Prologue

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"…When officials arrived, the office was in an uproar…."

Naruto sat on his coach, staring ahead blindly. People rushed around his apartment. He could hear the sound of drawers being yanked and jerked out. He heard questions- and he must have answered them, because they weren't asked again- and someone broke one of his dishes.

"….Uchiha Itach, along with several other members of the boar, are still unaccounted for. Authorities are currently searching the Uchiha home, and the home of several of the Uchiha's close and personal friends…"

A laugh caught in Naruto's throat, coming out as a strangled gurgle. Close and Personal friends, huh? Yeah, that's what they were. Close and Personal…

"…The only member of the Uchiha family, Uchiha Sasuke, was unable to be reached for questioning…"

Sasuke grabbed the man's hand roughly, pushing him away. Two officers pulled him back.

"That's my room! Stay out of my room!" He snarled, eyes flashing.

"Uchiha-san, you need to calm down…" One of the officers started, holding Sasuke's arm tighter when the boy jerked furiously.

"That's my room. My stuff. Go through Itachi's shit! He's the one who…"

"Uchiha-san, if you would please leave the room, we have some questions for you…."

"…According to reports, after the collapse of the Uchiha Corporation, Uchiha Itachi was around two billion dollars in debt…"

"…And he never mentioned anything to you? About a summer house, or vacation plans?" The officer's voice was sharp and cold. There was something dangerous in his voice. Naruto wanted to laugh, the bitterness was nearly uncontrollable.

"I told you, he has houses in northern Japan and Tokyo. As far as I know, that's it."

"We searched those houses, Uzumaki-san. Nothing. A man as rich as Uchiha Itachi…He must have had a foreign getaway. The States, maybe? Europe?" Naruto gritted his teeth in irritation.

"If he did, I didn't know about it."

"…If reports are accurate, Uchiha Itachi pulled at least thirty million from the company before vanishing…."

"…Go find him then! Stop wasting my time!" Sasuke growled. "You already know he's not here!"

"You are his younger brother, Uchiha-san. You honestly expect us to believe he didn't tell you anything about where he was going?"

"I don't give a damn if you believe me or not! I don't know where he is!"

"…The Uchiha mansion, along with the Uchiha bonds and other possessions, will be liquidated and used to pay off the excessive debt left in the wake of the Uchiha's disappearance…"

"As the Uchiha's legal representative, I need to ask that the liquidation process be held off until there is conclusive evidence that Uchiha Itachi doesn't plan to return to Japan." Kakashi demanded, knowing the answer immediately.

"Oh? And what would you consider conclusive evidence? A good-bye note? Be reasonable, Hatake-san." The man was nearly laughing at him. Kakashi's grip tightened on his briefcase.

"With all due respect, Mizuki-san, The Uchiha residence is still currently in use. Liquidation would be…"

"You mean by Uchiha Sasuke? Surely the prince of Japan can find a new place of residence." The arrogance in his voice was obvious. This man was smug as hell. Kakashi felt his mouth twist angrily. "He's still a minor, is he not? He'll be entering a temporary house soon, won't he?"

"Not if I can help it." Kakashi snapped, rising to his feet, and quickly leaving the room.

"…Last night the Uchiha mansion was broken in to and set on fire. Angry families of the lower level management of the Uchiha Corporation have been storming the gates since Sunday, but the authorities have held them off. Uchiha Sasuke has been removed from the residence for his own safety. His current location is unknown…."

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Author's notes

Yes it's short, but the next chapter will be up really soon, so it doesn't matter.

To address one thing I regret: I mentioned in my last story, Merging, I said my next story was going to involve Neji, Gaara, and Sasuke coming on to Naruto. I lied. This story just came out so much easier than that one, so I decided I'd work on both, but post this one first so I could post more regularly.

No anger please? ;)

Sincerely,

AthenaAlpha