Obito-Sensei Chapter 47
Rumors and Misunderstandings
It is natural that such events will thrust upon our respective nations their own responsibilities and opportunities, and I would not dream to dictate or suggest any line of action in that vein. The nation and its Daimyo grieves, but let us recall that funerals are expensive and undertakers well paid. The deeper tragedy of Waves I speak of is much more personal and close to my heart; the actions of, no doubt, rogue elements within the Land of Lightning…
###
When Haku got back, it was almost eleven in the morning. He clearly hadn't slept, but his long black hair and soft makeup that he put on every day was still impeccable. Sakura had no idea how he did it.
"Welcome back!" she greeted him, and Haku gave her a tired smile. He sank down on a bed in the corner of the hotel's living room. "Did you see the others on the way up?"
"Some," Haku said, closing his eyes for a moment before thinking better of it. "I saw Naruto and the others getting breakfast. Where's Master Zabuza? I thought he might be here."
"He's not," Sakura said, putting down her book. Haku watched it, curiosity plain on his face. He was probably wondering how many times she'd read Tales of a Gutsy Shinobi already. "When Karin said you were on your way back, he took her out into the city and asked the rest of us to wait." She laughed. "Sasuke gave him permission, but I'm sure he would have done it anyway. He wanted to take a look at the 'competition.'"
"He's always cautious," Haku said with a small laugh, before reconsidering. "Well, most of the time. He can be… passionate. Hopefully you'll never see that."
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. Haku shook his head.
"Master Zabuza can get focused on something. Too focused. Right now, he probably feels like it's his duty to catalogue the shinobi in the city." The beautiful boy closed his eyes again, and this time he let them stay closed for longer. "He doesn't trust Sasuke."
"Because of his age?" Sakura asked, genuinely interested in the answer. Haku shook his head.
"Because he's an Uchiha." When Sakura made a surprised sound, Haku opened his eyes. "The Sharingan is a bloodline that's been tied to the Hidden Leaf since its creation. Zabuza doesn't think that Sasuke can ever leave the village behind because of that."
"Weird thought, considering he's carrying around part of the Hidden Mist's history with him," Sakura said with a cocked eyebrow. Haku smirked.
"He's not a perfect man," he said, and Sakura had to laugh at his familiar tone.
"Speaking of not perfect," she said, shifting forward. "Did they tell you what happened last night?"
"Hmm? No," Haku admitted, finally giving in and lying back on the bed. "Did you find a lead of your own? My night went well."
"That sounds good, but it wasn't quite that," Sakura said. "One of the teams from another village was from the Hidden Leaf."
"Oh." Haku cracked an eye open, glancing at her from under the heavy lid. "Oh dear. Did they-?"
"Yeah. It was uh, a couple of our classmates even," Sakura said, surprised at her composure. "Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Hinata Hyuuga, and led by Kurenai Yuhi. They kidnapped Sasuke-"
"Successfully?" Haku sat up, confused, before Sakura waved him off.
"He explained to them why we were here and they backed off." Why we were in Waves, at least, she couldn't help but say to herself. For the rest, all she could do was hope Ino understood her straightforward message. "It was… tense, but they're here to track down the counterfeiters as well, so they agreed to work together with us for now."
"Huh." Haku lay back. "Karin and a Hyuuga working together… that will make things simple if there are other shinobi involved." He took a couple deep breaths, and Sakura found herself content to just sit there with her hand on the spine of her book and listen to him breathing. His long black hair shifted softly against the sheets.
"How did that make you feel?" he asked after a minute, and Sakura jerked, lost in the moment.
"Sorry?" she asked with a blink, and Haku blew out a breath.
"Your first time running into your former comrades," he said. "It must have felt strange."
Sakura leaned back, taking her hand off her book and scratching at her arm. The tiny scar on her arm that she'd gotten on her first C-Rank itched sometimes. She wondered if it was the same for her heart, with that little clot of Natural Energy still there, and she just couldn't notice. "It wasn't as strange as it should have been," she eventually said. "We didn't leave on bad terms. They were mad; I apologized. I don't think it's something that an apology could fix, but I could at least make the effort. After a year apart… it's not like we didn't know each other anymore. It was just seeing each other in a different context."
"They kidnapped Sasuke. An antagonistic context, then," Haku said. Sakura nodded.
"I was willing to hurt them over it. That part scared me. I was willing to do so much for them back in the Chunin Exam, even facing down Gaara, but then they do something to one of my teammates and all that anger is redirected right at them. I didn't like that." She frowned, an unpleasant thought suddenly dominating her mind. "Oh, right. Gaara's here."
"Gaara?" Haku said. He didn't bother to try and rise this time, but he did make a limp, frustrated motion with one of his arms that Sakura couldn't help but laugh at. "Of the Desert? He's here?"
"In the city. He doesn't seem to be doing anything yet, but there's no way someone like him is here without a good reason," Sakura confirmed. "At the moment, we're just planning to stay out of his way."
"I doubt he'd be happy to see you," Haku said, ever understated. It was meant in good humor, but Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine at the thought. She would have been happy to never meet Gaara again: being within just a couple miles of him, even if he was ignorant of that fact, was distinctly unsettling.
"What about you, then?" she asked, suddenly interested in changing the subject, and Haku shrugged.
"I found a buyer," the boy said, as if that wasn't great news, and Sakura stood up in excitement. "Don't look so happy," he continued without opening his eyes. Sakura scoffed. "It's hardly a sure thing."
"That's fine. How'd you find them?" Sakura was almost vibrating: she'd known they could rely on Haku, but it was still unbelievable just how competent the boy was. Just another part of what made him incredible.
"We are trying to sell a weapon; I went looking for an illegal weapons market," Haku said with a faint smile. "There is always more demand for tools of war." He shifted. "Though I must admit, there were some interesting things there. More than just unique swords or ninja tools."
"What kind of things?" Sakura asked. Haku wasn't the kind to care about weapons, not when he mostly only used senbon or his own Bloodline. For something to catch his eyes, it must have been unique.
"Mostly the kind of thing a ninja would know was useless," Haku said, "but with interesting principles. There was a repeating handgun, even. Multiple chambers, to load the rounds more efficiently. Still worthless against someone trained to use chakra, but tremendously dangerous to a normal person." He sighed and rolled over, clearly debating making an earnest attempt at sleep. "What I saw was some sort of… glove, I guess."
"A glove?" Sakura asked with a frown.
"A glove with a mechanism worked into it. It looked like a metal spider laid over the top," Haku said. "The arms dealer claimed it could channel chakra."
"What?" Sakura asked, doubt clear in her voice. "Through the glove? Why not just use your hand?"
"No idea. That's just what they said. Apparently it was stolen from the Hidden Cloud," Haku said, yawning. "Two-hundred thousand Ryo asking price, though. It wasn't that interesting, and I didn't want to make a bad reputation for myself. That merchant did lead me to the interested buyer, though. He's a corporate man from the Land of Water. His name's Soichiro Kogane."
"The Land of Water?" Sakura mused. "Do you think he wants to sell it back to the Hidden Mist?"
"It's very possible. He was knowledgeable about the sword; he confirmed that I'd taken it from Zabuza Momochi. I would assume that, being from Water, he might know just how desperately Mist would want it back."
"If that's the case, he may not use counterfeit money," Sakura said, feeling a twinge of caution. "If he genuinely wants it, maybe even out of patriotism…"
"I considered that," Haku said lightly. "I made it clear I would only accept the Land of Fire's script. I also set the price as high as I thought was reasonable for someone as…" His smile was almost a smirk. "Desperate as me. Three quarters of a million, and the sale must take place within the next two days. We agreed to meet at the docks at midnight tomorrow… which I suppose is today. Unless he has shinobi couriers from the Land of Water, I doubt he'll be able to come up with that sort of money from Water on such short notice. He'll look for local options… and a man like that would doubtlessly find the counterfeit currency, and take advantage of it, even faster than we could."
"Sounds like you've got it all figured out," Sakura admitted.
"Not at all. There's so many ways it could go wrong. But it's a start." Haku committed to turning over and looked at her. "Do you think I have time for a nap? I'd rather not take a soldier pill so soon into the mission. The crash can be brutal."
"Just for an hour, probably," Sakura said. Haku was already slipping away. "We agreed to meet up with the Leaf team when you got back. They're probably keeping an eye on us, so they'll know you've returned."
"An hour, then." Haku took the limited time with grace. "Wake me, will you?"
And then he fell asleep, sprawled over the top of the blanket and trusting himself to her.
Sakura shook her head, wondering just how much he had glossed over. It was almost noon, after all: she doubted making contact with the black market, especially weapons, was as simple as Haku had made it seem. She moved to leave the room, but hesitated. Even if it was just an hour, she didn't want him to be uncomfortable.
Gingerly, Sakura took the edge of the blanket and pulled it up, wrapping Haku in it. The boy shifted and settled, his arms falling to his sides and relaxing, and Sakura stepped back, wondering if this was weird.
After a moment, she decided it didn't really matter if it was or not. She left Haku and the hotel room behind, her steps silent, and headed downstairs to meet up with everyone else.
###
When the team from Leaf did arrive, there was an alarming moment where they stood outside the hotel lobby, clearly at the ready, and Sakura wasn't sure if they were going to attack or not. But quicker than a heartbeat, the moment passed and they stepped inside, casually making their way over to the table that the Rain team had taken over. It had only been thirty minutes or so since Sakura had woken Haku up from his nap: she was pleased with her timing. Karin had been tracking the Leaf team, and as soon as she'd gotten back with Zabuza she'd told everyone that they'd started moving.
"Morning," Shikamaru grumbled, and Sakura raised an eyebrow. It was past noon, after all. He rolled his eyes. "Where's the big guy?"
"Zabuza is keeping watch outside," Sasuke said, gesturing to some of the chairs they'd pulled up. "Grab a seat if you want. We did get a lead from last night after all."
Hinata was the only one who did, offering Haku and Karin a polite nod as she sat across from them. The table was long, though not long enough for everyone; even so, Kurenai, Ino, and Shikamaru left chairs empty, preferring to stand. The shinobi had now taken over a whole corner of the hotel lobby, and it was definitely being noticed by the others having lunch there: Sakura saw several worried glances being cast their way.
"I didn't see him," Shikamaru said, carefully neutral, and Sasuke shrugged.
"He's good at that," he said. It wasn't a lie. Zabuza was ridiculously good at going unseen for a six foot man with a sword the same size as himself. "Now, Haku's made contact with the black market, and made an offer for a weapon's sale."
"What weapon?" Hinata asked. Across from her, Haku smiled. He still looked tired, but at least he was active now.
"Master Zabuza's," he said, and Hinata cocked her head in confusion. "People are willing to pay quite a lot for a legendary blade of the Hidden Mist."
"How can you guarantee a connection to the counterfeiters?" Kurenai asked, crossing her arms. Sakura noticed that while everyone else was focused on Sasuke, Ino was looking at her.
There wasn't love or hatred in her eyes: just confusion. Sakura felt a chill run down from the base of her neck. Did that mean Ino had understood her message or not?
"There's no guarantee," Sasuke admitted. "But Haku has specified that he must be paid in script from the Land of Fire, and even a wealthy man is unlikely to have nearly a million Ryo on them on such short notice." Kurenai looked impressed at the amount as Sasuke continued. "He'll likely seek local sources, and someone of his means and a member of the black market besides will likely find the currency providers and seize the opportunity. If he doesn't…" He frowned. "Then we'll simply start over, and perhaps take advantage of Hinata." He inclined his head. "With her permission, of course."
"I took the liberty of looking through the city after you left last night," Hinata spoke up. Sakura noticed the glance she shared with Kurenai and Shikamaru, the subtle nod. "There was nothing that stuck out to me at the time. If the production center is in Waves, it is likely outside of Fukami City, though I will of course-"
"Pretty infallible, huh?" Suigetsu spoke up, and Sasuke sighed. Sakura resisted the urge to do the same: it was stuff like that that made it so hard to get along with the boy.
"It's a competitor with the Sharingan," Sasuke said, glancing at his friend. "I trust Hinata."
"You could slip up," Suigetsu said with a dismissive grin, and Sasuke chuckled. "Besides, let her answer for herself." The boy sauntered forward and leaned forward, placing both palms on the table. Haku looked over at him, unamused at his space being invaded, but Suigetsu ignored him. "There's nothing you could have missed?"
Hinata drew herself up, and Sakura saw some of the steel that had been in her last night. "I could certainly have missed something," she said. "It would take days for me to examine every nook and cranny of a city like this. But there was nothing that was immediately obvious: no large production centers, like the kind we were told to watch for."
"And they couldn't just be hiding?" Suigetsu asked with a toothy grin. Hinata shook her head.
"Not easily," she said. This time, she didn't look to Kurenai for permission. Sasuke leaned in as she spoke. "There are techniques to conceal structures from the Byakugan, but they are clan secrets. They would never be found in a place like this."
"Cause Hyuuga never run off?" Suigetsu asked, rocking back with a smug look. Hinata's mouth pressed into a firm line.
"No, they don't. A rogue Hyuuga is impossible," she said, looking over at Sasuke. "I am sure of that."
Sakura looked back and forth between the two of them, wondering why Hinata spoke with such surety.
'But if you're branch family like Neji, you're basically a servant to the main family.'
An old conversation with Tenten, held by a version of herself that had been gone by the time the Chunin Exams were over. Sakura shook her head, the old words taking on a sinister new meaning. The Hyuuga must have been different from the other clans in more ways than one.
"Okay, okay," Suigetsu said, surrendering and falling back to the wall. He looked at Haku. "So then what? We just wait around? When's your big meeting?"
"Midnight tonight, at the docks. Warehouse four," Sasuke said, but Kurenai was already shaking her head.
"Relying on a single source is folly," she said. "If this man proves to be a poor lead, or simply richer than expected, this will all be a waste of time."
"I agree," Sasuke said carefully. Sakura watched, interested: seeing Sasuke work with other Jonin was always fascinating, but seeing him present himself as an equal to someone like Kurenai was even more so. "Did you have an alternative plan?"
"A very simple one," Kurenai said, crimson eyes alert. "We intended to begin asking around."
"What, the city?" Naruto said, finally speaking up and drawing both team's attention to him. As always, he flourished under it. "That's a lot of asking around to do."
"It's the foundation of any investigation, you know," Shikamaru said, scratching his back. Naruto scoffed. "People know more than they know."
"What the heck does that mean? This is the kind of money that only Sasuke and Hinata could notice. I doubt anyone around here is gonna be better at that than them. Besides, it's super dangerous, right?" Naruto rubbed at his scars thoughtfully. "Probably means even less people would just happen to know something about it."
"The goal would not be to just happen to run across someone who is connected," Kurenai said patiently. Sakura couldn't help but notice her eyes were a little less icey with Naruto than with everyone else. Maybe because of what Sasuke had said? "In a crime like this, vertical integration is impossible." She noticed Naruto's confused expression and sighed, and Sakura suppressed a sneer at the woman. "That is, not every part of the operation is necessarily illegal. Even if the funds are being released into the black market, they still might be being produced by legal workers who don't understand the nature of their work, or the place they're being made in could be legally leased. Most crime like this doesn't happen in some secret hideout out in the wilderness."
"Ohh," Naruto said, and Kurenai smiled. Small, but there. "So you'd go looking for someone who knows someone's been hiring a bunch of new people. Something like that."
"Exactly," Kurenai said. "Something like that. And with a day before Haku's lead bears potential fruit, we would have plenty of time to dig up additional evidence, if it is out there."
"It's sensible enough," Sasuke said. He smiled. "We may even attract attention, asking around. The counterfeiters may have tripwires for such a situation. If that makes them act, it could be equally useful."
"Precisely. And I doubt they're clumsy enough to pack up and run," Shikamaru said with a nod. "That would probably attract attention, and questions." He smiled sardonically. "Though any alert system they've set up may be dangerous to us."
"I'm confident we could deal with it," Sasuke said. "Haku, you concealed your hitai-ate, right?"
"Of course," Haku said, and Sasuke's brow furrowed.
"That's good. But if we're going to be out kicking trees and seeing what falls out, it might be best for you to separate yourself from us for the time being."
"Ah," Sakura muttered, mostly to herself, and Sasuke gave her a curious look. She waved him off. "Nothing. We wouldn't want him associated with us."
"My, how rude," Haku said with a smile. "No, of course. I'll keep to the room for today. I need the rest anyway. I doubt I'll go to the docks by myself, but it would make my goal obvious if I was walking around asking after counterfeit money beforehand."
"Exactly," Sasuke said. "Sorry."
"It won't be a problem." Haku shrugged. "I'll keep myself entertained."
"So, we're gonna start now?" Ino cut in, impatient and harsh. Sakura gave her a questioning look, and the girl's look back didn't answer a single one of her questions.
"If you all are ready, by all means," Sasuke said. He stood up, and everyone at the table, even Hinata, stood up with him. "Let's start now."
"Separate teams?" Kurenai asked. Sasuke nodded.
"We can find each other if necessary," he said. And of course, Sakura thought, this way there was no chance of another attempted kidnapping. "If something does come up, I'm sure we'll warn the other."
And with that weak assurance, they went their separate ways once more.
Four hours later, Sakura and her team didn't have much to show for their time.
Fukami City was overflowing with good food and rumors, and they'd picked up plenty of both. There was a place that sold pizza here: it wasn't as good as the kind Haku had shown her back in Rain, the kind with huge ripe tomato slices on the top of it, but Sakura still liked it. The rumors were just as tasty.
The Daimyo was intensely jealous of the Fukami family, it went, and was planning on ousting them and making the city his new capital. The old one, Tsunami, was growing decrepit and outdated in comparison, and change was on the tides. But it could go the other way, some were saying: the old Daimyo had done nothing for Waves when it was dying, and Kaiza and Tazuna Fukami had just about single-handedly brought it back to life. Even if they were a family with no lineage or leadership pedigree, Kaiza was beloved and considered a hero. If anyone should be running the Land of Waves, it should be him.
A new trade route had been negotiated by several major corporations and governments just a month ago, an unprecedented joint venture taking advantage of the Great Channel Bridge. Many exports from the Land of Rivers, Water, Tea, and Wind would now be passing through Waves, and people were excited about what it could mean for the future. It wasn't a great deal for Wind in particular, Sakura gathered, since its previous trade routes had been rendered obsolete by the bridge, but the country's Daimyo hadn't had much room to negotiate: this was a case of keeping up or being left behind.
There were more shinobi in Waves than there had ever been before. That one had been delivered to an innocent looking Naruto with a knowing look. A lot of them were private security, but plenty were just up to their own business. Every major Village had been spotted, and some minor ones as well. Waves wasn't used to shinobi, though the enduring rumor that Gato, the head of the Gato Corporation that had tried to finish the country off, had been killed by shinobi had engendered a strange sort of gratitude in the people who spoke about them. Still, shinobi brought violence and trouble, or came in expectation of it: most people just wished they would leave soon and let everyone else get back to making money.
Making money seemed to be on everyone's mind, Sakura thought. Waves was a land of entrepreneurs now, and everyone there was either looking to sell or buy something.
"No, certainly haven't seen anything like that," the manager Sasuke was talking to said, and Sakura snapped back to the present. She, Naruto, Sasuke, Karin, and Suigetsu were still together, though most of the others were waiting outside. Only she and Sasuke had entered the building, a warehouse in the west side of the city run by a distribution company. "You know, with the way things are, the police have had to deal with a lot of financial crimes, but…" The manager, an older man with grey eyebrows named Haiiro, scratched at the shadow of a beard. "No, definitely nothing like that. Land of Fire, you said?"
"Yes," Sasuke said patiently. The older man had already gone off on a couple of tangents. Haiiro shrugged.
"I saw some weird Ryo for the Land of Lightning the other day." At Sasuke's questioning look, he shook his head. "Okay, I didn't see it. My cousin runs a shop in the city. She sells flowers, real good ones. You should drop by if you need something for your girlfriend there." He gestured at Sakura, and she gave him a doubtful look. The man didn't seem to notice. "She said that someone came in, put the money on the table, and then realized he'd messed up. A younger guy, with a scar. He took it and ran off before she could call anyone."
"Could you give me the address?" Sasuke asked. Haiiro shrugged and fished into his heavy breast pocket for a pen and some sweat stained paper.
"Yeah, sure. You know, it wouldn't surprise me if things are going to pot up there," he muttered as he bent over and pressed the paper to his knee, using it as a surface for the pen. "My cousin's got a friend whose dad's got dual citizenship there, and he says the new Daimyo is a nut. Spits when he talks."
"Lightning has a new Daimyo?" Sakura asked, and the man looked up and grunted assent.
"S'what I hear," he said, refocusing on his letter. He cursed and then shrugged as he realized he'd spelled a street name wrong. "Usually it's just more of the same, standard stuff, but this one's making people nervous. Y'know, it came up cause my cousin's friend's dad got a letter that he had to renounce his citizenship or something. Pick Lightning or another place."
"Is he a citizen of Wave as well?" Sasuke asked, and the man shook his head as he finished the note and passed it over. Sasuke took it delicately, trying to avoid the sweat stains that covered most of it.
"Nah. Fire or something," he said, standing up to his full height with a huff. "You got anything else?"
"No, not at all." Sasuke took out a twenty Ryo note from the Land of Fire and passed it over, and the man gave it a mockingly dubious look.
"This ain't fake, is it?" he asked, and Sasuke and Sakura were forced to laugh at the joke as they beat a hasty retreat. When they were outside, a light mist of rain greeted them along with the sun, and Suigetsu approached, looking bored.
"More nothing?" he asked, and Sasuke flashed the note. The Hozuki look doubtful.
"Nothing solid, but they had something about weird Land of Lightning currency," Sasuke said. "A cousin of his runs a shop in the city: this is their address."
"Well," Suigetsu said with a helpless shrug. Sakura was always fascinated with how the rain that hit him just sunk right into his body. "Guess that's nothing with a direction, at least." They started walking, and Naruto and Karin had to jog from the other side of the road to catch up, the five of them forming a rough square.
"Hey Sakura, Karin and I were talking about something," Naruto said as he drew up. She looked back with a smile, and he lit up. It made Sakura happy that she could make Naruto smile like that, even if she wasn't always sure why. "She's keeping an eye on Gaara, you know-"
"He's not getting close, is he?" Sakura asked, alarmed at her own alarm, and Karin shook her head, her long red hair swaying with the motion.
"No, he's far to the north right now. Near the bridge. He's been there for some time," she said, and Sakura relaxed. "He's easy to track; his chakra is alarming."
"Right, that's what we were talking about," Naruto said, getting back on track without pause. "Karin, you were saying that Gaara's super unique, right? We were talking about how he's a Jinchuriki, like my mom."
"Yeah?" Sakura asked. She felt electrified, but her brain hadn't quite caught up to why.
"Yes. It made more sense once Naruto explained it to me," Karin said, smiling shyly. Her red eyes were bright with excitement. "Gaara has another chakra inside of him, completely distinct from his own. It must be the Bijuu's chakra. It's…" She struggled for the right word for a moment. "Heavy. Heavy and hot, I guess, though obviously those aren't the right words."
"Like the desert," Sakura said, remembering what it had felt like to be struck by the Bijuu's chakra. Karin gave her a surprised look and then nodded.
"Like that, yes," she said, before Naruto nudged her.
"And you said you've never felt chakra like that before?" he prompted. "Not just like, Tailed Beast chakra, but someone with two different kinds of chakra inside them?"
"No," Karin confirmed, and Sakura's heart stopped. Naruto gave her a smug look, but Karin just looked confused. "Never."
Never. The word echoed in Sakura's mind. She moved down the street on autopilot as Naruto regaled Karin with tales of Gaara's actions at the Chunin Exam. Never. Karin's sensory range extended for miles and miles, enough to easily encompass Fukami City. Amegakure was larger, but not by an order of magnitudes more.
Never. If Karin had never felt a Jinchuriki's chakra, that meant that Fuu had never been inside Amegakure.
It didn't confirm a thing. If Itachi had taken Fuu back to Rain, there was no guarantee she would have been taken to Amegakure, or that her chakra hadn't been masked in some way if she was. But still, Sakura found her steps lighter. After a year, they had a piece of solid evidence that hadn't even required entrance to the Akatsuki. She tried not to think much about the mission anymore, and yet, moving towards it still brought her some relief. For once, Sakura decided to enjoy the feeling without questioning it.
"I'm worried about why he's here," Sasuke said, and Sakura glanced over to eavesdrop on his and Suigetsu's conversation.
"It won't be a big deal," Suigetsu said. "He's a moron."
"He's not," Sasuke said flatly. "That's what makes him dangerous."
"Eh," Suigetsu said with a shrug. "Worst comes to worst, Sakura can just kick his ass again, right?" He shot her a playful look, trying to draw her into the joke for once, but Sakura found she couldn't joke about someone like Gaara.
"He underestimated me at the Exam," she said, and her tone was sharp enough that Suigetsu's smile faded. He was clearly listening to her, so she pressed ahead. "He was obsessed with killing Naruto, since they were both the sons of a Kage. The Fourth Kage of their village, even. And more than that…" She mulled, remembering the Hokage's conversation with them in the tower, the dead Stone team, what Obito had told her.
'Obito? Not Obito-sensei?'
Shut up. Old enemies, old doubts. She hated it. She breathed out and tried to finish her thought. "More than that, he was obsessed with killing by itself. It was the only way he could relate to other people: seeing them as worth killing or not. When we were fighting, he decided I was, and I'm sure he still thinks Naruto is. If he figures out we're here, I think he would drop everything to track us down. I don't think he even hates us. He just believes he… has to."
Suigetsu and Sasuke both gave her a blank look. "What?" she asked, feeling a little offended.
"I didn't think of it that way," Sasuke admitted, and Sakura blanched.
"How could you not?" she demanded. Sasuke laughed.
"I figured he was dangerous. I meant in terms of his mindset," he explained. "But with his focus on Naruto, on you, it makes sense." He shrugged. "I guess you would have had more reason than anyone to think of it, Sakura. You're the only one of us who had a chance to fight him. You didn't exactly clash fists, but my brother…" He trailed off before continuing. "My brother always said that when high-level shinobi fight, they learn something about one another. At the Exam, I'd say you were that kind of shinobi without a doubt."
Suigetsu snorted. "Yeah, right," he said. "So far as I've seen, the only thing that shinobi exchange in a fight is a whole lot of blood."
'Maybe you're not a high-level shinobi then," Sakura suggested innocently, and Suigetsu spun on her in shock.
"Oh! She's got teeth!" he said. Sakura giggled. "What the hell does that mean anyway, 'high-level?' Don't act like you've got his nutcase brother figured out too."
Sakura was worried Sasuke would be offended for a second, but when he spoke, it was obvious that wasn't the case. Why would he be? Despite what Itachi had told them in Waterfall, he'd still slaughtered Sasuke's family. "A shinobi like him," Sasuke said with something between a smile and a grimace. "Someone who could bring a village to its knees by himself."
"Give me a couple years then," Suigetsu said with a smirk. "And that Kubikiribocho too. We'll see how I'm doing then."
"Uh huh," Sakura said. Suigetsu just gave her a flippant look. "Anyway, I had something to ask."
"Yeah?" Sasuke said. Sakura glanced back at Naruto.
"We've heard there are shinobi from the Land of Stone," she said, and Sasuke nodded in understanding. "Karin and Zabuza confirmed it as well. Do you think we should ask Hinata to track them? Just in case?"
"I doubt Yui Tono is here," Sasuke mused. "That incident in Ishima seemed more driven by her than by the village. Still… maybe. She could at least identify them, so we could watch out for them."
"Yeah." Sakura nodded. "I feel like there's already too many moving parts for this mission. I don't want more."
"Always looking for the worst case scenario," Suigetsu grumbled. "Seriously, you guys get me down sometimes, you know?"
"We could just wander blindly into danger, if you'd prefer," Sasuke said, and Suigetsu gave him a rude gesture.
"You gotta find the damn middle ground," the Hozuki groused. "I'm gonna run on ahead: you wanna give me the address?"
"Sure. Knock yourself out." Sasuke handed over the note, and Suigetsu dashed off. Sakura watched him go.
"You sure about that?" she asked. Sasuke shrugged.
"He's honest. It brings out honesty in other people." He skirted around a kid who was running around in circles in the middle of the street and screaming at the top of his lungs. The child's mother was watching from the side, apparently fed up. "It worked on you."
"Huh!" Sakura said with a laugh. "Good point."
She and Sasuke and Naruto and Karin continued on as the day dissolved towards a pleasant evening, and even though the city was full of shinobi and potential danger the lightness of her step didn't vanish.
Two and some hours later, the Rain and Leaf teams reunited on a street corner in front of a furniture store in the eastern part of the city. There was less hesitance than last time, though still the invisible expectation of a collision. Naruto wasn't sure why: at this point, he was pretty sure everything had been ironed out.
"Hey, Shikamaru!" Naruto led the reunion with his standard enthusiasm. "How'd it go for you guys?"
Shikamaru, who'd somehow ended up at the front of the group and didn't look at all happy with it, gave a perfunctory wave back. "Like crap," he said. The two teams came to a stop in the midst of each other, taking up most of their side of the road. "You guys had dinner yet?"
"Nah," Naruto said, looking the Leaf team over. "Was kinda wondering if you wanted to get it together, to be honest."
"We were?" Karin asked, and Naruto looked at her and shrugged. Sasuke hadn't protested, so as far as he figured that meant they definitely were now.
"Yeah, for sure," he said, glancing back at everyone else. Sakura and Sasuke were talking about something, but Sasuke gave him a quick thumbs up. Suigetsu just shrugged. Zabuza was still nowhere to be seen: if he'd been following them, Naruto hadn't caught sight of him. He found that he didn't really mind. Even if the guy was Haku's teacher, he gave Naruto the creeps.
"I wouldn't mind," Shikamaru said, the admission thrilling to hear. "Sensei?"
"I wouldn't pay for them," Kurenai said, and Naruto gave her an insincere grin.
"Well, we could cover ourselves. That's no big deal," he said. The woman frowned, and for a second he thought things would collapse. It lit a desperate fire in his heart. He wanted this: to sit down with them like nothing had changed. He wanted to hear how his parents were doing, how the village was doing, what Obito was up to. Even if he was a ninja of Rain now he wanted it more than anything else in the world.
"There's a teriyaki restaurant two blocks down," Hinata said suddenly, breaking Kurenai's glare. Naruto breathed out in relief as the girl gestured north. "The food looked good. I wouldn't mind going there."
"I'm down," Shikamaru said, and Naruto gave them a thumbs up. His team gave a communal shrug: good enough for them. Cautiously, both teams turned and made their way down the street together, trust still not fully restored.
"Hey, is Zabuza still running around?" Naruto asked Karin, and she shrugged.
"He's following from a distance. He always has been." She frowned. "Though there is another shinobi heading our way. From the north."
"Hmm. Another, huh?" Naruto said. "You should tell Sasuke. Are they like, running?"
"No, just moving towards us. They're bright, heavy, almost sticky?" Karin struggled for the words. "That sounds kinda gross, but that's the feeling."
"Weird," Naruto muttered. "Very weird. Just now?"
"For a little bit now," Karin admitted. "But I wasn't sure until just now."
She dropped back to confer with Sasuke, and Naruto jogged on up ahead, meeting up with the Leaf team. They gave him doubtful looks as he fell in with them, obviously not sure what to think.
"So it didn't go so great for you guys?" he asked, and Ino grunted.
"Not great," she confirmed. "People are happy to talk around here, but not about anything that matters." She cocked her head. "What about you, Naruto?"
"Ah, you know, pretty similar," Naruto said, rubbing his neck. "We had one lady who'd seen some money from the Land of Lightning that looked fake, but I mean, it looked fake. Wrong country too. We talked to her, but that's probably a dead end, you know."
"Probably," Ino said shortly. "Waste of a day."
"Well it wasn't that bad." The restaurant was coming into view. It looked busy, but not busy they couldn't get a table. "It was nice to see more of the city. This place is really cool."
"Man, you're good at this," Shikamaru said as they reached the entrance.
"At what?" Naruto asked. The Nara chuckled.
"Acting like nothing's changed."
Kurenai negotiated a table for them, which ended up being one pushed together with a booth in the corner of the place. Naruto didn't mind: it had a good view of the street through a nearby window, and being out of the center was always great as far as he was concerned. Still, nine ninja definitely drew attention; there were a couple people staring at them as they grabbed seats, and Naruto wasn't sure if all the looks were just curiosity.
They ordered in awkward silence, no one brave or stupid enough to break it. Naruto decided it had to be him.
"I'm not acting," he eventually said, and Shikamaru looked over at him from across the table. They'd interspersed ninja, Rain and then Leaf, until it got to the head of the attached table, where Suigetsu was sitting and looking quite pleased with himself. "I don't think that much has changed."
"Well you know, I guess you're the interesting case there, Naruto. For you, not a lot has. Just the symbol on your headband, right?" Shikamaru said. Naruto honestly couldn't tell if he was being mocking or genuine.
"I mean… yeah, pretty much." Naruto couldn't help but notice that Sakura kept trying to catch Ino's eye. What the heck was she up to? The Yamanaka seemed resolute not to match gazes. Something similar was going on with Sasuke and Hinata, except that one was mutual. The table was just a melting pot of awkwardness. He wished Sakura would try to look at him instead. "Like as far as I see it, you guys are still important to me. Rain and Leaf are the same for me."
"The same?" Kurenai asked, her voice low, and Naruto picked up her meaning. The same, even though he'd been born there, even though his family was there?
"Well, in terms of trusting them," Naruto said. Kurenai didn't seem to like that answer any better. "Obviously I've still got a lot back in Konoha, so family wise…"
No, wait, he thought, looking over at Karin. She looked confused, and maybe even a little hurt. He was just digging himself deeper here. More than that, there wasn't really a right answer.
"I dunno," he admitted. "It's complicated. I get why it looks bad, and why you guys would be mad, but I'm just trying to make everyone happy. I don't think that's possible."
"No, it's definitely not." Kurenai leaned back, crossing her arms. Naruto noticed that Shikamaru didn't exactly look impressed either. "You think your parents are happy with you having run off to a rival village?"
"Some rivals," Suigetsu scoffed from the head of the table. "We're here to help save your guys' ass, and you're just mad that some of your golden kids ran off? Cut us a break."
"It's an embarrassment-" Kurenai started to say, before Sakura cut her off, finally giving up on Ino.
"How's Obito-sensei?" she asked, and Kurenai closed her mouth, lips tight. Naruto narrowed his eyes. It was just stubbornness behind that, but guilt.
"Why would you care?" she asked. Naruto flinched: Sakura's eyes flashed with anger.
"He was our sensei," she said, her voice like her sword, sharp and fast, and Naruto watched as Kurenai realized she'd made a mistake. The table was being drawn towards Sakura, waking from its disbelief and silence. "He's still important to us. How is he doing?"
"He's not very popular." Ino finally made eye contact with Sakura. Naruto couldn't read her face. "Since he let you guys get away from right under his nose, everyone blamed him for your defection. He spends most of his time outside of the village now." Her eyes slid towards Kurenai. "No thanks to people like Kurenai-sensei here."
"What's that mean?" Sakura asked, growing cold. Naruto leaned forward, feeling something burn in his gut.
"Yeah," he echoed. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Hey," Sasuke said mildly, but Naruto could tell he was just as unsettled, maybe angry. "Now's not the time for that. Besides, it doesn't matter. Obito has always been able to take care of himself."
"Sasuke…" Hinata said, drawing his attention to her. Naruto had a sinking feeling they'd missed something. Sasuke had said Obito would be despised right after their fight, when he'd agreed to let them go, but their sensei had been fine with it. What had he said?
'I've been despised before.'
"It's been very bad," Hinata said. "Everyone in the village was heartbroken to see you all go." She took a deep breath. "You weren't just another genin team: you were a symbol of our generation. You all made it to the Chunin Exam and had the most spectacular fights, and you were going on incredible missions before and after that. For us, this is only my fourth B-Rank mission, but you all were sent on one just after the Exam, and to search for a Sannin at that. When you left, all those expectations… collapsed. And all of the blame fell on Obito-sensei."
"That's stupid," Naruto declared. "Why the hell…?"
"It isn't rational," Shikamaru cut in. "It's stupidity and frustration." He cast a not so subtle glance at Kurenai. "But that was part of why we were so desperate to grab you guys. I don't think any of you understand just how badly you affected the village."
"Ridiculous." Sakura shook her head. "It's ridiculous! We're just three people! Why the hell would anyone care that much? And enough to alienate an incredible shinobi like Obito-sensei?"
"Don't kid yourself," Ino said. "You're not just three people. You were the best of us. When you left… it broke the way everything was supposed to go." She huffed out a breath. "Sakura, you said it yourself last night. 'Watch my back?' We were all chasing after you, all the time."
Sakura stiffened. Naruto frowned. 'Watch my back?' He hadn't remembered her saying that. Looking around, everyone seemed just as confused. After a second, Sakura shook her head.
"Ino, that's not what I meant." Her eyes flickered between Ino and Hinata. "I… I didn't think you'd see it that way."
"Yeah? How could I not?" Ino asked. "We've all heard crazy things about you, you know. Is it true you dueled the Hidden Waterfall's leader?"
Naruto laughed, and Sakura closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.
"Sort of, yes," she said. Shikamaru made a doubtful sound.
"Dueling someone isn't something you can 'sort of' do," he said. Sakura made a helpless gesture.
"The very first mission I got after we got to Rain, I was sent to Waterfall. There were negotiations, and the village elder recognized me. He made it a condition for the deal Rain was making that I fight him. If it'd been real, he would have killed me. I just barely managed to cut his chin."
"Negotiations?" Ino asked. She looked impressed. Naruto frowned, realizing Sakura might have overstepped there. Before either of them could say anything, Sasuke spoke.
"Waterfall is one of several minor villages that Amegakure has a defensive alliance with," he said. "Sakura helped make that deal."
"Interesting," Shikamaru said. "So there's a grain of truth, anyway."
"I promise there isn't," Sakura said with a snort. "What about you guys? What have you been up to?"
"Not much," Shikamaru said, and Naruto was surprised to see Ino and Hinata nod in agreement. "It hasn't been a very eventful year."
"Ah c'mon," Naruto said. "No cool missions? You guys musta at least been training too, right?"
"They definitely have been," Sakura said with a coy smile. "Hinata's range with her Byakugan speaks for itself. And Shikamaru, your shadow possession is crazy strong now. Fast too. You grabbed Sasuke and kept me still while you backed up. You had a range of what, forty feet? You never could have done that a year ago."
"It's a little better," Shikamaru said, full of false modesty. "As for missions, I got to visit the Land of Iron. I wouldn't say much else stuck out."
"The Land of Iron?" Naruto asked. "That's like, the samurai place, right?"
"Sure," Shikamaru said. "The samurai place."
"What were you there for?"
"Dealing with smugglers," Shikamaru said, sounding amused. "The samurai don't usually like getting ninja directly involved, but the smugglers had a man on the inside. Chakra conductive material is in more demand than ever, apparently."
"Were you there, Ino?" Sakura asked. The Yamanaka nodded. Naruto's grin could just about split his face: he could feel the artificial barrier dissolving.
"Yeah, it was the whole team. Asuma-sensei got picked because the Sarutobi are on good terms with the Land of Iron," she said. "It's a beautiful place. Cold though. I guess because of the altitude. Even though it was in the summer it was still chilly."
"Kind of like Rain," Naruto said. Ino looked over at him. "Well, it's not cold all the time, but it's definitely wet, and that doesn't help."
"Yeah, I guess so," Ino said. "So have you guys all been going on missions together?" She looked around. "I doubt it's always with this many people though."
"No, this is definitely unusual," Sakura said. "Karin and Suigetsu, as well as Haku and Zabuza, are in a cadre with the three of us. So are Kabuto and Nonō Yakushi."
"Nonō Yakushi?" Kurenai asked. She sounded surprised. "The Wandering Nun?"
"Huh, you know that name too?" Naruto asked. "I hadn't heard it before, uh…"
Naruto suddenly realized that maybe telling his friends that he'd nearly been murdered by a crazy lady from the Hidden Stone might not be the most fantastic idea, but wasn't quite sure where to go from there. "Well, only a couple months ago," he finished.
"She was a Jonin in Konoha's medical division," Kurenai said. "A captain." Naruto blinked. Even after a year of knowing her and Kabuto, he'd never once heard anything like that. As far as Nonō had been concerned, she was a rogue ninja before she'd brought Kabuto to Amegakure. "But she left the village more than a decade ago." Kurenai looked just as surprised as Naruto felt. "I didn't know her, but she was a little famous; a lot of people compared her to Tsunade of the Sannin, maybe because she left. I had no idea she'd gone to Rain."
"Huh." Naruto didn't have anything better to say. "Did you guys know that?" he asked Sakura and Sasuke, and they both shook their heads. "I guess it was a while ago… maybe she thought it didn't matter."
"I can't imagine that being the case," Kurenai said quietly. "So she and Zabuza lead your missions? Or… does Sasuke?" She looked over at the Uchiha, her cold hostility slowly melting into genuine curiosity.
"I was only promoted recently," Sasuke said. "Back in January. But since then I've been leading a couple missions, yeah. Including this one."
"Why were you picked?" Hinata asked. She frowned slightly. "No… you were picked because you were you, weren't you."
"Yeah," Sasuke admitted. "The Amekage-"
"Sasuke," Karin interrupted. "We're being watched."
The table was suddenly at attention, the faint gravity of chakra filling the air. Sasuke leaned back, looking relaxed, but Naruto could see his Sharingan activating, that faint red light shining out. "By who?"
"They're across the street. They stopped there, and now Zabuza is moving towards them. They're definitely observing us." Karin looked to her left. "Hinata, could you take a look? They're right across, two stories up."
Without speaking, Hinata put her hands together and muttered something, activating her Byakugan. Naruto wondered what it was like to look through the back of her head. Was she seeing her brain? After a second of concentration, Hinata furrowed her brow.
"He's there. He's not trying to conceal himself. He's inside the building, two stories up, like you said. Ah… he's about your age, Kurenai-sensei. Maybe a bit younger, even. Dark skin, white hair." She blinked. "From the Hidden Cloud."
"Cloud?" Kurenai asked, chewing her lip. "A hitai-ate, I assume." Hinata nodded. "Is he armed?"
"He has a sword. It's big." Hinata looked like she might laugh for a second. "Zabuza is heading towards him, but it doesn't look like it'll come to fight. They're observing each other… he's gone back to watching us."
"That's what I'm feeling as well," Karin confirmed. "What chakra he's channeling is focused on observation. I think he's trying to listen in." She strained, closing her eyes. "He may be a sensor as well. I don't imagine his range is very good though."
"What the hell is he up to then?" Suigetsu asked, standing up. "I'm gonna go ask him."
"You're not," Sasuke said mildly. Suigetsu sat back down with an irritated look. "I'll go."
"I'll come with then," Naruto declared. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.
"If it's going to be two, it should be one from each village," he said, and Naruto deflated. "Kurenai, would you accompany me?"
"Gladly," the woman said, standing up. "Sit tight, you three. I'll be right back."
As both team leaders slipped out of the restaurant, Naruto sat back with a sigh. "Man," he groused. "Why's everyone gotta think we're so damn interesting?"
"Almost a dozen ninja," Shikamaru said, though he looked like that wasn't quite what he was thinking. "It was bound to happen. Though…" He scratched his chin. "With the timing, maybe he's connected to the counterfeiters?"
"A ninja from the Hidden Cloud?" Sakura asked. "That would be crazy. If another village is behind the currency… they'd have to understand that could be a provocation. The government of Fire wouldn't be able to stand for it."
"The Daimyo's Court would have to do something big," Shikamaru agreed. "Or come to some other arrangement. Then again, if he was connected, I doubt he would have been dumb enough to just run up and start watching us." Another scratch. "He couldn't be sure we'd have a sensor, let alone two… but why take the risk? More likely he was trying to get our attention."
"To establish contact?" Ino asked. She was doing something under the table, Naruto saw, signing out in the primitive sign language that all Leaf ninja learned in school. He only caught the word 'back,' but it looked like she was directing it at Hinata. He narrowed his eyes, looked around, and locked eyes with Sakura. She smiled, looking innocent, but Naruto got the feeling everyone at the table had missed something in the moment of distraction Karin had provided.
'Watch my back?' He didn't get it. Did Sakura mean it literally? What the heck could she have on her back?
"Maybe," Shikamaru muttered. "I guess we'll find out."
###
When Sasuke stepped out into the street with Kurenai, he wondered if he was making a mistake. Maybe this was a trap: maybe the shinobi from the Land of Lightning had been trying to draw them out here to ambush them. But with Hinata and Karin, speculating about that was pure paranoia. If they hadn't seen other ninja, there wouldn't be any. The man was definitely here alone.
He was up on the second floor of the building across the way, staring down at them through the glass. Upon seeing them exit, he turned and started to move back into the feeling. To descend down to them, Sasuke was sure. He'd only caught a glimpse, but the guy's body language was the definition of resolute.
"Hidden Cloud." He kept himself from jumping, and Kurenai did the same. Somehow, from absolutely nowhere, Zabuza was in between them. The man looked diminished without his sword, though that was ridiculous: he was still more than six feet of brutal shinobi. "They can be real bastards. What're you planning?"
"We're going to talk to him," Sasuke said, and the man snorted.
"Always seems to be your plan," he said, eyeing Kurenai. "Same for you?"
The woman smiled and shrugged. "There's no harm in it."
"Uh huh." Zabuza made it clear exactly how stupid he considered that. "Well, I'll be here to clean up your mess." He looked down at Sasuke with something that might have been pity. "You know, before the end of this, you're gonna realize what a mistake talking can be."
Just like that, he was gone again. Sasuke sighed.
"Do you reckon he's like that so that if he ends up right, he can rub it in?" he asked. Kurenai chuckled, strangely light. Maybe because they had a common enemy at the moment, or maybe even a lead.
"He's not that old, but there are plenty of old shinobi like that. And since he grew up in the Bloody Mist, it was probably healthy for him to expect betrayal." She sighed. "Sasuke, if this turns into a fight, you'll have my team's back, right?"
"Of course," Sasuke said, and it was the truth. "And yours too. Naruto was right, you know. You guys are still our allies, no matter what."
"Seems too good to be true." They paused, just waiting in the street. People began steering clear of them: Sasuke realized he was channeling some chakra in anxious anticipation. "You know, I did treat your sensei poorly."
"I figured," Sasuke said.
"You don't seem mad."
"I'm furious."
"Ah." Kurenai frowned. "Well, I haven't had a chance to apologize to him. Not a real one, even after all this time. But maybe I can at least apologize to you. Seeing you all again made me realize how unfair it was of me." She grinned sourly. "After all, I should have been angry with you all."
"There will be plenty of time," Sasuke said, and didn't elaborate further. Another ten seconds of waiting, and the Cloud shinobi exited the building before the, some sort of apartment complex. Hinata's description had been spot on, but she hadn't gotten across just how focused the man's eyes were. They were black and sharp, totally intent on them.
"Wait," Kurenai said, her whole body tensing. "I know him."
"You know him?" Sasuke asked as the man began crossing the street. "Personally, or?"
"Bingo book," Kurenai confirmed. "That's Darui. No family name." He could see her chakra coursing across her body, pooling in her fingers. Part of her genjutsu techniques, probably. "He's the Raikage's right hand man."
"RIght hand man, huh?" Sasuke asked. It occurred to him that if that was the case, this man was essentially Cloud's Obito. Almost fitting, but it made things even more complicated. And things were already too complicated.
Damn.
The man finished crossing the street and nodded his head at them. Sasuke's eyes were drawn to the blade slung across his back. It was long and wide, almost as big as his torso. Nothing compared to Zabuza's butcher blade, but it was still impressive.
"Shinobi of the Land of Rain and Fire," the man said gradually. "Hmm. I guess that's good, actually."
Sasuke didn't waste time. "Did you need something?" he asked, and Darui gave him an appraising look.
"Sasuke Uchiha, huh?" he said. Darui spoke every syllable with such careful deliberation that Sasuke wondered for a moment if he had a speech impediment. But no: he was just taking his time. "Then those others I sensed… the rest of Mangekyo no Obito's team, maybe? Pretty infamous group…" He mulled it over, and then nodded. "Yeah, that could be perfect."
"Is this going to be a problem?" Kurenai asked, and Darui smiled lazily at her.
"Hopefully not," he said. "I'm here on a personal mission from the Land of Lightning's government, okay?" He held up a finger as Kurenai began to speak. "Listen: it's important that you listen, not speak. If anyone asks, I came here to threaten you; I'm telling you that you need to get out of this city right now, or else bad things are going to happen, in a very immediate way. Make sense?"
Sasuke's hand wandered towards his pack and one of the knives within, but Darui shook his head. His flat black eyes gained a bit of depth to them. "It's important that you understand that I'm asking you to get out of the city right now. I'm certainly not asking you to do anything else."
Sasuke hesitated, and then crossed his arms. Now, he thought he had some idea of what was going on, but his suspicions were just as unsettling as Darui's 'threat'. "What would you not tell us to do, then?" he asked, and Darui rolled his eyes.
"Like I said, I'm just threatening you. I'm definitely not telling you to find me near the northern docks around midnight, and I also wouldn't tell you to follow me after that. And since I didn't do any of that, it also wouldn't come up that I've had a couple people around town let me know you guys have been asking around about some counterfeit currency." Sasuke stiffened, blinked.
Darui looked completely humorless. No, not just that. He looked worried. Sasuke had an inkling as to why. "So, hope you guys understand. Get out of the city right away, you hear?" He turned to walk away. "Otherwise, things could get nasty."
They both waited until he was out of sight, turning the corner and vanishing, and then Kurenai sighed.
"Shit," she said. Sasuke nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "That's what I figured."
They turned and started walking back. When Kurenai spoke, it was almost a whisper. "There must be trouble in the Land of Lightning," she said as they slowly made their way back to their table. "This is… unexpected."
"He said he was on a mission from the government," Sasuke said, his tone equally low. Naruto was waving them over, looking confused at their slow pace. "Not the Raikage. You said he was his right hand?"
"I did. He is," Kurenai confirmed. Sasuke scowled.
"He wasn't happy with it." The realization felt slow, but it happened in the blink of an eye. "I think he just sabotaged his own mission. On purpose."
Kurenai didn't miss a step. "He certainly did. It opens up some unwelcome possibilities." She looked down at him, though there wasn't as much of a gap in height that there had been a year ago. Her red eyes were hard, focused, just like Darui's had been. "Sasuke, you understand how carefully we have to handle this, right?" She took a deep breath. "If the Land of Lightning sent someone like him to protect the counterfeiters, or worse, assist them, it would be more than just standard economic posturing. There could be consequences."
"I understand," Sasuke said, marveling at how calm he felt, and then they were back at the table.
"What happened?" Sakura asked, and Sasuke glanced at Hinata. She gave him an innocent look, and he felt a grin tug at his lips.
"I wasn't spying, sensei," she told Kurenai, and the woman shrugged. "Well, I was watching, but I didn't read your lips. I didn't think it was my place."
"It would have been fine, Hinata," Kurenai said, a little distant. "You have to make that decision by yourself sometimes." She sighed, sitting back down. "We've got another engagement at the docks tonight, it seems."
"What, another?" Shikamaru asked, his brow furrowing. "What did he want? He couldn't know about the sale…"
"He asked us to follow him, in the most deniable way he could," Sasuke said. Their food was coming: there wouldn't be much more time to say anything important. He settled for the shortest path.
"It might be a trap," he said, looking at Hinata and Karin. "But we have the advantage in finding those. I think we're all going to the docks tonight." He grinned, though he didn't feel very happy. Anxiety was creeping in. Darui could be leading them all away from the objective, that was certainly a possibility. But the man had seemed worried: that wouldn't match up. What was the simplest explanation here?
'I guess that's good, actually.'
That he had a mission involving the counterfeiters, and that he didn't like it. They were being used in another man's deniable operation.
But if it led to their mission's success, Sasuke wouldn't really mind.
"We've got two leads: we're gonna follow both."