RainingSky

Sorry for the one day delay for this chapter, I didn't manage to finish it properly yesterday.

Shisui pulled out neck breaking speed as he barreled through the desert. The sand was thrown into the distance as Gene held on tight end, enjoyed the wind in her hair, smiling into the darkness at the feeling of freedom that came with running at this speed. 
It was a wonderful feeling. 
The darkness swallowed then even as she released the Vanishing Jutsu, and they were back to being Visible. At some points in the far distance a few lights appeared and slowly but surely voices, carried by the wind, were becoming hearable. Gene tapped Shisui to let her down, and he followed her gentle request before moving further ahead alongside her comrade. 

The small Oasis was bustling with live, people moving back and fort, the smell of street food, alcohol and the loud laughing and shouts of anguish coming from various gamblers all around the Oasis to their wins and losses. There were people chatting, and the sand glittered underneath the artificial lights. 

There were only tend, as if these people were nomads from all over and shouts of advertisement hailed over from all corners as the two of them slowly moved closer to each other, Shisui took her hand as they approached the tallest of gambling tends. A large male stood in front of it a bit afar, the two of them waited and observed as he checked the entrance cards of all those who wanted to enter. 

"It seems only for invited.", Gene muttered and observed the situation from her point of view. 

"So it seems we should get ourselves some invitations then, those two over there, how about them.", he pointed to a young couple very much in love and occupied with each other. 

"We are Shinobi, we shouldn't steal from poor civilians.", she noted, and Shisui shrugged his shoulders. 

"It is for the mission.", he said, "or mission, and they do not look like they are among the poor."

Considering the clothes those two wore were probably three months of her salary she internally agreed, indeed they were not among the poor, that much was certain. 

"Remind me if I ever want to change a career, then Thievery might be high on my list.", she muttered and Shisui smiled weakly as the two of them made their way into an alley and Gene moved her fingers, and they again vanished from plain sight. 

"Actually, we could just walk in like this.", she noted, "through the back entrance." 

"If they check inside too?"

"We just take a look inside and then exit, with or without the esteemed and elusive Tsunade Senju is, no need to steal." Gene noted, and Shisui shrugged his shoulders as they made their way to the entrance. Slipping by inside as he let another pair of people inside, they were immediately assaulted by the scent of alcohol and s puff of smoke that smelled like cigarettes that made Gene almost cough. 

"Are we sure Tsunade Senju would be in such a hole?", she muttered to herself, suddenly doubting her own imagination at the sight of people with glittering eyes that seemed to be totally wrong and others who reeked to the high heavens. 

"She is a gambling addict Gene, it is not impossible." Shisui noted, hugged her shoulders and drew her to himself. "Undo the Vanishing, it is consuming too much chakra in the long run, and I believe our doubts about checks inside were unwarranted."

"Alright, I will undo it, thinking about it, it's hard to imagine Tsukiko once earned her living hood in such places.", she muttered. 

"Not as hard as you might imagine, desperation probably made her do things that would have been unthinkable if she had been a normal child, stay close to me." She dissolved the vanishing and found herself with Shisuis arm wrapped around her shoulder, hand kept safe close by his coat. 

"I can watch out for myself.", She muttered, and Shisui shook his head. 

"Not everyone has to know that.", he responded, "keep the surprise moment as your weapon, over there are the dices, I did a bit of research on her since she is one of few people who might be able to know something about the topic we want to ask, apparently it is one of her favorite games.", 

"Okay." Gene kept close to Shisui, and together they made their way to the dices, where people were screaming big or small with agitation. She mustered them, their expressions that seemed so eager, their eyes that bordered to obsession, and suddenly she almost pitied those people. 

"Don't" Shisui said to her. "Don't show them any sympathy, they are where they are today because of their own decisions, they ruined themselves all on their own, they don't deserve pity, nor help,"

"I understand, it's just...", Gene shut her mouth, he was right, pity was going to solve nothing, neither did sympathy, if someone wanted change then they would have to seek it themselves. 

They are here because of their own decisions. 

One man was fondling a sparsely dressed woman before he french kissed her and Gene had to turn away a moment, suppressing the urge to stop them, the hazed eyes of the woman clearly showed she was under the influnce of some drug. Shisui patted her head and she felt the warmness and care from his touch loosening up a bit. 
She shook her head and looked ahead, this was not the time for thoughts, she had a mission to fulfill and that was what she would do. 

Ahead of them, a loud female Voice shouted. "BIG!"