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 |
-xXx-
Sasuke hung up after calling the police as he calmly strode into the entrance of the building and signaled to Jugo that his presence was required. He knew that his last name alone would ensure the fastest possible response time from the police with their most qualified squad. Which was good, because Sasuke was pissed. Someone had put a bomb in his car. He didn't like it when people touched his property. Or smudged it.
He assumed that if Naruto knew enough about bombs to know the different types of detonation devices likely at play, he would not be dumb enough to accidentally set it off by sneezing and pushing the button. He was still a bit annoyed that the blond had decided to play hero and take the key from him. Despite the fact that protecting Sasuke was technically Naruto's job, it wasn't actually what Sasuke had employed the blond's services for. He had been interested in... other things. But given the events of the past 24 hours, Sasuke would have to re-evaluate the situation.
If there really was a bomb, then Naruto had just saved his life. Not that he didn't still want to fuck the blond into the wall. But it did put a new perspective on things. The kid did actually know what he was doing in his 'official' part of the job. Being an Uchiha, Sasuke had appreciation for those who excelled in their given field. Respect for it.
Jugo walked over and Sasuke quickly apprised him of the situation so he could evacuate anyone who might still be in the underground parking facility and begin evacuation of the building. Luckily it was a weekday, so most people would be out at work or at school.
With those things done, Sasuke took the opportunity of being out of hearing range of Naruto to place two additional calls.
"Suigetsu," Sasuke said tersely in greeting.
"Sasuke. It's been a long time since you called me directly. Usually you sic Karin on me instead. What's up?"
"I haven't given you anything challenging to work on recently. I was worried that you might be getting bored. There is going to be a lot of police activity at my address over the next two days. I want you to get me every piece of information in their systems on this. Hack into the city street cameras in a two block radius from my building and see if anything showed up from the past two days. And don't tell anyone what you're working on. Not even Karin."
"I never tell that crazy bitch anything. How careful do I need to be with this one? It's been a while since you had me take a peek into the police systems."
Sasuke smirked. Suigetsu and Karin loved to pretend they hated each other. But Sasuke knew whose bed Suigetsu slept in most nights.
"Extremely careful. There are unknown players here, but assume they could be on the Akatsuki level of skill. So you will have to be better. I want updates every six hours," Sasuke said, glancing at the door to the garage to be sure Naruto hadn't decided to follow him in. "I also want you to start digging and get me everything you can on a 'Naruto Uzumaki'. Search both in New York and Japan. He was definitely living in Japan for a good part of his childhood. And I doubt this is his real name, or that he emigrated legally. His age is somewhere between 17 and 24. Blond hair and blue eyes."
"Blond hair and blue eyes... and from Japan? How do you expect me to find a guy when you don't know his real name, where he's originally from, or when he arrived in New York?"
"No idea, just start digging. Recent associates include the Akatsuki, Orochimaru Sanin, and Sakura Haruno. Don't you always tell me that low level politics is a waste of your considerable abilities? Well, now you have something more challenging to work on. Impress me."
Sasuke hung up, a small smirk on his lips. Suigetsu was invaluable. He worked for Ssauke because he paid him exceptionally well, even when he had no work for him. And Suigetsu was placing his bets that Sasuke would quickly move up the political ranks to be either a senator or a behind-the-scenes lobbyist some day with significant influence and in a position to reward those who helped him get there. Suigetsu was one of the best hackers he had ever met, and better yet, he'd never been caught so he was completely off everyone's radar. Sasuke simply employed him openly as an 'IT consultant' was able to get any information he needed on almost any topic, even from government agencies. It ensured that Sasuke was never at a disadvantage in terms of knowing an opponent's weakness or hidden agenda. But Sasuke was careful not to overuse it. He had learned from the mistakes of his parents. It was just a different lesson than what Itachi had drawn from those same experiences. Who was to say which was right?
Sasuke dialed an international number from his mobile, "Shisui-san, it's been a while." Sasuke knew that Itachi would be beyond furious when he found out that Sasuke had kept in touch with Shisui. He was part of the 'old world' family that Itachi had tried to extract them from by immigrating to the US. Sasuke also suspected there was more to his brother's history with their distant relation than that, but he had left it alone. After all, who was he to criticize other's relationships?
It was past the time of playing around. Sasuke wasn't going to constrain himself by playing by the rules. He had never pretended he was as good as Itachi.
. . . . . . .
Naruto hadn't been standing in the parking garage for more than five minutes before he heard the sirens arrive. Six squad cars and a van likely holding the bomb squad sealed off the entrance and exit to the garage. This was a luxury building on the Upper East Side, with a bomb threat called in by an extremely influential person. They were clearly taking no chances.
An officer not much older than Naruto approached him wearing a shield over his face and a Kevlar suit. Naruto quickly explained the situation, and happily relinquished the key to the man. It was kind of a unique experience for Naruto to have the cops show up and not get arrested.
A strong hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned to see Kakashi standing there.
"I need to interview you to see if you saw anything suspicious," Kakashi said. Naruto knew that the captain would not be wasting his time taking witness notes unless there was something more going on. He walked casually with Kakashi out of the garage and across the street, away from prying ears and surveillance cameras. He quickly filled him in on the photos, his assignment from Orochimaru, and everything he had noticed walking into the garage.
Kakashi looked at him, noticing the bandana tied around his head. "What's with the rag?"
Naruto paused. He trusted Kakashi, but he didn't know how much he wanted to disclose about what had happened. In the end, Kakashi was still a cop.
"Ok, then, do you want to tell me why your apartment is cleared out and reeking of bleach?" Kakashi was clearly low on patience today, and Naruto's hesitancy to talk was not going over well.
Naruto glanced over where the other officers were helping Jugo with the evacuation with the building. Evidently a bomb had been confirmed. Part of Naruto was glad that he wouldn't look like an idiot by over-reacting about some dirt on a car and calling the bomb squad, but the other part of him was on edge. This just made no sense to him at all. Taking someone out with a sniper rifle from a roof was a different skill set than planting a bomb in a car. Did that mean it was an organization and not an individual that was after Sasuke? Why use both approaches?
Bombs were messy and drew attention. Why use them to take out one person?
Kakashi snapped his fingers in front of Naruto's face to get his attention. "Where is Gaara and what is going on? Yagura was killed three months ago, and we thought that was an isolated incident even though it isn't Orochimaru's usual approach to dealing with threats. But now Roshi and Yugito are missing, and they had no connection with him. I went by to warn Gaara, and he was gone, too. Then I hear over the police scanner that a bomb got called in by the guy you are supposed to be protecting from a stalker. I want to know what the fuck is going on."
Naruto's didn't know Roshi or Yugito well, but he knew they wouldn't be easy to take down. "Gaara's fine. I got shot but I'm fine, too," Naruto said, and Kakashi's eyes flickered to his head with concern. Naruto quickly told him what had happened, leaving out the details of the body disposal, but otherwise laying it all out. It was a relief, in a way, to finally tell someone everything.
"I'm meeting with Gaara tomorrow. He's going to see if the hit came from his operations while I track back to see if it came from mine. I don't think Orochimaru was involved in the gunmen, but I don't know about the bomb. That guy is a fucking psycho, especially about the Uchihas."
Kakashi frowned. "It's not Orochimaru's style. He's subtle, and he's never done anything that would run the risk of him getting arrested. That's why his hiring you made no sense. He isn't like Nagato. He doesn't run a criminal organization. His is more focused on political and influence peddling and trying to control things behind the scenes to his own financial advantage. If he doesn't like you, you wake up in jail for tax evasion, or with your mistress giving an expose' on you on the front page of the paper. You don't wake up dead."
Naruto shrugged. "But you thought he might have taken Yagura out."
Kakashi glanced at the swirling activity around them. "We can't discuss this here. I'll meet you tomorrow with Gaara. Which meet point are you using?"
"Meetpoint eight, at noon."
Kakashi nodded. "What do Itachi and Sasuke know?"
"Itachi only knows I was shot. Sasuke knows about the Russians, the subway, and what went down at the apartment, but I didn't tell him about Gaara. Or you."
Kakashi stilled, looking at Naruto carefully. "That's uncharacteristically chatty of you, to disclose that much to someone not involved." He was still pretending like he was taking interview notes on the bomb.
"Well, I walked into his place with a bloody head wound. It's not like he wasn't going to ask about it," Naruto said, knowing it didn't really explain his actions. Hell, how could he explain to Kakashi what he didn't understand himself?
Kakashi looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, but didn't pursue it.
"Watch your back. Tell Gaara the same thing." Kakashi looked up as Sasuke was walking over.
"Councilman," Kakashi said in a friendly greeting. "I was just finishing up discussing the situation with Mr. Uzumaki here. I'd like to take your statement as well."
Sasuke looked at Naruto for a moment, his face inscrutable. A flash of unease crept along Naruto's spine, but he wasn't sure why. There was a focused intensity about Sasuke that Naruto had only seen when the councilman had been focused on some political maneuvers. Naruto had never had that focus directed at him. He shot Kakashi a glance, as if warning the man to be careful.
"Of course, Captain Hatake," Sasuke said smoothly, turning his attention to Kakashi. "Any way I can be of help in this matter."
Naruto frowned. There was no possible way that Sasuke could have overheard any part of their conversation. He had been standing across the street, and their voices had been low. Still... something had changed.
Naruto watched as Sasuke and Kakashi walked back to where a group of officers was discussing the status of the bomb disposal.
Naruto was somewhat surprised that Sasuke showed no signs of panic at the thought of someone planting a bomb in his car. If anything he looked... annoyed. Most civilians, even the 'macho' ones, would be hysterical. Or at least afraid. Why wasn't Sasuke either of those? It didn't fit with the reaction of a pampered socialite whose most difficult decision in a given week would be whether to wear Armani or Canali to a gala.
Naruto couldn't hear the words that Kakashi or Sasuke were speaking, but he could read their body language. Sasuke was clearly asking as many questions as he was answering, not in the least intimidated by the older officer. Kakashi seemed quite amused, and even shot a wink at Naruto when Sasuke had turned to question a member of the bomb squad that had come to give Kakashi an update.
Naruto had no idea why that wink seemed to indicate approval of a sort. Or why he suddenly found himself blushing.
Annoyed, Naruto jammed his hands into his pockets and drew a breath, trying to think through what could be salvaged from the day. He still needed to go see Orochimaru and Hidan. He wondered when the police would allow him to leave. At least Sasuke wouldn't be able to insist on driving him, since his car was going to be impounded as evidence. Naruto could just take the subway, finish his business with Orochimaru, then catch a train up to Sing Sing. Hopefully Hidan would have heard something about what the fuck was going on.
He wondered if he should try to find Fu, and check in on her. Naruto thought he had a pretty good idea where she was working these days. Kakashi would have contacted her, but Naruto liked Fu, and wouldn't mind seeing her. And of course, two weeks of providing sexual favors to Sasuke with no satisfaction for himself had left Naruto undoubtedly wound tightly. Naruto found his gaze following Sasuke's subtle movements as he spoke with Kakashi. Yeah, that would explain things. Naruto was just feeling sexually frustrated. And with Sasuke being attractive, and somehow less of a princess than Naruto had originally thought... it was just distracting him. Naruto found his eyes following the Uchiha's movements again, and forced himself to look somewhere else. He was absolutely not hoping that Sasuke would require his services tonight.
He would catch up with Fu on his way back from Sing Sing. Then he would feel much better, and be able to focus again.
And then tomorrow, he could see Gaara. Naruto felt his body tense slightly at Kakashi's implication that they could be being targeted by something relating to the Jinchurriki organization. And Gaara didn't know. But Gaara was smart, and he was good. And - after what had happened in their apartment - he was on guard. Hopefully that would be enough to keep him safe until Naruto could talk to him.
He felt someone's eyes on him, and looked up to see Sasuke walking across the street towards him.
"So... what did you tell the police?" Naruto asked. He had realized belatedly that the reason Kakashi had decided to interview Sasuke was so that he could censor the notes in case Sasuke knew more than he should.
"Just that you noticed the finger prints, suspected a bomb, and told me to call the police, "Sasuke said simply.
"Did you tell them why I was there?"
"They already knew about the photos. Itachi had me call the police the day after I received them. I told them I'd hired you as personal security."
"Did you mention Orochimaru?" Naruto asked, wanting to get a sense of how open Sasuke was going to be about this. They hadn't discussed it in advance.
"No. He would find that inconvenient. And there would be no point in mentioning him. He owns too many people in the courts and in the police," Sasuke said. He glanced over to where Kakashi was talking with the head of the bomb squad. "Though you seemed particularly happy to be talking to that policeman that was interviewing you. Captain Hatake? I would have thought someone in your position wouldn't be so enamored with a cop."
Naruto noticed the edge in Sasuke's voice. He wasn't sure if it was suspicion or jealousy, but neither was good. He needed to not draw attention to his relationship with Kakashi. He hoped that no one else had noticed anything odd.
"Hey, when a group of guys shows up to take your place in front of a bomb, you can't help but feel a little gratitude," Naruto said, following Sasuke's gaze. "Plus its kind of fun to talk to one and not end up in the back of a squad car in cuffs."
Sasuke's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.
"Have they removed the bomb yet?" Naruto asked, trying to change the subject.
"No," Sasuke said, walking over to stand almost directly in front of Naruto, their eyes level. "Evidently the device is quite sophisticated. It was as you said, Naruto. Backing off with the key would have detonated it," Sasuke was looking at him consideringly. "You know quite a bit about bombs. Based on a few smudges on the outside of a car."
Naruto heard the subtle accusation, and it didn't bother him. Sasuke would be an idiot to trust Naruto in these circumstances. "Yeah. In Akatsuki, Dei was one of my best friends. He use to tell me all kinds of stuff about how that shit worked." Naruto slanted a glance at Sasuke. "Just in theory, of course."
"Of course," Sasuke said drily.
"Look, if I'd wanted you dead, a bomb wouldn't be the way you'd go, especially not one that would take me out as well," Naruto said simply, earning a raised brow in response. "But it is a little weird that you mention that the device was high end. I mean, I only was playing it safe by considering it, but it actually surprises me. It doesn't really fit with how it was done."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if you know enough to make and set that kind of a bomb, then you should know enough to wipe your fucking prints off the car. I mean... that's just sloppy work," Naruto sounded honestly affronted at the thought of such shoddy criminal behavior. "If bombing is your trade, then you should be good enough at staging the scene that someone doesn't notice anything is wrong until it goes boom. Why spend all the time building a fancy bomb if you're basically going to leave a neon sign behind saying 'bomb here, don't get too close'."
Sasuke smirked, despite everything.
"Though I suppose it was convenient enough for us that they did," Sasuke said.
"Yeah, I've wanted to be a lot of things, but a Jackson Pollock painting on a parking garage wall was not one of them," Naruto said.
Sasuke just looked at him.
"Sorry... Dei was really into art and I guess he rubbed off on me a bit," Naruto said, looking slightly sheepish.
"So, what's the equivalent in your line of work?" Sasuke asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you said bombers need to be good at making sure that no one notices the bomb before hand, so not cleaning up smudges and fingerprints was sloppy. What is it for you?"
Naruto shrugged, glancing around uncomfortably at all the people, "Body disposal."
"So you're a hit man?" Sasuke frowned, not really liking the reality that implied.
"No. Hit men usually need to leave the body to send a message. Nagato never used me like that."
"So what are you?"
Naruto looked at him thoughtfully. Then smiled, "Right now I'm your body guard... and service provider."
Sasuke was standing close enough to him that he could feel the temperature increase between them. "So is your headache is better today?" Sasuke asked, his voice slightly rougher than it had been a moment ago.
Naruto kept his eyes locked on Sasuke's. "Maybe."
Sasuke cursed under his breath. Of course the building is being evacuated. It would be hours before they would be let back into his apartment.
-xXx-
After an hour, Sasuke and Naruto were told they could leave the area. "Let's take a cab over to Orochimaru's. The police aren't going to release my car in the near future, and I don't want to wait to have this conversation."
Naruto hid his surprise at Sasuke's insistence to accompany him. "Why? I can take a cab by myself, or just hop on the subway. I don't need you to come. I'm going to go up to Sing Sing to see Hidan after that anyway. I'm sure you have work to catch up on after yesterday and this morning."
"I think having a bomb planted in my car cuts me a little slack. My office will be flooded dealing with handling press inquiries for the next 24 hours anyway. Besides, Orochimaru will be more likely to tell what he knows to me," Sasuke said. "He views you as a newly hired minion. I doubt he trusts you yet, and even if he did, he'd never share information like this with you unless there was something specific he wanted you to do about it. You don't rate with him."
The statement might be true, but the arrogance with which it was delivered annoyed Naruto. "And you do, of course."
Sasuke just shrugged. "He is always looking for ways to curry favor with me. I will allow this to be one."
"You mean he looks for ways to get in your pants," Naruto snorted.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I thought that was what he hired you for."
Naruto flushed slightly in embarrassment. Though some of the heat he was feeling didn't feel quite like embarrassment. It was centered somewhat... lower. Naruto forced himself to redirect his thoughts. This was not the time for that. "Seriously, you have no idea how creepy it is watching that guy lick his lips at the thought of you doing anything sexual," Naruto shuddered.
"Has he... shown any interest in you?" Sasuke's voice was carefully casual, but it didn't fool Naruto.
"Why... are you going to try to protect me, or would you be jealous if I'd fucked him?" Naruto asked, enjoying just a little the way Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the suggestion of Naruto having sex with Orochimaru, thought the thought itself was revolting. He was still a bit annoyed at Sasuke's comment earlier.
"I wouldn't be jealous," Sasuke said tightly. "I was just curious what else he employs you for, since he seems to want to redeploy you."
"This was my first job for him," Naruto said, not feeling any need to hide it. "So I have no idea what he'll want me to do next. But thankfully, having him interested in me hasn't been an issue. I'm not his type. He likes Asian-looking guys." Naruto looked Sasuke up and down pointedly. "So watch your back," Naruto said, finding it strange that he was giving Sasuke the same warning Kakashi had given him. "Literally."
"Hn," Sasuke grunted. Though it was unclear whether it was in acknowledgement of the warning, or approval of the fact that Naruto hadn't been involved with Orochimaru.
Naruto paused, trying to think of a way to convince Sasuke not to come with him. Sasuke didn't know what Orochimaru was holding over Naruto, and if he provoked the snake, Naruto would be the one to suffer the consequences. But he didn't know how to dissuade Sasuke from accompanying him without divulging more information than he was comfortable doing. Thinking Sasuke was hot was one thing. Trusting him with knowledge that could get his friends killed was something else.
Sasuke was heading out to the street to hail a cab, and Naruto stopped him by placing a hand on the pale man's chest. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but Naruto didn't step back. "What are you going to say to him?"
"I am going to tell him that if he has someone following you, I expect to be informed on it as well since you are a de facto employee of mine through him. And I am going to ask if he knows anything about the bomb, or the other person who was following you."
"And you think he'll answer you?"
Sasuke smiled thinly. "You don't know Orochimaru. I do. I can tell when the man is lying, or when he's hiding something. I also have a much clearer idea of the hidden agendas he has going. This situation is no longer amusing. I am going to find out if he knows anything."
Naruto didn't say anything. It was true that Naruto didn't know Orochimaru well. But he was surprised at the implication that Sasuke might have some prior dealings with the man. He had assumed, being Itachi's little brother, that Sasuke steered clear of people like Orochimaru. Although, reflecting on it, it was pretty clear that Sasuke wasn't as squeaky clean as Itachi seemed to be. After all, he had allowed Naruto up to his apartment that first night. And made the deal for his 'services'.
Sasuke misread Naruto's hesitation.
"You are confusing Orochimaru with Nagato. Nagato was a crime lord. Orochimaru isn't. We won't be in danger by asking him what he knows. If he doesn't like being asked, he will just refuse to answer. Do you seriously think a man in my position could have anything to do with him if he were anything like Nagato? Orochimaru has never even been under formal investigation. He is subtle. And he appreciates subtlety in return. Just let me do the talking."
Naruto sighed. It was basically what Kakashi had said. But something about Orochimaru just didn't seem... sane. Which meant, to Naruto at least, that he wasn't predictable. Naruto knew better than most the unpredictability of madness. But he didn't argue. At this point, they were basically out of options. If Sasuke could get something out of Orochimaru, then it was at least worth a shot. He didn't want to show up to Gaara empty handed.
Sasuke hailed a cab for them and they rode most of the way in silence. Naruto tried to not focus on the sheer magnetic presence of the man sitting beside him. He forced himself to look out the window and think about what he was going to say to Hidan. He hoped to god that Sasuke didn't decide to accompany him to Sing Sing as well. Hidan could sense sexual tension from a mile away, and the guy had absolutely no filter on his mouth. Naruto didn't even want to know what the man would say if he knew that Naruto were seriously considering banging the ADA's little brother.
. . . .
They were greeted immediately by Orochimaru when they arrived at his home.
"Sasuke-kun. I just saw the news of the bomb threat in your building. I trust everything is alright with you?"
Sasuke and Naruto followed the older man into his home. "Yes. Fortunately, Naruto noticed the device before it detonated."
Something about the way Sasuke said Naruto's name didn't sit well with Orochimaru. Nor did the way the Uchiha was standing closer than necessary to his employee. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"You were hoping it would have gone off?" Sasuke asked, his voice emotionless.
"No, of course not. I am just... upset with the situation," Orochimaru said smoothly. "While I am extremely pleased that my employee was able to help in this matter, it might be time to turn your protection over to the police. Surely at this point they would be willing to be involved. And they are trained in this, of course."
Sasuke didn't respond immediately to the threat of Orochimaru reclaiming Naruto and removing him from his service. He glanced at Naruto, whose face showed no reaction. Sasuke felt a flash of annoyance.
"I will discuss the situation with the police, but I think that - given recent events - I would prefer to keep Naruto in his current position," Sasuke stated. "If this is an inconvenience for you, I would be happy to hire Naruto directly."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed further. He would not lose control of this situation. "No. Naruto-kun will continue to work for me. He doesn't want to quit. Do you, boy?"
The look Orochimaru sent Naruto was heavy with implied threat. Naruto knew he was being reminded of what Orochimaru held over him. Naruto simply shrugged. "It seems like you both want the same thing right now, which is Sasuke's safety. There doesn't seem to be a reason for me to change employers just to achieve that."
Orochimaru smiled smugly. Naruto was still firmly under his thumb.
"Naruto informed me that you have been having him followed since he began working for me," Sasuke's voice had a controlled anger lacing it. Naruto heard it and knew Sasuke was angry at Naruto's response. And the implicit rejection of Sasuke's offer. "Did your man happen to see anything about the attack on Naruto two days ago, or the bomb that was placed in my car last night?"
"Naruto-kun," Orochimaru showed his obvious displeasure. "You never told me that you had been attacked."
Naruto shot a hard glance at Sasuke. They had not discussed disclosing the fact that Naruto had been attacked to Orochimaru. Sasuke opened his mouth, but Naruto cut him off. "Just a minor knife-wound on my arm. It wasn't enough to keep me from going to see some friends," Naruto said, shrugging as though this were a casual thing.
Sasuke looked at Naruto for a minute, but didn't contradict him. Instead he turned and looked at Orochimaru. "If you have any information on this person, I would appreciate your cooperation. I'm sure the police would as well."
Orochimaru did not want the police to talk with any of the people he employed for surveillance. It was not something he wanted on record as tied to him. "Yes, well I had originally had a few trusted associates keep an eye on Naruto to be sure that he was not causing any problems for you, Sasuke-kun. Given his background, I wanted to be especially cautious. However when it became clear that he was performing adequately, I stopped. There was no one following him two nights ago, or last night, unfortunately."
It was a lie, and Sasuke knew it. But he decided he wouldn't let Orochimaru know that quite yet, as he didn't currently have any leverage to get Orochimaru to tell him what he knew.
Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Since we're here, and there doesn't appear to be anything else to be learned, why don't you go pack some clothes to bring back with you. You will need a formal suit for Friday night."
Naruto frowned. He knew that Sasuke was trying to get rid of him. But he decided if Sasuke thought he could get something more out of the creepy guy alone, he'd play along. "Whatever."
Once Naruto had left, Sasuke looked back to Orochimaru. "Given how things have escalated, I'm sure you agree that Naruto should stay with me for the time being, at least until the police are able to take over or have completed their investigation."
Orochimaru nodded reluctantly.
"Are you sure there is nothing you know about this, Orochimaru-san?"
"If I knew anything, I would have already informed the police. And I would have warned you before-hand. As I told you before, it is not in my interests to have you harmed."
Sasuke knew that Orochimaru was telling the truth this time. He didn't want Sasuke physically harmed, and he didn't know what had happened. But he had had someone following Naruto. And that person was likely dead or too afraid to disclose what they'd seen.
Naruto returned a few minutes later with a small suitcase. "All set."
"We'll take our leave then, Orochimaru-san. Please keep me informed if you learn of anything. Itachi and I both appreciate your help on this."
They said their farewells, then left.
. . . . . .
Orochimaru frowned. This was not supposed to be how it played out. They way Sasuke's eyes followed the blond spoke of more than simple lust. Lust was a commodity emotion that was easy for him to control and dispense, like a dealer to a junkie.
But Sasuke seemed to actually trust the boy, and have some real liking for him. That was unacceptable. He wanted Sasuke to desire Naruto, but only as a service that Orochimaru could provide, one without strings or emotional attachments. If Sasuke and Naruto developed an actual relationship, the 'dealer/addict' model would fall apart. Naruto might try to defy him, or call his bluff about exposing Naruto. Sasuke might be willing to take on reputational risks that he otherwise wouldn't to release Naruto from Orochimaru's control.
Orochimaru could not take that risk, not after finally finding a way in.
But more than than, Orochimaru was angry. Naruto was not Sasuke's equal. He was not a suitable companion for anything other than transactional sex. He was beneath them. And Sasuke needed to be reminded of that.
Naruto needed to be devalued.
-xXx-
Naruto and Sasuke walked out of Orochimaru's house in silence. Naruto was curious about what Sasuke might have said to the older man when he was gone, and hoped Sasuke had gotten the hint and not discussed anything further about the nature or extent of his injuries. They walked a few blocks over to a busier street where they had a better chance of catching a cab.
"Why didn't you want Orochimaru to know you'd been shot? It would make it much less likely that he would suspect you of taking out whoever he had following you that night," Sasuke asked, clearly thinking along the same lines.
"So you think he was lying about that?" Naruto asked, hoping to evade the question.
"Obviously. But he wasn't lying when he said he didn't want me hurt. I don't think he is behind the bomb. He could be behind your attack, though. But you didn't answer my question."
Naruto stuck his hand out to flag a taxi. Sasuke looked at him impatiently. Finally Naruto said, "I don't trust him. In my line of work, it's dangerous to let people know when you are not at your best."
A cab stopped, and they climbed in.
Sasuke thought about that for a moment, a portion of the anger he had felt when Naruto had sided with Orochimaru over him slipping away. "But you told me. You came to my home knowing I would likely find out about your injuries. You'd never have made it through that lunch."
Naruto shrugged. "Impaired judgment."
Sasuke smirked. "No. You trust me."
Naruto hummed noncommittally. "Trust is a very strong word. Let's not use that yet. Let's just say, I preferred your company to Orochimaru's that day."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. That was not a very high bar. "You trust me," he persisted.
Sasuke's phone went off, saving Naruto from having to respond. Sasuke glanced at the caller ID, and saw it was Suigetsu.
"Yes?"
"Sasuke," Suigetsu's voice came over the phone.
"What have you found?" Sasuke said, conscious of Naruto sitting in the cab next to him.
"Who the hell is this Uzumaki guy? What are you involved with?" Suigetsu said, his voice for once not joking but sounding worried.
"What did you find?" Sasuke repeated, not liking something about Suigetsu's tone
"This guy doesn't exist. He's never had a phone bill, electric bill, cable bill, apartment lease, social security number... he's never even had a fucking parking ticket. I don't know who the hell he is, but there is no Naruto Uzumaki. Apparently, he enrolled in high school with some copy of a Japanese birth certificate that no one thought to check the veracity of, but even Karin could have told you was a fake. When he was in his junior year, he got arrested for killing one of Nagato's bangers, before Naruto had joined Akatsuki. Some guy called Zetsu."
"Is that his first name or last name?"
"Its his only name. He's another guy who doesn't seem to exist. I'm digging into him more, but the only thing I know so far is that he was suspected in a bunch of murders. Jack-the-ripper style shit. I don't know how long he was with Akatsuki, or what his role was. He wasn't as core as the others, and seemed to come and go. The guy was crazy though. Multiple-personality disorder. I'm not surprised that Nagato didn't mind too much that Naruto killed him. The guy was a loose cannon."
Sasuke remembered the scars on Naruto's stomach. Jack-the-ripper style indeed. "Is there a chance it was self-defense?"
There was a brief silence. Then Suigetsu said, "I saw the medical examiner's photos, and the crime scene photos. I barely made it to the bathroom before I lost it. It wasn't self-defense. That guy was practically dissected. Looked like he was tortured. All the evidence connecting Naruto to it vanished. The homeless guy who witnessed it died of an over-dose, the physical evidence of the murder weapon with Naruto's prints disappeared, the computer system crashed and the reports were lost, and the cop who arrested him and interviewed the homeless guy was killed in a hit and run. Never went to trial. I can tell you this... your boyfriend is not a harmless little plaything. He was locked up when the cop and the homeless guy bought it, but there didn't seem to be any doubt about him being the one to slash Zetsu. Seriously, couldn't you find someplace safer to stick it?"
"Suigetsu," Sasuke said warningly. He wondered how the man had known about the sexual relationship between him and Naruto. But then he remembered that he had given the man orders to hack into the security cameras around his apartment building. He must have seen them walking in together. "Keep digging. I want the full background."
"I know, but it might take longer than we had originally expected, given that this guy has basically left no electronic trail. Oh, and one more thing," Suigetsu said.
"What?" Sasuke bit out.
"I'm not the only one who is messing around in the kid's files. They've all be modified recently. Looks like information has been changed and deleted. Some of it I was able to recover, but some of it I couldn't. Whoever did it was good. There was almost no trace. Sucks for them that I'm better."
Sasuke processed that, wondering what the hell was going on. "Just find out what the fuck is going on."
"Yes, boss," Suigetsu said sarcastically.
Sasuke fought the urge to look at Naruto, since it would be a dead giveaway that he had just been discussing him.
"Was that Itachi?" Naruto asked.
Of course... he probably figures I was talking about one of his cases.
"Hn," Sasuke said noncommittally. "We're going to meet him for lunch, then go up to Sing Sing together."
Sasuke caught the displeased look Naruto shot him. But he wasn't going to back down. He had a feeling that Naruto had other reasons for wanting to go alone. He didn't know what they were, but he wasn't letting the blond out of his sight until he had some answers.
Though he was still annoyed that Naruto had rejected the opportunity to get out from Orochimaru today. He didn't understand it. He knew that Naruto didn't like the older man. Wasn't loyal to him. So why had he refused to let Sasuke get him out of there? What did Orochimaru have over him?
And what was Orochimaru going to use Naruto for if he pulled him off protecting Sasuke and had the police handle it instead? Sasuke wasn't going to let that happen. He wasn't done with Naruto yet. And that was as far as he was willing to think about it.
-xXx-
to be continued...
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