Testing Fate: A MadaSaku Love Story

Chapter 8

"I heard from Pain that you were injured during your last retrieval. Is that true?"

It's been two days since Madara woke up to the news that Sakura had saved his life. He's always healed quickly and has a very high pain tolerance, so the stitches were covered with a bandage, and the man carried about like everything was normal.

"It's nothing serious. I'm ready to continue."

So far, he's stolen a painting, a fancy-looking pistol, and the ruby ring he nearly gave his life for. Christmas Eve was coming quickly; it was already December first.

Konan surprised him by speaking up, "The way I heard it, you were half dead before even leaving the grounds. How'd you make it out alive? Did you have a car waiting?"

Madara turned his gaze onto her with a warning glare, "What I do is none of your business. The job get's done, and I don't get caught. Everyone's happy."

Danzo laughed amusedly, resting his elbows on his desk and loosely interlacing his fingers, "If what Angel says is true, then I'd love to meet this accomplice of yours. Is he looking for employment? He's already doing the work, so why not get paid?"

"No," Madara's hand twitched at his side when he realized he'd answered much too quickly.

Just the thought of Sakura being in the same room as that twisted man made his blood boil. The Uchiha man has seen how the powerful figure treats women. Even those under his employment were at risk of mistreatment in more ways than one. Konan's made it so far up the ranks without being affected because her partner is her husband, and the duo never works separately. Therefore, Danzo's never gotten a chance to be alone with her.

The three others in the room looked at him with guarded surprise, but he kept his face neutral, "I work alone."

His boss chuckled, the tension in the room thankfully melting, "Yes, I suppose you've never really played well with others."

When Madara left the office later, he was on edge. He's known Danzo for an entire decade, and he knows that grin he plastered on earlier was fake as can be. The man didn't believe him; he knew he'd been lied to. That means one thing: Madara was likely to be tailed when completing each of his jobs. So long as nothing like what happened with the ring happens again, his boss would likely give up within a week or two.

While driving back to the apartment, his fingers squeezed the steering wheel harder than necessary.

The time had finally arrived that Madara wanted out.

He's always been disgusted by the nature of his work, but the benefits were just too good to pass up. It was wrong and evil, and the Uchiha man didn't try to justify that. All his life, he's been a selfish man. If it meant he'd be fed, warm, and safe, it didn't matter who had to suffer.

Around two years ago, he was seemingly snapped out of his apathetic daze. Though he's done hundreds of unforgivable things, he always carefully selected his jobs to avoid harming women, children, or the elderly. At that time, he took on a headhunting job in Amegakure.

The target was an upper-middle-class attorney who would take on cases for lower rates than others of his caliber, but his clients wouldn't know that he was being paid by the opposing team to throw it. So, he was receiving twice the amount of income and allowing potentially innocent people to be convicted just to line his pockets. Naturally, he'd win a case here and there to keep up appearances, but dozens of people suffered.

Madara had no problem killing a crook like that.

In fact, that was the only type of work he'd accept: where the target was someone who deserved what they were getting. It didn't make it okay for him to hurt, steal from, and sometimes kill them, but it made the guilt more palatable.