Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Deception - COMPLETE	By : kizukatana Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 11937 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and make no money on anything I write

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
-xXx-
Jiraya watched as Naruto struggled to keep his expression neutral while he tried to pick through what the older man was saying, searching for clues as to what Jiraya wanted him to do. Jiraya had intentionally not briefed Naruto in advance, needing Naruto's reactions to be completely genuine. Sarutobi could spot a scripted comment from a mile away after years of experience with practiced liars saying whatever they could to try to sway a jury. Everything would hinge on Sarutobi's read of Naruto, and how he judged his character. Jiraya just hoped his gamble would pay off. Naruto was never predictable, but Jiraya trusted him completely. He understood Naruto and knew what made him tick.
Naruto's mind raced as he tried to understand why Jiraya was talking about this in front of the District Attorney who - of anyone in the city - was the one with the power to bring Jiraya down over this.
He forced himself not to look at the Commissioner for fear that too much would show in his face, and instead focused on watching Kabuto's and Sarutobi's reactions, hoping they would give a clue as to what Jiraya was hoping to accomplish by this seemingly reckless maneuver. Surely there could have been a simpler way to get them to believe Naruto's testimony? Why go to such lengths?
"I would have expected to have been made aware of a program like this," Sarutobi was saying, clearly not happy at learning he had been out of the loop on a program that - even if housed elsewhere - involved the NYPD. "The evidentiary issues alone with this could end up being a nightmare for my office."
Jiraya smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Sarutobi. We took into account the entrapment laws. The members of this program never gave testimony in any case they were involved with. All evidence was handled through the usual channels. There is not a single conviction that could be overturned if this program came to light. However, you know how tight-lipped the Feds are with anything having to do with their programs. And given the stakes here, the safety of the men and women within the program would be severely compromised if even its existence were known. If you wish, I can give you a more thorough debriefing at another time, with a smaller audience," Jiraya said, looking pointedly at Kabuto.
"Even if this is some sort of joint program, if NYPD is involved this group must have a supervising officer," Sarutobi said, running an evaluating eye over Naruto as though trying to judge his character.
"Yes," Jiraya said, "But I am not going to disclose any further specifics about the nature of the program without clearance. You wanted a witness to the events of Orochimaru's death. I have delivered him to you. And I will personally vouch for anything that Naruto has to say on the matter. He has my office's full backing. Given that this meeting is officially not even happening, that should be sufficient for you to decide whether you want to proceed with this indictment."
Sarutobi arched a brow at that, but nodded in acceptance. There were not many people that Jiraya would issue such a blanket statement for.
Kabuto's eyes narrowed. "It's awfully convenient, with Naruto suddenly reappearing just as we were about to file an indictment. Where has he been all this time?"
Naruto shot a sidelong glance at Jiraya then, not sure how to play this.
"Naruto has been in Europe. He recently received instructions for a mission working with a CIA agent. Beyond that I am not at liberty to discuss anything."
"And does this CIA agent have a name?" Kabuto pressed.
"Is it that you find my word as Police Commissioner insufficient to confirm the nature of Naruto's work in the department?" Jiraya asked, placing all the intimidation of his office as well as his own personal stature into the comment.
Kabuto was seething, but retreated. He knew that there was something going on. He had found Naruto's medical reports in Orochimaru's desk when he had gone to plant the evidence in the man's home shifting the blame for the bombing and photographs to Orochimaru. Naruto's allergy to anesthetics had been highlighted, and Kabuto suspected that Orochimaru had drugged Naruto the night of the killing. Orochimaru would never have acted without heavily stacking the odds in his favor, especially not against someone like Naruto. Combined with that and the blood evidence on the inside of the katana sheath, there was no way that the killer was Naruto. It was one of the Uchihas, even though he doubted he'd ever be able to prove it in court, especially not with Naruto apparently willing to take the blame. But Kabuto would be satisfied with ruining Sasuke's political career. And all he needed to do to accomplish that was to file the indictment.
"I just wonder if you are somehow personally invested in the outcome of the Uchiha indictment." Kabuto asked pointedly. He knew exactly what Orochimaru had hired Naruto for. Sasuke might have moved on to his pretty assistant now, but Kabuto was sure that there had been a sexual relationship between Naruto and Sasuke.
Jiraya's knee bumped Naruto's again, and suddenly Naruto understood what he was supposed to do. His shoulders relaxed and he forced himself not to grin. Oh, he was going to enjoy this. "If anyone is 'emotionally invested' in the outcome of this indictment, I would say it would be you, Kabuto. Not myself or Commissioner Jiraya."
Kabuto froze slightly, beginning to sense the danger, but it was already too late.
Sarutobi frowned. "What do you mean, Mr. Uzumaki? Did Kabuto have some sort of relationship with Orochimaru?"
"This is completely irrelevant, sir. We are here to discuss the credibility of this witness, not to -"
"Be quite, Kabuto," Sarutobi said calmly, gesturing for Naruto to continue.
Naruto allowed a thin smile to form on his lips. "Oh, they had a relationship alright. You may be aware that Orochimaru hired me for security after Nagato's organization was brought down."
Sarutobi nodded, and Naruto continued.
"My... supervising officer recommended I accept the offer, as there was significant suspicion that Orochimaru was involved in illegal activities, but not enough evidence was ever found to make a case. Orochimaru had significant influence within the department, so any effort at a formal investigation was blocked -"
"That's hearsay," Kabuto interjected. "You can't expect us to just take your word against -"
"Counselor, that's enough," Sarutobi said calmly. "All of this is off the record. This meeting is not even being recorded," he looked pointedly at the security camera, drawing the attention to the dangling wire that rendered it useless. "So we might as well hear what this young man has to say in its entirety. We can decide how to proceed at that point."
Kabuto clearly disagreed with this, but could not come up with any reasonable grounds to go against what his boss was saying.
"Please continue, Mr. Uzumaki."
"Um, well, as I was saying, an investigation through regular channels was not possible. So I was put in to see if I could find anything on him."
"This was shortly after you were shot in the Akatsuki raid, yes?" Sarutobi cut in, clearly interested in Naruto's history. Naruto was relieved that - so far - he was able to basically stick to the truth. He knew of Sarutobi's long-standing reputation for being able to spot a lie.
"Yes," Naruto said, shifting his shoulder slightly, remembering the bullet he took in that event.
"And yet you were immediately returned to the field. That's not standard procedure for most operatives, regardless of the agency they work for."
"Well, I was given the choice. But the previous person from our group who had tried to insert themselves had been killed. It seemed the best path since Orochimaru had actually reached out to me, though we weren't sure why. We didn't want to put anyone else at risk."
Sarutobi nodded, clearly pleased with Naruto's answer and the truth he was able to read in the young man's face.
"While I was there, I saw Kabuto quite frequently at Orochimaru's place."
"Orochimaru and I were acquaintances, having a number of friends in common -" Kabuto began.
"I heard you and Orochimaru discussing getting access to the case file on the Akatsuki syndicate," Naruto said over him. "He was reprimanding you for failing to insert yourself onto the team, and you were promising to do better. He said you were not as skilled as ADA Uchiha, but that until he found a way to get Uchiha to work with him, he would continue to use your... services."
Naruto purposely filled the word with innuendo. Kabuto flushed, whether in embarrassment or anger Naruto wasn't sure. He could feel that Jiraya had gone completely still.
"So that is why you repeatedly tried to appeal Itachi's request to keep you off the team. I was wondering why you were so desperate, given that you already had a full case load on your own desk," Sarutobi said slowly. He turned to face Kabuto more fully. "It's unusual for someone to be able to conceal their true motivations from me, Kabuto. You are quite skilled at deception, I would say."
Fortunately, Sarutobi's face was turned away from Naruto and he missed the slightly panicked look that Naruto shot at Jiraya before the older man's knee slammed into his once again.
Sarutobi finally turned back to Jiraya with a heavy sigh. "Of course, you and I had discussed the issue of the mole in my office, Commissioner. Now I understand the reason for all this secrecy. The mole was Kabuto, and you must believe that his obsession with attempting to bring the younger Uchiha to trial is tied to his other agenda somehow."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly, and he turned to look at Jiraya to find validation of what Sarutobi was saying. The old DA turned to Naruto, explaining. "We had found out that Orochimaru had been able to get his hands on information regarding a very high profile case about a year ago and used it to influence the jury pool. After we became aware of this, we found a pattern of other confidential information being leaked. We couldn't trace it back to a single person's case load. We had monitored the phones and e-mails of everyone involved, but we couldn't find the source," Sarutobi turned again to Kabuto. "But it was you, wasn't it, Kabuto? Orochimaru must have paid you very well."
Kabuto snapped himself out of his glare at Naruto. "Of course it wasn't me. You have absolutely no evidence to support any of this. You can check my bank records... I have never received any money from Orochimaru. All you have is the word of this... questionable person," Kabuto waved his hand dismissively towards Naruto. "Who, by the way, would most likely not be able to testify against me for fear of revealing the details of this supposed task force that Jiraya mentioned. Not to mention the nature of his relationship with Councilman Uchiha. He was providing services beyond just security, I can tell you. No one would believe a witness like this. And as for any other evidence, you will not find anything at Orochimaru's house."
Realization flooded through Naruto. Kabuto could only be completely sure that there was nothing at Orochimaru's if he had searched the place himself after the man's death. And the only person that Naruto was absolutely positive had been in Orochimaru's house was the same person who had planted the evidence about the bombing and the stalking. Which meant that Kabuto was the stalker. Of course, Naruto thought. He wanted Sasuke out of the way so that Orochimaru would continue to need Kabuto and would lose whatever leverage he thought he was going to get over Itachi with this.
"It was you, wasn't it?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing suddenly quite dangerously. All he would have to do was reach out his hand, and he could end the life of the person who had tried to blow up Sasuke. It would take less than ten seconds. Kabuto clearly read his intent and paled.
Jiraya looked over, somewhat puzzled. Evidently he didn't know everything. Naruto fought to control his temper as he thought quickly. Physical violence would only discredit Naruto in front of the District Attorney's eyes. He was starting to get a sense of where Jiraya was going with this insane gamble of his, and he needed the DA to be on his side. To ensure that, he needed to discredit Kabuto in the fastest possible way. Luckily for him, he knew the man's Achilles heel.
"You were the one who planted the evidence of the bomb and the stalking in Orochimaru's apartment, so it would never come back to you, didn't you?"
"W-what? That is ridiculous. I work in the District Attorney's office. I've taken an oath -" Kabuto stammered out.
"Yes, you are in the DA's office, which means you would have had access to Hanzo's case file and the evidence locker to duplicate the bomb. Someone planted that evidence in Orochimaru's brownstone. You knew that Orochimaru was trying to get to Itachi through Sasuke, so you wanted Sasuke out of the way. It must have just killed you, hearing Orochimaru go on and on about the Uchihas. He was obsessed with them. No matter how much information you brought him. No matter how many times you risked your career for him. He never really saw you. All he saw was how amazing they were. How intelligent. How much better pedigreed. How much better in general than you," Naruto continued, his voice almost bored. Jiraya and Sarutobi watched in fascination at the transformation of Kabuto's face at Naruto's words. Shock gave way to fury in Kabuto's features, and his hands fisted on the table.
"You know, I was there at night after I first started working with Orochimaru. I would hear the two of you in Orochimaru's office," Naruto leaned forward, resting his hands flat on the smooth metal table to prevent himself from reaching out and crushing the man's trachea. "I heard you moaning. But it wasn't your name that Orochimaru called out when he came, was it, Kabuto? Do you know the name I heard him shout? The person who he was wishing was sucking him off?"
"Shut up!" Kabuto screamed, his face white with fury, his body rigid with rage. All it would take was one more small push.
"It was Itachi's name he screamed."
With that, Kabuto launched himself over the table, grabbing Naruto around the throat. Naruto made no move to defend himself or hit back. After a frozen second, Jiraya reached over and roughly grabbed Kabuto's forearms, wrenching them off Naruto.
Naruto grinned, bringing a hand up to touch the abused flesh around his throat. "Police Commissioner Jiraya and District Attorney Sarutobi. I would like to file a formal assault charge against ADA Kabuto Yakushi here. I trust you will both serve as witnesses. I want photographs taken of the injury. And... I would request that ADA Uchiha personally take this case."
Jiraya snorted. "I am pretty sure that that would constitute a conflict of interest for Uchiha. But... I will see the charges are filed. Kakashi can see to the paperwork. We'll have to get a physician to document the injuries."
Kabuto was in shock. How had things turned so quickly? "You have no evidence of any of the things this boy said," Kabuto said. "Orochimaru told me exactly what he hired you for, Naruto. Don't think you can play innocent here. You were just Orochimaru's paid whore to bind Uchiha to Orochimaru. If anyone is guilty here of indecent behavior, it is you, you little -"
"I thought you were trying to claim that you weren't involved in any of Orochimaru's illegal activities, Kabuto. If you were witness to Orochimaru's attempt to procure sexual services for someone to gain illegal favors and didn't report it, you would be complicit in that act," Jiraya cut in, smiling narrowly. This had gone better than he could ever have expected. "However, given that Orochimaru is already dead and we will not be filing charges against him, I doubt we will pursue that particular charge against you. But we will have plenty of time to find out about all your other activities, thanks to your assault on Mr. Uzumaki here tonight. I am fairly certain that Sarutobi has grounds to suspend you from working in the District Attorney's office long enough for us to find it."
-xXx-
Sasuke was frozen, his hands fisted against the glass where he had nearly punched through it when he had seen Kabuto launch himself at Naruto and try to strangle him. Luckily, Jiraya had been quick to intervene. Naruto's eyes had never shown even the slightest flicker of panic, a fact that Sasuke would have found incredibly arousing in other circumstances, but right now he was just pissed off and frustrated that he was being kept separated from Naruto.
"Sonofabitch," Kakashi murmured, not sure if he was referring to Kabuto or Jiraya at this point. He was annoyed that Jiraya hadn't told him of his plan in advance, but he supposed he was still glad of the outcome. It was a bold move. Sarutobi had been searching for the mole in his office for close to a year. Naruto had just handed him to him on a silver platter, which would gain him credibility in Sarutobi's eyes. The big risk now was whether Sarutobi would probe on the official details of the program. Which - since it didn't exist - would be problematic. The one piece of Jiraya's plan that Kakashi wasn't sure about was why the Uchiha brothers were here.
"Sasuke," Itachi said, drawing his brother's attention from where it had been riveted on Naruto for the past twenty minutes.
Sasuke didn't turn his head, not wanting to miss the ending of the meeting when he would be able to enter the room Naruto was in. All that mattered now was that Naruto was back, and he was still in one piece. "What," he said tensely, noticing the slight bruising already visible around Naruto's throat and feeling his fists clench tighter, the knuckles going white.
"Who were you planning to have alter Naruto's records to clean his background before he disappeared?" Itachi said calmly.
Sasuke's head snapped around. "What?" he hissed, slanting a meaningful glance and Captain Hatake who had abruptly turned to face Itachi. Was Itachi trying to get him arrested?
Kakashi slowly nodded, "Of course. Jiraya must have known about your relationship with Naruto. Your hacker must be good if Jiraya is willing to take such a gamble on him. We noticed that some of Naruto's files had been altered, but I hadn't realized it was you."
Sasuke pressed his fingers to his temples. His head was pounding. He hadn't been sleeping well since Naruto had left a month ago, and last night he hadn't slept at all. All he was able to focus on was that Naruto was just on the other side of the fucking glass from him, and he wasn't allowed to go to him. Now his brother was discussing Sasuke's illegal activities (which he wasn't supposed to know about in the first place) and plans to hack into the NYPD computer systems in front of a fucking Captain in the police department.
"Stop thinking about the different positions you are planning on having sex with your boyfriend when you get him alone, Sasuke. You need to focus," Itachi said, amusement showing slightly through his eyes. "Well, Captain Hatake. I can only assume that you are the 'supervising officer' that Jiraya didn't want to name for this fictitious program that the two of you have evidently cooked up."
"Fictitious?" Sasuke asked, immediately wishing he hadn't opened his mouth. His brain had basically shut down as soon as he had seen Naruto, simply being overwhelmed with a flood of emotions from relief to anger to worry to hurt and finally settling on an all-consuming need to simply be with Naruto.
Itachi smirked. "Of course, fictitious. You've worked in government long enough to know that such a cross-organizational task force would never make it off the ground between all the red tape and bureaucratic territorialism. I'll bet that when the Feds come knocking asking for inconvenient information about the group, they are told it's a 'secret' NYPD program. And when NYPD comes inquiring, he can't discuss the details because it's run by the FBI. It's a shell game for hiding a program that doesn't actually exist, but allows Hatake and Jiraya to do what they want. Am I warm, Captain?" Itachi asked, slanting a glance to the officer who was now lounging in the corner of the room giving a false air of complacency.
Kakashi shrugged. "There doesn't seem much point in my answering, since you appear to be figuring enough out without my help."
Sasuke's brain had finally caught up. "So... " Naruto hadn't lied. "... Jiraya is trying to use the fact that I want to..." He wasn't playing me. "... legitimize Naruto by having me use my contact to create some sort of retroactive proof of the task force he was supposed to be working for that doesn't exist?" He came back to help me even though he was at risk. Sasuke was struggling to keep his mind focused on the conversation he was having with Kakashi and Itachi, but his gaze kept drifting hungrily to the sight of Naruto in the other room. Just out of his reach.
Kakashi glanced at where Naruto, Sarutobi and Jiraya were apparently filling out the paperwork of Naruto's charge of assault against Kabuto while the ADA looked on in shock. He wondered if Sasuke realized that the reason they were doing all this now was because Naruto would be out of the country again by evening.
"The Jinchuuriki program. Yes, I think that is exactly what Jiraya had in mind," Kakashi said finally.
Sasuke thought quickly. It could be possible. Suigetsu was good. But it would be a hell of a risk. He wouldn't commit Suigetsu without talking to the man first. Naruto hadn't lied. He forced himself to focus. This could be possible. It would actually be significantly safer than trying to delete individual records. There would always be stray newspaper articles, photos, or police files. But if it could all be put in the context of undercover work, he could make Naruto's criminal history become part of an overall legitimate history. He pulled out his phone, checking the time and realizing he would have to wait another two hours before Suigetsu was likely to be awake enough to answer his call.
There was a knock on the door to the observation room, and Kakashi frowned. He had locked it as a precaution, but the room was reserved and there was no reason anyone should be knocking at this hour. "Don't leave this room. Don't talk to anyone," Kakashi said as he opened the door just enough to see who was there but to keep the other occupants in the room hidden.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Obito," Kakashi said, a sense of unease washing over him at the man's unexpected presence. "What are you doing here?"
"Can I come in? I heard you were in the office early and thought we could catch up. I was trying to reach you yesterday, but I couldn't get ahold of you. I might have a lead on Tobi."
Sasuke's eyes snapped towards the door, but Kakashi had not opened the door enough for him to see who it was. He remembered what Kakashi had said about the fact that the killer was likely following Itachi and Sasuke to see if they would lead him to Naruto. He glanced at Itachi to find a similar look of concern on his brother's face.
"No," Kakashi said. "I was asked to stay in this room and make sure that no one recorded or observed the interrogation room. There is someone from witness protection in there."
"Who is it?" Obito asked seemingly casually.
Kakashi's face showed no reaction, "Obviously, I can't disclose that. The meeting should be over in an hour. Just come by my office then, and we can catch up."
Obito seemed to hesitate. He looked as though he were going to force the issue, and when his eyes locked onto Kakashi's, Kakashi felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He almost reached for his gun out of reflex that the lethal intent in those eyes, but before he could, Obito was stepping back, his face back to the genial mask he always wore. "Fine. I'll just wait, then."
He turned and walked down the hall towards Kakashi's office. Kakashi watched him go with narrowed eyes. He tried to do the mental conversion of time zones between here and Japan. He had some phone calls to make. Something wasn't right.
Kakashi closed the door and locked it again.
"Who was that?" Sasuke asked, his voice dangerous.
"That was a man named Obito Uchiha, supposedly an officer from Japan sent to track a lead on the serial killer known as Tobi," Kakashi said slowly. "Not a direct relation of yours... I asked."
"Supposedly an officer?" Itachi asked. He had never heard of an Obito in their family, but Uchiha was an old name, and there could be distant relatives that still used the name that he had never met.
"Supposedly. I had assumed his paperwork had been thoroughly vetted. I think I need to re-check that. He should not have known I was here. And no cop would try to enter an observation room like that, no matter what country they are from."
Sasuke looked back into the interrogation room, where Naruto was getting up. The meeting appeared to be ending. "Was Naruto planning on going out the way he came in, or is he going to go into the hallway?" Sasuke asked, the tension heavy in the room.
"Yes. I was supposed to meet him at the air intake grate behind the building. I had put the screws back in so no one would notice anything. Someone needs to go and open it so he can get out without smashing it down and drawing attention," Kakashi pulled a small philips-head screwdriver out of his pocket and handed it to Sasuke. "I need to go distract Obito. I don't think we can trust he is who he says he is at this point."
"Do you think he's connected to Tobi?" Itachi asked.
"I don't know. But I've learned a long time ago to trust my instincts."
Itachi nodded. Kakashi banged three times on the glass, and Sasuke saw Naruto stiffen. "That was the signal we worked out if something went wrong. He'll know now that he has to be careful. I don't know if he'll take the same route out as he came in, but at least now he will be watching his back. Once Naruto is in the air vents, you two go and let him out the back while I distract Obito. If you get him, meet me at this address," Kakashi quickly wrote down the address of a safe house along with a key. "Actually, meet me there whether you get him or not."
Sasuke nodded, and the three turned back to watch the men in the interrogation room wrap up.
-xXx-
Jiraya frowned, also aware of what that signal meant. He had been uneasy about brining Naruto back given the circumstances, but this had been their only chance to trap Kabuto before he ruined Sasuke's career.
"Well, Kabuto. I will personally take you down to booking to get the assault charges processed," Jiraya said to Kabuto, who flushed with anger and glared murderously at Naruto. "Sarutobi, what is your decision regarding the Uchiha indictment?"
Sarutobi turned and looked directly at Naruto. "Did you kill Orochimaru Sanin?"
Guilt washed over Naruto as he thought of who had actually done the killing on his behalf, but there was no doubt in Naruto's mind that he was responsible for Orochimaru's death. "Yes," Naruto said. "I wish to hell it had never happened. But I came out of the shower in my hotel room to see Orochimaru with a gun," Naruto said, drawing a breath. His gaze never faltered.
Sarutobi stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "We will not be filing charges. I will allow the findings of the Hampton police to stand."
"No! You can't let them get away with it! They killed him! It was Uchiha, I know it was Uchiha, I-"
Jiraya stood in front of the enraged Kabuto. "Enough. There is absolutely no evidence supporting your belief, and a lot of evidence refuting it. It's over, Kabuto."
Naruto caught Jiraya's eye and gave a small nod. "You need to get back to work," Jiraya told him. "Watch yourself."
Sarutobi nodded to Naruto. "It was very interesting meeting you, young man. When your current assignment is over, I would very much enjoy having lunch with you."
Naruto tried to cover his nerves, but still stammered slightly. "Y-yes, sir."
He stood on the chair as the three men in the room watched, then pulled himself back up into the air duct with seeming ease. Jiraya pushed the panel back into place as though this was something he did every day before leading Kabuto out of the room, Sarutobi following.
The remaining men exited, and Kakashi went off to find Obito while Sasuke and Itachi headed immediately for the main exit to get to the back of the building to open the vent there.
. . . . . . . . . .
Naruto army crawled through the air ducts with practiced ease in complete silence over the metal casings. He had a decent idea of the layout of the building, and decided his safest bet would be to exit into a room near a side entrance that had only one security camera between him and an exit. Though if Tobi were already here, then there was no point on trying to avoid the cameras. He just needed to get the hell out.
Naruto paused over the air grate, listening to be sure no one was in the office before he quickly kicked it open, catching it before it fell and drew attention. He lowered himself into the small office and pulled the hood of his sleeveless sweatshirt to cover as much of his head and face as possible. Walking quickly but without drawing attention, he left the office, turning a sharp right to the exit of the station and out into a narrow alley.
He picked up his pace trying to move as quickly as possible without actually running and drawing attention. He needed to get to a pay phone and call Sakura. He still needed a medical report to file with the assault charge, and Sakura was the only person he would trust right now. Four blocks from the police station, Naruto slid into a payphone at a run-down gas station, and prayed that this was one of the nights that Sakura was working late and would have her cell on.
"Hello?" Sakura asked, her voice sounding unusually stressed.
"Sakura, it's -"
"Naruto! Where are you? You have to be careful, I -"
"I'm at the Citgo four blocks from the police station. Can you meet me there?"
"We're two blocks away," Sakura said, hanging up before the call could be traced.
It was less than a minute later when Naruto saw Sakura leaning out of a large, black luxury SUV waving to him frantically. "Naruto, get in!"
"Sakura? What are you doing here? It's like... not even six in the morning yet," Naruto said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one had followed him.
"I was looking for Kakashi since he's not answering his cell and...Ugh, I'll explain in the car, hurry up and get in! It's not safe," Sakura ordered, pushing open the rear door of the car.
Naruto hesitated, but he knew that Kakashi wouldn't have sent the signal if something weren't really wrong. "Can you take me to JFK? I need to catch a flight." He asked, getting into the car and noticing that the driver was not someone he recognized.
"Yes," Sakura said, turning towards the man with shaggy brown hair and red tattoos on his face who was behind the wheel. "Kiba, this is Naruto. Naruto, this is my best friend Kiba. We'll talk while we drive."
Kiba's eyes locked on Naruto's for a suspended second, but the man simply nodded and merged out into the early morning New York traffic.
"So tell me again how you found out that Tobi knows I am in town?" Naruto said, trying to get his head around how that could have happened without Sakura being dead.
"I don't know if it was Tobi. I... I know you said not to, but I've been checking around the hospital trying to find the person who tampered with the files. Tonight I went back to the morgue to see if there were any more things being tampered with that might give us a clue as to who is after you and Gaara. I was almost to the office when I heard someone talking. It was the middle of the night, and no one else should have been there. They said that they couldn't find Gaara, but that they knew you were in town and would try to take you out before morning."
"And you just fucking stood there and listened to it? Sakura, when you are breaking into a morgue in the middle of the night and you see someone there who is not supposed to be there, you should run like hell and call the police. What were you thinking?"
Sakura glared at him. "I did run like hell, and I tried to call Kakashi. When I couldn't get ahold of him, I called Kiba. After I convinced him to help me look for you I called the station and dispatch said they saw Kakashi come in early this morning. I figured he might know something so we came here to try and tell him what I saw." Sakura's eyes dropped to Naruto's throat, and she gasped when she saw the ring of purple bruises around his throat.
"Naruto! You idiot!" She unfastened her seatbelt and climbed into the back with him. "Why didn't you tell me you'd been attacked? Do you have other injuries?"
She began grabbing at his sweatshirt, but Naruto took hold of her wrists, stopping her. "No. We don't have time for sex now, baby," he said teasingly, raising his eyebrows at Kiba's glare before returning his attention to Sakura. "The only injury is around my neck. I need you to take some pictures of them with your phone, and write up a medical report to confirm the injuries. The person who attacked me is already being booked."
"Pshh," Sakura said, smacking Naruto on the back of his head while Kiba snickered. Then she sobered. "Is it... was it... the person who attacked you in the subway?" Sakura asked.
"No," Naruto chuckled, the irony of the situation finally dawning on him. "It was Assistant District Attorney Kabuto."
"I hate that guy," Kiba said, with feeling.
"Yeah, me too. Turns out he's dirty. I hope Jiraya and Itachi hang him out to dry," Naruto said. "You know him or something?"
Kiba shrugged uncomfortably. Sakura answered. "Let's just say that you're not the only friend I have who doesn't always want an official record of his injuries. Kiba's had some run-ins with the DA's office in the past."
Naruto looked at Kiba assessingly. He seemed to be a decent enough guy, and his affection towards Sakura seemed genuine. Naruto recognized the gang tattoos on the man's face. He was a member of an up-and-coming organization that had been making waves in some areas, but it hadn't infringed on Nagato's organization or dealt in child trafficking, so Naruto hadn't had any run-ins with them before.
Sakura shoved Naruto's head towards the window when she noticed his measuring look at Kiba. "Stop going all big brother on me. I've known Kiba longer than I've known you."
Kiba snickered again as Naruto's head banged against the glass.
"Something funny?" Naruto asked warningly.
"Yeah... it's funny to see someone else getting Sakura's fucked up version of affection for once," Kiba said, still grinning.
"Ouch!" Kiba cursed after Sakura socked him in the arm. "Watch it! You'll break it again!"
"That was one time Kiba! One freaking time!" She yelled causing Naruto to grin as he relaxed slightly. He might not know their back story, but he was glad that Sakura had someone like Kiba in her corner. And now that she had gotten in between Naruto and Tobi, she was going to need it.
Naruto noticed the lack of keys in the ignition and Kiba's gloved hands. He hoped to hell that Kiba dumped the stolen car as soon as possible. And that it hadn't been reported yet.
-xXx-
To be continued...
Next chapter will have Jiraya explaining a bit more to Itachi and Sasuke, Naruto meeting back up with Gaara, and Sasuke getting serious about finding Naruto.
- 19
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- 21
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Deception - COMPLETE