In the evening.
A man in his forties sat at his desk, arms folded across his chest, eyes closed. The only sound that filled the room was his own breathing.
He reached for the cup of coffee on his desk, took a sip, and set it back down with indifference.
He then heard footsteps approaching his office. They stopped right outside the door. He could see the shadow of someone standing from the narrow gap beneath it.
A quiet knock.
"Come in," the man said coldly.
A few seconds later, a teenager—barely seventeen—entered the room. He had spiky black hair and sharp eyes with a hint of sorrow.
"What is it, Sasuke?"
The man addressed his son without turning fully to face him, his gaze only partially acknowledging the boy, who looked broken.
"Father, I'd like to ask you something," Sasuke said quietly, head bowed. He wasn't used to asking for anything.
"What is it?"
"I have a friend in trouble. He's been kidnapped for days, and we haven't been able to find him. I want you to help me look for him," Sasuke said, getting straight to the point.
Fugaku took another sip of coffee, leaned back in his chair, and looked at his son with narrowed eyes. "So, tell me—what do I gain from spending valuable resources searching for that boy?"
Sasuke looked up, eyes still red from crying. He clenched his fists and replied, "If you help me find my friend, I'll accept the mission that was supposed to be Itachi's."
Fugaku's eyes widened in shock. He stood abruptly, placing a hand on the desk. "A-Are you serious?"
"I am. I'll do it," Sasuke said firmly.
"I understand. When was his last known whereabouts?" Fugaku sat back down, pulled out his phone, and began making calls while gathering details from Sasuke.
Sasuke clenched his fists tighter and shut his eyes. What an idiot I am... making a deal with the devil to save the one who stole the girl I love. How pathetic.
He smiled bitterly, lips trembling, head hanging low.
---
In one of the rundown districts on the outskirts of Konoha—an area reeking of poverty and corruption, representing the city's dark underbelly—stood a small house with an oddly long corridor separating the front door from the living room.
This was one of the White Fang gang's hideouts.
In the central room, the Seven Swordsmen were gathered as usual. Zabuza sat silently in the corner with his eyes closed.
Jinin and Ringo were seated behind Mangetsu, who was focused intently on his computer. Suikazan and Kushimaru were drinking, while Jinpachi lay sprawled out, eyes closed, bored.
"Any new info, Mangetsu?" Jinpachi asked, annoyed.
"Not exactly... but I'm very close to pinpointing Naruto's location," Mangetsu replied, fingers racing across the keyboard as windows popped open on the screen. The speed of it all made Ringo and Jinin dizzy just watching.
"Kakuzu called earlier. He says we need to hurry. If no one wants to be the next sacrifice, I suggest you pick up the pace," Zabuza said coolly.
"Damn you! You're obviously planning to sacrifice one of us new members—Jinin, Mangetsu, or me!" Ringo shouted at him.
"That won't happen if we complete the mission, right?" Suikazan said calmly, still sipping his drink.
"You're calm because you're not the one being considered for the sacrifice," Jinin muttered with narrowed eyes.
"If we fail, just sacrifice Ringo. She's useless anyway," Mangetsu said flatly with a sigh.
"Screw you! Sacrifice yourself!" Ringo grabbed Mangetsu's hair and yanked it hard, causing him to shout, "Stop it! You'll rip it out!"
"Just because I'm the last to join—or a girl—doesn't mean I'm expendable! Do you know how hard it is keeping up with you monsters?! You heartless jerks!"
"Someone shut this wench up. Her shrieking's splitting my ears," Jinpachi groaned, plugging his ears.
"Why don't we sacrifice you, huh? You do nothing but sleep and complain!" Ringo shot back.
"Enough," Zabuza interrupted. "Just do your jobs. We'll talk sacrifices if we fail." He turned to Mangetsu and asked calmly, "Are you done?"
"Almost. I'll need you to check a few possible locations where the boy might be held. We'll split into four groups."
"Understood. Point me to the location with the highest probability. I'll go alone. The rest of you split into teams of two."
"Got it!"
Zabuza grabbed his massive blade and headed toward the corridor. "When do we move?"
"In sixteen hours."
"Understood. Be ready."
And with that, Zabuza had already left the hideout.
"Where's he headed now?"
"No idea. He always leaves around this time. Must have something to take care of."
---
Zabuza made his way through the city on foot to a three-story parking complex surrounded by malls and major company buildings. He entered through the back, approached a large vehicle, and hid his sword in a concealed compartment in the trunk.
He got in, started the engine, and drove for several kilometers until he reached a small clinic. He parked, stepped out, and walked toward the building.
As he entered, a man with long black hair—styled oddly—and wearing a pink nurse outfit greeted him.
"Welcome, sir."
"Didn't I tell you to stop wearing girl clothes, Haku?" Zabuza said coldly, walking toward the chair the man pointed at.
"That's rude! I can wear whatever I want. Besides, don't I look absolutely charming like this?" Haku pouted.
Zabuza looked away. "You say that like you're not twenty already."
In response, Haku pinched Zabuza's thigh hard, making the swordsman open his eyes in pain. "Damn it! Stop that or I'll kill you!"
"How crude. How can you say such things to someone as gentle as me?" Haku giggled, pinching even harder, forcing the terrifying swordsman to mumble an apology.
After some tests, Haku reviewed the results. "All your vitals are normal. No signs of disease. Blood pressure and sugar levels are fine. You really don't have to come here every day, Mr. Zabuza."
Zabuza remained silent, then stood and placed a wad of cash on the table. "Here's the usual."
"You're so stubborn," Haku sighed.
Zabuza didn't reply. He just left, muttering coldly, "I'll be back tomorrow."
"What a stubborn, complicated man... I've told him over and over there's no need to worry about me anymore. What's wrong with him?" Haku muttered, rubbing his head.
"What's it matter? Let him come every day and bring us more and more money!" a cheerful woman laughed as she stepped out from another room, holding a bottle of liquor, clearly drunk.
"Ma'am, I told you to stop drinking during work hours! What if someone comes in needing emergency care? Don't expect me to do everything alone!"
"Relax, I bet no one critical will show up anyway."
"You always lose your bets, ma'am!"
"Hah? I lose on purpose!"
"Yeah, yeah… just stop drinking. What if Jiraiya shows up and sees you like this? He'd take advantage of it!"
"Pfft! Jiraiya's a sweetheart! He'd never do that," she laughed, chugging more alcohol.
"That's only because you never remember what happens when you're drunk! Just a few days ago you brought in some random girl and now we have even more people to care for. That other guy's practically on his deathbed!"
"Don't worry! That brat's a friend of mine. And I'll keep that poor guy alive no matter what it takes!"
Haku smiled faintly. "If the Angel of Death says so, I have no choice but to believe it."
"Haha! That's right!"
---
At the same time, four girls were walking together—Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Karin.
"Did you guys hear Immoral Scarlet's new song? It dropped without warning and blew up! Over forty million views in under a week! She's going global!" Ino gushed.
"I heard it. It was so sad... like she's missing someone," Tenten mused.
"Come on, it's just an act. I doubt she's really singing about someone," Karin sighed.
"Maybe she is. Her voice sounded so broken yet beautiful. She's either heartbroken or a phenomenal actress!" Ino blushed in admiration.
"She's definitely going places. I heard Naruto and Kiba talk about her a lot. It's like they know her personally," Sakura added.
"Speaking of Naruto, didn't Sasuke say he'd do something about it? Isn't his uncle the head of the country's security?"
Ino hesitated. "Yeah... Sasuke told me his father is looking into it now."
Sakura lit up. "Really? That's great!"
"You were all gloomy just a minute ago, and now look at you," Tenten teased.
"I-I wasn't gloomy or anything!" Sakura turned away, cheeks red.
Ino was about to tease her further when her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, she smiled and answered, "Hello? Sasuke?"
The girls leaned in, trying to eavesdrop.
"Yes, I'm with the girls," Ino said, trying to shoo them away. She covered the mic and yelled, "Hey! Give me some space!"
Once alone, she sighed. "Yes? What? Really? You want me to tell Sakura? Got it."
She handed Sakura the phone. "Sasuke wants to talk to you."
"Ooh, love triangle," Karin and Tenten said in unison.
"It's not!" Ino snapped.
Sakura took the phone. "Sasuke?"
"Hey, Sakura. How are you?"
"I'm fine. What do you want?"
"It's about Naruto. My father found some leads, but the kidnapper's crafty. There's more than one hideout."
"So we'll need to split up to find Naruto before the guy moves him?"
"Exactly. Tell Kiba to try reaching out to Shino for help. I'll send the coordinates to Ino's phone."
"You know, you could've just texted me instead of going through Ino."
"I thought you'd be annoyed if I did. You haven't exactly enjoyed being around me lately."
"What kind of stupid thing is that to say, you idiot? I confessed to you a year ago and you rejected me."
"Huh?"
"Forget it. Don't get any weird ideas. You're still my friend, no matter what." She hung up.
"What did he want?"
"Just some investigation details. He said he'll send any updates to Ino. Let's be ready."
Karin and Tenten nodded. Ino remained silent.
The girls continued walking until they parted ways, leaving only Ino and Sakura.
"By the way... Sasuke said he gave something up so his father would help him," Ino said, eyes downcast.
"Gave something up? Why?"
"I don't know his circumstances... but he said he gave up his life."
Sakura gasped. "But he's still alive."
Ino looked worried. "I don't know what he meant, but I remembered something Sasuke once told me…"
"What was it?"
"Why Itachi fled the clan. Why he killed some of the country's influential people."
"Why would Sasuke tell you such a dangerous secret?"
"He sometimes tells me things just to unburden himself. Anyway, he said Itachi was assigned a mission—to expand Uchiha control outside the country. But he fled, and no one else could take the role."
Sakura's expression shifted to shock. "They were planning a coup?! If the president finds out, he'll destroy the Uchiha for treason!"
"Please, keep it secret! But if Sasuke's offering his life, doesn't that mean he's taking that mission in Itachi's place?!"
Sakura clenched her fists. "That's insane! Why go that far just to save Naruto?"
She knew the answer. Or maybe... she'd simply ignored it. Just a foolish woman in that moment.
He couldn't have done it just because I told him to do anything to save Naruto... right? she thought, biting her lip. He wouldn't do that. He doesn't even love me…
She forced a smile. "Maybe it's his way of apologizing to Naruto. Or maybe… it's what he truly wants."
Ino said nothing. She was about to speak when her phone buzzed again.
Three location pins appeared.
"Let's drop it for now. Time to get Naruto back!"
"You're right!"
---
To be continued.