FicWad

Chapter 1

Chicken Butt, the Pirate and the Chimney

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"...apparently, the killer suffocated Hiashi-san and then closed his mouth and eyes so it would appear that he was sleeping," the family doctor finished his explanation. "There's no strangulation mark, so my guess is the killer used one of the pillows here. Had that young Nara-sensei not opened Hiashi-san's eyes and noticed the hemorrhaging there, no one would have suspected foul play until I eventually got here."

The three Police Detectives listened to what had happened that morning while scanning their surrounding. The room was, to put it simply, green. Different shades of soothing green from the walls, chair cushions and sheets contrasted beautifully with the lacquered wooden furniture. The carvings were elegant although not too elaborate, depicting leaves and ivy, all matched from the chairs and desk to the cabinets and bed. Even the door and window frames were carved in the same theme.

As they looked at the body and bedding, they noticed there was no sign of struggle so it was most likely that the victim was attacked in his sleep.

Uchiha Sasuke glared at nothing as he thought of what he was dealing with. He was the youngest of the three, in the first case he was assigned as the lead, and it just had to be a mansion murder. He and his partner Hatake Kakashi had a very high success rate, but he didn't know if they would have enough time to interview that many people and process that many spaces. Even with the extra help of Sarutobi Asuma, who was known to have cracked a mansion murder case several years ago, this would be painstaking.

He grumbled more than said, "What about the time of death?"

"From rigor mortis and liver temperature, I'd say... around three in the morning."

"How soon can you do a complete autopsy?"

"As soon as I can get the body to the morgue," he answered before turning to the new Head of the House. "That is, if Neji gave his consent."

The young Hyuuga nodded. "You have this family's permission to do whatever it takes, Kakuzu-sensei. I want to know who did this."

"We're going to have to turn this mansion upside down, Hyuuga-san," Sasuke said to his host. "As you've said so yourself, this mansion has very good security. It's certain that the murderer is someone from the inside. No one should be allowed to leave before we find out who it is."

Neji sighed, "Well, it would be hard to explain to the guests, but I'll see to it."

"Good. This room is a crime scene so no one is to enter. My associates and I will use the anteroom to coordinate. Also, if you don't mind, it would be best if we stay here in this mansion during the course of our investigation."

"I'll have the house staff prepare your rooms," Neji said sternly before going for the door. "Now if all of you will excuse me, I need to address the whole mansion about the situation."

"I also need to excuse myself," the doctor said as he covered the body. "The car from the morgue will arrive soon, and I best wait in the Fire Room."

Sasuke glanced at him. "The Fire Room?"

"It's a sitting room they use to receive guests, the first and only door in the Entrance Hall. I'm sure you've noticed it when you got here."

The three detectives gave each other looks and Kakuzu chuckled, "Nearly all the rooms in this mansion has different names and are decorated accordingly. Hiashi-san had quite a daring taste."

"I see," mulled the Uchiha out loud. "And this room? This is the main bedroom, right? What's it called?"

"The Leaf Room, obviously."

The detectives watched as the doctor went out and closed the door. Once they were alone, Sasuke turned to his two seniors. "Well, you two are unusually quiet today."

"We were waiting for your orders, sir," Kakashi said with a smirk.

Sasuke promptly glared at him. "Stop that. Asuma, what do you think?"

The big man pulled out a cigarette box and lighter. "I think this is only the beginning. More bodies will turn up if we don't hurry."

"Put that away, you damn chimney. I don't see any ashtray in the room," Kakashi said while walking around the room to decide where to start looking for clues. Asuma rolled his eyes but put his cigarettes and lighter back in his pocket.

"You think this is the work of a serial killer?" Sasuke asked with a scowl.

"No," Asuma sighed. "I think this is done by someone with a real motive. However, from that case I solved and the ones I studied afterwards, there's always more to follow. Usually it's some poor schmuck who had seen or heard something they shouldn't. And usually, they didn't even know it."

"We should hurry then," the Uchiha groused. He was starting to get edgy and they hadn't even begun yet. "We'll spread out, sniff around and interview anyone we encountered. Asuma, you take the gardens and the parts of the mansion west of the Great Hall, I'll take care of the rest. Kakashi, after you're finished with this room, I trust you to do your own thing. Do some background checking while you're at it."

Kakashi gave a mock salute. "Roger!"

Sasuke glared and growled at them before he walked out and practically slammed the door behind him, leaving the older detectives staring at said door.

"What's eating him?" Asuma asked while scratching his beard out of habit.

Kakashi just chuckled, "Chicken Butt's in a bad mood."

"I heard that," came the all-too-familiar growl from outside.

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"Is something wrong, Detective?" Neji said as he saw Sasuke in the hallway, noting the sour look on the Detective's face as the man got out of the Leaf Anteroom.

"Hn. What are you doing here?"

"I was about to tell you that I've informed all the guests and house staff about the situation. They're all willing to cooperate. Oh, and this is a copy of the master key you asked for earlier. I hope it could help with the investigation."

"Good. Wait here," Sasuke said before he went inside to give the key to Kakashi and came back out. "Is there a place I can talk to you privately?"

Neji nodded. "Of course. Please, this way."

The young Hyuuga took his latest guest across the hall and in to a small sitting area that looked to be another anteroom. Sasuke looked around, trying to understand the theme surrounding him. The color scheme was blue and white, and it used ironworks in decoration and window frames. The wooden furniture was of light color and the carving looked more symbolical rather than depicting something as it was, long lines curving in an infrequent pattern, ending with smaller curves at the base. The ironworks of the window frame were also of the same theme, looking like two waterfalls flowing to the center.

"What do you call this room?" he asked once they were comfortably seated.

"This is the Waterfall Anteroom," answered Neji before gesturing toward a door. "That door leads to the Waterfall Room; my bedroom."

Sasuke just grunted.

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

"I need to ask you some questions."

"What do you need to know?"

"Do you know of anyone who would want your father dead?"

"No. Otousan was very good man. No one would want to hurt him."

"Would you want him dead?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's common to list immediate family members as prime suspects, especially in cases like this where the victim left a fortune for his family to inherit."

Neji stared at the other man in shock. "How could you think such a thing? He was my father! This is insane. You think a person could kill their own family?"

Sasuke's face darkened. "It's not as unbelievable as you may think."

"You may think what you want, but I love my father. And everyone in my family, for that matter. I could never do such a thing."

"Where were you at three o'clock this morning? And please just answer, this is merely standard procedure."

The new Head of the House glared at the Detective as he answered, "I was in my room, sleeping. Like everybody else in this mansion, I imagine."

"You told me earlier that both the door to the Leaf Anteroom and Leaf Room weren't locked. Is that something you people do here in this mansion, sleeping with unlocked doors?"

"No. No one does that, but Otousan would whenever he retires for the night before Kurenai-san does. Even when he knew that Kurenai-san would most likely be sleeping with Kenji in the Rain Room."

"And this Kurenai would be...?"

"Otousan's second wife. They got married about six years ago and Kurenai-san gave birth to Kenji, my younger brother, soon after."

"Okay then," Sasuke sighed. "Why don't you tell me about last night. Do you notice anything strange at the party?"

Neji told Sasuke everything he could remember from last night, especially Shikamaru's appearance and how his father talked to their family lawyer, Maito Gai. The detective listened intently, taking notes here and there.

"So you've never met this Nara Shikamaru?"

"No."

"Yet you let him enter the main bedroom- I'm sorry, the Leaf Room, and see to your father with you?"

"I never doubt Otousan. If he said Shikamaru is family, than the man is family."

"If he's family, how come he wasn't invited to the party?"

"I don't know. I was planning to ask Otousan about it this morning, but..."

"Hn," Sasuke went contemplative before moving on. "Do you know what time your father retired to his room?"

"Yes. He entered the Leaf Anteroom at the same time I went in here... about two in the morning. It was after the last guest had left."

"Did he say or do anything that indicated something was wrong?"

"No. I asked for his time as we walked up the Grand Staircase, saying that I have some questions. He said he was too tired and he was going to tell me everything tomorrow- that is, today. Other than those things that I've told you happened in the party, he didn't act any different than usual."

"Okay then," the young detective sighed. "I have no more questions for you for the time being, but could you make me I a list of everyone in this mansion including the guests who are staying, who they are, and their corresponding rooms? That would help us a great deal. Oh, and last night's guest list could also come in handy."

"Fine. I'll have it ready within the hour. Oh, and will you please refrain from questioning Kurenai-san and Hinata for now? They're in shock and in need of some rest."

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"It was really strange, sir. Usually one of the staff would greet a guest at the door, mostly the Majordomo. But this Nara-san, well, Hiashi-sama wanted to welcome him at the door personally. So this man entered the Front Vestibule, I took his coat, and then he had a conversation with Hiashi-sama."

Asuma took a deep drag of his cigarette. It was his third, he noted. He had finished two while listening to Jiraiya's tale of what happened this morning and last night, after stumbling upon the distressed servant in the Great Hall. And of course, as predicted, the man said he was asleep in his room at the time of the murder. "And you've never seen this Nara Shikamaru before?"

"No, sir," the old Butler answered. "I have no idea who he is and he didn't even have an invitation, but Hiashi-sama spoke to him like they've known each other for years. Why, he even told me to have the staff ready the Cloud Room for this person."

"What's so special about this Cloud Room?"

"It wasn't meant for a guest, sir. Except for the Wood Room, which is the library by the way, the whole east wing of the second floor is for family. The northern side of it has three rooms, all of which has an anteroom. The Leaf Room is for the Head and Madam of the House. The oldest son, Neji-dono, is in the Waterfall Room. Kenji-dono, the youngest son, is in the Rain Room next to it. Oh, and there's the Earth Room, Hiashi-sama's study."

"And this Cloud Room you were talking about?"

"That's next to the second floor bathroom, the one next to the Wood Room. It's right before the Moon Room that Hinata-dono's using, and after that is the Star Room, which is Hanabi-dono's room. So you see, sir? It's strange that Hiashi-sama gave this Nara-san the Cloud Room when we still have plenty rooms in the Guest Wing."

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Kakashi frowned as he rummaged around the room. The body had been taken by the people from the city morgue. He had looked at every decoration, from the small picture of husband and wife on the fireplace to the large painting of a tree above it. He had practically drowned himself in the myriads of clothing in the walk-in closet. The frown, however, didn't come until he looked at the dressing table. Nothing was strange on it, no. But he was already feeling victorious when he found that the lock to its drawer had been broken, only to be puzzled when he saw all the jewelry boxes -- and the precious jewelry inside them -- were intact.

The drawers of the small writing table near the window suffered the same fate. None of them were locked as they should've been and they were obviously forced open. He could see that the contents of those drawers had been tampered with. The stationeries and knickknacks were scattered throughout the inside of the drawers, and Hyuuga Hiashi didn't strike him as a disorganized person. Hell, the man took the trouble to give the many rooms in his mansion themes and went all the way as to order handcrafted furniture from France. But still, he had no idea if there was anything missing since he didn't know what was supposed to be there in the first place.

Only one thing was clear: Although the drawers were forced open, this wasn't a robbery. The murderer was looking for something specific. And unless they could find out what it was, they had little chance of solving this case. To make things worse, Kakashi had a bad feeling that the perpetrator hadn't found what he was looking for, which meant there was a good chance he will strike again.

The one-eyed Detective decided that there wasn't anything else he could check in the room and went out to the anteroom. Again, he looked at every corner of the room, from the chairs and table to under the cabinets. None of the cabinets' doors and drawers had a lock, but once he opened them one by one, again he could see that someone had rummaged around their insides.

Anteroom done, Kakashi went to the door connecting the Leaf Anteroom to the study. He had to use the master key to enter, and couldn't help but wonder what the room was called once he saw the decoration. After spending that much time in green surroundings, he felt a bit refreshed to enter a brown space.

Yes, brown. The whole room was colored in different shades of brown. Dark brown carpet, lighter wooden color of the furniture, another shade of brown between the two came from the chair cushions and curtains, and the walls were even lighter brown. The furniture's carving pattern matched the carpet and curtain, and he wondered how much money it had taken to decorate this room alone.

There were two bookshelves; one filled with books about business and machinery, the other about travel and transportation. The two credenzas in the room were locked, but Kakashi imagined they were filled with Hiashi's business files, plans and ledgers. The drawers of the desk were also locked. It looked like the killer couldn't get in to this room last night.

No wonder the drawers in the Leaf Room were opened by force, the silvery-haired man thought. Apparently, the perpetrator couldn't pick locks. Forcing a door open would cause too much noise so he -- or she -- left without even trying.

Kakashi sat on the big armchair behind the desk and think. Where would Hyuuga Hiashi keep the keys to his desk drawers? He looked around the room vacantly, and then he scanned the things on the desk in front of him. His eye stopped at a lamp on the desk.

Hm...

He lifted it a bit and... bingo! There was a small key underneath the lamp.

The detective took the key and tried to open one of the drawers. It opened to reveal papers that seemed to be documents and contracts Hiashi was working on. Thinking that he'd get to them later, he used the key to open the other drawer and smirked when it turned out the two drawers used the same key. In this drawer, he found nothing of interest but a small box made of rosewood. However, he couldn't open it and he couldn't find a lock either.

A bright smile came to his face as he realized that this was one of those rare jewelry boxes that used a puzzle as a lock mechanism. With childlike glee, Kakashi hunched over the desk and started to try to solve the puzzle.

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Sasuke and Hanabi sat in the Leaf Anteroom. They had stumbled upon each other in the hallway right after the Uchiha got out of the Waterfall Anteroom, and he took the chance to interview the eighteen-year-old.

Just like Neji, the youngest Lady Hyuuga was sleeping in her room at the time of her father's murder. Unlike her older brother, however, Hanabi was detached and answered his questions without emotional outbursts. It didn't take long before Sasuke asked her to tell him about the party last night, but there wasn't any other useful information.

"So you didn't notice anything strange or out of place, Hanabi-san?"

"No. The only strange thing that happened in that party was the way Otousan talked to Gai-san."

"Gai," Sasuke repeated the name. "That's the family lawyer, right?"

"Yes. They talked seriously for quite a while. It's not like Otousan to do such a thing in the middle of a function instead of waiting until office hours the day after. The matter must be pretty urgent."

"Do you have any idea at all what they were talking about?"

"No."

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Asuma was rummaging about the Dining Hall when he met a blond, middle-aged maid. After standard introduction and pleasantries, he interviewed her right away. Just like he thought, the woman was sleeping in her room at the time of the murder. After listening to her account of last night's party, he tried to probe for more.

"As the Majordomo, you must know everything about the family and this mansion."

"Of course, sir."

"Do you know of anyone who might want to harm Hyuuga Hiashi?"

Tsunade shifted on her seat uncomfortably.

"Please tell me what you know, ma'am. It would be the best thing to do."

"Well, Hiashi-sama fired Orochimaru yesterday morning."

"Orochimaru?"

"The Head Cook... Well, not anymore. Now the Head Cook of this mansion is Akimichi Chouji. He's very young, but his cooking actually tastes better than Orochimaru's."

"Why was Orochimaru fired?"

"Oh, it was awful. He was stealing from this house."

"Really? Tell me what happened."

"I discovered that we didn't have enough wine for the party and informed Kurenai-dono."

Asuma's cigarette fell to his lap and Tsunade watched as the man slapped his thigh furiously.

"I'm sorry," he said after regaining his composure. "Can you repeat that?"

"We didn't have enough wine and I informed Kurenai-dono."

"Right, the wine... Uh... Kurenai?"

"Hyuuga Kurenai, the Lady of the House. She is Hiashi-sama's second wife, and mother to the youngest son, Kenji-dono."

"Oh... okay. You were saying about the wine?"

"Kurenai-dono knew that her calculations couldn't be wrong. So I checked the cellar and compare it to her notes. It didn't fit. You see, unlike sake that we can buy regularly, Hiashi-sama could only import wine from Europe every ten months or so. Kurenai-dono wouldn't dare make such a mistake. Orochimaru was the one in charge of the cellar so I asked him about it while Jiraiya talked to the staff. Orochimaru told me he knew nothing of it but, apparently, some of the staff had seen Orochimaru taking out a large number of wine bottles outside the mansion. They thought nothing of it, assuming it was instructed by the family."

"So he was stealing them?"

"Yes. Jiraiya and I reported this to Kurenai-dono, who then told Hiashi-sama. Orochimaru was fired after finally confessing that he had been selling wine to some people at the market."

"I suppose he didn't take it too well."

"Very much so. He even dared to shout at Hiashi-sama. The nerve!"

"Where is Orochimaru now?"

"He's still here, sir. Hiashi-sama was kind enough to give him time to clear up his room before leaving. He was supposed to leave today, but after what happened this morning, we were told that no one is to leave the mansion."

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Kakashi was ready to just shoot the box open with his gun, his thumbs sore from sliding one small part of the box's ornaments after the other, when he slid something and heard a click. He looked at the box with a sour expression as it opened automatically.

Sighing, he examined its contents and started wondering. The box was filled with jewelry, mostly pearls and jades. Whose were these? He pondered. If these belonged to Hiashi's wife or mother, why weren't they kept in the dressing table drawer with the rest of the jewelry collection?

The Detective searched through the jewelry and found a wedding ring. He remembered then that the current Lady of the House was Hiashi's second wife. These items must belong to Hiashi's first wife. He didn't know much about the Hyuuga Family but, from what he was seeing, it was obvious that this House lost its first Madam when she passed away, not because of a divorce or other forms of separation.

After taking the time to examine the numerous jewelry one by one, from the necklaces and bracelets to the earrings and brooches to the rings and hair accessories, Kakashi found the jackpot. There, at the bottom of the little box, was a very small key with a leaf ornament. He didn't know what it opens but, from the miniscule ornament, he was sure that the lock was somewhere in the Leaf Room or Anteroom.

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Sasuke was walking on the second floor landing when he saw a man and a woman that looked to be in their mid forties. He went to them and introduced himself before asking for their time for questioning. They turned out to be Ebisu and Suzume, husband and wife, and they were staying at the Grass Room. He praised his luck when the couple was willing to cooperate and invited him to their room so they could talk in private.

"So," the young Detective started. They were sitting comfortably around a small table. "Where are you from and what is your relation to the Hyuuga family?"

Ebisu cleared his throat. "We're from Osaka. I'm the owner of Godansha Publishing. We import educational books from Europe, and translations, too. Our company has been partners with Hyuuga Logistics for quite some time, and our relation is very good."

"Oh, yes," Suzume chimed in. "We're invited here to the mansion all the time."

Sasuke's eyes twitched in annoyance, and he couldn't tell if it was because the clash of light green and paste yellow in the room or the woman's all-too-cheerful attitude. "Where were you at the time of the murder, about three this morning?"

"Why, we were here, sleeping," the wife answered in a chipper tone. "Last night's celebration was quite an event. We didn't realize how tired we were until we reached our room and got ready for bed."

"What can you tell me about this family, from your point of view? Who do you think would want to kill Hyuuga Hiashi?"

The husband was about to say something, but the wife beat him to the punch with gusto. "Well, I wouldn't know much, but if anybody's after Hiashi-san, it must be the Madam."

"Why is that?"

"She's a second wife, didn't you know? She's very beautiful yet she married a man old enough to be her father! Obviously she's only after his money. Maybe she got impatient and decided to speed things up."

"Right," Sasuke deadpanned. "Ebisu-san, what do you think?"

"Well, I think-"

"As a the Lady of the House she's very strange," Suzume butted in. "I've come here often while accompanying my husband, but I very rarely meet her. She's always unwell and resting in her son's room. Isn't that strange for someone so young?"

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Opening the door connecting the Dining Hall to the Butler's Pantry, Asuma found a housemaid who was busy wiping tabletops. After a quick introduction, he went straight to questioning.

"Where were you at three o'clock this morning, Anko-san?"

The young woman scowled. "In the Female Staff Room, of course, sleeping like a log. If you're suspecting me to be the culprit, sir, let me assure you that you're pointing at the wrong direction. You should be suspecting the Madam."

"The Madam, eh?" the big Detective asked while lighting up a cigarette. He needed the stress relief. "Why the Madam?"

"Isn't it obvious?" spat Anko. "When Hiashi-sama took her home as this young, beautiful bride, we knew she was bad news right away. She's very suspicious."

"What do you mean? Does she treat the staff poorly or do suspicious things?"

"No, but she hardly ever talk to anyone and always keeps to herself, even when there are guests here."

"So she shirks off her responsibilities as Lady of the House?"

The maid bit her lip. "Well, not really. She takes care of all her responsibilities, but she does it without ever coming down to meet us. Sure, the Majordomo is to come to the Madam when it's time to discuss the monthly provisions and allowance, especially when they have to talk about hiring a new staff or raising our stipend. But with Kurenai-dono, everything else is also done like that."

"Can you explain?"

"Instead of coming down here to instruct the staff about the day's menu and schedule, she has Tsunade-san come up to her every morning."

"Ah, I see," Asuma said before taking a deep drag of his cigarette. "Do you know of any explanation at all for that behavior?"

"We were told that she's a sickly woman. The family doctor does check on her very often. But if you ask me, sir, I think that's just an excuse. She's hiding something. I'm sure of it."

"Why are you so sure? Have you seen or heard something suspicious from her?"

"Uh... no," said the young woman uncomfortably before she looked up again with fire in her eyes. "But it's so /obvious/, sir. So much so that even a simple maid like me can see it. She only married Hiashi-sama for the money. Why else would a stunning lady like Kurenai-dono choose a widower whose oldest son is no more than four years younger than her? Besides, after Kenji-dono was born, she sleeps in the Rain Room with her son more often than in the Leaf Room with her husband. That's not something a loving wife would do, sir."

"Interesting," the Detective pondered out loud while stroking his beard "Did Hiashi take some sort of action, maybe threatening to divorce her or take her out of the will?"

Anko sighed sadly, "No, sir. I'm afraid Hiashi-sama loved her very dearly and just let her be."

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Behind paintings and portraits, under the bed and cabinets, all over the walls... Kakashi had been touching and examining everything his eye could see in both the Leaf Room and Anteroom, but he still couldn't find the lock for that small key he found in the study. He moved books and decoration items, he examined drawer bottoms, he flipped the mattress for anything hidden under it, he was practically tearing the room down yet the lock he was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

Frustrated and somewhat feeling he was wasting his time, the Detective decided leave it for now and discuss it with his associates before going back to it. With that thought, he left the room and was about to go down the stairs when he heard voices from a room near him.

Kakashi opened the door and peered inside, only to have his vision assaulted with rows of tall bookshelves made of teak. In fact, everything in that room was made of teak, from the reading tables and chairs to the window panels and flooring. The carving looked like a beautified version of wood texture, right down to the frame of all the paintings on the wall.

He knew he was in the mansion's library, so he went further inside with every intention to explore. However, a few steps in to the room, a gleeful squeal stopped him in his tracks.

"Wow! A real pirate!"

"Kenji, what are you doing? Get back here and finish your writing."

"But Iruka-sensei, there's a pirate."

"What are you talking about? I don't see any- oh... hello."

Kakashi smiled. "Hello. Are you the boy's tutor?"

Iruka tried to return the smile while holding back the five-year-old from pouncing the police detective. "Yes, I'm Umino Iruka. Are you one of the police detectives?"

"Yes, I'm Hatake Kakashi, a pleasure to meet you, Iruka-sensei."

"Likewise, Kakashi-san. What are you doing in the Wood Room?"

"The what room?"

"Wood Room!" Kenji squealed from behind his sensei. "We keep books here! Lots of them!"

"Kenji," Iruka reprimanded. "Mind your manners-"

"Where did you get that eye patch? Are you a real pirate? What happened to your eye? Your scar is so long... does it hurt?"

"Kenji!"

"It's okay, Sensei," Kakashi chuckled. "This eye patch was a gift from a friend. I'm not a pirate, I'm a police detective. A bad man killed my left eye and no, my scar doesn't hurt anymore."

The boy gaped. "Wow..."

"That's enough, young man," Iruka scolded. "You go back to that desk right now or I will punish you."

"Yes, Sensei," Kenji grumbled as he did what he was told.

Kakashi looked at Iruka. "He doesn't know, does he?"

The teacher sighed. "No, he doesn't. His mother still don't know how to tell him and she figured it would be better if we act as if nothing had happened around him, at least until things settle down and we could have a funeral. Neji agreed to that."

"That's probably for the best," the Detective concurred. "I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei, but could you give me some of your time? I need to ask you a few questions."

"Of course," answered the sensei with an understanding look. "I'll be happy to help the investigation. But I can't just cut short Kenji's lesson time. Maybe we can talk after lunch?"

"After lunch is fine. Can you suggest a place where we can talk in private?"

"We can talk in my room. It's the Sound Room, last door to your left in the annex."

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"Excuse me," Sasuke said as he opened the door and noticed that someone was there. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

The tall, dark man sitting on the sofa merely nodded while drinking from a cup of tea and a young servant that was standing near just glanced at him. The young Detective walked in while taking in the view. He had just come down from the second floor and crossed the Great Hall to the door he just opened. Apparently, he was in the mansion's sun room, as indicated by its glass roof. The walls facing outside were also made of glass. Several long metals curved along them, acting as glass panels while decorating them at the same time. The room was given a blue hue, several shades of them blending naturally, the white wooden parts of the furniture giving a nice accent to the whole scheme. The whole room matched perfectly with the garden outside, which had water fountains made of river stones.

"I'm Police Detective Uchiha Sasuke," he said while taking a seat in front of the man he decided was next to interview. "I'm investigating the murder of Hyuuga Hiashi."

"I'm Momochi Zabuza," answered a deep voice. "I'm a guest here, invited for the party last night. I head the Hyuuga Logistics' Yokohama Office. Would you like some tea? Haku here can go to the kitchen and tell the staff to bring us more tea."

"No, thank you," Sasuke responded before turning his attention to the butler. "Haku, right? Are you a servant here?"

To the Detective's surprise, it was Zabuza who answered sternly, "Haku is my personal servant and valet. He serves only me, and I never go anywhere without him."

Jotting down the strange reaction as a mental note, Sasuke went straight to business. "Alright then, I need to ask you and your valet a few questions, Zabuza-san."

Zabuza nodded. "Please do. The sooner the murderer is caught, the sooner I can go home and back to work."

"Where were you at around three this morning?"

"The Mist Room," Zabuza said casually. "I was sleeping, obviously. Haku was sleeping in the Mist Anteroom."

"Mist Room, huh?" Sasuke sighed. This mansion was starting to give him a headache.

"Yes. It's in the annex, first door to your right."

"And this room?" asked the Detective, refering to the room they were in. "What's it called?"

Zabuza chuckled. "Water Room. I was told that this was the first Madam's favorite room, and was made to view the South Garden over there. I must say she had a good taste."

"You don't seem to be affected at all by what happened."

"That's because I'm not. I knew something like this would happen eventually."

"How so?"

"Come now, Detective," said the older man with a smirk. "People like Hyuuga Hiashi and dark pasts are like flowers and bees. Where one exists, the other follows."

"You think Hiashi had a dark past? Or better yet, you know of this dark past?"

"Not for sure, no. All I know is that not long after the war, when our country was practically broke, he was somehow wealthy enough to build a company and a grand mansion."

"The Hyuuga has always been a rich family."

"Are they?" Zabuza snorted. "Like most old money families, the Hyuugas turned their assets into investments to survive the modern era, buying shares and live off the profits. Tell me, Detective, what happened to Japan's stock market during and after the war?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. Everyone knew how hard things were during those times, especially businesses. Their country was struggling to make ends meet, and the stock market was practically dead. Many companies and noble families declared bankruptcy, their wealth being nothing more but worthless papers.

"Yes, it was a harsh time, wasn't it?" the dark man continued. "However, it wasn't all that bad for the House of Hyuuga. The twins, Hiashi and Hizashi, had enough in their pockets to put together Hyuuga Logistics and, having next to no competition, it grew rapidly. Such facts tend to make people wonder, don't you think?"

"I would say so, yes."

"I'm not accusing anyone of anything. But really, Detective, have you seen the rooms in this mansion? Do you know that the construction started before Hyuuga Logistics was fully established? Now, I don't know about you, but as a businessman I can say that turning an old, decrepit estate in to..." Zabuza took a moment to gesture their surrounding, "this/, importing customized furniture and décor from France, at the same time you were building a new company from scratch, would require a real life money tree. After all, that much money couldn't have come from any... /normal sources."

"So you suspect Hyuuga Hiashi of being dirty, at least in the past?"

Zabuza shrugged. "Like I said, I'm not accusing anyone of anything."

-----------------------------------------

"So you're the Head Cook?"

"Yes, sir," Chouji answered shyly. "But I'm new though, so I don't know much of anything."

Asuma looked around and whistled. A kitchen as large and elaborate as this one made for a huge responsibility, especially for someone so young. "How long have you been working here?"

"Oh, I was born here. My father is the Head Chauffeur, but I like cooking better. My mother taught me how to cook and look after the kitchen, wine cellar and food storeroom. She was the Head Cook before she died and Orochimaru-san replaced her."

"What can you tell me about Orochimaru? He was fired, yes?"

"Yes. But he stole from this house, sir. That's a very bad thing to do."

"What do you know about that event?"

"Almost nothing," the chubby young man answered glumly. "I never really paid any attention to anything, especially when I'm cooking. Yesterday I suddenly became the Head Cook, and I didn't even know what was going on. Personally, I think they should've made Kabuto-san the new Head Cook. He's older than me, and he was Orochimaru-san's apprentice so his cooking must be better than mine."

The big and tall Detective chuckled. "Funny, I was told your cooking tastes better than even Orochimaru."

Chouji gaped. "Really?!"

"Yeah, kid. Have more confidence. Now, do you know of anyone other than Orochimaru that would've killed Hyuuga Hiashi?"

"No, not really. Hiashi-sama is very stern, but he's also very kind. I really can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt him or his family."

"That's because you barely have any imagination," a new voice added.

Chouji shifted on his feet uncomfortably as Asuma snapped his attention to the person who just spoke out of turn. It was another cook who looked a bit older than Chouji, and the man was wearing spectacles. "And you are...?"

"How do you do, Detective? I'm Yakushi Kabuto, one of this mansion's kitchen staff."

"I best leave you to talk," Chouji said as he moved away. "Gentlemen."

"Kabuto-san," Asuma greeted the other cook. "You were Orochimaru's apprentice, yes?"

"I was, yes. But as you might have been told, Shishou was fired yesterday."

"Yes, I've heard. So tell me, who do you imagine would want to kill Hiashi?"

"Many people, sir, though I can't name any of them. Hiashi-sama was a prominent entrepreneur. He must have had plenty of rivals or employees with a grudge."

"Are you one of those people, Kabuto-san?"

"I... disagree with some of his policies, but I would never harm him. That would mean loosing my employer, and jobs don't come easy these days."

"I see. But what do you mean, 'disagree with some of his policies'?"

Kabuto sighed. "Shishou is a very... innovative chef. He likes to experiment and come up with new creations. Seeing this mansion, I'm sure that was the main reason Hiashi-sama hired him in the first place. Unlike Chouji who pours his heart and soul to his cooking, Shishou cooks with logic and calculations. I'm also such a chef and Hiashi-sama knew it, yet he appointed Chouji as the new Head Cook."

"Ah... I understand. Do you also disagree with Orochimaru's discharge?"

"In a way, I suppose," answered the cook with another sigh. "I agree that what he did was wrong, but I don't think he deserved to be fired. Our stipend isn't big. Although the House makes up for it by giving us a comfortable life in a grand mansion, complete with the services of the family doctor and lawyer, we can't really shop much for ourselves. I can't blame Orochimaru-sensei for wanting a bit more."

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Chattering in soft voices greeted Kakashi when he stepped out of the Wood Room. It came from two maids standing by the second floor landing's railing. They hadn't noticed him, and their conversation turned out to be interesting. He watched as the two girls bickered with hush voices.

"I don't understand, Sakura. You're very loyal to Hinata-dono, but you're going to tell the police about her secret? How could you?"

"But Ino... All I want is Hinata-dono to be safe. I know that he's our friend and he makes her happy- that's why I never told anyone. But what if... what if he really did kill Hiashi-sama? I can't let Hinata-dono be with a murderer."

"We don't know that. What you're going to do will only ruin Hinata-dono's reputation. Moreover, the Hyuuga family will have a scandal. We can't let that happen."

"Uhm... well... I'm sure we can ask the police to keep it secret. Besides, just like you said, we don't know if he's really the killer. At least this way the police can check up on things and if it turned out it wasn't him, we'll know for sure."

"Come on, Sakura. We've known him since we were kids. We both know he can't hurt a fly. And what do you think Hinata-dono will say if she found out about this?"

"Yes, but he was so angry that day. And yes, I'm sure Hinata-dono will hate me for this, but in time she'll understand that I'm only doing this for her sake."

"But-"

"Excuse me," Kakashi butted in and the two maids jumped. "I'm Hatake Kakashi, one of the police detectives investigating Hiashi's murder. I have some questions for you, starting with your names and what you do in this household."

"Oh, of course, sir. I'm Haruno Sakura, Hinata-dono's Maid-in-Waiting."

"I'm Yamanaka Ino, sir, Hanabi-dono's Maid-in-Waiting."

"Okay, Sakura-san and Ino-san. I think you should go ahead and tell me about this person you think might have killed Hyuuga Hiashi."

The two Lady in Waiting looked at each other anxiously before Sakura finally said, "Alright, sir. But please swear that you'll only use what I'm about to tell you to help with investigation and won't let this get out of the mansion."

Kakashi nodded. "You have my word."

Sakura took a deep breath before starting her story. "This happened a few days ago, sir. Hinata-dono has been involved with Kiba, who takes care of the dogs and horses, for sometime. Of course, they had to keep it a secret in fear of Hiashi-sama's reaction towards their relationship."

"Ah, I see," Kakashi said with an understanding tone. This was starting to sound like a romance novel. "And a few a days ago, Hiashi found out?"

"Yes, sir," Sakura sighed regretfully. "He caught them together in the stables."

Kakashi cringed. "That couldn't have gone well."

"It was /horrible/. I was running towards the stable to warn them about what I just heard; that Hiashi-sama had had a sudden urge to ride and was on his way there. But I was too late. I was near the door when Hinata-dono came out running in tears, and I could hear Hiashi-sama and Kiba yelling."

"Did you hear what they were saying?"

"Not too clearly, but I heard Hiashi-sama threatened to fire Kiba if he was ever found near Hinata-dono again and Kiba yelled about proving something. I didn't catch much because I was more worried about Hinata-dono and ran after her without much thought."

"Please, sir," Ino suddenly chimed in with a pleading look. "Kiba might be loud and brash, but he's a very good person. Even the animals love him. And he loves Hinata-dono so much he wouldn't have done anything that could hurt her, no matter how angry he was."

-----------------------------------------

"So all of you were sleeping in your respective rooms?"

"Yes," answered Temari while sinking the eight ball. "Me in the Stone Room and my brothers in the Sand Room next to it."

"Where are those?" Sasuke asked as he took in his surrounding once again. The woman he was interviewing had told him that the room was called the Wind Room, and both she and her younger brothers had told him who they were earlier.

"It's in the annex, first and second door to your left," answered Kankurou, grinning at the fact that Temari just scratched.

"Hn," grunted the Detective as he eyed the youngest of the three. Gaara was quiet through out their conversation, only nodding when his sister said his name by way of introduction. Even now, as the questioning began, the man kept to himself, hidden behind this morning's newspaper. He seemed very different from his older siblings, and a bit intimidating. "Did you notice anything strange about Hiashi before he died, maybe at the party last night?"

"No," Kankurou said as he gave the table back to Temari after failing to sink the nine ball. "Hiashi-san was happy and very lively. I have no idea that it would be our last time seeing him."

The brother and sister looked at each other then. They might not look it, but Hiashi's death had shaken them quite thoroughly. The old man was like a favorite uncle for them.

Temari decided she had had enough of pool. She put her cue stick in the cue rack and sighed to the detective, "I didn't notice anything strange either. Well, other than that interesting fellow, Shikamaru."

Sasuke jumped at the subject. "Interesting?"

"He's unlike any man I've ever met before," she answered, not caring about how Kankurou snorted behind her. "He's one who prefers going straight to the point, as opposed to taking the long way around with pleasantries or, God forbid, sweet talk. He's definitely not a man of many words but his remarks, seldom as they come out, are very witty and entertaining. I guess that makes him charming in his own way. He looked and sounded extraordinarily intelligent, and the fact that he just mysteriously appeared makes him all the more... intriguing."

"So you don't know who he is either?" asked Sasuke, sticking to the facts and feeling somewhat annoyed by the Lady's blatant admiration towards the subject.

"Well... I know that he's the president and owner of Nara Pharmaceuticals."

"How long did you talk to him?"

"We spent quite an amount of time, chatting and playing pool," said the young Lady Sabaku before she suddenly went contemplative. "Funny... I just realize that, as much as we talked and bantered last night, he hadn't told me anything about himself."

-----------------------------------------

After poking around the servant's dining room connected to the kitchen, Asuma opened another door and found himself at the back of the mansion. He saw several structures that looked like stables and sheds but as he turned left, he saw a peculiar building made of paneled screens. Taking a closer look, he could see a flower garden inside and some boxes at the center with bees flying about. There was a young man there working on something, most likely honey.

"Hello?" the Detective called from outside. The man turned to him and he said, "I'm Sarutobi Asuma, a police detective. Would you mind coming out for a second? I need to ask you a few questions."

The man nodded before leaving his work and came out, locking the screen door behind him. "Yes, sir?"

"What's your name?"

"Aburame Shino. I take care of the bees and collect honey for the mansion's use."

"So the Hyuugas have enough money to import wine but had to produce their own honey?"

"I was told that this was a hobby of the first Madam and that after she passed away, Hiashi-sama didn't have the heart to get rid of it or just leave the bees to ruin."

"Oh, I see," Asuma mumbled before getting back to the matter at hand. "Where were you at three this morning?"

"Sleeping in the Male Staff Room."

"Do you know of anyone that would want to kill Hiashi?"

"No."

Asuma stared at the young man. "Are you sure? No one? No... business rivals or offended staff?"

Shino seemed to contemplate the question before answering, "Orochimaru-san was offended when he was fired, but it's not my place to say whether or not he wanted to kill Hiashi-sama."

"Right," the Detective deadpanned. This was going to be a long day.

-----------------------------------------

Wanting to see the possibility of someone climbing up to the window of the victim's room, Kakashi went out to the North Garden. There he met two gardeners. After answering his preliminary questions, the two staff provided another suspect for him.

"So this Orochimaru was fired?" asked the detective.

"Yes, sir," answered the one called Yamanaka Inoshi while carefully picking some white lilies. It was his master's favorite flower and he wanted to prepare some for the funeral. He seemed to have forgotten that the funeral wouldn't be happening anytime soon. "But he deserved it."

The other one, Zetsu, sighed as he raked a bunch of dry leaves, "He obviously doesn't think so."

"Really? How so?"

Inoshi stood up with a handful of lilies in his arms. "Zetsu and I heard him shouting angrily in his room... to no one in particular."

"He was ranting about how Hiashi-sama would pay for firing him, that he was going to show Hiashi-sama one day," Zetsu elaborated as he leaned his rake against a tree. "We didn't think much of it at the time and just let him be, but now..."

-----------------------------------------

"He wasn't happy about it, sir."

"Nope, not happy at all."

"He was very angry. He doesn't think he should be fired."

"Yes, yes, very angry. Even angrier than Kiba that day Hiashi-sama caught him and Hinata-dono in the stable."

Sasuke was contemplating suicide. This Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo, two housemen he had just found wiping the Great Hall glass terrace doors, grated his nerves more and more as they told him about two other staff called Inuzuka Kiba and Orochimaru. Their tendency to speak at the same time and, sometimes, even finishing each other's sentences, had him struggling with the urge to strangle them both and be done with it.

Well, the detective sighed inwardly, at least now he had two other suspects.

-----------------------------------------

Asuma circled the colossal mansion until he reached the East Garden. He walked along the garden's path, noticing that it was divided in to two sections, one at each side of the front entrance. Each section had a statue in the middle, some abstract form that strangely resembled a male human form. He took a double take on the statues as he realized they matched.

Walking back and forth the two sections of the garden to catch the statues' details, the Detective realized that they were identical, right down to the tiniest accent. It was common to have matching statues decorating gateways, but why would a person put two identical decoration items at different sections of the gardens which had different plants? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of showing off your wealth and taste? He'd heard from one of the staff he'd interviewed that Hiashi used to have a twin brother, so maybe the statues had a hidden meaning which corresponds to that?

Berating himself for wasting time thinking about something completely unrelated to the investigation, Asuma left the garden and found a locked shed. Just next to it was a large structure that appeared to be the garage. The family must have more cars than necessary. Finding the big door unlocked, he entered the garage and started to look around.

Asuma was far inside the garage and was about to light a cigarette when he heard noises. Or voices, to be more precise. He carefully stepped closer, unclasping his holster just in case, but the conversation he came to hear was not what he had expected.

"Genma, get your hands off my ass. Hiashi-sama was murdered, for God's sake. Don't you have any sense of the moment?"

"On the contrary, Raidou, I have every sense of the moment. Which is why I feel very upset right now, very alone, very much in need of another person's warmth. Your warmth."

"You don't expect me to really believe that, do you?"

"Uh... no?"

"Figures. Look Genma, first of all, I told you to get your hands off my ass, not move them to my crotch. Second of all, even if I want to do this- which I /don't/, we can't. It's not even lunch time yet. What if somebody needs us?"

"You're kidding, right? No one is to leave the mansion until the killer is found. We're /drivers/. Do the math."

"But still, we can't just- ngh... just- aaah... no, wait, Genma- oh, yes, Genma!"

"Ahem."

Both men jumped apart so fast, Genma banged his rear to one of the cars with a loud, "BUMP!"

"Ow! Damn it!"

"Watch where you're going, you idiot! If there's so much as a scratch on that car, not even both our stipend from a lifetime of service could pay for it!"

Funny, thought the Detective, it looked like the people here were just as crazy as the mansion's design. "Sarutobi Asuma, Police Detective," he said somewhat menacingly to hold back from laughing. The whole scene was just insane. "Names and stations?"

"Ah, yes, sir. Shiranui Genma, sir. Driver."

"Namiashi Raidou, also a driver."

"Where were you at around three this morning?"

"In the Male Staff Room, sir. Both of us."

"We were sleeping, sir, quite winded after looking after the guests' vehicles and drivers, organizing them on the driveway as they arrive and, at the end of the party, head off."

"Did anything strange happen during all that? Do you see anyone suspicious?"

"Um... no, not really. But there was this one guest... what's his name, Raidou, the one who came really late and wasn't wearing fancy clothes like the other guests?"

"Nara... something. We figured he was a guest that arrived late from another town."

"And why did you figure that?" Asuma asked although he'd heard about the man's arrival from the old butler Jiraiya.

"Raidou and I had to haul his luggage all the way up to the Cloud Room from the taxi waiting outside the front gate. And we had to circle around the back, too, thanks to the party. My arms are still sore from that sudden heavy-lifting."

"Really?" Raidou snorted. "They seemed okay when you were groping me just now."

Asuma rolled his eyes. "Guys, as much as I appreciate your honesty, let's keep this conversation at the matter at hand. And no, Genma-san, not your hand. Now, what of this man's luggage? Do you notice anything particular, maybe some oddly-shaped bags?

"No, sir. It wasn't really all that much, just a large suitcase and a briefcase. I was the one carrying the suitcase, if I might add."

"The briefcase was peculiar though, sir," Raidou added without paying any homage to Genma's self-proclaiming of righteousness. "It was very hefty for its size, like the man put something solid and heavy in it instead of business papers like people usually do."

-----------------------------------------

"I did not kill Hiashi-sama," Kiba grated. "True, I was very angry with him, but I would never harm him. Hell, I don't even have what it takes to shoot a limp horse, much less kill another person."

Kakashi studied the agitated young man in front of him. Just like what the two young maids told him, Inuzuka Kiba was very loud and brash. He seemed at home in this dog pen where the Detective had found him, the dogs yipping at him for attention. "Someone heard you threatening him, talking about proving something to him."

Kiba sighed, "We were yelling... though I have no idea where I'd gotten the courage to yell back at him that time. I told him that someday I will prove to him that I'm worthy of his daughter's hand, show him how I truly love her."

The Detective watched as Kiba, obviously distressed by the situation, tiredly said, "I swear, sir, I have no intention at all of hurting Hiashi-sama. My family has served the Hyuugas for generations. I've known Hiashi-sama since I was born and he was always so kind to me, as are all his children. I would rather kill myself than harm him or anyone of his family."

-----------------------------------------

Sasuke never thought that red and orange could be a beautiful hue, especially for a room. But as he looked around the Fire Room to search for clues, he had to admit that such loud colors could also be comforting. There was nobody there and he found nothing of interest other than the room itself. He was thinking about whether he should check the annex or go back up to the second floor to visit the rooms there when a loud voice came from outside the door.

"Helloooo?!"

The young detective opened the door to the front hallway to find what looked like something that came out of his worst nightmare. Seriously, who would wear a set of bright green business suit with yellow tie and shoes? And that hair... Sasuke couldn't decide if it was actually hair or a black, upside-down bowl. It was so... shiny.

"Hello, there! And who might you be?!"

Sasuke flinched as the out-of-this-world person came to him. Did the man have to talk that loud? "Police Detective Uchiha Sasuke. I'm investigating the murder of Hyuuga Hiashi. And you are?"

The strange man's jaw dropped and remained open for a few seconds before he exploded, "Murder/?! What murder?! I just talked to Hiashi-san last night! And he was so youthful, so /alive in his journey towards the end of his springtime of youth! Are you sure this is true?! Oh, Hiashi-san, my dearest, dearest friend, such cruel fate that has befallen you..."

Sasuke's ears were ringing. And why was this man crying? "Who are you?"

"Maito Gai, legal representative of the House of Hyuuga, at your service! Some call me the Beautiful Green Notary, while others call me-"

"So you're the family lawyer?"

"Eh? Yes! Yes, I am! I am the caretaker of this family's legal necessities, the pantheon of-"

"Why are you here? Has the family called you for the reading of Hiashi's will?"

"No, no, they have not. Why, I wouldn't have known that Hiashi-san has left us all had you not told me!"

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Last night during the party, Hiashi-san instructed me to come here today with something he had once entrusted to me, saying that he had decided to give it to young Neji sooner. This is something you're not privy to, Detective, unless Neji deems otherwise. I'm sorry, but this is a matter of client-attorney confidentiality and I'm protected by law to-"

"You're not making my job any easier by-"

"Oh, my God! Young Neji! I must see him right away! I need to offer him my condolences and support! And not to mention give him Hiashi-san's... oh, dear me! I must also return to the office right away and organize Hiashi-san's will for the reading! Ah, poor Neji... He must be at his wit's end, plunged in to leadership so abruptly in the middle of a sorrowful tragedy! All that while he must share his strength with his sisters and brother, not to mention Kurenai-san..."

Sasuke could only blink as the loud attorney left him while rambling about tragedy in the springtime of youth, going further in to the mansion without so much as uttering an excuse, seemingly forgetting all about the fact that a Police Detective was questioning him. Said Police Detective didn't have the chance to reorganize his thoughts before another loud voice assaulted him.

"Otousan! Otousaaaan! Now, where could he have gone to? Oh, hello! Have you seen my father, by any chance?"

The young Detective wondered if shooting himself would be considered death in the line of duty. Here was a young version of the weird maniac that just left him, complete with the exact replica of green-suit-yellow-tie-yellow-shoes combo. Would the madness ever end?

"He went that way," he growled, referring to the Great Hall with his head. "Who are you?"

"I'm Lee, the Beautiful Green Junior Partner, son of Maito Gai the Beautiful Green Notary! How do you do, sir? And may I say how lovely it is for us to meet here in such grand mansion in our springtime of youth! Uh... and you are?"

-----------------------------------------

"Hello there," Asuma greeted as he entered the small security post by the front gate. "I'm Police Detective Sarutobi Asuma. I need to ask you some questions."

The security staff in the small structure nodded politely. "Of course, sir. My name is Tatami Iwashi, and I'll help as best I can. What do you need to know?"

"Did you stand guard here last night, during the party?"

"Yes, sir. Until the party was over, I accompanied our Head of Security Ibiki-san in manning this post. Afterwards, around... two, I think, I was ordered to sleep so I could wake up and work my usual shift in the morning."

"Did you notice anything strange at the party, any unusual or suspicious character?"

"Other than Nara-san's arrival, nothing was out of the ordinary."

"Ah, of course. What can you tell me about this man?"

"I don't know anything other than his name and stature, sir, which he told us courteously when he asked for a bit of Hiashi-sama's time. But his entrance was quite a different story."

"Is it, really?"

"Yes, sir. It was really strange. He said all he wanted was to make a later appointment with Hiashi-san before he goes to the hotel and checks in. When I told him that only invited guests are allowed to enter because of the party, he gave me an old picture and asked me to bring it to Hiashi-sama, saying that he'd leave afterwards. And he seemed to care for it a lot, sir. He asked me to please return it to him once I showed it to Hiashi-sama."

To say Asuma was interested would be an understatement. "An old picture?"

"Yes. It was of four men in military uniform, sir, each carrying his own weapon. First I thought one of them was Neji-dono, but then I saw that there was two of him in the picture. Then I realized how old the picture looked, and that the two men must be Hiashi-sama and his late twin brother when they were young. I never knew Hiashi-sama participated in the war."

It looked like he would have to do some research about Hiashi's past, thought the Detective. He then asked, "What about the other two men in the picture? Did you recognize any of them?"

"No, but one of them looked awfully a lot like Nara-san though not as good looking. Maybe it was his father? I wouldn't know, sir. You'll have to ask him yourself, I guess."

"Okay, then. So you take that picture to Hiashi, then what?"

"That's where it gets even more strange. Once I informed Hiashi-sama of this new guest and showed him the picture, he ordered me to let Nara-san in immediately and told me that he would greet the man at the door himself. He had never done that before, so I guess he was... eager, if I may say so, to meet Nara-san. Although..."

"Although...?"

"Maybe it's just me, sir, but when Hiashi-sama saw that picture, he was quite shaken. First he looked surprised, then stricken, then sad... I've never seen him with so many expressions before. Oh, and he didn't give me back the picture."

"And then what happened?"

"I ran back here to let Nara-san in as ordered. He asked politely for me to watch his taxi because his stuff was there, and took the trouble of thanking me even though I'm just a guard doing my job. I thought he'd come back out after arranging a later appointment with Hiashi-sama but, to my surprise, Genma and Raidou came and paid for the taxi while taking out Nara-san's luggage. They said Jiraiya-san had ordered them to take those bags in because Hiashi-sama had insisted that Nara-san stays here instead of a hotel. They also commented that Kotetsu and Izumo were excited about readying the Cloud Room."

"Yes, I was told that it's quite uncommon for the Cloud Room to be used by a guest."

"Uncommon? Sir, the room had never been used! None of the house staff, except maybe Jiraiya-san or Tsunade-san, had ever seen the inside of it. In fact, I don't think even Hiashi-sama's children has ever set foot in it."

-----------------------------------------

Kakashi watched amusedly as the security guard woke up with a start and fell off his chair, swearing rather colorfully.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a bland tone.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir," the guard babbled before finally realizing that he was apologizing to a... pirate? No, wait, it was just some guy wearing an eye patch. "Uh... can I help you?"

"I'm Hatake Kakashi, one of the police detectives working on Hyuuga Hiashi's murder. What's your name?"

"Uh... Aoba, sir. Yamashiro Aoba. I was just... um..."

"Sleeping on the job?"

Aoba panicked. "Sorry, sir. That has never happened before and I swear it will never happen again. It's just that I had very little sleep last night after supporting Tobitake in manning this post because of the party."

"You don't usually guard at night?"

"No, sir. Usually I man this Rear Gate Security Post from eight in the morning until eight in the evening and Iwashi guards the front gate, whereas Tobitake and Ibiki-san stand guard from eight in the evening until eight in the morning."

"So because of the party, with all those people coming and going, you were on duty last night? Did you see anything or anyone suspicious?"

"Yes, but nothing happened and no one came through this gate. In fact, everyone was so busy with the party that through the whole evening, the only other person here was Anko who dropped by to give Tobitake and I supper. I don't know if anything happened after the party was over and I left Tobitake to get some sleep though, and he didn't say anything when we exchanged shifts this morning."

"I see. And where is this Tobitake now?"

"He and Ibiki-san would be sleeping at this time of day. They usually wake up in the afternoon. But maybe after being told about what happened to Hiashi-sama they're awake now. You could try knocking the Male Staff Room to wake Tobitake, but I wouldn't recommend knocking Ibiki-san's room. He's really scary. That scar of yours is a work of art compared to his. He has them allover the place."

Kakashi stared.

"Uh... sorry, sir."

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Sasuke was about to enter the Great Hall when he saw someone suspicious at the top of the Grand Staircase, discreetly looking around as if making sure that no one else was there. The Detective recognized that person as Hyuuga Neji's personal servant, a blonde named Naruto or something. He backed away slowly, careful not to alert the young servant of his presence, and peeked from behind the teak entryway frame of the front hallway.

He wondered what Naruto was about to do that couldn't be seen by anyone else. Could he be the killer?

"Wheeeee...!"

And Sasuke's train of thought halted. No, /crashed/. Apparently, he grumbled inwardly, he didn't need his gun to destroy his brain. He'd seen the blonde earlier with his host, being the quiet shadow and acting very much the usual, professional personal servant. But now...

"Yes! Perfect ten, baby!" Naruto exclaimed in a hushed voice, his ass wriggling in a victory dance.

The Detective decided he had had enough. He stepped in to the Great Hall and growled, "What do you think you're doing, butler boy?"

Naruto paled. "Er... nothing. I mean, nothing, sir. I was just- um..."

"Being an idiot?"

"Hey, who are you calling an idiot?" the blonde snapped before realizing again who he was talking to and adding a belated, "Sir?"

"You. Sliding down the banister when nobody was looking? How old are you anyway?"

"I'm twenty three, sir."

Sasuke groaned. "That was a rhetorical question, idiot!"

"A ret... retho..."

"Rethorical- Agh, forget it! Just... forget it. Look, I need to ask you a few questions."

"Alright, sir. What do you need to know?"

"Where were you when Hiashi was killed?" asked the Detective while wondering how this person could transform in to a reserved servant in a second and how different this persona was from the one that just slid down the Great Staircase banister and did an idiotic dance. "No, let me guess, you were sleeping?"

"Yes, sir, in the Male Staff Room with the others," Naruto answered before he suddenly remembered something and fished out a folded piece of paper from his uniform. "Oh, and Neji-dono wanted me to give you this, sir. It's the list you asked for earlier, he said."

"Hn. Good," grumbled the Detective as he snatched the paper from Naruto's hand. "Now, did anything strange happen last night that you noticed before you went to sleep?"

"Well, the way Shikamaru-san just showed up was a bit strange, sir. But since both Hiashi-sama and Neji-dono welcomed him, I thought he was just late. That is, until I accompanied Neji-dono to his room and had to wait for a half hour before he finally decided to sleep."

"Shikamaru-san? You call him with his first name? And what was your master doing that half hour?"

"I call him Shikamaru-san because Neji-dono told me to. He said the man didn't like being called with his last name because it could sometimes be confusing since he came from Nara. As for what Neji-dono was doing... well, he wasn't really doing anything but pace in his room. He was very puzzled by the way Hiashi-sama treated Shikamaru-san. That was when I found out that, up until last night, he's never even heard of Nara Shikamaru, much less known him as a part of the family."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted as he mulled that fact in his head. Then he realized something. "You're not supposed to be telling me all this."

Naruto sighed. "I'm worried, sir. Shikamaru-san seemed nice enough, but we know almost nothing about him. He just mysteriously appeared and suddenly Hiashi-sama was murdered, and I'm afraid Neji-dono seemed to have taken a liking towards him. I don't want Neji-dono to get hurt."

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"Yes, I was yelling, even swearing, at Hiashi. Yes, I held and am still holding a grudge against him. But I didn't kill him. I haven't shown him what he's missing by firing me, so why would I?"

Asuma tried to study the man he was questioning. He had decided to start looking around the Staff Wing on the second floor when he stumbled upon Orochimaru in the Head Cook Room. The infamous chef was as cold and diabolical as the other staff had described him.

"Why did you steal wine from this house?" asked the Detective.

"I'm somewhat an inventor, Detective. I love creating new dishes and menu, using new ingredients and techniques. I want to open a restaurant of my own, and this mansion was supposed to be my stepping stone."

"What do you mean?"

"My initial plan was to work here for a while, save enough money to open my restaurant, and leave this place with the famous Hyuuga Hiashi's commendation in my hands. But without realizing it, months turned to years and I still don't have enough funds. So a thought occurred to me, 'Why not sell some wine at the black market? It's quite an expensive item that only a few of the richest households have by importing their own stock from Europe.' And that's what I did. Until I got caught, that is."

"What do you mean by 'showing him what he's missing'?"

"When he fired me, I had every intention of getting out of here, open what would be the most sought-after restaurant in Tokyo and, of course, banned Hyuuga Hiashi and all the other Hyuugas from even entering it. That'll show him who's boss, heheheh..."

Whoa, thought Asuma, maniacal much?

"So believe me, Detective. I didn't kill Hyuuga Hiashi. If you ask me, you should suspect Tsunade or Jiraiya. Have you questioned either of them yet?"

"Why?"

"Well, I might be ambitious, but at least I don't have a gambling problem my master had to take care of every once in a while. Sure, Tsunade gambled with her own money and never stole from this house, but after dealing with one debt collector after another, I'm not sure if Hiashi never threatened to fire her. Maybe he did it in private so no one's ever heard of it."

"Gambling problem, huh? And what about Jiraiya? Why should he be one of my suspects?"

"Well he's the one who wasn't in his room sleeping like the rest of us."

"What do you mean?" Asuma asked calmly, perfectly covering his shock.

"These walls are thin, Detective. All I have to do is listen hard and I'd be able to hear Jiraiya shifting in his bed -- or Tsunade, but that's beside the point. Last night, I didn't hear anything from Jiraiya's room until well after three thirty when his footsteps startled me from my... musings."

Asuma took a deep drag of his cigarette. The walls separating the rooms in the Staff Wing were made of thin wood, he knew. Orochimaru's room was between Jiraiya's and Tsunade's so... "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "You didn't ask."

Asuma was starting to lose his infamous patience. "Do you actually want me to arrest you?"

"Look, Detective, you asked me where I was at the time and I answered accordingly, that I was here in my room. Why don't you ask Jiraiya that same question, see what he has to say? Unless, of course, you already did...?"

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After entering the house through the Rear Vestibule, Kakashi met an old maid in the back hallway. Her face was covered by that strange, black netting he'd seen women wore in funerals. She answered his questions dutifully but, to the Detective's annoyance, her knowledge regarding the mansion and the people who live in it was very limited. Hell, he knew this mansion more than she did.

"How come you don't know anything?"

"I'm new here, sir. I just moved in yesterday afternoon, after Tsunade-san hired me through the agency that very same day. Everyone, including myself, was too busy with the party's preparation to... gossip, if you don't mind me saying that sir."

"But you can't possibly not know anything, or hear something..."

The old kitchen maid sighed, "Well, I did hear something about someone being fired. It was the Head Cook if I'm not mistaken, sir, just that morning when the kitchen was supposed to prepare full course meals and snacks of the highest quality for more than fifty people. I no longer wondered why they hired me after I heard that, and I admire young Chouji-san so. He handled the kitchen wonderfully-- very dependable for someone his age. His mother would've been so proud of him."

Kakashi smiled at the comment. These motherly types were always his number one weakness. "Why did you wonder about them hiring you?"

"I'm no longer young, Detective. And although I'm good in the kitchen and very experienced, my... appearance..."

As the old woman trailed off, Kakashi tried to focus on that net-covered face. Then he realized why she wore them even now while she was working. Some people could be put off by his scar, and it was only a line crossing the left side of his face vertically. But this poor woman looked like her face was cut to pieces before being put together by a three-year-old. If he was her, he would probably wear a mask and never take it off. Almost unconsciously, he murmured, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's alright, young man. I've looked like this for more than twenty years I barely notice it anymore. But people, you know... Thankfully everyone here is very welcoming, although as a woman I can't possibly parade them around like that handsome battle scar of yours. I wouldn't dare step out of the rear parts of this mansion. Heavens know what could happen if a guest ever see me."

"I understand."

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"Orochimaru, huh?"

"Well, I'm not really accusing him of anything, sir. But you asked if there's anyone here that would want to hurt Hiashi-sama, and Orochimaru-san was the only one I could think of that could probably do such a thing."

Sasuke studied the maid he just met in the main hallway. "What about the Lady of the House? You said you're her Maid-in-Waiting, right?"

"Yes, sir, I did. What about the Madam?"

"What can you tell me about her? Did she act strangely before that night before the murder, or do anything out of the ordinary?"

Shizune stared hard at the Police Detective for a moment before finally answering, "Kurenai-dono is not a murderer, sir. I'm sure you've heard some people say bad things about her, but let me tell you that whatever it is they're saying, it's probably exaggerated or even untrue."

Sasuke smirked. "Then you tell me about her."

"Alright," Shizune sighed. "Kurenai-dono is... very introverted. She has been since I first met her that day she came as a bride. She has a bad physical condition that gives her headaches and makes her tire easily, which is why she prefers to spend her time reading or accompanying Kenji-dono in the Rain Anteroom. But people came to think of her as arrogant and likes to gossip about her."

"I heard she's very beautiful," goaded Sasuke. People tend to slip when they were angry. "It's natural for people to think that she's only after the Hyuuga fortune, marrying a man old enough to be her father and all."

"Kurenai-dono loves Hiashi-sama," the maid said heatedly. "There isn't a day I've seen her nag or yell at him like most wives do to their husband. Whatever Hiashi-sama asked for, she gave. She takes care of Kenji-dono herself instead of hiring a nanny and takes care of her responsibilities as the Madam without ever complaining. People don't see that past the cliché and she knows it, but she doesn't even blame them. Do you think a person like that could kill another human being?"

"True, but that still doesn't erase the fact that she has a motive."

"Are you insulting the Lady of this House, sir? She's an educated woman. She knows that as a mere wife, her name won't be in Hiashi-sama's will. She told me so herself, laughing, when we were talking about what people say about her. Tell me, /Detective/, where is your motive now?"

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"So aside from the immediate family, now we have some of the staff in our suspect list," Sasuke concluded. The three detectives had somehow bumped in to each other in the side hallway, and they had traded information although the details would have to wait until they could talk properly in the Leaf Anteroom later.

"Yes," said Asuma. "Plus a mysterious guest."

"This Nara Shikamaru you two were talking about?" asked Kakashi while rubbing the back of his neck. The mansion was so big and he was tired of examining rooms to the tiniest details.

Sasuke grunted as a form of confirmation. Then he said, "I haven't had the chance to examine all the rooms on the second floor and I'm planning to start with the Cloud Room. Hopefully the man's there so I can question him."

Kakashi seemed to think about something before he asked, "When?"

"Right now. We still have time before lunch is served," answered the Uchiha. "Why, you want to come?"

"Yes. If what Asuma heard about that room is true, that almost nobody in this mansion had ever set foot in it until this Nara arrived, then I want to see it. I can ask Hyuuga Neji about that key I found later."

"I agree that there's something about that room," Asuma finally chimed in. "I'm also curious about this Nara person; who he is, why he's here... If you don't mind, Sasuke, can I tag along too?"

Kakashi chuckled. "If he's there, we can all interrogate him."

Asuma laughed with him. "Well, I wouldn't go that far... I think."

"Sure," Sasuke said with a smirk. This Nara Shikamaru had no idea what was coming for him. "The more the merrier."

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