Note:

woot woot! This took longer than I wanted but in my defense, I'm on vacation and didn't expect to be so busy DURING my vacation lol.

(This chapter is unedited and not proofread as of 2/21/24.)

He's bluffing. That's all this is. He has no idea where Itachi is either, and not knowing is eating at him from the inside. Madara Uchiha is a man that must know everything. Even after retirement, he has eyes and ears everywhere that concerns the family. It's why I'm not at all surprised that he's been keeping an eye on the company. I'm infinitely irritated that he is but not surprised. He did the same when my father was in charge and when Itachi was in charge.

"That's a lie," I say, managing to release a mirthless breath.

Out of everyone, Itachi is the one person that my grandfather couldn't completely control. It is undeniable that Itachi is the ideal son to succeed my father after his retirement. He was regarded as the genius son of the Uchiha. He was always at the top of his class despite being younger than everyone else because he got moved up multiple grades, and while in university, he was already being trained for the position he was born into and doing it well.

I, on the other hand, was the spare and thus, spared such pressure much to my mother's help. Looking back, I saw that while my brother agreed to his duties, it wasn't what he truly wanted out of life, and I've come to realize a lot of it, he did to spare me of the burden that the title bore. In the end, it was no use. He eventually stepped down, and I took his place because in the end, everything will always go Madara Uchiha's way.

I've no doubt Itachi's disappearance is just as aggravating and head scratching to him as it is to me. That alone spurs me to keep it that way. I miss my brother, and it kills me that I've no way of knowing where he is, if he's okay. However, my grandfather being just as clueless as I am makes not knowing more bearable.

He doesn't react. He merely shrugs. "Is it?"

If he knew where Itachi was, he'd have brought him back by now. My grandfather may be a control freak, but he wouldn't hurt Itachi. The lowest he'd go is using him to manipulate me, as he has for the past year.

Red clouds my vision. I don't have time for this. Everything else, I can take, but marriage? Don't make me laugh.

"I'm leaving. Give mother my apologies."

I turn to leave, my eye catching the stunned expression that's befallen Ms. Haruno. I had almost forgotten she was here.

Confusion swirls within her irises but instead of it overtaking her, a spark of interest twinkles from within her bright jade eyes.

I can only imagine the whirlwind of emotions she must have gone through these few hours alone. It doesn't help that she had witnessed my contentious relationship with my grandfather, either. Glancing at him once more, my mind begins to whirl.

He hadn't really regarded her much once I took over the conversation. He still wanted her here though. If not, he'd have asked her to leave. Now, she's one of the few aware of my brother's disappearance. What does he have planned?

With a hand on her back, I turn her away from my grandfather's gaze. "Let's go."

My grandfather's lack of an attempt to have us stay is noted, and I'm aware she's noticed it, as well. Asking for us to speak with him alone may have just been to get us away from my parents before we could tell them the truth, and him not insisting we stay could be to prevent that, as well. Still, something doesn't add up. I could easily refute the engagement to my parents, yet he doesn't appear too worried about that.

Why?

As we walk away, my grandfather's eyes remain on the woman's back.

Perhaps it's the newfound kinship after being blindsided by our own families, but something in my grandfather's attention tells me that speaking with her would be in my best interest.

The car is quiet as we take on the busy city roads. The radio is on low, a familiar song floating through the vehicle but neither of us is paying attention. Ms. Haruno stares outside the window as I come to a stop, the traffic light a bright red. Glancing at her profile, her lips downset, as if her thoughts are troubling her, yet it doesn't match the brightness from her eyes that lights up her visage.

I think back to when I first found her not even an hour ago. Despaired, drinking away by the bar as if she was given the worse news of her life. Never could I have thought that that would involve me.

I am not one to dwell on coincidences. That's all it ever is: coincidences. However, this situation is as uncommon as they come. Nowhere did her employee file suggest that she so much as knew the Senju, so her close association with the family came as a surprise. But there had to be no other explanation as to why my grandfather would personally handpick her to join the company aside from her working under him. He saw an in with the elusive Senju, and somehow, almost a decade later, his patience is close to paying off.

That's only if we agree. As seen from earlier, though, neither of us want to get married.

Feeling a headache coming on, I pinch the bridge of my nose in annoyance. Why must everything in this family have to be so complicated?

The light turns green, and the car moves again.

"I left my car behind."

I turn to her, brows raised. "You don't seem the type to forget something like that and willingly get into a stranger's car."

"It was either drive home with no information or get in the car with you."

"And how are you getting your car back?"

She shrugs, seemingly not bothered. "I'll hitch a ride through an app or something."

Gaze finally straying away from the moving buildings and landing on me, I see an expression I've yet to see from the woman. I've witnessed irritation, annoyance, resignation, haughtiness, and very briefly, fear, but right now, that interest that twinkled in her eyes has fully bloomed into intrigue and, what's most fascinating, determination.

"You have questions."

"So do you."

"I can imagine you have more for me than I for you."

"Making this a competition now, Mr. Uchiha?"

"Don't be obtuse, Ms. Haruno."

"Me? Obtuse?" She laughs, indignant. "And what should we call you, then?"

"I can recall a certain phrase you used when we've first corresponded."

"Didn't I tell you not to mention that damned email again?" A deep sigh escapes her. "Especially now that your grandpa's leveraging that against me."

"That email is harmless," I reiterate my earlier sentiments.

"To you." She emphasizes. "But my tone in that email was completely unprofessional, and this is the Uchiha we're talking about. Plus, that also means that he also has that video that caused my firing to begin with. This is more than professional blackmail now. I'd be blacklisted with the snap of a finger if your grandpa has a say in it, and the only editorial job I'd be able to get is working for a stupid tabloid, and I did not work my ass off in college and for almost a decade at SNO to work at some gossip rag."

I take in her words before speaking, thinking carefully on what to say next. "You truly didn't know of this agreement with our families?"

"I'm Tsunade's goddaughter, we're not family through blood."

"Which is now semantics since she wants to name you heir."

"And I told her no. She said she wouldn't push me after that."

I study her features, jaw set in an attempt to quell her anger, brows furrowed as she struggles to keep her emotions in check, and in her eyes, that small twinkle that tells me that there's something else. A chance to be persuaded. But why? She said she didn't want to be heir, didn't want to get married. I refuse, as well. Yet here I am, curious about the inner workings of this woman who is still a stranger in technicalities. We're acquaintances at most.

"What is it?" I decide to ask.

She blinks. "What?"

"You're thinking of something, and I can hazard a guess that this involves our situation."

"Gee, who would have thought," she murmurs.

I make a turn, changing the car's direction back to Sarutobi Leaf Tower.

"Your grandfather dislikes Danzo Shimura?" She asks.

"I think everyone in my family does. Why?"

"Both the Uchiha and the Senju have a mutual enemy with him. Other than what I know with the Senju, what did he do to you guys?"

"It has always been a rivalry. Every venture we pursue, he follows, spurning the Senju board."

"And yet your grandfather is fine with having you marry a Senju-adjacent?"

"Anything to gain the upper hand. If Tsunade stays as head or someone more like her has the position, it would prevent tougher competition between the two families."

"Don't the Uchiha thrive in competition?" She challenges. "That makes no sense. This whole thing makes no sense to me. On the surface, at least."

That piques my interest. "Go on."

"You said I was personally hired by your grandfather, correct?"

"As per your file, yes."

"That was nine years ago. Around the same time Aunt Tsunade's husband died. Your grandfather apparently hates Shimura's guts. My grandmother distrusts Shimura and finds him untrustworthy. Something must have happened nine years ago or maybe even before then that would make Madara Uchiha want him gone and since Shimura is still relatively unscathed especially after the lawsuits that he was involved with years ago, tells me that he knows something about your grandfather that's stopping him from getting rid of him completely."

Stunned to silence, I listen as she continues. "This is speculation, and I've no proof, but there's way too many coincidences in timing and in interest that suggests that they're all correlated somehow."

"And if this is all coincidence?"

She raises a brow at me. "You, of all people, believe in coincidences?"

"Going by that logic, our numerous meetings beforehand would all have to be conspired by you."

She grimaces. "That's different. The first was because I was drunk off my ass. The second was because you left your phone, mind you. And this," she motions around her. "is completely different. We were basically manipulated into this."

"Which means it isn't a coincidence."

"Maybe to them. To us, it's all been a coincidence until now."

A part of me, the sensible part of me, urges me to doubt her. It's all too convenient. Senju's secret heir-apparent, personally hired by the Uchiha patriarch to SNO in hopes of an engagement between the two families, and I am to believe she has been blissfully unaware of it all despite her intelligence? It's all too preposterous.

Yet I can't help but be inclined to believe her. She has an air about her. While quick to temper, there's a sincerity that's hard to shake when speaking with her, when looking at her. She wears her feelings on her face no matter how hard she tries. She isn't afraid to speak with me in the way that she has, even with the mortifying way we had met. In the face of what is world shattering information about her and her aunt, she's taking it better than I imagine most would.

"My godmother seems to think Shimura has something to do with Dan's death. Your grandfather has something against Shimura that no one seems to know about. Jiji starts gunning for me at SNO around a year ago. Your brother steps down around the same time. Shimura wants my godmother out. Your grandfather wants an engagement that helps my godmother keep her spot a little longer."

I should be distrustful.

And yet.

"What exactly are you thinking?"

"I want answers."

"From whom?"

"Wherever I can get it."

"Are you saying you want to go through with this farce?"

She gulps. "Just until I can get answers."

"To what?"

"One," she has one finger up. "Find out what's the real deal with Shimura in regard to the Uchiha and Senju. Two, find out what exactly brought my godmother to making a deal with your grandfather. We tried asking, and neither gave clear answers."

"And how are you going to get these answers?"

"I'm a journalist."

"And this is all for what? A story you get to put out at the expense of both of our families."

"No." She looks offended by my insinuation. "I'm saying it's time we stop being manipulated. It's time we get the whole truth. In turn, we'd also have collateral in an exposé."

It's beginning to make more sense now. That determination I saw in her stare. She hates being used. In that, we share the same sentiment.

An exposé as collateral since my grandfather has something against her. She'd have to be careful. We'd have to be careful if this does go through.

"My personal investigator has been trying to get answers for a year with nothing to show for it."

"Because they're working from afar. We have the chance to get on the inside."

"And if this all backfires?"

Sarutobi Leaf Tower is in view.

"Then they can't publish any of the shit they have against me since I'm tied to your family now."

"That's underhanded."

"What hasn't been underhanded so far? Besides, you look impressed."

I am. All of this thought of almost on the spot. I knew she's intelligent, but this is impressive. Still, I must be careful. Going against my grandfather, even if I am doing what he wants on the surface, is dangerous.

Yet I cannot bring myself to care.

As much as she wants answers, so do I. However, the question I want answered most doesn't directly have to do with the company or my grandfather, and that itself, is pushing me to go along with what she has planned.

"Add a third objective."

She blinks. "Huh?"

The car stops in from of Sarutobi Leaf Tower. I place an arm behind her headrest, forcing her eyes to remain on mine as I move closer. "We find my brother."

Her expression softens. "You really don't know where he is?"

I shake my head.

"And you really don't believe that your grandpa might?"

"If he did, he'd be putting that information over my head."

"You can't be so sure."

"I am."

I have no doubt. I'll find my brother before he does.

She takes in a deep breath. "You're sure?"

"All that talking trying to convince me, and you want me to second guess?"

"This involves the both of us, not just me, so yes, I want you to be sure."

She's giving me the choice. It's something I'm not entirely used to in my personal life.

"I'm sure."

"Well, then." Her lips lift in a small smile. She lifts a hand. I stare at her pale pink painted nails before bringing my hand to hers. "We have a deal."

A few hours ago, I was vehemently against getting married.

Now, I have a fiancée.

However, she and I have an understanding. We want the truth from our families. To do so, we're both going to have to live in a lie, just for the time being.

Note:

If you've read to socmed au, this part also has changed. I wanted Sasuke to be more involved with the decision to go through with the plan not just because he's curious about his brother, but also for him to feel as though he has a choice in this seeing as he hasn't had much freedom of choice since Itachi has stepped down. In the socmed, it was a little more like Sakura made the plan and he just went with it since it was all a convo through text.

Also, Sakura's not just interested in this for an exposé anymore. I added the intrigue with Dan and more animosity between Madara and Danzo now too.

Overall, I think these were very needed additions to help improve the story quality.

Let me know what you guys think!

Written Affair will be updated next!