Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Last Airbender.

Bodyguard of Azula

Chapter 65: Murders and MIA

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Bijū/spirit talking"

"Bijū/spirit thinking"

(Location: Konoha)

Azula sat at the counter of the kitchen. Even though she wasn't trying to, she kept looking over at Naruto, who was currently writing. It had been two days since they had returned to Konoha. Since then, they hadn't been given any missions and Naruto had kept to himself, even from the rest of his team. He just sat in the house; at first sewing his clothes (she didn't remember the cuts in the clothes being there when they came back and when she finally dared to ask where they came from, all he said was "I sparred.") and then writing.

In those two days, whenever she tried to talk to him, his answers were short and clipped, like he didn't want to talk to her. On the one hand, she was a little annoyed by it. But on the other hand, she didn't really know what to do. Ever since she first met him, Naruto was always the upbeat, cheerful one who always had a very good sense of humor (both sarcasm and deadpan). But ever since they had come back to the Elemental Countries, it seemed like that person was slowly disappearing and she didn't like it. Deciding to take steps, she stood up from her chair at the counter and walked over to the couch where Naruto sat. "Naruto we need to talk." She said to him, sitting down next to him. "Put the pen down."

He didn't put the pen down, only stopped its movements. "What do you want to talk about?" He asked her.

"You and your current attitude," She answered. "It has to stop."

This time, he did put the pen down. "And what is wrong with my attitude?" He asked her, his tone quiet and his eyes focused on her.

"To begin with, you need to get out of this house. You've been in here ever since we got back from Kumo." She told him, her confidence overcoming her hesitation. "You even refused to play a game of Pai Sho with Sokka when he came by yesterday."

"So?" He asked her. It sounded like an innocent question, but she also knew it was a loaded question. One misstep here and she would be shut out.

"You've never refused a game of Pai Sho. It's one of the ways the two of you keep that ridiculous point thing going." Despite what she said, she kinda wanted the point thing to come back. Ever since they had left Kumo, not once had the phrase "That's a point to you." been uttered.

He gave her an annoyed look. "It is not ridiculous at all."

"And there he is." She thought triumphantly as the Naruto she knew and loved briefly showed itself. "If it's not ridiculous, then why did you refuse the game?"

The annoyed look was replaced with one of melancholy. "I…just didn't feel like playing a game, that's all." He told her quietly as he turned his head and looked at the wall in front of him.

She reached over and took his hand in hers. Surprised at the contact, he looked over at her. "Naruto, I know you think that it's your fault that Bee died, just like you've always thought that every man who died beside you or under your command was your fault. But you've got move past it."

He grimaced at those words. He had tried, Kami know he's tried. But it never seemed to work. They were always there, Gao, Yin, Old Lee, and even Killer Bee now. "I don't think I can, especially not after last night." He said to Azula.

"What happened?" She asked, concerned. "Was it a nightmare?"

He gave a dry chuckle. "You know, I almost wish it was. No, Sifu paid me a visit. He told me that the Akatsuki were currently sealing the Hachibi away. And since he already knew about how I'm currently beating myself up about it, he decided to be nice and not show me the process in a dream." His hand had unconsciously clenched into a fist. "There are days when I just really want to punch him."

Azula didn't say anything in response. She just pulled him into a hug. He was surprised by the move, but didn't complain. In fact, he returned it, relishing in the comfort and warmth of her embrace. He was glad for it. They didn't hug each other enough (something they should probably do something about). "Feel better?" Azula asked him.

"A little bit, yeah." He answered honestly. "Thanks, Azula." He smiled at her as she pulled back out of the hug. She was glad to see that smile, for it always managed to make her heart skip a beat. "I still want to punch Sifu though."

She couldn't help but laugh at that. "Come on. Let's go talk a walk outside. You need the fresh air after being in here for two days." She told him. He nodded in agreement. They both stood up from the couch and walked out the door, closing and locking it behind them. They went down the steps and out onto the street.

The storm that had hit the village was gone. In its place was a sunny blue sky complete with big fluffy clouds. People went about their business in the streets. Adults went past on their own business. Kids raced down the streets, intent on having fun somehow. And families headed for places to have picnics (for which it was the perfect day for). No one really paid attention to the Fire Paragon and his girlfriend. If they did, they either ignored them or gave them a brief nod of recognition. Naruto preferred it like that. Any more than that, he would probably start arguing with that voice again.

"Don't focus on that." He told himself. "Enjoy the day." And it was such a nice day, too. Hell, he was tempted to do a Shikamaru and just watch the clouds. It would probably be very relaxing. The question was where was a good spot to look up comfortably?

"What are you think of?" Azula asked, looking at him.

"I was just wondering where would be a good place to be to kick back and relax." He told her, deciding to omit the part about cloud watching, not knowing if she would laugh at the mere prospect of it.

When she heard this, she couldn't help but give him a look. "You've lived in this village longer than I've been it. Surely you would know where a good spot would be." She said with a raised eyebrow, voice all but dripping with sarcasm.

"Hey, this isn't the Fire Nation. Things don't stay the same every year." He retorted, feeling a little defensive.

She gave the surrounding buildings a quick look. "Well, that certainly explains the patchwork look it seems to have going on." She commented. She wasn't lying. Each and every building had odds and ends attached to them along with cables going everywhere.

When he heard that, he smirked. "Don't go knocking the patchwork, Azula. You and I both know that it is part of the charm the village has."

"Hmm, fair point." She conceded. He wasn't wrong. The whole patchwork thing did give the village a sort of makeshift charm. Just like when she had seen it for the first time, it looked like the place was being added on and improved. Quite unlike the capital of the Fire Nation or Ba Sing Se, those places looked like they hadn't changed in the past decade, let alone the past century. "Still, you should have at least some idea of where to go." She said to the blonde, reemphasizing her point.

"Fine, fine, I think I know a spot."

"Then by all means, let's go there." She stepped out of the way, ostensibly to let him take the lead.

"Thank you, I will." He walked past her and down the street. "And don't look at my ass." He told her without looking around.

"Too late," She replied with a grin, her eyes immediately looking down at said ass. The blonde groaned slightly, but said nothing. After she was done admiring it, she caught up with him. Together, they made their way through the streets and the people. Eventually, they went from the streets and people walking aside them to walking in silence to a gentle green slope of a hill.

"Here we are." Naruto announced as he stopped and lay down on the hill. Azula lay down beside him. It was both peaceful and comfortable. As she lay on the ground, she couldn't help but look up at the clouds. "It's something to look at, huh?" The blonde asked her, noticing where her gaze was at.

She nodded in agreement. "I can't believe that I've never actually looked up at them before."

"Considering who your father was and how you were raised, I don't blame you." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "You probably just thought that they were there to let you know that it might rain."

She nodded in agreement with what he said. "You're right." She focused on one particular cloud. "You know, that cloud almost looks like a Fire Nation ship." She commented, pointing out said cloud.

"Really?" asked Naruto as he looked it.

"Do you see that part of it looks like the stern with the smokestacks right in front of it?" She pointed at the parts she was talking about.

"Oh yeah, you're right. Now I see it." He looked over at another one. "Ha, that one looks like Appa in flight."

She could see why he said that. The cloud did indeed look like the sky bison in mid-flight, his tail about to flap down. "That one looks like Fǎn Yìng." She pointed at another cloud.

He looked at it and couldn't exactly see it. "Are you sure?" He asked as he pulled out a cigarette and lighter.

"Of course I'm sure. Can't you see how he's coiled up?" She briefly wondered how her brother's dragon was doing. Thinking she had been jealous, Zuko had offered to help her look for a dragon of her own. She told him that she didn't need a dragon, she had Naruto. He chuckled and said that he understood.

"Not really, no." He admitted, lighting the cigarette and taking a drag. "It just looks like a cloud to me."

"Well, what about that one?" She asked, pointing at a different cloud. "Can you see anything in that cloud?"

"Are you kidding? That one is easy." He said with a smirk. "It's Aang when he's about to do something stupid." They shared a laugh at that. The cloud did indeed look like the Avatar when he was about to do something dumb and no one was around to stop him. "You know, I have got to thank Shikamaru for this." He remarked after the laughter had stopped.

She looked over at him. "Why is that?"

"He's the one who always wants to watch the clouds. Now I can see why he does that. It's peaceful." He took a slow drag from the cigarette.

"So one of the Konoha Eleven, people you want nothing to do with, gave you something that you like so much, you're willing to thank him." She said with a small smirk of triumph. It looked like all their nagging was paying off.

He frowned slightly, like he was double-checking what he had said. "Something like that." He said shortly, even though he was silently glad she didn't laugh. "Let's not go there right now. Let's enjoy the peace." He looped his arm around her and pulled her in a bit more to his side.

She didn't complain or resist. In fact, she welcomed it. "We really should have more moments like this." She remarked as she leaned into his side. She was half-tempted to just close her eyes and drift away into sleep.

"Yeah, we should." The blonde agreed, also fighting off the urge to fall asleep. His eyes were starting to droop when a noise snapped them back open. "Do you hear that, Azula?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I do." She answered, having also kept her eyes opened. "It sounds like…someone screaming." She noted as the noise got closer and louder.

"Not just anyone." He sat up and looked at where the noise was coming from. "That sounds like Sokka screaming." And as if the blonde's words summoned the man himself, Sokka burst out of a bush at the bottom of the hill, running like his life depended on it. And considering that after a moment, Nyla came through the same bush and went after him, it probably was.

"HELP!" screamed the Tribesman as he ran to get away from the shirshu.

"Hey, Sokka!" called out Azula as she sat up and watched him run. "Having a good time?"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M HAVING A GOOD TIME?!" He shouted at her before yelping and ducking to avoid Nyla's tongue.

"Try turning sharply!" Naruto shouted down at him, sounding like he was trying to be helpful. "It might help a little! He doesn't bank well!"

"OKAY!" He did as suggested and turned sharply downhill. However, just as he thought he was safe by running through another bush, he suddenly tripped. All the others heard a surprised scream and the sound of Sokka falling into water.

"Huh, I probably should've mentioned the fact that there was a stream there." The blonde mused as he took another drag of his cigarette while Azula trying not to laugh (and failing). "I don't think you need to chase him anymore, you mangy excuse for fur!" He shouted down at Nyla.

The shirshu swung his head to where Naruto's voice had come from and snarled. "No, Nyla, you can't chase him." June told her shirshu as she came out of the first bush, Akela and Suki right behind her. The shirshu seemingly growled in frustration at being denied of attacking his favored target. "Oh hush, I'll get you a good piece of meat later." The bounty hunter said, making Nyla look like he perked up in excitement. Akela just yawned before lying down to the ground.

Hearing movement coming from beyond the bush where Sokka disappeared through, they all saw the Tribesman in question, completely soaked, walked back through it. "You are a Spirits-damned asshole, Naruto." He told the blonde, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You knew there was a stream there, didn't you?"

"Of course I did, but I don't see why you're angry." Naruto replied with a fake look of confusion on his face. "It got you away from him, didn't it?"

"I don't see you running for your life away from him."

"That's because I filled my quota of 'being chased by angry shirshu' for the month." He said with a grin, cracking a joke.

"That's a point to you." June commented.

"He walked right into that one." Azula said to herself. But she was still loud enough for her boyfriend to hear her, making him flash a quick grin at her.

"And where were you when I needed help?" Sokka said to Akela. The wolf just yawned again and laid his head down on his forepaws, closing his eyes. "Traitor," The Tribesman muttered as water dripped off of him.

"If I remember correctly, Sokka, you're the one who said you wanted to spar against me alone." June remarked from where she stood at Nyla's side.

"Yeah, you and you alone," He retorted. "That means not having to sic your shirshu on me when I was about to win." In his opinion, it was very uncalled for.

"Hey, we have to use any and all tools at our disposal when in a fight, right?" The bounty hunter said with a victorious smirk.

"Don't quote F.S.-sensei to me, June. I suffered under his teachings before you did." He fired back. Even though he was grateful for the training Jiraiya had given him, the hellish training still made him shudder.

"Don't worry about it, Sokka." Naruto said, getting both the Air and Water Paragons' attention. "She's the one who has to fight him later. You can have fun watching him beat her into the ground." The two men shared savages grins with each other while June had to suppress a look of horror. Sparring with Jiraiya was never fun for the person who was sparring, but immensely entertaining for the audience.

But before they could continue, the man himself appeared before them. "There you are all." The Toad Sage said as he came into view at the top of the hill. "I was about to go hunting for all of you." He gazed over at Sokka. "What happened?"

"Sparring," The Tribesman answered shortly, not elaborating.

"Well, get dry quickly. We're needed by Tsunade."

"Do we have a mission?" Suki asked him.

"No. We need to verify the fact we're not murderers."

(Location: Hokage's Office)

"Last night, three people were murdered." Tsunade told them as they stood in front of her desk. "They were found dead in their place of residence. The Police Force is still looking at the scenes, but they have told me that their deaths occurred around about midnight."

"And how do their deaths concern us?" June asked her.

She didn't look at the bounty hunter. Instead, she turned her gaze to Naruto. "The people who are dead are Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzō Shimura." The air in the room went silent as all eyes turned to the blonde.

"I didn't kill them." He said quietly. He wanted to say something a bit acidic, but that small part of brain told him not to and he wisely agreed.

"Where were you around midnight?" She asked him, being the Hokage instead of Tsunade.

"At my home, with Azula," He answered.

"It's true." Azula agreed. They were asleep in each other's arms for that entire night.

"You could've had someone else do it for you." The Hokage pointed out, looking at the rest of his teammates.

June scoffed when she heard that. "I was throwing back drinks with the front gate guards at a bar well until the early morning." She said. "They were bunch of lightweights."

"What about you two?" The leader of the village asked, looking at Sokka and Suki. When they were asked, they sprouted almost identical blushes.

"Well…um…we were up around that time." Sokka said nervously.

"Doing what?" If possible, their blushes got redder.

Jiraiya laughed at that. "Can't you tell by the blushes on their faces, Tsunade?" He asked his teammate with a grin on his face. "They were doing the bedroom tango." If Sokka's and Suki's face had been red before, now they were lighting up like beacons.

"Fair enough," She conceded after looking at their faces.

"Are we the only ones being questioned?" Azula asked her.

"No, your group is just one of the few I've talked to personally. You're dismissed." Her attention went back to the papers on her desk. The team took the hint and walked out of the office as well as the building.

"Well, that was random." Sokka commented, trying to get over the embarrassment of him and Suki being founded out (even though the rest of the team already knew it).

June shook her head. "Murder is almost never random." She said in reply. That's where most of her high bounties came from.

"It's troublesome, but you're right." The voice of Shikamaru agreed with her. They all turned to the direction where the voice came from and the person in question along with his team walking towards them.

"She interviewed you guys too?" Suki asked them.

They nodded in agreement at her words. "We were one of the earlier ones." Chōji answered. "But ever since she talked to us, we've kinda been curious about it all."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at that. "You mean Ino's curious and she's just dragging us along." He told his friend. While Chōji grinned at that, Ino scowled.

"It sure as hell beats lazing around your house all day, playing Shogi or watching the clouds." She told Shikamaru. When they heard that last part, both Naruto and Azula shared a look and a quick grin. "What are you two grinning about it?" Ino demanded, noticing the grin.

"Nothing," They said in perfect unison. That, of course, made it all the more suspicious.

"Un-huh," She said, not believing it. "Anyway, what are we going to do about it?" She asked the rest of the people there, deciding to get back to the main topic.

"What are you talking about?" June asked back. "There's nothing to do about it. We just go about with our day."

"Oh come on, June. Aren't you the least bit interested in what's going on right now?"

"Will there be money for me at the end of it?"

"Why would there be? It's a murder investigation." Shikamaru said, joining the conversation again.

"Which is exactly my point," June told him and by extension, his teammates. "If there's no money in it for me, it's none of my business." She explained with a shrug.

"Who the hell taught you that attitude?" Ino demanded of her. She sounded like she couldn't believe it, even though it was said practically straight to her face.

"My dad while we were traveling the Countries." She answered simply and, if someone actually listened, they could hear some amount of pride in her voice. "He taught me a lot of things."

"I'm sure he did." The female Yamanaka said, almost to herself. "Did he also teach you how to be a completely selfish bitch as well? He must've been a complete and utter bastard to teach you something like that."

"Oh, Kami help us." Naruto silently groaned as the words were said and echoed around them. "Why did Ino have to say that?" He immediately stepped between her and the now furious bounty hunter. "June, you know she doesn't really mean it. She has no idea what your dad was like." He told her, trying to insure that things didn't get worse (quiet brawls were one thing. Public brawls were another and a lot more problematic).

June had a look of fury on her face when she heard those words Ino had said. She also had her whip out and ready to use. "Then perhaps she should learn to watch her mouth. I don't badmouth her father, do I?" Nyla, who started snarling when he somehow felt (or smelt) his mistress' fury, seemed to hiss in agreement.

"You don't know my dad." Ino told her.

"And you've never known mine!" The bounty hunter snapped at the blonde female, raising her whip like she was about to use it. "He taught me how to survive in this world. He taught me how to never show weakness to any one, when to be ruthless, when to be cool-headed and a great deal more!"

"Ino, apologize." Shikamaru ordered his teammate, his gaze losing the lazy expression it wore.

"What? Why do I have to apologize?" She asked, actually surprised by what her teammate said. She thought he would've taken her side in this.

"You're the one who insulted her father. Now apologize to her." He told her, his face stern and unyielding. Chōji decided to keep out of it by busying himself with another bag of snacks.

She looked like she wanted to protest what the Nara clan heir had told her to do, but she couldn't hold his gaze. "Alright, fine." She turned to look at June. "I'm sorry for insulting your dad." She said with an apologetic tone. No one was sure if she meant it or not, but they were just glad that a potential fight didn't occur.

"Good." June lowered the whip and began to coil it up again. "See that you don't insult him again. Otherwise, I won't let Naruto stop me or Nyla." The blonde in question released a deep breath he had unconsciously been holding. Looking over at Shikamaru, he gave the Konoha shinobi a brief nod of thanks.

"You know, we might as well go help out the Police Force in any way we can." Sokka said aloud, getting the attention from the group. "I'm kinda interested in how they would do things in an investigation."

"Not to mention the fact you want to take a look at the stuff they have and see if you can reinvent it in your spare time." Azula remarked. The entire Team Paragon knew that Sokka was the idea guy and inventor of both their team and Team Avatar. If there was something that got him interested, he would do his best to try and figure out how it works.

"There is that." He admitted, looking unashamedly unapologetic. Both Suki and Akela rolled their eyes when they heard that. However, the Kyoshi Warrior couldn't help but smile as well.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered to himself. "Come on then, we might as well get over there. The Police Force gladly accepts any and all help, so long as the helpers do as they're told."

"How would you know that?" Naruto asked him. He would've thought that the lazy Nara would do anything to avoid something like that, claiming it would be both a drag and a pain.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Spent a turn there with Sasuke after you ran away," He said nonchalantly. "Did you think he joined up for the hell of it?" When he didn't get an answer, he turned around and started walking. "Come on, we might as well get to it."

As it turned out, they weren't the only ones who decided to help out. Both Team Kurenai and Team Guy (minus their respective sensei) decided to help out as well. Grateful for the help (as the Police Force was still trying recover from the loss of the majority of its members), the head of the Force separated them and sent a team to help with the investigations. Team Guy was sent to help at the scene of Koharu's murder, Team Kurenai was sent to Homura's murder, and Team Asuma was sent to Danzo's murder.

"I thought there would be more blood." Ino commented as she looked at the murder scene. Three years ago, she might've thrown up at any amount of blood coming from a dead person. Now, she was proud to be desensitized about it (but she still felt a bit queasy if it was a large amount).

"He must've been killed by surprise." Chōji suggested as he looked too. Danzō had been killed in what looked to be a small study in his house. As the Police had already documented how the body was found and had been removed, the three of them were helping with the bagging and the tagging.

"Guys, we're here to help bag items of interest, not look at where the body was." Shikamaru told them as he examined a nearby bookshelf, ignoring the spray of blood on the desk behind him. "Get back to work."

"We're going." Ino told him, turning her attention away from the blood and towards a cabinet that was near the door. Chōji lowered himself and examined the desk, ignoring the blood on its surface. As the room had already been examined by the Police Force, they were to see if they had missed anything (after going through the mandatory warnings and reminders the Police Force gave to volunteering shinobi). "So, Naruto seems to be doing fine." The female Yamanaka noted as she opened the cabinet with gloved hands.

"Are we really going to talk about that here?" Chōji asked her, looking over at her. It didn't really seem like the place to speak about that subject.

"Where else would we talk about it without a chance of him or his team to hear about it?"

"Nowhere," Shikamaru said as he lightly traced the books on the shelf with his finger. "We are never going to touch that subject again. It's gotten us nothing but headaches and trouble."

"Oh, come on." She said with a bit of a whine in her voice.

"Drop it, Ino. He's made it abundantly clear that he wants nothing to do with us."

"But he seems to be warming up to us lately." She protested. "Haven't you seen him when he's around Lord Jiraiya?" When the blonde had first been brought back, he treated the Toad Sage like the rest of them, like he didn't even want to be around him. Nowadays, the two of them traded barbs and insults. But they said them with a smile, a smirk, or a grin on their faces.

"Well, Lord Jiraiya did go with them when they left the first time." Chōji pointed out. "Maybe they just got used to each other while he was over in the Bending Countries."

"And if they can get along now, why can't he try and do the same for us?" She asked.

"Because the difference there is that Lord Jiraiya has seemed to accept the fact that Naruto won't be staying while some of us have not." Shikamaru answered her question, turning his head to look at his teammate.

"What do you mean 'some of us'?" Ino demanded, looking right back at him and holding his gaze, her tone both indignant and surprised. "Have you given up bringing Naruto back?"

"Troublesome woman," He muttered, breaking eye contact with her and turning back to the book shelf. But he could still feel her gaze trying to pierce the back of his skull. "Yes, I've given up trying to bring him back."

"This is his home, Shikamaru. He belongs with us." She said, her voice raising an octave as she spoke.

"And look where that attitude has gotten us. Getting led around by the nose in Ba Sing Se and then getting captured like a couple of amateurs, failing a very important mission in the process."

"Uh…technically, that's not true." Chōji pointed out, standing up to look at his two teammates. "Aang did defeat the Fire Lord and bring the end to the war, with Naruto's help I might add."

"You know what I mean, Chōji. We weren't there to help Aang end the war. Thus, we failed our mission. And then he made us choose to leave. If that's not a hint to leave him alone, it would be too troublesome to figure out what would be." He focused his attention back on the books. He didn't want to continue this conversation anymore. But he knew that Ino wouldn't let it go.

"But he still came back." The female Yamanaka said in protest. "If he wanted us to leave him alone, why would he come back?"

"Ino, Lord Jiraiya brought him back the first time by force. Now he's back to help take care of the Akatsuki." Chōji told her. "Once that's taken care of, he and his team will probably be gone quicker than we can blink."

"Don't tell me you've given up too, Chōji." She said to him with an accusatory glare. Helping out with the investigation seemed to be the last thing on her mind (even though it was her idea in the first place).

"At this point, it is rather hopeless to think that he'll stay. Maybe he'll try to stay friendly after he leaves, but it's a bit of a small hope." He looked his teammate straight in the eye. "But the question I have is why do you care so much having him back, Ino?"

She was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "It's for Sakura." She confessed. "I wanted to be a good friend and help bring back her old teammate."

"But what if Sakura has given up too?" The Akimichi clan heir asked her.

She had a hard time believing her friend would give up that easily. "She wouldn't. Both she and Sasuke wanted Naruto back the most. They wouldn't give up that easily."

"Hm," Shikamaru said, mostly to himself. It was enough to get the attention of his teammates.

"What's up?" Chōji asked his teammate, looking over at him. Ino swung her gaze to him as well.

"It might be nothing, but there's a book in the shelf that's a little odd. It's a textbook from the Academy. Why would an experienced shinobi like Danzō have something like this in his bookshelf?" He asked aloud. Reaching out, he took hold of the book and pulled it out of its place on the shelf. As soon as the paper left the wood, a section of the wall behind the desk disappeared. "How troublesome, a weight-sensitive, passive Genjutsu." The lazy shinobi said aloud as they stared at the now obvious passageway. "So that's why he had the book."

Chōji didn't say anything in return. Instead, he went over to the study door and poked his head out. "We found something!" He announced to nearby members of the Police Force.

(Location: Police Force HQ)

While the three Konoha teams had been sent out to the murder scenes, Team Paragon had stayed at the headquarters of the Police Force. While Azula and Sokka were having the time of their lives by being given an informal seminar on how everything worked by a veteran of the Force (of which a curious Suki joined), Naruto and June helping out any way they could (which was mostly comprised of getting someone something).

As they helped set the information of the three murders on a board, two members of the Force who were on the case looked at it. "So, they were killed one after the other with Lord Homura being the first and Lord Danzō being the last." The man of the two said, looking at the times of death. "Which means the killer had a partner or was very fast, right, Eiko?" He asked his teammate, a female Hyūga.

"You forgot that he might've used clones, Genji." She told him. "If the killer was able to, he could've used clones to kill them." She eyed Naruto's back as she said those words.

"But wouldn't the deaths have occurred simultaneously if that was true?" Genji replied, ignoring where her eyes were looking.

"That would depend on whether or not the first death was caused by a clone or not." Naruto chimed in as he tacked a picture onto the board. "If the clone had started the killing, it could've dissipated and let the others know. If it had been the original, he would have to have made a clone and then dissipate it to the other clones know."

"You seem to know a lot about how to use clones." Eiko noted, still trying to pin him to the board with her eyes.

He stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. "If you think I killed them, you're wrong." He said to her with simple ease. Having said his fill, he turned back around to the board.

"As far as we know, you're the only one who has motive." She said with an accusatory tone in her voice.

"And it's only day one of the investigation as far as I know." He replied, not bothering to turn back and face her. "Try not to get ahead of yourself."

She would've snarled at the blonde, had her partner cut her off. "He's right, Eiko. We still don't have all the data. So let's just wait until we do before we start throwing accusations around here." He told her.

She stood up from where she leaned against the desk. "I'm getting a drink." She told him. She threw a glare at Naruto's back before walking away. If the place hadn't been busy, odds are her footsteps would've filled the room.

"So, what's her problem?" June asked Genji. She was not blind; she had seen the looks from Eiko as well as some of the others had been throwing at Naruto's back. But for now, she just wanted to know about Eiko.

"She has a small crush on Sasuke." He answered carelessly along with a shrug of his shoulders.

When he heard that, Naruto had to suppress the shudder he felt coming on. But he couldn't quite suppress the flinch. "She is at least ten years his senior." He commented without turning around.

"Mr. Pot, you really shouldn't be calling Mr. Kettle black." The fox told him with very dry sarcasm. The irony in what the blonde said was too much to be ignored even if he had tried.

"Was I talking to you?" He asked with a bit of irritation.

"You are now. Frankly, I was getting worried." Ever since what happened two days ago, his Jinchūriki hadn't said a word to him. But now, he was (for which the Bijū was glad for).

"That doesn't stop her." Genji told him. "Hell, half of the women here keep undressing him with their eyes whenever he's here. It's a little funny sometimes." This time, the blonde couldn't hold it in and shuddered for everyone to see.

"How did he end up here anyway?" June asked, as she and the cop ignored the shudder coming off of the blonde. "I thought that shinobi were always out of the village doing missions and whatnot."

He grinned at that. "Well, some of us prefer a slower pace. But as for Sasuke, that's already an old story."

"I haven't heard it." Truth be told, she was a bit of a sucker for a good story. That was half the reason why she went to taverns and inns (the other half was obvious. She's a bounty hunter; where else would she go for info on targets?).

He laughed. "Good point. Anyway, it was three years ago. Sasuke had taken a leave of absence from the shinobi ranks in order to receive therapy. But aside from that, he didn't really have anything to do. So, being bored one day, he decided to come here. But as he walked through the front door, he encountered three nasty pieces of work, three Chūnin from the Homicide Unit. We weren't never sure if they knew who he was or not, but when he told them he was there to see if he could help in anyway, they told him that they had the perfect job for him."

"Which was?" June pressed him.

"They took him to the file storage room and told him to sort out the entire room. The last thing they told him was he couldn't come out until he was done. By the time they had bother to tell anyone about him, it had been three days later. When the captain and quite a few others raced down to free him, they had expected to find a hungry, thirsty, and angry Uchiha. What they found instead was that Sasuke, not realizing it had been three days because he thought he was taking short naps, had not only sorted out the file room, he had also completely redesigned the filing system, making it better organized. He had also discovered by looking through some of the cold case files that the three Chūnin who had sent him there had been bribed to tamper with evidence."

"How did that turn out?"

"No one wept when the captain fired the three of them and put in a recommendation to the Hokage that they be stripped of their shinobi status. After that, the captain allowed Sasuke to volunteer with the Police Force during his leave. Some of his friends even volunteered as he did, but he was the only to stick to it. When he came back to the ranks and had been promoted to Chūnin, he had asked the captain if he could join the Police Force. The captain agreed and hired him on part-time."

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked, joining the conversation. He had been surprised by the fact that Sasuke of all people would've taken a leave of absence. He had the Uchiha would've been out of the hospital bed as soon as he could and get back in the field. Now he didn't understand what "part-time" meant when it came to Sasuke and the Police Force.

"The captain knew that Sasuke would still want to go outside the village on missions for the Hokage as well as probably hunting for you." He said, looking the blonde in the eye. "So, he allowed to Sasuke join in such a way that he could still be a part of the Police Force and also go on missions, hence, hiring him as part-time."

Before anyone could say anything else, Eiko came back in a hurry, with no drink in hand. "Genji, come on!" She shouted at him as she went past. "We got something new!"

"What's going on?" He asked as he ran up to catch her. June and Naruto, having been caught nothing to do, went after them.

"The team at Lord Danzo's house discovered a passageway that led deep underground. I don't know all the details, but we might've just found out who our killer was." That made him hurry up which in turn, made Naruto and June hurry up.

They arrived at a room that had a screen hanging off of the wall opposite of the door. To the blonde's and bounty hunter's surprise, their teammates were in there as well. "What's going on?" Sokka asked as they walked in.

"Somebody at Lord Danzo's home discovered video footage." Eiko told them. "Apparently, he was paranoid and had set up the latest modal of security cameras all around his house and the village. We've gotten the latest footages and we also found the one for where he was killed. How's that coming, Hayao?" She asked the man who was fiddling with a nearby camera.

"Got it," He declared, flicking a button on the camera. "Somebody close the door and the blinds." Team Paragon did so without question, now interested in what the camera might show them. As soon as the room darkened, the camera came on, beaming light onto the screen.

It showed Danzō's study and judging by how dark it was, it must've been night outside (as they had already known). They watched as Danzō walked out of the passageway and sat down at the desk. He didn't reach for anything; he just sat there like he was waiting for something. It soon became obvious why he was waiting. Another person came out of the passageway within minutes of Danzō. He stopped behind the chair Danzō was sitting in; hidden well enough in the shadows they couldn't see him. "Come on, show us your face." Genji muttered as he kept his eyes clued to the screen.

They didn't have to wait long for something to happen. With a flick of their wrist, whoever stood behind Danzō produced a kunai. With a single stroke, he slashed Danzō's throat open, letting blood spray out from the wound. As his head fell onto the desk, his murderer walked out of the shadows and looked directly at the camera. "Kami, it's a member of the ANBU!" Hayao swore as they all looked at the murderer. He was dressed like an ANBU member. He had the necessary gear along with the tattoo on his shoulder. The only thing that would've made him stand from other ANBU members was his mask, which looked somewhat like a weasel.

The murderer looked at the camera for around a minute or so. He then turned back around and walked back into the passageway. Before he went in, he created a clone. As he walked down the passageway, the clone took a book from the desk and put it in an opening in the shelf, causing the passageway to disappear, before dispelling itself. The video went on for another two minutes before ending, showing only the dead body with the blood coming out of the neck. "Why the hell was an ANBU murdering an advisor to the Hokage?" Eiko demanded as the screen went blank.

"Perhaps whoever did it was under orders?" Genji suggested.

"But from who? The Hokage didn't know anything about the deaths until we informed her of it and she's the only one who commands the ANBU." She stifled a groan of frustration. "It's going to be difficult to try to figure out who that person is now."

"No, it won't." The veteran who was showing Sokka and the others how everything worked said with a grave tone in his voice.

"What do you mean, Kazuhiko?" Hayao asked him. "I thought that an ANBU's identity was known only to the Hokage and her advisors?"

"They are. But whenever a ANBU is picked, the Hokage sends a profile listing all the information we need to know about him, including the mask they wear. And each mask of an ANBU is unique. That mask belonged to someone who betrayed the village in such a way, the Sandaime Hokage had no choice but reveal his identity to both us and the normal ranks in case we ever came across him using that mask." He explained to them.

"Who did that mask belong to, then?" Sokka asked.

He seemed to take a deep breath before he answered that question. "It belonged to Itachi Uchiha."

The entire room went silent as those words went through their heads and they processed it. It was something they wanted to think they heard wrong, but knew that they didn't. "Kazuhiko, are you saying that Itachi Uchiha snuck back into the village and killed three people?" Eiko asked the veteran, sudden nervousness filling her voice.

He nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Oh, fuck me." Genji said. It was a sentiment that was silently shared by everyone in the room (most members of Team Paragon remembered how the man in question fought at Kouzan. Those who didn't had been filled in). "We've got to inform Lady Tsunade about this. If Itachi is still in the village, we could already be in danger." Both Eiko and Hayao agreed with what he said.

As the three of them looked like they were about to move, Naruto was frowning at the screen. "Something's wrong here." He said, mostly to himself. But he was still loud enough for the others to hear him.

"What do you mean by that, Naruto?" Azula asked him.

"It's been a long time since the Uchiha Clan Massacre and until now, the only time Itachi had come back to the village was when he thought I was still there. He could've killed Danzō and the others then if he could. So why did he wait three more years before finally doing so?" He asked, not really expecting a good answer.

"Well, why do you think he did it?" Hayao asked him, ignoring Eiko's pointed glare that was somehow telling him to shut up.

"I don't think Itachi would do something like this." The blonde said with conviction. "It doesn't really mean anything to him. So, unless these murders are somehow a distraction, I don't…" He trailed off as he realized what that meant, his eyes going wide at the idea.

"You don't what?" Sokka asked him. Everyone had unconsciously leaned towards him when he had stopped talking; wanting to hear what he had to say.

"Eiko, you said that Danzō had cameras set up all around the village. Does that include the Uchiha district, the hospital, and the Konoha Eleven building?" He asked her.

"Yeah, it does. Like I said, the man was paranoid." She answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"And we have all the latest footage from these cameras, right?" She nodded. He turned to look at Hayao. "Do we have the footage from the Uchiha district?"

"We do, but it only shows the front entrance." Hayao answered. "Where are you going with this?"

"Could you find it and play it, please?" The cop did as he was asked, finding the correct footage and putting it into the camera. Once again, it projected a beam of light onto the screen. It showed the entrance of the Uchiha district. Nothing changed for the first couple of minutes, but then the same ANBU that had killed Danzō walked through the entrance, a mere ten minutes after Danzō's time of death. They kept on watching with bated breath and when they saw the ANBU again, Naruto released his. "Son of the bitch!" swore the blond. "I knew it!"

No one said anything else, but they all knew what he meant. The ANBU had walked out of the entrance and over to the camera, letting it get a good look at him. Then he turned away, allowing the camera to see what he had slung over his shoulder as he walked away.

It was his little brother, Sasuke.

End

Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Some of you have been asking me whether or not Bee was actually taken. Hopefully, that little visit of Sifu's cleared that up. And if it hasn't, then allow me to put it in the immortal words of Dr. Leonard McCoy: "He's dead, Jim."

Cloud watching is actually quite fun and relaxing. I find that the best clouds are the ones that after a storm. But what's also fun there is watching storm clouds themselves. To see them loom over our heads, big and grey, separate and yet somehow, almost looking like they are all one giant cloud. If you doubt me, go try it for yourself and let your imagination run rampart. It'll probably take away a good portion of your afternoon, but it would be worth it.

As for those three who were murdered, yes, they actually were murdered. The how and why will be revealed in later chapters. And if you were waiting and hoping for a Team Paragon vs Danzō fight or anything close to that, too bad, it's not happening.

Concerning that passageway in Danzō's house, I gotta figure that the guy's a little like Batman. He needs a quick way to get to his Batcave (or in this case, where Root operates). Plus, if the guy really thinks he's trying to protect the village, he would be paranoid enough to set cameras throughout the place to keep an eye on people and not telling anyone about it.

As for Itachi taking Sasuke, if you want to know what happens to him, you'll just have to keep reading.

I'll see you all next chapter!