Chapter Twelve

"So he saw Anna the night she died?" I asked blankly. We were holding an emergency family meeting in the kitchen while Mr. Chojuro Kurosaki fidgeted in the living room on the couch.'

"Apparently." Sasuke muttered.

"Why didn't he go to the cops when they showed her murder on the news?" I asked.

"He was afraid whoever killed Anna would've killed him." Nagato sighed.

"Why? And how did he even know about the diamonds?" Naruto asked stiffly. We all knew him enough to know he was trying to hold himself back and his cold demeanor made Sasuke frown in worry.

"He and a whole bar heard about the diamonds when he was at a bar in Kumo. The Rocks is apparently a high end bar for middle-class people."

"Explains why we've never heard about it." Karin muttered. "He tracked us down by asking about us?

"So he says. I'm not sure how much we can believe." Itachi murmured. "But so far his story checks out with what he saw when he was leaving Konoha Elite."

"What did he see?" Everyone but Itachi and Nagato asked in exasperation. They shared a glance before looking at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, get your sketch pad. Karin get into the DMV and Police Arrest history. He's going to tell us." Nagato ordered. Sasuke and Karin left only to join us in the living room.

"Chojuro, I'm going to ask you to describe everything you did that night." Itachi ordered. Chojuro nodded glancing at the Uzumaki's that surrounded him.

"Well, I was heading back to the hospital after getting something to eat when the doctors pulled me aside and told me my daughter, Moko, had to have a really expensive surgery done if she was going to get any better. I-I... My wife and I don't have that much money and while I was in the hallway trying to think of some way to find the answer, this guy from the bar popped into my head." He gulped. "He'd been really drunk and saying how he wished he was as rich as his neighbor. That they'd started at the same place in life and yet he was broke but his neighbor had more money than he needed. Then he started ranting about how he had a vault full of diamonds. He- he was at the bar all last week moaning about it until one day he came in smiling. He didn't answer any questions until he got really drunk and said he was about to come into some money. I asked him if he'd won the lottery and to share but he said he hired someone to get him some money and how she was the best in her field. Everyone else thought he was talking stock market but I wanted to know more. You know, so I could find some money for my daughter."

"He told me the professional was a thief and a damn good one. That she was supposed to get him his money in the next two days. I bought him some more shots and he told me where the house being robbed was so I showed up that night. I had some liquid courage and a gun but... I couldn't hurt her. I've never killed anyone and she seemed to know that. She talked me down until I broke down and told her why I needed the diamonds or at least the money they'd get." He sniffed. "She reached into her bag and pulled out three wads of cash, it was twice as thick as my wrist. She told me to take it for my daughter and then left. I was so grateful that it took me a few seconds to get moving. I-I was walking by the Konoha Park when I saw a woman coming out of the forest. I thought it was odd but didn't react until a man came out after her." Sasuke pulled up his sketch pad. Chojuro slowed down to detail them.

"I noted the woman had some light colored hair. Blond or white. It was shoulder length and really shaggy. She was short too, almost looked like a little kid. I don't remember her eye color but I know her eyes were big and her mouth was bigger, like some maniac grin. The man was taller, maybe a whole foot and a half taller. He looked plain compared to the woman. I think he had red or dark pink hair and, it was really shaggy. More than the woman's. I only remember them because they looked like they were arguing. I remember profanities but the actual words were said in a whisper. I'm sorry."

"That's okay. Do you remember if they drove a car and what the license plate was?" Karin asked.

"The car was a small white car. I'm afraid I had already passed them and when they drove past the lights were too dim. Maybe a K 32? There were those numbers." He huffed. "I'm sorry. I can't even remember a stinking license plate and it was right there."

"It's okay, we've gotten a lot more than we had." Naruto soothed. Karin and Sasuke got moving. Itachi and Nagato walked over to me and lowered their heads.

"I think it best if this information never made it to Akatsuki. This isn't their fight." Nagato murmured.

"So we take justice into our own hands?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "Nagato they will suffer longer if we turn them in."

"They could already be out of the city." Itachi added. I glared at his unhelpful comment. "But Saiya does have a point. Akatsuki can track them down. Karin is good but she's not good enough to track down people by facial recognition. She doesn't have the equipment necessary."

"Not to mention they could put out an ABP on them. We are still young and the chances of Uzushio getting into the other districts is still in slow motion. If we tried to establish a base in another part of the country it won't be as effective. Akatsuki could run them down. I'm pretty sure Karin and Naruto could monitor the station's movements and Itachi can let us know if they find them."

Nagato grumbled. "They're murderers but they don't have the diamonds. They're still in the city. Of that I am sure of. Akatsuki would just get in the way."

"Are you willing to put any one of us in jeopardy to get vengeance?" I asked softly.

"Are you saying you don't want to?" Nagato asked glaring at me. "Has that detective wormed his way into your head to the point where you don't want justice for Anna?"

"No." I hissed. "I just don't think we could live with something that would warp our meaning. Uzushio was meant to be a safe haven that helped people. Not a force that brought down vengeance. We may seek it for others but if we don't let them enact their revenge, what right do we have?"

"We have every right to hurt those who trample on others."

"By proving they did it and helping to make sure they land in Blood Prison." I argued. "You know I am right aniki. We cannot let our injustice become our downfall."

"She has a good point Nagato." Itachi agreed with me. "Everything we do is for others."

"Then why not take the time to take this for ourselves?" Nagato argued.

"You know why." Itachi murmured. "What example does that set for Naruto, Sasuke and Karin?" Nagato's jaw tightened. He looked over to the three mentioned before nodding once.

"Fine. Saiya and I will talk to the detectives tomorrow morning." Nagato told Itachi. I covered my glee with surprise at how fast he was willing to work with Akatsuki, well Sasori and Deidera. "If Karin hasn't found anything we will have them look. If Karin has then we will give them the names and inform them that the diamonds have been found."

"Understood." Itachi intoned. Nagato looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze.

"What?" I asked.

"I do not approve of how chummy you are with those detectives."

"Don't you mean just the one?" He ignored my interruption.

"But I'm willing to go along with it for now. Inform them that we will meet them in Kumo at The Diner. 7:30. They should be on time or we will hunt down the two murderers ourselves."

"Yes sir." I gave a two finger salute before retrieving my cell phone. "Karin, can you do me a favor?"