Hidden Leaf Detectives (NaruSasu / SasuNaru)

Part 6

"Okay now he's just showing off." Naruto mumbled as he glared at the painting "Not only can he steal a painting but he can steal it when we're right there."
"I knew there was something off about him."
"No shit."
Naruto was pacing back in forth, chewing his thumbnail annoyed. How could he let this happen? Naruto then looked at the painting again.
"Didn't Asuma say that this guy left some sort of signature?"
"Uh yeah, " Sasuke walked over to get the case file "He tends to leave a random poem at each scene of each stolen painting." Sasuke then dialed Asuma's number.
"Asuma, are you at the art gallery?"
"Yeah, the painting was stolen just like you said it would."
"Any signature?"
"No, now that you mention it."
Sasuke walked over to the painting and picked it up. There underneath the painting was a small sheet of paper.
("Art is a step from what is obvious and well-known toward what is arcane and concealed." -Khalil Gibran)
"Sasuke? You there?"
"Yeah...found the art and the note."
"Really? So soon? Where!?"
"Right here."

---

"You met him at the art gallery?"
"Yeah." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck embarrassingly.
Sasuke leaned against the wall and pondered.
'Naruto was it? He was certainly interesting.' 'Sasuke? Well I think you're interesting too.' 'rest assured we we'll meet again ' Sai's words echoed in his head. Did Sai leave the painting at their building...just to meet them again?
"There's something I didn't mention last time." The two of them looked at Asuma oddly. "Every quote is supposed to be a hint for the next painting he's going to take."
Sasuke looked over the quote. There wasn't any natzi paintings like that. All of them were painted off of something...he then looked at Naruto.
"Naruto, did you...say anything to him about art?"
Naruto pondered a bit.
"Yeah, told him that I don't look for value of an art but by how it looks. Why?"
So, Sasuke's theory was correct. Sasuke clasped his hands together.
"Seen any 'interesting' art latly? Something that would scream 'you'?"
Naruto blinked a couple times.
"Why?"
"Just answer the dumb question!"
"Geez fine...there was this one painting I saw while at the museum that I did like. It was called the Façade. It's made up of things that normally seem sweet and innocent but painted in a dark manner. As if to say 'we are not as sweet as we seem'. Happy?"
"Fits the quote." Sasuke smiled as he re-read the quote.
"But Sasuke, it's not famous."
Sasuke face palmed himself. Naruto, you idiot.

Once Sasuke informed Asuma on his theory the two of them left the building.
"Something wrong Asuma?" Shikamaru, his second in command asked. Asuma pulled out a cigerate and lite it.
"Something about them is off. They just...don't act like other detectives I've encountered." He then looked at a file in his hand. "That and they seem to know more than we do. It's usually the other way around..."
Shikamaru nodded.
"I went over their records like you asked. As impressive as they were, their detective papers were indeed fake. They're not who they say they are."
"But why are they pretending to be detectives?"
"I couldn't find anything on Naruto, but I think you might find Sasuke's folder interesting." He handed the folder to Asuma.
"Everythings crossed out."
"Right. The only people who could do that sort of thing is very limited and very powerful."
"In other words they're probably in something big...and this Alex case is something more than it's leading on to be..." Asuma put out his cigarate on Shikamaru's desk.
"I got word about a gang Sasuke mentioned called Akatsuki. I'm going to check it out."
"You gonna inform them?"
Asuma sighed "It's not that I don't trust them but... they did lie to us. There's probably more going on that they're not telling us. Which means if we want more info we have to go get it ourselves. If they were informed-"
"They probably lie and keep us out of the loop."
"Right." Asuma headed towards the door and grabbed his thick tan coat. "Keep an eye on things while I'm gone, will you?"
Shikamaru smirked. "Oh sure, give me more work..."
Asuma laughed and left. Shika went over to his desk.
"Now, lets see what can I find on this Akatsuki gang shall we?"
And began typing away on his computer.

---

"So this is it?"
Sasuke asked as they stood in front of a painting.
"Yep."
They looked at it. It was still there, security was enhanced, and the police was everywhere. There was no way Sai was gonna steal it.
"Naruto, you have the weirdest sense of taste you know that?"
"Shut up." He nudged Sasuke on the side.

Naruto's phone ranged. "Excuse me." Naruto walked a little ways and answered it.
"What's up Gaara?"
"It's the Akatsuki."
Naruto stopped moving. Itachi was a member of that group.
"What 'bout them?"
"Rumors going around that they're gonna try to break in."
"Didn't we have a break in, like, just yesterday?"
"Naruto, this is serious. That and they've been following us for sometime..."
"...Gaara? What are you getting at?"
"Doesn't that seem a little odd? We're not involved with either Sound or Akatsuki, yet they're after us...or, something we have..."
"Are you implying Iruka is keeping something from us!?!" Naruto hissed in the phone in a dangerous threatening tone. Iruka was more than just a boss to him, they were family, and for Gaara to assume such a thing-!!
"I'm just saying somethings not adding up and the only one's who would have the answers would be Iruka."
"I can't believe you would accuse him after he took us in."
Gaara sighed. "Sorry. It's just...nothings been making any sense lately."
"I know." Naruto turned to look at Sasuke. Should he tell him about Akatsuki?
"Naruto, we need you here."
Naruto nodded. "Well do." And hung up.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked as Naruto walked passed him. Naruto stopped.
"I have to be somewhere...alone. Can you handle this yourself?"
"...yeah...is everything alright?"
"No." Naruto started walking away "Things are very very wrong."

---

It was late now, it was dark and hardly anyone was out. The prefect time to steal a painting. Up on the roof glass was being cut and removed to make way for a presence. With the proper tolls set up, the man began lowering himself with rope through the hole into the museum. His foot taps the floor but doesn't make a sound. Like a ninja he quietly roamed the museum. He then stops in front of an art. Digging into his bag he then sprays something from a can and revealed red lines in front of the painting. The security was getting better, but not good enough. He then pulled out mirrors to reflect the lines in a different angle and making the art venerable and easy for the taking.
"Never thought you'd rob from the same place twice...Sai."
The man smiled.
"Sasuke."
"You're surrounded."
"Hmm...I noticed that. But that's only from the outside."
"Ah but that's were you are wrong." Sasuke changed himself into a fighting position. "There's me."
"You?" Sai chuckled. "You fight?"
"You bet your ass I can."
"A crime fighting detective. Interesting. But-" Said digged through his bag "I'm not into fighting." He then threw an object into the ground and filled the room with smoke.
"Now!" yelled the cops from a van parked right outside the building. They ran as fast as they could into the building with gas masks.
"Damn it...I can't see." Sasuke complained.
"Tear gas." One of the men explained and looked over at the wall. "He took the painting."
"No shit Sherlock."

Sasuke and the other cops walked into the building defeated. Sasuke then glanced up and notice the room was too quite. Everyone in the room stood up as they passed. Something was wrong, something very very wrong. There at the end of the hall and in front of Asuma's office was Shikamaru. Sasuke shivered, the way Shikamaru looked at him was not pleasant at all.
"Uchiha Sasuke, we have to talk. NOW."
Sasuke gulped. He never told anyone here his real last name. "Why? And...where's Asuma? Shouldn't he be the one talking to me?"
"Asuma's dead Sasuke, and you have something to do with it." Shikamaru walked towards him then pulled Sasuke's necktie down in a harsh tug. "And I'm not letting you out until you explain EVERY little thing."