The Uchiha Fraud
Chapter Fifteen

"So let's assume that this Orochimaru person is behind this whole debacle," Sakura said suddenly, breaking the silence. "How would you even prove that it's him? Otokagure is a huge city… it could be a mere coincidence that the bodyguard you hired and the person you sought help from reside in same place."

"There are no coincidences," Sasuke stated curtly. "Otokagure may be a large city, but when it comes to certain… activities, it's a lot smaller than you think."

"And yet you asked for his assistance…" Sakura said, a hint of displeasure in her voice.

"I told you from the very beginning—"

"Shut up, you idiot," Sasuke snapped. "Unless you can somehow travel back in time, I'd advise you to keep your loud mouth closed."

"What was so important that you needed Orochimaru's help?" Sakura asked quickly, too exhausted to witness another argument between the two. "I mean, were his resources worth the backlash?"

"It's a long story," Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes for a moment to relieve the forming headache.

Not that Sasuke would ever admit it, but there were things he regretted in the past, and choosing to seek help from a conniving snake was one of them. But five years ago at the ripe age of seventeen, it was near impossible to revive the company that his father had worked so hard to build after he left—abandoning all responsibility and shouldering it onto his younger brother. Inexperienced, unprepared, and stuck at a dead end, there wasn't much else he could do on his own.

And so he made a deal with the devil—a deal that he never intended on remaining faithful to.

But to think that Orochimaru would still hold a grudge five years later...

Absolutely Pathetic.

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As for him… Sasuke didn't know whether or not he was still wandering somewhere in Japan, or if he chose to travel overseas, but to be honest—he didn't give a shit.

As far as he was concerned, his older brother was dead.

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"Like I said," Sakura repeated once more, interrupting Sasuke from his thoughts. "You can't automatically assume that it's Orochimaru without proper evidence."

"Who else could it be?" Naruto spoke up, crossing his arms childishly as he glared at the Uchiha heir. "This bastard knew the consequences when he decided to make that deal. And what did I tell you from the very beginning? I warned you—"

"I'm leaving," Sasuke interrupted, ignoring the look that Naruto shot him.

"Er… what?"

"We don't have enough evidence," he stated, glancing over at Sakura who sat there - silent. "And if that's the case, then there's only one way to find out."

"Which is…?"

"None of your business," Sasuke finished, closing his laptop.

"What do you mean?" Naruto spluttered, still unsure as to whether or not he was angry about Sasuke's sudden urge to leave. "You can't just drag us off to God knows where—"

"I wasn't asking you to go with me," Sasuke corrected, sifting through the drawers - pocketing a few items. "Stay with Sakura."

"What? No—"

The Uchiha heir ignored him, slamming the door behind him on his way out.

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Sasuke's first instinct was to hunt down Orochimaru first and foremost, but at the moment, heading to Otokagure without a plan was equivalent to asking for a death wish. Just as Sakura said, he lacked the proper evidence that proved that the snake was behind Suigetsu's involvement in his life as well as the former bodyguard's appearance at the event, but in all likelihood, it could not have been anyone else but Orochimaru. There were various people who were after the Uchiha fortune, and after Sasuke had taken over the mantle, the chances of destroying his family's corporation became more probable... or so they believed.

Even though he was no longer around, Itachi was still a threat to his existence.

Sasuke clenched his fists.

Following Sasuke's exit, the room remained completely silent.

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"... Is he going to be okay?" Sakura finally asked, suddenly wary after seeing the dumbfounded expression on Naruto's face. "You didn't specify why exactly Orochimaru was a threat—you just said that he was."

"Orochimaru…" Naruto trailed off, unsure of what to say. "He's one creepy fucker."

"And that explains everything," Sakura responded dryly.

"It's complicated," he muttered, feeling his skin crawl just thinking about the man. The word "creepy" didn't even come close to what Orochimaru was… inhumane, was more like it. "You see, there are a lot of corporations that get to where they are through wealth, money, and power. That's how Sasuke's company was when it belonged to his father… and later, his brother."

Sakura's eyebrow shot up.

"Yeah, the bastard has a brother. Well, he did." Naruto paused for a moment. "Anyways, Orochimaru is basically the head honcho of a powerful company… except he gained his prestige or whatever the hell you call it through different methods."

"Different methods…?" Sakura urged, curious.

"He just cheated, okay?" Naruto blurted out, clearing his throat. "There's a right way, and then there's the wrong way. A very wrong… way."

"And Sasuke-kun felt the need to ask for his help?" Sakura asked once more, more so to herself than to Naruto. "He must have been desperate."

"Well, when your older brother decides to destroy the company from the inside out—you're going to need a lot of help," Naruto replied. "Sasuke's father didn't know about any of this, of course. The bastard never says it, but his relationship with his father has always been a little weird. Being in the shadow of his older brother just made it that much worse."

Sakura took a moment to process all the information… but there was one thing that bothered her—

"So what exactly did Sasuke need from him?"

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"Well…"

Sasuke didn't necessarily have a plan in mind… all he knew was that he needed a tracker.

And he needed one now.

So he called the only person he could actually depend on to get the job done—

"Inuzuka."

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Getting to Orochimaru wouldn't be easy, but there was one way to lure him out.

And he was going to start with Suigetsu.

Author's Note: Happy Holidays! I won't even bother with apologizing because I have no excuse... but I'm HOPING to update each of my stories at least once before returning back to school for winter quarter. However, lately I've been toying with the idea of taking prompt requests - mainly to keep the creativity flowing and to take a "break" from my story's plot lines. Feel free to leave a review as to what you think?

But thank you for reading! Next chapter will definitely be longer!