Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Deceit
The Plan Gone Wrong
0 reviews"This is a robbery. If you do what we tell you to do, nobody will get hurt." AU. SasuNaru/NaruSasu.
0Unrated
Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto.
'Thinking’
[Edited 5.11.2009]
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Chapter 4.
The Plan Gone Wrong
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Naruto couldn't believe what was happening; everything felt surreal. He was hiding, crouching behind a candy shelf, which was one of the three shelves lined in front of the check-out counter.
When he looked around himself, he noted that the Uchiha and his ‘babysitter’ were crouching next to him to the left, behind the same candy shelf.
Lee, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata, on the other hand, were all behind a shelf full of salty snacks; it was the next shelf to the left of the candy shelf. Naruto hadn't really seen where Kabuto had gone, but he assumed the kind man was also crouching behind something, somewhere.
Naruto regognized the voice coming from the person who had just come into the store.
‘Sarutobi?’
He didn't see Sarutobi from behind the shelf, but he could hear everything that was being said. His boss was talking to the robber standing in front of the staff room's door, at the check-out counter.
“Who are you? What's going on here?”
Sarutobi got no answer.
“What do you want?”
Finally, after a moment of tense silence, the robber answered with a mocking voice.
“What do you think we want, old man? We're robbing this place, so I guess the answer would be ‘money’, of course.”
Once again, it was quiet for a while, then the same robber was speaking again. Naruto didn't hear what he was saying, though; he wasn't paying attention.
Then shuffling could be heard, followed closely by a thump, and then quick steps going further away from Naruto echoed in the store.
‘What’s happening?’
Naruto really wanted to see, so he moved along the shelf’s front towards the aisle on the right side of him – the aisle that went straight from the entrance/exit to the check-out counter. He peeked around the corner, and saw Sarutobi.
Naruto didn't even notice when he stood up from his crouching position. The robber, who was now just a little way behind him, was still speaking, but Naruto could only concentrate on one thing: Sarutobi’s quickly retreating back.
When the robber stopped talking, Naruto heard a thump from behind him. Quickly, he turned around to look at where the sound had come from. What greeted his eyes was Kiba struggling with the armed robber.
He didn't even have time to react, everything happened so fast.
-----
A shot was fired.
-----
It was like everything happened in slow motion when Naruto saw Kiba fall down. He couldn't move, blink, or do anything except stare, not even comprehending what had happened.
When Kiba hit the ground, he finally snapped out of the trance-like state. His eyes went wide and he tried to run to where his fallen friend was. Naruto didn't even notice that he was shouting. And before he could even take one step forward, someone grabbed him from behind, hands going around his waist.
Naruto struggled, still shouting Kiba’s name. He tried to kick and punch the person holding him back, desperate, but the person wouldn't let go. Finally, when Naruto understood that it was pointless to struggle, he stopped. He slumped backwards, leaning heavily against the person holding him still. He went totally limp in the other’s arms.
He couldn't hear the other people’s horrified voices, some louder and some just mere whispers. He couldn't hear the calming words being whispered to his ear in a smooth, soft voice either. Tears were silently falling from his eyes – he was in shock.
-----
Sasuke had held Naruto back when the other boy had tried to run to his friend.
He had stopped Naruto because he had thought the robbers might think the blond’s running and shouting was a threat to them – they might have ended up shooting the boy.
While Naruto had been thrashing in his arms, Sasuke had noticed that the female robber with dark pink hair had started to walk towards them, a gun in her hand. Just then Naruto had, luckily and not a moment too soon, stopped struggling.
Now Sasuke had to sit down because the blond had gone totally limp in his arms, and he couldn't keep them both standing. He sat against the shelf behind them, placing Naruto to sit between his legs. The boy’s back rested against his chest and Sasuke had his other arm still around the blond’s midsection.
While Sasuke was whispering calming words to Naruto in a soft voice, he saw the female robber go back to where she had been standing earlier. He let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding.
Relieved, Sasuke decided to check how Naruto’s friend was doing.
He saw the brunet lying on his back on the floor, clutching at his bleeding thigh with both hands. The boy’s face was contorted in pain, but he wasn't letting a sound pass his lips. The male robber was kneeling next to the hurting boy.
“I’m a doctor. The wound has to be wrapped up or he might die of blood loss. I can do it.”
Sasuke saw the man who had said this, Kabuto, emerge from behind the check-out counter. The grey haired man’s hands were raised in front of him as if to show the robber that he wasn't trying to attack.
“The wound probably isn’t fatal if the bleeding is stopped.”
Sasuke sighed in relief. He tightened his grip on Naruto.
“It’s okay. Everything's going to be okay.”
He felt Naruto tense in his arms as if just now noticing that someone was holding him.
The blond turned in his arms to face him, confusion written in his eyes.
-----
Kabuto stopped beside the masked man. “I'll need something I can stop the bleeding with.”
The robber pointed a finger at the door behind the check-out counter. “There might be something useful in the staff room.”
Kabuto looked towards the door and nodded. “Could I go there and search?”
The robber put the gun he had still been holding in his hand inside the black holster hanging from the belt on his waist. He motioned for the gray-haired man to follow him.
When the men had walked into the staff room, Kabuto spoke in a lowered, calm voice. ”What were you thinking?”
Kimimaro answered, apologetic. “It was an accident, Yakushi-san. I’m very sorry...”
“Don’t call me by my name, someone might hear you. And sorry doesn’t cut it. You ruined the plan and, believe me when I say this, he won’t be happy.”
Kimimaro’s shoulders slumped a bit and Kabuto continued. His voice was still quiet, so that no one would hear them. “You weren’t supposed to hurt any outsiders.”
The reason why Kabuto had protected Naruto from getting shot by Tayuya earlier was because the blond’s death would have, no question about it, destroyed their plan.
In Kabuto’s opinion, Tayuya has a bad temper and she is far too hotheaded for her own – and the other’s – good, but she has her strong points, too, and they out weight this part of her. Kabuto is very aware of this.
The incident between Tayuya and Naruto hadn't been all bad. By “saving” Naruto, Kabuto managed to earn everybody’s trust and, if the people planned to try to take action against the robbers – or run away – at some point, he would most likely hear about it beforehand. Like this, he would be able to warn Kimimaro, Tayuya, and Anko about it.
“First you tried to shoot the old man and then you actually shot the sales clerk on the thigh. And you actually let the boy ambush you. How could you have been so careless?”
Kimimaro stared at the floor, saying nothing.
“After I have taken care of the boy’s wound, you'll get the money and leave right away, understood?”
Kimimaro lifted his eyes from the floor. “But, what about the plan?”
“It would be too suspicious to carry out the plan now, so we'll have to postpone getting it done.”
“Alright. We'll take the money and leave.”
“Good. And lie low for a while – at least until the dust settles a bit. I'll contact you when it’s safe and inform you about how we'll proceed with the plan. Now, let’s find what we came here for.”
They searched for something they could dress the boy’s wound with and they found a first aid kit from one of the workers' lockers in the room.
Without saying another word, they went back to the brunet, who was still lying in the same place they had left him. The boy was still clutching his thigh, face showing that he was in pain, but he refused to shout, or even make a sound, because he didn't want to show his current weakness.
The man wearing a blue jacket and sunglasses was sitting quietly next to the wounded boy, apparently trying to comfort him.
Kimimaro went to stand next to the sitting man and Kabuto kneeled down next to the brunet on the floor.
Kabuto put the first aid kit down beside him, then he touched the brunet’s arm while speaking in a kind voice, “What’s your name?”
The boy opened his eyes, uttering his answer with a pained voice. “Kiba.”
“Okay, I'll put gauze around your thigh, so that the wound would stop bleeding as badly. Is that alright, Kiba-kun?”
The brunet closed his eyes and nodded. He was gritting his teeth because of the pain.
“Okay, I'll have to check the wound first. This may hurt a bit.”
After checking the wound, Kabuto turned to the first aid kit. He searched for some gauze, then lifted Kiba’s wounded leg to his lap. He wrapped the gauze around the boy’s thigh.
When Kabuto was done, he stood up and, plastering a sweet smile on his face, spoke in a loud voice.
“Kiba-kun will be alright for now. The bullet went right through the thigh and the wound isn’t fatal. I managed to restrain the bleeding. He'll still need proper medical attention, but it’s not urgent.”
-----
After hearing that his friend was going to be alright, Naruto covered his eyes with his palms. He sighed in relief.
‘Thank god.’
He doesn't know what he would have done if his best friend had died. He would have gone into a rampage, probably, and done something reckless, or downright stupid, like attack the robbers.
Naruto was still sitting on the floor, leaning against the Uchiha’s chest. He hadn't felt the need to move, and the other boy hadn't told him to get off him, so he had thought that it was alright to stay where he was seated.
The blond hadn't really talked with the raven haired boy after the shooting incident; they have just sat in a comfortable, companionable silence.
Now, after having calmed down a little, Naruto understood why the Uchiha had held him back. He hadn't been thinking clearly earlier, but now he realized that his actions might have been threatening to the robbers. Who knows what could have happened if the Uchiha hadn't stopped him.
Naruto turned around in the dark haired boy’s arms, wanting to face the other.
“Why did you protect me?”
The Uchiha looked away from Naruto, answering with an ‘it-wasn’t-a-big-deal’ voice.
“I just did. There's nothing more to it.”
Because of the light pink that dusted the raven haired boy’s cheeks, it was obvious to the blond that the other was embarassed. He smiled to himself.
“Well, still... Thank you... Uchiha wasn’t it?”
“Sasuke.”
Naruto brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. “What?”
Sasuke looked straight into the blond’s eyes. “Call me Sasuke.”
Naruto gave a small but meaningful smile. “Okay.”
-----
Anko, who had caught Sarutobi when he had tried to run away, was once again keeping watch at the store’s doors.
She had taken Sarutobi, dragging him forcefully by his arm, to where most of the other people in the store were; at the check-out counter.
Sarutobi had managed to run out the doors, into the yard, when he had tried to escape, but Anko had caught him easily, being a lot younger and faster than the old man. And having a gun had also helped.
Anko was certain that their plan couldn't be executed now that Kimimaro had managed to, accidentally, shoot the brunet in the thigh. She was actually glad that something had gone wrong. She was also glad the brunet was going to be alright.
‘Now we just have to get away from this place without getting caught.’
Just when she was thinking this, a car pulled out of the driveway and into the gass station’s yard.
It was a police car.
‘Oh shit!’
“Oi! A police car just drove into the yard!”
Anko ran to Kimimaro, who had just been about go and try to open the safe again. Tayuya moved closer to the two.
“What are we going to do?” Anko’s voice was anxious.
Tayuya made a hand motion towards the store’s doors. “Let’s just lock the doors. It’s not like they could have a key to this place.”
Anko shook her head. “No, it would look suspicious if we didn’t let them in. They must have already seen that all the lights in here are on.”
She looked at Kimimaro. “What’ll we do? It’s your call.”
Kimimaro thought about it for a second. “We'll let them in.”
Both women nodded.
Kimimaro turned to speak to the people at the counter. “Okay, go into the staff room, and don’t make a sound, if you know what’s good for you.”
Kabuto was the first to disappear into the room.
Shino had to help Kiba up from the floor because the boy wasn't able to walk on his own. He put an arm around the brunet’s waist and took Kiba’s left hand, putting it around his own neck. Slowly, they followed Kabuto's example.
Naruto moved away from Sasuke, getting up and holding a hand out for the other boy to take. He let go of Sasuke’s hand when he had pulled him up and they walked into the staff room side by side.
Ino and Hinata entered the room right after Sasuke and Naruto, holding hands.
“We need someone to serve the nice police officers.”
Anko nodded at Tayuya’s observation. “Yes, who's going to be at the cash register?”
Kimimaro followed the people walking into the staff room with his eyes.
He couldn't put either of the real sales clerks there; the brunet was obviously not up to it and the blond wasn't looking that good either, his face showing clearly that he had been crying. He himself, Tayuya, or Anko couldn't do it either because they would have to take their masks of, and thus reveal their faces.
‘It has to be one of the customers.’
Kimimaro looked around himself and saw a black-haired man who was just about to walk through the staff room's door with a pink-haired woman. The man wearing a green shirt didn't really look that shaken up or frightened.
“You with the green shirt,” Kimimaro said, pointing a finger at the man who turned around to face him with a questioning look in his eyes.
“Yes, you. You'll stay here and give the police what they want. Don’t try to signal anything to them if you don’t want anything bad to happen to your precious girlfriend.”
Lee looked at Sakura. She was trying to look strong, but Lee could see that she was afraid. He gave her a look that told her not to worry and that everything would be alright. Then he turned to face the robber again, speaking in a firm voice. “I’ll do it.”
Kimimaro walked to Sakura’s side, taking a hold of her arm as if to show Lee that he was supposed to obey him – or else.
Kimimaro walked into the staff room with the woman, while Anko kneeled next to the spot Kiba had been lying on. She was trying to wipe the boy's blood off the floor.
Finally Anko, too, had to go into the staff room, or she would have been seen by the police. She closed the door behind her.
She hadn't had enough time to clean the floor completely.
-----
Nara Shikamaru parked the car near the entrance of the gass station’s store.
His partner had insisted that they visit Naruto at his work place, saying that it was really important to him to ask the boy to come for dinner the next day. Something had apparently happened earlier that day. Iruka hadn't mentioned what, but it must have been something unpleasant, judging by the way he had been acting all evening.
Iruka opened the passenger door but didn't get out yet. He turned to look at Shikamaru.
“You can wait in the car. Do you want me to bring you a cup of coffee or something?”
Shikamaru turned off the engine.
“Nothing for me, thanks.”
“Okay, I won’t take long.” Iruka shut the door and walked into the store.
He saw a black-haired man standing behind the check-out counter.
‘Who's that? I thought Naruto and Kiba were supposed to work together tonight.’
Iruka stopped in front of the counter.
‘He doesn’t have a name tag.’
“Hello. What can I get for you, officer?” the man said, the smile on his face looking a little forced.
Iruka smiled back politely. “A cup of coffee to go, please.”
‘Something feels off.’
When Iruka got a bad feeling, usually something really was wrong; he has amazing instincts, and he has learned to trust the gut feelings.
When the man’s back was facing him, the man pouring him the cup of coffee he had asked for, Iruka noticed something from the corner of his eye; there was something on the floor next to the check-out counter.
‘Is that blood?’
Iruka thought that it looked like someone had tried to wipe it away but hadn't been able to get it off completely – maybe because they had been in a hurry?
The 'sales clerk' turned around, a brown paper cup in hand. He put it on the counter before the brown-haired police officer, smiling.
When Iruka took his wallet out of his pocket, the man spoke.
“It’s on me, officer.”
He stopped fiddling with his wallet.
“Oh, are you sure?”
“Yes. I appreciate the work you do, so this is the least I can do for you, officer.”
‘I bet he doesn’t know how to use the cash register.’
Iruka put the wallet back into his jacket pocket.
“That’s really nice of you. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good evening, officer.”
“Yes, you too.” Smiling at the man, Iruka waved his goodbye and walked out of the store.
When he got to the car, he opened the door and got in.
Iruka looked troubled, and Shikamaru noticed this, giving him a questioning look.
“Something bad's going on inside. I think we need to call for backup.”
A sigh. “Troublesome.”
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End of chapter four.
'Thinking’
[Edited 5.11.2009]
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Chapter 4.
The Plan Gone Wrong
-----
Naruto couldn't believe what was happening; everything felt surreal. He was hiding, crouching behind a candy shelf, which was one of the three shelves lined in front of the check-out counter.
When he looked around himself, he noted that the Uchiha and his ‘babysitter’ were crouching next to him to the left, behind the same candy shelf.
Lee, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata, on the other hand, were all behind a shelf full of salty snacks; it was the next shelf to the left of the candy shelf. Naruto hadn't really seen where Kabuto had gone, but he assumed the kind man was also crouching behind something, somewhere.
Naruto regognized the voice coming from the person who had just come into the store.
‘Sarutobi?’
He didn't see Sarutobi from behind the shelf, but he could hear everything that was being said. His boss was talking to the robber standing in front of the staff room's door, at the check-out counter.
“Who are you? What's going on here?”
Sarutobi got no answer.
“What do you want?”
Finally, after a moment of tense silence, the robber answered with a mocking voice.
“What do you think we want, old man? We're robbing this place, so I guess the answer would be ‘money’, of course.”
Once again, it was quiet for a while, then the same robber was speaking again. Naruto didn't hear what he was saying, though; he wasn't paying attention.
Then shuffling could be heard, followed closely by a thump, and then quick steps going further away from Naruto echoed in the store.
‘What’s happening?’
Naruto really wanted to see, so he moved along the shelf’s front towards the aisle on the right side of him – the aisle that went straight from the entrance/exit to the check-out counter. He peeked around the corner, and saw Sarutobi.
Naruto didn't even notice when he stood up from his crouching position. The robber, who was now just a little way behind him, was still speaking, but Naruto could only concentrate on one thing: Sarutobi’s quickly retreating back.
When the robber stopped talking, Naruto heard a thump from behind him. Quickly, he turned around to look at where the sound had come from. What greeted his eyes was Kiba struggling with the armed robber.
He didn't even have time to react, everything happened so fast.
-----
A shot was fired.
-----
It was like everything happened in slow motion when Naruto saw Kiba fall down. He couldn't move, blink, or do anything except stare, not even comprehending what had happened.
When Kiba hit the ground, he finally snapped out of the trance-like state. His eyes went wide and he tried to run to where his fallen friend was. Naruto didn't even notice that he was shouting. And before he could even take one step forward, someone grabbed him from behind, hands going around his waist.
Naruto struggled, still shouting Kiba’s name. He tried to kick and punch the person holding him back, desperate, but the person wouldn't let go. Finally, when Naruto understood that it was pointless to struggle, he stopped. He slumped backwards, leaning heavily against the person holding him still. He went totally limp in the other’s arms.
He couldn't hear the other people’s horrified voices, some louder and some just mere whispers. He couldn't hear the calming words being whispered to his ear in a smooth, soft voice either. Tears were silently falling from his eyes – he was in shock.
-----
Sasuke had held Naruto back when the other boy had tried to run to his friend.
He had stopped Naruto because he had thought the robbers might think the blond’s running and shouting was a threat to them – they might have ended up shooting the boy.
While Naruto had been thrashing in his arms, Sasuke had noticed that the female robber with dark pink hair had started to walk towards them, a gun in her hand. Just then Naruto had, luckily and not a moment too soon, stopped struggling.
Now Sasuke had to sit down because the blond had gone totally limp in his arms, and he couldn't keep them both standing. He sat against the shelf behind them, placing Naruto to sit between his legs. The boy’s back rested against his chest and Sasuke had his other arm still around the blond’s midsection.
While Sasuke was whispering calming words to Naruto in a soft voice, he saw the female robber go back to where she had been standing earlier. He let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding.
Relieved, Sasuke decided to check how Naruto’s friend was doing.
He saw the brunet lying on his back on the floor, clutching at his bleeding thigh with both hands. The boy’s face was contorted in pain, but he wasn't letting a sound pass his lips. The male robber was kneeling next to the hurting boy.
“I’m a doctor. The wound has to be wrapped up or he might die of blood loss. I can do it.”
Sasuke saw the man who had said this, Kabuto, emerge from behind the check-out counter. The grey haired man’s hands were raised in front of him as if to show the robber that he wasn't trying to attack.
“The wound probably isn’t fatal if the bleeding is stopped.”
Sasuke sighed in relief. He tightened his grip on Naruto.
“It’s okay. Everything's going to be okay.”
He felt Naruto tense in his arms as if just now noticing that someone was holding him.
The blond turned in his arms to face him, confusion written in his eyes.
-----
Kabuto stopped beside the masked man. “I'll need something I can stop the bleeding with.”
The robber pointed a finger at the door behind the check-out counter. “There might be something useful in the staff room.”
Kabuto looked towards the door and nodded. “Could I go there and search?”
The robber put the gun he had still been holding in his hand inside the black holster hanging from the belt on his waist. He motioned for the gray-haired man to follow him.
When the men had walked into the staff room, Kabuto spoke in a lowered, calm voice. ”What were you thinking?”
Kimimaro answered, apologetic. “It was an accident, Yakushi-san. I’m very sorry...”
“Don’t call me by my name, someone might hear you. And sorry doesn’t cut it. You ruined the plan and, believe me when I say this, he won’t be happy.”
Kimimaro’s shoulders slumped a bit and Kabuto continued. His voice was still quiet, so that no one would hear them. “You weren’t supposed to hurt any outsiders.”
The reason why Kabuto had protected Naruto from getting shot by Tayuya earlier was because the blond’s death would have, no question about it, destroyed their plan.
In Kabuto’s opinion, Tayuya has a bad temper and she is far too hotheaded for her own – and the other’s – good, but she has her strong points, too, and they out weight this part of her. Kabuto is very aware of this.
The incident between Tayuya and Naruto hadn't been all bad. By “saving” Naruto, Kabuto managed to earn everybody’s trust and, if the people planned to try to take action against the robbers – or run away – at some point, he would most likely hear about it beforehand. Like this, he would be able to warn Kimimaro, Tayuya, and Anko about it.
“First you tried to shoot the old man and then you actually shot the sales clerk on the thigh. And you actually let the boy ambush you. How could you have been so careless?”
Kimimaro stared at the floor, saying nothing.
“After I have taken care of the boy’s wound, you'll get the money and leave right away, understood?”
Kimimaro lifted his eyes from the floor. “But, what about the plan?”
“It would be too suspicious to carry out the plan now, so we'll have to postpone getting it done.”
“Alright. We'll take the money and leave.”
“Good. And lie low for a while – at least until the dust settles a bit. I'll contact you when it’s safe and inform you about how we'll proceed with the plan. Now, let’s find what we came here for.”
They searched for something they could dress the boy’s wound with and they found a first aid kit from one of the workers' lockers in the room.
Without saying another word, they went back to the brunet, who was still lying in the same place they had left him. The boy was still clutching his thigh, face showing that he was in pain, but he refused to shout, or even make a sound, because he didn't want to show his current weakness.
The man wearing a blue jacket and sunglasses was sitting quietly next to the wounded boy, apparently trying to comfort him.
Kimimaro went to stand next to the sitting man and Kabuto kneeled down next to the brunet on the floor.
Kabuto put the first aid kit down beside him, then he touched the brunet’s arm while speaking in a kind voice, “What’s your name?”
The boy opened his eyes, uttering his answer with a pained voice. “Kiba.”
“Okay, I'll put gauze around your thigh, so that the wound would stop bleeding as badly. Is that alright, Kiba-kun?”
The brunet closed his eyes and nodded. He was gritting his teeth because of the pain.
“Okay, I'll have to check the wound first. This may hurt a bit.”
After checking the wound, Kabuto turned to the first aid kit. He searched for some gauze, then lifted Kiba’s wounded leg to his lap. He wrapped the gauze around the boy’s thigh.
When Kabuto was done, he stood up and, plastering a sweet smile on his face, spoke in a loud voice.
“Kiba-kun will be alright for now. The bullet went right through the thigh and the wound isn’t fatal. I managed to restrain the bleeding. He'll still need proper medical attention, but it’s not urgent.”
-----
After hearing that his friend was going to be alright, Naruto covered his eyes with his palms. He sighed in relief.
‘Thank god.’
He doesn't know what he would have done if his best friend had died. He would have gone into a rampage, probably, and done something reckless, or downright stupid, like attack the robbers.
Naruto was still sitting on the floor, leaning against the Uchiha’s chest. He hadn't felt the need to move, and the other boy hadn't told him to get off him, so he had thought that it was alright to stay where he was seated.
The blond hadn't really talked with the raven haired boy after the shooting incident; they have just sat in a comfortable, companionable silence.
Now, after having calmed down a little, Naruto understood why the Uchiha had held him back. He hadn't been thinking clearly earlier, but now he realized that his actions might have been threatening to the robbers. Who knows what could have happened if the Uchiha hadn't stopped him.
Naruto turned around in the dark haired boy’s arms, wanting to face the other.
“Why did you protect me?”
The Uchiha looked away from Naruto, answering with an ‘it-wasn’t-a-big-deal’ voice.
“I just did. There's nothing more to it.”
Because of the light pink that dusted the raven haired boy’s cheeks, it was obvious to the blond that the other was embarassed. He smiled to himself.
“Well, still... Thank you... Uchiha wasn’t it?”
“Sasuke.”
Naruto brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. “What?”
Sasuke looked straight into the blond’s eyes. “Call me Sasuke.”
Naruto gave a small but meaningful smile. “Okay.”
-----
Anko, who had caught Sarutobi when he had tried to run away, was once again keeping watch at the store’s doors.
She had taken Sarutobi, dragging him forcefully by his arm, to where most of the other people in the store were; at the check-out counter.
Sarutobi had managed to run out the doors, into the yard, when he had tried to escape, but Anko had caught him easily, being a lot younger and faster than the old man. And having a gun had also helped.
Anko was certain that their plan couldn't be executed now that Kimimaro had managed to, accidentally, shoot the brunet in the thigh. She was actually glad that something had gone wrong. She was also glad the brunet was going to be alright.
‘Now we just have to get away from this place without getting caught.’
Just when she was thinking this, a car pulled out of the driveway and into the gass station’s yard.
It was a police car.
‘Oh shit!’
“Oi! A police car just drove into the yard!”
Anko ran to Kimimaro, who had just been about go and try to open the safe again. Tayuya moved closer to the two.
“What are we going to do?” Anko’s voice was anxious.
Tayuya made a hand motion towards the store’s doors. “Let’s just lock the doors. It’s not like they could have a key to this place.”
Anko shook her head. “No, it would look suspicious if we didn’t let them in. They must have already seen that all the lights in here are on.”
She looked at Kimimaro. “What’ll we do? It’s your call.”
Kimimaro thought about it for a second. “We'll let them in.”
Both women nodded.
Kimimaro turned to speak to the people at the counter. “Okay, go into the staff room, and don’t make a sound, if you know what’s good for you.”
Kabuto was the first to disappear into the room.
Shino had to help Kiba up from the floor because the boy wasn't able to walk on his own. He put an arm around the brunet’s waist and took Kiba’s left hand, putting it around his own neck. Slowly, they followed Kabuto's example.
Naruto moved away from Sasuke, getting up and holding a hand out for the other boy to take. He let go of Sasuke’s hand when he had pulled him up and they walked into the staff room side by side.
Ino and Hinata entered the room right after Sasuke and Naruto, holding hands.
“We need someone to serve the nice police officers.”
Anko nodded at Tayuya’s observation. “Yes, who's going to be at the cash register?”
Kimimaro followed the people walking into the staff room with his eyes.
He couldn't put either of the real sales clerks there; the brunet was obviously not up to it and the blond wasn't looking that good either, his face showing clearly that he had been crying. He himself, Tayuya, or Anko couldn't do it either because they would have to take their masks of, and thus reveal their faces.
‘It has to be one of the customers.’
Kimimaro looked around himself and saw a black-haired man who was just about to walk through the staff room's door with a pink-haired woman. The man wearing a green shirt didn't really look that shaken up or frightened.
“You with the green shirt,” Kimimaro said, pointing a finger at the man who turned around to face him with a questioning look in his eyes.
“Yes, you. You'll stay here and give the police what they want. Don’t try to signal anything to them if you don’t want anything bad to happen to your precious girlfriend.”
Lee looked at Sakura. She was trying to look strong, but Lee could see that she was afraid. He gave her a look that told her not to worry and that everything would be alright. Then he turned to face the robber again, speaking in a firm voice. “I’ll do it.”
Kimimaro walked to Sakura’s side, taking a hold of her arm as if to show Lee that he was supposed to obey him – or else.
Kimimaro walked into the staff room with the woman, while Anko kneeled next to the spot Kiba had been lying on. She was trying to wipe the boy's blood off the floor.
Finally Anko, too, had to go into the staff room, or she would have been seen by the police. She closed the door behind her.
She hadn't had enough time to clean the floor completely.
-----
Nara Shikamaru parked the car near the entrance of the gass station’s store.
His partner had insisted that they visit Naruto at his work place, saying that it was really important to him to ask the boy to come for dinner the next day. Something had apparently happened earlier that day. Iruka hadn't mentioned what, but it must have been something unpleasant, judging by the way he had been acting all evening.
Iruka opened the passenger door but didn't get out yet. He turned to look at Shikamaru.
“You can wait in the car. Do you want me to bring you a cup of coffee or something?”
Shikamaru turned off the engine.
“Nothing for me, thanks.”
“Okay, I won’t take long.” Iruka shut the door and walked into the store.
He saw a black-haired man standing behind the check-out counter.
‘Who's that? I thought Naruto and Kiba were supposed to work together tonight.’
Iruka stopped in front of the counter.
‘He doesn’t have a name tag.’
“Hello. What can I get for you, officer?” the man said, the smile on his face looking a little forced.
Iruka smiled back politely. “A cup of coffee to go, please.”
‘Something feels off.’
When Iruka got a bad feeling, usually something really was wrong; he has amazing instincts, and he has learned to trust the gut feelings.
When the man’s back was facing him, the man pouring him the cup of coffee he had asked for, Iruka noticed something from the corner of his eye; there was something on the floor next to the check-out counter.
‘Is that blood?’
Iruka thought that it looked like someone had tried to wipe it away but hadn't been able to get it off completely – maybe because they had been in a hurry?
The 'sales clerk' turned around, a brown paper cup in hand. He put it on the counter before the brown-haired police officer, smiling.
When Iruka took his wallet out of his pocket, the man spoke.
“It’s on me, officer.”
He stopped fiddling with his wallet.
“Oh, are you sure?”
“Yes. I appreciate the work you do, so this is the least I can do for you, officer.”
‘I bet he doesn’t know how to use the cash register.’
Iruka put the wallet back into his jacket pocket.
“That’s really nice of you. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good evening, officer.”
“Yes, you too.” Smiling at the man, Iruka waved his goodbye and walked out of the store.
When he got to the car, he opened the door and got in.
Iruka looked troubled, and Shikamaru noticed this, giving him a questioning look.
“Something bad's going on inside. I think we need to call for backup.”
A sigh. “Troublesome.”
-----
End of chapter four.
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