The raven leisurely walked down the long empty sidewalk. The chilly wind blew his midnight hair against his pale face, whipping it into his eyes. Lifting a gloved hand, he brushed it out of his face and searched the buildings discreetly. The darkness of the night was held at bay by the bright lights of the city life. He quickly found the building he was looking for, opening the glass doors and stepping inside of a hotel lobby. He kept his silver briefcase at his side, inconspicuously passing the front desk and veering toward the stairs in the left corner of the room. His coat lightly flapping, he quietly opened the door and tugged down the brim of his gray trilby hat. The door behind him shut and he gazed up the square spiral of stairs reaching up to the rooftop. As he ascended, he nonchalantly checked his watch.

11:25. Not too bad, I have time. At the end of the stairwell he reached the door leading to the rooftop.

He thrust the door open, placing a nearby brick in the door way to keep it from closing and locking him out. The man then observed the waning yellow moon; partially hidden by clouds, it gave him enough light to do what he needed to do. Setting down the briefcase, he gazed around the barren roof. A few plastic crates of soda were lying on the floor. A small cylindrical tank of water was next to the door, along with old faded newspapers and broken empty bottles of beer. The gritty cement roof crunched slightly underneath his steps as he walked around, surveying his environment. Exhaling, he silently watched as his breath came out as a white cloud and dispersed.

Going back to the briefcase, he unlocked it and removed a pair of binoculars, searching the surrounding buildings carefully. As the gaze of the binoculars fell upon a restaurant, he increased the zoom, finding what he had been hunting for. Through the lens he could see a middle-aged man in an expensive suit sitting at a decorated white clothed table, surrounded by party guests. The brown-haired man was chatting with several women, all the while making obscene passes at them. Drinking champagne, he looked to be at the highlight of his life.

Too bad.

The black-haired man brought out several pieces of metal from the case. Assembling a rifle together, he twisted on the suppressor and loaded a single bullet. His M24 fit snugly in his hands, a familiar companion. Once he propped up the bipod, he lied down and rested the padded butt against his shoulder. Adjusting the scope, he made sure he had a clear view of his goal before he slid the bolt up and pulled it back with a loud click. Thumbing the safety button, he switched it off and closed one eye, the other gazing into the scope. He fixed the cross hairs on the brunette, breathing out slowly to help steady his aim. He gave the trigger a quick tug.

The bullet shot out of the barrel and sped through the air. The raven pulled the bolt up and back before shoving it forward and down, ejecting the empty case. The rifle muzzle smoked slightly. The sound of the gunshot was mostly covered by the noises of honking cars and robust night life, offering a perfect disguise.

Shattering the beautiful clear glass shielding the party guests from the cold into crystal rain, the bullet slammed into the man's head. The back of the skull erupted in a fountain of spewing blood, splattering bone fragments and gray brain matter everywhere. The body dropped to the floor heavily, twitching; ruby red liquid gushing from the wound and forming a puddle underneath the corpse. The party immediately exploded into utter chaos; people stampeded out of the room shrieking and panicking. Smirking, the raven picked up the case and stood up, his body hidden by the shadow of the night.

"Hn."

With deft hands he broke down his weapon and slid the pieces neatly into their pockets. Time to get out and disappear. Touching his earpiece, he spoke quietly into it, his voice flat with boredom.

"I'm done."

A smooth voice responded. "Well done, Sasuke. Flawless as always. Get back here and collect the money when you can."

"I'm on my way."

Kicking the brick out of the way, Sasuke descended down the stairs, his pace a bit faster than before. He ignored the sounds of police sirens coming from the outside, casually pocketing the spent case the rifle had spit out. With a twist to his hat, he got to the last couple of steps and went to the door, carefully gazing out of the small window. Once he was certain no one was around to see him, he slipped into the lobby and out walked out the front door, unseen.

Sasuke disappeared into the crowds that had gathered, discreetly gliding through the swarms of people as he made his escape. Police cars whipped by on the streets; the sirens wailing loudly and the lights flashing brightly. With his face hidden, he avoided attracting attention and used the shadowy areas of the streets to his advantage. Exiting the more populated areas, he turned into an alley that led to a shadier side of town. As his eyes closed briefly in a yawn and he passed by houses that slowly diminished in appearance, his thoughts drifted to the man he had just murdered.

The man had been sentenced to death for cheating on his wife. Being married to a slick politician was tough, or so he had been told. The man's executioner turned out to be his revengeful wife; a thin woman with large brown eyes and a heavily accentuated chest. You do wrong, you get taken out. Unfortunately for that bastard, he did wrong. He had no qualms about murdering another human being mercilessly in cold blood. The more blood spilt by his hands, the more he felt prepared for the day he would find him. A cold mask descended upon his face as unwanted memories resurfaced.

Cruelly shoving them back behind a mental wall, he soon arrived at an abandoned parking deck surrounded by weeds and shadows. He pulled his keys out of his coat pocket and pressed the unlock button. His 2013 black Dodge Charger let out a sharp beep and the lights flashed from the hidden area it was intentionally parked in. Getting inside, he turned the key in the ignition and the engine purred to life. With a flick of his wrist the case landed in the backseat, and he backed out of the space, smoothly driving away.

xXx- Earlier that day

Sasuke slit open the manila folder placed in front of him. Leaning in the leather chair, he gazed at the contents. The thin paper had a small photograph of a brown haired man paper clipped on the front page. Below were the man's name, age, occupation, family, and a list of his most visited places. And below all that information was a large sum of money.

As he flipped through it, Sasuke knew it would be an easy one. Turning to the silver-haired man that had handed him the folder, he nodded, his black eyes glittering dangerously. He smirked.

"I'll take it."

The other man grinned cheerfully; his eyes turning into inverted U's.

"I knew you would. Our dear friend has a formal party scheduled for today at the Marriot ballroom to announce his decision to run for mayor. His table is next to the large windows. Incredibly easy, especially for you."

Scoffing, Sasuke smoothly stood up and tossed the manila folder back on the desk. He stepped to the door and placed one foot out.

"Sasuke, don't forget this. You'll need it." Kakashi was nudging the folder idly.

Sasuke barely stopped. Turning his head to the side, he regarded the other man with a dark eye before twisting back around and leaving.

"Don't give me that shit, Kakashi. You know I won't."

Amused, the man watched as Sasuke exited. With a shake of his head, he lit a cigarette from his stash and leaned back in his chair.

"That kid is too damn cocky for his own good. At least he's perfect at what he does."

Chuckling to himself, he opened his desk drawer and pulled out an orange book with an explicit image on the front cover. Feet propped up on the mahogany finish, he took a drag and turned back to the page he was on before being interrupted.

"Now where were we?..."

xXx Present

His dashboard glowing green in the dark, Sasuke watched the roads around him, mindful of any cop cars. Confident that he wasn't being followed or watched, he cruised into the parking lot of a tall building. After he parked and locked his Charger, he strolled through the entrance. Not bothering to greet the secretary, he sauntered right into the elevator and pressed the button to shut the doors.

He shook off his coat, folding it against his arm and took off his trilby. Smoothing his vest, his dark eyes stared straight ahead. His thick, unruly hair stood up in the back, appearing to look like a duck's butt. His bangs fell gently in his face, framing his eyes. Standing up straight, his lean, sinewy arms elongated to a pair of pale hands, one of which clutched the suitcase. His broad shoulders were perfectly fitted to his impeccable white shirt. His black tie laid smoothly against his chest, snuggled crisply in his vest. His neatly pressed pants were immaculate and had a crease running down each leg. A silver band was nestled on his right hand's middle finger. His features appeared to be expressionless, a cold poker face.

A small ding rang out.

The silver doors sliding slowly open, Sasuke stepped out and headed towards his office. Operating mostly as a law agency, the Hatake firm held a dark secret. For the right price, it offered several special services. Sometimes, putting a man in jail was never enough. Sometimes, the call for blood was louder than justice. For the right price, any job could be done. The door opened with a swipe from his magnetic keycard and Sasuke clicked on the lights, setting down his case in one of the client chairs.

He stood before a small painting which revealed a hidden safe with a glowing keypad behind it. Pressing the correct combination, the safe let out a small hiss and opened. It was completely empty. He pushed a few more keys and the bottom panel of the safe slid open to reveal a black handle. The handle in his hand, Sasuke pulled it up and then sharply to the side. He then turned to the wall behind his desk and watched as a concealed panel beside a thin bookcase slid up and exposed a black room with another keypad with a hand scanner attached. Sasuke retrieved his case and walked inside.

Inserting a secret code into the glowing keypad on the wall, along with his hand print, Sasuke squinted as the room was flooded in bright lights. The room was void of any furnishings; the walls were a pale blue color. Along the walls were numbered plaques with keyholes next to them. Once he reached the back, Sasuke inserted a key into one of the chest level panels and opened it. Inside were several neatly stacked gun magazines and a foam bed with pockets. He transferred his rifle from the case to the foam and shut the panel. Once he exited the room, the mechanism that controlled the secret room returned it to its previous state. Back at his desk, Sasuke turned on his computer and typed in his password. While waiting for it to load, he hung his coat on the metal coat rack by the door and loosened his tie. He then marched out of his office and strode into the hallway.

Facing a set of tinted glass doors with the word Hatake written in loopy silver words, he shoved them open and walked down the three steps that were oddly in front of the door and the cause of more than 21 coffee related accidents. The dark carpet was a perfect match to the set of gray couches lined up on the right against the bullet-proof, 2 inch thick glass wall that gave a crystal clear, stunning view of the city. Being the top floor had its advantages. He moved to the center of the room where a gorgeous mahogany desk was placed and sat down in the comfortable leather chairs, crossing one leg over the other at the ankle. The large black chair that had its back to him slowly swiveled around to reveal Kakashi with his arms crossed over his chest. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the dramatic turn.

Kakashi uncrossed his arms and reached into a drawer in his desk, pulling out a white package. Placing it on the desk, he slid it over to Sasuke and leaned back. Sasuke reached over and grabbed the package. Not bothering to open it, he carelessly glanced over at Kakashi and raised an eyebrow. Kakashi nodded at him.

"It's one hundred thousand. I got my share, so there is yours."

"Hn."

Deeming the exchange over, Sasuke rose to his feet, the package braced under his armpit.

"Oh and before you go, I have a new one. Everyone has something scheduled for tomorrow but you, so this is convenient. It's another easy one."

Sasuke stopped moving and sighed. He returned to the desk and held his hand out for the manila folder he knew he would receive. Kakashi handed it off and stood up. Meandering over to the glass wall, he observed the bright lights below before pulling out his orange book and reciting the information he had just given Sasuke.

"Name's Naruto Uzumaki, age 21. One year younger than you. He currently works as a chef and is employed at one of the more popular eateries. He has short blond hair and blue eyes. An accident as a kid left him with scars on his face. Kid kinda looks like a fox. He lives alone in a single bedroom apartment in the decent area of the city. No wife or girlfriend, and no kids. He's also an orphan."

Kakashi peeked over at Sasuke who was rapidly flipping through the file. A light frown marring Sasuke's face, he curiously looked up at the taller man.

"Any reason why someone wants him dead? He looks like a fucking goody two-shoes."

The other man shook his head and shrugged. He walked back to the desk and sat on the edge, grabbing a small stress ball he had. He began to toss it up and down lazily.

"It's like always, Sasuke. We get the orders, no questions asked, do the dirty deed and get paid. You should know this." He chastised.

Sasuke glared at him, his deadly stare lowering the temperature of the room several degrees.

"No shit. The fact that most of our "jobs" are wanted dead for "wronging" someone, contrasts with Sunshine over here. He doesn't look like they usually do." With a shrug, Sasuke shut the folder. "Nonetheless, not my business. You said it's to be done by tomorrow?"

"That's what the client wanted. At night was his request. He wants it done quickly and quietly, no loose ends or anything to incriminate him, something about a call or message once it's over."

Sasuke scoffed. "Sounds like he's fucking ordering take out." Getting up again, he strode to the door with the file in his hand.

"So I take it you accept?"

"Any other reason I'd be taking this with me?"

"Fuck you too, kid." Kakashi retorted, his words harmless.

Once in his office, Sasuke plopped down in his chair and once again opened the folder that had genuinely caught his interest. As he gazed through the papers, he grabbed a pen and began to twirl it around on his fingers absentmindedly. Sunshine had no misdemeanors, no felonies, no warrants for arrest, no nothing. He was squeaky clean. He was the opposite of his usual jobs, something that struck him as odd. He landed on a blown up profile picture.

Studying it, he noticed that the tan blond was actually quite attractive. The clear sapphire eyes exposed the happiness shining on his face. The wide, toothy grin revealed a set of perfect teeth hidden behind a pair of plump lips. The face was tarnished only by the three scars on each cheek. Even with the scars, the face was undeniably striking. Tracing the face with the pads of his fingers, he smirked. He set the pen down and looked out of his office window and into the dark sky.

Naruto, huh? Looks like I found my newest target.