AN:

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but Sasha is a lone, random crossover character. I had been complaining to my husband that I didn't know who to put with Chouji, and he suggested this character from another show based on a strong commonality they share. If you've seen it, you can probably guess the show and the commonality. This is not a crossover fic. This is a one time thing! I'd be curious to know if anyone figured it out without me saying anything.

This chapter is kind of just a bridge to the next. It was a bit boring to write because I really just needed to convey some baseline information about our murder mystery.

Also, it was completely nerdy and embarrassing how excited I was when I saw another person reviewed. I'd like to say I'm just writing this for fun, but clearly I'm all over the shred of external validation I've received, so please, keep it up! It is definitely motivating to continue!

Tuesday, September 17th, 2017

Leaf County and privately hired investigators have been searching for a Konoha teen last seen Saturday around 8pm EST. Konohamaru Sarutobi (13) was on his way to a friend's house, but according to his friend and parents, he never arrived. It is unclear whether foul play is involved or if the teen left home intentionally. No official statement has been made by the Chief of Police or the Sarutobi family, and there has been heavy speculation within the community that the disappearance could be related to the notorious Trust Fund Killer. The Trust Fund Killer has been a source of fear for the Konoha community for decades, and crimes are often illogically and sometimes wrongfully attributed to the anonymous killer. Still, the relative prominence of the Sarutobi family has led community members to feel their concerns are well-founded.

Thanks to the speed at which information is disseminated on social media, Tenten heard the news that a seventh grader was missing before she even got out of bed that morning.

"Sasha," Tenten said, trying to get her sleepy roommate's attention. Sasha had pressed snooze several times that morning already, so Tenten knew she needed to get up anyways. "Sasha!" Tenten repeated louder this time.

"Mmmmmmmm, noooo." Her roommate mumbled.

"Have you heard of a kid named Konohamaru Sarutobi?" Tenten asked, hoping the urgency in her voice might rouse her. Without opening her eyes, her roommates rolled over and muttered,

"Yeah, everyone knows the Sarutobis."

"Well, apparently, he's missing," Tenten said, shutting off her phone screen and getting out of bed.

"What?" Sasha popped up to one elbow, her eyes finally opening.

"They haven't seen him since Saturday." Tenten elaborated, pulling her uniform shirt over her head.

Sasha briskly pulled out her own phone, presumably to search for the articles Tenten alluded to.

"Holy shit." She said after a few minutes.

Tenten nodded.

"So, who are the Sarutobis? There is kind of a crazy number of articles for someone who's only been missing for like two days." Tenten was already dressed for class but waited patiently as her roommate struggled to catch up. Sasha pulled a brush through her long dark hair as she responded.

"The family has been in Konoha for a long time. They've always been well-known here. Konohamaru's grandfather is the fire Chief, but he used to be mayor for a few terms... I think before we were born. They're also big donors to KPA. I guess there's a lot of family money."

"Do you know him personally?" Tenten asked, knowing Sasha was a social butterfly.

"No. I mean, maybe I've talked to one of the Sarutobis in passing, but I don't know know any of them."

Tenten returned to some of the articles on her phone while she waited for Sasha. Tenten was an avid true crime fan, but this was too close to home. Regardless, she could not help the morbid curiosity that bubbled inside her.

Several minutes later, both girls grabbed their backpacks and headed toward the dining hall to grab breakfast on their way to class.

"So, who's the Trust Fund Killer?" Tenten finally asked, referring to a name that had come up in several articles.

Sasha turned toward her, looking uneasy at her question.

"You've never heard of them before?"

"Not until 30 minutes ago. Why would I have heard of them before? I just moved here." Tenten said indignantly.

"Yeah, but they're pretty famous cases, and Suna isn't that far away." Sasha responded unhelpfully, "I suppose we were young when the last case happened, though… the last case that we know of, that is."

Tenten raised a brow at her, encouraging her to keep going. "There have been several unsolved murders and kidnappings in Konoha, and many people believe some, or maybe all, are connected. The killer seems to go dormant for long periods but then allegedly reemerges."

Tenten frowned.

"So, does this person only kill rich people or something?" Tenten asked, nervously trying to justify the nickname. She could honestly say this was the first time she had ever been upset about having a trust fund.

Sasha nodded,

"They target rich or very prominent families. It always starts with a missing person's case. There's always a ransom. Sometimes the victims are returned alive. Sometimes they're not."

Oh no. How could Tenten have moved into a town with a bunch of cold cases?!

"When did all of this happen?" She asked, letting some of her anxiety spill into her voice.

"I think the first case most people attribute to him -or her- was in the late 80s." Sasha mused.

They walked through the dining hall doors, and Tenten stopped by a clerk to scan her student ID. Once they had both scanned into the dining hall, Tenten appeared at Sasha's side again.

"So, it happened in the '80s, and it's still happening? That seems far-fetched…."

"Maybe. It sounds like the only reason people think Konohamaru's disappearance could be related is that he's from a wealthy, well-known family. The Sarutobis make a good target. Lots of ransom money to be made." Sasha smiled sadly.

"But it seems like such well-connected families wouldn't just let this kind of thing happen repeatedly. Why haven't they found the suspect?" Tenten wondered worriedly.

"No one really knows. Some people think the police made some mistakes in collecting evidence in the first case. After that, though, it's hard to say. The guy is clearly good at what he does." She paused. "Or girl."

Tenten nodded and grabbed a banana from a display of fruit. She knew from her incessant stream of true crime podcasts that evidence wasn't always protected as well as it should have been. Protocols were often broken, or in the past, they sometimes didn't even exist.

"We get scares like this occasionally, though," Sasha said, grabbing her own fruit cup. "There will be a missing person or a dead body, and people will jump to assume it's the Trust Find Killer. There's no real reason to believe that's who took Konohamaru. The Trust Fund Killer could be dead for all we know."

"How do they know it's the same person kidnapping and killing these people? Could other people just be copying the first person's MO?"

"I don't really know. I don't think they've ever said for sure that it's the same person. I think there have only been three or four cases that the police have actually come out and said they suspect the same person. Obviously, the first one with Dr. Senju-"

"Dr. Senju?!?" Tenten asked, mouth agape, "Our headmaster?"

"Oh, wow, you didn't know about that?" Sasha asked, leaving Tenten simultaneously curious and annoyed.

"Obviously not," Tenten admitted, rolling her eyes at her friend.

"Right. Sorry. I forget this is all local stuff, and probably not front-page CNN stuff," she paused for a moment thoughtfully, "though I'm pretty sure it's been featured in People a few times since then…."

"Sasha!" Tenten said, trying to re-orient the girl's attention. "What happened?"

"She and her husband and little brother were all abducted, like 20 or 30 years ago. They made her family pay all this money to get them back. She was the only one who lived through it. She was pregnant before the abduction, but they never told the public what happened to the baby."

Tenten stared in horror. Where the actual fuck had she moved?

"I know, it's dark." Sasha nodded sadly. After a few more moments of silence, both girls grabbed more to-go items and made their way out the door toward their respective classes.

"Don't freak out about it all. It's probably fine." Sasha smiled, waving. If she thought she was reassuring, she most definitely wasn't. 'Probably fine' was not a phrase Tenten wanted used when discussing local serial killers. And a baby?! What happened to the baby? How could Sasha tell her this and walk off to class? And why wasn't there some kind of warning on the front page of the school website informing prospective students it was a historic murder hub? She would have chosen somewhere else!

If Sakura had been less enveloped in her own thoughts, she would have been happy to join Ino's joy as they walked to their third-period class. Ino was completely elated that Chouji was going on a date that weekend. Last night, he had been texting Ino screenshots of his texts with the girl he liked asking her advice. Ino loved both the drama and the satisfaction of someone asking her for dating advice. By the end of the night, he had asked her to go to dinner with him before Friday's big game. Ino was like a proud parent whose kid had just won the spelling bee.

"This is going to be so great for him. He's always needed a self-esteem boost, and this is just the thing to do it. Have you seen her, Sakura?? She's beautiful! And Chouji says she's really sweet and great at volleyball. I'm just so impressed Chouji actually asked her out. A sophomore! And I really don't think it's a pity date!" Ino continued to prattle on about her friend. Sakura should have been touched. Ino was rarely so focused on someone else's life unless it was salacious gossip (this was more tame gossip, in Sakura's opinion).

Sakura was distracted, though. She had just had English, a class she usually shared with Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke had been there and had been his typical aloof self, avoiding conversations with her whenever possible. His avoidance made Naruto's absence that much more noticeable. The class had been so quiet; for Sakura, it had actually been somewhat unsettling. She had heard the frantic whispers and rumors shared in hushed tones all morning. She also knew Konohamaru's disappearance had probably hit Naruto harder than it had hit others. Not only did he know the younger boy reasonably well, but he also had several personal connections to the Trust Fund Killer cases.

Tsunade had always been a prominent figure in Naruto's life. Despite her current relationship with Jiraiya, she had never tried to take a maternal role- she seemed more like a fun aunt. They hadn't been dating for most of Naruto's childhood, but she had always been around, helping to raise him. In the last few years, she had been around more. More at night, Naruto had whined to Sakura on more than one occasion.

Tsunade and Naruto connected over their love for Jiraiya, but they had another link far more tragic. They had both had their families stolen from them, and many assumed it had been the same killer. The murder of Tsunade's husband and brother was the first loss attributed to the Trust Fund Killer. Years late, Naruto's parents were also assumed to have lost their lives at the same evil hands.

Sakura assumed the potential emergence of his parent's murderer, along with the disappearance of a family friend, was enough for Jiraiya to let Naruto spend a day at home.

Sakura worried. She found sad Naruto to be a particularly unsettling persona. Sakura felt deeply disconcerted whenever he wasn't his usual loud, upbeat self. She asked Sasuke if he had spent the night on campus, and Sasuke confirmed he had been at Jiraiya's instead.

Sakura was driven from her thoughts by Ino's emphatic voice.

"He should wear that- right Sakura? Sakura? Hello, you need to help me make sure Chouji doesn't wear anything embarrassing. He's completely helpless on his own. Also, you should have seen Shikamaru when he heard. It was actually so sweet. He was so happy for him. He probably thought he would have a girlfriend before Chouji, but-"

Sakura interrupted before the blonde could ramble any further," Ino, I really want to hear about all of it, but I've gotta get to the fourth period. We'll talk at cheer, okay?"

"Yeah, fine, Forehead." She waved her friend off, then called after her loudly, "I know you weren't listening anyways!"

Meeting in the afternoons was becoming increasingly difficult for the ethics partners. Extracurriculars were all-consuming. Tenten was wrapped up in volleyball and yearbook, and Neji was busy with football and chess club. Lee was the most extreme. He already did every aquatic sport known to man due to his penchant for spandex, but he was also busy with his auditions for the Shakespeare play and his newfound love for karate. Because it was almost impossible to find a time when they were all free (before nine pm), they were trying very hard to be as productive as possible in class.

"I wish we weren't pro," Tenten complained.

"Why not?" Lee asked, giving her his full attention while Neji's eyes remained plastered to his laptop.

"I just feel like it's clearly the less ethical option of the two. It's going to be harder to argue."

"I disagree," Neji stated bluntly.

"I feel like it's wrong to ask doctors to do that." She mused.

Lee shook his head earnestly,

"That is an excellent point, Tenten. How can we expect our heroes to perform such deplorable tasks?"

"Allowing someone to die with dignity isn't deplorable," Neji frowned, still eyeing his laptop screen.

"Dignity is undeniably important!" Lee stated loudly, oblivious to other students turning around to stare at him.

"It's more than allowing them to die, though," Tenten thought aloud"-it's causing them to die. If it were my family member who was sick, I would want to spend as much time with them as possible."

Neji finally turned his attention away from his laptop to fix Tenten with a formidable stare.

"Have you seen someone die?" He asked with an angry glint in his eye. Tenten raised a brow. She knew she was very fortunate to have all her closest friends and family members alive, but she was irritated he would use her good fortune to invalidate her point.

"And I supposed you have?" she scowled, rolling her eyes.

He fixed her with a steely gaze. His expression remained eerily stoic. Lee looked at both his partners nervously, wisely choosing not to interject.

"Shit." Tenten cursed, rubbing a hand over one side of her face. Despite feeling somewhat manipulated, she was overcome with guilt and embarrassment. "I- I'm so sorry, Neji. I didn't mean to ask you such a personal question. I didn't real-"

"Tenten, it's fine." Neji interrupted her, "I brought it upon myself by asking you that question."

Silently she agreed, but she still felt incredibly awkward. She didn't even know why she had argued with him in the first place. It's not like she had ever thought about euthanasia before this assignment. She couldn't fathom why she felt the need to articulate such a strong opinion on something she had only given a fleeting thought to.

"Let's look at the topic objectively. I just shared a Google Doc with each of you. We can try to fill it out before our meeting tonight."

Tenten sighed. Lee had his Shakespeare callback tonight, so it would just be her and Neji meeting. She wasn't excited about being with him alone after the awkwardness that had just ensued. He was a frustrating partner sometimes. He always completed his part of the assignment, but he didn't seem to trust her or Lee to pull their weight adequately. He was always just patronizing enough to make Tenten feel like a child but usually not enough that she wanted to call him out on it.

"That works for me," Tenten nodded. "Good luck tonight, Lee."

"I don't need luck, Tenten!" He declared. "Hard work will be on my side tonight!" He gave them both a giant thumbs up, and his white teeth glinted in the fluorescent lighting of the classroom.

"Sasuke, hi," she said when he swung open his dorm room door just moments after she knocked.

"Sakura." He nodded, raising a dark eyebrow disinterestedly.

"Naruto's not back?" She asked, looking behind him into the small room. She knew Naruto would have come to the door first if he were there, though.

"No," he said, appearing ready to shut the door. Sakura pressed her hand to the outer knob to keep it open.

"Come with me to check on him." She said in a shy but determined voice.

"No."

"Sasuke, please," she said, sounding painfully whiny even to her own ears, "I just want to check up on him. It'll be quick."

"No." He said again, making her blood begin to simmer.

"Why not?" she demanded.

"I'm sure he wants to be alone." He said, his tone unwavering.

"No, you would want to be alone. This is Naruto we're talking about." Sakura countered, backing him into his own room to prevent him from shutting the door in her face.

Sasuke sighed, "Go yourself."

"Sasuke, there's a murderous kidnapper out there. Will you just walk with me?" She pleaded. He paused for a moment before a small frown graced his face.

"Annoying…" he mumbled under his breath. "But we're not staying long. I have homework."

"Thank you so much, Sasuke!" Had he been any other person, she would have hugged him, but he was Sasuke, so she respectfully kept some distance. " I promise we'll be quick. I have cheer practice and an essay to write."

The walk was short, but she hadn't been lying about not wanting to go alone. She was wary of her surroundings on typical days, but her anxiety was heightened today. Even though the day was sunny and bright, she still felt heavy with uneasiness. Even after sharing her location with Ino on her phone and Sasuke walking beside her, she still felt vulnerable. After all, most of the victims hadn't been alone. Many had been strong men who had been unable to protect themselves. She looked over at Sasuke. Lean muscles filled out his tall frame. From a women's appreciation standpoint, he was perfect. From an intimidation standpoint, she would have preferred someone with more of a penchant for anabolic steroids. They had primarily walked silently before Sasuke caught her staring at him with focus and concern.

"What are you doing? Stop looking at me like that." He scowled.

Sakura blushed furiously. She hadn't realized she had been staring at him for so long. She laughed nervously. "I'm just trying to determine if you could defend us from a serial killer." She defended herself awkwardly, not wanting him to think she was checking him out. Even though she kind of was. It was for safety purposes, though...

Sasuke rolled his eyes but said nothing.

"Very reassuring," Sakura grumbled after a minute of silence. He gave her an apathetic look.

"Calm down. It's a five-minute walk."

When they arrived at Jiraiya's small bungalow, Sakura was proven right. Naruto was thrilled to see them.

"Bastard! You can't even go 24 hours without me." He grinned, releasing Sakura from a hug. Sasuke scowled.

They walked from the front entryway into the small living room and adjoined kitchen. Jiraiya was sprawled in an armchair, feet on the coffee table in front of him with his laptop on his lap. He looked up and smiled at the visitors.

"Sasuke. Sakura." He nodded in greeting. After exchanging mild pleasantries, the three ended up in Naruto's room across a small hallway. The house was one story and quaint, with just enough for the two of them- and a frequently visiting Tsunade.

Naruto threw himself on his bed, and Sakura sat toward the end, leaning against the wall the small mattress was pushed against. Sasuke stood several feet away, leaning against Naruto's desk, arms crossed, looking out of a nearby window.

Sakura gave Naruto an appraising look, "how are you?" she asked gently.

"I'm okay," he smiled weakly. "Jiraiya just thought it would be good to stay away from the rumors for the day. We brought new flowers to my parents, Dan, and Nawaki at the cemetery and stopped by old man Sarutobi's."

Sakura's eyes widened, but she chose not to ask any questions. It seemed too early and personal to ask about his conversation with the Sarutobis, no matter how curious she was. She wanted to say something reassuring, but the words in her head felt like hollow silver linings. Instead, she just nodded and sat in silence for a moment.

"You missed a riveting discussion on Lady Macbeth. right, Sasuke?" Sarcasm heavy in her tone.

"Hn."

Sakura rolled her eyes. She clearly couldn't count on Sasuke to keep the conversation moving.

"There was a pop quiz FYI. And SparkNotes or whatever you used last time isn't going to cut it."

"Agghhhhhhhh…" Naruto groaned. "I hate that stupid class."

"Have you tried the audiobook?" She asked, trying to be helpful.

"It makes me fall asleep," Naruto whined. Naruto continued to reject Sakura's advice for several minutes until they all jerked at the noise of a door slamming.

"Bad day again?" They could hear Jiraiya asking in the other room.

"You were right." They heard Tsunade's loud, commanding voice respond angrily. "I should have just skipped with you in Naruto."

"That bad?"

"They told me they didn't think I should be involved in any aspects of the disappearance. I drafted an email to the student body because the rumors have been relentless, and we need to say something. They told me I didn't need to be involved because my judgment would be impaired by past experience. Apparently, my emotional investment makes me unable to think rationally. They don't want me communicating with the students about it, talking to the Sarutobis or the police!"

"I know you're frustrated, but it might be better for your mental health if you stay out of it." They heard Jiraiya say tentatively.

"Of course, you're fucking siding with them," they heard her growl. Sakura could only imagine the glare she must have been giving him. "You think I'm emotionally unstable and can't handle this!"

"No, I didn't say that, and I doubt that's what they meant-"

"She called me unhinged!!" They heard her shriek.

"Well… your eye is twitching a lot…." A disconcerting silence filled the air before they heard Jiraiya speak again.

"It probably would help if you used a calmer voice with Homura."

"It STARTED calm!"

The teens could practically hear Jiraiya sweating. "Sweetheart, I'm just saying maybe you should take a breath and chill." The three heard a loud crash and the distinctive sound of shattering glass.

"You'd think a man Jiraiya's age would know not to tell a woman to 'chill,'" Sakura shook her head.

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly…

"Maybe we should Just ignore them…."

"Are you freaked out at all about this whole serial killer situation?" Tenten asked Neji, who was typing away on his laptop, trying his best to finish their work for the night. Quite frankly, he was sick of hearing about the topic all day. He felt sorry for the Sarutobis, having everyone idly chattering about their lost child like it was a TV drama. He sighed, leaning back from his laptop, and crossed his arms. He shrugged in answer to her question.

"That's a pretty nonchalant response for a scary question," she smiled softly, almost teasingly.

"It's mere conjecture." He stated, perhaps some of his condemnation for the sensationalized gossip coming out in his tone.

"What?" She asked, looking at him stupidly.

The whole thing is mere conjecture. They haven't even confirmed the kid was abducted. He might have run away to an estranged family member, gotten lost hiking, or locked himself in a walk-in refrigerator." Neji said sarcastically. "These articles are just mentioning the Trust Fund Killer as clickbait."

Tenten raised an eyebrow at him skeptically.

"Have you called the police with those tips yet? I'm sure they forgot to check all the walk-in refrigerators in Konoha." She rolled her eyes. Neji couldn't help but smirk. He supposed he sounded like a bit of an ass. He had a habit of doing that…

"I'm just saying," he started, willing himself to be friendlier, "don't let the hype get to you. You're still statistically more likely to be murdered in Chicago or New York than in Konoha. You're probably more likely to be murdered back in Suna or Saudi Arabia than in Konoha. It's a safe place."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Tenten smiled at him. "Now, let's stop thinking about murder and get back to more upbeat topics like euthanasia," she laughed at the sheer morbidity of it all.

They both returned to their respective laptops for the next few minutes. One occasionally spoke to point something out to the other, but in general, they were quiet. Neji knew he had made her feel awkward earlier, and she was probably feeling too guilty and weird to share her opinion. He hadn't meant for that to happen. He had just felt like her musings earlier were immature and inaccurate, and he didn't hesitate to correct her. He knew he had put her in an awkward position, though. How was she supposed to offer her thoughts when she was in danger of offending someone about something personal.

"Tenten," he started hesitantly, "I didn't mean to make you feel like you shouldn't speak your mind on the subject. What you were saying early in class today… it's the best way for us to consider some of our competitors' counterarguments.

She looked up at him with her eyes full of their usual kindness. "Thanks, Neji," she smiled, looking almost embarrassed. "I don't think my points were very constructive, though. They were surface-level, and I was honestly thinking about it all for the first time. I think we'll need to expect more sophisticated points from the other teams. It looks like the ones you've put on the Google Doc are way better anyways. You've uh… you've put a lot of thought into this."

Neji nodded his head, "I have." He confirmed quietly.

Hinata was trying her hardest with Dr. Haruno. She knew she needed to be open and honest to get better. Still, when the words got to her tongue, she stuttered and stopped. How could she admit to the thoughts that crossed her mind?

When she was able to articulate a particular sentiment, she felt like she was hovering over her body- listening to her thoughts for the first time. They sounded ludicrous. Sometimes pathetic. Sometimes disgusting.

Other times, Hinata knew her thoughts were normal, and she couldn't understand why she had such a hard time expressing them. She had thoughts Dr. Haruno probably heard several times a week, and she was still filled with humiliation.

Dr. Haruno was patient. She told her they had all the time Hinata needed. She could wait as long as she liked to tell her anything. She could call her at odd hours if the need to share occurred when she wasn't in clinic.

Hinata was always hopeful, and she knew it had made her more resilient than someone else might have been in her situation. She was filled with natural optimism and believed she could make things better for herself.

Even with this innate positivity, she sometimes couldn't stop herself from feeling hopeless by the speed of her progress. It was like a snail stuck in molasses. She was beginning to share, but was she getting better? Did she hate herself any less?

When she shared her frustration with Dr. Haruno, she suggested she try writing instead of speaking. Dr. Haruno said if she wrote down some of the topics she wanted to discuss, she might feel more comfortable expressing them aloud in clinic. The journal could act as a method of desensitizing her enough to articulate her concerns.

Hinata was trying to give Dr. Haruno's suggestion a chance, but the permanence of the words on the page was almost more terrifying than the transience of spoken words. Once she wrote the words down, they were real.

She looked at her handwriting scrawled in the green notebook on her desk. Maybe the subjects she was starting with were too big. Perhaps she needed to begin with something less daunting. The notion that her bravery was being tested by a notebook was absurd.

She picked up her pen again with more determination. Just one sentence, she thought to herself. She would start with one sentence today and return tomorrow with two. She could do this. She wrote the thoughts that made her feel the most disgusted by the person she had become. She flinched as she carefully and intentionally printed each word.

I'm glad he's dead.