1928

Naruto had been living with Kakashi for almost a week. The rules were simple.
No going outside alone.
No answering the door.
No going out at night. Period.
No standing in front of the window.
And the list went on.
Naruto had taken up reading to deal with the constant boredom. Not those stupid romance novels that Kakashi always read, but the law books that sat on the shelves behind Kakashi’s desk. At first, he found them incredibly dry, but after a while, he began to understand and possibly even enjoy them. They were old, bound with leather, and smelled slightly, but he had learned to enjoy the smell.
And what more, Naruto seemed to have acquired a stalker. Whenever Kakashi went out, which was a lot, he’d see the same pair of endless brown eyes staring at him through the window.
When he and Kakashi left to go somewhere, the boy, Sai, would watch them and sometimes follow them as far as he could before he was squawked at by Mrs. Chin.
Naruto glanced at the mantle clock. Yep, Kakashi had been gone for five minutes that meant… He looked over his book out the window. Sai was standing outside. Naruto let out a heavy sigh and went to the window. He opened it a crack.
“What do you want?” He snapped irritably. The boy blinked slowly. “Do you speak English?” Naruto said, speaking slowly this time. Sai blinked at him, a slow smile playing across his face. Naruto glared at him.
“Why don’t you come outside?” Naruto stared dryly at him.
“I can’t.”
Sai’s smile widened. “What’s wrong, scared of me?”
“I’m not allowed.”
“Don’t be such a girl.”
Naruto went to shut the window but Sai stopped him.
“Come on. Do you even have a dick? Or do you think I‘m another Chinaman?”
Naruto saw red. He couldn’t think of an adequate comeback for that, and what the heck did he men by “I’m not another Chinaman?”
Naruto chose to address the latter.
“What do you mean, you’re not another Chinaman? You look Chinese to me.” Sai gave him on of his fake looking smiles.
“Nope.”
“Well, if you aren’t Chinese, then what are you?”
Sai tilted his head in an annoyingly girlish way. He was even pretty like a girl.
“My parent’s were from Nihon.”
“Ni-Nihon? What’s the difference?” Naruto asked, sliding the window open and crawling out. Kakashi never had said anything about not crawling out the window, though Naruto doubted he had thought of that. Once outside, he shivered due to the late October chill. He looked up at Sai, who was about a year older than him, with dark hair and even darker eyes. His skin looked white in the artificial light of the lamppost nearby. Downstairs, he could hear the Jazz club in full swing.
“Come on!” Sai grabbed his wrist and pulled him down the stairs. Upon the skin to skin contact, Naruto felt his heart skip a beat and begin to pound wildly against his chest. He credited it, at the time, to adrenaline.
“Hey, Sasuke!” Sai shouted into the shadows by the back entrance. Another boy, who looked identical to Sai, only a little older, turned around.
Naruto immediately envied these two. They were taller, well built, and handsome with pale, high cheekbones and immeasurable dark eyes. They were beautiful and mysterious and Naruto couldn’t help but feel self-conscious around them.
“Hey, kid, check this out.” Sasuke said, striding up to the back door of the club. Naruto watched his fluid movements with a small amount of envy.
Sasuke knocked on the door. A pair of sparkling dark eyes appeared through a sliding panel at the top.
“You two again? Hey, who’s the other brat?”
Sasuke and Sai looked back at Naruto.
“Naruto Uzumaki, sir.” Naruto said politely masking his fear. The man’s eyes widened, scanning him up and down.
“Uzumaki, eh? How old are ya?”
“Eleven, sir?” Naruto ended with more of a question than an answer. The man behind the door let out a sigh of disapproval.
“Geeze, just a kid…”
“Oh, please, Mr. Asuma!” Sai begged. Naruto looked him over. Sai was definitely the more feminine of the two. He blinked those amazing eyes slowly at the man.
“What are you lookin at, kid?” The man snapped, then with heavy sigh, he opened the door. The strange visage that lay before Naruto’s eyes was unlike anything he had ever imagined. Sai pulled Naruto inside behind Sasuke and the brown eyed man closed the door. The back of the club was full of women clad in shimmering gowns with knee-length fringes of various colors. Mingling with them were musicians toting shiny instruments, all dressed to the nines.
A woman in red dress with long shimmering fringes strode toward them on her dangerously high heels.
“Asuma…” She said, her voice low and smoky, her dark hair pulled up into a bun with finger waves framing her face. To Naruto, she was elegance embodied. Asuma’s cheeks flushed dark red at the woman who clung to him, her long stands of pearls dangling about her neck and brushing against Asuma’s thigh.
“Miss Kurenai…aren’t you due on stage soon?” He asked, glancing over at the boys. Kuronai followed his gaze, her reddish eyes falling on the boys.
“So you boy’s are back, huh? Who’s the new kid, he’s kind of cute.” She grabbed hold of Naruto’s cheek with her polished fingernails and pinched.
“Naruto Uzamaki, ma’am.”
“Oh, he’s so polite, too! Asuma, you could learn something from this kid.” She said, brushing a finger beneath Asuma’s chin and slinking away as the music started again. Asuma stared after her, his mouth open and his eye’s glazed over. Sai let out a girlish giggle. As soon as the woman turned away, Naruto rubbed the sore spot on his cheek.
“Mr. Asuma fancies Miss Kurenai.” Sai said matter-of-factly. Asuma turned a darker shade of red.
“Shut up, kid. And keep a low profile. The boss is here tonight.”
The Boss? Naruto’s heart began to beat wildly as he scanned the crowed back for the men in the dark coats. He was torn between morbid curiosity and fear. Sai’s steady grip on his arm kept him from bolting.
Sasuke looked back over his shoulder at them. “Come on, brats.” He said, before cutting through the crowd. Sai pulled Naruto after them like a rag doll. Sai turned to Naruto.
“That was Miss Kurenai, the club’s main act, and Asuma keeps the pigs from finding the liquor.”
“The pigs? What would pigs be doing in a club?” Naruto asked bluntly.
“Pigs…you know…police?”
Naruto blinked dumbly. He was suffering from culture shock. Sai led him to the bar, shoving him roughly onto one of the stools.
“Wait here, I’ll be right back!” Naruto watched at the other boy disappeared into the crowd.
He sat there amidst the throng, lost in the sea of booze and glamour. The room fell silent as the stage darkened. A lone spotlight lit the stage, bathing the center in golden light. Miss Kurenai stepped out on stage at the music started up, slowly, each swing of the fringes of her dress brought a new rise, a new outburst in the music. Her pace quickened with the music, bringing about spinning and stepping, the movements were so fast.. She looked so beautiful, her beaded dress spinning and swaying in the spotlight. Naruto let out a gasp that set the woman next to him laughing.
“And she calls herself a dancer…” Naruto’s eye’s shifted to the woman. Her blond hair was also styled much like Miss. Kuranai’s, except it was cut short. She was dressed fashionably, wearing the same painfully high heels as the dancers backstage. Naruto stared at her. Her honey colored eyes looked Naruto up and down.
“I used to be the greatest, you know. Back in Chicago…” He voice trailed off as she took a swig of her amber liquid. “…they used to call me ‘Lady Tsunade’…” She slammed the cup down on the counter. “More whisky, Mac.” A man with short, dark hair filled her glass. She took another swig, swirling the alcohol in her glass.
“I like you, brat, you have an honest face…but…” She sighed. “You remind me of someone…” Naruto stared at her. She grabbed his arm.
“Come on, entertain an old woman…” Naruto hadn’t noticed the change in the music’s tempo. She took him out on the dance floor. The only other experience Naruto had ever had dancing, was his mother trying to teach him to waltz. That ended with her collapsing on the couch, a sad smile on her face.
“You have two left feet, just like your father!” She would laugh, her delicate arms draped gently in her lap. Naruto thought at the time that she was the most wonderful woman he had ever met, an opinion he would never change. The music stopped for a moment.
“So, brat, what’s you’re name?” She said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
“N-Naruto Uzamaki, ma’am.” he said, coughing due to the smoke. Her amber eyes widened and she blew out another puff of smoke.
“Come on, brat, I’m gonna introduce you to someone.”
“Ah, but…” once again, he was dragged away by an almost complete stranger. He scanned the crowd for Sai and Sasuke as he was dragged over to a table in the corner. A man in a dark suit sat talking with a white haired man. The entire table was surrounded by cheap looking women. Another man with a long, dark ponytail sat in the shadows, smoking a hookah. It was the people that surrounded him that caught Naruto’s attention. The man behind him was wearing a nurses apron, and his large, round glasses shone eerily in the dim light. The other Naruto recognized as Sasuke, and he was clinging to the man the same way as the cheap women were clinging to the white haired man. The black haired man ran his hand over Sasuke’s hips, fingering the teens thigh. Sasuke ground deeper into the man’s waist, wrapping his arms tighter around the man. The man smiled, his canines more pronounced than average. His face was deathly pale and his cheeks hollowed, giving him an almost skeletal appearance as he puffed on the hookah.
Both the older men looked up when Tsunade slinked towards them. The white haired man stood up, shaking the women off of him and offered Tsunade his chair. The third man remained seated, his face hidden by his dark hat. Sasuke barely acknowledged Naruto when he neared the table. He felt strange, almost envious of the man in the corner, to have such an ethereal boy clinging to him as if… Naruto shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Tsunade drew Naruto close to her.
“This, gentlemen, is Naruto Uzamaki. Isn’t he just the bees knees?” Tsunade pinched his cheek, her tremendous breasts bouncing beneath her gold gown.
The shadowed man in the dark suit stirred slightly but said nothing. Naruto was greeted only with a nod. The white haired man looked down with a kind smile.
“Hey, Kiddo, I’m Jiraiya, just Jiraiya. Pleased to meet you!” Jiraiya seized Naruto’s hand and shook it. Naruto stared up at the tall man as he shook his arm almost violently. Jiraiya pulled Naruto close and turned him around to face the table, keeping a constant grip on the boy’s shoulder.
“Geeze, what a cute kid.” He laughed, stealing a chair from a nearby table and sitting down. He kept Naruto close to his shoulder, similar to the way the ponytail’s man kept Sasuke, but he wasn’t touchy, nor did he want Naruto to cling to him like that.
“Naruto, the man in the corner is Orrochimaru, the lad behind him is his personal nurse, Kabuto, and Sasuke…this right here, is Mr. Namikaze. The man in the dark suit nodded, a slow smile crossing his face. He beckoned Naruto towards him, taking him by the hands.
“Let me have a look at you, boy. Turn around.” He forced Naruto to turn on the spot, eye’s scanning him over from beneath the shadowy brim of his fedora. “You’re Kushina’s boy, aren’t you?”
“Y-yes…how did you know, sir?”
The man let go of him and stood up, a dashing half-smile crossing his shadowed face.
“We’ll just say…I knew your parents, ne?” He tipped the brim of his hat and left.
Naruto stared after the man, a chill running down his spine. He felt Jiraiya’s hand on his shoulder and turned to look at the older man.
“I think someone is looking from you, kiddo.” He nodded towards the stage, Sai was scanning the crowd from on top of a chair. Naruto stared blankly at the boy. Orrochimaru licked his lips and turned to Sasuke.
“How long?” He said, his voice low compared to the din. Sasuke leaned forward, nibbling on the other man’s ear.
“Wait few years for that one…” Sasuke whispered. Orrochimaru let out a low growl, running his tongue along the teen’s jaw. Sasuke tilted his head upwards, hands fisting slightly in the fabric of the man’s suit.
Jiraiya waved to the Sai with a smile. Moment’s later, the boy appeared by Jiraiya’s side.
“Hello, Naruto.” He said brightly. Tsunade glared at the boy over the top of her drink.
“You know this kid, Oda?” She asked, taking a long drag from a fresh cigarette.
Sai tilted his head, that fake-looking smile back.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She said, swigging her drink. She put the glass down just as a dark haired woman in a long black dress and a grey coat cut through the crowd irritably.
“Miss Tsunade! You’re not drinking again, are you? Oh, you need to stay away from these places!” The woman began to fuss over the older woman. Tsunade dismissed her with a wave of her hand.
“Come on, Shizune, cant an old lady relive her glory days?” Tsunade said, taking another drag from her cigarette. Shizune let out a heavy sigh.
“Oh well…” Tsunade stood up. “Since the boss already left, I suppose I should go home, too.” Naruto stared at her, his blood running cold. She stood up, tottering on her heels as she donned her coat and followed the young, dark haired woman out. She waved goodbye over her shoulder. “See you around, brat.” She laughed as her blond head disappeared through the crowd.
Sasuke and the man named Orrochimaru began to kiss intimately. Jiraiya made a face.
“Come on, boys, lets go see what the ladies are doing backstage.” He dragged Naruto and Sai away from the corner table.
Once backstage, Jiraiya called them aside.
“That man back there, Orrochimaru…avoid him like the plague…” Jiraiya said quietly, looking around. “and, Naruto, I think it’s time you went home. Kakashi went home a long time ago.”
Naruto stared at Jiraiya. “Uh…how did you know…”
“Kakashi…he’s an old friend, and he works for…my boss. Come on, I’ll take you back…” Jiraiya said, taking both boy’s by the shoulders and leading them outside. Asuma nodded to them as they left.
Sai said goodnight to them and went off towards Mrs. Chin’s house. Jiraiya walked him up the stairs and paused on the landing, knocking on the door. Kakashi opened it, and upon seeing Naruto, he looked pissed.
“Naruto.” His voice was deadly calm. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”
Naruto blinked up at him, slowly nodding his head.
“It’s all right, Kakashi, he was with me for almost the entire time. It was Sai Oda’s idea, he dragged Naruto downstairs and introduced him to Tsunade.”
Kakashi sighed, wiping a hand over his mouth.
“Go to bed, now. We’ll discuss this in the morning.”
“But…”
“Bed. Now. Go.” Kakashi slapped Naruto’s butt on his way to the back room. Naruto started to go, but paused at the sight of a blonde man sitting with his back to him in front of Kakashi’s desk.
“Bed.” Kakashi warned.
Naruto stared at the back of the man’s head as he went into the back room.
He closed the door, and almost immediately head the other men’s voices.
“Just go easy on him, Kakashi…”
“He could have been killed, Jiraiya.”
“But he wasn’t…Look, as long as Mr. Namikaze owns the club, the Akatsuki won’t dare set foot anywhere near it…”
“And yet Orrochimaru was there tonight…”
“Orrochimaru is no longer a member of the Akatsuki…”
“Nothing happened, okay? He entertained Tsunade and I, while that Sasuke Uchiha entertained Orrochimaru.”
“What do you mean, entertained?”
“Nothing kinky, just…”
A third man’s voice chimed in. Naruto guessed it was the blondes.
“Mr. Jiraiya, if you please, Kakashi and I…were discussing the fate of the boy’s mother…”
Naruto gasped, pushing his ear closer to the door.
“The Akatsuki, sir…they took out a hit on her a couple weeks ago, at least, that’s what my sources say… the Uchiha’s older brother is a member…”
“Who, Itachi? He used to be one of ours until he flipped out…” Jiraiya’s deep voice rumbled from the other side of the door.
Naruto shifted his position, putting weight on his knees.
“I have to find out, just who did it…” the third man’s voice chimed in, sounding shaky. “ I never meant for this to catch up to her. I wanted them to be safe, that’s why…”
“Boss…” Kakashi’s voice said quietly.
“It’s okay, Minato…” Jiraiya’s voice sounded quiet through the door. Naruto heard footsteps on the other side. The door opened.
“Naruto, I said go to bed.”
Naruto stood up, glaring at the silver haired young man. The door shut as Naruto stood up. He grudgingly got ready for bed.
From beyond the door, Naruto hear Jiraiya’s voice once again.
“Minato, with your permission, I would like to look after Naruto for a while.”
Naruto stopped, looking at the door. He immediately thought of Sai’s perfect face, those thick lips and endless eyes…the raven hair… Naruto wondered if it was as soft as it looked… he thought of the feeling of Sai’s skin on his wrist, his calloused hands touching his arms. Naruto wondered how the rest of Sai’s skin felt.
He didn’t want to leave, to move away from Sai. He closed his eyes and lay back against the pillow, slowly drifting off to sleep.