Notes: This is a 1930s and Narutoverse blend AU, so not all themes will match up perfectly from each.

Why the 1930s theme?: Because it takes place after the Great Ninja War in the Narutoverse timeline, which is acting as somewhat of a WWI, which is lined up with the canon ages of the characters, and even if this story doesn't make it clear enough, they are now in a depression, though perhaps not as severe as many places in real-world context. All locations, items, and even the education situation are based off of the 1930s.

Tobi is just classic Tobi, not Obito or anyone else, because the story is not about him.

Promo character design art are on my deviantArt, see profile for links.

This fic is rated for illegal activity, guns, alcohol, and cigarettes. If you disagree on the rating, please PM me for a change request.

Club Akatsuki

Chapter 1

Life of Crime

Not many cars were out so late at night when only the few clubs and bars were occupied. In a town full of gangsters and crooks, only the secure and powerful, or insane dared to do anything after dark. Those most secure were in certain organizations. The two most influential organization of this dreadful town were known as the Akatsuki and the Sound. They each owned a well-known club, worked in the underground market for illegal goods, and most of all, each were constantly at the throats of the other.

It was a quiet night. The lack of gang wars and shootings meant good business in the bars and in gambling, while also providing a chance for the weapon dealers to restock their inventory. There was still an occasional bar fight, but that was the least of their concerns.

"Hey-hey! Itachi, you're here!" Hidan cheered with a glamorous woman on each arm as they waited outside the luxurious well-known Club Akatsuki. Hidan's white hair was perfectly groomed in a slicked back style and adorned a dark violet fedora with a shimmering grey band since he liked to show off and get attention. His suit was black, but lined with a matching dark violet color. He always skipped wearing a tie of any kind, and liked to leave part of his grey shirt opened to show off his religious medallions hanging from his neck. Tonight he had two ebony-haired ladies with bright red fitted dresses and matching red lips.

They were not the only ones waiting for the dark-haired man to arrive. The club's bodyguard, Kisame turned and waved at his friend as he approached the entrance. Kisame was a tall muscular man with a shark-like appearance and dark blue hair. He was perfect for his job since no one wanted to cause trouble if it meant having to cross him. He wore a plain black fedora and black slacks without a coat. His white button-down was worn with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top two buttons left undone in a relaxed way.

Itachi tipped up his own fedora as he met up with them by the main entrance of the club. The style of hat they wore was a small symbol of their allegiance to Akatsuki. He saw that there was already quite a line of guests waiting to get in the moment it actually opens. The sun wasn't even down yet.

The young man was formally known as Itachi Uchiha before he was disowned as the next head of his family, but due to circumstances that few knew about, he was working here. His fedora and suit were black with red accents. The top buttons of his shirt where left undone and he wore an unusual necklace. He had fairly long black hair that was tied back into a low ponytail while long bangs framed his face. His face was defined and his sharp dark eyes sported long, thick eyelashes. He was considered to be very attractive among the ladies, so there was swooning as soon as he got close to the club.

"All members are present tonight?" Itachi asked the doorman who nodded.

The doorman was Zetsu. He was a tall man with a stoic expression and he wore a black fedora with a green band. Since he stood outside most of the night, he also wore a black trench coat that was green on the inside. "Yes, everyone else is here tonight, it appears as though we have a good turn out as well," he said and opened the door to let the members of the club in.

"Wonder if Pain will get Sasori out and on stage tonight, looks like everyone will need to work tonight with the crowd we're pulling in," Hidan chuckled as he went inside with his ladies.

"Eh, probably, unless Pain needs him to keep working on making you-know-what," Kisame said.

"What about Deidara? I haven't heard about any new orders he needs to fill, he should at least work in the club tonight," Itachi said.

"Probably," Kisame repeated, but pointed towards the stage at the back of the club where Deidara and Sasori were standing and talking to each other.

Sasori was a man with messy red hair and brown eyes with long top eyelashes. His black suit was lined with an unusual teal color and at the moment his black and teal fedora was sitting on top of the piano he was standing next to. The sleeves of his coat were rolled up slightly and the top couple buttons on his button-down were left undone.

Deidara was a man with somewhat long blond hair that covered his left eye. He liked to wear his black and yellow fedora at an angle. Instead of a suit, be wore a button-down of a soft shade of yellow that was almost completely buttoned except for the top button. Over that he wore a fitted black vest fastened closed with a few buttons.

Tobi the bartender was wiping down the counter where his black and orange fedora laid until he remembered to hang it up with his coat. His black hair was kept short but messy, while a pair of orange glasses hid his eyes. He was one of the few members of the whose shirt was completely buttoned properly, including the cuffs. Over his shirt, he also wore a black vest like Deidara.

As the small group entered the club, they sat down to wait for their nightly instructions, the accountant and book keeper, Kakuzu, came in through the doors leading to the back part of the club. Back there was the stairs to the basement, a couple offices, the liquor cellar, the back door, and another set of stairs that led upward to a few apartments above the club which some of the members lived in. Kakuzu wasn't seen around in the actual club much besides before it opens since he worked during the day. He was a tall, serious man with money on the mind. His black suit was always neat even though his hair was not under his hat. He always carried his briefcase when he went to and from the club.

"Good, you're all here," Kakuzu started. "I ran all the numbers and we need to make a considerable profit tonight to make up for all the repairs from the near-riot situation last week and the bar fight a few days ago."

"How much are we talking?" Itachi asked. "Because if I count cards too much, it could anger the guests if they figure out they're being played," he explained.

"Twenty to thirty percent more profits from blackjack tonight," Kakuzu said as he pointed to Itachi and he turned to Tobi. "Ten percent raise on the poured drinks, fifteen on the mixed," he said.

"Tobi thinks that's a bit much suddenly," Tobi said from his place behind the bar.

"Prices were cut last month for the promotional deal, it is time we raised them again anyway," Kakuzu said off-handedly. "If there are any problems, you'll have to take them up with Pain, but he's with Konan right now so I suggest you wait until they get down here."

"Guess it's time to open this place up and get to work," Kisame said and moved to the door to let Zetsu know to start letting people in.

"Good luck tonight," Kakuzu said as he left.

"Right," everyone nodded and went to their places.

"I'm gonna be out back in the warehouse for awhile until it's my shift on stage starts tonight," Deidara let them know before heading out. "Sasori's got the stage covered until then," he added while Sasori moved to sit at the piano and started looking through his sheets of music.

"Just a normal night," Sasori said with a bored sigh. "No inspiration…"

What they didn't know was that there were several pairs of watchful eyes targeting them that night. It would not be a normal night all. In fact, it might change their lives.

The night was cold and dark as a petite sniper waited patiently on the roof of an abandoned warehouse next to Club Akatsuki. The unique red stripe along the side of the gun was the mark of its owner.

"Come out already," she said while looking through the scope to keep a close eye on the back door of the club to the alley. "Sasori of the Red Sand… I have a bullet with your name on it, courtesy of an old friend of yours, Mister Orochimaru…"

From inside the club, the sound of someone playing the piano could be heard. The stage must be near the back part of the building. It was a calming tune, though it sounded complex. Whoever was playing was skilled.

Looking away from the gun's scope, she looked towards the front of the building. There was a line of people waiting to get inside the club. Seemed to be a popular place. Everyone was all dressed up in their fancy gowns and scarves or perfect suits and hats. There was obviously a lot of money among these folk. Raven glared bitterly at them before focusing on her scope again and remembering why she was here in the first place.

It all started yesterday at noon, when she left work.

She closed her long coat tightly around her waitress uniform as she left a breakfast diner. Long brunette hair was tied back messily and she was clearly tired. Her boots clacked against the sidewalk as she walked around the corner on her way home. She didn't get much further because she was stopped by a man with white hair in a low ponytail, round sunglasses, a long coat, and an obviously expensive fedora.

"Pardon me," she said politely and began to step around him.

However, he moved quickly to block her path, causing her to glare at him as she reached for the tiny gun in her coat pocket. "Please excuse by manners, Miss," he began in a very educated tone, though she continued to be on guard. "There is nothing to fear, I am here to offer you a job."

"Excuse me?" she raised an eyebrow.

"My name is Kabuto," he introduced as he stepped back to get out of any personal space. "I am representing Orochimaru, the owner of the Grand Sound Club uptown, he is quite wealthy and is willing to meet your price for a single commission," he explained.

"And how do you know I'm the one you're looking for?"

Kabuto smirked. "I am very good at what I do, Red Raven, please take my card and consider it," he said and presented her a card. "Please come to the location printed on the back of the card if you would like to learn more about this offer…"

Honestly, she didn't like a thing about this guy. She had half a mind to shoot him the in the chest right now, despite knowing how much trouble she could get into. Still, he didn't seem to be lying. Judging by his appearance, there was enough proof of wealth. Kabuto was perfectly groomed, his boots were perfectly shined and spotless, his gloves didn't have a single seam worn into them, and his hat was from the newest Yamato brand collections, one of the most expressive brands that could be found in this town.

She nodded and took the card. "Consider my presence guaranteed," she said and was quickly gone. Kabuto smiled and continued on his way.

Like she said, she saw him again that night at the Grand Sound Club. Kabuto had been waiting for her and immediately took her to his boss, whom she liked even less than Kabuto. Orochimaru's very aura stank of a poisonous power. There was something not right about him. He reminded her of a snake.

The office she stood in was even more proof of his wealth, though there were not any guards or windows. The only way out was the door behind her and it wasn't blocked if she chose to retreat now. Despite her instinct, she stayed to listen to this man's offer.

"I have heard many rumors about the Red Raven," Orochimaru began as leaned back in his chair behind the desk. Kabuto was standing perfectly beside him like the perfect underling that he was. "The cold and mysterious woman with a black heart stained red with the blood of revenge that always gets the job done… I have to say, you do not appear as how I imagined," he said.

He wasn't expecting her to look so ordinary. She was kind of short and sported a tiny feminine waist and delicate features. Her long brunette hair almost appeared to have a reddish tint. She had a small nose and thin pointed lips set into small frown that appeared to be permanent. Her eyes were a dramatic blue hue that would surely catch a man's attention if he cared to look that high. Certainly she didn't look like an expert sniper, but of course, maybe that's why she might be perfect for the job.

"I have a job I believe you are most suited for," Orochimaru began as he straightened up in his seat. "Eliminate Sasori of the Red Sand, he's a very skilled weapon engineer over at Club Akatsuki."

The Red Raven didn't even bat an eyelash. "What does he look like?" she asked.

Kabuto stepped forward while pushing up his glasses. "I am very sorry to admit that we do not have any pictures of him, not that it would matter much because we have not seen him in years and he is a master of disguise as it is… unfortunately, the best information of him that we have is generic and outdated, this is one reason we sought you out, surely you can track him down."

The woman nodded and took a mental note to raise the price for this job if she was going to work extra like this. "I would need any information you can give me or otherwise the hunt is over before it can begin."

"I understand," Kabuto said.

Raven sighed and folded her arms under her chest. "What is this about anyway? Money? Territory? Did he steal something from you? Or perhaps reputation? Because my price is a bit high for petty squabbles," she explained. "I do not wish for you pay more than you have to for a single hit." The truth was that she hated her job and she hated killing people. If she was going to kill someone, she needed a lot out of it and there had better be a good reason it had to be done.

"Actually, it's revenge," Orochimaru said, knowing full well that he now had her full attention.

"I only take care of someone else's revenge grudge for the right price, a hefty one, and you already understand this?" she asked.

"Yes, you are just the person we need for the job," Orochimaru assured. "You should be able to understand my pain, and your record is flawless." He looked over at his assistant, "Kabuto, from your knowledge, what do you think will be a fair payment?" he smirked.

"How is one-hundred thousand dollars, Miss Raven?" Kabuto offered. She was a little surprised. These guys weren't kidding around. That was more than enough, though she wasn't going to make it easy for them since she didn't want to do this in the first place.

"Two-hundred," she countered, hoping that if she doubled it, they would forget trying to commission her. If they were crazy enough to accept, then she would finally have the funds to leave this wretched town.

"One-hundred-fifty thousand is as high as we can go," Kabuto said as he pushed up his glasses.

Raven thought for a moment. "Deal," she said and the two men smiled.

"Excellent," Orochimaru said. "Kabuto, please be sure she gets the first half right away."

"Of course, right away, Sir," Kabuto bowed slightly and then walked passed the Red Raven. "Please come with me Miss, the payment details will only take a few more minutes," he explained. She nodded and followed him.

To say that her roommate was surprised when she came into their tiny apartment with a bag of cash was an understatement. The woman's mouth dropped open when she saw it.

"Suki, I've gotta job tomorrow night," she explained.

"Where?" Suki wondered with obvious concern.

"Some guy at Club Akatsuki, shouldn't be too difficult," she shrugged.

"Club Akatsuki huh?" Suki smiled. "I've heard a lot about that place, lots of rich people on that side of town… maybe I should pay it a visit as well?"

"Another scam on a helpless romantic fool, Suki?" the brunette chuckled.

"Maybe," Suki giggled.

"With the way the last grease-ball got attached to you, don't forget to stay armed, I gave you that gun for a reason, this town isn't safe for young women like us," she reminded.

Suki pouted. "Hey, that guy seemed really nice and he was very handsome," she defended and then sighed dramatically. "I guess the good-looking ones always seem to be twits though…"

"What persona are you going to try?"

Suki smiled at her roommate. "The damsel in distress, maybe a prince will come to rescue me from this dreadful life," she giggled.

That night on the rooftop, the Red Raven wondered if her friend was already in line at Club Akatsuki. With the way that girl can act, she was probably near the front of the line holding onto some guy's arm. She had approved what Suki was wearing for the night when ask for her opinion, so she knew what she looked like. Tonight, Suki wore a pink strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline and white ruffles sticking out the bottom and fanned around her legs at an angle. She also wore long white gloves. Most of her blond hair was down, while her bangs that covered her forehead and framed her face, and the locks above her ears were pulled back and tied in place with a pink ribbon. The make-up was heavy, but it would help hide her true face.

The Red Raven shook her head to focus again. She was tired though since it had been a long day and she really didn't want to be there. Despite knowing better, she got up to walk a little and stretch out her legs. Stakeouts were a bit rough on her tired body these days.

Then there was a weird rumble sound from beneath her feet right before the building shook slightly. "What in the world? An Earthquake?" The sniper questioned as she kept her balance until the brief episode was over.

She stood still for a minute waiting for another shockwave but felt none. Sighing, she turned back to previous stakeout spot but froze. Her gun was gone! Running over to where it had been, she looked over the side of the building and saw it laying on the ground in the alleyway right in front of a door. But that wasn't it. Next to the sniper rifle was her handgun, which she had set down in case she had to grab it quickly. Both her guns were down there and probably broken.

"Shoot!" she gritted and ran for it. She had to get them back before someone saw them.

However, by the time she got down there, she saw a man with longish blond hair and a yellow shirt take them inside the club. She tried to run after him, but the door was locked to the outside.

Those guns were really important to her, not only had they protected her numerous times, but they were how she made a living. She needed them to live out here.

"I can't believe this…" she muttered. "I have to get in there and get them back, even if I have to buy them back as a customer…" She couldn't believe this was happening. Of course this job, the job that was going to be her last and her ticket out of this town, would cause her troubles.

After getting back to the street, she found her roommate in the line of the club. Like she thought, Suki was on the arm of a handsome sucker that provided as her escort inside for the night.

"Hey," Raven said as she approached.

Suki was a bit confused when she the brunette. "H-hey! What brings you here?"

"Just thought I'd stop by and say hello," she said while making an L-shape with her hand. Suki knew it was to symbolize a gun and that Raven was working.

"Is something wrong?" Suki asked quietly and then said normally, "Would like to join us?"

"Sure, if that's okay with your friend?" she asked and looked at the man Suki was with.

He blushed as he realized he now had the opportunity to be seen with two women tonight. "Oh of course, in fact I insist you join us!" he said happily.

"Thank you for your generosity," the brunette said politely. "Just let me run home and change and I will be back before you know it!" She waved to them before hailing a taxi.

Inside Club Akatsuki, Sasori felt a chill crawl up his spine as he played a relaxing tune on the piano for the arriving guests. It was odd. Normally a chill would race up the spine quickly, but this as if someone slowly dragged their fingertips along the skin of his spine and up to his neck. Before he could ponder the cause of the strange feeling, he noticed Deidara waving his hand to get his attention from the door to the back room of the club.

Sasori nodded to Deidara signaling that he understood to meet him back there soon. With that Deidara nodded back and went inside to wait. It only took a couple minutes to finish the song, then he got up and left the stage. He looked up towards the balcony that overlooked the entire club and found Kisame giving him and questioning look. Sasori signaled his right index finger to which Kisame nodded and Sasori headed to the back.

He didn't see Deidara in the hall so he figured Deidara went downstairs to the basement where they worked on other things.

"That was quick," Deidara commented when Sasori arrived in the basement where there was a couple work stations and a shooting range.

"What is it, Deidara?" Sasori asked impatiently.

Deidara jerked his thumb to the other work station. "I found those by the back door in the alley, figured they were dropped off for you," he said.

Sasori saw that there were two guns sitting on his table. "I wasn't expecting any deliveries," he said and he approached them. Scanning them over, he studied them closely. "Where's the packaging, who sent these?"

"That's the weird thing, there wasn't any packing, they were just laying out there so I brought them in before anyone could snatch them," Deidara explained. "They couldn't have been there long since I didn't see them when I went through the alley to test that bomb in the warehouse like ten minutes before I found them."

"How odd," Sasori mused and lifted the longer gun. It was surprising light and seemed kind of short for a sniper rifle, but the scope and grips were exactly like some sniper rifles he had worked with in the past. "This gun has lost it's owner," he said.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Sasori set it back down and ran his fingers along the painted red stripe. "This gun has been altered several times, probably to be perfect for one person," he explained.

"Weird," Deidara shrugged. "You gonna take it apart then?"

"I'm not sure yet," he said. "It is a beautiful gun, it would be a shame to end such beauty," he said before his eyes landed on some kinks and scrapes. "At the very least I will repair it, even if it doesn't sell, it'll make for a perfect piece of wall art to withstand the test of time."

"Arg, you and your weird version of 'art'," Deidara groaned. "Art is fleeting, man!" The two proceeded to glare and argue for several minutes.

Upstairs, the club was already bustling with happy guests.

"Twenty-one, congratulations, you win this round," Itachi smiled as the guest that just won the round cheered. As he picked up the cards to perform an elaborate and showy shuffle, he felt the strangest feeling creep up his spine. It wasn't a chill as if he was being watched, but more like something was going to happen. He wasn't sure if he should assume it might be something bad. It was unlike those feelings.

As Itachi mindlessly shuffled the cards and let them glide through the air weightlessly from hand to hand, the guests watching clapped and cheered while a couple more guests joined in on the game.

At a table close to the bar, Hidan was sitting with the women that arrived with him. "You ladies are always welcome to come to the club with me," Hidan laughed as he entertained his guests over drinks.

There were some guests either sitting at or standing around the bar as Tobi juggled bottles as he made their drinks. Flipping bottles and glasses into the air and around him while he mixed drinks proved to entertain the guests and bring in bigger tips.

"Konan, Tobi has another tray for you!" Tobi called to her so she picked up the tray to begin walking around the room and serving them. Her sultry gown proved to get the attention of the male guests.

Outside, Zetsu was letting some people in and while also turning away others if they looked like they didn't have money or if they might or have caused trouble. It wasn't long when a happy rich man got to the door with a lovely lady on each arm. It reminded Zetsu of Hidan this evening.

"You three may enter," he said.

"Thank you!" Suki winked at him as she, her friend, and the guy they were with stepped inside. "Wow, so pretty!" Suki gasped as she looked around. "Look, there's a card game, let's go watch!" she said cheerfully and pulled the man with her, he simply laughed and allowed himself to be led.

"I will get us drinks," the brunette woman said and approached the bar. It hadn't taken her long to change and get back to the club. She had made it just in time though, she only had to wait a few minutes before she was let in. Now she was wearing a long fitted dark red dress with a long slit up the leg and halter in a suit collar shape. Her hair was pinned up and she wore glasses and long gloves.

"What can Tobi do for you?" Tobi jumped over to her in an instant.

"Prompt, I see," she mused. "Two ginger ales and…" she paused and looked at the man she had come with trying to determine what he might like. Quickly deciding to take a shot in the dark, she figured that anything should be acceptable as long as it was masculine. "And a scotch on the rocks, please," she finished.

"Coming right up!" Tobi jumped back and threw two glasses into the air, grabbed the ginger ale, caught the glasses and filled them before putting them down, then put another glass down while replacing the ginger ale in his hand with scotch and adding ice and scotch to the glass.

"Fast and entertaining," she commented, "I see why everyone speaks so highly of you," she added though she had never heard of this guy.

"Yay! Tobi likes to hear it!" Tobi cheered before she paid and tipped before taking the glasses and finding her party. She paid with her own money and she wasn't going to start a tab anyway. Though she did think the prices were a little high.

Somehow, Suki already got the guy to start playing the card game as well when the other brought them their drinks. The brunette woman stuck around for a few minutes and noted how Suki would glance at the dealer frequently and her gaze sometimes lingered.

"I am going to take a look around," she made the same L-shaped hand gesture as before and walked away to begin her quest to locate her guns and her target.

"I'll be here!" Suki waved.

Over the next few minutes, Suki looked over to find her friend speaking to others. Not something her friend likes to do much, so Suki began to wonder what was wrong. Finally, after approaching a white-haired man at a table surrounded by women, the brunette was led to a doorway at the back of the club. The white-haired man didn't follow, but simply gave her directions.

Suki turned back towards the game and found her new friend had won a round so she cheered for him. The evening continued like this, though she kept stealing glances at the handsome dealer. A few times, she found she was able to catch his eye too. Every time that happened, she would smile bashfully right before he redirected his attention to his job.

Just by watching him, she was able to figure out little things about him. He was smart and focused so he might not be easily fooled. Then there was the fact he was so attractive that nearly every other women that came near him tried to get his attention, though he easily brushed them off or ignored them completely. If she was going to target and peruse him, these bits of information Suki already gathered would help her in her goal to wrap him around her finger.

First of all, she was going to have to make sure he pursues her, and not the other way around. She would have to let him analyze and judge her, so it would be his decision to follow her as he unknowingly walks into her hand. Planting these thoughts into his head would take some time and careful acting on her part, but as they say, slow and steady wins the race.

Author's Note:

Off to a slow start, but trust me, it gets more intense and interesting as it goes.

This time, unlike my other Akatsuki stories, the girls are no more righteous than the guys. Should be interesting. Maybe? You decide.

Edit: Why was this set in the 1930s and not the 1920s when there's a speakeasy?:
Before writing this fanfic, I researched a great deal before choosing my setting and timeline and I am well aware of how the depression affected speakeasies in the real world, and this is why I tried to make it clear throughout this fic that even the Akatsuki and Sound are struggling and do other business to stay alive. Speakeasies still existed in the 1930s, maybe not as many, but they did and here we got one that doesn't just sell alcohol illegally, but also other things. My research for items, location settings, and even the situation with Sasuke's education are based in the 1930s as well (so changing it to the 1920s just because there's a speakeasy around wouldn't make any more sense and would throw everything else off). This AU isn't American based, though naturally influenced, but it is also still a Narutoverse, so it is not strictly set in the 1930s reality because their world was different and WWI didn't take place, instead there was the Great Ninja War, which did not force people into a depression. In short, it's not just set in reality's 1930s depression, it's a blended theme of both Naruto-world and history with several 1930s themes, including the depression theme and the struggles to find decent work.