2 Days Ago

Sakumo, after leaving Naruto to continue the tree walking exercise, had found himself wandering around the village for the past 1 hour. He pointedly ignored some of the none friendly apparitions muttering and glancing his way.

It seems even in death his reputation hasn't dissipated any less than in life. He has his regrets, but his biggest one was leaving Kakashi the way he did. His son had to struggle because of him and go through the hardship of changing the village's perspective of the Hatake name.

Seems his son, based on rumors and whispers has made a name for himself. The copycat ninja is a suitable name for his circumstances. The only reason he knows the whole story of what happened to his son is that Kakashi, in his guilt, spilled everything to a memorial stone. Most likely not thinking anyone was listening to his woes. Except Sakumo heard it all, and his non-beating heart goes out to his miserable son.

He thinks about going to the gravesite to see if he could see his son but refrains. Now was not the time to wallow in pity, even if it wasn't his.

Sakumo has been grateful since meeting Naruto. Before he meet the jinchuriki he wandered aimlessly bored, lonely, and frustrated. He couldn't communicate with his son or help the village and none of the other ghosts personally liked to talk to him only to Further cement his loneliness. It was a miracle that Naruto didn't notice the ghostly stares directed at Sakumo but then again he was probably too focused on the villager fearful and hateful gazes of his own.

Thinking back, when he saw Naruto in the library and realized he could see him Sakumo knew he couldn't let that opportunity go. It was refreshing to talk to someone and as the kid was from a different generation, he did not know or recognize his name.

Did not know what he did and the shame he is holding onto.

He was a little grateful for the anonymity and also guilty for keeping secrets from the boy that he was slowly starting to care for.

Maybe one day he would tell him who he was unless another ghost did it first.

Sakumo sighed quietly to himself and continued to look around for Reiki Inc. He probably should have had Naruto look for the business since he could ask around, then let him go in and investigate. The issue was the ghostly man didn't want to put too much of a strain on the young child.

He should be pulling the weight, considering he's the one who instigated the investigation. Although he suspected if Naruto was here next to him he would disagree and call him out.

The thought brought a smile to his face briefly before disappearing.

While Naruto was a great help when questioning Rika, he was still a 7-year-old boy and only an academy student. Naruto barely had any control over his chakra and only knows the henge so far. Then add on top of that and he holds the greatest of all the Bijju within himself which will make learning those techniques and jutsu more difficult.

Frankly, before they get too deep into this investigation Sakumo needed to train Naruto, and hard.

He needed to be able to defend himself and think through a problem analytically without him around. Because honestly, he didn't know how long he will roam around. He won't always be there for him.

Sakumo shook the dark thoughts away and decided to put his full focus on finding the building where Shun Yamamoto worked.

He knew the name of the company that Yamamoto worked at, but did not know anything about it. He briefly remembered the dead man's mother mentioning inventions, but it helped little.

Though he highly doubted it based on the looks he was thrown, maybe he could ask any of the other spirits if they knew anything.

Taking the chance he walked up to someone leaning against a wall behind a Shinobi smoking a cigarette. The apparition glanced up at him a little dazedly, not really registering what was going on around him. Thankfully, it didn't seem like he was one of the vile ones that felt wrong.

Even the dead that roamed didn't get near those ones.

The ghost who appeared to be a previous Shinobi finally snapped to a clearer focus and while he didn't glare at him, he did look weary in his presence.

Ignoring some of the eyes on him he squared his shoulders.

"Do you know anything about the whereabouts of Reiki inc?" The likelihood of him knowing anything is slim, but he would try nonetheless. The other ghost didn't say anything for a minute, then two. If he had a living body he would be sweating from the deep stare the guy was giving him.

"I kn'w you'!" He exclaimed after a tense stare down.

His words were slow and hard to understand. He wondered when was the last time he had spoken.

"Yea' you're th' Whit' Fang!"

Sakumo froze.

Despite the noise from the busy street and the chattering of people, he didn't hear any of it.

Images came up from the regresses of his age-old memories. A team appeared in his mind followed by the villager's scorn, and too young Kakashi's face giving him worried looks.

He remained frozen as he remember again his treason, his shame.

"Sakumo, what are you doing?"

"Sakumo!"

"Saku-"

What was he supposed to do again?

"Oi, Whit' Fang!"

That's right, he was questioning this dead shinobi. His head hurt suddenly and he shoved any emotions within himself and looked into the eyes of the ghost. "Do you know where Reiki Inc. is?" This was asked with a glare.

It looked like the apparition was a little cowed by his change in demeanor and promptly answered.

"No, nev'r heard of Reik'."

He nodded once and walked away still feeling a little unbalanced. He heard a sigh of relief behind him as he left.

It was strange. While he remembers his life he has never had flashbacks so vividly, it felt almost like he was there again. That was the first time since his death he felt any pain.

Instead of stopping to figure out how to alleviate his pain and think for a moment, Sakumo went to a different street to find another ghost to question. He wasn't about to fail here, not now, not again.


(000)

Another hour later and after asking 5 more spirits, who were decidedly not shinobi, he got an address.

The building in question was more centralized in the village proper and tucked next to several small businesses. It wasn't a large place, in fact, the structure was older and somewhat falling apart in the front. When Sakumo looked inside the large window in the front he saw several people milling about inside.

Silently, he floated through the wall and glanced around. Most people were sitting at desks, with a few in what looked to be a crappy break room. Some were drinking tea while others eating their prepared lunches quietly.

The desks in the room were pushed together with little to no room to walk around comfortably, but luckily they had some semblance of privacy. While you could still see the heads and faces of the employees, you couldn't see what was being worked on since there was a privacy screen blocking the view of their hands.

Sakumo, when he went to the main center of the small room where there was the most space, he had an odd feeling.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary. The place looked and operated like any other civilian business. Except, there was something he noted.

It was dead silent.

Besides the typical noises of work being done and the occasional whisper between co-workers, there was no commotion. It was a little unnerving, to be honest, Sakumo thought.

Silence usually wasn't a good thing for a Shinobi. A lot of times silence meant someone or something lying in wait to attack.

So, why so silent?

Sakumo ducked into a conversation between two men sitting next to each other.

"Did you get the report done for the boss yet?" Said man one.

"No, I'm waiting for the rest of the team to give me their research reports so I can put it all together and send it in as one." The second man said this with a sigh and continued, but Sakumo wandered off from them before he could hear more.

There was a woman in one of the cubicle areas working on a seal of some sort that looked interesting, but Sakumo wasn't able to glean anything off her. Another man was writing something about elemental affinities with several papers tossed about on his desk. He looked very disorganized. Seems to him, that people mostly kept to themselves unless their work required it.

There weren't a lot of employees here, there were several empty cubicles that had papers and books piled high. Some were organized while others were in horrible disarray. Sakumo glanced at these tables in case he missed anything.

While the first three desks he studied didn't hold any promise the next one did. Sakumo recognized the faces in a picture frame placed on the solid oak table. Rika and Shun Yamamoto with Tsuna placed on Shun's lap smiling at the camera.

This was his desk and it is strange they haven't cleaned it up yet and given the items back to his family. It's been a little over three weeks since the man's death and yet nothing has been touched. Sakumo could see dust laying untouched on the wood.

Nothing seemed amiss on the outward appearances and Sakumo wished he could physically touch things and examine the inside of his desk. Shun's mother mentioned a briefcase and papers that sounded important, but he can't check himself.

He sighed in frustration, it seems Naruto will have to make a visit here anyways before they decided to move the things from the draws.

He briefly glanced at the desk next to Shun's, nobody was here today it seemed. No leftover papers or ink splotches anywhere from work today. Maybe if he shows up tomorrow again his neighbor would be here. Most likely his desk mate would know something or at least hear something.

With this in mind, he made to leave the old and crumbling building.

Before making it to the door someone walked in. Sakumo glanced at the clock mounted on the wall and saw 15 past 9. A late employee?

Sakumo noticed the already quiet room became completely still. The men and women were not moving and whispering to each other while throwing tensive glances at the newcomer. The man in question walked slowly through the room not making eye contact with his co-workers and taking a seat next to the very desk he was interested in. Around the room, Sakumo heard whispers of curses and bad luck.

Moving closer to the nervous employee Sakumo took note that the man seemed nervous and anxious in the confined space darting his eyes once to the desk next to him.

"Grunto."

Sakumo turned around to the voice walking in their direction. A tall, slim, and handsome man with dark eyes and hair walks to Grunto's desk with his hands in his pockets.

"You're late...again." The other man didn't seem too happy and his eyes narrowed slightly. The now-known man named Grunto stood up from his chair and at least looked sheepish while rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous gesture.

"Slept in again...I guess."

"Whatever, I have a few files I need you to look at before the end of the day."

Grunto nodded and grabbed the papers offered and made to sit back down while not making eye contact with the desk next to him. The other man before walking off noticed and a small grin worked his way to his face. He chuckled at the bigger and more burly man, Grunto looked up and stared in confusion.

"What?"

"It's moronic how superstitious you are...you all are about a dead man's desk. The dead are dead and Shun is not coming back, as a ghost or otherwise. Honestly, someone should move his things off his desk and hire a replacement already." There was a bit of humor in his dark eyes but also some anger. To further his point Kyoko went around to Shun's old desk and knocked the photograph facedown. Around the room, some of those who were quietly watching gasped at his ill words and action. Others just glared at the duo and mumbled some things Sakumo couldn't hear from his distance.

Grunto looks affronted by his comments and stands up again from his chair and leaves for the bathroom with everyone watching him as he does. He bumps Kyoko's shoulders as he goes. Kyoko doesn't follow him and moves back to his desk with a smirk playing on his lips and anger in his eyes.

Sakumo didn't follow him but watched the other man Kyoko walk back to his work area with the eyes of both the dead and living on him. The room is in a flurry of whispering and Sakumo tries to follow some of the conversations.

"Weren't Kyoko, Grunto, and Shun all friends?

"Yeah, I think so."

"You know they were the last ones to see him before he died, that and Kirishima.

"Yeah?"

"You know I heard rumors that Grunto and Shun had a falling out before he died."

"Seriously, What happened?"

"I don't kno-"

Eventually, Grunto comes out of the bathroom unknowingly interrupting the idle gossip in the room. The burly man is seen with a scowl on his face and as he spots Kyoko he glares at him. As Sakumo observed the man more closely he looked anxious with sweat on his neck and brow. He seemed to feel the tension as the occupants of the room stared at him.

No wonder the man is stressed, he would be too if people were basically putting him on the suspect list. Though, that begs the question of did he do it or know something?

Grunto walked over to sit done at his desk. The man Grunto was pale, with his eyes screwed shut in an attempt to block out the negativity from the room. The whispers around him didn't seem to get any better and the building tension in the room finally spilled forth when Kyoko on the other side of the room laughed loudly while staring at Grunto. Not even trying to be discreet about his ire at his co-worker.

The now-shaking man quickly stood from his chair again in anger. There was a burning look in his eyes when he looked out at the room.

"How about instead of staring and gossiping about me, you actually get some work done. Like you are paid to do!" The sentence was practically hissed out and his voice carried over the room. It seems the other employees got the message and nervously turned their heads away from him.

Creak

The door on the side opened and out walked a man with a suit on. He was tall but average looking with a deep scowl on his face when he overlook the now completely silent room.

"What is going on here?"

Nobody answered for a moment until a brave soul spoke up.

"Grunto, sir."

"Grunto?" He said while turning in the direction of said man. He pointed at his office with a look and the burly man nodded and silently walked forward until the two were gone behind the door.

When they left the whispers resumed. Sakumo ignored the idle gossip and Phased through the wall into the office taking not of the man Kyoto smirking from the back of the room.

"So, what happened?" Not beating around the bush it seems.

Grunto shifted awkwardly and gradually brought his eyes forward from where they were looking at the ground.

"I'm cursed."

The boss raised an eyebrow at that declaration with no small traces of skepticism. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms with a questioning look, as if saying, go on.

"They think I am anyway. Ever since Shun died, everyone has been treating me like I carry the plague itself. It doesn't help that I always sat next to and personally knew him. They act as if I killed him!" The last part was a shout and his boss shoot him a dirty look and raised an eyebrow.

"So, did you do it?"

Grunto shot up from his chair.

"What? Why would you ask that, why would I do it?" He blabbered with an intense look on his face.

Sakumo started at the strange reaction.

"Never mind I asked that, what happened earlier?"

Grunto sighed and sat down in relief. "Kyoko said some nasty things about Shun, as nobody cleaned his desk yet. I got angry and went to the toilet for a moment and when I came out everyone was staring at me, as I said earlier, as if I am cursed. I didn't like the pressure that was placed on me and yelled at them to mind their own business.

The other man didn't say anything for a minute, making Grunto nervous. Sakumo wondered what he was thinking.

"Alright, I will say something in the next meeting we have about what is considered appropriate behavior in the office, note that this will not fully stop it. What I expect from you is to not ever lash out like that again and remain professional, this is a warning. If you have this happen again come to me at once."

Grunto nodded in thanks.

"In terms of the other issue of Yamamoto's desk...I'll contact someone to pick up any leftover belongings sometime this week. His widowed wife had already taken his personal items. She forgot a photograph though, but until then I'll have you move to an unused desk, move whenever you feel ready."

Sakumo cursed at his luck. Though an upside is that they could always go to the household and ask Rika what she retrieved from his desk. What he was truly interested in were the work-related papers.

Grunto gave his thanks again and before leaving his boss called his attention. Turning around the man gave a questioning look.

"Keep a check on that temper of yours, Grunto."

Grunto said nothing and walked out with a dark shadow encompassing his face.

When he walked out of the room and eyes were on him for a moment until turning away to continue on their projects.

The heavy-set man made his way to his desk and pulled out an empty box and started placing his items in it. People looked shocked.

A smaller man came over to Grunto's desk and started helping him place things in the box.

"Did you get fired? I don't believe this!"

Grunto gave a short laugh.

"No, I'm just moving desks, I got left off with a warning."

Kyoko now came up to them with Grunto glaring as he came near.

"Calm down. So, you're not leaving?

"No, of course not!

"Then why move desks, what's the purpose?" Asked the smaller of the three men.

Grunto quieted and looked at Kyoko.

"I felt uncomfortable sitting next to Shun's desk."

"What-"

"Oh, not that again!" He didn't curse you in his grave, stop acting as if he did."

"It's not just that, you know! People have been looking at me like I murdered Shun." He whispered shouted.

The other unnamed man in the group eyes bugged out.

"You? I highly doubt that, He always came to you for advice and help. Besides, he was acting strangely for over a week before he died and he asked me a lot about where you were. About wanting your help with something."

Both men and ghost stared at the shorter man in degrees of shock, anger, and confusion.

"Kirishima, why didn't you say anything before?" Kyoko asked.

Said man rubbed the back of his head nervously and laughed awkwardly.

"I forgot, sorry."

Grunto was strangely quiet and his two co-workers noticed.

"What's wrong, did Shun say something to you?" Kirishima asks.

Grunto snapped back his head. "No, of course not, I don't want to talk about this anymore, I'm moving desks and that's it!" Both Kirishima and Kyoko looked at each other in confusion and intrigue as they watched Grunto continue to pack his box and move to his new desk.

Sakumo stood and waited for something else to happen, but nothing did. He watched Grunto work and his two friends for some time after to see if he could garner any more information out of them. He was sure Grunto knew more than he let on, and the other two friends were definitely close to Yamamoto and might also have information. Now the hard part was getting that information. Naruto may be found out again unless he gets better at disguises, so for now that route was out. So silent investigating on his end while Naruto trains it seems.

What he needs to find out now is what was eating Shun Yamamoto before he died.

With his new information in mind, he left to find Naruto.


(ooo)

2 Days Later

"How come you didn't say anything about going there?" Naruto's voice was accusing in any way, for that he was grateful, but it was curious.

"It was a last-minute decision, I originally went out just to find the location, but went in anyway to scope out the area. Ended up with a few leads.

Naruto just nodded sagely and took it as was, it was kind of cute actually.

"Ok, so this Grunto, Kirishima, and Kyoko guys are seedy, and we need to get into Reiki and look through his desk with crap. Is that the gist of it?"

Sakumo stared at him before laughing aloud. Naruto startled.

"Yes, though I wouldn't put it that way." He smiled at him, Naruto certainly makes things more interesting.

"Before we do anything though I need to get you up to speed on training and quick. Your chakra control is trash, so more control exercises, and I'm going to start you on chakra suppression. You have an overabundance of chakra that needs a lot of refinement before learning any more Ninjutsu and before starting on Taijutsu.

He could see Naruto pout and feel himself smirk. They had a busy schedule ahead of them it seemed.