~Bulletproof~ SasuSaku Mafia Story

Chapter 36 ~ Perfect Storms

"Good to have you back, Sasuke. I heard we secured the deal." Izuna and Shisui reported to Sasuke's office early the next morning. He sat at his desk with dark circles under his eyes from a lack of sleep. A lot had been on his mind lately.

"Yes. Marcus will be in touch with you, Shisui, about the logistics of our first business transaction with them."

"Sasuke, man, you good? You look a bit off." Shisui sat down on the couch and leaned back comfortably. Sasuke merely gave him an irritated look.

"Relax, geez, just asking. Besides, Sasuke, I've been meaning to ask. I noticed a pretty large transaction from the family account yesterday. Did you buy another fucking commercial building in Konoha?"

"Yes. It is a personal purchase."

"Ooh, what's that for?"

"It's for you to mind your business, Shisui. If you have a need to chat, why don't you report about the Hyuuga girl?"

"What a moody bastard you are!" Shisui burst into laughter. He loved when Sasuke took these dabs at him. "Well, I've been limiting her food and water supply, basically just enough to keep her alive. She has this annoying sense of superiority that I wanted to knock out of her. Plus, that way she will be desperate enough to tell you anything."

This was a known Uchiha torture technique. Sometimes, Shukaku's approaches were not best fit for a given hostage situation. For someone like Hinata, the clan preferred to weaken them mentally before interrogating them for information. Depriving them of necessities usually worked wonders on the hostage's willingness to make a deal. 

Hinata, unlike Sakura, was born and raised in the mafia world. She knew the rules of the game, she knew their tricks, and like all children born into crime families, she was trained to withstand pain. Sure, Shukaku could probably break her over time, but it was cleaner and more efficient to weaken her physically first, before weakening her mentally.

"Has she been aggressive?"

"Oh, hell no. Let her try." Shisui grinned and nudged Izuna, who seemed disinterested in this conversation.

"Has she been screaming?" A lot of smaller tasks have accumulated on Sasuke's schedule since he had been gone for a few days, but Hinata was the most time-sensitive of them all.

"A little bit, yes. More like, trying to get someone to go in to check on her. You know, that bitch can be a real manipulator, so I forbid all guards from entering her cell."

"I see, I will go check in on her in about two days. By then, she should be weak and desperate enough to start talking in exchange for more food."

"You're too soft, Sasuke, you know I can get her talking today, if you let me deal with her." Sasuke slowly turned his head to Shisui, who grinned to lighten the mood.

"And you continue being driven by your kick for violence instead of your brain. One last thing, Shisui. It is crucial that Sakura does not interact with the Hyuuga."

Shisui nodded and stood up. Hearing her name weighed on him heavily. He turned around and left Sasuke's office.

Sasuke stood up from his desk and walked to his window. He wanted to pour himself a glass of anything, but it was only 10 AM. Now that he was back, he would have to make active effort to interact with Sakura. In Kirigakure, they were together most of the day by default. On one hand, it was probably for the best to have space from each other to process what had happened on the trip. However, Sasuke absolutely did not want space from her. If there was any doubt in his mind after the first time they slept together, the second time solidified his position. He was unapologetically attracted and hopelessly attached to her.