using a higher frequency, that causes a more powerful Doppler effect, making the demodulation impossible. I will get Aburame to look onto that later."

"Now this is truly weird…then how am I able to fully locate him since the GPS doesn't get the signal from the satellite?"

"Because your device is using X-Ray technology. It does not entirely work on the GPS principle. It was smart of you to use that device Sakura."

"Well it was more like pure luck. I didn't get the chance to sneak a tracking device on his clothes or hack his phone."

"Well I cannot help you with that Cherry, so keep a close eye on him. Also as soon as the two Akatsuki get there leave immediately, the police will be there in about 2 or 3 more minutes, depending on the traffic. Do not worry for anything else, I have everything covered. Just make sure no one sees you."

"Roger that, thank you Papa, I will call you later." As soon as Sakura hung up on her boss, one very sweaty and angry looking Neji Hyuga appeared in the hall, looking like he was participating in the 100 meters sprint race.

"Athena!"

Sakura turned her head and looked into the Akatsuki member's direction. He was running towards her, a gun in one hand, his own GPS tracking device in the other, looking like he was chased by angry monkeys in the Jungle.

"It was about damn time Hyuga, the police will be here in no time, we have to get out of here now!"

"I know but apparently there has been another murder in the Shinjuku Granbell Hotel. I am sure you have heard the firearm shoots as well." He wasted no time in picking Naruto up, taking a hold of his torso by sneaking his right hand under his armpit and leaning his head on his broad shoulder. He was in no condition to stand on his feet and looked delirious as well.

"I had to make sure it was not coming from the Mangekyou, but I couldn't see anything inside on my GPS. I caught a weak signal from the black van and it was already on the move."

"So you lost him?" Sakura was now picking up her own devices and shoved them into her small backpack.

Neji was already on his way to the emergency exit, having difficulties in supporting the Uzumaki, which was not taller than the Hyuga, but he was bulkier. Sakura came and took a hold of Naruto from the other side, attempting to support half of his weight, making it easier for Neji and proceed faster. They were on the six floor and they had to hurry up.

"Yeah, but I put a small tracking device on their plate number, this is the reason I haven't come to you as soon as I got your call. The GPS is working, there are heading the opposite direction." Even if he didn't show it, Neji was more than glad Sakura came and helped them.

She didn't need to do that, it was not her mission after all, but she came nonetheless. They were now on the fifth floor, taking care in not injuring the Uzumaki further. He was speaking gibberish, like Mars aliens came and brainwashed his head.

And just as they were about to step on the last stair from the fifth floor and proceed to head down to the fourth floor, they came face to face to a tired looking Ten Ten. She was shocked to see Sakura there as well and she didn't bother to hide it.

"Neji, Athena, what the hell guys?"

"Ten Ten thanks God, why did you turn your in-ear off? I was dead worried I couldn't communicate." Neji almost had a heart attack when he lost the in-ear communication with his fiancé. Also he knew she was fighting someone on the fourth floor, which made him ten times more worried.

Sakura took a quick glimpse of the Akatsuki female member. She had small drops of blood on her nose, probably the remaining of a nosebleed, a bruised check, a hand on her other upper arm and she was limping. "I was a little busy there Neji and I didn't want to be heard. It was dark inside and I could barely see the bastard and kill him."

Ten Ten had one hell of a fight with the masked dude, until she had finally managed to shove the damn needle in his throat and kill him. He managed some very painful kicks on her until she was able to catch him with an axe kick and put him down. But she injured her leg as well.

"Which reminds me…why was the electric generator on?" Even thought it was in broad daylight, for an unknown reason this weird looking red Shiseido building didn't have many openings, so without proper lightning it was quite dark inside. Maybe because they were keeping cosmetics inside which needed a proper temperature and be kept out of the sun rays. Either that or they were all Goths.

"How should I know, there was a moment of blackout then the generator started to function. Maybe Lorane cut off the electricity to stop the security and the CCTVs." Ten Ten really didn't care why in the seven pits of Hell was there a blackout, she had more urgent problems to take care of. It was not like she was able to see much in the storage room anyways.

"Are you sure this guys are Lorane members?"

"Who else? Haven't you seen them? Black outfits, stupid looking masks concealing their identity, weird swords, great fighting skills, killing innocent people? It sounds like Lorane to me."

"Well it is not that obvious to me. Until I see the police's crime report, I will refrain from such dramatic conclusions."

Ten Ten was injured, her teammate looked like he was hit by a truck, they were in desperate need to get out of the building and that despicable woman had to be there from all the places. She really hated this Sound agent's guts. Like Ten Ten needed to be given opinions from her of all the people.

"Well I say this is quite obvious. And what are you doing here anyways, shouldn't you be a good maid and cook some food by now? I know how picky Sasuke could be." The hell with gratitude and cordiality between CIA members, she despised this woman.

Sakura didn't understand what this girl's problem really was. Yes, she wasn't the friendliest and most polite woman in the Universe, she was aware, but to accuse her of being dense and poke her nose into other people's business, when she had just saved one of their partner's asses twice that month was unacceptable.

"Well, I am doing what you were supposed to do, meaning saving your blonde friend's life. Do I need to apologize for not letting him die of poisoning or decapitation? The man I killed looked more that willing to shorten his height."

They were now on the first floor, realizing the reason why they didn't encounter any worker during the "little party" was that all the doors were closed. Probably the security system was engaged or it was all the killer's doing. Either way, their only option was the small door the Akatsuki came in, which meant they should head to the basement.

"HMPFFF…I am sure you didn't even need to do much. Naruto is more than capable to handle his own job." That was a blow to Ten Ten`s ego. The Sound had to step in and save them again. There was no way she was going to thank that woman for that, after all she was there to do her job as an agent. Although, deep inside, she knew she was being hypocrite with Sakura, but she didn't find it in her to care. Not at the moment.

"And in what moment did he look more than able to do his job: when he was screaming his lungs out of pain or when he was three steps away from losing his head?" God if there was someone Sakura hated more than her stupid boss Sasuke, was probably the female CIA population. The men were annoying yes, but the jealous and resentful attitude she got from the other women in the organization was cutting deep inside her.

"Ten Ten drop it already, we were lucky Athena was there and saved Naruto. He would have been long gone if not. C'mon we have to cross the basement and use the door Naruto and you used to enter the building. Let's just hope it is not secured by the Police, or either way it would be a really interesting encounter. "

They were already in the said basement which was poorly illuminated by the electric generator. And Naruto didn't stop crying and winning in pain. Apparently he started to gain consciousness, because he started to stir and attempt to open his eyelids. And he wasn't chanting his favorite word anymore. Which was good a good thing for both Neji and Sakura`s ears. Damn was the blonde idiot loud, he should have auditioned for opera.

"We are going to get Naruto to the hospital using our van. I am sure there were not going to be more available ambulances. Plus, it is faster this way. The ambulances are having a hard time passing the crowded place."

"Only if you are sure you will get there faster than them. Don't risk his life by trying to conceal our identities, it is not worth it."

If Neji was surprised to hear Sakura using such sympathetic words when talking about Naruto, he didn't show it. Maybe this woman was not that bad after all. Either that or she was just being reasonable. "I am sure, besides it is really close to where we are, we are going to be there in no time. Ten Ten get the coordinates for the hospital and set the GPS."

"Already done that, I have found the faster route from here. We need 15 minutes to arrive there, including the traffic signs."

"Ok. There is the door, is now or never."

Neji slowly pushed the said door open and was more than content to find out there was no police officers there. He could have sworn he heard the other members sigh in relief. Nevertheless, he heard police sirens coming from the streets, also the crowd of people was dispersed. Neji really thanked his inspiration to park their SUV right on the building's parking lot.

As soon as they got out, they went to the car and put Naruto in the back seat, in a lying position. Neji quickly went to the driver's seat, already turning the ignition on, not bothering to put on his seatbelt. Ten Ten got in the back as well, supporting Naruto`s head on her lap, taking his hand on her own, whispering soothing words.

"Athena, are you coming with us?" Neji left the passenger's seat opened for Sakura. He didn't mind her around, she helped them when they were in a very unconformable situation and she had medical knowledge. Everyone knew she was Tsunade and Orochimaru`s apprentice.

Sakura was slightly taken aback by his request, but she was good at concealing it. "No, I will stay here and take care of the Uchiha. I will hack Shiseido`s security system and erase the CCTV recordings as well. And I will try to get a grasp of whatever happened in the other building." She was holding her tracking device in her small hand, never once losing sight of her boss, her emerald orbs already following the direction of the Mangekyou.

Sakura unzipped her backpack and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper, drafting something fast." By the way, if you have water with you, be sure to give your colleague as much as possible, he is suffering from excessive loss of body water. Arsenic poisoning can do that to you. "She gave the small piece of paper to Neji who was following her with his curious lavender eyes. "Here."

"What is this?"

She took her red notebook and turned it on. "I wrote the type of antidote I administrated to the Uzumaki, as well as the dosage and the time I injected it to his body. Give it to the nurse as soon as you get to the hospital." She was already typing her password and entering a special designed hacking program. She hoped she would make it in time, before the police would access the system.

"And by the way, Papa Oro said not to worry, he got us covered. Yes!" It didn't take much time to hack their system and start to download the recordings. She was going to need that to study what exactly happened, before erasing everything. She needed to make their traces vanish."

"Okay then, we will go now" Neji thrown the SUV into reverse and removed his leg from the brake. "…and by the way…thank you for your help…Haruno." He stepped the throttle and literally flied off the parking lot.

Sakura watched the black SUV breaking the speed limit and disappearing on the streets, a small smile was playing on the corner of her pink lips. It has been a long time since anyone that was not a Sound member has thanked her. Of course, she didn't help them because she expected something in return, but nonetheless Neji`s small sign of gratitude was welcomed.

She then checked the downloading status and saw it was almost complete. The Sound agent took her ugly pair of glasses from the backpack, undid the small bun she did before coming to the rescue, unclothed her red vest and folded her neatly to fit into the backpack, now wearing her black pants and an equally black top.

Thanks god it was spring and it was pretty hot outside, or else she would have looked like a crazy woman. Well…now wearing the ugly glasses and disheveled hair she was sporting the look quite professionally…oh well, at least she didn't scream CIA AGENT from ten km radius anymore.

After hacking the security system and deleting all the recordings, Sakura took her backpack and blended into the crowd, taking in the scene in front of her, the signal from her tracking device showing the Uchiha was on his company, safe.

Four police cars were already parked on the street, police officers breaking into the two buildings, Shiseido Ginza and Shinjuku Granbell Hotel, securing the area and chasing away the curious people. She has also spotted the prosecutor and the forensic doctor, taking samples and barking orders. She only spotted one ambulance. Some other officers were taking statutory declaration from witnesses or taking care of the cars involved in the crashes. It was a circus out there.

Sakura found a bench under a cherry tree (oh sweet irony), not far from the Mangekyou, put the tracking device on her lap and took out her player and phone. She was going to be there for God only knows how much time and she had a stupid game with a bunny looking for carrots to play.

"Oh well…they are grown ups, they can handle this alone…better check on my dear Sasuke-chan. See how he copes with the uproar. I bet he is bored out of his mind, the poor man looks like nothing can satisfy him anymore…with the exception of alcohol and women…and tomatoes. Jerk".

Sasuke Uchiha was bored out of his mind. But not only bored, he was irritated as well. And all because of the stupid specimen in front of him, with a suit that looked like Elvis in Vegas riding a purple elephant and a hairstyle that rivaled Fred Flinstone`s. And boy was he dumb as fuck.

"Mr. Uchiha, I would like to ask you to repeat the transaction details one more time. There are more things I need to clarify." The said stupid looking moron watched him with the most serene expression on his face and a little smile to add to the grotesque picture. Sasuke felt like banging his head on the hard surface of his large desk.

Oh how much the Uchiha wanted to plant his foot on his ass and throw him away off his office, manners and education be damned. That was the main reason Sasuke hated 99% of the rich men from his entourage. Not only they were brainless monkeys that couldn't solve a business related problem even if their pathetic lives depended on it, but they were spoiled and arrogant as well.

And they thought they were better than him which was breaking his ego bad. And no one messes with an Uchiha`s ego. They could become emotional. And no one wanted to see an Uchiha expressing emotions, it was usually implying a face, a fist and many bandages. And blood. Of course, no blood no fun.

"Mr. Hannibal (oh Sasuke was mentally laughing at the discrepancy and ridiculousness between the historical character and the walking amoeba, that had the guts to call himself the heir of a large IT Holding), I thought I made myself understood when I said all the money from the fund raising are going straight to a Swiss bank account." No, Sasuke was fuming inside, he couldn't take anymore minute in this character's presence.

He was more interested in what happened outside, at that spoke volumes because usually Sasuke didn't give a rat's ass about the others. There has been a commotion for an hour or so, because there were many people running, police officers flooding the streets and a many car accidents. He was informed half an hour ago by his secretary Juugo, that there has been some incident at the nearby hotel, involving gun shoots or something, but he couldn't be sure.

And of course the businessman in front of him had been in panic mode in no time, pulling his questionable looking hair and hollering at the top of his lungs "OMG WE ARE GOING TO DIE SOMEBODY IS OUT THERE TRYING TO KILL US AND I DIDN'T GET THE CHANCE TO DRIVE MY NEW CUSTOMIZED CONVERTIBLE", all the time pacing in Sasuke`s office in a manner that resembled the rainmaking ritual.

"Would you please stop panicking and have a sit, before you break a hole into my laminate floor. There are some things I would like to discuss and I would like to do it before the upcoming Ball, if possible." No, Sasuke didn't intend to hide the sarcastic tone.

The said man watched the Uchiha with disbelieving eyes. How could the man in front of him look like he reached Nirvana, when there was a psychopath with a gun just at their door, was a mystery to him. "B-B-But Mr. Uchiha…there is someone there…with a gun…we should run or hide or call an helicopter…or the…"

"…or the mental hospital…I can understand your concern, but I can assure you we are in no danger in this building. Now if you would like to have a sit and carry on from where we left, before we got interrupted…? until I punch the living daylights out of your ugly face from my office and give you a real reason to fear for your life…"

And so there he was, explaining for the millionth time that morning how all the money from the Charity Ball will be put in a Swiss bank account, in the name of the foundation they were trying to help. What was there that this man didn't understand it was beyond the young Uchiha`s understanding.

But his patience was on a thin line right now…he was mentally tired and he still had a lot of work to do. And it was not even afternoon. He found himself watching on his soundproof huge window at nothing in particular, his mind drifting to his personal maid…he should call her and ask her prepare him some pasta. Boy was he craving for some Italian food. And her mozzarella toast was really tasty. He gave a small smirk at this, she had put extra tomato sauce. "So silly girl…"

"Sir, there are still things that are not quite clear. For instance, why do we put the money in a private bank and not one of the two largest banks in Switzerland, also I thought it was going to be anonymous, I mean we want to help those unfortunate people, not brag about it…" now the said stupid man looked really offended, he crossed his arms and continued his assault, driving Sasuke nuts "and why must you open the bank account through the postal service and not internet, I mean isn't it safer this way?"

It was decided that all the money from the charity Ball would be donated to 200 African families that live in poverty and lack water, sanitation facilities and health facilities. The poor children there only had only meal a day and were forced to skip school and beg for food, so the funds would be used to provide them food supplies and water resources, as well as supplying the local hospital with medical equipment and Sasuke was chosen by the organizing committee to be in charge with the money transfer in a Swiss Bank account, that implying opening a bank account in his name, where all the money will be put, and the dude in front of him was the witness.

That would not be a problem to the raven haired man, for he had almost all his bank accounts in Switzerland, but the other one looked like he had never heard of opening accounts procedures or accounts in general. Not to mention legal issues, that was alien language to him. Did he have all his money stuck under his bed or something? Sasuke was tempted to say yes.

"Mr. Hannibal, the private banks offer their services to their private clients, myself included, so the procedures will be easier, faster and safer this way. Also,

According to the Swiss law, you must provide your identity when opening a bank account, as well as you must confirm you identity and it can only be done in person or correspondence, for foreigner potential clients, this is why we cannot do it via internet." Sasuke was gripping his Laptop as hard as he could to refrain himself from venting his nerves on the dumb imbecile and beat him to a pulp, like he deserved.

"…AAAA…okaaayyyy…hm when I opened a bank account in France the steps were different and the legislation was more permissive, but let's say Mr. Uchiha I do trust your abilities to handle the transfer and make sure it goes smoothly."

"This is because they are separate countries you retard!...Well then, if you do not have anymore obscure points, I will fill in the IRS and send it to the bank, if that is ok with you." Sasuke was already filling his name in when the dense individual decided to break the world record for the first human living without cerebrum.

"….if you would be so kind to explain Sir…what is ISR?" and the Uchiha could have sword his eyes turned red and saw himself in the future strangling the man in front of him. He couldn't be stupider than this.

Another place, same time…

He was looking intently at the large screen in front of him, his hard stare burning with anger. He lost one man that day. They were not blood related, it wasn't necessary, they were brothers in mind and spirit, serving under the same oath of servitude and sacrifice, in the deepest of connections possible. In the fraternity, they were all brothers, they were each other's sole family and support.

Dedicated to the sole principle of creating a world ruled by peace, sacrifices were mandatory. That day a brother was killed. That day his energetic impenetrable gaze sworn revenge on the ones that stood between the new global ordeal and their holly mission.

RIIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGGGGGG

"Hello?" His low robotic voice never betraying any sort of emotion. He was the pillar that never faltered in front of the storm.

"You failed!" The other man was just as rancorous, his fierce voice dripping venom. He was mad and as usual, he wouldn't refrain from showing it.

"I shall remember you that your men were also there. Do not put all the blame on my brothers."

"Don't come up with lame excuses, it was one of my people that managed to do his job and return safe and sound. And here I thought you were the ones trying to change the world."

"Are you questioning the ways of a God? The atheists should be banned from the upcoming unblemished existence. The road to light is sinuous."

"And the road to incompetence is way easier nowadays, since all of you the so called brothers seem to share the same trait. One of your idiots was caught and will most likely be interrogated. How do you plan on dealing with the situation?"

He was gripping the phone tightly, his knuckles white and his all body shaking with fury. He and his brothers were making fun of, by this brute of a man. "I will not allow you to take us lightly. I am going to send someone to deal with the problem."

"Of course you will. And try not to screw this up as well or I am being forced to take drastic measures"

"I will proceed with caution since they are interfering with our plans. I do not want to lead them straight to us location and give them anymore clues. You from all the people should be more prudent."

"Stop making woeful excuses, you were being made fun of a bunch of children. And you call yourself a God. It makes me wanna laugh."

"I will handle my own matters. I do not need to be taken care of you, nor do I desire for your supervision."

"Then stop acting like a fool and do your damn job." A loud thud. The line went dead. That man was never mannered. He was ruthless and demanding and didn't tolerate mistakes. Not when they came from his subordinates.

BEEEP BEEEPP BEEEPPPP

He turned his eyes to the big screen in front of him, where his loyal subordinate was waiting for further instructions.

"Good work, unlike the other losers. You proved yourself worth of my time."

The other young man was beaming with pride. His boss was known for his pride and high demands. He was not one to randomly compliment people, which only burst out his ego. "Thank you boss. I apologize for my colleagues not being able carry on the other mission."

"Leave it to him to deal with the consequences. It was all his stupid henchmen's damn fault. See if their Gods are going to make up for their mistakes."

"Boss, I tried to track the other heir as well, but for unknown reasons, the device you have given me was jammed. I couldn't catch any signal coming from him in the nearby area."

"Really now? That's really weird. Doesn't matter, we are not hurrying things more than necessary. I will further scrutinize the data you have sent me and look into the matter. I am sure it was just a coincidence."

"Yes, Sir."

"I have one more job for you. I cannot afford to be disclosed just because some idiot has decided to be caught off guard. I will e-mail you the map of the Keishichō building. You know what to do."

"Of course Boss." The said man ended the conversation. He has been given an order and he had to be prepared. He knew there were skilled agents out there keeping an eye on him.

The steady man watched the now black screen in front of him, a frown on his face. There was a little delay in his plans and that didn't sit right with him. Why was he surrounded by such imbeciles he couldn't understand. "This is why this world is going down. People lack an iron hand to lead them." A devious smile cracked on his face. It didn't matter, the fun has just begun.

"I should separate the sheep from the goats when I will be appointed as the Leader of the new world. Cannot afford my nerves to be damaged any further. But for now…" He turned on his advanced computer and took a sit on his expensive desk. He had some serious research to do.

3 p.m Tokyo, Shinjiku

Sakura was following the fuss all the police officers and civilians were making. She tried to find out what exactly happened there, but no piece of information was leaked. Apparently there has been a murder all right, but the prosecutor was taciturn. He didn't give any declaration to the media.

Sakura opened her laptop "It must be someone important, I can feel it." She turned it on attempting to enter the hotel's management software and check the list of the ones that were accommodated there when a loud beep made her almost drop her device on the ground. "What the hell…"

When the Sound agent installed her equipment into her boss` home, she has also connected her phone with the home phone. It was not like she could have told the Uchiha that his poor maid was having a phone that was probably worth his two weeks salary. She checked the number and it was his phone number all right (she had his mobile phone number from the Uzumaki).

"Oh great, His Royal Jerkiness is calling me to worship his ass. I wonder what does he want now…" She knew he was still in his office so she answered the phone.

"Hello, Uchiha mansion, how can I be of your help?" Is this how the servants were answering their master's home phones? Sakura had no idea. Nor did she give a damn about it anyways.

And she wanted to send him to hell the moment she heard his smooth velvet voice on the other side of the line. "Are you really that willing to help any random stranger, or is your hospitality on high levels all of sudden?"

"Mr. Uchiha, I was not aware of the fact that you were a stranger of your very own home. And besides, I thought we already established my hospitality will be at your service for the moment." Oh God, he was mocking her again, the pathetic excuse of a man. The young agent wanted nothing more to go to his cursed company, barge into his office and shove the phone down his long throat, mission be damned.

"Hn…I see you wear that sharp tongue of yours 24/7. I wonder if you have what it takes to back up your self-reliance." He told her in what sounded like a bored uninterested tone.

"wanna find out you simpleton…What can I do for you, Sir?" She was not going to play his game. Let him talk like he was in some lame TV shows for as long as he wanted. And his simple request make her promptly drop the laptop that was resting peacefully on her lap, successfully turning it off, hotel's check in list now deleted from the hard.

Her pale cheeks grown red with fury, plump lips in a big pout, green eyes blazing with rage, her hand gripping the phone like she wanted to break it into pieces. Sakura was certain she had lasers coming from her emerald orbs. She had cursed the young Uchiha in his mind until she ran out of curses, making fierce gangsters and mafia leaders be ashamed of her vocabulary.

"Bring me some Spaghetti Bolognese. And make it quick. Don't forget to add extra tomato sauce." And he hung up on her just like that.

Sakura took her devices, shoved them into her pack and marched on the streets, back to her boss` home, still mumbling and talking to herself like a crazy woman, making people around turn their heads and stare at her.

"Someday…I am going to choke him with pasta…and add extra tomato sauce as well."

…

Author's Note: Many thanks for adding me to favorite and follows, as well as for the encouraging reviews (especially one particular person that has shown much interest in my story, which I thank very much for the kind words! I am glad to help, if you have anymore questions, please ask me).