Hey, hey, hey!
I am back! Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I've been busy with University and I cannot have some free time for myself to write up another full chapter. Frankly though, I've only made this chapter little by little for the past month - Though I blame both me for being lazy and not really having the energy since University work is draining as hell.
So yeah, hope you enjoy this one! Hopefully the next update will be much faster and I plan to update my other stories as well as fulfill that long-ass promise about the one that's in a state of hiatus right now.
PS: I hid a little reference to RVB in there if ya can spot it ;)
Akari scowled.
Despite their somewhat distant relationship as of late, mostly done on her part – She was ticked off with his recent tardiness for the past few weeks.
Naruto admits that he's been waking up later than usual thanks to his recent activities but Akari didn't know what was occupying him as of late.
Akari has a feeling that it's on the dangerous side, something that has her on edge. Yet she wouldn't ask something so personal of him. Nor would he be obliged to answer said question.
They were mere business partners after all, doing what was agreed upon in their deal; She teaches him the Thai and English language, he pays her in groceries and the amount of cash agreed upon. No more, no less.
Course, the blond idiot would 'accidentally' give more than what was asked. He would always blow it off as an 'oopsie' mistake but she knew why. He knew her situation, especially with the children under her care. The body language always gives it away.
Arguing with him on the subject was a useless endeavor. He'll always deflect whatever she said or avoid the subject entirely, suddenly focusing on his studies with so much dedication that it leaves her flabbergasted at such... immaturity.
Still, the extra candies found in the groceries always seem to cheer up the children, especially for Maria and Bertha; Those two have quite the sweet tooth. Jacob didn't really partake in it though.
Unfortunately, his latest tardy stunt of being late for 30 minutes past the agreed time, still ticked off Akari to forcefully drag him inside his home to begin an almost hour-long scolding session.
It was a surreal experience for Akari. She remembered quite frequently on scolding her co-workers back in her old job. Now she's doing it again, even though she probably shouldn't as it could ruin their agreement altogether.
It was quite validating for her. Too bad the emotion was buried underneath heaps of frustration over Naruto's recent behavior.
"-will not be tolerated! Do you understand, Uzuma- Were you even listening to me?!" Akari shouted in indignation once she saw the state of the man in front of her.
Naruto sat in a trance with vacant-looking eyes, periodically nodding along with 'Huh-uh' and 'Mhm' sounds coming from his blasted lips. It was a very familiar look to Akari, recounting the various similar expressions from her previous coworkers.
The gall of this man!
As if sensing her annoyance, the man's consciousness returned and replied sheepishly "Uh, yeah! Look, I'm real sorry for not attending in time, all right? I've been busy." He placated the very angry woman which only made her give the blonde shinobi a skeptical look.
"Hoh? And what has gotten you occupied as of late?" Akari questions with a frown, her hands crossing under her moderate bosom
"Just some work on the side that I took up, that's all! Nothing dangerous, promise!"
Pfft, as if! She has seen the blood on the man's gloves on the table. Such an obvious lie. Not like it's her business to judge what he's been doing to earn money. No, she doesn't have the right to judge him compared with what she has been doing...
Akari looks on with narrowed eyes and doubt. Seemingly about to speak, she stops herself with a slight huff.
"Very well, just inform me ahead of time to change our scheduled session if your 'work' is getting the better of you." Her tone was heated than before, returning back to her usual coolness around her.
Looking at her behavior, Naruto couldn't help chuckling which prompted Akari with a confused if not slightly insulted look.
"What? Is this so amusing to you, Uzumaki Naruto?"
The chuckling shinobi ceased as he explained himself "Sorry, sorry, Akari-chan. I'm just glad, that's all"
"Glad?" Akari looked baffled at the blonde's reasoning. Has he finally gone full idiot on her? "Have you gone daft, Naruto? Why should you be glad when I just scolded you!"
"Because you looked more alive than ever."
.
.
.
"Huh?" That answer threw Akari in a loop. More alive? What does that even mean?
Fortunately, Akari didn't have to ask as Naruto continued to emphasize his point.
"For the past two weeks since we last talked at your house – You seemed more… distant. Closed off even when we had our sessions." Naruto spoke with a sad tone in his voice.
Well, that was obvious – She intentionally avoided going near him so they wouldn't go beyond a business relationship that they have now. The trust between them was based on the fact that they needed each other with that they had.
Yet... He felt genuine to her. Something about him made her feel safe and secure. As if his aura was the sun itself that rejuvenated her that made her feel comforted and warmth in contrast to the dark and cold atmosphere of this wretched city.
He was a fool that helped her and the children with basic necessities out of the kindness of his heart.
Even now, he hasn't asked anything of her. It made her feel that the gesture was truly genuine.
And that scared her. Made her anxious and paranoid. If she decided to confine in him, trust in him; Would she stabbed in the back once again because she fell for a kind smile directed her way?
"Plus…" He wasn't finished yet? "You just seemed… miserable as of late."
Oh…
She thought she hid it well. The children didn't seem to notice.
"…For a fool, you sure are perceptive."
Said 'fool' gave a mischievous smile in response "It always surprises people when I do it"
His mischievous-ness faded away and back into a gentler smile "But when you started scolding me, I saw that misery melt away. Even though you were angry, I saw you filled with life and energy than before."
His statements had merit, surprisingly.
While she scolded him, she did feel relieved and rejuvenated. In a way, their little study session meant more to her emotional state than she realized.
A place where she could be herself, just like before. It made her feel validated. It gave her... meaning and purpose, other than surviving from scraps.
A temporary respite though. Soon, she'll feel it's oppressing weight once more after she leaves the only place that she could feel a sense of… normalcy and safety.
The source of her misery will envelope her again.
Stuck in her inner turmoil, she didn't see Naruto stand up from his kneeling position as he walks towards her.
Akari was jolted out of her stupor as she felt Naruto's hand on her shoulder.
Looking forward, she sees Naruto giving a bright and encouraging smile towards her.
"I know it's not my place to offer but if you ever need help then don't hesitate to come to me."
The way he spoke so earnestly with such honest eyes made her feel… comforted.
She was scared that this was another trick that she might take. An illusion. A scam.
But something in her heart blossomed. Something akin to… hope?
Could she really trust Naruto?
Most fiber of her being screamed 'Yes' to trust this man.
And that scared her.
=== Some time later... ===
After yet another study session done, Naruto bid goodbye to Akari who returned it with a nod before briskly walking away.
Seeing that she wanted to keep their relationship as professional as possible, Naruto could only hope that their time together would've loosen her up a bit.
Offering a shoulder is a step in the right direction. He felt her fear and anxiety spiking up the whole time they were together, though, so Naruto had to be delicate with the situation. Lest he unintentionally burns down the bridge between them.
Patience is the name of the game and he had them in spades.
He shelfs the thoughts about his friend in the deeper depths of his mind for now as he refocuses his attention to a new issue.
The 'G' gang
Back in his old world, he was a bit familiar with 'organized crime' thanks to Ero-sennin, who often made use of the criminal underworld – Most notably in the forms of Spies and Information Brokers, with a few owned businesses on the side that were less-than-legal in the eyes of the law.
This also meant that he was subjected to several meetings with different criminal organizations alongside Ero-sennin. From low-tier squatter gangs to the local Yakuza, Naruto shadowed his sensei during them all.
Of course, it wasn't technically a part of his Shinobi training but Ero-sennin called it a 'Lesson of Wisdom on how the real-world works'.
'Guess those lessons actually ended up useful in the end, Jiraiya-sensei 'Naruto smiled fondly at the memory of his deceased mentor before his thoughts strayed back to the 'G' gang, rather his lack of information on them.
During his late-night activities, he would normally find the typical thugs and muggers that showed no connection of being part of a larger organization. In a way, they just seemed like small-time crooks looking for a quick score on any helpless person they come across.
But seeing those gang members twice in the areas close to his home was a tad concerning, to say the least.
He decided to change into his usual night-time clothing; Black sweatpants covering his feet, running shoes which felt weird to wear as he's never wore these types of shoes before, the black hoodie to cover his head full of hair and a simple burnt orange bandana to hide his lower face. The orange bandana was like a blessing bestowed upon him by kami when he found it on a clothing sale.
He had to buy it! He couldn't disgrace the color orange by merely stealing it.
'Heh, I feel like Kakashi-sensei while wearing these' The now newly-dressed shinobi grabbed and attached his equipment pouches around his waist and right thigh that contained his remaining kunai and shuriken, making sure that they're secured tightly.
'Five Kunai and Eleven shuriken left...' His hand methodically checked through each pouch, a frown forming behind his bandana as he realized an issue in the making.
'Crap, running low... Got to find a way to restock soon.' Being stripped of his chakra and Jutsus really reduced his arsenal greatly, leaving him to rely solely on Taijutsu and his ninja tools.
Making a mental note in his mind to find a way to get more, he begins to store away his belongings and supplies into specific hidden spots all around the building. It'll take a keen eye for someone to find it. Call it Ninja Paranoia but he's not risking his stuff being stolen by some thief while he was away, especially here in the slums.
Finishing up his routine check and setting up small detection traps within the building, Naruto steps out into the street and looks up to see the sky has turned a shade of orange, a sign that night is coming.
The perfect time for all kinds of criminals to pop out.
"Time to find out what these 'G' guys are all about. And I know just the place on where to start looking."
Naruto Uzumaki walks off into the slum streets with purposeful strides.
=== Roanapur's Orange Menace ===
Naruto Uzumaki stood in front of a small and slightly wide building. The structure itself is primarily built out of wood, wood that appears to be rotting away and cracked in several places. Four small windows stand out at the front, two of them with the glass cracked, one that appears to have been shattered and broken while the last one was open with a trail of smoke coming out of it.
Looking up, Naruto spots the dimly-lit green neon sign that spelled out 'The Broken Bottle', with one of the T letters not being on. The name of the establishment. Turning his gaze back to the door, he turns his head to the side to see a homeless old man that is slumped back against the building's wall with an empty metal cup in front of him.
All in all, this was a bar that fit right in with the desolate atmosphere of the slums.
'Right. Let's do this.' Naruto walked up to the door but not before giving a glance to the slumped over homeless man beside him. With a frown, he reaches into one of his pockets and drops a few Thailand bills and coins into the cup, the metal clanking loudly at the impact of the coins. The amount was enough to get a good meal from a local eatery or a bunch of noodles cups.
"Get something to eat, Jiji (Grandpa)" The blonde shinobi said out loud for the homeless man, feeling pity and sadness for the elder before opening the door and walking inside, missing how the previously slumped man glanced over to him once his back was turned.
The moment Naruto step foot into the bar; His enhanced nose was immediately assaulted with the horrid smell of spilled booze, piss, tobacco and the familiar scent of dried blood.
Dim light illuminated the bar inside, showing off the lacking number of customers and shoddy interior. That left many of the tables and chairs empty except for the scarce few scattered around the room. In the left side of the room was a pool table with a single person playing on it and another person on one of the bar stools that has their head on the bar counter, passed out with a few empty bottles around him.
Naruto's blue eyes look over each patron, noting that none of them look like a member to the 'G' gang. That's good since that would mean that they aren't familiar enough with this particular bar to regularly visit it. Ero-sennin often told him the unspoken territory rules of criminal organizations, that if a particular organization or gang often visits an establishment – It gives off a silent message to any rival gangs that this particular turf is theirs and none are welcome.
Any rival member who's daring (or stupid) enough to ignore this unspoken rule would always lead up to trouble, to the point of igniting all-out brawls or fights to the death.
Seeing that no particular organized group permanently hangs out at this bar is probably saying that none has laid 'claim' to this 'turf' yet.
That or the bar is probably too low-priority for them to frequent.
'Maybe because the drinks here taste like crap.' The blonde shinobi remembered the first time he discovered the 'Broken Bottle' and the beer he ordered back then was just terrible.
Naruto walks up to the bar counter, taking careful steps to not step on anything disgusting on the floor. Once he reaches the bar counter that appears to be caked in a layer of dust and stains, he takes a seat on one of the stools and loudly taps onto the wooden counter.
"Yo! Barkeep!" Naruto calls out with a slightly booming voice, waiting patiently with his bandana down but his hood still up. Folks don't take too kindly to masked figures.
"Ugh..." A groan sounded off from behind the counter, prompting Naruto to lean forward to see the source of the noise.
"Ah, Tong! Drunk already?" Naruto joked with a smirk, receiving another groan from the man as he pushes himself to stand.
'Tong' stood up to a respectable five-eight-feet tall height, looking a bit on the chubby side with a large beer belly that just speaks about his drinking habits. He has tanned skin and a shaved head with beady-looking brown eyes that's struggling to focus on his new customer.
"Not drunk; Just tipsy!" Tong slurred out his words, making it hard for the average person to comprehend but Naruto has been around Grandma Tsunade long enough to be fluent in the 'Drunk' vocabulary.
"Uh-huh... Tipsy enough to point of passing out behind counter?" Naruto questioned which Tong only replied with a guffaw, his beer belly shaking up and down constantly at his loud laughter.
"Testin' out the new brew, the upgrade of 'Tong's Special Rum', ya 'ear?! It's like every day I make 'em, it just keeps getting' better and better!" Tong proudly boasts to the entire room, which only earned him eyerolls and the occasional scoff from his patrons.
Tong reached behind the counter, hearing the clinking of various bottles as he does so before taking out two plain-looking corked bottles without any form of branding or labels. Placing one of the bottles down on the counter right in front of Naruto, who only looked ever more skeptical of the drink.
"Come, come! Drink, Sage! This one will get ya' shitfaced faster than a whore that would suck for bhat!(1)" Tong uncorked his own bottle and begins to swig it down his throat, enjoying it as if he were drinking the nectar of the gods.
Fool. Ramen is the Nectar of the Gods. Naruto instantly rebuked in his mind as he lightly pushes the unmarked bottle away from him, not trusting the homemade brew that Tong created. Aside from that, the name 'Sage' that Tong called him would need some explaining.
Sage was a fake name he gave to Tong, something which the alcoholic man probably picked up but refrained from asking any further. To him, fake names and aliases were quite common. Unless you wanted to stand out and to be easily recognizable by the law, rarely anyone would give out their true names.
"I'll pass, for now. Rather, I'm actually here on what I asked about last time." The shinobi lowered his tone and volume of voice, not wanting anyone in the bar to hear their conversation. He didn't know these people and information can be quite powerful in the right hands.
Tong ceased his drinking session and looked as serious as he can be while being red-faced from all that excessive drinking. It made for a comedic sight, one that reminded him very much of grandma Tsunade.
While Tong doesn't seem like much from the naked eye; A drunkard and owner of a run-down bar that looks ready to collapse on itself, bars are great sources of information to gather from – A social business that encourages one to talk about anything and everything while drinking to the point of blacking out. Alcohol has a tendency to lower one's guard and loosen their lips as well. This can lead from vague rumors, interesting gossip, or public news that everybody in the underworld should know.
Another feature is that Bars tend to contain people who are willing to spill any information they've heard about for the right price. Information Brokers, as Ero-sennin would call them. People who have eyes and ears specifically for the juicy information that people would pay to know.
Tong was one of these information brokers. A man who's been around the Slums long enough and with an established network for him to listen for any rumors or information to sell to those who are in need of his services.
The drunk man then displayed his empty palm towards Naruto, gesturing his fingers for something with expectant eyes.
'Of course. Just like grandma Tsunade, he wants to gouge every piece of cash I have before telling me what I want' Naruto only rolled his eyes as he dishes out a small singular stack of Thailand bills, prompting the barkeeper to take it with a gleeful expression and stashing it underneath the counter.
"Thanks for yer patronage, hehe!" Tong thanked his paying customer before he loses his gleeful look and leaning a bit closer, speaking lowly for only Naruto to hear. "I've been snoopin' around like ya asked and I heard of a 'book' store right around Vine Street, just a few blocks down"
Nodding in satisfaction, Naruto asked quietly "Does it have I'm looking for?"
Tong scoffs with an eyeroll as he takes yet another swig of homemade brew "Probably. The guy who owns it is some sort of genius that got kicked from a top university in the US for some conspiracy stuff. Never took you for one that's interested in this sort of stuff"
"It's just questions that I want answered, that's all" Naruto explained to the man, not giving away the whole truth as to why he's looking for such 'crazy conspiracy' stuff in the first place.
The drunkard only shrugged with an uncaring look; his curiosity put to a halt as he nursed his homemade rum. "Eh, none of my business. If ya wanna waste time listening to his ramblings; Then be my guest. I got paid for it anyway."
Naruto took a mental in his mind to go visit this 'book' store some other time. Now, he has some present matters he needs to deal with first.
"Tong, I got another thing for you to look into."
"Ya already know my rates – Depending on the information you're looking for, the price varies on how valuable it is, Sage."
Nodding at the man, Naruto proceeds with his request.
"The 'G' Gang. Know anything about them?"
Tong momentarily ceased his in-motion swig of his personal beer before answering the blonde shinobi.
" 'G' Gang, eh? I think yer talkin' about the Ghetto Boyz, with a Z at the end by the way. They always wore red everywhere they went; Red shirt, red hat, red bandana, or even a red tattoo, so long as it matches the color scheme they're going for. The more 'veteran' members-" Tong paused to emphasize the word 'veterans' with a scoff and dismissive eyeroll "-often have the letter 'G' somewhere on their person, usually on the bandanas or some type of jewelry."
'That matches the description, all right.' Naruto briefly remembers the various blood-red clothing these 'Ghetto Boyz' often wore. "What else do you know about them?"
Tong only presented his palm at his customer with an expectant look in his eyes, as if saying 'You know the drill'. Naruto could only roll his eyes as he presented another stack of bills to the man, leaving him dangerously low on cash now. He could already feel his wallet, Gama-chan, becoming slimmer after this last transaction. Still, information was always a worthwhile investment.
With a grin, the grubby information broker eagerly accepted the payment before speaking once more "The Ghetto Boys are a street gang mostly filled with low-lives and crooks, the ones you typically see around your everyday street corner or, as the name describes, the Ghetto. These guys showed up about a year ago, more or less. Back then – They were nothing more than punks who make a living out of extorting any unlucky sap they could find, stealing and mugging any money-carrying asshole who's walked into the slums like an idiot; Often ending up with said asshole dead while doing the occasional carjacking."
As Naruto listened intently, he took mental notes in his mind about these Ghetto Boyz. Despite the type of criminal activities that he's heard Tong pointed out, they didn't sound much of a threat at first glance. These sound pretty small time compared to the criminals he's met with Ero-sennin. Yet, something in Naruto's mind was bothering him...
"But there's more to the story, isn't there?" Naruto pointed out to which Tong grinned in satisfaction at the blonde's suspicion.
"Aye. For the past few months, the gang's been expanding rapidly to the other nearby neighborhoods. Before, they were stuck in their little part of the Ghetto cause they know that if they start treading in other gang's turf; They'll be wiped out by the end of the week. Now? They're pretty much killin' their rival gang members every other day as they slowly take each street, block by block."
"It's not uncommon for people to set their goals high, ya know?" It sounded logical in Naruto's head. Organizations, big or small, have to expand at some point in their life to make it big. Either through deep influences in their rackets or taking territory for themselves.
"True but their consistent success is what's fishy, Sage. Folks in this dump could barely afford a decent pistol or a busted SMG to get their hands on but these guys? Nah, nah – These guys were rocking MAC's, Shotguns, even Rifles like the AK47. Mid-tier stuff that would cost a fortune for chumps like us." Tong stated with such seriousness and a dark look over his face. Naruto could only nod along with a mirrored seriousness of his own that matches Tong's own.
Unfortunately, Naruto doesn't know a single thing what Tong is ranting about. MAC's? Shotguns? AK's? SMG? What the heck are those? Maybe some sort of tool? All in all, what Naruto understood was these tools weren't a common sight in the ghetto, much less so in high numbers in the hands of low-income gangsters. And these weapons apparently made them dangerous against their opponents.
"So, you think they did something to get that sort of equipment?"
"Not think – Know. From what I'm hearing, these Ghetto assholes started to dabble their hands in the drug trade about a few months before they started tearing up the ghetto for territory. Some of their dealers been selling Opium and Heroin for very low prices, so low that junkies can get multiple fixes at a time. I even heard that they specifically sold even lower to known rival gang members to weaken them before an attack."
Naruto thinks about the numerous counts of junkies he's seen and drug addicts saved from being extorted, only to beg him for some money to get another high. While he's never personally did any drugs himself, seeing the outcome of such a substance could only spell bad news for everyone.
Tong took another swig of his bottle before continuing once more "The drug trade is a very lucrative business, ya see. Every product sold is more money for them to probably buy more weapons or something. Though, I'm certain that the Ghetto Boyz are being supplied by another party"
Naruto perked up at that "Another party? Why'd you assume so?"
"Cuz all the drugs are only controlled by the bigger organizations, Sage. Here in Roanapur, the city is a sweet spot for trafficking product to different places around the globe, especially to the East. Of course, groups like the Italian mafia and the Mexican cartels are gonna take full control of that so they can have a monopoly on the routes for themselves; This leaves pretty much jack-shit for the small-time criminals and gangs that could benefit from the drug trade if they could get their hands on it. If a dealer is selling some dope, most likely chance that it came from one of them." Tong finished his long-winding dialogue with another swig from his drink.
'Possible third-party support, huh? If I hit start messing with these guys any further, they'll start bringing in their allies to take care of the problem.' Naruto isn't sure if he can handle an entire group of seasoned yakuza's and criminals all by himself with only his limited tools and taijutsu but that's something he'll have to deal with.
Standing from his stool, he leaves a small tip on the counter for his drink, which remains unopened and untouched during the whole conversation.
"Thanks for the info, Tong. Think you could point me where these guys hang out?" Naruto casually asked as he adjusts the hood over his head, shrouding his upper face in shadow completely.
Tong gives the shinobi a raised eyebrow, curious as to what Naruto wants to do with all this information before shrugging dismissively. "A ton of Ghetto Boyz hang around a particular office building near Spring Street during the night. Don't know why but I suspect a ton of activity happening in there; That's your first clue, Sage. Free of charge, of course."
Smirking, Naruto nods back at Tong's 'generosity' "Eh, thanks, Tong. I'll see you again next time" He proceeds to walk off to the entrance, clearly intent on following this lead for reasons only known to him.
"Ey! Sage!" Naruto stopped promptly at Tong's call, turning his head to look at the bartender who's nursing his bottle of personal brew yet he still spoke to the blonde man. "I don't what ya plannin' on doing with these Ghetto Boyz but I betta warn ya; These assholes may be sloppy amateurs but an armed amateur is still dangerous if ya ain't prepared. And last I checked, ya don't even have a piece on ya."
Hearing Tong's warning and concern over him prompted him to smirk at the bartender in a joking manner "Aw, worried about me now? I'm touched, Tong."
At that, Tong merely scoffed with an eyeroll and a scowl "Bah! I'm only concerned about losing one of the few paying customers around 'ere. How else am I supposed to pay for my bar and my brewing?!"
Naruto could only laugh as he turns back to the entrance and begins to walk off "I'll pay for a drink if you actually have something good in stock."
"Oi! You asshole! Take that back! Heyy, Sage!"
Ignoring Tong's angry rants aimed at his back, Naruto steps out of the bar and into the night sky. Looking to the side, he notices the old homeless man from before is still there; Slumped over and unconscious.
Naruto turns his head back to the exit of the alleyway and walks amongst the crowd 'Spring Street, huh?'. With destination in mind, he stuffs his hands into his hoodie jacket's pockets and discreetly walk all over the streets while blending in.
He has an Office Building to break into, after all.
=== Meanwhile... ===
A lone red car is driving through the bumpy and crack-ridden roads of the slums, the headlights illuminating the way infront of it.
Though the glass tint prevents anyone from seeing the passengers inside, the passenger side window is slightly rolled down as it lets a streak of white smoke escape into the air.
With a loud exhale and a cloud of smoke coming out of the slightly open window, a young and brash female voice sounded off.
"Fuck. Why the hell did we get a job so damn late? You were about to treat me at that new bar!" Irritated, the female voice complained to someone else in the car.
A deep and masculine male voice responded from the driver seat of the car "This is the first job we've gotten in weeks that doesn't involve you diving. I thought you'd be more excited to get some action." Calm and unfazed by his female companion's attitude.
"Of course, I am. Just wish It didn't fuckin' happen the moment we got back to this shit hole!" The female voice groaned out loud, accompanied with a thud inside. "So, what are we supposed to do?"
"Smash and grab. The client's package been stolen and they want us to get it back. Some rowdy up-start gang been causing trouble and they know you can handle with the problem quickly."
A chuckle as well as the barrel slides and clicks of two guns sounded off from the car. "Sounds like my type of job. Where to?"
"Spring Street."
=== Spring Street ===
A tall and seemingly abandoned office building stood in the middle of an eerily empty neighborhood. The only signs of life in the area were the rats scurrying around, the cats hissing at each other and members of the Ghetto Boyz loitering around; Their signature red color being a stark contrast in the dark streets.
At the front of the building are a few members of the gang, strolling down each street and corner while two remain at the door, standing guard lazily.
At the back entrance, two gang members stand underneath one of the few functioning light lamps shining down on them, illuminating themselves as they have their backs against the door. Both wore red shirts and red bandanas covering their lower face, indicating their affiliation to the gang.
The left gang member, whom we'll call Gang Member A, carries around a baseball bat while his compatriot, whom we'll call Gang Member B, carries a sharp pocket knife in his hand.
The two stands in silence in the eerie back alleyway, almost awkwardly.
"Hey" Gang Member B suddenly speaks up, catching his fellow gang member's attention.
"Yeah?" Gang Member A replies curtly, his attention now firmly in his friend's grasp.
"You ever wonder why we're here?" Gang Member B questions his friend, curiosity filled his tone as he asked.
"It's one of life's great mysteries, isn't it?" Gang Member A replies with a chuckle "Why are we here? I mean... Are we the product of some cosmic coincidence? Or is there really a god, watching everything? You know, with a plan for us and stuff..." He spoke with great mystifying and a philosophical tone in his voice as he stared blanky into the starry sky above them.
Gang Member A then finished with a sigh, his eyes no longer vibrant with a curiosity to the mysteries and the unknowns of the world but one more grounded with reality "I don't know man, but it keeps me up at night..." He finished wisely, not knowing the answer.
"..."
"..."
"What? I meant why we're out here, in the dark in some stinking alleyway; guarding some stinking door that's probably locked" Gang Member B baffled and confused, re-corrects his question with a more thorough one. He looks bewildered at his friend's very deep response to his simple question.
"Oh... Uh..." Gang Member A uses his free hand to scratch the back of his head, sounding very embarrassed and lost on how to answer his friend. "...Yeah" He could only finish lamely, looking away in assumed embarrassment
"What was that stuff about god?" Gang Member B pressed on, now curious to his mate's internal thoughts and monologue.
"Uh... Hm? Nothing." In response, Gang Member's A best thing to do in situation was to play ignorant and act as if nothing he said ever happened.
"...You wanna talk about it?" Gang Member B asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No." Gang Member A replied crisply and quickly, not wanting to continue this line of conversation any longer.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Gang Member B only shrugged in response to the quick answers of his fellow member, playing with his sharp knife for a moment before restarting the conversation.
"Seriously though, why are we out here? There's no one around and people will think twice before messing with us." Gang Member B asked once again, much less curiosity fueling his question but more out of boredom in all honesty.
"I don't know, man. Big Bro Taeng told us to keep an eye out while he and the rest of the guys prepare the products inside while the Boss is off doing who-knows-what. Not the most exciting job but it beats smelling that shit" Gang Member A clarified with disgust in his tone, not an avid fan of narcotics which his fellow gang member picked up.
"You don't take any of that stuff, dude?" Gang Member B asked to which Gang Member A shook his head at.
"Hell no. I've seen that shit at work, my guy; It'll ruin ya. I'm tryin' to get out the ghetto and make something of myself, not become another junkie and rot away in some gutter." Gang Member A finished with a nod, something Gang Member B could sympathize
"I can respect that." Gang Member B took another glance to the left side of the alleyway, still seeing nothing but darkness and the occasional scurrying rat. He then turns back to his fellow gang member with a more excited gleam in his eyes "Hey, wanna play Go Fis-?!"
Gang Member A was no longer there, leaving only his lone baseball bat that rolled to the side of his feet.
Gang Member B widened his eyes as he brings up his pocket blade, panic quickly setting in his gut as he flickers his head all around the area. "Ayo?! Ay! Du-"
He was cut off when he felt something constricting his windpipe, briefly choking him with a cough before something held his knife-hand in place.
"Wha-?!" Before he could sound his confusion, something impacted the back of his head, knocking his lights out in a manner of seconds.
.
.
.
After knocking out the guards without much resistance, Naruto drags the two unconscious bodies to a nearby dumpster and dumps the two unfortunate souls to a pile of garbage. These two will be in for a disgusting awakening in an hour or so.
Luckily, he'll already be gone by then.
Searching through their pockets yielded nothing but a stack of playing cards, to which he left in it's place. Standing infront of the door, he kneels down as he takes out an improvised lockpick from one of his pouches and a kunai from his sleeve.
'Been a while since I done this.' Naruto begins to expertly use the tip of the blade to keep the lock itself open while the lockpick do all the work, using his sensitive ears to hear each individual click as his lockpick wrist flicks now and then.
*Click*
The lock clicked out loud, prompting the door to open inward.
"Still got it" He whispered under his breath as he quietly slipped inside before closing the door behind him, leaving him in near-darkness before reaching for the lock and turning it to the side, earning him a click and a locked door. All the better for him.
'From what I picked up on their conversation, this 'Taeng' fella is probably running operations around here while their actual leader is away. Maybe I can interrogate the rest of the information out of him before I blow this joint.' With a somewhat well-put plan in place, Naruto begins to skulk around the building.
The room he found himself in appears to be the backroom of the lobby, with a table in the room that appears to be acting as some sort of break room for the former employers or the gang members.
Sneaking past the room, he keeps his head down as he looks into the main lobby and sees stacks of concealed plastic packages on top of the tables with workers dressed in civilian clothing that lacks the color red and with a medical mask over their mouths as they prepare each drug package individually before placing them onto one of the stacks.
A few gang members stood inside, drinking beer or playing poker to amuse themselves as the workers broke their back to prepare the products. Laughter could be heard amongst the conversations between them.
'Crap, that's a lot of them in there. Gonna be hard to sneak past them unnoticed.' Naruto's eyes flick over to the other side of the room, seeing the flight of the stairs that leads up to the second floor where 'Taeng' is most likely at.
Seeing no other way for Naruto to sneak past the gang members undetected, he takes out a small smoke bomb from his pouch and opens the door just enough for him to throw the projectile inside. Inside, he hears snippets of conversation from the gang members, unaware of his presence.
"-Told you, dude! That bitch was begging for more after I was done with her. I tell ya, junkies make the best stress-relievers when you dangle a little bit of something something in their faces!" One of the members laughed out loud
"Ugh, bro – That hoe looked like she had the plague or something. Sticking it in there would probably bite you in the ass someday" Another groaned in disgust, chastising the first voice with a tsk
"Fuck off, you're just jealous that I got some today. Maybe you should get some too so you'll finally get rid of that stick up yer' ass"
"Tsk, whatever..."
Hearing enough of their small-talk, Naruto softly flicks the smoke bomb to the center of the room. A moment passes before the familiar puff and woosh of smoke starts filling the room, along with surprised and confused voices followed with coughs.
"What the fuck?!"
"I can't see!"
Bursting into the room, Naruto immediately sprints towards where the sitting gang members were – Identifying as the main threat in the room as they probably have weapons to defend themselves. Quickly stopping behind a gang member that was too busy coughing to notice him, the blonde shinobi swiftly chops the back of his neck, earning him a loud grunt and a knocked-out enemy.
The loud thud alerts the rest of the people inside the room
"What was that?!"
"Frank? You good, homie?"
Taking advantage of the element of surprise, Naruto dashes forward to take down still-standing two gang members. Stopping infront of one, who stepped back in surprise, Naruto dishes a hard haymaker right into the man's nose, sending him flying back against the wall with a loud crash.
"Shit! Yabe! Intrud-?!"
Before the last member could alert the rest of the building, Naruto immediately strikes him in the throat with his fist, earning him a strangled cough. Stunned for a moment, Naruto quickly grabs onto the man and judo flips him onto one of the tables, they're back breaking the wooden table as it collapses against his weight.
The smoke clears inside the room, revealing all of the downed gang members knocked out as Naruto stood in the center. Suddenly, the blonde danger instincts kick in as he side-steps to avoid an axe swipe from one of the drug workers, glaring at him with the intent to kill.
"Quit dodging, asshole!" Snarling, the drug worker continues to sloppy slash at the very unfazed shinobi who easily dodged the strikes. Eventually, the other drug workers followed suit with their own weapons; One had a broken table leg and the other with a rusty crowbar.
All attacked in unison yet despite their efforts, Naruto was not hit even once. 'Sloppy. Overextended with their hits. And worst of all...' Naruto analyzed the attack patterns of the three workers before he simply dodged one of their attacks and pushed one of them into a telegraphed attack from one of the other attackers.
The one who carried the table leg got his face hit hard by an unintentional swipe from the crowbar worker, who cursed at accidentally hitting one of his own homies. Taking another swipe once again, Naruto quickly grabbed the axe worker and re-directed him into the path of the crowbar, making the crowbar worker realized that he just clocked out both of his allies.
"You fuck...!"
"Hey, you're the one who hit them, not me" Naruto pointed out the facts, even though it was his actions that got them knocked out in the first place. Decided on ending this now, Naruto dashed forward and hit the crowbar with a gut punch, followed with an elbow strike to the jaw.
'That could've gone better.' Naruto picked up the crowbar from the man on the floor, weighing in his hand for a moment before deciding that it'll be a good substitute weapon or tool for now.
"Hey! I heard something in there!" A loud shout resonated from the outside along with loud footsteps coming to the door.
Sprinting towards the door, Naruto immediately clicks the lock function along with grabbing a fallen chair from the floor and using to barricade against the handles, preventing them from opening. Looking down on the crowbar in his hands, he decides to place them between the two handles as an added barricade.
Consistent banging and thuds against the door sounded off in the room, followed with muffled confused and angered voices from the outside
"What the fuck? It won't happen!"
"Shit. You two! Go 'round the back! Everyone else, bust this door down! Hey! Yo homies! This shit ain't funny, ya know?!" The voice, whom Naruto assumes to be the one of the 'higher ranked' gang members, called out in a commanding manner to what he assumed to be the knocked-out members inside.
'Those doors will buy me some time but not for long. Gotta find the head honcho and get whatever inside info I can' Naruto quickly runs up the stairs, the element of stealth already been thrown out the window the moment he decided to throw that smoke bomb.
Reaching the second floor, the entire room appears to be a large one – Filled with numerous empty desks with a few cubicles in slight disrepair. Whatever the Gang was doing in this building, either they haven't cleaned up the place yet or were using the building temporarily; Regardless, it won't matter as Naruto won't leave anything of theirs behind to be recovered.
Stepping softly inside, Naruto checks each inch of the room before seeing an unopened office door at the other side with light bleeding through the open cracks. Quietly walking to the side of the door, he could hear angry muttering from the room.
"-Put my damn bullets?!" The voice of a frustrated young man resonated inside, rummaging for something as items drop into the floor in his haste.
Naruto reaches for a kunai in one of his pouches, taking a step closer to the door to bullrush the man before he could react. Unfortunately, Naruto's bad luck comes into play as the abandoned building decided to show it's age now by having one of the floorboards creak underneath his foot.
*Creak...*
The young man inside immediately goes silent as Naruto hears him grab something metallic from the table. What happened next made Naruto immediately widens his eyes as his danger reflexes are screaming at him to duck and back away.
And so, he did.
Loud bangs erupt from the room, each boom ringing loudly in Naruto's ear thanks to sensitive hearing, making him grimace in slight discomfort.
The first shot pierced the door where he was previously at before dodging, followed with four more shots that left gaping holes in the wood.
"Back off, man! Do you even know who you're messing with?! Whatever you're doing here will have you dead before you could even think, man!" The young man shouted, confident yet Naruto could tell by the panicky shake in his voice.
'So, this is the power of a 'pistol', huh?' Naruto idly remarked the damage done by such a weapon that Tong ranted back at the bar. This is the first time he's ever faced down one of these 'pistols' before and now he knows why they're so dangerous in the hands of anyone.
'But now's not the time to have these thoughts' Shaking away the ideas of guns and 'pistols' for later, Naruto prepares beside the door once again but he knows if he decides to charge in now, he'll got shot down in the blink of an eye.
"Put it down. I just wanna talk." Naruto decided with the good ol' diplomatic approach, at least as a way to distract the man while he thinks up of something to deal with him. He doesn't know if this 'pistol' can shoot non-stop or something, so he ain't taking no chances – Especially with him having no chakra and no Kurama for fast healing of any wounds.
"Fuck your 'talk', asshole! Who you with, huh? The Mors? El Bozo's? Them Spooners from down the block? News Flash, bud; Spring Street is Ghetto Boyz territory now!" Another shot rings at the door, splinters of wood flying off from the bullet impacts before two clicks follow short along with a panicked yell. "S-Shit!"
Taking that as a sign that these 'pistols' do have a limit and are 'empty', Naruto quickly bullrushes through the door – Slamming it against the wall as he enters the room and sees his assailant, standing in the middle while fiddling with one of these 'pistols', that looks like some metal contraption with a barrel and some sort of round chamber in the middle (2).
The young man looked like your typical gang member of the Ghetto Boyz, wearing black pants and a red wife-beater along with basic brown hair and a red bandana over his lower face with the letter 'G' imprinted on it, acting as the 'rank' just like Tong described.
The young gang member looked on at Naruto with wide and scared brown eyes, feeling defenseless as his only weapon appears to no longer work.
"A-Ayo, fool, back up!" The young man appears to be reaching something behind him with his right hand but Naruto threw two shurikens in response, hitting both shoulders with laser precision. The gangster fell back on his rear, dropping his 'pistol' and a bunch of metal 'pills'(3) onto the floor as the young man's arms flop infront of him, lacking in response as his wounds now start to bleed through the shurikens "Agh! My shoulders! The fuck you threw at me?"
"Shurikens. And that's only the beginning if you don't start talking." Naruto casually threatens the man as he grabs by the front of his shirt, putting him up against the wall as the gang member grunts in discomfort.
"Fuck off. I ain't tellin' you nothin'!" The gang member weakly defies the shinobi whom has his life by the palms of his hands.
Naruto didn't take kindly to the weak resistance put up by the man and immediately headbutts him right in the nose, hearing a crack noise erupt from the impact.
"Gaghh! My Nosgh!" The gang member could only moan in pain as his arms are still in it's paralyzed state due to the shurikens embedded in his shoulders, a certain spot in his bandana darkening from the blood of his now-bruised nose.
"How about we try again? Eh? Or do I have knock some of your teeth out next?" Taking inspiration from Kakashi-sensei, Naruto eye-smiles behind his own mask while emitting his killer instinct aura to further intimidate the man.
That's all it took for the weak-willed gang member to start spilling all he knew.
=== From the Outside of the Office Building ===
"Break it down, dammit!" A trio of men charged into the door, slamming against it with their shoulders but the doors held firm.
The remaining gang members outside are still in the process of breaking down the front door, abandoning going through the back due to the metal door in its frame. Sadly, there were no windows in the first floor for them to break into.
One of the gang members, a 'veteran', finally had enough as they roared in frustration as he pulled an old rusty Colt 1911 from his waist and aimed it at the door knobs.
"All right, I've had enough of this! Back off from the door, you idiots!" The trio, that's been trying to break down said door for the last ten minutes, quickly scurried back to avoid getting shot.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Three shots ring out across the street, the barrel of the man's pistol smoking from the rapid firing before following it with a kick.
The door cracked underneath the force, forcing the two doors inward and the loud twang of metal hitting the floor, which was a crowbar; Revealing the lobby which held half of the product spilled all over the floor along with the gang members and workers that were inside, knocked out cold by whoever got in.
"There! So fucking simple! Now get inside and find the fool who did this!" The veteran commanded loudly, which prompted some of the gang members to prepare going inside to confront the intruder.
However, a loud engine heard by all stopped them in their tracks, prompting them to turn towards the origin of such noise with confusion wrought upon their faces.
A red 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner raced down the street towards their location before stopping right in it's tracks, the wheels screeching loudly at the sudden stop done by the driver.
"Who the hel-?!" Before the veteran could comprehend what's going on, the headlights suddenly turned on it's high beam lights onto them; Blinding anyone who were staring at the car for a few moments.
"Ahh!"
"My eyes!"
As those unlucky enough to be blinded complained loudly; All of a sudden, the passenger side-door bursts open before a figure leaps out to the side with two pistols in their hands, shooting his fellow gang members with precise accuracy. Them being blinded for those precious seconds making them an easy target.
"Take cover!" The veteran managed to scream out before diving behind some barrels infront of the entrance. Those who were still alive followed suit, with some running inside the office building. "Pop those fools!"
The veteran returns fire with his Colt 1911, not really aiming at the figure but more so firing in their general direction. The others who had guns of their own followed his example and took out their own weaponry, spraying the figure with gunfire.
The figure, in either reckless abandon or being goddamn suicidal, dived and jumped around the streets like some gun-toting acrobatic; Moving from cover to cover while eliminating his homies one by one.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, the veteran inserts a fresh magazine into his gun before he turned around to shoot once more, the desire of vengeance budding in his heart to avenge his fallen gang members.
However, that budding fire of vengeance was snuffed out and replaced with shock as he felt his eyes flash before his very eyes at the sight infront of him.
The figure managed to make it right next to him in that moment of him reloading his gun, his wide-eyed look capturing key features of his enemy in those few micro-seconds.
Two silvery pistols aimed at his head along with the figure, apparently a woman, looked at him with savage glee in her eyes along with a wide grin.
She looked like a demon that came to personally reap his soul with her very hands and he could do nothing but await his upcoming fate.
"Too slow"
Those were the last things he saw and heard before the woman pulled the triggers, ending his life in an instant.
(1) Bhat - Also known as the official currency of Thailand. Roanapur is based in Thailand, after all, so it only makes sense to use the local money instead of US Dollars.
(2) That is a Revolver, not a 'Pistol'. The reason why I wrote it as 'Pistol' was because I writing in the perspective of Naruto, whom is very ignorant of firearms. His exposure to firearms is also minimal as well, something I purposely made. Don't worry for those gun nuts out there, Naruto will be enlightened to the world of smoke and gunpowder soon enough.
(3) They are bullets, yes.
And that's about it! Thanks for reading. I'll start making on the next chapter soon as to not delay this story any further than it already has. But my schedule is already inconsistent as it is so no promises there.
Till next time, my dudes!