Chapter 3 is finally here! And guess who makes a appearance?? Actually two guess who's.
Enjoy!
5:20 pm, Friday.
Location: somewhere in Konoha, unknown coordinates.
A scream.
Low and pained, his dark eyes shut and his retrained groan growing into a scream finally broke past his gritted teeth.
Sasuke Uchiha had finally broken the silence.
"I will ask you one more time" the sultry voice, low and threatening, held no promise of comfort, no relief that he would get free from his bonds, anytime soon at least. For now he was a prisoner who had been caught "who hired you to go to Suna, Uchiha?"
"I'm not telling you anything" he spat, the blood from the last punch now spaying the front of his shirt, his pants, the floor of the chair he had been bound to. Steel cuffs wrapped around his body, wrists. and ankles. A classic torture move he had been taught to resist. Though his training proved to be a breeze to the woman's barbaric ways. Pain he could take, physical was easy. It was the psychological drugs she gave that were no walk in the park.
Reliving over and over the memory of his own parents dying before him, reliving his cruelest and quietest of missions, reliving the betrayal of his closest friends years ago.
Reliving leaving her, leaving Sakura to chase after the one who had done it.
His own brother, Itachi Uchiha.
"We've been here for days" the woman let out a huff, short and frustrated "just tell me who and we'll let you go. It is so simple and yet you still fight me every step of the way" he sneered and glared up at her, one eye bruised from the throw of the guard who had watched him prior to her arrival.
The one they called Mistress.
He had only seen her three times, including now, each time was short, she asked her questions, he resisted, and soon after he relived the dreams again under the influence of the drugs.
He did not reply to her.
"They trained you well" she finally said, arms crossed and began pacing before him, looking to be rethinking her approach "too well" she grumbled to herself. The tap of her boots to the concrete floor were rhythmic and peaceful compared to the deafening silence once she left. He had played quiet, for nearly eight days, maybe nine, he fought back with silence and had won each battle accordingly, but this was a war. He had mapped out a escape yesterday, or was it this last night, had timed guards entrances and exits, had even heard a few muffled names spoken outside, but he was stuck in his spot.
Most importantly, he knew for a fact that the ones who were holding him hostage now were agents from Suna. He could tell by the intricate symbol of the hour glass their nation stood under, by the bands on their wrists each member he had seen wear. A nation as old as time itself, or so the history books he once read in his high school history class had said. Vague and nothing specific even for the agency's archives.
The land of wind had remained a mystery for years.
But this woman, she did not wear a sign. She did not just speak Sunian, but perfect Kanohan, as if she was a native. No accent like some of the others, no indication that she was from anywhere but here. Even under the florecent lighting he was unable to pin her appearance to any known ex war criminals or documented refugees, and he knew his fair share. He could not tell who she was, but he knew he hated her.
For a desperate second he wished for Shikamaru to be here and point it out for him, despite the price his pride would pay, if he could count on anyone to fill the gaps in a puzzle it was him.
Growing up, the young lazy Nara and him had been nothing more than acquaintances. Their fathers knew each other well as they both were once previous agents of the intel division. They were legacy born and expected to do their fair share in protecting Konoha.
Along the way he had turned on his nation. In his late teens, after his combat training, an obsession with finding his brother began. At eleven he watched him kill his parents, at fifteen he watched his brother's face displayed as wanted all throughout the city of Konoha. He had been hunting him for years and even the ex gang members he had once worked with could not find him.
The woman muttered something in Sunian, somthing like a curse, and finally broke her pacing to stand before him, bringing back his exhausted mind to listen.
"You realize you are useless to me dead" spoken with frustration and hands held at her hips. He covered the urge to smirk smugly with a raspy breath. At least he could frustrate her into leaving when he remained quiet long enough.
"Why should I speak if you aren't going to kill me then?" he met her gaze with a calm look of disdain. She was unimpressed.
"I never said I wouldn't. It would just be a waste is all" she corrected him "You were picked because you are the loner" she rolled her gaze to a camera in the corner behind him "your pack isn't like you" she began to stalk around him, disappearing left and reappearing to his right "the other agents stick together, much harder to separate and pick off. You, however, tend to do things on your own and bring the information in when you have it. You, Uchiha, are the easy way out. I don't want to have to settle for another agent, but I will if you give me no choice" Sauske's eyes widened, staring into the puddle of blood that had been dripping from his chin for the past few minutes. He had suspected she knew about where he worked, and for who, but for her to know about the others hurt. He was hurt in the thought of betraying them again. Betraying them for allowing himself to get captured.
So he spoke calmly, warning her to know her place. His friends where deadly when cornered. Did she know that? Is this why she singled him out instead of taking another? He was more than known for being gone for a few weeks at a time without a word back to headquarters, maybe she knew that and took advantage of it.
"Do you know what it means to interfere in a peacekeeper's work? They will kill you or start a war if they find out Suna was involved in all this" she met his threat with short chuckle, slapping both her hands on his cheeks excitedly and eliciting a groan of pain as she pulled away from him.
"It's really a pain in my ass how tedious this is getting" "my mission is to find the four men involved in beginning the war"
"What war" he growled, irritated with her sudden change in mood.
"Dai was a leg" she crossed her arms and spoke freely as if she was having a discussion with one of her fellow comrades and not a hostage "a leg of a beast, one that needs time, patience, and skill to kill"
"Why not just go straight for the head?"
"Because the head is out of my reach" she explained "same as your agency. They can only get so far, cover up so much, before the truth reveals itself" on the first day she had told him somthing he had yet to forget. A old phrase used for shinobi soldiers, one used to lessen the pain and hate they caused on the battle field. A quote his brother had once told him after he joined combat training with the Konoha military.
Do not make an enemy out of me, for I am your ally until you give me a reason to think otherwise.
"And what's this truth" he croaked, wishing for nothing more than a glass of refreshing water to aid the itchy throat.
"You do not know?" she asked after a moment, silently searching his face when he shook his head "The war in Suna started a year ago, a civil war. One side is aided by Iwa and Konoha while Gaara is fending off the rebels with Suna's main company" Sauske took in the information and gapped slightly "our nations are covering up everything with the public display of peace" she leaned away from him as he blinked up at her. No, she was lying, there was no active war, Tsunade would have trusted him enough to know about that. Is that why she had told him to seek a way into Suna a couple of weeks ago? "We are nothing but liars. Konoha is denying all involvement, and Iwa is covering their first attack with the help of the four" she had mentioned before, the four. It wasn't until he heard it yesterday, Dai's unfortunate death from surgical complications, that he understood what she was after.
The four were old generals in the third war. Now those men help positions of power in Konoha, ones where they could easily hide behind.
"You're lying" Sasuke whispered.
"Why would I lie?" She hummed back.
"Rumors then" he tried to convince himself, but with a sigh she crossed her arms and looked to the door of the room.
"Rumors hold truth, do they not?" She countered.
"The agency would know about it" he defended "I would know about it"
"And you expect me to believe you?" She raised her brow waiting.
"Does it look like I enjoy being tortured" he muttered in defeat.
"You think this is torture? I have given you just a glimpse of the past. The serum had been weakened to ease you into it, to prepare you" she lifted a familiar vile from her pocket, thick golden yellow liquid swirling inside "at full dose, the venom of the black sun scorpion can cause such powerful hallucinations, that the one who is injected with it will on occasion lose their mind. Their sense of reality will forever be warped and they will go mad" His eyes widened and his heart began to race. The vile was all he needed to know what her intentions were. This would be the third time he was poisoned "just another drop more and you'll be drooling for days" the dark eyed glare stared back at her calm victorious grin "you tell me what I want to know and I'll give you something you want"
"You have nothing that I want" his pride took a strong hold on him. He would not give in, for his friends he will suffer.
"You do not want to make a enemy out of me Uchiha" she leaned down enough to hold his glare, close enough for him to strike if he so dared, but it would be futile. A useless move only to provoke a response of anger "because if not you, I will find another way to get what I want" pulling away from him, slow and with her intentions clear, she grabbed the vile and the needle she had brought and filled the syringe.
"Screw you, Suna. You're nothing more than a liar!" He shouted at her, craning his body uselessly to get away from the needle she stuck into his forearm. He hissed at the sudden sting. The vile was now empty and the the sound of gunfire echoed in his hearing.
"In exchange for the agencies information, I'll give you Itachi Uchiha's location. Think about that while you calm down for the next couple of days" she shut the door behind herself. The breif look of shock and fear on his face said enough for her.
She would be given all the information she needed, very soon.
"Nothing?"
The gruffly voice of her brother brought Temari back into the reality of her current location.
"He'll talk soon" she replied back to him "despite his level of clearance he doesn't know nearly as much as their leaders. He doesn't even know about the troops entering River country"
"Figured" Kankuro sighed and leaned back in his desk chair, fidgeting with a wooden puppet next to one of the screens "in the mean time, do you have another target in mind? You know keep the ball rolling" she moved to stand beside him and lean on the back of the chair.
"While watching the other agents the past couple of months, I've got my eyes on one" she confirmed, crossing her arms and looking from his blank home screen to a set of cameras set up around the base. A simple building, once some kind of small office space just outside of Konoha city limits.
"Leader huh?" Kankuro pulled up a screen of files and skimmed through the agents of Konoha, settling on Tsunade "you mean the old lady?"
"No, the new kids" she corrected him, taking the mouse from his hand and scrolling down to a familiar face "that one" she pointed at the screen. The ID files followed with personal information on every Konoha intelligence agent sat before the siblings. Classified Information carefully collected by her brother in a nearly two month binge alongside their cousin, Sasori, the one who had managed to smuggle them into Konoha, undetected. Temari's current sights now set on a new target, one she had met earlier that week. In a mess of papers and unease as she had purposefully sabotaged a mission he had been on.
"Nara?" Kankuro gave her a questionable look when she nodded firmly, her gaze set on her target before her. He huffed and scrolled on the screen "why not the dumb one with the puppy? He seems easy"
"Clearance isn't high enough" she crossed her arms over her white tee, speckled with hints of blood from her exchange earlier.
"The blonde one?" He scrolled to Ino Yamanaka and glanced at his sister, she shook her head again.
"She has a nose for reading peoples thoughts, not someone we can easily interrogate without suspicion" she narrowed her eyes and put a hand to her hip when he decided that going against her was his game plan.
He scrolled again
"The Hyuuga reject?" Kankuro offered, this time she sighed when he grinned up at her.
"Kankuro I need a solider, not a glorified reporter" turning around she sat on the edge of his desk and crossed her legs. Glad for a moment at how silent the place was. Aside from the few cars that drove by and the sound proof room they had managed to create for their only hostage the place was peaceful and looked past more than once. Her comrades came and went as ordered and most spent enjoyed use of the old offices as bedrooms.
"Yeah, but a solider means someone who, like Uchiha" Kankuro emphasized "has trained under another agent. They aren't easily fooled"
"I think I fooled him pretty well" she leaned over and tapped the Iwa clearance card on his desk. Kankuro looked at it for a moment and breathed out a chuckle reminded of how she had gotten it.
"Can't fool him twice, I mean" he corrected himself.
"Wanna bet?" She smirked.
"Don't get cocky" he warned, but if he knew one thing about his sister, it was that she had a tendency to be set in whatever crossed her mind. If she had decided, there was no turning back.
"I'm the right level of confident here" she boosted and he confirmed it was futile to argue back at her.
"You are stubborn, sis" he shook his head with a yawn and skimmed over the file. Shikamaru Nara. Level one clearance, of which only four agents had that level. Dubbed a genius from birth and a tactical general at only age eighteen. His entrance into the agency was just a matter of time. Kankuro's gut feeling of being his sister's protector took over anyways "did you even read the guys file? Look" he tapped away for a second and pulled up the confidential files "guys file is clean as fuck. Only states his achievements, and the fact he speaks every damn language. And don't forget" he tilted his head back to catch his sister's disinterested gaze. If she was paying attention it definitely wasn't on the outside "They were able to infiltrate the Hokage election and vote the idiot in" he pointed to the next file of a cheesy smiling Naruto "this is their fucking Hokage" glancing back at the screen Temari snorted, the image really wasn't flattering to the leader of Fire.
"Gaara seems to like how negotiations are going with this Naruto guy" she slipped off the desk and walked around her brother "and being in Konoha the past few months either proves he is a honest man or an extremely good actor. His stupidity is mildly amusing to watch on screen"
"I don't think anyone is that good at acting like an idiot. I think he just is one" Kankuro murmured and blew out a heavy sigh "I'm just saying don't jump in like you normally do. Wade in the water, don't cannonball into the deep end" he called after her. She paused at the door and looked back at him.
"I will be fine, Kankuro" she went to grab the door knob until the final shout.
"He saw your face, Mari" Kankuro argued "if anyone finds out we aren't actually dead"
"He saw the face of a shy unimportant forgetful woman" she countered with a glare "same face, might I add, that captured the elusive Uchiha" she walked back over to him staring down her, just as stubborn as she was, brother "besides we died fifteen years ago in a car crash, remember? We are old news, no one will look into us" she finished.
"You sure?" Kankuro grimaced as she pinched his cheek.
"Listen to your big sister and stop worrying. I will handle this" he batted her hand off his now red cheek and grumbled to himself rubbing the sore spot.
"What are the chances that asking for help will prevent bloodshed?" He asked.
"Slim"
"It's still unforgivable that Konoha was to blame for father's death"
"I still don't think that they have anything to do with it Kankuro" Temari sighed and leaned away from the screens "father was killed in Suna borders not Konoha. Peacekeepers stay within Fire lines. It's a part of their oath. To protect the will of Fire" she stated. Having read her fair share of every nation's history.
"Yeah then explain the assassins a few months back carrying Fire grade weapons" Kankuro grumbled and rubbed his fists into his sore eyes.
"Just do your job" she ignored him and headed out the door "I've got a meeting I need to get to"
"Tell that cult freak I want my stuff!" Kankuro called out after her and after the door shut sighed and leaned back in his armchair. The patter of the rain outside the taped widow was still new to him. Suna never had much rain, maybe a few times during monsoon season. They had managed four months back to get out of Suna undetected, the only one to knew of their existence was Gaara and the special agents led by the one they called Mistress.
To the world they were dead, lost years ago in a desperate final hit from Rasa to continue his reign after the war.
The mission once called The Final Strike on Desert Storm.
8:56pm, Friday.
Location: East side, underground district.
Code Name: Slippery Bastard.
Hidan, aka, the lewd bastard of the underground, man knew it all.
Every secret, every name, every whore in Konoha. How he knew it still remained a mystery to Shikamaru, but he went with it. Choji knew all to well about the underground, nothing but dirt on the shoes of the secret intel division, yet needed to keep tabs on the crime side of the city. Even the dirtiest criminals would snitch when faced with their end. The time to call in a favor was now, and Choji had more than a few to collect on.
Nights like this brought out the demons that wallowed in the underground. No matter how clean a man's hands were, this place would always dirty the mind, body, and soul of a good man or woman.
A once loyal husband, drunk on sake and lust, cheats on his wife, leaving his children and home soon after. A man once clean for over six months stumbled in the back alley, only to wake the next day and seek out more to satisfy the cravings he had tried to overcome. A woman, selling her body to make ends meet, now living on the streets.
Their decline was predictable. A stain that was difficult to remove with just a sweep of the common police department. The agents however dug in this mine for golden bits and pieces of information a command man would not know.
The week had been quiet. The public had their time to mourn the death, the news called it a sudden and unpredictable stroke that killed Dai; a complication from the surgery. The Konoha intel division made sure it was seen as nothing more than a cruel faith for a supposedly good man. Neji wrote the public statement for Naruto to read from and it settled most.
It was going according to plan.
It was keeping the peace that someone was beginning to stir.
Someone who would be caught soon.
Though the same peace could not be said to the old rock music Lee had blasted in the car as he drove his team to their next mission. What Shikamaru thought would be a silent car ride turned out to be Kiba and Lee screaming out their favorite chorus and Choji patting and singing lowly on his part.
A side thought he had glimpsed into earlier had nearly consumed him for the day while Choji set up the meeting for tonight. Reading article after article of any news regarding Suna and Iwa. Nothing he dug up was enough. The puzzle still had pieces missing, so he would just have to find them in a uncommon place.
The lights around him blurred, the car was speeding down the street. Who's idea was it to let Lee drive again?
Kiba smirked as he looked over to Lee, the music fading into a new song, the well dressed man glaring past his yellow dimmed shades as he drove expertly down the darkened streets of Konoha, weaving past cars without hesitation. In the back Choji settled back with his fingers drumming happily on the side of the door, humming the start of the new song. All while Shikamaru slouched back beside him eyes shut, knowing his future task ahead would be a troubelsome interrogation no matter how he steered it. Hidan was a man who could be easily bought, if he was in the right state of mind for it at least.
"Oi Lee" Kiba nudged the driver's arm as he spoke "try not to kill us will you, limit is fifty not a hundred man"
"I must drive faster to get us there in time. It is of the upmost importance that we are not late" Lee insisted, one hand moving to the stick shift and weaving past another car, sending Kiba to grab the handle by the door as to not slip over towards Lee, behind Shikamaru grumbled as he fell over to Choji's side.
Lee, the teams personal driver and trainer. He was a master in several forms of tai and part of his job consisted of making sure the team was physically fit and ready if a weapon wasn't available, though he wasn't exactly the most calm of trainers, too enthusiastic and loud, giving Shikamaru a headache most days. His driving on the other hand was a silent task, able to manvour tight corners with such speed and presicion that the only thing one had to fear was getting car sick if they ever got in a chase with him. His missions revolves around teamwork and security when needed.
"Lee I already said we aren't in a hurry" Shikamaru muttered pushing from Choji's side to sit striaght, while he chuckled, the only one to have a seatbelt on "This isn't a mission, it's just a friendly visit" he added with a emphasis on friendly.
"Oh" Lee suddenly slowed, sending Shikamaru and Kiba slipping forward both quick to brace themsleves from hitting the dash and backseat "Why didn't you just say that?" Lee flashed a smile back at his friend "You said you had to interrogate someone, thought you needed to do it in a timely manner, boss" Shikamaru only shook his head and leaned back again, relieved the driving had slowed down to normal, and before he could fall forward again he buckled up.
"Choji" He began glancing at Choji who continued on with his happy drumming "you sure we can trust what Hidan has to say?"
"He's stable right now. A friend told me" his grin was small and fond, his blush was instant however. A friend Shikamaru only knew about that seemed to always make Choji blush "Besides, after last time he tried to screw us over, he doesn't really have much of a choice but to tell us where Sauske is" Choji chuckled when Kiba glanced back and barked a laugh.
"You bet your asses he owes us" Kiba boosted "if not I'm gonna empty a clip into his head for last time" Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the statement.
"As much of a pain he is, he's too useful to shoot right now Kiba, calm down" Kiba pouted and leaned back into his seat "because of him we were able to determine where Sasuke was last time. Any old member of Red cloud still owes him for Itachi" He spoke the name with disdain, another memeber of the secret intel division, one he wasn't fond of. Despite growing up with Sauske, they were never close, evening when they trained side by side with Naruto.
Sauske Uchiha the deserter, he was a rouge that would occasionally be sent to do business the others wouldn't even know about, not that Shikamaru didn't figure it out when he'd show up to the base unannounced and seeking the head of the department, or in some cases her assistant, Sakura. A man with a god-complex, always thinking he was better until the unfortunate killing of his entire family. Leaving the agency for a while for personal gain never quite sat well with Shikamaru, and when he returned very few opened their arms to Sauske.
Still determined to find the one who took everything from him. His duty once abadoned, his respect lost the moment he left the high ranks to mingle with the dirt. On a personal note, he was simple looked at with caution for his skill and lack of remorse to get what he wanted.
Yet he never betrayed their secrets, Shikamaru knew that much.
"Screw both of them" Kiba muttered and yawned, smacking his mouth and looking into his dark red tracksuit as he unzipped the front "Isn't that right Akamaru, screw those idiots" Akamaru poked his head out of the jacket and barked, the surprise of his apperence turning the three men to look at him, Kiba gave a sheepish grin in response "What I get anxiety when we have to interrogate someone" he defended and launched face forward into the dash when Lee stopped the car suddenly. Shikamaru was saved thanks to the belt.
"Sir, we have made it" Lee looked back and saluted to Shikamaru.
"Stop calling me sir, Lee" Shikamaru grumbled "stay in the car and keep watch, message us if anything seems out of place" Lee gave him a firm nod and when the three exited he drove off.
Named after the gang Hidan used to roam with, The Red Cloud club was anything but high end as the outside made it feel.
Beyond the brightly lit doors, the inside of the establishment was dark, hazy, and welcomed sin with open arms. The boss did as was told and people would turn a blind eye to the adultery and worship he did. Evil could only be contained, and the short leash Hidan was kept on was good enough. He snitched to the agents and got to enjoy the little power they gave him. People had began to call him a untouchable immortal man, protected for the knowledge he had. Shame they didn't know that his leash could easily be tugged one way.
"How long do we have to sit and wait Choji?" Shikamaru muttered tipping back his first drink, a single clean scotch with ice imported from the nation of iron.
Despite years of war, the nations had settled on a time of icy cold peace with one another. For the most part.
Active fighting was kept out of all news, and the little that happened near Konoha never made it back to the city. With good relations to Kiri, and smaller countries around them, Konoha settled on keeping close tabs with Kumo and Iwa and now they began to settle with Suna. Unfortunately for the intel division it was near impossible to even enter their borders despite the peace between them.
The Lord Kazekage of Suna, Gaara, was still a mystery and despite his year of power very little was known about him aside from his open display of negotiation with the help of their countries ambassador, general Baki. Very little was known about him, aside from being a first in command during the third war and a silent calculating man who rarely spoke unless spoken to. Thankfully getting Naruto into the high ranks was still the ongoing mission. It was the plan, one that would involve no bloodshed. To make amends one had to be close.
Though it didn't help the first time Naruto introduced himself to Baki as the Hokage he had spilled his entire cup of wine on the man's silk sash. Good first impressions were never his strong suit, but it seems that the clumsy moment had entertained Gaara enough into continuing with active negotiations.
"Hidan is a busy guy, he's like making deals with the devil" Choji chuckled, swinging back a beer and smiling at Shikamaru "pretty much everyone wants a turn to get screwed over by him" Shikamaru cracked a grin, looking from his now empty glass to Kiba. The man laid back with Akamaru sitting on his lap panting happily as two women sat on either side of him giving their attention to the small hound.
"He's so precious" one of them cheered in a high pitched voice, scratching the happy pups chin while the other stroked the pups back.
"That's right ladies, I've got the cutest pup around" Kiba grinned between the women, living for the attention he was getting.
The bar was mostly empty, a few waitresses dressed in red walked around serving men their drinks and cigars. Some settled next to them, keeping the lonely men company. Shikamaru could even point out a few familiar faces.
A senate, member of the council, leaned back in his seat, arm thrown around a young blonde with fair skin while having a heated discussion with a man from the more conservative side of the council. They smoked their cigars and drank after their supposedly long day at work. Just normal things before they went back home to the wives and kids.
The women who walked about were not just there to serve, but to take bits and pieces of what they overheard from the unsuspecting men and deliver it to Hidan himself. Their way of repaying for his supposed kindness of taken them in. It wasn't a secret that Hidan only took it ladies that would devote entirely to him, while he devotes his life to a false god.
Shikamaru always hated the scene of temptation, it clouded the mind and changed priorities. Yet he could respect the true purpose of it. It's exactly what he would suspect from a place created by a man who took the secrets as payment and dished them out when he was in trouble.
Even good men can fall, Asuma had told him that once before his passing a few years back. A mission to escort diplomats into Konoha resulting in a ten car pile up just outside the city. He had never made it to the hospital after being pronounced dead on the scene. Leaving behind a single mother and their child, Mirai. Leaving behind his young apprentice to began his journey, his legacy just like those before him.
This thought brought another drink into his hands, the waitress seemingly reading his mind and refilling his glass cup quietly before disappearing behind the bar.
The idle chitchat paused as a red haired woman entered the room, shifted her golden gaze towards the three agents and walked over.
"You wanted to speak to the boss?" The woman looked between Choji and Shikamaru, her accent heavy and thick, a instant observation that she wasn't a native to Konoha, but a immigrant from Kiri by her darkened skin and sharp golden eyed glare.
"What took him so long?" Shikamaru grunted and stood, Choji rising with him. The woman shook her head and pointed to Shikamaru.
"Only one tonight" she said firmly, not giving them a chance to speak, she turned leading him. Choji looked from her to his friend and with the subtle nod he sat back down. Shikamaru followed, leaving his companions behind him, but knowing it wasn't unusual for Hidan to only deal with one opponent at a time. Also knowing his back wasn't going to be covered if things got out of hand. He was on his own for now.
As the women led him out of the main room, he slipped his hands into his pockets, on one side brushing his thumb over his lighter, his mentors lighter, out of habit. He blew out a breath and forced the woman to slow, she had been a few paces ahead of him.
"Still messing around with Hidan, Karui?" he asked causally, skimming the familiar dark paintings down the hall way as he caught up to her. The entrance to hell as some would call it. The woman furrowed her brows, before speaking and continuing on slower.
"It pays the bills" she glanced back at him, and with a sigh glanced up and down the hall way "he's been getting his hands dirty" she mumbled "worse than usual"
"How bad?" Shikamaru whispered.
"He's involved with another nation" she hushed back to him and paused the the back door, no hesitation in ramping on the steel door. She hated pointless chatter, always straightforward when asked a question. After a few seconds of waiting another woman answered, hazel brown eyes looking from Karui to Shikamaru, before she slipped the door open and looked back to someone for permission.
"Let him in sweetie, promise this guy doesn't bite" the woman stepped aside letting Shikamaru enter, leaving Karui to continue her quiet glare at the tall dirty blonde woman holding the door. Another moment and the door shut in Karui's face.
"Bitch" Karui muttered and went back down the hall to her favorite customer, a kind man who always came to see her since she left her homeland.
The darkened atmosphere of the club followed Shikamaru into the office, as Hidan had said the first time they had met. Only a few minutes with Shikamaru and the man had nearly broken into a shriveled mess on the floor, spilling every secret his old gang had. He was the snitch, the one who spoke without speaking. Turned out Shikamaru was a pro in figuring out what the slippery man was hiding.
Dressed in black and shirtless under a opened satin dress coat a silver haired man raised his arms as if to embrace his guest when the woman moved aside to let him in.
The door shut, and business began.
"Who do we have tonight" Hidan stood from the red leather couch, slowly losing his grin when Shikamaru had entered the room "fuck me"
"Hidan" Shikamaru greeted as a formality, but his dark gaze was taking in the room. Another man sat in the back at a table, playing cards, alone, not bothering to look up or acknowledge Hidan's loud groan of disapproval.
"Oh great" Hidan grunted and slumped back in his seat, the previous exciting energy he had, gone "it's Shikaku's boy. Thought the fat one was gonna come in. You are a pain in my ass to deal with" with a judging look up and down at Shikamaru he blew out a breath and gestures to the couch opposite from him "let's get this over with. I'm very busy"
"It's been a while" Shikamaru cracked a smirk and settled comfortablly into the couch. As pleasant as Hidan was in his childish state, he had a list to go over with and he preferred sooner rather than later.
"I would have liked that while to be extended for future encounters" he huffed and crossed his arms watching the woman who had let him in walk past him to sit at Hidan's side "you showing up is like a pile of burning shit on my front step"
"We have important things to discuss" Shikamaru continued calmly. He reached for the pack of cigarettes hidden in his black suit jacket and flipped the pack open, he'd be here a while might as well enjoy it "and seeings as you've been busy" he strained the word locking eyes with Hidan, knowing he'd been avoiding them since Choji called on Monday "all week, it has now become time sensitive" he lit the cigarette.
"Who are we looking for this time?" Hidan leaned back into the couch, throwing an arm over the woman beside him, unmoved by the threat "better not be the old gang members, I've told you good guys before I don't deal with them anymore" he grinned "I've turned over a new leaf" he added enthusiastically.
"Yeah the back alley drug deals and private booths for politicians really do seem like a change" Shikamaru snarked sarcastically with a roll of his eyes and blew out a cloud of smoke. Hidan didn't seem to amused by the comment and chuckled dryly.
"I told you I've stopped the drug dealing" he grumbled "it doesn't bring enough in for the risk of dealing with you kids and tubby is a regular so can't really sneak in who I want anymore" Shikamaru held back a grin, the implication that the peacekeepers were more feared than he could have known almost comforting "anyways" Hidan drew his arm away from the woman and leaned on his knees giving a serious calculating glare at Shikamaru "what do you want this time?"
"I need a few answers" Shikamaru remained relaxed in his seat "one, Sauske's current locations and two any illegals entry into the country in the past six months" Hidan mulled over the questions for a moment, silent before sighing.
"I can get you the list, minus any of my girls here of course" he glanced back at the woman with a comforting grin "Konoha might be war zone free but we both know the other nations aren't. I'm a saint for taking them in" he winked at the woman beside him, she grinned, he turned back and Shikamaru just caught the end of her eye roll when he glanced at her.
"Look at you taking in illegal refugees like stray dogs" the woman focused a glare towards Shikamaru, but he could tell she had bit her tongue and quieted what thought wanted to slip past her painted red lips "we should revisit that crime next time" he glanced back to Hidan who sighed, but it was the man in the back who spoke.
"They pay well and most are legal" the man in the back grunted returning to his quiet game of solitude with a yawn.
"Kakazu" Shikamaru greeted.
"Nara" Kakazu returned, eyes still focused on his game before him, but raising a card in the air as if to wave.
"What about Sauske's location? He's been unreachable for the past week" Shikamaru asked, cautiously narrowing his eyes and reading Hidan. It was small the change in his posture. A tense of his shoulders and back, the way he swallowed quickly and cleared his throat before speaking.
"I don't know" he replied casually.
"You sure about that?" Shikamaru shot down the avoidance to answer.
"If you asked me a few days ago I would have known, but he's out of my sights right now" Hidan raised his hands in surrender, truthful "honest to Jasin"
"We heard from him last week after Dai Shimura was shot. He was following the trail" taking another puff he absently continued to watch the woman beside Hidan.
"I know that you are digging up something you shouldn't be involved in" Hidan pointed at him.
"Withholding information is against your probation" Shikamaru warned.
"Withholding information is keeping me alive at the moment" he barked back "look" he pointed to his silvery slick grey hair "I'm forty with the silver hair of a old geezer! Do you really think I'm cut out for this shit anymore?" he snapped and slumped back harshly into the couch, crossing his arms over his bare torso with a huff.
"With the personality of an eight year old" Shikamaru sighed and uncrossed his legs resting his elbows on his knees "you really don't know where he is?"
"I really don't" Hidan sat up.
"Kakazu" Shikamaru glanced over at the guard sitting in the back
"He's not lying" Kakazu awnsered without looking up, squinting his eyes before playing another card down with a nod.
"See told you. Learn to trust me a little will ya?" Hidan sank further into the couch, relaxing. The blonde beside him looked from him to Shikamaru, curious in their conversation. She leaned her arm against Hidan's shoulder but never spoke.
"Fine" Shikamaru settled with the dead end and picked apart a new question. He wanted to know just how right he was earlier that week "then tell me what you know about any Suna refugees who entered Konoha in the past six months" and his catch was instant.
"Suna?" Hidan shifted uneasily in his spot, ignoring the woman who had mindlessly began to play with the string on his necklace "why them?" He gave her a quick look, but she didn't move from her spot.
"We have reason to believe Suna agents might have killed Dai" instead of looking at Hidan he kept a firm gaze of the hazel eyed women beside him. The way she shifted at the mention of Suna had already sparked his curiosity, keeping half his focus on her movements. Her complexion was freckled and tanned, either she spent a lot of time on the beach or she came from a place of sun. As stereotypical as he sounded to himself, people could be easily picked off by their looks alone and this woman screamed Suna.
"Suna agents? In Konoha" Hidan cackled and slapped his knee leaning forward away from the woman "whatever drugs you're on, lend me some will you?" Playing off his laugh he wiped a tear on the side of his eye and threw his arm over his companion's shoulders "we both know Suna is locked down tighter than any prison since Lord Rasa the fourth was killed last year" Hidan snorted "no one gets in and no one gets out" he nodded to himself and raised a brow "I thought you came for Sasuke's location, not to gossip about some political rumors starting up again because of Shimaru kicking the bucket"
"Since you don't have it, I'll take this instead" Shikamaru shrugged, leaning back against the frame of the red leather sofa and waiting out the inevitable.
"I don't have anything useful for you" Hidan protested.
"Then I'll take the useless stuff" Shikamaru decided, as calm as a cloud passing by, crushing the end of the cigarette into an ashtray on the table. His opponent was just about to squeal in his corner. After a quiet moment, the only sound being Kakazu shuffling his cards, Hidan looked to the woman beside him.
"Sweetie" he spoke slowly and evenly "get us a drink will you?"
"Sure thing, boss" the broken Konohan she spoke confirmed what he had been thinking. This woman was from Suna.
"You know I like siding with the highest bidder" Hidan quickly spoke when the woman left the room.
"You know who killed Dai" Shikamaru confirmed.
"Yes" Hidan nodded.
"Who was it?" Just as Shikamaru leaned in Hidan glanced back again.
"Can't say" he slicked his hair back, letting his nervous energy slip out
"Is it a woman?" Hidan's brows shot up at the question and he ran a tongue over his lips, glancing back again.
"Listen if you want to keep breathing you'll leave before you start asking the wrong questions, Nara" he hushed in a terribly loud whisper lwe both know every nation has stakes and claims and they want to settle them. They don't forget"
"You're scared of her?"
"What that's stupid, no no she's someone very powerful and dangerous. She's persistent in what she wants and made it clear that the business I do with her stays between us" he cleared his throat uncomfortablly "she's kinda like family really" family? Hidan had always called the Red cloud gang family, a group of miscrets that came together during the war and disbanded a few years back.
Only one member had been from Suna.
One who was a direct relative from the Fourth Kazekage himself.
Sasori.
"Let's just say" Hidan waved his arms as he tried to find the words to continue. He would talk, but never really reveal what it was he was talking about "I'd be ruined if she found out I spoke about her" his eyes widened and he looked past Shikamaru with a cold shudder shaking his body "plus she's a psychopath at best" he looked down to his groin and up "had a gun to my nutsack first time we met" a pause ensured, Shikamaru blinked as if he didn't believe him but with a slow nod he concluded "honestly, I think I might be in love with her" he concluded.
"You've got a lot of issues" Shikamaru grimaced as Hidan nodded.
"My therapist thinks so too" Hidan agreed.
"So do I" Kakazu muttered slapping down a ace to finish his hand.
"Did she threaten you?" Shikamaru cleared his throat "aside from" he gestured vaguely at him, not quite wanting to point at the man's crotch.
"Oh you mean like how you threaten me every time I see you?" Hidan snarked with a unamused glare.
"Stop being troublesome" Shikamaru grumbled back, knowing the woman would be out soon enough.
"Let's just say Lord Gaara is the youngest of the Fourth Kazekage's children, and remember Rasa had three of them" Shikamaru slowly shifted in his seat, running through reports and headlines he'd read years ago that started after the end of the third war. Fifteen years ago, three Suna citizens were killed in a car crash, two of them happened to be the first born children of the Lord Kazekage himself. The third had been a relative, a uncle perhaps.
"Yeah and the first two died in a car crash with their uncle fifteen years ago" Shikamaru furrowed his brows, staring at the glass table before him.
"Oh yeah, that's right" Hidan grinned slyly and leaned back on the couch "or did they?" he sighed almost happily, relieved. Kakazu huffed loudly in the background and muttered something, something that sounded like, what an idiot.
"Boss your drink" Hidan nearly jumped when the woman set down the two drinks in front of the men, grinning and bowing her head to each of them.
"Thank you sweetie" Hidan chuckled and shifted over to her to settle beside him. Shikamaru glanced from the drink to Hidan, watching him sip it cheerfully. He got enough to dig into, to demand more would just be to dangerous at the moment. He had to believe he wasn't the only spy in the room right now.
"Hidan" he began with a sigh and stood "The only reason Konoha keeps you around is that you owe us a lot for our protection, as long as you stay in your hole and not cause trouble we'll ignore what you do otherwise" he slipped his hands into his pockets "so for now, you were a complete waste of my time"
"Can't be helped" Hidan smirked and gestured to the door "so fuck off Nara"
"Bye Kakazu" he waved behind him, the guard waved distractedly and placing a card down with a grin, still engrossed in his game of solitary.
As Shikamaru left the room he took the familiar route back towards the entrance of the main hall. A few steps in and he noticed Karui walking down. Behind her two women dressed in the same red dresses as the waitresses followed, with a third trailing behind. Though she seemed to be the odd one out of the group, she wore black. He would have thought nothing of it, nothing at all, had he not noticed the one thing that stood out.
His gaze shifting slightly to glance over at the last one, mostly out of curiosity and teals shifting to meet his for a brief second as they passed. The weight of the exchange hit him like a ton of bricks. His eyes widened in surprise and he turned his head quickly to look back, almost stopping entirely, as she walked past him to Hidan's room.
He'd seen those eyes before, he was sure of it.