Chapter 21

'I don't know why I'm still surprised,' Madara thought while watching Sakura and Tobi fight unseriously.

During the day, the trio uses all their leads and sources to research information about the reclusive "Obito". In the evenings, they train the now-blonde-haired woman at her request. It'd been over a week since they discovered their clue's name, but so far, the only thing they'd managed to dig up was that he was an ex-member of the Akatsuki gang, of which he murdered two members.

He returned his gaze to the laptop in front of him on the dining table, sparing the duo a glance occasionally to ensure nothing had gone awry. Sakura was a natural. If she cared less about hurting him or Tobi, she'd be even further along than she already was.

'I wonder if she'll ever agree to sparring with me instead of that idiot.'

Madara was jealous, for sure. He watched with narrowed eyes as the black-haired man pinned the woman to the mat, releasing her when she tapped out before trying again. Selfish in nature, he didn't want any man to lay a finger on his woman except for him. She'd definitely yell at him if he said something, which was warranted, so he kept his mouth shut and sulked silently.

The laptop in front of him had a dozen tabs open, each with vague, likely useless clues about their target, but it'd be stupid to ignore a single one since it's so hard to get information on Obito.

"Ah, damn."

The man looked up only to stifle a grin when he saw Tobi pinned to the mat on his stomach with Sakura straddling his back and holding his arm in a way that'd break it if he struggled too much. She released him moments later with a prideful little smile, "Again."

'Fuck, when's my turn?' It'd undoubtedly be enjoyable to wrestle with her. What man isn't turned on by a powerful woman?

The two on the mats returned to what they did before, and Madara continued his research. Maybe fifteen minutes later, his eyes widened. He could narrow down his age from twenty-one to twenty-five from what little knowledge they had of Obito. With that, he began searching birth records from each country for children born with that name.

"What's up, Babe? Find something?"

Madara looked up to see Sakura wiping her forehead with the back of her hand while sipping water, "Yes, actually. Something big."

She came around to stand at his side, peering down at the screen and reading until bright green eyes widened in shock, "He's an Uchiha?!"

Tobi arrived, "Really? Do you think you may have met him at some point?"

"Unlikely. I left home at seventeen and never looked back. My parents weren't big on family get-togethers, so I barely met any relatives as a child."

The long-haired man turned to Sakura, "Text Sasuke and tell him what we've found. He may have access to family records that aren't online."

She nodded, immediately entering the bedroom to retrieve the cell phone and do as requested.

"What do you say we celebrate this breakthrough with some drinks? I'll buy!" Tobi asked, absently checking his own cell phone and sitting across from him.

'Some things never change. He's always loved partying,' Madara glanced at Sakura as she came back out and leaned against the wall with her eyes narrowed in focus, 'I guess it can't hurt.'

"After this, we need to focus up. I think we're closing in on Obito."

Tobi grinned, meeting his gaze, "One last hoorah before things get serious. Sounds good to me."

~

'Don't act weird, or he'll catch on,' Sakura anxiously told herself while tossing back another shot of whiskey.

While Tobi was gone, making a run to the liquor store, she took a moment when Madara was in the bedroom making a call to sneak into the man's room and snoop around. Something substantial begged her not to trust the course, the woman couldn't just say that to her boyfriend, or else he'd want proof. That's what she was doing, searching for evidence that Tobi was bad.

Upon quickly shuffling through the drawers of his desk, Sakura realized the bigger drawer had a false bottom. Under that was something she never expected. It was letters, dozens of them. Their sender hadn't signed anything with their own name, but each one addressed Tobi as Obito.

'I can't believe it's him. I knew something was wrong, but for it to be such a substantial secret!'

Madara obviously had no idea of his acquaintance's secret identity, or else he wouldn't have had them waste so much time searching for leads on him.

Sakura had no choice but to steal one as proof before hurriedly placing everything back how it was and going back into the dining room, all without her boyfriend noticing. As soon as he came out of the bedroom, the woman reached into her back pocket, where the letter she'd stolen rested, folded up, only for footsteps to be heard descending the stairs. "I'm back! Who's ready to take shots?!"

That led to the present, where Sakura was pressured into drinking by the two men. They were four or five in when Tobi excused himself to his room, saying he wanted to change into a short-sleeved shirt since the alcohol made him feel warm.

'Do I tell Madara now? What if he comes out before he can read the whole thing?' Ultimately, she decided to wait until morning, when they both would be sober and capable of speaking alone. It was too risky to converse about it with the enemy so close.

"Stop pouting. It makes me want to kiss you," Madara mused, resting his chin on his fist with a faint, drunken flush about his cheeks.

The Uchiha man had become skilled at sneaking in flirts while the third wheel living with them was just out of earshot. Then, he'd snap right back into his stoic, serious persona when Tobi would reappear. It was honestly impressive.

"If you wanna kiss me, then you should," Sakura flirted back, lifting a brow when his gaze dropped to her mouth.

He hummed, smirking, "Not in front of the kids, Dear. If I start now, I won't be able to stop."

'I wanna go to the bedroom….'

The hypothetical "kid" chose that moment to return, Tobi rejoining them at the table, "So, Sakura, were you scared when you found out about Madara's career?"

Sakura sobered a little at the unexpected question. All this time, it'd been an unspoken rule not to bring up that topic, 'Maybe he's just tipsy.' She glanced at her boyfriend, who frowned irritatedly at the other man, saying in a careful voice, "A little."

"How did you two end up together anyway? You only found out because you were kidnapped. I can't imagine being with someone who knowingly endangered my life like that."

"Tobi, that's enough. You're drunk," Madara warned, his voice and glare like ice.

For just a millisecond, Sakura saw Tobi's true personality. It was easier to see now that she knew his hidden identity.

Dark eyes were calculating the risks of each possible response that could be made. Then, like nothing happened, that big, fake, goofy grin reappeared on his lips, and he lifted his shot glass, "You're right. One more apiece?"

She and the longer-haired man shared a glance before she nodded, "Let's call it a night after this."

The second man's smile widened, "Well, let's go out with a bang, shall we? I only drink this on special occasions, but I like you two, so I'll share." He went into the kitchen, opening the cabinet above the sink and sorting through the half-empty bottles there until he pulled an orb-shaped one with dark-brown liquid inside. The label said, "Aged Single Malt Scotch".

'Apparently, that type of whiskey is pricy.' "Are you sure you want us to drink that?" Sakura asked, feeling guilty even if she didn't like him.

Tobi beamed, shaking his head casually while pouring all three of them a shot, "I like to think of us as friends by now. Who better to share the things you love with than a friend?" He handed her and Madara a glass apiece, lifting his to boldly toast, "To our budding relationship! May it remain strong!"

Assuming he'd simply gotten a little theatrical due to the liquor, the couple clinked their glasses with his. Madara tossed his glass back, as did Sakura, but she paused before swallowing when she noticed Tobi had only brought his glass near his face before stopping with dark eyes trained on them.

'He's not drinking….'

Her pulse skyrocketed, and she spit out the liquid, rising to her feet because she knew Madara would be his first target since he was the more significant threat. The woman wasn't quick enough, but thankfully, her boyfriend was swift and managed to duck out of the way before the knife that'd been thrown could hit.

Sakura went to his side, "Did you swallow?"

Madara replied tensely, "Yes."

Sure enough, as Tobi came to a stand, the man at her side swayed before correcting his posture and pulling her behind him protectively, "You're dead, but tell me why."

"Why don't you tell him, Sakura?"

The woman in question's face paled, her wide green eyes searching his face in disbelief.

When she couldn't find a response, Tobi continued, "Tell me, how long have you known? Did you discover the truth when you snooped through my room today, or did you have suspicions before then?"

"What's he talking about?" Madara asked, his voice noticeably weaker and raspy.

'Whatever was in that whiskey must be fast-acting. He looks like he's about to pass out.'

Sakura carefully pulled the gun tucked into the back of her boyfriend's pants, hoping their foe wouldn't notice because she was half-behind him, "He's Obito. I found proof when he was gone, and you were on the phone. I was going to tell you in the morning."

Luckily, Madara didn't react to her actions in the slightest, instead threatening the other Uchiha man, "If you lay a hand on her, no place will be safe. I'll find you wherever you hide."

The pink-haired woman's panic rose further when his voice fell out at the end of the statement, and he weakly fell to one knee. She quickly lifted the gun, aiming it at Tobi, "Tell me what's in the whiskey, or I'll kill you now."

"Methohexital," Obito answered immediately, but he still stepped around the dining table, glare locked onto hers, "Fast-acting, but the effects only last for up to twenty-five minutes." He glanced at Madara for only a moment before returning his gaze to her, "For a brute like him, I'll be lucky if it lasts for ten, but that's more than enough to do what needs to be done."

Sakura's finger lifted onto the trigger, and she panicked when the man reached behind himself as though grabbing a weapon. She shot him point blank in the chest. Obito fell backward with the force and didn't move after that.

'I killed him. I killed another person!'

"...Sakura…."

She snapped out of it, tucking the gun into her jeans before kneeling to cup Madara's face. His dark eyes were hazy and unfocused as he began losing the battle against the sedative. Searching his face, she shook her head, "I'll pack some things and get them in the car. You won't be out for long, so-" Her boyfriend's teeth gritted, and he grabbed her arm, opening his mouth as though trying to say something, but finally passed out before he managed it.

Then, a knife was at her neck. Carefully, to not tempt Obito to kill her, she released Madara and allowed him to slump to the ground. She held her hands away from her body, "How?"

"Stand up," he calmly said, taking her gun with his free hand, "A vest. You should've aimed for the head."

Once at her full height, the woman trembled with fright, her eyes wide on her boyfriend's unconscious face, 'We'll both be killed before he can wake up.' "Why are you doing this?" Sakura tried to keep him talking so he'd take his time before slitting her throat.

Obito didn't answer the question. No, he wordlessly pressed the blade to her skin, making her mouth close, a terrified whimper leaving her mouth. "It's a real shame you turned out to be so smart. I didn't want things to end this way." 'What is he talking about?'

The knife at her throat was replaced by his other hand, his fingers squeezing hard enough that it was difficult but not impossible to breathe. Then, the blade was lowered to her chest, pointing between her breasts, "Contrary to what you're probably thinking, I don't and never have worked for Danzo. That man was too prideful. It's what got him killed."

Somehow, Sakura found her voice, "Th-Then why…?"

He mused, "I'm playing both sides, you see. The feds in Konoha think I'm hunting you, while the Akatsuki think I'm recruiting you."

'What in the world is he talking about?!'

"Oh, you might not know, but the Akatsuki are Danzo's rival. Since news of his murder hit the streets, you and your boyfriend here have been hot topics. Everyone either wants your head or you on their side."

It all made sense, then.

"You've been trying to see who'll pay more. Am I right?" She didn't pause for long because she knew it was the truth. Instead, she added, "But your identity is worth more than whatever you stand to make selling us out."

"See what I mean? Too smart for your own good."

Sakura opened her mouth to retort, only for the very breath in her lungs to be stolen by the man suddenly wrenching the knife hilt-deep into her stomach.