Cornerman - Chapter 11 (Patreon)

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Mineko watched the spectacle with furrowed eyebrows. Things had clearly started getting out of hand.

The disciple turned her little head towards her master, curious about how they would handle the current situation.

Mineko’s eyes remained fixed on the forms of the officer and the young Uchiha from where she sat, hidden from their sight. This development was not unfavorable, all things considered.

Naturally, she was somewhat aware of Sasuke’s martial progress. A washed-up member of the police force wasn’t going to be able to best him in a fight. Tadamasa’s inevitable loss would only stoke his dissatisfaction further. After all, the village higher-ups would never side with a nobody like him over the last member of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke would end up with a slap on the wrist at worst, while Tadamasa may even be demoted or lose his job for inappropriate use of violence or something similar.

The only reason why she needed the drunkard was because of his knowledge. He’d been a member of the force for a long time, and knew much when it came to the institution’s inner workings.

“I order you to get back here, you punk!” Tadamasa shouted at the boy, who had started walking away at a leasurely pace.

Sasuke turned around and looked at the man who was one-leggedly pursuing him. The drunk policeman was surprisingly quick, considering the fact that one of his legs was out of commission.

The boy’s face turned to panic as the man moved to grab him. “Help! I’m being unjustly prosecuted! Someone, please help!” He retreated hurriedly as he said this, looking on the verge of tears.

The two spectators’, as well as Goto’s, expressions became a little strange as they looked at the kid who’d fallen on his butt and started scuffling backwards in sheer fright. He’d appeared so confident with his initial handling of the situation, even daring to hit the older man despite him being in a position of authority over the boy.

Was the earlier confidence just an act…? Or was his current behavior fake? Nobody was sure.

If it wasn’t for her student’s warnings, Mineko would surely have played the hero for ‘poor’ Sasuke. This would have been an excellent opportunity to get in his good graces. However, her student was holding onto her wrist, shaking her head from left to right. The girl had accurately guessed what was going through her mind.

Mineko thought of a possibility – that Sasuke Uchiha was using the current situation to inquire if there were any witnesses nearby. The more she thought about it, the more she was sure this was true.

It really would be problematic for them if Tadamasa had an accident. She was caught between a rock and a hard place, now that Sasuke had called for help. If they stepped forward to help Tadamasa at the last moment, then it would be rather suspicious.

Well, she could just pretend to have arrived late and feign ignorance, couldn’t she? 

Meanwhile, Sasuke had hurriedly scrambled to his feet and started to run away from his pursuer. Tadamasa was chasing him, more than able to keep up with the short-legged Sasuke. While not being very good at it, the man had still received training – this much wasn’t a problem for him.

The two spectators quietly followed behind. Their movement technique was exceptional for tailing a target without the person in question noticing.

“Wait till I get my hands on you, brat!” Tadamasa shouted, the tips of his fingers touching Sasuke’s clothes but unable to grasp them.

The boy’s face was white as he fled. From his expression, it seemed as if demons from hell were after him instead of a slightly overweight, middle-aged man.

“I think we should give up, Iwasaki-sensei.” Ichika whispered. “I feel like he knows we’re here, and he’s trying to get us into trouble.”

Mineko bit her lower lip. What Ichika said wasn’t unlikely. However, she couldn’t give up just like that. Actually, Tadamasa wasn’t just being targeted due to some superficial knowledge about the police force. A reliable source had informed her that the man actually knew a very important secret related to the Uchiha, one he’d kept hidden from his higher ups due to his dissatisfaction with them.

“For now, just follow.” She said, coming to a decision. This mission was too important to be abandoned just like that.

Her pupil looked uncomfortable, but nodded nonetheless.

Growing frustrated with the chase, Goto Tadamasa took his baton where it hung at his side. The boy always managed to stay just out of his reach - the weapon would help him to close that distance. He’d just give the lad a good wack to his side, or to one of his legs.

He took a swing. At that moment, Sasuke seemed to stumble, causing Goto to miss him by a hair’s breadth. The man growled and tried again, but this time it was he who found himself with unsure footing. His leg was still a little numb, so he had to be careful not to lose his balance.

Finally losing the last shred of his patience, Tadamasa decided to resort to Ninjutsu. He was not very talented when it came to chakra and could only perform some petty tricks. The techniques he learned where specifically aimed toward providing him with utility instead of offence, as doing otherwise would simply exhaust him. A sword or a club was a more effective way of damaging the opponent for someone at his level.

“Wind Release: Shakujō Twister!”

This particular technique had proved its use on more than one occasion when pursuing a criminal – it would create a suction force around the perpetrator that would draw them towards the caster, i.e. Goto himself.

“Y-you’re trying to kill me!” Sasuke shouted as he looked over his shoulder at the man behind him.

Goto didn’t bother to talk nonsense with the boy, instead dropping his baton and focusing on making the correct hand-seals.

In an effort to escape the attack, Sasuke sped up and disappeared into the underbrush.

Goto vaguely noted that they’d travelled to the village outskirts during their chase, with nothing more than a few untidy huts occasionally dotting the surroundings.

He wasn’t afraid that Sasuke would escape, since he’d secretly attached some of his chakra to the boy’s clothes, allowing him (and his twister) to track the punk.

Just as he was about to complete the technique, a rock suddenly shot out from the foliage, targeting his good leg. He’d put most of his weight on the very same limb, so he wasn’t quite able to shift his weight around in time to completely avoid it.

The whistling sound was telling of how fast the object in question moved through the air. A solid stone, the size of a grown man’s fist, accurately smashed into his knee.

A gristly sound echoed in Tadamasa’s ears. He was surprised at how similar it was to the sound of a pheasant leg being pulled from its socket – something he was very familiar with due to his taste for the birds. He fell, looking surprisedly at the lower half of his leg which was now bent in the wrong direction.

As his back contacted the ground, the pain suddenly hit him.

“AAAAAAAA…”

He screamed in utter agony as his hands went down to clutch uselessly at his thigh.

Veins bulged across his whole body as his skin reddened. His body trembled, like someone going into a seizure. His chest heaved as he tried to draw in a breath like an asthmatic old man. Large drops of sweat formed on his skin, making him look like someone who’d just entered a sauna.

The pain was indescribable.

In his delirium, he could vaguely hear a rustling sound behind him. However, at that moment, his body and thoughts were beyond his control. He couldn’t pay attention to it even if he wanted to.

Sasuke had walked out of the forest, holding an even larger stone in his hands. He looked down at the convulsing man with a grave expression. “I didn’t want to do this… you forced me!”

Coming to stand behind behind the man, Sasuke lifted the (even larger) stone above his head with both hands.

He swung it downwards with force, the boulder lagging slightly behind the movement of his body as he accelerated it downwards.

‘Not good!’

Throwing all caution to the wind, Mineko jumped out from her hiding spot to save Tademasa. She couldn’t let the secret be buried with him today!

Goto looked up uncomprehendingly as the enormous rock swung towards him. His mouth moved, but no words came out.

The information Mineko had gathered didn’t prepare her for Sasuke having this amount of strength - the boulder practically left afterimages as it accelerated towards the head of the prone officer!

‘I’m not going to make it!’

Sasuke’s body was like a giant tendon, unwinding to release a ridiculous amount of force.

In her desperation, she flung a knife from her sleeve, targeting Sasuke’s wrist. As long as she could cause him to veer slightly off course, she had a chance save Goto.

A pair of red eyes looked in her direction.

“Stop!” Mineko shouted. She’d hoped that he would notice her, since there was no way he’d murder Goto if he knew there was an audience.

To her dismay, Sasuke didn’t stop. Instead, he removed his one hand from the rock to dodge her knife while the other continued to force it downwards.

Unable to perform any Ninjutsu lest she risk blowing her cover, Mineko could only watch in horror as the boulder slammed down onto Goto’s terrified face.

“No…!”

He barely had time to shout one word before a massive force collided with his head. Teeth sprayed into the air along with countless drops of blood. His jaw dislocated, the bone protruding harshly to one side of his head. A moment later, it shattered completely. His eye bulged out of their sockets as his forehead caved in, flesh and bone splattering against Sasuke’s robes as the primitive weapon continued unstoppably downwards.

His head burst like an overripe fruit in a grotesque scene that made even the hardened Mikoto’s stomach churn.

Everything stopped.

Sasuke looked down at the dead man, then to her. He dropped to his knees, his bloody hands going to his face.

In the background, Goto’s corpse underwent rigor mortis. It jerked like a fish on dry land, the broken spine protruding from its neck jaggedly as a watery, pinkish, foaming fluid continued to drip from the wound.

“I was s-so scared…” Sasuke whispered to himself, his hands moving down to grasp at his upper arms. “It was an accident, I swear…!” He shivered as his eyes moved upwards to meet Mikoto’s, feverishly begging her to believe him.

Her fists curled into a white-knuckled grip at her sides. She was beyond angry and beyond frustrated. She had clearly been instructed to ensure Goto’s safety – the information he carried was incredibly important!

“…I didn’t mean to do it!” Sasuke enunciated the words at her through gritted teeth, looking for some kind of response.

‘Didn’t mean to do it…? Didn’t mean to do it?!’

Mineko had to stop herself from laughing at the ridiculousness of his statement. Drawing them out here in the middle of nowhere, disabling both of Tadamasa’s legs so he couldn’t escape and then aiming a lethal blow at his head…

Sasuke planned this. This was too significant to be a coincidence. Did he know about Tadamasa…? How could he? But if he didn’t, then what other motive could he have had?

Sasuke’s chin impacted his chest as his head dropped. “…I don’t know why he did this… I just want to live in peace! Why did he have to try and kill me? I just don’t understand…”

He shook his head morbidly.

Mineko was both amazed and horrified at his acting ability. If she hadn’t learned of Sasuke’s real personality through Ichika’s observations and her own information-gathering, she’d certainly have believed him. It was hair-raising.

She understood his intent. He wanted her to cover for him by saying that Tadamasa had tried to kill him. And if she didn’t… the look in his eyes spoke volumes.

Mineko couldn’t help but ask herself if there was anything else he knew…

She remained silent, unsure of what to say. Tadamasa’s death would surely be investigated. How was she supposed to handle this? Was she supposed to testify his innocence to the police force…? But no, she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t be drawn into the spotlight. She’d made sure her forged background was immaculate, but she didn’t get as far as she did by taking risks.

Tadamasa needed to just… disappear. She couldn’t get involved in any police investigation. As for if Sasuke actually knew something that could incriminate her or not, she couldn’t afford to take the chance. She had to meet his demands… for now.

And if she could use this opportunity to draw him closer to her side, well… that might even make up for Tadamasa’s death.

She looked at the corpse to the side, which had stilled in the meantime. It needed to completely disappear. Fortunately, she had the training and the means to make something like that happen.

She walked over to it in silence. Forming a few hand-seals, she bent down and placed one palm against its chest. The whole body including the clothes, started turning into dirt. Within seconds, it had completely disappeared. Even the blood, flesh and bone that stained Sasuke’s clothes was transformed.

She turned to look at Sasuke, who had quieted down in the meantime. He seemed surprised at her ability to make the remains evaporate so quickly. She could see the gears turning in his head as he re-evaluated the situation.

The two of them looked at each other expressionlessly.

“Let’s talk somewhere else.” Eventually, Mikoto spoke.

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Sasuke looked around the inside of Mineko’s house with interest. It was tastefully furnished and decorated, showing off her wealth without looking garish.

She bade him to take a seat while she made some tea. Ichika had fortunately been sensible and had kept from implicating herself. Mineko assumed that she’d be back as soon as Sasuke departed.

“Nice place. Escort work must pay well.” Sasuke said when he saw her return with a pot of green tea. “Or maybe it’s your other job…?” The corners of his mouth turned up a little.

Mineko didn’t react. She knew he was just trying to goad her into revealing something through her reaction.

“How do you take your tea?” She asked, placing two cups on the table before pouring some of the refreshing beverage for each of them.

Her guest replied. “Some butter with a pinch of salt, please.”

She nodded while preparing the drink according to his tastes.

She mixed some fruit juice, freshly squeezed, into her own, along with a dollop of cream. She enjoyed her tea on the sweeter side.

They watched each other as the took their first sip.

“Mhm…” Sasuke hummed appreciatively as he swallowed down his first mouthful. “If you ever get tired of your current career, you should consider opening a teahouse.” He appeared extremely comfortable as he sat across from her with his eyes closed.

Mineko couldn’t help but note that he was a very pretty child as her eyes roamed from his pale skin to his long, dark eye-lashes. The scene of him cold-bloodedly smashing a man’s head into a red paste briefly flashed in her mind, forming a stark contrast with the person sitting in front of her.

She sighed as she placed her cup on the beautiful engraved wooden table. “Let’s talk business.”

Sasuke said nothing, instead opting to stir his beverage as he watched the droplets of fat swirl inside the tea.

She’d grown used to being the person in control during her career as an escort. Most men couldn’t even look her in the eye for a few seconds before turning away, blushing. It had allowed her to retain the initiative in her dealings with them.

However, this eight-year-old boy currently had her at a disadvantage. If he wasn’t bluffing, then he could completely ruin her mission. If he was bluffing, then he’d still be dragging her into the spotlight anyway. Best case, she’d have her movements restricted due to the attention. Worst case, they might investigate her and find something that could ruin her.

Her pink lips were tugged downwards into a frown as Sasuke continued to sit in silence. She couldn’t bear the feeling of being dangled over a furnace, unsure of when she would be dropped in and burned to death.

However, she suppressed any further reactions. She needed Sasuke to be the one speaking. Hopefully he would say something that would allow her to regain a measure of power.

She ran her thumb over each of the fingers of her right hand in turn. She wanted to tempt him with something… something that would incriminate him and prevent him from exposing her, lest he damn himself in the process.

However, before she could do that, she needed to know what he wanted.

Unbeknownst to her, Sasuke was currently thinking along a similar line of thought. He needed to extract what he wanted from this woman without giving her the opportunity to smear him or to escape his influence. To do that, he needed to grasp her most vulnerable spot.

His eyes lit up at the thought. If she had a critical weakness, then it would surely be that…

“Pardon me, I was just thinking that Ichika is really fortunate to have such a beautiful and talented sensei.” He casually sipped his tea as he said this, leaning slightly backwards as he gauged her reaction.

Mineko’s eyebrow twitched. So he’d been spying on them then. But why, though? After thinking about it for a moment, she arrived at an answer: he’d likely noticed something odd about Ichika and had decided to investigate.

Mineko was amazed at her own guess. She didn’t want it to be true. Otherwise, she’d have to believe that Sasuke’s skills of observation were truly that formidable.

A faint red haze rose from her chest to her neck out of anger and frustration. It was incredibly vexing, knowing that she’d been able to avoid detection by Konoha’s intelligence division only to be caught out by an eight-year-old boy instead.

She bit her lip. She’d been convinced that Ichika was ready, that she wouldn’t be caught, but she’d been wrong. But what exactly made Sasuke suspicious of her?

What about her an Ichika’s behavior had tipped him off? How did he know about Goto? How did he know they were following him? How did he know any of this?!

Mineko had managed to calm herself. Regardless of how the person in front of her had discovered them, she needed to act appropriately. She guessed what he meant when he brought up Ichika – he was likely trying to threaten her by using the girl.

Emotionally exhausted, she slumped in her seat. However, her gaze was fierce as she looked at Sasuke. She refused to say anything as she hung onto her last bit of pride. She refused to give the little devil the satisfaction.

They continued to stare at each other in silence.

Sasuke looked over his cup at her before finally standing up and putting his cup down on the table. His hand went up to his mouth as he yawned. "I'll be going home now, Iwasaki-san. Let's chat again another time."

Mineko’s eyes flashed with a cold light as she watched him prepare to leave. “I don’t think you should be in such a hurry, Sasuke-kun.” She stood up as well, looking at the back of the small boy in front of her. When it came to her and Ichika’s survival, she’d do what she had to.

Sasuke didn’t look back. “I’m in a hurry, unfortunately…” He paused, for a moment as he heard her walking over to stand behind him, looming over his shoulder. “…or are you planning to keep me, ‘Iwasaki-sensei’?”

Her face was aloof as she spoke. “I’m glad you enjoyed your tea, Sasuke-kun. In fact, I added a little something… extra to yours.” She pushed a gleaming lock of black-purple hair behind her ear with one finger. She narrowed her eyes. “However, I’m not sure if that something’s effects are going to be pleasant for you.”

“Miss means…?” Sasuke asked, a trace of hesitancy in his voice as he turned around to look her in the eyes.

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