Ch: 14 Vice
The three prohibitions for shinobi are:
1. Alcohol
2. Lust
3. Money
"I take ye aren't here for a loan," the snake-oil salesman said with a quiver.
Sasuke pulled hard on the rope.
The man grimaced from the burning friction against his wrists, but then a second later he exaggerated a pleasured sigh. "Oh, baby. That's good."
"Stop fucking around." Sasuke shoved the man into the wall for the second time. He was not in the mood for this bastard's sick games. "Talk."
It was the sixth pawn shop and the third inquiry-turned-interrogation that day. They hadn't gotten anywhere. By now, especially now, Sasuke's patience withered to non-existence—not without help from the salesman's fetishization of his situation.
"I thought I smelled shinobi," the shop owner said as he spat bloody saliva onto his own floor. "Turns out I was right."
HE saw Sakura frown. "We only tied you up because you tried to run," she said.
"'Cus I saw that guy comin' in with that crazy expression on his face, lookin' like he wanted to kill me!"
Because I'm sick of your shit, Sasuke said in his mind.
"See?! Look!" the man exclaimed accusingly, pointing directly at him.
"Sasuke," Naruto gently commanded.
When they made eye contact, Sasuke understood and stepped back to allow Naruto some space. "Fine. He's yours."
"Listen. It ain't personal, but no one in their right mind would tell ye anythin', not as long as one of us knows. Not even me, even if ye threatened to kill me." The shop owner jutted a thumb into his own chest as if to accentuate the point. "I don't look it, but I'm loyal."
Sasuke didn't buy it. Self-proclaimed statements were always bullshit. And loyalty had a price. Always.
"Wait a minute—what do you mean by 'as long as one of us knows'?" Naruto asked.
"That's how it works. Us pawners have an unspoken rule to not work with shinobi. Too many complications—case in point," he said as he eyed Sasuke warily. "We talk. There are no secrets in this business. Not even dirty ones." The shop owner explicitly stared at Sakura's chest and licked his lips.
Sasuke had to restrain himself from giving the man another go.
"Even if I did pawn extraordinary items, which I don't, I wouldn't tell ye. Not unless I wanted to get blacklisted. That's everythin' I know—I swear it."
Well, wasn't the snake-oil salesman being cooperative now, Sasuke thought bitterly. He hadn't managed to get one decent piece of information this entire time, yet all of a sudden the man became a fountain of information as soon as Naruto asked a question. Annoying.
His blonde teammate started to cut the rope binding the shop owner's wrists before helping him stand up. "What do you mean blacklisted?"
"Look around ye," the shop owner said. "D'ya see anythin' besides common thug jewelry and heirlooms? As soon as someone gets whiff that ye do business with shinobi, yer done for."
"Then this isn't going to work," Naruto said as he laced his fingers behind his head. "We don't fit in. We won't find the scroll this way."
"Damn straight ye won't."
"Well, then how do we fit in?" Sakura asked.
"Ye can't, babycakes. Not you. You look too much like a sweet, innocent virgin."
Sasuke watched as the shop owner took another look at Sakura. Who did this jackass think he was?
"Sasuke," Naruto warned.
"What?" Sasuke responded, irritated.
When he looked at Naruto, the blonde was staring at where his hands were.
Oh.
Sasuke's finger had unfastened his sword, revealing an inch or two of the reflective metal. He hadn't even realized.
"I ain't gonna tell you guys how to do your jobs," the shopkeeper said defensively with two raised hands. "But… Yer in Yukkao."
Well they sure as hell weren't in Konoha. That much was obvious.
"And?" Sasuke demanded impatiently.
"Monkey see, monkey do."
Even in broad daylight, drunken lowlifes swarmed the dingy, beat-down streets like flies. It was a cesspool of degenerates, straight out of a cliche, sleazy novel.
As she walked, Sakura half wondered if they'd even need to conceal their identities. From the looks of it, even if they were spotted, nobody would remember.
"What the—"
She was suddenly thrown backwards as if her cloak had been snagged, and her legs staggered backwards from the pull.
"Eh—?!" she heard the Jinchuriki exclaim in disbelief.
Sakura blew strands of her pink hair out of her face. Then she looked to her right, where she saw an inebriated creep withdraw a hand-held mirror into his oversized sleeve. He looked at her with a disgustingly smug yellow-toothed smile. It then occurred to her that it was probably because he managed to get a good look up her skirt.
She looked behind her, and realized that Sasuke was the one who pulled her backwards.
"Get lost," the Jinchuriki said, protectively stepping in between Sakura and the source of her harassment.
The guy scampered off.
"I was going to handle it," she told her teammates.
"You're welcome," Sasuke replied. She felt his hand leave her back as he said it.
Ah, the city of Vice, true to form, where the dark side of human nature reared its ugly head in every crack and corner. And that was one hell of an introduction.
So, they really needed to find this damned scroll, Sakura thought. What did the pawn owner mean by, 'monkey see, monkey do'? And how would that help them in this situation?
They were beginning to enter the more crowded streets now, which Sakura guessed to be the downtown area of Yukkao.
She made eye contact with a couple of by passers as she led her teammates through the chaotic streets., and felt a little self-conscious when the casual glances thrown her way became outright stares from strangers like they'd never seen anyone with pink hair.
Granted, pink hair was different, but staring was rude wasn't it? For a second, she thought that maybe it would be a good idea to henge into something ordinary like blonde or brown, just to get some relief.
Actually, now that Sakura noticed, it was mostly the women staring at her.
Especially those two.
The two women couldn't have been much younger than Sakura. Dressed in short kimonos, the brunettes stood in the entryway of an old-school gambling spot located a few yards in front of her, crossing their arms to enhance their cleavage as they shamelessly batted their eyelashes.
As she got closer, the girls began giggling, becoming harder to ignore.
Is there something on my face? Sakura wondered.
"Mister… you look like trouble," said one of the women, sidestepping Sakura. An expert flip of the woman's long black tresses signaled that she was adept in the art of flirtation.
And then the realization hit—they, along with every other woman in the street, were eyeing her teammate behind her the whole time.
The woman wrapped herself around Sasuke's arm, subtly pressing her breasts onto his arm for effect.
Sakura's mouth fell open.
Why did every female become a heap of stupid mush around him?
"Why don't you and your friend come in and relax," said the second woman, winking at the blonde.
The Jinchuriki looked surprised at the attention. "O-oh that's kind of you," he stammered. He gestured at Sakura and said politely, "actually, the three of us are together."
Both women then looked at Sakura, apparently seeing her for the first time.
"That's too bad," said the first, starry eyes still glued to their raven-haired teammate. "I was going to ask if you wanted to try your luck." She pouted her lips and, if it was even possible, attempted to further bury Sasuke's arm into the crevice between her breasts.
The Jinchuriki turned beet red.
"Actually, we're looking to procure a very rare item and we were hoping you could help," said Sasuke, taking the initiative. His voice had an edge to it, yet it was gentle like a purr.
A shiver ran down Sakura's spine even though his words weren't directed towards her.
"But unfortunately it isn't exactly for sale… on the regular market," he continued.
The emphasis on the last word seemed to be acknowledged by the two women, who still looked too eager to help even though the conversation had taken darker undertones. They looked around to see if anyone was listening.
"Rumor has it that the owner of this club—"
"Don't," the second woman said nervously. When she met Sasuke's gaze, she blushed and backtracked. She looked as though she didn't want to disappoint the Uchiha. "I mean—are you sure? What if they—"
"They can handle it," reassured the first woman. "There's a club located at the end of the next block. Rumor has it the owner is a black market broker. He hires dancers to size up prospects and make sure they aren't cops. It'll probably be hard to get in without anyone vouching for you."
"But that's where we would start," the second woman added. "You'll know it when you see it. Be careful—they're trained."
The sparked Sakura's curiosity. Trained for what?
Sasuke nodded his thanks, and then the women gave their respects before turning back to the entryway of their spot, where like predators, they laid in wait for their next prey.
Sakura followed her teammates in the direction of this mysterious club.
The stares did not stop. In fact, they just got worse. Bar girls, merchants, and by passers alike. But this time, Sakura didn't make the mistake of thinking they were aimed at her.
She looked to her stoic teammate who didn't seem to react to the attention. His bangs were pressed against his forehead underneath his black bandana, revealing his trademark onyx eyes.
Was it his hair that females liked? For the life of her, Sakura couldn't figure it out.
Sasuke briefly cast a glance at her direction and she snapped her eyes forward, casually pretending that she hadn't been staring at him either.
He was so damn full of himself. She couldn't see the appeal. Nope.
"So how are we going to find this place?" the Jinchuriki asked. "We don't even know what it looks like."
The door of the building right next to them busted open with a loud bang, stealing the attention from all three of them at once. Fast-paced club music spilled past the plain black door, held open by a tall and muscular man as two others hauled someone onto the street.
"C'mon baby! I'm not a cop, I swear," he slurred. "And y'kno you liked it as much as me…"
A finger with a ridiculously long painted nail pointed into the street. "I know you're not," a woman spat. "You're just a fuckin' creep. Don't come back—ever!"
Sakura looked at the skinny little guy and wondered why they let him inside in the first place. His greasy slicked back hair and baggy clothes made him look like a dirty rat. He probably smelled like one too.
He scurried away when the bouncers took a threatening step towards him.
"I think we found the place," Sasuke said to their blonde teammate.
How convenient, Sakura thought. Now came the tricky part.
"How do we get inside without raising suspicion?" she asked. "We aren't dressed like we want to go clubbing."
At that moment, they all heard the incoming click clack of someone's heels. The woman, who Sakura now recognized to weld the pointy finger, emerged from the entryway.
She was headed towards them.
Sasuke suddenly turned around to Sakura, pulling the Jinchuriki with him.
"Sakura, take our backpacks. Put my sword in your cloak. Now."
"Huh? What—"
Both her teammates shoved all their belongings into her arms. Sasuke pulled Sakura's cloak over all the bulk, tucking away anything visible except for her face.
You've got to be fucking kidding me.
Sakura heard a squeal of delight.
"Who is that?!"
With her arms stuffed, she redirected her attention to the woman, who might as well have been cut and paste straight from an erotica magazine.
The woman had long, wavy auburn hair that trickled down her waist, indisputably striking against her choice of forest-green… what was it exactly? It was surely some form of a bikini, but Sakura doubted the skimpy thing would stay on if she went for a swim.
Gracefully, the woman stalked towards them in stilettos. Her full breasts bounced underneath the sheer fabric of her bikini, which Sakura guessed was supposed to cover the woman's most sensitive bits. It didn't work. The cold air only emphasized everything.
From a practicality standpoint, the outfit was a nightmare. Sakura counted a plethora of nonfunctional straps for the abysmal amount of fabric there was.
"Can I help you?" the woman asked, trying not to seem too eager. Of course, any semblance of intrigue was only directed at Sasuke.
Sakura glanced at the Jinchuriki. He had his eyes glued to the sky. Good thing, too. She didn't know why, but she had an inkling that she would've given him a good beating if she saw him staring.
"Sasuke, hurry up. Just ask her the question so we can get out of here," the Jinchuriki whispered.
"We have inquiries," Sasuke replied casually.
The woman eyed the two men up and down. "Alright," she said as she motioned for them to follow. "And the girl?"
"She's not with us."
"What?!" the Jinchuriki hissed at their teammate. "No way. I'm not going!"
"What the fuck Sasuke," Sakura whispered. "What do you think you're do—"
He turned to face them when the auburn-haired woman was out of earshot, interrupting their protests. "We'll split up here. We're dealing with the scum of the scum, so this is the reality. Sakura—try to blend in and see what else you can find. Keep your chakra flared so we know you're safe."
Just then, a violent rumbling erupted from Sakura's stomach, much to her humiliation. She would've tried to smother the sound with her arms if they weren't already full.
Sasuke smirked. "And you should probably find a snack."
Before she could retort, Sasuke the lech allowed himself to be pulled into the ominous black building by what might as well have been a succubus, much to Sakura's chagrin.
The Jinchuriki could do nothing as he looked back at her with an apologetic expression.
Fuming, she watched them disappear into the club music.
Despicable.
Absolutely despicable.
Boy did she hate him now.
Sakura angrily took the last bite out of the BBQ squid she'd bought from a street vendor, chewing ferociously. She crumpled up her wrapper and tossed it in a nearby trash bin before storming on.
Sasuke was just a good-for-nothing pervert. That meant the burden to find the scroll fell onto Sakura, while her two dead-weight teammates did fuck all.
She was not in a good mood. She hadn't slept well last night, and if she was being honest with herself, she had PTSD from the damned hallucinogenic that caused her to see horrifying things. On top of that, she still had no idea where Itachi was, or what she'd do to get in contact with Akatsuki. The cherry on top was that her simple mission to Iwa had her on a wild goose chase right now.
So, yeah. It was a shitty day to say the least.
There it is.
Sakura came to a stop as one of the more popular gambling bars, recommended to her earlier, emerged in view. It was later into the evening now, and the nicer-looking storefronts from earlier took on second personas with janky neon signs and smoky rooms.
She pulled aside the entry curtain. Behind it was a large open area with some wooden tables tucked along the edges of the room. In the center of the room was a rectangular floor mat, able to seat about sixteen people along its perimeter. The floor mat was already decently full, with rowdy men trying their luck at some form of gambling.
There were a few empty pillows where she could likely eavesdrop on the entire room if she focused. Great. She could 'try to blend in' and 'see what she could find', as stupid Sasuke told her to do. She could really use a drink or two anyway.
Now… where was a good place to start?
She scanned the room and channeled chakra to enhance her hearing.
A dozen conversations became amplified at once. It was almost overwhelming—the amount of mental focus required to filter out all the irrelevant noise would've been draining if it weren't for her precise chakra control.
She heard drunk men ranting about their wives, jokingly—or not—bragging about how they'd run away with a mistress, spouting about their latest shady business deals, and thanking lady luck for their gambling wins.
And then something caught her ear.
"I've got all the hookups in the city," said an eager, whispered voice. "Even to the doc."
"Big whoop," responded an unbelieving voice. "I didn't learn the meaning of corrupt until I heard all the rumors. I wouldn't let him touch me with a ten-foot pole."
"You're missing the point," the first voice said. "I just mean I have the good stuff. Even he uses it."
Perfect.
There was nothing better than a loud, peacocking idiot when it came to getting leads. Judging the pace at which he was downing alcohol, she probably wouldn't have to do much before he began spilling all the secrets of the criminals in this city.
Just when Sakura was about to make her way over, a beefy arm shot out of nowhere.
"What?" she snapped.
She realized that she was talking to the bouncer. He held his hand out, blocking her entry.
"Sorry miss, but shinobi are not allowed into this establishment," he said as he pointed to the sign.
Sakura wondered what a guy like him could do about it, but decided not to make a scene.
Wait a minute. How did he know she was—
Oh.
She looked at her outfit. Damn Sasuke and his fucking sword. It stuck out from under her cloak.
She was going to have to use Tenten's enclosing technique to get rid of her stuff. She ducked into a nearby alley to execute the rest of her plan, and before sealing away all of her teammate's belongings, decided to throw her cloak and pack in there too.
Let's hope this bouncer isn't a sensory type, she thought.
Worst case scenario, she'd be thrown out.
Henge no jutsu!
Tsunade wasn't having any of it.
She didn't like the self-congratulatory attitude hidden underneath his ingenuine solemn expression, or the way he faked a tremor in his hand as part of his sympathy ploy. The way he walked with a cane as if to emulate an old, fragile man. The way he could look someone dead in the eye and lie without a heavy conscience.
Danzo was a predator. And she'd be his prey if she wasn't careful.
"Forensics estimates that it's around four weeks old," he said.
"Is that what they're saying now?" Tsunade replied. It was more of a statement than a question. She didn't want to give him any indication of what she was thinking, and purposefully took a neutral tone as she sized him up from behind her desk.
Root found a sliver of shedded snake skin a few miles north of one of the temples in Fire Country. Apparently, it was around four weeks old.
"I fail to see why it should concern me, Danzo. If you're concerned about an infestation of venomous snakes near Konoha, we can surely exterminate them."
"No, that won't be necessary. You see, these types of snakes aren't venomous… necessarily."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. What was his angle?
"In fact, they aren't even from around here," he drawled.
"Why bring it up then? Get to the point." She hated that fucking nonchalant tone he used.
"What was it that your team originally found at the scene, four weeks ago? It was some… dagger of some sort? And a torn piece of cloth?"
Tsunade gave her best poker face as she leaned back in her chair, tapping her nails on the wooden desk. He was up to something. Framing the context. Manipulating her. Trying to lead her to form some type of conclusion.
"Danzo, you have read the reports. There was evidence of a battle in the rain and a poisoned dagger was left behind. We suspected killings but found no bodies. We're not sure if it's related to the Inuzukas' or Suna's shinobi disappearances," she snapped. "Why am I repeating myself? Get to the point, Danzo. What do you have to say about your findings?"
"Oh, I can tell you that the disappearances are all related. Every last one of them. That snake was from none other than Ryuchi cave."
Tsunade froze. There was only one way a snake from the Ryuchi cave would end up near Konoha. And there were only two known shinobi who had a summoning contract with that cave.
One of them was already dead.
Forensics estimates that it's around four weeks old.
Four weeks ago was when Sasuke returned.
Something wasn't right.
"My team already cleared the area," Tsunade said. "Nothing was found at the time of the discovery. The snake could have shown up afterwards."
"That may very well be true. Or… maybe your team clearing the area is precisely why we didn't find anything until now," Danzo replied. "After all, you are very overworked."
He was calling them incompetent. Fucking bastard.
She looked at him with hard eyes. "Why don't you just say what you mean for once?"
He remained unfazed.
Thinking back, Danzo was noticeably absent during the terms of Sasuke's pardon, when the council pushed back on her decision to allow him back into the village. She knew he was up to no good, even then.
"I have no idea what you mean, Princess Tsunade. I am a very straightforward man."
Tch.
It was very clear that Danzo wanted Sasuke to seem guilty for the crimes. But making that conjecture was a fucking leap if she ever saw one.
She had to hand it to him—the dates of all the disappearances lined up nicely, to when Sasuke was outside the village and unaccounted for. He was working to complete a number of missions before being allowed to join Team 7, but the reports on those, and even Sai's findings, were all unremarkable.
"Morino already cleared Sasuke. Unless you have something specific, like DNA samples that match our records, then you have only wasted my time. Get out," Tsunade barked.
What bothered Tsunade was that she didn't know what Danzo had to gain if Sasuke was found guilty. As far as she knew, they'd barely interacted when Sasuke was a child.
"Tsunade," Danzo said, shaking his head. He picked up his cane and began inching towards the door. "You lead with your heart, not your head. It will be the end of Konoha, whether tomorrow or ten years from now."
He closed the door behind him.
Tsunade was left alone with her thoughts.
Naruto believed in Sasuke, and she believed in Naruto. She wouldn't get sucked into whatever Danzo was trying to pull. She wouldn't entertain this conspiracy; that was exactly what he wanted.
Suddenly, she thought about that scroll that she gave Sakura. What did she say to her then?
That she couldn't take the chance.
Was she just being paranoid?
Or had she just sent two of her most trusted successors out with a dangerous double agent?
"Ah! Ahh! Sasuke, are you sure this is okay?!" said Naruto as he walked through the grimy lounge area clumsily, trying his best to avoid touching anything. Picking up a disease in this filthy place was not on his to-do list.
"Dobe, I don't care if you don't gather any intel, but can you at least try to not to attract so much attention to yourself?" Sasuke said, looking irritated.
Naruto shot him a glare. The only reason why they were here was because Sasuke did nothing but attract attention from women, always.
What were they even doing here?
Naruto had a bad feeling about it all. For all he knew, Sasuke could have picked up some nasty habits during his time away from Konoha.
And Sakura looked pissed.
Their hostess brought them into one of the dimly-lit private rooms to give Sasuke the 'VIP experience'. It had a leveled stage surrounded by two long leather couches on both sides.
"My friend will be here soon," the auburn-haired woman said to Naruto as she stepped onto the stage. She grabbed the pole nearest Sasuke and began swaying her hips to the music.
"U-uhm, sure, no problem lady!" he chuckled and threw a hand behind his head, trying his best impression of someone who was comfortable. But really, he was inwardly sweating like he'd never felt before.
"Call me Tsuta," she said.
"C-cool name!" Naruto stammered.
"What's your problem?" hissed Sasuke under the music. "Is it your first time or something?"
Sasuke probably thought there was no way Naruto traveled the country with that legendary sannin without seeing one of these clubs. But despite how it looked, Naruto had spent most of those travels focused on his training.
"No, of c-course not!" Naruto said hotly, pouting with his arms crossed. He stomped over to the opposite couch and reluctantly sat down.
Naruto had no idea what they were talking about, or what he meant by "first time", but Sasuke would score a point in their unofficial rivalry over Naruto's dead body.
His friend smirked, indicating that he hadn't quite believed the lie.
Unsure of what he just signed himself up for, Naruto eyed the exit. It wasn't that far off…
Maybe I can make a run for it.
And then he looked at Sasuke, who was looking at him. Naruto sank a little more into the couch. He probably wouldn't be able to avoid whatever was coming now.
"It's part of the job. Just do it," Sasuke mouthed as he relaxed into the couch opposite Naruto.
The door opened, and a second girl stepped inside, sparsely covered by a lacy bikini that matched her long, straight purple hair.
Damn was she hot.
"I heard you were looking for me," she said.
Naruto gulped.
Sasuke strained his ears to eavesdrop.
"…never seen anyone so handsome."
The girls whispered to each other over synchronized twirls on the poles. He only heard the tail end of whatever they said.
He had to figure out a way to make them talk without being suspicious. The effort would be useless unless he could steer the conversation.
"Tsuta," Sasuke commanded.
She jumped.
"Come keep me company." He motioned for her to join him on the couch.
From the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw a look of panic shoot across Naruto's face. The purple-haired woman, Tsuta's "friend", followed Tsuta off the stage and made her way to the cowering blonde. Sasuke sent a look of encouragement to his teammate, though it was probably a pitiful attempt.
Tsuta stepped between Sasuke's legs and rested one knee on the couch as she leaned over to give him a full view of her breasts. He could see her aroused buds through her sheer green fabric and tried not to stare.
"I thought you'd never ask," she whispered into his ear before planting a hot kiss on his neck.
He shifted a little.
Fuck.
She stood and began to sway her hips again, slowing down every now and then to touch herself artfully. She was a pro, alright.
Concentrate, he told himself.
"I was actually wondering if you could help me with something, Tsuta," he purred. He made sure to keep repeating her name—he knew he had a certain effect on women that way. "What can you tell me about procuring rare items in this city?"
She bent over with the music and flipped her hair. As if it was a perfectly choreographed dance, she sultrily began to raise her torso with a straight back.
Sasuke resisted the urge to activate his Sharingan, which would've allowed him to memorize her fingers trailing along the length of her thigh.
"I'll be asking the questions," she said.
She was good at her job. Naruto was a goner if the other woman was just as good. That meant the entire operation rested on Sasuke now.
"Ask away." Sasuke had to force a smile on his face as the words felt very unnatural to him. He motioned for her to straddle his hips. When she obliged, he grasped her hips with strong hands, moving his arms with her body as she grinded in his lap.
She was really good.
"You don't look like a regular businessman," she whispered. "What do you do for a living?"
"That's because I'm not," he explained.
She already knew, somehow. There was no point in denying it now.
"You're a shinobi, aren't you? From where?"
"We're rogue."
"Ah, is that so?" Tsuta rested her hands on his chest as she continued to dance on him.
Seduction was a delicate sport. Sasuke needed to make her talk without it seeming like he was resisting her interrogation.
He nodded. "We managed to land a job. But someone stole an item I was supposed to deliver."
He took control of her hips and pushed her down on his lap so that she was grinding him harder. Her body was fluid in his hands, their electric chemistry growing stronger with every second.
She must've liked what she was doing to him. He started to feel the moistness of her crotch through his pants.
"I haven't been able to find it in the pawn shops," he continued. He slid his hands up along her ribs until his thumbs rested just beneath her breasts. He kept his touch light on her skin, just enough to raise the hair on her arms and send a tingling sensation down the length of her spine. She arched into his touch, begging for more.
He was tempted to give it to her. The tension was undeniable.
When she began to moan a little, he knew he had her.
"Try the storefront up the hill that sells rugs and carpets," she responded breathlessly. "They're open 24/7."
"And how could I get special access to—"
Sasuke paused. What was that?
Tsuta said something, but he wasn't listening.
His mind was fixated on something in the air that had changed within the last second. And it meant something was terribly, terribly wrong.
Gently, with lightning-fast speed, he placed Tsuta on the armrest of the couch, handed her a tip, and bolted out the door.
"Sasuke!" he heard Naruto call after him.
By the time his friend caught up, panting, Sasuke was already sprinting halfway down the street.
"What's your problem?!" Naruto shouted. "Weren't you the one who said to—"
"Naruto, don't tell me you didn't feel it?"
Sasuke activated his Sharingan, sending startled civilians darting away from their path. He didn't care that they were supposed to keep their identities hidden. This was more important.
"Feel what? Can you tone it down a little? You're scaring people," Naruto said.
"Naruto, we need to find Sakura."
"Huh? Sakura?"
Sasuke nodded. "There's something wrong. Her chakra disappeared."
A look of concern washed over his friend's face. Without hesitation, the blonde began to make a hand sign. "Let's split up. Kage bunshin—"
"No idiot, not here." He covered his teammate's hand signs. "Check across the road. Meet me in three minutes if you don't find anything.
Naruto nodded and dashed off.
Sasuke scanned the crowds with his eyes once more.
There. He'd start there.
He let his instincts take over and ran into the closest restaurant to search for his teammate. Curious patrons looked up at him from their meals. He couldn't see or feel any sign of enemy shinobi. He didn't see Sakura either.
He cursed.
He wasn't so lucky with the next one, either.
Or the next one after that.
Sasuke lost count of how many times he dashed in and out of various venues to no avail.
Where the fuck did she go?
"All in!"
The roar of a crowd stole his attention. There was a huge ruckus in one of the gambling spots on the edge of the street, where he hadn't checked yet. It looked popular, and it was unlikely that his pink-haired teammate would venture in by choice. He decided to check anyway.
Inside were the lowered heads of busy men testing their luck with the roll of die. Some men yelled in victory, messily splashing their sake everywhere as they smashed their shot glasses into each other.
His gaze was pulled to a woman, the only woman, sitting among them with her back turned towards him. She had medium length blonde hair and wore a fitted mini dress. Her waist was small, but her shoulders looked strong, and in her seated position Sasuke could see that she had hips. A nagging sensation told him that the woman was important somehow, even though he couldn't see her face.
She was busy chatting with the man next to her. He poured her some sake, and they toasted before throwing their heads back and getting back into the game.
The body language between them pointed to strangers rather than acquaintances. He watched as the man outstretched a hand to brush the woman's cheek. Before he could, she laughed, forcing him to drop it.
Naruto appeared at his side. "No luck. What did you find?"
Sasuke kept his eyes glued on the woman. He saw Naruto notice her too.
"Do you see anything interesting about it, Naruto?"
She was toasting to someone else's winnings again, throwing some sake down her throat with ease.
Naruto cocked his head and squinted his eyes. Then he did a double take. "Is that… Sakura?"
Sasuke nodded. He wondered why she masked her chakra. From the looks of it, she was in control of the situation.
But that was only until the man put his hand on her rear.
"The hell—"
"Wait." Sasuke blocked Naruto's path.
"What do you mean wait?! I'll clobber him!"
Sasuke smirked as he continued to block Naruto's entry despite the violent protests he received.
The man surely had nerves. He kept his hand still on her ass, gripping a generous handful of flesh. As he leaned in to whisper something in their teammate's ear, he made a point to keep his hand locked where it was.
Naruto snarled and pushed some more, but Sasuke's stance was unwavering. They were too far to hear what was being said, but Sasuke found himself actually quite interested to see what Sakura would do. The old version of her might shriek in horror or faint of embarrassment, or maybe both.
Suddenly, Naruto stopped pushing. "Oh, that guy is screwed."
Screwed? Sasuke looked at Naruto with alarm. "You don't mean—"
Shit. Sakura was going to blow their cover. Sasuke had to do something quickly.
However, as he stepped forward, he felt Naruto's arms hold him back.
"Naruto, let go of me. We need to stop her—"
"No way. Don't ever get in the way of Sakura in that mode. She's scary."
The way Naruto shuddered didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke.
And then they heard a crunch, followed by the sounds of a man howling in pain.
Wooden chairs screeched as they skidded backwards. Two men, henchmen, Sasuke guessed, shot up from the tables where they were perched. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
The rest of the bar quieted to slow murmurs and stares, some directed at Sasuke and Naruto still standing by the entryway.
"She… broke my hand!"
The goons clenched their fists and moved forward, but wised up quickly when Sakura hopped off the stool with her chakra flaring.
"Try that again and I'll be happy to break your face. And gimme this," she spat as she forcefully grabbed a bucket of bills out of someone's hands.
"Hey! She took my money!"
A large man appeared from behind the wall near Sasuke, towering over Sakura. "You! Shinobi aren't allowed—"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm leaving..."she said, making apparent that she felt the least intimidated.
Everyone's eyes were on her now.
Sasuke cursed. So much for keeping a low profile. "Sakura," he called.
In a puff of smoke, she transformed back into her original form. Sour mood included.
"Took ya long enough. Let's go!" She huffed down the street without looking back.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Something still wasn't right. Was she swaying? It looked like she was struggling to walk straight.
"Hey," Naruto whispered. "Why's she acting so funny?"
They caught up to her and Sasuke spun her around.
"Sakura. Tell us what happened."
"Let go o'me," Sakura shouted as she slapped Sasuke's hand off of her. "I lost it all! And you left me!" She began jamming her finger into his chest, painfully.
Sasuke caught her hand before she could do it again.
He realized that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were glassy.
"You're drunk," he said.
"S'fine…I'm not c-completely intoschic… intoxicated," she slurred. "Kami you're so handsome."
Sasuke pressed his lips into a thin line. He was not amused. She was being so careless—no—stupid.
"It's the hair isn't it," she said as she tried to play with his bangs.
"Stop it," Sasuke commanded as he jerked his head out of her reach. "Damn it, Sakura."
Sasuke had to put both of his hands on her shoulders to hold her upright. She used her free hand to push his hold away, and then as if she couldn't decide what to do with herself, leaned forward with her forehead resting on his shoulder.
Naruto groaned. "We haven't even been here for a day. Pervy-sage always said to avoid alcohol and gambling… and bad women. Yet… I've seen things... done things… and now Sakura's drunk," he complained.
"It wasn't for nothing. I was able to get a lead," Sasuke said.
"Three! There are only THREE things on that damned list of shinobi prohibitions, and you guys just couldn't stay away from any of them, could you?!"
"Naruto, shut up and listen to me," Sasuke said. He felt the vein on his forehead threatening a headache if he didn't get his teammates under control. "We have a lead."
"We have two," said Sakura with her voice still muffled in Sasuke's shoulder.
"We need to prioritize them, then. There's a rug and carpet shop up the hill where we might be able to find the scroll. We'll go in the morning."
"And there's Dr. Jaaku," Sakura exclaimed proudly with a raised finger. Her breath tickled his neck. Then, her hand became lax and she dropped her arm again. "S'some typa crimin—" she hiccuped. "Criminal 'round here…"
"New plan," Naruto announced, hand on his stomach. "I'm hungry. You two find us some rooms for the night. I'm getting dinner."
"Wait, Naruto," Sasuke tried to call after him.
The blonde turned his head and stuck out a tongue. "You handle it! I'm done with both of you!" he exclaimed in exasperation.
Sasuke sighed.
That meant he was stuck with a very, very drunk Sakura.
Fuck.
To be continued…