Iruka sat across from Orochimaru, a grim frown on his face as the snake like man hummed to himself. Nagato sat next to him, his legs crossed and looking towards the door of the interrogation room. No one had spoken for at least ten minutes. Nagato refused to answer any of his questions and Orochimaru had spent most of the time asking Iruka questions himself. It wasn't until the door opened and Mizuki walked in that Orochimaru spoke again and Iruka felt as if he had been kicked in the guts.
"I've requested for you to be supervised on this case Inspector Umino as my client and I are well aware of your connection to the complainant. I would have you removed from the case completely but your chief has promised me that he has checked your interview with Naruto Uzumaki himself and found no discrepancies. I will warn you though, if you act in any manner that is unprofessional I will request to have you stripped of your detective status" Iruka paled and nodded, his hand's shaking under the table. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been. Iruka had acted on instinct that day and when he had got back to the office he immediately went to Chief Danzo and explained the situation. The stern man hadn't been happy but after listening to the tape himself he had begrudgingly agreed to keep Iruka on the case as long as he re interviewed Naruto with Mizuki. As much as Iruka hated it he had agreed. He had a feeling that if he didn't keep an eye on things it would be swept under the rug or sabotaged.
"I understand. Now that my partner on this case is here are you willing to answer my questions?" Nagato nodded and unfolded his legs. "Now, as a few incidents have been noted down I would like to start from the beginning rather than the most recent one to gather a picture, are you alright with this?"
"I am" Nagato stated. Iruka nodded and picked up his notes, pulling out the photograph that Gaara had provided.
"This photo show's physical harm to Naruto Uzumaki. Mr Uzumaki has made a statement saying that this was due to an altercation with you, may you please explain the details of that night to us" Nagato reached out and took the photo from him, frowning as he stared at it.
"I don't remember this" He replied, handing it back. Iruka pursed his lips and nodded.
"It was after a fundraiser. Mr Uzumaki's statement says that he left early and when he arrived home it was past midnight" Nagato nodded "It's stated that you exchanged words and after a heated argument you struck him"
"Mmm. That sound's right. It was about Jiraiya if I remember properly. We are both dealing with our grief from losing such a prominent figure in our lives. I had no intention of hurting him" Orochimaru gave Nagato a sideway glance and the red head nodded "It was a slap, nothing more"
"That's understandable. Things are done in the heat of the moment, that's normal" Mizuki injected, waving off the incident. "Best we overlook that don't you think Iruka?"
"We will move on. The incident that put Mr Uzumaki in the hospital. Will you please take us through that day" Nagato sighed as if he was in a boring business meeting rather than a police interview.
"We we're visiting my childhood friends. Naruto and I had been discussing our plans to move forward, kid's and all that" Iruka held back a glare. There was no way Naruto would ever do that "I was under the impression we were on the road to fixing our marriage. Orochimaru's assistant has been following Naruto"
"If you don't mind me asking, why were you having Mr Uzumaki followed?" Iruka asked, concern growing in him. "If you two were divorcing there would be no need"
"Protection. I was worried about paparazzi" more like worried about your reputation, Iruka thought. "Orochimaru had sent me a photo of Sasuke Uchiha leaving the residence of Naruto and his friend Sakura"
"Is it possible that Mr Uchiha was there to visit Miss Haruno?" Mizuki asked, writing down his own notes.
"No, as far as I'm aware they do not know each other" Nagato snapped. "As I was saying, Orochimaru provided me with proof of Naruto's affair"
"Naruto's lawyer has stated you two were separated when their relationship had started" Iruka snapped back. He would not let Nagato play the victim.
"Until I sign the papers Naruto is still my husband Inspector Umino and until I have decided that it cannot be fixed I will continue to stay married to my husband" Iruka paled slightly. "Now, may I continue or will you interrupt me again?"
"Its normal procedure Mr Gakure, we need to gather all facts related to the case to ensure each side of the story is told" Mizuki replied looking unfazed. Nagato nodded and continued.
"I must admit I could have handled things a bit better. The argument in the kitchen was nothing more than my frustration's" Mizuki looked through Naruto's statement record and Iruka kept silent. He needed to calm himself down.
"Mr Uzumaki has stated he felt that you would injure…Konan" Nagato let out a loud laugh. "Is this true?"
"I would never lay a hand on Konan! Naruto was probably just worried about her stress levels, she's pregnant you see" Mizuki nodded and Iruka frowned. Nagato was smooth with his words and he was twisting things against Naruto. "Naruto rushed in and asked me to go upstairs with him and that's when I confronted him"
"This is when the assault happened?" Mizuki asked.
"Assault is such a harsh word. It was more of a…push I guess" Iruka began to trembled and grabbed Naruto's hospital report.
"Mr Uzumaki sustained a number of injuries including a broken arm and fractured ribs. This seems to be more than just a push Mr Gakure. I would advise that you do not lie to us" Nagato sighed and looked to Orochimaru.
"My client will say nothing further on the altercation" Orochimaru stated.
"Then your client is hindering a police investigation and I am able to hold him for forty eight hours" Orochimaru smirked again.
"Are your personal feelings getting the better of you Mr Umino?" Iruka took a deep breath before continuing.
"Mr Gakura it is in your best interest to cooperate with us. As it stand's the information we have points in a very negative light for you. This interview is to gather your side of the story, withholding information not only puts you in a bad light but it also stop us from offering any factual evidence that could benefit you if this goes any further" Iruka kept calm but he knew damn well they we're trying to push him so that he would be forced off the case.
"If you insist" Nagato yawned "I don't remember much. I blacked out due to the emotional stress of finding out about my husband's affair. I'm currently under a lot of stress and it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I lashed out in a moment of passion, I can't give you any more detail than that as my memory of what happened is very little" Orochimaru stood up, indicating that the interview was over. "We must be going now, I have to do a bit of damage control for my campaign due to all this nonsense"
"As you wish, we may need to pull you back in for further questioning Mr Gakure" Mizuki smiled and stood up to shake the candidates hand.
"Of course, I'm willing to provide any information I may remember, this is just as taxing on me as it is on your department's…financial resources" Iruka sighed. This man was a snake. He knew exactly what buttons to push and when.
"Mr Gakure, it is my duty to advise you to not contact Mr Uzumaki, as you are aware of there is a protection order in place and we take breaches of it very seriously" Nagato turned to glare at Iruka and took a step towards him.
"If I want to see my husband detective, I will see him. No flimsy piece of paper will stop me" the man snarled. "Not you, nor this pathetic excuse of a department will stop me. Naruto and I have a contract, one which I know he will stand by" Orochimaru grabbed the man's arm quickly as Iruka raised an eyebrow.
"Contract? What contract would this be Mr Gakure?" Nagato paled slightly before pulling his arm out of his lawyers grasp and storming out of the room, muttering under his breath. Mizuki looked to Iruka and shook his head.
"You know. I thought the blonde kid deserved it. Cheating is a pretty shit thing to do but it's pretty obvious that guy has a temper" Mizuki picked up the hospital report and flicked through it "This case is such a waste of resources"
"It's an assault case Mizuki" Iruka snapped.
"Yeah, I know that but…there two guy's. So what, they bet each other up a bit, no biggie" the man shrugged "Sound's like Uzumaki is just playing it up since that guy's in the public eye. Gain a bit of sympathy ya know"
"Keep your personal thoughts to yourself Mizuki. If you can't keep professional get off my case" Iruka grabbed up the files and stormed out of the room. How dare Mizuki accuse Naruto of trying to gain attention! Naruto was kind and loving, he didn't deserve someone he trusted and loved beating the crap out of him! Iruka went to his desk and turned on his computer. He needed to write up the interview and hand it over to Danzo before the end of the day. Mizuki followed him, sitting across from him.
"What do you think he meant by contract?" For once, Mizuki's nosiness was welcomed. Iruka hadn't even processed Nagato's slip up as he had been too angry with Mizuki's opinions.
"Who knows, worth looking into though" Iruka handed Mizuki a number "Call this number and see if you can dig anything up on it" His partner nodded and Iruka went back to his work. Sure the number as a wild goose chase but Iruka figured Mizuki was trying to hinder his process on this case so enough holes could be put in it to have it thrown out. By distracting the man he could do the real work and that meant chasing every lead he had.
….
Naruto groaned. He hated this! The blonde was standing off to the side of the hospital, huddled behind a pillar as he peered out the doors. Reporters were everywhere! All Naruto wanted to do was to get home, crawl into bed with a cup of instant ramen and watch tacky, reality TV shows. His body ached, his arm was in a cast that was supported with a sling and his face was still a mess. Sasuke had yet to show up and Sakura had to run off to an emergency so he was left in the cafeteria to wait for his boyfriend. People walked pasted him whispering lowly and his face dropped. How was he supposed to get out of this place with that hoard out there acting like a pack of lions jumping on a poor defenceless antelope!
Naruto sighed and went back to his seat in the café. He was desperate to get out of this place. It had been a few days, the doctors we're no longer concerned about possible concussion, his ribs were healing slowly and his arm was set for a good few weeks. Naruto didn't like hospitals, he avoided them as much as he could since Jiraiya's passing. He shuddered at the thought. It was hard thinking about the old perv now. His god father would be so disappointed in him. The whiskered scarred man put his hand under his chin and swirled the now cold coffee in front of him.
"Is this seat taken?" a smooth voice asked. Naruto went to answer but a man slipped into it with waiting for it. "Naruto right?"
"Uh…yeah…" Naruto replied cautiously. Something about this man felt so familiar to him but not in a comfortable way. He narrowed his blue eyes to inspect him. The man was in a suit, a blue tie clashing with the red top underneath. His hair was spiked up slightly and the colour was a dark onyx, like Sasuke's. Naruto's eyes widened a fraction at the thought. The man had a vague resemblance to the Uchiha brothers except for the fact half his face was scarred.
"Obito Uchiha" the man held out his hand and smiled. Naruto felt his gut clench, the smile looked so fake. He didn't take his hand and the man grimaced, pulling it back. "I see my distant cousins have told you about me"
"No…not really" Naruto's replied was drawn out "Do you want something from me? You're not a reporter are you?"
"No, not at all. I just represent a certain party that is following your affairs closely" A coffee was placed in front of Obito and Naruto got the sense he wasn't leaving anytime soon "You see, all this divorce business has really tied up the purchase of a property the client I work for is wanting and I've come here in hopes you may convince your lovely boyfriend and his brother to pull sponsorship"
"You're after the shelter?" Naruto tensed and sat up straight. "You work for Madara"
"Ah, I see you have heard of him…all good news I hope" Obito chuckled. "Then again, it is Sasuke and Itachi you have gotten your information from so I doubt that"
"The shelter isn't for sale" Naruto replied bitterly. "I suggest you leave as we have nothing further to discuss"
"No? What a pity" Obito sighed "I would really hate for something to happen to the shelter with all those kids inside"
"Are you…threatening me?" Naruto clenched his good fist "If you think I'm going to let you push me around think again. The shelter isn't going anywhere!"
"Threatening? No, not at all! It's just in a bad part of town that's all and with everything going on around the area lately it would be a pity to see that kind of violence affect the shelter as well" Naruto pursed his lips. The blonde was well aware of the rise in crime the past few months. Buildings were being vandalised, some even to the point of arson. Children were being harassed on the way to school, bags were being stolen. Some kids at the shelter had even been jumped a block down from the facility.
"Obito?" Naruto spun around and he relaxed when he saw Sasuke standing at the entrance of the café. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Can't I say hi to a relative's partner? It's been so long Sasuke that I thought it would be a missed opportunity to introduce myself" Sasuke stormed over to them and placed a hand on the blondes shoulder.
"What did he say to you Naruto?" Obito stood up and gave Naruto a small bow.
"It was a pleasure meeting you Naruto, do consider what I said" The suspicious man walked off, giving Sasuke a small smirk as he walked past him and Naruto slumped forward slightly. The air had felt oppressive during their brief interaction and he hadn't realised how tense he was.
"Naruto did he say anything to you?" Sasuke sat in the now empty seat. "Did he hurt you?"
"No teme he just…" Naruto bit his lip "I think he threatened me"
"What! That bastard! I'll kill him!" Sasuke jumped up to chase after the man but Naruto clasped his hand around the ravens.
"Leave it Sasuke. I'll tell you everything later but right now can you please get me out of this god forsake hospital!" Sasuke looked down at him and a small half smile flicked across his lips "Please tell me you have a plan to get around those vultures out there"
"Nope. I figured we would just go straight through them" Naruto paled at his response "I know it's not ideal but Nagato is doing some pretty decent damage control, right now the public are believing his cheating claims…You don't have to do it Naruto but I'm just…I'm hoping if they see what he did…"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it teme. You better protect me though because my arm is killing me" Sasuke nodded and Naruto stood up, grabbing his brown hospital bag that had his belongings in. "Well, let's get going"
"We can wait a bit" Naruto shook his head.
"Nah. I've been here long enough" Sasuke stood up and grabbed Naruto's good hand, leading him towards the front door. They heard someone yell out and cameras began to flash. Naruto fought back his anxiety and Sasuke pulled him closer. To the side of the Kakashi appeared, his arm held out to keep people back. Reporters began yelling at him, microphones were shoved in his face from every direction. Sasuke stopped a few times to reply to questions but Naruto stayed quiet, keeping his head down and determined to get through the thinning sea of people. Kakashi stayed by his side the whole time, ensuring no one touched or grabbed him and when they finally made it to the car waiting for them Naruto slouched down in the seat, a small pout on his lips. "You owe me Ichiraku's for that teme"
"Already sorted dobe" Sasuke replied, handing him a plastic bowl and chopsticks. "Figured you would be hungry"
"Man, how did I get so lucky" Naruto laughed, wincing when it pulled on his intercostal muscles. "Fuck, it's hard not to laugh!"
"I seem to do it just fine" The blonde gave his boyfriend an annoyed look before replying in a sarcastic tone.
"That's because you're emotionally stunted. If it wasn't for me your vocabulary would be limited to 'hn' or insults" Naruto dug into his meal and let out a low moan. It had been awhile since he had his favourite ramen.
"Don't choke dobe" Naruto eyed his boyfriend again before completely focusing on the meal in front of him.
"Where are we going by the way?" Naruto figured going back to his apartment would be a nightmare. Sakura had informed him that their apartment's address had been leaked; probably Nagato's doing, alongside with their contact information. Naruto and Sakura had been forced to change all of their numbers and the pinkette had been staying at Ino's until the reporters got bored of the story.
"Mine. There are reporters hanging around but since access to the garage is private they are forced to wait outside the foyer doors, we can completely by pass them altogether" Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief. The mess outside the hospital was enough reporters to last him a life time! "Are you okay with that?"
"Having you wait hand and foot for me sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me" Naruto laughed "Maybe I can even get you in a maid's outfit"
"If anyone is wearing a maid's outfit it'll be you dobe" Sasuke glared, not impressed with his quip.
"Naw, you ruin all my fun teme" Naruto pouted again and finished his ramen. Sasuke took the empty container from him and put it in a plastic bag. "Sasuke, who is Obito?"
"No one you need to worry about right now dobe" If that was so why did Sasuke look so upset when he mentioned him.
"Sasuke…" He took a deep breath "I know I brought it up but do you think for tonight we can just pretend?"
"Pretend how dobe?" Naruto blushed.
"Pretend that everything is normal, that I'm not hiding out at your place because of some crazed reporters? Can we just snuggle up in the movie room, binge watching ninja movies and pig out on popcorn?" Sasuke undid his seat belt and shuffled into the middle. He grabbed Naruto's head and pulled it into his chest. Naruto didn't know how but Sasuke always seemed to sense when he was about to break down and comforted him without a word. The man was just so in tuned to him that Naruto knew he could trust Sasuke to understand everything he was feeling.
"Whatever you want dobe. I can have Kakashi run around after us" The divider between the front of the car and back rolled down and the silver haired man looked back at them.
"I'm not a damn servant Uchiha" Naruto laughed and clutched his ribs when pain shot through him again.
"No you're not Kakashi, you're just his mother!" Kakashi let out a loud laugh and Sasuke growled in his throat "Come on! That was funny teme!"
"You'll pay for that dobe" Sasuke mumbled. Naruto poked his tongue out before shifting to get comfortable in Sasuke's embrace. The blonde closed his eyes, humming to himself happily as he listened to Sasuke's heartbeat.