Author's note: Unfortunately it's no longer the second of November here. I had wanted to finish this birthday fic on time, but I wasn't happy with how the story was going and I ended up rewriting the entire latter half. Sorry for the delay, Nellana!
Warnings: Sasuke's pov; Alternate universe; Yakuza; both parents sets are alive; established slash; some flashbacks; references to violence and prostitution; NOT FOR SAKURA FANS; birthday fic
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.
Dedicated to Nellana: because it was her birthday. Happy belated birthday!
I hope you'll like this!
I'll Do Anything for You
There were some unspoken rules in the underworld, all pertaining to one family in particular. You did not steal from them. Once they took something, it belonged to them and you better not make an attempt to take it away from them. Consequences would be very dire if you were that stupid. The family in question? The Uchiha clan.
They seemed to have a hand in almost everything. Drugs trafficking, money laundering, weapon trade, prostitution … You named it, they were involved in it, all the while keeping up appearances and rubbing shoulders with politicians and acting like innocent hardworking businesspeople in the meantime. They were so good at this duality that the police never suspected anything was amiss with the family – and if they somehow did harbour suspicions, they could never prove them.
There was one activity the Uchiha clan resolutely refused to dirty their hands with, however: human trafficking. The women selling their bodies for them all did so with their consent and if one of the employers thought they could cross some boundaries, someone from the clan would set them straight. It made it difficult for other clans to try to buy the women to their side, because why would they abandon their employer when the Uchiha clan treated them decently and paid well? They weren't stupid; they weren't going to exchange their safe environment for unknown, potentially dangerous, charters.
Several of the prostitutes, as a matter of fact, had been rescued when they'd become victim of human trafficking. One of the things the Uchiha clan did not tolerate was interference and dealings in what they considered to be their territory and intruders were ruthlessly dealt with. Any human traffickers caught didn't even get a chance to defend themselves or try to weasel their way out of it; the Uchiha drew the line at human trafficking and woe the person who thought they could get away with that kind of shit on Uchiha territory.
The rule that you did not steal from them had become very well-known thanks to what was hereafter referred to as The Incident. Or as it was also known as: the Sale That Could Have Been. The Sound clan had been anticipating some new 'arrivals': pretty boys and girls they could put to work in their seedy establishments. They didn't possess the type of scruples that the Uchiha clan had and didn't care whether these boys and girls came willingly to them or not. They had no qualms buying them from even seedier people as long as their demands were met and they could earn good money of them.
In order to avoid catching the police's attention, the Sound clan kept moving the location of the transfer, ensuring they retained a low profile. That had worked out well for them up until they had decided to receive the next group at a certain dock. This particular dock happened to be right on the edge of the Uchiha territory and it hadn't taken long before this particular clan got wind of the Sound's dealings.
Fugaku had sent his two sons and some guards to deal with the members of Sound. It had been far from pretty and the Sound clan had lost seven members that night with an additional five being incapacitated for life. Leaving the guards to deal with the knocked out Sound members, Sasuke and Itachi had then turned their attention to the truck almost innocuously waiting on the dock. It could have been mistaken for a regular truck bearing crates of food or clothes, save for the whispers that instantly quietened down when Sasuke had unlocked the back of it with the keys he had swiped from one of the Sound men.
Sasuke hadn't even blinked at the sight of the scantily clad women – some still just young girls, shit – crowded together; their fear stinking up the inside of the truck.
"Come on, you're safe now," he called out and beckoned them to leave the truck.
Their wary looks were quite understandable; none of them made a move to leave, though some of them were subtly trying to look past his shoulder.
"I know you don't have any reason to trust me, but the ones who had bought you are no longer in the position to do anything," he explained and raised both hands, showing them that he wasn't holding anything.
"Are you from the police?" a dark haired woman dared to ask.
He couldn't help but snort. "No, this dock belongs to our company and we noticed this truck through the cameras. Considering the late hour and the fact that no deliveries were scheduled tonight, we decided to check," he lied smoothly.
Itachi came to stand next to him, keeping his stance as unthreatening as possible. "If you want, we can call police for you," he offered.
Several women looked at each other, before the dark haired woman spoke up again, "No, it's – we're still in Japan, right?"
"Yes, you're still in Japan," Itachi confirmed. "If you don't want police, our employees can help you further. You can spend the night in the nearest hotel and we'll help you find a way to contact your loved ones or return home."
"They can't be much worse than the ones who sold and bought us," a brunette muttered wearily.
The dark haired woman nodded slowly, grasping her short skirt tightly. "All right, thank you." She hesitated then before reluctantly adding, "They caught a boy as well this time. He put up such a fuss that they sedated him. I think he's - " she cut herself off and looked behind her. "He's still out?"
A woman's voice floated over from the back of the truck. "Yeah, still out. He's still breathing regularly, though, so whatever crap they injected, it's not an overdose."
The dark haired woman turned around to address them again. "None of us know the kid, so we don't even know whether he's in the same business or where he comes from."
"We'll take care of him and make sure he gets back home," Itachi promised.
The woman looked rather dubious, but there wasn't much she could do and with a sigh, she jumped out of the truck. She turned around and started helping the other women get down as well. Once more than half of them had left the truck, the same voice from before called out from the back again.
"Going to need some help here. He's not fat, but I haven't exactly been lifting weights either."
"I'll help," Sasuke decided, leaving Itachi and some of the guards to deal with the others.
He used the torch on his phone to illuminate the truck and passed a couple of girls who were holding hands as they shuffled to the exit. Near the back, he spotted a slim brunette holding a propped up body against her side. When he came closer and aimed the light at the person, he saw that the boy had wild, blond hair and was dressed in an orange T-shirt and faded blue jeans. He was completely slumped over; his head resting on the girl's shoulder. He had quite the pretty face, Sasuke vaguely registered.
"How long have you been travelling?" Sasuke questioned and crouched down near them.
"Don't got a watch here, but I say a couple of hours?" the brunette replied, frowning. "They sedated him right before we left, so he should wake up soon, right?"
"Normally," he murmured, but that all depended on how high the dosage had been. "None of you recognise him?"
She shook her head. "Nah, a pretty face like his would have been recognised instantly," she said almost flippantly. "Maybe he's collateral damage or one of those creeps had an eye on him. Honestly, I'd say it's more likely that he's just a student or so."
"I can take him over from you," he said, slipping his phone into his pocket, and stood up before bending down, placing one arm around the boy's shoulders and the other underneath his bent knees.
"You're sure?" she asked uncertainly. "Like I said, he's not fat, but he's not exactly a kid either."
"It'll be fine," he replied dismissively and straightened up again, securing his hold before he started walking to the front again.
The boy wasn't that heavy; he was slender and long-limbed and his head rolled back and forth for a moment before it settled against Sasuke's shoulder.
Itachi glanced up when Sasuke's shadow fell over him. He used the tailgate to get Sasuke back down on the dock and studied the boy in Sasuke's arms.
"He isn't dressed in the usual manner," Itachi remarked, which was a very euphemistic way of stating he didn't look like a whore.
"None of them have seen him before either," Sasuke said and adjusted his grip a bit more. "Guess we'll have to help him get back home. You're calling Tsunade?"
"Will do."
The boy had actually been a young man called Uzumaki Naruto. They hadn't even had to wait for him to wake up, because the second the doctor had stepped inside the room, she had exclaimed his name in utter shock. Tsunade was the best doctor in the country, knew about the Uchiha's less savoury side and didn't care – and apparently had known Naruto as well; his father related to her. People working for the Uchiha clan who had been present that evening still compared in hushed voices her outburst to an actual volcano exploding.
No, Naruto didn't sell himself on the streets or in some kind of establishment. He had just been a student on his way to class when he had been snatched up by some men working for the Sound clan. His abduction could have been a case of mistaken identity, but the reaction of Sound afterwards had made it obvious that they had been hoping to get their hands on him. That only had made it more curious how Sound had found him in the first place, because his town wasn't close to their city.
The answer had been rather surprising.
"They're already here?" Sasuke asked surprised when Itachi showed him his phone, which displayed a message of Kisame announcing that Uzumaki's parents had arrived.
"Naruto's father works with the police," Tsunade answered vaguely, finishing writing down whatever she had been writing.
"Think dad abused the sirens?" Uzumaki asked idly, but there was relief lurking in the depths of his blue eyes. He was most likely very happy to see his parents again.
"Wouldn't surprise me," she replied.
"It's not abuse when it's an emergency," a male voice piped up unexpectedly.
Sasuke whirled around, his fingers twitching before he restrained himself. It wouldn't do to pull out his switchblade now.
An older copy of Uzumaki appeared in the doorway. The only differences between him and his son laid in the few wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and his facial features. A red haired woman hurried into the room and even with the worry lining her face, it was clear whose features Uzumaki had actually inherited.
"Oh my god, am I so glad you're all right!" she said shrilly and immediately closed her son in her arms, pressing him firmly against her.
Uzumaki basically melted into her embrace, hugging her back just as firmly.
"Thank you for helping our son," the man said, but there was something odd in his eyes when he looked at Sasuke and Itachi. He was smiling, but one would be hard pressed to call the smile friendly.
It bemused Sasuke somewhat, because one would assume that the father would be at the very least grateful that they had saved his son from being forced into prostitution.
"Kushina, can you take Naruto to the car?" he asked calmly. "I'll be with you soon."
"Dad?" Uzumaki lifted his head, throwing a confused look at his father.
The older blond smiled; his smile genuine and warm this time. "Don't worry, I just want to talk to your baa-chan for a moment."
"Don't encourage the brat with that title, Minato," Tsunade muttered darkly, crossing her arms underneath her impressive chest.
"Come, dad will join us soon," Kushina said and with an arm clasped around her son's shoulders, she led him out of the room.
Uzumaki turned his head briefly to look at them curiously, but followed his mother without protesting.
The second his wife and son were out of sight, Minato lost his smile and his eyes turned cool when he looked at Tsunade.
"You didn't tell me you worked for them as well," he said clipped.
Sasuke exchanged a look with Itachi, but his brother appeared nonplussed as well. Good, at least Sasuke wasn't the only one feeling left out of the loop here.
"They're decent, Minato," Tsunade replied calmly, looking unperturbed by the cool reception she received from her own family member. "Do you really think I would help them out if they weren't?"
Minato clenched his jaw before he turned to address Sasuke and Itachi. "Who was behind this?" he demanded abruptly.
"Behind this?" Itachi repeated carefully.
"Don't play stupid with me; I don't have the patience for that now," Minato snapped. "Who was behind abducting my son? Which clan?"
"It is perhaps useful to know that Minato is in the same business as you are – the second one," Tsunade explained delicately.
"It appears you know more about us than we know about you, Uzumaki-san," Itachi commented lightly, but his eyes were slightly narrowed.
"It's Namikaze; Uzumaki is my wife's last name," Minato said curtly. "And I would hope that you would know the importance of knowing everyone in this type of business."
"Which makes it all the more interesting that we have never heard of you," Sasuke retorted.
"I like to keep a low profile," Minato smiled sharply. "Which clan was behind this?"
"The Sound clan, though we do not know yet whether this was a case of mistaken identity or whether they really meant to take him," Itachi answered calmly.
"Did you take care of the ones who were there tonight?" Minato questioned, growing a bit calmer now.
"We did," Sasuke confirmed. "I think it's safe to say that the clan won't be happy that their delivery got fucked over."
"Keep me updated," Minato ordered and left the room before either of them could protest.
"It would be prudent to do as he says," Tsunade murmured, reminding the brothers that she was still present.
"Or what?" Sasuke asked irritated. That guy had a lot of nerve, thinking he could order them around as if they were his lackeys.
"Or you will discover for yourself that Minato can be your worst nightmare," she replied blandly and left the room as well.
As it turned out, Minato did have quite a lot of influence, easily reaching the level of the Uchiha. The fact that he had managed to keep his identity a secret for so long even from a well informed clan like the Uchiha proved just how much of a formidable opponent he could be.
Fortunately for the Uchiha – Tsunade's words, not theirs – Minato's son ended up having a soft spot for one Uchiha in particular. Naruto had shown up a couple of days after Sasuke and Itachi had intercepted the Sound's delivery, ostensibly to thank them for their help in saving him from a worse fate.
"Your father actually let you come here on your own?" Sasuke asked idly, waving off Itachi when his brother indicated he had to take this call.
"He's not my keeper," Uzumaki – "Call me Naruto, geez." – scoffed, pouting slightly.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, growing amused against his will when Naruto grumbled; his pout increasing.
"Okay, fine, my best friend drove me here, all right?" he sighed explosively and then grinned, waggling his finger in Sasuke's direction. "So you can't try any funny stuff with him around."
"Perhaps he should have been around you a few days ago, hm?" Sasuke commented, nodding at Konan when she passed them.
She glanced at them curiously, before focusing on her phone call.
"That was actually the first time I left the house without him," Naruto admitted and grimaced. "Don't think mum and dad will let me be alone for a while now."
"Best get on then before your friend becomes suspicious," Sasuke told him. Somehow he doubted the best friend was just a regular guy after all.
"Wait!" Naruto called out before Sasuke could walk away.
The dark haired man turned his head. "What?"
"Can I get your number?" Naruto blurted out and flushed. He chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "You know, so that I can contact you again to actually thank you properly? Like maybe pay for dinner or something like that?"
"You didn't offer to pay dinner for Itachi," Sasuke pointed out, surprising himself with how amused he felt right now.
"Well, baa-chan told me you were the one who carried me inside, so," Naruto drifted a bit closer; a mischievous glint lightning up his eyes, "given that hauling around my dead weight couldn't have been easy, I feel it's only appropriate if I thank you more properly."
"I'm pretty sure your father wouldn't want you to associate with me," Sasuke murmured.
"Well, it's a good thing I'm twenty and he can't exactly ground me anymore," Naruto riposted lightly. "So, what do you think? Would dinner be appropriate to thank you?"
Dinner had turned into a second dinner, followed by lunch and even brunch after Naruto had finished his exams. Naruto was obviously aware of who Sasuke was, but he never talked about it. Their conversations had soon turned a lot more intimate, their texts no longer just containing arrangements to meet up for lunch or dinner.
One year after The Incident the Uchiha clan started cooperating with a mysterious clan of which nobody knew the leader. And the youngest son of the Uchiha leader? To the disappointment of many women and even some men, he was suddenly no longer single, leaving everybody to wonder just how this unknown blond man had managed to capture the Ice Prince's attention.
"Naruto? How did your classes go?" Sasuke called out and closed the front door, putting his briefcase down before he started unbuttoning his coat and taking off his shoes.
"Fine, boring," Naruto's sleepy voice floated to him from somewhere deeper in the apartment. The bedroom?
"You had Gaara over?" Sasuke asked upon noticing a brown scarf that didn't belong to Naruto nor him.
"Yeah, how do you – ah, did he leave something behind here?" Naruto realised quickly.
Sasuke entered the living room, taking note of the lights being dimmed. Naruto's laptop was closed, resting on the coffee table next to a small pile of study books and two empty mugs. Two empty plates showed that Naruto had eaten already, which wasn't a surprise given the late hour. Sasuke's meeting had run later than he had expected.
He walked deeper into the apartment, spotting some faint light creeping from underneath the door of the bedroom. He pushed it open and saw Naruto sitting up in bed; his hair rumpled even more than usually and a pillow crease faintly imprinted on his cheek. He covered his yawn just in time and rubbed over his eyes.
"Meeting ran late?" he guessed drowsily.
He was wearing one of Sasuke's shirts, Sasuke saw, which was always a nice sight to come home to.
"Yeah, Kakuzu wouldn't shut up," he replied and began unbuttoning his shirt. "Your friend left his scarf behind, by the way."
"Eugh, I'll text him tomorrow," Naruto muttered.
There was something in his voice, something deeper than just regular sleepiness that had Sasuke studying him more carefully.
"You okay?" he asked, depositing his shirt on the back of the chair before removing his trousers and socks.
The fact that Naruto's eyes didn't even lit up with excitement like they usually did when Sasuke undressed, confirmed to the dark haired man that something was indeed amiss.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Naruto muttered and laid back down, watching Sasuke walk over to the curtains to close them. "Mum's inviting you over for dinner this weekend by the way."
"I look forward to it," Sasuke said and meant it.
Minato had finally stopped giving him death glares, which brought him one step closer to being accepted by the older man. Kushina was a good cook, so Sasuke had no problems whatsoever going over for dinner at their place. She at least seemed to like him well enough not to try to poison him.
He got into the bed, closing his arms around Naruto the second he shuffled closer to him. Naruto tangled their legs together, wrapping one arm around Sasuke's waist.
Slowly caressing Naruto's back, feeling his spine through his shirt, Sasuke nuzzled his forehead before pressing a kiss against it. "Why do I have the feeling that there's something on your mind?" he murmured.
Naruto sighed quietly, his speech starting to slur a bit as he fought against his sleep. "Gaara thinks he knows who sold me out to the Sound clan last year."
Sasuke tensed up; his hand freezing against Naruto's lower back until Naruto uttered a soft noise of discontent. Starting up the caressing again, Sasuke asked in a low voice, "Who was it?"
"Don't really know her," Naruto answered; his voice partly muffled by Sasuke's shoulder. "Think it was a girl who worked parttime at dad's office for a while. He said he had Shikamaru looking into her. They're trying to track her down now."
"I can help," Sasuke instantly offered. "Does your friend have a lead?"
But Naruto shook his head. "It's fine, you don't have to bother with it," he mumbled; his voice growing fainter and fainter as the call of sleep proved to be too much. "I know you're busy with your own work."
"You know I'd do anything for you, right?" Sasuke said and tilted Naruto's head up so they could look each other in the eyes. "Doesn't matter what it is, I'd do it. Work isn't more important than you are."
"Even commit a murder?" Naruto said in jest; his smile crooked and his eyes half-lidded. He was clearly more asleep than awake; the late nights of studying catching up to him finally.
"Even commit a murder," Sasuke said solemnly, but Naruto just chuckled, clearly thinking he was joking.
"Funny. It's fine, dad will take care of it," he mumbled and pressed his face into Sasuke's neck. "Hm, okaeri."
"Tadaima," Sasuke murmured, but he was far from sleepy.
As Naruto slept curled against him, Sasuke started planning.
"You found her?" Sasuke greeted Minato, when the older man stepped outside.
Minato raised an eyebrow. "You think highly of me if you believe I have already found her," he said, vaguely amused.
"Am I wrong in believing so?" Sasuke shot back.
The sky was overcast, promising a heavy bout of rain. If the rain kept up until tonight, Sasuke would insist on picking up Naruto from his classes, no matter his insistence that Sasuke shouldn't bother. This afternoon he had something else planned, however.
"How did you know I found her?" Minato asked instead, walking past him to go to his car.
"Called Gaara and did some digging of my own," Sasuke explained, following the man. "Imagine my surprise when I couldn't find Haruno at either her house or her university. Unless she suddenly started excelling in keeping a low profile like you, I think it's safe to assume that you found her already."
"I have my ways," Minato said, which was as good as a confirmation. He paused, holding the door to his car open. His blue eyes, so like his son's, glistened. "You interested in joining me?"
"The Uchiha clan is interested in her reasons as well; it makes sense that I'm my clan's representative, no?" Sasuke said lightly.
"Are you here as your clan's representative or as my son's boyfriend?" Minato asked dryly.
"Both?"
Minato snorted but waved him over to the passenger's side. "Get in. I suppose you do have a right to be there when I interrogate her."
Sasuke spent a moment wondering whether this counted as bonding with his father-in-law, before he discarded the thought and got into the car, preparing himself for their upcoming business.
Haruno Sakura was nothing special.
Sasuke hadn't exactly know what he had expected, but he had assumed that someone daring to get the son of one of the most powerful yakuza leaders abducted would be somewhat impressive themselves? With her bubble gum pink hair however, her wide, terrified green eyes and her soft pink sweater and light blue jeans, she was far from impressive. She was bound to a chair in one of the abandoned silos that belonged to Minato and her lower lip started to tremble when her eyes landed on Minato first.
"Namikaze-san, I - "
"I suggest you wait until I ask you questions before you answer," Minato said coolly and paused in front of her.
Her gaze switched briefly to Sasuke when he came to stand next to Minato but she seemed to deem Minato as the bigger threat, because she quickly focused on him again.
"Something interesting came up recently," Minato said idly, hooking his thumbs around the loops of his trousers. "You see, we've been searching for a while now for the person who actually had the damn balls to try to sell my son out to an enemy."
"I don't - " she started, screaming when Minato swiftly rammed a knife down in the arm's chair only a hair's breadth away from her arm.
"Told you to keep quiet," he said eerily. He straightened out again.
From the corner of his eye, Sasuke spotted Kakashi, Minato's right hand, walking into the silo as well.
"Don't even try to deny it; we have the proof," Minato continued, sounding almost bored now. "What I am curious about is why exactly you tried to sell out my son."
She muttered something inaudibly, looking like she was about to start crying any second now.
"We can't hear you," Sasuke said silkily.
"It wasn't – I didn't – it wasn't," she stammered and screamed again, kicking out with her legs when Minato slammed down a second knife right between her legs, making the chair creak as it was chipped pretty badly. "They weren't supposed to actually sell him!"
"What the fuck did you think they were going to do?" Sasuke asked, frowning.
"The guy I spoke to – he said he was just going to help me out for a bit!" she blurted out desperately, eyeing the knife between her legs wildly. "He was going to keep him hidden for a while and then I would offer to help you find him and – and - "
"And what?" Minato said icily, shutting her up instantly. "You thought I would welcome you back in the company then? You think doing so would have somehow convinced me that the company would be better off in your hands later?"
"You actually thought he would choose you over his own son?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
That for some reason seemed to rankle her. "I take the business way more seriously than he ever did! I don't see why he should get the company later on when - "
"Don't ever presume to know how our family is like," Minato stated coolly and she shut up immediately, her jaw actually clicking shut.
Minato glanced at Sasuke. "You heard enough or do you have more questions?"
"No, I've heard more than enough," Sasuke murmured contemptuously.
"There's nothing wrong with ambition," Minato spoke and walked behind her, grabbing the back of the chair. He tilted her chair back and started dragging it to the single table present. "But the thing is you have to know how to handle that ambition – pissing off the wrong people isn't being ambitious, it's being stupid."
"Please, I'm sorry!" she cried out and this time tears actually started dripping down, smearing her makeup.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll be really sorry very soon," Minato promised darkly and looked at Sasuke. "You want to lend me a hand?"
"Of course," Sasuke smiled thinly and dipped his hand into his pocket; his fingers sliding around his favourite dagger.
It was time someone else learnt that you simply did not steal from the Uchiha clan.
"You know I could have taken the bus back, right?" Naruto huffed, but he didn't sound actually put out as he slid in the passenger's seat, dropping his bag on the floor.
Sasuke met him halfway for a kiss. "And what if I said I couldn't wait to see you again?" he asked lightly, smiling when that made Naruto snicker.
"Too cheesy this early in the evening," Naruto said cheerfully and put on his seatbelt. "How was your day?"
Sasuke started the car, curling his fingers around his steering wheel. "Oh, nothing special. I had some business to attend to, but it went smoothly."
"Yeah? I'm glad to hear that," Naruto grinned.
"Yes," Sasuke murmured and backed out of the parking spot. "I'm very happy about that as well."
"Let's go home and celebrate then," Naruto suggested none too subtly; his blue eyes glittering mischievously.
Sasuke smirked. "Yes, let's celebrate."
Business conducted well was worth celebrating occasionally after all.
The End
AN2: I'm not entirely happy with the ending, but I could only rewrite it so many times without going mad, so I hope at least it isn't too awful! Nellana, I hope this met your wishes somewhat! This story went a whole different route than when I first started writing it, but what else is new?
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope to see you all back in my future stories! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
Cuddles
Melissa
P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.
