Naruto 1. Bad Beginnings

I always thought that Sai had a very strange appearance time in the anime/manga. Why was he introduced so late? There was a good chance earlier for him to join team Seven... so how would the flow of events be influenced if he _did_ join just a little bit after Sasuke left?

Starts pre-Shippuden.

DISCLAIMER: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, not me, though I do wish it did :/

* * *

><p>A young boy knelt in a submissive pose in front of a standing, aged old man. The boy's skin was extremely pale, almost like an albino's, but when he opened his eyes one could see they were black instead of pink. His ink-black hair was newly cut after the boyish fashion of the day, to better blend in with the crowd. However, his jacket would have immediately marked him for an oddity, being cut far too high with one sleeve short and the other long. On his slightly rounded face was a tiny smile that was neither happy nor sad. He appeared to be around fifteen years of age, but looked younger in comparison to the scarred and heavily bandaged man in front of him.<p>

"Uchiha Sasuke has left Konoha." The man said clearly. "He is a traitor to his village, seeking out its enemies to further his own powers." A single dark eye opened and fixed its gaze on the boy. "His teammates are slowly recuperating, but no missions will be sent out to recover the traitor for a couple of years."

"I don't understand, Danzō-sama." His young subordinate stated. "What is it exactly that you wish me to do?"

"As things stand, there is an open sport on the Kyuubi boy's team... he has displayed on several occasions clear intentions to go after his lost teammate. However, if he is ever brought back, it would be like bringing the snake straight into the mouse nest. Your job is to replace Sasuke on Team Seven, and see to it that he never comes back to the village alive."

The boy was silent, giving a small nod of acceptance. Apparently, the assassination order was not new to him, as he showed no panic about being told to kill someone. Soon, however, he spoke up.

"But sir... what is my name now?"

Danzō rubbed his chin thoughtfully, cane resting forgotten against his side. "Sai." he said at last. "For the duration of this mission, you shall be known as Sai."

"Sai..." The newly renamed boy murmured, half to himself. "Sai. Alright. I understand, Danzō-sama."

"There's one last thing that is vital to the success of this mission." Danzō paused for a long while, his expression distant. Finally, he sighed. "I was originally against it, but it must be done. It is likely that by the time you get the chance to face the Uchiha child, he will have furthered his powers immensely. Therefore, there is one jutsu you must utilize that will ensure his elimination even if you die."

"I'm willing to learn any jutsu necessary, sir." Sai said evenly. "If it is for the good of the village."

The dark brown eye appraised him, and then the withered hand raised, beckoning him closer. "You won't be _learning_ this jutsu..."

* * *

><p>Naruto mumbled in his sleep and hugged his pillow tighter. He was having a very pleasant dream that involved quite a few girls from his village, and his body simply refused to wake up when the sharp sound of a screechy window sliding open reached his ears. However, the draft that blew in could not be ignored. It was an early spring morning, and at that time it was still cold outside before the sun had time to warm up the earth. Eventually, his eyes opened and he sat up, grumbling and rubbing his eyes.<p>

"Who opened the- whoa!" He bit off his sentence with a surprised exclamation. Sitting nonchalantly on the windowsill was a strange-looking pale boy with a cut off jacket. His feet were balanced expertly on the narrow space, legs bent froglike and hands on his knees. For a long, awkward second they stared at each other. The intruder didn't say anything. Naruto frowned at him. "Who the hell are you?"

The boy was silent. Naruto saw that his eyes were blacker than even Sasuke's, and disconcertingly, overwhelmingly... what? They were completely empty, and it was their emptiness itself that bothered the blonde boy so much.

_'He should at least be apologizing for surprising me like that.'_ Naruto thought heatedly. _'Well, if he's come here for a fight, I'll take him on and win, believe it!'_

"Is it customary..." the stranger began in an even tone, "For hospital patients to greet guests in their underwear?"

Naruto glanced downwards and was met with a very clean pair of blue and orange spotted boxers. With a yelp he snatched the sheets from his bed, trying to cover as much of himself as possible and hide his furious blush. However, when he looked back up, the stranger was gone.

Naruto stared at the space where the odd boy had just crouched. "What was _that?_" he muttered. "Waking me up, commenting on my underwear, and then leaving! God..." Throwing himself back on his bed, he stared at the ceiling. The sun slowly rose outside his window, but he paid it no heed. _'I woke up to that guy looking at me; does that mean he was sitting there for a long time already, just watching me? Why? That was creepy!'_

"Ahh, I give up!" he cried in frustration, throwing his pillow at the ceiling. It caught on a lamp and stuck there. "This is so annoying, believe it!" As he climbed on his beside stand to retrieve the pillow, it occurred to him that he should put his jumpsuit back on. _'Why didn't I change earlier?'_ He fell back onto his bed, fully dressed. Sometime today, he'd be out of the hospital, and had a month and a half to spend going on missions and saying his good-byes to friends before Jiraiya was free to take him training. Team Kakashi just wouldn't be the same with only the three of them... but Naruto didn't mind. They all would get Sasuke back safe and sound, no matter how few of them there were.

_'For once, I get Lee's mania to train and become stronger.' _Naruto shifted underneath the sheets, restless. _'I _have_ to become stronger in order to beat some sense into Sasuke.'_

Two polite knocks came from behind the door. A kind-looking young nurse came in, pushing a cart with some fresh pajamas and sheets on it.

"You're good to go, Naruto-kun. I hope you have a pleasant day." she told him, amused as Naruto sprung out of bed with a loud whoop. His covers went flying as he waved a hasty good-bye and dashed out of the room.

He felt great- The sun was out with just a few clouds in the perfect blue sky, the temperature was perfect, the weather forecast promised a gorgeous day, he was off hospital food, and tomorrow he'd be back in training. By the time Naruto got home and had a cup of steaming hot instant ramen in front of him, he forgot all about the strange boy on his windowsill.

* * *

><p>"Naruto, <em>no."<em> Sakura said firmly, trying to hold Naruto back by his arm as he kept inching towards Ramen Ichiraku.

"But Sakura-chan..." he whined. "_Ramen!_"

"You had a full bowl of it this morning! It's not even a healthy, balanced breakfast. If you keep this up, Naruto, you'll be like Choji!"

Instantly, Naruto froze, his eyes nervously darting from side to side. After a long minute, he relaxed.

"Don't even joke about that." he pulled free of her grip and began walking away from the ramen stand. "What if he were around? The lecture that Kakashi's going to give us for being late would be even worse if we showed up beaten half to death! Though we'd show him alright, show him how it feels having to wait for hours!"

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..." Sakura murmured apprehensively. "We're supposed to be getting a new teammate today. What kind of first impression are we going to make?" Her hand drifted up to her short hair and began curling a bubblegum-pink lock around one finger. Naruto fell silent, but only to enjoy the sight of her walking beside him. All of the sadness had left Sakura's emerald-green eyes now, and she the nervous look she wore was cute on her.

"You're looking great today, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said cheerily.

"Hm, yeah." To his disappointment, the kunoichi didn't register his compliment. They had reached training field three, where Team Seven held most of their on-site practices. The wide expanse of grass with three posts and the nearby memorial stone had become as familiar to them as the backs of their hands. One familiar, tall figure with spiky silver hair was already there, holding an orange book in one hand, single grey eye trained on the page. However, a second person was standing next to their sensei. As they got closer, Naruto saw too much pale skin, a short black jacket and neat black hair...

He stopped dead in his tracks. "It's you!" he cried, pointing an accusatory finger. The boy blinked his large black eyes, and then put on a small smile. "What were you doing yesterday, watching me like that?"

Sakura was looking between them curiously. Her gaze lingered on the new arrival's face instead of his clothes, studying his features intently. The boy kept smiling.

"I simply heard that one of my new teammates was in the hospital, so I wanted to come see what they looked like." His voice was as Naruto remembered it- cool, soft, and mature.

Gradually, Naruto's anger ebbed. "Well, you could have introduced yourself earlier..."

"And I must say," the stranger continued, "I saw far more than I intended to. Do you wear such extravagant underwear to compensate for whatever's beneath?"

Kakashi, in the middle of turning a page, stilled his hand and looked up. Sakura let loose a tiny giggle, then saw Naruto's expression and immediately leaped for grab his arms.

"No, Naruto!" she cried for the second time that day. Except now, her job was much harder; Naruto was straining to get free, his tomato red face contrasting sharply with his spiky blonde hair.

"Now, now, children..." Kakashi stuffed the well-worn copy of _Icha Icha _into a pocket and raised his hands in a placating manner. "Calm down... Let's all introduce ourselves, okay? I am Hatake Kakashi, the jounin leader of Team Seven. I, er, like... certain books... and things. I dislike... other things. My favourite colour is, um, any colour."

Sakura gave the newcomer a harried, but friendly enough grin. "I'm Haruno Sakura! I enjoy flowers, boys, and the colour pink, and I really hate this guy right here!"

Naruto stopped struggling. "Aww, but Sakura, you're holding me so close to you!" he teased, and she let go of his arms as if burned. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen, the colour orange, Sakura-chan, and I'm going to be Hokage if it's the last thing I do! And I've a best friend named Sasuke, who I'm going to bring back to our team no matter what, believe it!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Naruto's lack of tact. _'It's not very nice to say something like that in front of a new team member.'_ he reflected. _'Then again, this is Naruto we're talking about... I should have expected...'_

"My name is Sai." The newest member said. "I..." he paused. "I suppose I enjoy drawing. I like the colour black, and I don't dislike anything."

Sakura made a face. "Black's not a colour!" she protested. "Pick something brighter, like red, or blue!" Sai's eyes flickered to her, then stayed there, looking her over as if noticing her for the first time. A faint blush crept across her cheeks. _'Oh god, he's staring at me... with those intense eyes...' _ _**'What are you thinking?'**_Inner Sakura demanded. _**'Smile at him! Wink! I told you we should have worn something more flattering today!'**_

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind, ugly."

_Smack_. Before either Kakashi or Naruto could react, Sakura had delivered a lightning-fast slap to Sai's face, sending him staggering backwards.

Aghast, Naruto simply gaped at his crush, while Kakashi sighed and turned to Sai. The boy seemed unruffled by Sakura's violent reaction to his candid comment. Naruto was about to offer him a hand when he remembered the underwear comment, and stuck both his hands in his pockets. Kakashi stuck out his hand, but Sai shook his head and got up. The jonin's keen eye noted his stiffness, as if every move the boy made pained him.

"Perhaps you hit him a little too hard, Sakura." Kakashi suggested helpfully, although he knew full well that wasn't the case. He knew a seasoned shinobi when he saw one, and knew that a little slap could not deal that much damage. Also, Sai seemed to be favouring his back, not rubbing his slightly red cheek. Sakura, however, didn't come to any such conclusions.

"Hmph! He deserved it!" She snorted, but then she saw Sai wince as he finally regained his footing. A fraction of contempt left her voice. "Hey, I didn't really hit you that hard, did I?"

Sai shook his head and reapplied his smile. "Do not worry yourself. I'm simply a little sore from the mission I had yesterday, before being reassigned to this team. I hope to work well with all of you in the future, and hope that I can be a satisfactory replacement for Sasuke Uchiha."

Mentally, Kakashi facepalmed. His new student seemed to have a talent for saying the exact wrong things at the worst of times. Naruto and Sakura both became very quiet. To the jonin's further dismay, Sakura's eyes began to glimmer and Naruto's fists clenched.

"Alright!" Kakashi's cheerful tone was forced. "How about we all go out for some dinner together?"

"I would like that." Sai replied, and turned to his teammates. "I assume that is what you did when that traitor Sasuke was still here? Go out for dinner, and the like?"

"Don't talk like you're him." Naruto growled. "We're only going out to dinner with you this once because you're new, and the only reason I'm not hitting you like Sakura did is because you're still new. But this isn't going to happen ever again, got it? We're going to go bring Sasuke back, and you're going to shut the hell up and go back to wherever you came from, you and your stupid fake smile."

"My, my." Sai wasn't smiling now. "You seem to harbour unusually strong feelings about someone who hurt your closest friends and joined the enemy for his own selfish purposes."

Sakura's eyes flamed, and she raised her hand. Sensing a fight coming, Kakashi swiftly stepped in between them.

"That's enough." he stated. "We're wasting time arguing, and the barbeque restaurant is holding a special today. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Sai closed his apartment door behind him, looking around. Last night, he'd been far too tired to decorate his new living space. For some reason, the empty walls bothered him immensely. He imagined filling up the featureless wood with framed pictures of his own making. He imagined waking up for once in a room by himself, without any Foundation members crashing on the couch or on sleeping mats on the floor. Moonlight streamed through the open window, casting a bright silvery rectangle onto an old, cream-coloured rug. Sai crossed the room, sitting at a desk. He picked up his brush, dipped it into ink, and let it hover above a blank page.<p>

A wind blew through the window, ruffling his hair. Sai shifted in his seat, and then suddenly a spasm of pain shot through his body, emnating from his back. The brush dropped onto the page and made a large blot.

With clenched teeth, Sai got up and shuffled over to his bed before collapsing upon it. Gradually, the pain faded away underneath the coolness of the mattress, and he relaxed. Everything would be fine by tommorow, if he took it easy. However, it _was_ slightly inconvenient, this new... Sai closed his eyes. _'Danz__ō-sama's orders are law.'_ he thought. _'I shall follow them without question or complaint, no matter what they may be... after all, I am simply a tool to help him protect the village. If this is how he ordains it, then this is how it must be.'_

Yet the last thing upon his mind before he drifted off to sleep was not the mantra of the Foundation, but the angry faces of the two genin that he had to work with from then on.

* * *

><p>Well, fairly short chapter, but I wanted to get things going. How was it? I hope I'm getting them all in character- as far as I know, pre-Shippuden Sakura still had inner Sakura, and Naruto still said 'dattebayo' (believe it!) a lot.<p>

Any questions, predictions, mistakes you spotted, comments, or stuff you'd like to see in future chapters (even though I have things planned, suggestions help me incorporate things that I forget)- answer in a review! =)


	2. Soup

*Note- I made a mistake in the time frame of the story :/ After rewatching the last episodes of the original _Naruto, _I realized that by this time it'd be autumn. So, thus, this chapter takes place around the beginning-5th of October.

* * *

><p>Tsunade locked her fingers together, biting her lip as she always did when she was nervous. Kakashi stood and waited for her to speak first, out of deference to her superior rank.<p>

"Kakashi." she stated. "Has he shown anything that might give away his true purpose?"

The jonin shrugged. "I can't say. He's a Foundation member through and through- no social skills, no sense of mood, no tact, wearing expressions like they're an ANBU mask, and not giving me the slightest hint as to why he's really on my team." Kakashi paused, thoughtful. "From the speed at which the arrangements were made, we can safely infer that Danzō's been planning this for a long time. Was Sasuke's betrayal that evident?"

Tsunade sighed. "Who knows what goes on in that cunning fox's head? More importantly, I want you to closely observe Sai. Every little mannerism of his- please take note. This is the first chance we've got to see a Foundation member for more than a few minutes. Now go, before you're late again."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi gave a quick bow and strode past her, putting one foot on the windowsill.

"H-Hey!" Tsunade yelled, but he simply waved.

"See ya."

The Hokage muttered quiet invective after her subordinate had jumped out from the window. "What is it with that damned trait of my shinobi not knowing how to use doors? I might as well install a large window in the doorway just so they go in through the hallway at the least." Placing her elbows on the desk, she laced her fingers together and stared into space. _'Sai, huh...'_ Tsunade thought. _'What a horrible thing for even someone like Danz__ō__ to do, training children to become emotionless machines like that. I doubt he even knows the meaning of the word play, or even what happiness is.' _

She shuffled through a sheaf of papers that had been resting on the corner of her desk, looking over each one only briefly before discarding it. At last, a particular paper caught her eye and she studied it.

_'Well, I did want to get this checked out sooner or later... I might as well have them do it.'_

* * *

><p>"A mission? A real mission? Don't say it's another C-Rank, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto implored. "I'm bored of those! I'm all healed now, dangit, lemme go on an S-Rank!"<p>

Team Seven was in the entranceway of one of Konoha's larger museums. Grand pillars of stone soared above their head, supporting a large, gabled roof. Behind them, double doorways with the symbol of Konoha engraved above them were thrown open, letting a trickle of visitors go in and out. The tide was slow on weekdays, especially in the mornings when many adults were already at work and children safely ensconced in school.

Sakura was standing next to Naruto, looking exasperated, while Kakashi stood before them with the same bored expression as ever. Sai was leaning back against one of the pillars, his body half-hidden in the shadow of the building. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed, but Kakashi knew he was listening carefully. The jonin's grey eye flickered Sai's way before returning back to Naruto.

"I sincerely doubt that you, as a genin, will be allowed on S-Rank missions anytime soon. However, this mission should be good enough. It's labeled a B-Rank, but has the potential to become A-Rank as we know nothing of the phenomenon we're being sent to investigate." Kakashi dug into his side pants pocket and took out a scroll, reading off of it. "Calaca Village, North Fire Country. Well-known for its artisans and yearly festival in which visiting spirits of the dead were honoured."

"Sprits of the dead?" Naruto interjected. "That sounds so cool! Will we get to see them? I wanna go to a festival!"

Sakura prodded him. "Let him talk." she hissed.

"We wouldn't be able to go anyways- it takes place in November." Kakashi continued. "As I was saying, this village was fairly well-known. However, two weeks ago, all contact with the village had been shut off. Several people from neighboring villages had gone to see what was wrong, but they mysteriously vanished as well. Only one returned from that search party. Apparently, as soon as you walk within a mile's radius of the village, you are surrounded by a thick fog. Anyone who persists is never seen again."

Sakura shivered. "That's so creepy!" she protested. "Are you saying our job is to check it out?"

"How is it 'creepy'?" Sai spoke up. He detached himself from the pillar and walked their way. As he approached, Kakashi noted Sakura's expression become guarded and clear annoyance appear in Naruto's eyes. "There is no supernatural cause. It is obviously just some rogue shinobi playing with stakes higher than he could ever realize."

Kakashi eyed him shrewdly. "Your cryptic messages leave nothing to be desired, do they?"

Sai gave his team leader a fake smile. "Perhaps it is just your powers of perception that leave _much_ to be desired."

"Hey!" Sakura snapped. "Do you always talk like that to your superiors? Kakashi-sensei _is_ of a higher rank than you!"

"Relax, Sakura." Kakashi said easily. "It's not a bother. If I would get mad at a little thing like that, I might as well have yelled at Naruto for that time he dropped an eraser on my head."

The young kunoichi's green eyes lit up and she giggled. "When I saw that eraser fall, I was thinking, 'Oh Kami, we're dead for sure! I can't believe Naruto-baka did that! What a bad first impression on our new teacher!'" Naruto looked eagerly at Sakura, seeing a chance to make her laugh more.

"That was the best moment of my life, believe it!" he exclaimed. "Kakashi-sensei, your face was _priceless_! And Sasuke's face- that was the best!"

Sai watched them laugh, completely silent. His dark eyes gave nothing away, but the scene that they were seeing... It gave him the strangest feeling. _'What is this...?'_ he wondered. _'It's been so long since I've felt anything. But for some reason, seeing my team share such merriment over a memory that I do not share makes me feel something- anything. Am I somehow bothered by it?'_ Before he knew it, his musings had transformed themselves into a question that slipped right out of his mouth.

"What's so great about this Sasuke, anyways?" he asked. His team immediately fell silent. "You might have some good memories of him, but the fact remains that he betrayed the village and almost killed you, Naruto-kun." Naruto gaped at Sai, and at his words his hand unconsciously tightened into a fist. "The people he worked with nearly killed your friends, too, and the one he ran away to with his tail between his legs killed the Sandaime." Naruto's blue eyes widened, and his lip quivered. "How can you forgive someone like that? How can you still want to bring a full-out traitor back?"

"Why, you..." Sakura snarled even as her eyes glittered. "Why do you hate him so much? You just don't understand him like we do!"

"Of course I don't." Sai directed his smile at her. "But then again, nobody can understand what goes on in a psychopath's mind."

It was the final straw for Sakura's short temper. Sai tensed in readiness to fight as she drew her fist back, but as the punch shot forwards, a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed the girl's wrist.

"It's okay, Sakura." Naruto said tiredly. Sakura stared at him, and he gave her a tiny, reassuring smile. "You don't have to fight this bastard for Sasuke's sake. I'll handle this." Sai had not relaxed from his fighting position as Naruto released Sakura and turned to face him. However, he did note that the Jinchuuriki did not attempt to take out any weapons, and neither did the jonin attempt to do anything other than watch. Naruto took a shaky breath. "You're right, Sai." he confessed. "Everything you said was true. A lot of what Sasuke did is unforgivable. But despite that, all the things we did together, all the good memories that we share... they formed a bond between us that can't be broken, no matter what. Sasuke doesn't realize that yet, but I'm going to make him. I don't think you'll understand, but Sasuke's my best friend. There are things you just have to accept."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, seeing a flicker of expression come and go in Sai's black eyes. Sai was staring at Naruto slightly openmouthed, lost for words. _'Who knew Naruto, of all people, could get such a reaction out of one thought to be unable to feel, and who knew that he was this mature.'_

"But say anything like that again, and I'll kick your ass, believe it!" Naruto threatened.

_'Or not..'_

Gradually, Sai straightened and slipped his paintbrush back in its pocket. His tiny smile was back.

"I have no doubt that you'll try, although whether you're actually capable of defeating me remains to be seen." The boy inclined his head to his blonde teammate. "Let's save that for another day, though. I can tell that you are itching to begin this mission. When are we heading out, Kakashi... sensei?"

The silver-haired man began walking away. "Preferably, as soon as you all are packed. Prepare for a week, at most. Any longer than that, and we shall have to make our own arrangements."

* * *

><p>Danzō's head turned around as a slight tapping on his glass window indicated a visitor. An avian one, with blank white eyes and slightly sketchy outlines. Crossing the room, he picked up a scroll of paper and opened the window, letting the hawk fly through. In midair, it dissipated, splashing onto the proffered page and transforming into a series of kanji. The old man scanned the letters carefully. He had instructed Sai to send regular reports whenever he was able to escape the scrutiny of that jonin he was temporarily working under. Danzō was no fool; he knew that Tsunade would have ordered Kakashi to keep watch on Sai.<p>

However, he was far from worried. The boy was one of his best. Beginning his Root training at two years of age, he had far outlasted his other companions in the same group. Eventually, with the exception of one who died of an illness, Sai had fought and killed all of the children that grew up and trained with him. They were no great loss; it was a firm Foundation belief that those unfit had to be gotten rid of before they became a liability to the village. Soon, Danzō began selecting him for harder and harder missions, weeding out not only those in Root older than him who lost their usefulness but dangerous foreign shinobi. His greatest challenge so far had been a Kumogakure ninja who was a favourite of the Raikage himself; even then, Sai had not failed him. With a countenance as unchanging as stone, a mind as cold and calculated as the harshest winter, and a body as lithe and tough as a tiger, he could take on anything.

Surely, he'd be able to handle a little blonde kid and his friends for a little while before using them to take him to Sasuke Uchiha, and then discard them like old toys. The report itself proved it.

_...They naturally are distrustful of me, although I gave them no real reason to be. It just proves what I have learned of the human race- untrustworthy, unreliable, and biased. It is no wonder that they pursue the Uchiha boy, Danz__ō__-sama; birds of a feather flock together. Our mission does not take us within Orochimaru's territory, but I shall look for information nonetheless.'_

Danzō rolled up the scroll, and walked over to the wastebasket. However, instead of throwing it in, he placed it on the desk and muttered a small command. A little flame appeared in front of his hand. Touching the tip of his finger to the paper, he set it alight, and swept it quickly into the wastebasket. Soon, nothing was left of it but a little sprinkling of dark grey ashes and an acrid smell that lingered in the air.

* * *

><p>The sky above the green trees was slowly darkening, stars popping into existence one by one. A thin trail of smoke wound from between the thick leaves, disappearing into the great, dark blue expanse. Anyone following the path of the smoke through the lush, deciduous canopy would have found a small orange fire crackling away, above which shimmered a small foldable pot of water.<p>

"What's on the menu, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto sniffed the pot excitedly, even though it held nothing but water. "I know! Instant ramen! Is that it?"

"There's no way we could carry enough ramen to feed you, let alone all of us." Sakura said, pushing him away from the pot and giving the water a stir before settling the makeshift wooden spoon down so it leaned against the edge of the pot. "We're boiling hot water for some simple miso soup."

"Miso soup?" Naruto protested. "Just plain miso soup- the traveling kind? That stuff's disgusting!"

Kakashi put a hand to his face, tired of Naruto's complaints. It had been a long day, trekking across a well-cleared dirt road in the general direction of Calaca village. Most of the time, one would be glad for the good maintenance. However, the trees were just so spaced that they blocked any cooling winds and yet allowed for no shade on the road. That, and the thick flak jacket that he always wore combined with cloudless day made travel miserable. The added stress from having to watch Sai didn't help, either.

"Shinobi should be grateful for what they have." he said shortly, and pulled out his well-worn copy of _Icha Icha: Paradise_. It was far better to immerse himself in a world of suspense, mystery, and scandal than listen any further.

"But look!" Naruto pointed at a pile of various greenery that he had dumped on the ground. "I found wild onions. And mushrooms and some weird plant that looked a bit like garlic, too!"

"There's a reason you eat instant ramen, Naruto." Sakura chided. "You can't cook for your life." Reaching down, she picked up one white mushroom and examined it dubiously. "Are you sure these are even edible in the first place?"

"May I have that, Sakura-san?" A polite voice questioned. Startled, Sakura dropped the mushroom, but Sai's hand swooped down and caught it. "This one is certainly edible- a common puffball mushroom. Naruto-kun must have an eye for food."

"I wouldn't put it past him." Sakura gave her teammate a cautious smile. Sai didn't seem like he was going to be insulting. In fact, he had been quite civil just then. The boy smiled back at her before bending down and gathering up the pile of ingredients. "What are you doing?"

"Cooking." Sai replied. "Naruto-kun gave me just what I needed. I believe I can make this miso soup a little bit more appetizing for my team."

Naruto sat up from where he had lain sullenly down on his bedroll, a bright gleam in his eyes.

"You can cook, Sai?" he asked, watching the boy place the small block of gelatinous pre-prepared miso soup in the boiling water. Sai nodded, his fingers carefully breaking a wild onion into little bits that were dropped in with the miso.

"When I grew up, it was a choice of cooking from yourself or stealing from your companions. Naturally, I stole when I ran out of supplies and could not immediately get more, but I became an adept chef as well." Instead of discarding the green onion stems, he shredded them and dropped them in as well, giving the soup a stir. "In such a life, you learn not to waste anything."

Soon, a delicious aroma overcame the fire-smoke and spread through their small campsite. Kakashi gave the air an appreciative sniff and put aside his book, taking out his favourite wooden travel bowl.

"It seems about ready, Sai." he called. The boy nodded, giving his work a final stir. "Please fill up everyone's bowls, then Sakura and Naruto shall assist you in cleaning up. As a reward, you can take the last watch. Naruto, you'll be taking first, and wake me up when the moon reaches eighty degrees. And, Sai..."

The boy looked up at him questioningly. "Yes, sir?"

"Good job on the soup." Kakashi smiled through his mask, and after a moment's hesitation Sai smiled back.

Later that night, when his teammates had all settled down, Naruto rubbed his eyes for the hundredth time and turned around from the dark forest to glare at Kakashi's sleeping form.

"Dangit, choosing _me_ for the first watch... I know this is to get back at me for complaining, I know it!" His gaze switched from the jounin and lingered on Sakura's serene face for a minute. He had forgotten just how pretty she was. Much of the time, she wore a scowl; when he complimented her, when he said something stupid, when he pulled pranks... now that he thought about it, she scowled only around him. Mood dropping, he stopped examining the girl and shifted his gaze to the right. Sai wasn't in his bedroll yet. He was sitting cross-legged by the dying embers of the fire, giving them an occasional poke with a stick before returning to his drawing.

_'Sai's still awake?'_Naruto thought. He studied his newest teammate. Sai didn't appear to notice his scrutiny and kept drawing. He didn't look threatening at all, yet the genin still hesitated to do anything. Finally making up his mind and moving quietly, Naruto crawled over to sit by him.

"Hey." he murmured in as friendly a tone he could muster. He still couldn't forget the Sasuke insults, but Sakura was willing to give Sai another chance, so that meant he could as well. "Whatcha drawing?"

Silently, Sai shifted his arm to allow Naruto to see his picture. Dark trees in shades of chocolate brown and forest green were crowded close together, the space in between them coloured in a mixture of midnight blues, charcoal blacks and royal purples. However, sitting at the edge of the trees was a blonde boy. His bright orange coat and yellow hair made a sharp contrast against the darkness of the background. In the very foreground there was a lighter area of dirt, from which an unseen fire cast a faint golden glow upon the boy's jumpsuit.

"Oh, wow." Naruto breathed, stretching out a hand and touching the boy in the picture's hair. It looked so real, that he almost expected to feel real hair underneath his fingers. "Is that me?" It plainly was, yet he felt slightly uncomfortable that all this time, Sai had been doing the watching- watching _him_.

"Yes." Sai said simply. "I apologize; I'm not very good with colours."

"Are you kidding?" Naruto argued in a quiet voice, as not to wake his sleeping companions up. "This is amazing, believe it!"

"I'm afraid I don't believe it." Sai continued to lightly pencil in a patch of brown dirt, shading in the outline of a rock to give it dimension. "The purple I included seems rather excessive."

"It just makes it cooler, that's what." Naruto reached over Sai and plucked from the ground a small, minty green book lying next to Sai. He examined it curiously. On one side, there was a hand-drawn picture of a dark-eyed boy with black hair and pale skin standing in a purple background. On the other side, there was a drawing of a taller boy with shoulder-length greyish hair standing against a light blue background. He was about to thumb through the pages when Sai snatched the book out of his hands.

"Excuse me." Sai apologized shortly, though there was no anger in his voice. "I don't allow people to look at that book. It's the last thing I have remaining of my brother, you see."

Naruto paused, a little shocked, before he broke out into a wide grin. "You aren't such a heartless idiot after all!" he exclaimed, before abruptly clapping a hand to his mouth and glancing around to see if he had woken anyone up. Thankfully, he hadn't.

Sai blinked in surprise. "What?"

"You obviously have feelings if you get like that when I'm about to look through some book. If you didn't have feelings at all, you wouldn't care!" Naruto explained triumphantly. "You're protective of this book, which reminds you of this brother, so you obviously care for him!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sai tilted his head, lips curling into another little smile. "My brother is dead. I don't feel anything about him."

At a loss, Naruto fumbled for words. "The Third Hokage's dead." he said at last. "That doesn't stop me from feeling a little sad when I think about him, or happy when I remember all the funny moments we had. By keeping that book, you're trying to remember all the happy moments you had with your brother." Sai looked down at the small volume, the smile vanishing from his face. Naruto looked at him for a moment before he surprised Sai _and _himself by reaching across and patting his teammate on the shoulder.

"You don't need to repress your emotions like that." he said friendlily. "They're not bad things. Try it, and see. I'm sure your brother would hate for you to be like this now."

Sai turned away, stuffing his book and sketchpad into his bag. "Thanks for your words, Naruto-kun. I'll go to sleep now."

"Don't bother with the -kun." Naruto told him. "Me and Sakura are about your age, so you don't need to be so uptight!"

"I see. I'll keep that in mind." Sai lay down on his bedroll, pulling his blanket over him and turning onto his side. He heard Naruto poke at the fire once more before crawling over to where he had been keeping watch.

_A playful jab, and a mock reprimand. "Hey!" Shin was scolding him again. "Hey kid, don't be like that. It's a game! You're _supposed _to laugh and have fun!"_

_"But Danz__ō__-sama said-" The nameless, unusually pale boy protested before Shin cut him off. _

_"Sometimes, not all orders are the right ones." Shin took a few steps back. "Alright, ready? I'm going to be the seeker now. You go hide- but it's not fair if you go underground! And it has to be outside. If we go inside, they'll catch us playing and we'll get in trouble!" _

_A little laugh escaped the pale child's lips. "Oh, I don't think they'll find me even if I went back in there!'_

Sai closed his eyes. _'I am a tool. I have no feelings. I have no name. I have no purpose but to serve the village of Konoha. I have no friends... no friends except-'_ he broke off in the midst of his mental deliberations, and gave up. Like it or not, the Uzumaki boy had caught his interest. He would follow his superior's orders to the letter, but there were no specific instructions against studying his teammates. Perhaps... he could even be friends with them.

* * *

><p>A fluffy chapter, yes, but in the next chapter they'll arrive at their destination, so prepare for some mystery, some action, and some more plot advancement! =)<p>

By the way, did anyone notice Mexican theme? We discussed the meaning of 'Calaca' (Skull) in Spanish class, and as it was recently La dia de los Muertos (the day of the dead) I decided to incorporate that into the story! =D Kind of creepy, really, I have to agree with Sakura- they're heading to a place actually called 'Skull Village'.

Well, slightly longer chapter- how was that one? I hope you're not bored by it's lack of action, or that I messed up Danzō's character. He's a terrific character (Terrific as in terrifying _and_ amazing), but pretty hard to write.


	3. Twin Demons

The small group of four had been walking for an entire morning, with a short afternoon lunch. Naruto and Sakura were still getting over the early rising-time. However, Kakashi and Sai were both alert and taking in their surroundings as if they had gotten ten hours of sleep instead of a mere four. Kakashi took up the rear as was his wont to do on missions, since it allowed him to simultaneously read _Icha Icha_, keep an eye on his charges, and guard their backs. However, his book rested forlorn and forgotten in his pack as he focused his attention on the odd pair leading them.

Naruto and Sai were walking together, engaged in conversation. Sakura was lagging a little behind them, surreptitiously trying to listen in without becoming entangled in it herself.

"When we get home, are you planning on doing anything other than training with us?" Naruto asked. Sai pondered his question, then shook his head. "Sweet, so you wanna come over and teach me how to cook?"

_"After the completion of your team's mission, refrain from spending too much time with them- the less they know, the better." Sai had nodded, then, understanding his superior's thoughts. _

"Actually, I'd love to come." Sai replied, an odd feeling stirring to life when Naruto gave him one of his characteristic wide grins that could have outshined the sun. For some reason, he couldn't refuse him. Never before in his dim, lonely life had he met someone that shone as vibrantly as the boy- not since Shin had died, not since he'd become an efficient killing machine. And besides, Danzō _had_ told him to study Naruto. This would be the perfect opportunity. "I wonder at how you are still alive. Surely, seeing how stupid you are, you'd have poisoned and killed yourself already, or blown up your house in a fire when attempting to figure out the many intricacies of an oven."

Behind them, Sakura flinched. She waited for Naruto to make an angry retort, but to her surprise, he just laughed nervously and fiddled with the First Hokage's necklace.

"Yeah, well, about that..." he said sheepishly. "I _did _melt the microwave once..."

"There you go, you see." Sai chastised him gently. "Unfortunately, my main expertise lies not in pre-prepared things like noodles. I deal mainly with fish and wild vegetables. Still, some of the same rules apply... After adding parsley to water, must be left to simmer for-"

"I get it already!" Naruto said hastily. "Let's save learning for later and go kick some-" he paused, a puzzled expression coming over his face. "Sensei, what _are_we kicking, anyways?"

"That's what we've come to find out. Look, we're almost there." Kakashi answered. The trees ended and the ground leveled out, revealing a large, barren moor. Gorse bushes were scattered across a landscape covered with waving heather, dry grasses, and the occasional rock. Despite the stiff wind that assaulted them, the moment the team stepped out upon the first rolling hill the wind stilled and a thick fog gathered around them. Visibility was reduced to one meter at the most.

Kakashi glanced sideways, seeing that Sakura had taken out a kunai, Naruto following suit. Both of them looked uneasy.

"You recognize it too, then?" he asked quietly.

"It's that mist enshrouding technique that Zabuza used." Sakura's hand tightened around the blade, deriving comfort from the solidness.

"The Hidden Mist jutsu." Kakashi affirmed. "I know it all too well... and its user is exceptionally proficient with it- to keep it this thick in such a wide radius and amount of time... I would say it far surpasses Zabuza's, as he had a nearby water source when performing the technique. There are no such things on this moor."

"Just one user?" Sai questioned. "I highly doubt it. The sheer magnitude of this hidden mist jutsu around us suggests that there are at least two shinobi controlling it."

"Good, good." Kakashi complimented him. "Walk closer together, everyone."

They kept walking in a hushed silence. The cloying fog gave off an oppressive aura, dampening their spirits and preventing any idle chatter. Gradually, they became conscious of a thick, unpleasant smell that only increased in intensity the further they walked. Sakura wrinkled her nose.

"Euucchh, what's that?" she complained, her voice sounding oddly muffled. The shapes of small houses rose out of the mist, so suddenly that everyone was caught by surprise. And hanging on a tall signpost labeled 'Calaca Village' was... hanging there was... "Oh, god." Sakura stumbled backwards, pressing a hand to her mouth. Laws caws rent the still air as previously feeding crows took off, leaving behind a partially mangled and decayed corpse.

Naruto put his arm awkwardly around Sakura, trying not just to comfort her but avoid the stare of those blank holes where eyes had once been. Ragged clothes hung on the corpse's body, and loosely tied upon its head was an all-too-familiar silver headguard with a leaf symbol engraved upon it. The face was blissfully unrecognizable.

"It's a few days old. Must be from the duo team that was originally sent." Kakashi commented. He had seen many bodies in his life, yet still kept his distance. Unaffected by the gruesome sight, Sai strode up to the cadaver and pushed up one of its sleeves, examining its arm, then peered at its throat.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Naruto demanded, pulling his jacket collar up so it covered the lower half of his face. Sai spared him half a glance before returning to his examination.

"Kakashi-sensei, look." he said briefly. "See the many little tears in the skin? These are too fine for bird beaks to have made. It appears as if some sort of internal trauma caused the skin to split open. Yet there are no marks upon the wrists that suggest restraint, or pricks on the major arteries that indicate poison. What do you think it could be?"

The elder ANBU approached, glad for not the first time that his face mask provided a measure of relief from the odor of decay. Upon looking at the area of neck that Sai was indicating, he realized the boy was right.

"It reminds me of the time when Shino Aburame fought a wind-user in the Chunin Exams." he recalled. "Shino used his bugs to stopper up wind tubes in his opponent's hands, thus causing the skin to split open from the inside. This body's skin looks much the same as that boy's arms did back then." Kakashi paused, thinking deeply. _'No signs of restraint or poison... so then, it must have been inhaled!' _"Masks, that's it!" he exclaimed to himself, earning him several odd looks. "Everyone, put on your face mask."

"Sweet, we all get to be little Kakashi-sensei's!" Naruto joked, but obligingly reached for a piece of cloth hung around his neck and pulled it up so it covered his mouth and nose. "How do I look?"

"I don't get it." Sakura had also put on the mask. "These are just simple pieces of cloth with very tightly interwoven threads that prevent any molecules larger than air from entering. Sure, I think they're cool, but... they make my mouth dry, and the mists not even poisoned! Is it?"

Their team leader shrugged, and Sai answered for him.

"It could be." he stated. "We're not going to take any chances. They must already know we're coming, so there's no point sneaking around now- the best we can do is preliminary protection like this."

They continued on, skirting around the signpost and its burden and passing into the arms of the abandoned village. Sakura hung back closer to Kakashi, her eyes darting nervously from side to side. The memories of the last time they had been trapped in such fog came back in full force.

_**"Toughen up, cha!"**_ Inner Sakura admonished her. _**"The last time we were in this stupid fog, we won!"**_

_"But Sasuke-kun almost died! And Zabuza and Haku died, even though they tuned out to be good guys! It was horrible!" _Sakura argued. Unconsciously, she nibbled at a nail before realizing the gesture and clapped her arms to her sides. Just then, she realized Kakashi was not next to her anymore.

She stopped. "Kakashi-sensei?" Her voice sounded pitifully weak and tremulous. Swallowing, Sakura called out again. "Hey, Naruto, Sai! I can't find Kakashi-sensei! Wait!"

Yet they did not hear her- the mantle of mist that wrapped around them so tightly obscured her cry. Soon, Naruto and Sai's forms vanished into the swirling white vapors. Torn by indecision, Sakura dithered whether to go back, or forwards. It was then that a familiar voice spoke from behind her.

"It's all right to be nervous." Kakashi said easily. Sakura whirled around, then relaxed. Her drawn kunai glinted dully in the faint light. "I just needed to tie my sandal straps. Where are Naruto and Sai?"

"Over there." Sakura pointed. "They didn't hear me when I told them to stop, so-"

"They didn't hear you?" Kakashi demanded. Taken aback by the sudden note of urgency in his voice, the kunoichi nodded. Seeing fear creep back into those green eyes, the jonin exhaled and tried to put a heartening official tone in his voice once more. "Okay; then we'll just run and catch up to them. Shall w-" Abruptly, the man stopped talking. Then, his body vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Sakura alone with a single gorse bush branch that had replaced her companion.

Several metres away, Kakashi cursed as he parried a sword-strike that had come out of nowhere.

_'Damnit, they knew I was a clone! How could-'_

"'How could they have seen my substitution jutsu through this thick mist? Is that right?" An amused voice asked.

"Very simple, really." A second, slightly deeper voice said. "We are able to see through the mist because we _are_ the mist."

A strand of white condensed, coiling itself into a humanoid shape. Colours reformed out of the blankness, as well as clothes and flesh. Next to the new figure, a second spiral of fog formed a nearly identical man.

Standing before Kakashi were two grinning twins with short white hair, wickedly pointed teeth, and pale blue eyes. Despite slight crinkles under their eyes, they still appeared young and solid, too solid for apparitions made out of the fog itself. Both of them were holding a long, narrow double-edged sword.

_'No, not fog.'_ Kakashi thought, the answer behind their mysterious jutsu dawning upon him in one single moment of epiphany. _'Water. Fog is comprised of many water particles drawn closer together than usual- still in a gaseous state, but more like the clouds in the sky than the normal clear air we breathe. So these two... white hair, sharp teeth, ability to transform into water. They must be from Kirigakure.'_ His eyes were drawn to their headbands, which were slung casually around their necks. Several vicious slashes were scored across the four dashes that indicated a shinobi's loyalty to the Village Hidden in the Mist. _'Or rather, were.'_

"Sensei!" Sakura's voice yelled out. A moment later, she burst from the mists and came up short, staring at their two opponents. "I thought I heard metal clashing... who are these guys?"

Kakashi was tempted to tell her to stay back and out of the way. But that would also make her more vulnerable to being attacked while he was fighting them and not able to help immediately.

"Hiji." one twin supplied.

"And Kata." the second one added. "Hiji Kata Hōzuki, of Kirigakure's Hōzuki clan. Before that usurper Zabuza came and took our title, we were known as the Twin Demons of the Mist."

"Now that he's gone, we can go about making a name for ourselves." Hiji lifted his blade, giving it an idle twirl and catching it expertly by the handle. "First, we'd need a place to live. Pick a village, kill the inhabitants, take their money- easy enough."

"Second, sit around, kill anybody coming by, give the village a bad reputation. Piece of cake." Kata flicked a piece of imaginary dust off of his sword.

"Third, as the strength of the opponents coming to investigate increases and increases, continue fighting and have fun seeing how long they last. You four were the first people smart enough to put on those face masks. You see normally, in mist form, we blend in with the hidden mist jutsu and enter the bodies of anyone inhaling it, then reform and destroy them from the inside. Now, that we got you separated..." Hiji's icy eyes gleamed. "Kata, you can be the cat. Go chase after those two runaway mice. I call shots on Kakashi of the Sharingan and this pretty bubblegum girl here."

Kakashi hurled shuriken in the blink of an eye. They went straight through Kata, who turned into a mass of water and then seemed to dissipate into the mists.

Sakura's eyes widened. _'Oh, no. Oh, no, no no...'_ she thought, panicked. _'This is just like last time, when Naruto and Sasuke were separated from me and Kakashi-sensei..._' This time, Inner Sakura did not speak up to assuage her worries.

In the meanwhile, Naruto and Sai were wandering through the village hopelessly lost. Upon noticing that Sakura and Kakashi were not behind them, they attempted to backtrack, but got more and more confused.

_Crunch. _Naruto yelped and jumped to the side, frantically shaking the shattered bits of the skull he had just stepped on off of his shoe. He jogged to catch up with Sai, trying to suppress a shiver at the accusing way the skull had stared at him for breaking its jaw.

"We've been wandering around for hours." he could not help sounding slightly petulant.

"There's no real way to tell time in these surroundings." Sai replied. "I'd put it at exactly two hours that we've been lost. We should attempt to find some shelter for the night, or risk being attacked in zero visibility."

"It already _is _zero visibility!" Naruto retorted. His teammate shook his head, the ghost of a smile on his face.

"I think not. You can see me, can't you?" They were close enough so Naruto could see Sai quite clearly, yet the answer did nothing to lighten his mood. "There's still a good two hours before total darkness, but I was taught it's better to be cautious than rush into things. Perhaps Sakura and Kakashi-sensei will come by our hiding spot. Either way, it's better than staying out in the open, where we can be attacked from all sides." Sai reached out and placed his hand out on a nearby wooden wall. "Looks like some sort of shack... but where's the entrance?..." He started walking along the length of the wall, trailing a finger across the planks. Naruto looked uncertainly off into the mist. He thought he saw a dark shape in the distance, one too tall to be Sakura and too broad to be Kakashi... All of a sudden, the fog felt crushingly heavy and oppressive. A shudder ran down his body, and Naruto leapt forwards, grabbing for Sai's left hand and gripping it tightly. Startled, the boy looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"S-sorry." Naruto mumbled. "I need to know that you're still here... Kakashi-sensei's gone, Sakura's gone... it's just us now. I gotta know that I'm not by myself."

Sai stared at him blankly. _'Is he feeling 'fear'? What should I do?' _None of his training had prepared him to deal with human emotions. _'I'll start studying them as soon as I get back.'_ Still unsure whether it was the proper response, he gave Naruto's hand a small squeeze.

"It's all right. We'll find them soon enough. They are probably engaging the enemy in battle, and that is why they did not catch up to us immediately."

"That's reassuring." Naruto said sarcastically. Nevertheless, he didn't let go of Sai's hand until his companion finally found a door and pushed it open. Only once it was safely closed behind them did he let go and flop down onto a dirt floor. The mist did not penetrate inside the walls of the small shack, and so Naruto began to remove his cloth mask.

"Don't." Sai said sharply. "We might have to evacuate at any moment."

Naruto looked intently at Sai, who was only half-sitting. His shoulders were tense and his eyes constantly flickered from side to side as if searching out any possible avenues from which the enemy might come.

"Who taught you that?" he asked curiously.

"Taught me what?" Sai replied, only partially listening to the question.

"That. Always being so tense and uptight. Not just now, where I can see the point of it; you're like, on your guard all of the time, like every waking moment you expect to be attacked. Someone had to teach you to do that." The question was innocent enough, but Sai was all too aware of the curse seal on his tongue. Danzō had never explicitly told his subordinates what would happen to them if they spoke of him, but none of them had ever dared to test their luck.

"My former teacher, Natsu-san." The lie slipped from his lips with ease. To be successful in Root, you not only had to be a master of war, but a master of deceit as well. _'To support a lie, add a little truth mixed in with more false information.' _Sai remembered. "He had the other students besides me attack me randomly, until I learned to never drop my guard."

"Attack you randomly? Like at all times of the night?" Naruto was fascinated. "What kind of a teacher is that? If Kakashi-sensei did that to _me,_ I'd tell granny Tsunade and she'd show him, believe it!"

Sai just shrugged in response, unwilling to continue the lie. Crestfallen, Naruto drew his knees up to his chest and stared moodily at the dirt. The whitish light began to dim into grey, shot through with the first oranges of a sunset somewhere beyond the fog bank. There was a skittering noise at the corner of the shed, and a mouse squeezed out from a crack, stopping. Eyes lighting up with childish delight, Naruto got to his knees and held out a hand. The mouse inched closer to his outstretched hand, sniffing it.

Sai had not uttered a word, but as the mouse continued to stay close to Naruto he grew suspicious.

The little grey creature suddenly let out a startled squeak and fell onto its back, twitching and pawing at the air.

"Hey, little guy, what's wrong?" Naruto murmured before Sai grabbed him by the arm and hauled him backwards.

"Naruto, get back!" Sai yelled. Confused, Naruto scrambled to his feet along with Sai, who whipped out a long scroll of paper. The mouse seemed to swell at the edges, then dozens of little red lines appeared as the fur split open in many areas, particularly around its throat. There was a small hissing noise, and white vapor floated up from the cuts, more than the little grey body could ever have held. It gathered in the space above the dead mouse, becoming a full-grown man with white hair and pointed teeth.

"Fortunately for your friend, you're very perceptive." The man complimented Sai. "Name's Kata. My brother Hiji should be along in a moment, after he's done with your other friends..."

"He can't beat them." Naruto said confidently. "Not by some weirdo like you!"

"Oh, I don't know." A second voice piped up. To his horror, mist leaked through a narrow slit in between the wood and manifested itself, a near perfect copy of Kata. "I got bored and left them busy with a clone to see how you were doing, brother. Need any help?"

"Got _bored?_ Of Kakashi?" Kata sounded incredulous.

"He kept trying to protect that little girl- it was almost sickening." Hiji made a face. "Now cmon, let me join you."

"Oh, all right." Kata conceded, and stretched out his arm. The extended limb became a shimmering mass of water, though it still kept its shape. Hiji placed his hand on his brother's arm, his own limbs becoming aqueous. He kept applying pressure, disappearing completely into the liquid within a matter of seconds. After Hiji had disappeared within him, Kata returned his arm back to normal. Feeling Sai's analytical gaze upon him, the man chuckled. "Confused?"

"Not much." Sai replied evenly. "I'm used to fighting freaks."

Undeterred, Kata gave his arms an experimental shake. "You see, my little mice, Hiji and I are one and the same. We were born as one person, but soon separated into two. Our identical genetic code allows us to merge with one another without any complications."

Sai glanced sideways at Naruto. _'He's ready to fight, but I doubt that he has the ability to take on this guy. I'll need to find a use for him.. And this guy, Kata... his ability to turn into water, it must be the hydrification jutsu, which means he's from the H__ō__zuki clan. It is well I had that recent mission from Danz__ō__-sama to assassinate a Kirigakure jonin, otherwise I'd never have remembered this. In order to use the hydrification jutsu, the user must be well-hydrated at all times. But Kata has no water bottles. What, then...'_

The boy's hand moved so fast, both Naruto and Kata nearly missed it move. He whipped out his brush and dipped it in ink, having a tiger drawn and leaping off the page in two seconds. Within another moment, he had a second tiger following the first. Caught off guard, Kata just barely managed to draw his sword and slash through the first tiger. Ink splattered onto his body, making him snarl in disgust at the thick viscous liquid.

Naruto gasped in amazement. Sai was so _good_. Every motion he made was done swiftly, yet efficiently. His expression never changed, always remaining calm and steady. That unchanging expression had once infuriated him, but now Naruto was glad for it. With a frustrated swear, Kata vanished in a swirl of mist. More mist had leaked through by then, but now among the confusing coils there was a blackened one.

_'Sai's ink!'_ Naruto realized. He drew a kunai with an exploding tag on it and threw it at the coil, forcing Kata to reform himself and drop to the ground just as the tag created a miniature explosion.

"We can see you now!" Naruto called.

"More than that, we figured out your weakness." Sai said, dodging a swing from Kata's sword and parrying with his curiously shortened blade. Kata paused in mid-swing and stepped back.

"We did?" Naruto asked, puzzled. Sai nodded, eyes fixed on their opponent.

"Already?" Kata said, with a grim laugh. "Well, this has gotta be good. Go ahead, tell me."

"Fire." Sai said simply. "The reason you don't need to carry around a water bottle at all times is because this fog itself is keeping you hydrated, by providing damp air to create an environment isotonic between itself and your body. Thus, if we light many little fires and make more water evaporate from the air..." With a snarl, Kata leaped forward, and steel clanged against steel. "Naruto, _now!_" Sai shouted, praying that the blonde boy would understand.

Naruto understood right away. He placed his hands together in a seal. "Tajū: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Puffs of smoke filled the cottage. Many Narutos appeared, each yelling incomprehensibly and running for the door, nearly tearing it off its hinges when they opened it. Each had several exploding tags in its hands. The horde stampeded through the narrow entrance and then scattered in all directions, vanishing into the mist. However, many loud explosions were soon heard. An orange glow entirely unrelated to the sunset began to filter through a gradually thinning mist. Kata winced, taking one step backwards before pressing his attack. However, he was distracted, and Sai stepped in close, twisting his blade and forcing him to drop it. Ducking and performing a neat flip backwards, Kata regained safety and pointed a hand at Sai. His index finger was extended and thumb raised, the rest of his fingers bent.

"Reverting to rude hand gestures when you know you're beaten?" Sai asked lightly.

"Sai..." Naruto was hesitant to approach; he didn't want to get in the way of the fight. "I have a bad feeling..."

Kata just grinned. "I was hesitant to use this earlier since I'm no great shot... but for such an annoying brat, I'll make an exception." Water appeared at the tip of his fingertip, and then shot outwards with incredible speed. Sai stiffened, eyes going wide as the water bullet passed through his chest and exited, making a neat little hole in the woodwork beyond.

Naruto's mouth opened, but only a little croak escaped. "S-Sai...?"

Instead of falling, Sai's shoulders slumped. His skin became an ivory colour, his black hair glistening and rolling down in great drops. His entire body melted down into a large puddle of ink, taking Kata's triumphant grin with it.

Then, with barely a noise, the ground behind the missing-nin crumbled. There was a flash of black and a glint of steel. Sai burst out of the ground, tantō extended to stab through Kata's back.

For a long moment, there was nothing but silence and the sound of Kata's harsh breathing.

"Wh-when?" Kata finally wheezed, all his energy put into one last word.

Sai's voice was toneless. "From when Naruto's clones created a smokescreen. Rare is the shinobi who wouldn't make use of such an obvious diversion." With that last unfeeling insult, he drew back his tantō and let Kata's body fall to the ground before turning around.

Naruto was frozen in disbelief. All he could do was stare at Sai. Red blood still streamed down his bright, silvery blade, some of the redness splattered on his hands and short jacket. Those black eyes that stared back at him were frightening- the cold, empty eyes of a trained killer. This person standing in front of him now had no name. He had no past, no future, no purpose except murder. This wasn't Sai. It _couldn't_ be Sai. Sai was some emotionally impaired kid, with a strange sense of humour, a penchant for insulting people, a love for drawing and a dead brother who he cared a lot about.

_'Are you sure that's all true?'_ A snide voice in Naruto's head asked. _'You've only known him for a short while, after all...'_

"Are you all right, Naruto?" a soft voice broke his thoughts. Sai was sitting on a crate, using a cloth to wipe off his sword. He was smiling again, but now Naruto could see no real feelings behind that upward tilt of the lips.

Naruto swallowed his uneasiness and forced himself to put on a smile as fake as Sai's.

"Yeah. Perfectly all right." The Jinchuuriki poked his head out the door, feeling Sai's gaze on his back. "Hey, the mists cleared! Let's go look for Kakashi-sensei and Sakura before it's too dark!"

Slowly, Sai rose, replacing his tantō in its sheath. "Understood."

* * *

><p>I'm sorry for the regression at the end, just when the beginning of the chapter and the previous chapter showed the formation of a base for their friendship. Still, I couldn't make things progress too fast- there's too large of a chasm between the lives of Naruto and Sai to be bridged in a couple of days.<p>

How was that chapter, though? I'd like to hear some feedback on how this story is going so far- is how I'm writing the plot okay, or should I include more trouble/more friendship?


	4. Stranger

_"We are, necessarily, strangers to ourselves." ~ Nietzsche _

* * *

><p>"Naruto, I'm not sure that will work..." Sai tried. He was sitting on the kitchen counter, as all of Naruto's chairs had dirty clothes hung on them. Slimy, sticky dough was splattered in random intervals on the walls, attesting to Naruto furiously mixing a bowl of half-made cookie dough. Sai tried once more, in vain, to make his voice heard. "Really, that much sugar?..."<p>

"And cinnamon! Gotta have it!" Naruto grabbed a cinnamon shaker and emptied a quarter of it into his creation. "These will be the best cookies ever, believe it!" Sighing, Sai settled into a more comfortable position and idly dangled his legs over the side of the counter.

"The oven's almost at four-fifty. You have to finish in a few seconds and put them in, or else they'll be undercooked." he directed. Naruto nodded to show that he had heard, and removed the cookie cutter from the last dollop of dough before sliding the pan into the waiting oven with a loud clatter. Naruto wiped his hands clean on his pants and leaned against the counter. Both boys were silent for a long minute. Every now and then, Naruto would cast a glance at Sai, who was looking out the window. His teammate seemed innocent enough now, but... he couldn't help but recall how terrifying he had looked, standing over Kata's dead body. He began to regret ever inviting him over, yet still steeled himself to do it.

"I guess you're pretty used to fighting people, huh?" Naruto climbed up to sit next to Sai, who shrugged.

"Guess so." he repeated. "Is there a problem?"

"Well, yeah! You don't always have to _kill_ the guy!" Naruto returned heatedly. Sai turned his blank eyes on him, making Naruto wish he had never mentioned the topic.

"Sometimes it's unavoidable." Sai said simply. "Haven't you ever killed anyone before?"

All of a sudden, the kitchen felt very cold. Naruto was at a loss, disturbed by the matter-of-fact way in which Sai spoke. Searching his memory, he found no instance in which he had actually killed a person. He had never struck the finishing blow that made life vanish from their bodies and their spirits flee to somewhere higher. It has always been someone else. Did that mean he was incapable of doing a fatal attack? _'No... my Rasengan's strong enough... I just never aim to do anything but defeat a person, and so far that means stunning them.'_

"No." Naruto replied honestly. "I'm just saying, I get it that sometimes it's necessary. But you have to learn to appreciate life. It's not just something experienced by yourself. Everyone deserves a chance to live, even if they're completely horrible people. That Kata guy had a brother- no, wait, you killed his brother too. I didn't know them very well, but I could tell they cared about each other a lot, even if they were bad guys."

Sai looked down at his hands, absentmindedly twiddling his thumbs.

"They cared about each other?" he asked. "Like... how I felt about Shin?"

"Shin?"

"My brother." Sai explained. "Were those two enemies like me and Shin?"

"Well, I dunno." A faint note of humor entered Naruto's voice. "I bet you didn't fight people side by side with your brother for fun!"

"No, but we _did_ fight others a good deal." Sai said seriously, and Naruto flicked him on the shoulder. There was a bright gleam in the blonde boy's eyes and a huge grin on his face that made Sai even more muddled just by looking at it. _'Aren't we talking about a serious thing? Why is he smiling?'_

"The point is, Sai, when you fight someone you always have to remember every life is worth something." Seeing how uncomfortable Sai was, Naruto hastened to apologize. "Hey, sorry if I made you feel, uh..."

"No, it's fine." Sai smiled at him. "I think I understand what you're trying to tell me, and I'll keep it in mind."

_'Maybe that part of him I saw earlier was just a layer.'_ Naruto thought hopefully. Looking at Sai now and the sincerity in his smile made him feel warm again. Everything seemed right in the world. It was one of autumn's last really beautiful days, he had training later, and here he was now sitting and chatting easily with an amiable Sai while some cookies baked in the oven. _'Maybe _this _is the real Sai.'_

The corner of Sai's lips twitched. His facial muscles hurt from the novel smile, but he didn't mind. Then, the back of his neck prickled, his senses warning him that they were being watched. Sai looked into the branches of a nearby tree and saw a crouching figure with an oddly shaped cat mask. His smile melted off of his face. Abruptly, he got to his feet and headed for the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Naruto called. "Bathroom? It's that way!"

"I have to leave." Sai said shortly and exited out the door, closing it tightly behind him. Naruto was about to follow when he thought of a better way, and pressed his face to the window. Sai was standing next to a tall figure draped in a cloak, with a strange, striped mask reminiscent to a cat's., but with dark, empty holes for eye slits that showed nothing behind them.

_'ANBU?'_ Naruto thought apprehensively. Sai and the man leaped into the trees, vanishing from sight. _'No, ANBU don't wear those kinds of cloaks, I've seen a few to know that for sure. Sai seemed weird...'_ For the fifth time that morning, Naruto had to reevaluate his image of the boy.

* * *

><p>Sai wrapped the trademark Foundation cloak around him and reached for his mask, but Danzō, who had been watching him silently ever since another member of the organization returned Sai's items, stopped him with a word.<p>

"Wait." Sai's hand stilled, and slowly the boy sank down on one knee, awaiting further orders. "Don't put the mask on yet."

"What is it that you wish me to do, sir?" Sai asked, raising his head to meet the older man's gaze. "Will I not need my mask for it?"

Danzō avoided his question. "Your task for today is the assassination of one Ruto Linski." Sai looked down at the picture placed before him. It depicted a clean-shaven, black-haired man of around thirty. "Despite being a chunin of this village, he has been spreading some questionable rumors about the Fifth Hokage. Normally, I'd let them spread. However, they have the potential to cause rifts among the villagers, and thus weaken Konoha's strength."

"Is assassination really necessary?" Sai asked, remembering Naruto's words from earlier. Danzō was silent, and the boy realized his mistake. _'Did I just... Did I...' _he trailed off. _'Did I really just...?'_

"Two weeks." Danzō said quietly. "I send one of my top shinobi to keep an eye on a silly little boy, and this is what I get after just two weeks. A subordinate who spends more time than necessary with the boy, opening up to him, and questioning my orders." Sai kept his head lowered, not daring to look up from the cold metal tiles. He could feel Danzō's gaze scorching him, looking at his face for any signs of weakness.

_'He knew what was happening.'_ Sai thought. _'That's why he didn't want me wearing my mask just yet.'_

"Put on your mask." The order came at last, after several tense minutes. Sai stretched his hand out and brushed the smooth surface. His mask, which resembled that of a bear-like mammal, had seen him through many years and many battles. Its thin lips were raised slightly, making it look devious and cunning, while the red swirls on either side of its eye holes just accented the effect. It was just one of life's many small quirks that the mask should have more expression than its bearer. Sai grasped the edges of the mask tightly and fitted it onto his face.

"I'll decide what to do with you later." Danzō turned to leave. "Until then, carry out the assassination and return to your duties with Team Seven. And also- I want you back here, early tomorrow morning to continue your... training." His cane tapping against the metal floor was the only sound in the cavernous room, until it finally faded away.

Sai stood up. "Yes, Danzō-sama." he murmured.

* * *

><p>"You're really trying hard to break my lateness record, aren't you?" Kakashi drawled as Naruto jogged across the training field.<p>

"Not _my _fault!" Naruto replied in a huff. "Go tell S-"

"Sai was at your house, right? Why isn't he with you?" Sakura interrupted.

"Dunno. He left with some stranger." Naruto muttered mutinously. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

"Some stranger?" he asked. "By any chance, did he have a thick cloak and a mask on?"

"Yeah, how'd you know? And who was that guy? How did he know Sai? Is he some kinda ANBU? But then, why'd Sai be with ANBU?"

"Calm down, Naruto." Kakashi raised his hands in a placating manner. "I shouldn't be telling you this... but as his teammates, you've a right to know." He paused, sorting out which information he was going to reveal and which information he'd keep veiled.

"Is there something wrong with him?" Sakura asked, and then immediately corrected herself. "I mean, besides the fact that he's socially impaired and pale as a bedsheet."

"Naruto, that masked man you saw earlier is part of a special ANBU faction called the Foundation, or Root, which is under the leadership of Shimura Danzō." Kakashi's grey eye darkened. "Several years ago, the organization was officially disbanded. Nonetheless, they continue to exist, as the Hokage can never directly find evidence against them or trace their actions back to Danzō. Despite performing... ah, some _questionable_ acts, they seem to be working for the village, but Danzō's true motives are unclear. For one thing, he does not take recruits. Instead, he takes orphans and trains them. They live together in a single unit, growing up together and fighting together until they are pitted one-on-one in battles to the death, in order to weed out the weakest ones and completely kill emotion."

Sakura gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. "They _kill _each other?"

"Like Zabuza." Naruto muttered. "He killed his graduating class."

"So what does Sai have anything to do with these guys?" Sakura pressed. Kakashi debated answering, then decided to take the plunge.

"Sai is a current member of Root." he said flatly. "I'm not sure why Danzō assigned him to our team, but it's clear there is some ulterior motive."

"That's why." Naruto's eyes were wide with shock. "That's why he's so weird. That's why he's so strong. That's why he's so... empty." Kakashi watched him keenly as he spoke, though Naruto was talking to himself more than he was talking to any of them. "But that's not all true. Kakashi-sensei, he talked to me about his brother, and I could tell he cared about him. He listened to me and really tried hard to understand when I told him that life was precious. He's not _completely_, uhh.." The boy paused, searching frantically for words to describe it.

"Not wholly devoid of feeling?" The man suggested. "Perhaps, but then, in Danzō's eyes, that..." he trailed off. _'That would be compromising the mission. No, Naruto and Sakura are too young to learn about these kinds of things. I'll just have to dodge their questions.'_ Thankfully, the two had forgotten about him for the moment and were actively discussing what kind of person this 'Danzō' might be. Kakashi hoped that for their own sakes, they would never find out.

* * *

><p>Naruto stood on his house's balcony, leaning on the railings and savouring the wind that attempted to push him over the edge. It was with an expectant air that he scanned the multitude of humanity milling about in the streets below him, waiting for a certain person to pass by. Naruto would always look out of his window and see Sai pass by at that hour of the morning, dressed in his short jacket and gloves as if he was going training. Naruto had never bothered to call out to him before. He was content just watching him go by.<p>

_'Wait, what?'_ Naruto smacked himself in the head. _'Neverminding my creepy stalker thoughts... There he is!'_ Sure enough, he easily spotted the sharp contrast of ink black against paper white among the crowd. Except, now something was different. There was less white, and more black. Naruto squinted and saw that Sai wasn't wearing his usual cross-dresser's jacket today. Instead, he had a longer one that completely covered his body, while his right sleeve was only cut off at the elbow instead of at the shoulder.

"Heeeeeyy! Saaaiii!" Startled, the boy looked up, to see Naruto waving at him. He paused uncertainly.

_'If a friend hails you by calling you name and waving their arm, you must reply in kind.'_ he recited mentally, and put on a smile.

"Naruto!" he yelled back, with a jerky wave of his left arm. The blonde boy crouched on the railings and then leaped off, landing in the street next to Sai with foxlike grace. "How are you today?"

"Great!" Naruto enthused, then abruptly his grin dropped away. "Sai, uh... just come here." Naruto gestured to his house, and walked over to lean against the pale green walls. Sai followed him obediently, waiting for him to continue speaking. His teammate's face was uncharacteristically serious. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Sai immediately understood what he was referring to. His own smile disappeared, and his eyes became guarded. Naruto's heart twinged painfully at witnessing the transformation. Once again, a stranger stood before him.

"I assume Kakashi told you?" There were no honorifics now. "Though it does not matter now that you know. Orders are orders, Naruto. Being like you are, you probably don't understand, but it's the truth. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be-" He began to turn away, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him, and he found himself looking into a pair of vivid, intense blue eyes.

"Sai... Kakashi-sensei told us that the children in Root fought against each other, and the winner was the only one who was allowed to live." Black stared into blue, neither giving in. "Is that why you have that book? Did you have to duel your brother?" Naruto kept looking at Sai, willing his words to get through. At last, the façade cracked and Sai slumped against the wall and sank down to the ground, to all appearances defeated. Anyone who didn't know him would say that there wasn't any change, but by then Naruto could detect the dullness to Sai's eyes and the loose tilt of his shoulders.

"It's okay." Naruto said kindly, sitting down next to Sai. "Want to talk about it?"

Sai let out a long breath, and gave him a glance that was almost timid. "It's a long story."

Naruto shook his head. "We have all the time in the world."

* * *

><p><em>A small, thin boy with skin that looked as if had never seen sun sat with his back against a tall oak tree, his dark eyes fixed on a piece of paper with an intensity rarely seen in those of his age. In his right hand, he held a piece of charcoal, which skimmed lightly over his paper. <em>

_"That's really good." A voice said, right next to him. Surprised, the child looked to his right, where a silver-haired boy a little bit older than him kneeled. _

_"The Body Flicker jutsu?" The child asked. "You're very proficient with it. I never sensed you coming." A frown pulled on the older boy's lips. _

_"Aw, come on!" he protested, poking the younger boy's shoulder. "Don't tell me you're like all of the others! So serious and boring... I thought, since you draw so much, you'd be cooler. But hey, I'll give you a shot. Starting now, I'm adopting you!" _

_The pale child blinked. "Excuse me? I didn't ask-"_

_But the older boy never gave him time to protest, and stuck out a hand. "Name's Shin!"_

_A smile quirked at the corner of the child's lips, and hesitantly he reached out and took the proffered hand. A strange feeling ran through him at the contact. The hand was so warm, so comforting. Looking up at black eyes that were so much like his own, the pale child felt reassured and safe when there was nothing to be afraid of. _

_"H-hi... Shin." _

_The frown was back. "Don't you have a name?" When his companion shook his head, Shin sighed and sank into deep thought. Sai stared at him nervously, waiting for his verdict. At last, that smile- that brilliant smile that could have outshined the sun- spread across Shin's face. "Hey, kid! Since I adopted you, I'm going to call you nii-san, okay?"_

_His new younger brother gave another tiny nod. The paper and charcoal lay forgotten at his side._

_"Stick close to me." Shin ordered him. "You're younger. It's the older brother's job to keep his little brother safe."_

_Sai said nothing, but the amused glint in his eyes spoke volumes. He was perfectly capable of fighting off enemies much bigger than him and Shin knew that. But the pledge still felt good, all the same. The children of Root were taught to fend for themselves, to never rely on others. It felt good knowing that someone was looking out for you, and that in turn, you could look out for them._

_lllll~~~llllll_

_A phalanx of Root trainees with an older and more experienced member at their head bounded from tree to tree. _

_"Oof!" Sai's foot caught on a stubby branch, and he went down, falling through a curtain of leaves and bumping against a thicker bough before crashing into the ground. Yellowish-brown dust billowed everywhere. Coughing, he sat up and rubbed his back. It was the first time he'd fallen that week, that month. __Sai burned with humiliation, the tips of his ears bright red. He was good, one of the best. But Shin was _always_ better. Shin was always faster, smarter, stronger. Shin was..._

_"You all right?" There he was, waiting for him like always, with a hand stretched out. Sai took it, and allowed himself to be hauled up. The rest of their team had already gone. Sai swallowed his embarrassment and asked,_

_"Why did you come back for me?" They'd both get extra laps to run, and they'd both lose breakfast and dinner for the next two days. "You should have just left me here. That's what you're supposed to do in a real mission." _

_"I toldja, didn't I?" Shin slung an arm around his younger brother's shoulders. "I'd always keep you safe." _

_Sai smiled back at him, and together, they ran to catch up with the rest of their group. Shin was... Shin was kind, cheerful, caring. Shin was always there for him._

_lllllll~~~lllllll_

_Sai and Shin watched in silence as a small, limp body was dragged past them and into the woods. They spotted a shock of bloodied purple hair falling across a bruised, young face and wide, blank brown eyes. _

_"He had the bottom bunk of my bed." Sai mentioned offhandedly. "I thought he was stronger than that, though. Never knew he would have been beaten by that kid. I bet he would have won, though, if his emotions hadn't gotten in the way and made him hesitate."_

_Shin said nothing. His black eyes were fixed on the space where the burial team had disappeared. Even as he watched, they came back, brushing ashes off of their hand. Bodies were burned, clothes and all, so nothing would be left to remember the person who had died. Danz__ō__ did not want his future subordinates to keep attachments to those deceased. _

_Sai felt a hand slip into his. Shin was looking down at him, worry clearly visible in every line of his face. Unlike his younger brother, Shin had never been good at hiding his feelings._

_"We're never going to be like that, are we?" he asked. _

_Sai smiled. "No, we aren't, nii-san."_

_lllllll~~~llllll_

_Rain was pounding the wet dirt, washing away the red liquid that soaked it. Two boys faced each other in a silent ring of watchers. Their hair hung wet and scraggly, and they panted for breath. _

_Sai lunged with his tant__ō__, but Shin caught the blade and slid his own along its length, giving it a twist. The sword clattered out of Sai's hands, and he leapt backwards to avoid the swing that would surely come next. _

_It never came. Shin's tant__ō__ dropped to the ground as he brought both of his hands up to his mouth, coughing violently. _

_Something was wrong. Shin was a much better fighter than this. Sai ached to just give up, to stop the fight and run to his brother with open arms. But his body didn't respond to him anymore. It responded to that man in the crowd, who was watching with only one eye and leaning on a thick wooden cane. _

_A flash of black. While Sai had been distracted, Shin had recovered and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. However, the kick did not break a rib as it should have, instead just left some bruising. Sai got up and counterattacked, exchanging blows with the older boy. Even as weakened as he was, Shin still managed to provide formidable opposition. They backed up to the center of the circle, where Shin suddenly ducked under a punch and snatched up his tant__ō__. He cut the air with it, forcing Sai to retreat once more. Shin's strokes with the sword were wild and unpredictable, so different from his usual elegant style._

_A thin line of red appeared on Sai's cheek, then another across his arm, then as the cold metal slid across his skin a third time a deeper cut opened up in his side. Sai winced, his step faltering. The blade swung up and pressed against his throat. _

_Sai stared at Shin. The boy's head was down, and he struggled for breath as if each one he took was his last. _

_"Sh-shin...?" Sai whispered. At the sound of his name, Shin's head raised. Blood leaked from his mouth and his eyes were half-lidded, but as their gazes met he managed a tiny smile. Then, his grip on the sword slackened, and it left Sai's skin to fall to the ground. Shin pitched forward, falling against Sai. Sai caught him almost by reflex, stunned. _

Sai paused.

"What happened after that?" Naruto asked in a hushed voice. Sai glanced at him, the memory of Shin's last words still fresh in his mind.

_"Sorry, nii-san... I couldn't keep you safe forever..."_

"Nothing." Sai said evenly. "He died as a last way of protecting me, I lived, and they took him away. Danzō congratulated me, saying that it wasn't just Shin's illness that made him lose, it was his emotions and how he thought of me as a little brother. From then on, I became the perfect tool, completely repressing my memories... until I met you. Naruto, with you, I can be who I was when Shin was still alive. You remind me of him, too- that smile of yours is just like his; it could light up the dark side of the moon."

"Haha, I get it!" Naruto laughed. "_You're _the dark side of the moon!"

Sai raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "I'm not a rock floating in space."

"Nevermind..." Naruto muttered. "You don't get jokes."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Neither of them spoke, but neither of them left.

_'This ain't so bad.'_ Naruto thought contentedly. _'I still don't get the point of peace and quiet when you can be having fun, but now I can see why some people like it.'_

"Thanks for listening." Sai said softly.

"No, thanks for telling." Naruto answered. "When Kakashi told us that you were from this 'Root', I was really suspicious of you, but now I see that my original guess at you was right!"

"And what was that?" Sai was smiling again.

"That you were just lonely, and needed a friend." Naruto said frankly. On impulse, he asked, "Do you want to hang out tomorrow night? It's going to be Halloween, and me and my friends are going around trick or treating at some houses in the village."

"What's Halloween?" Sai was interested. "I've never heard of it before."

"Never heard of Halloween?" Naruto sounded flabbergasted. "It's the best holiday ever, believe it! You just dress up as anything you like and go with friends from door to door saying 'trick or treat', and then you get candy! And the best part is, if I trick or treat at Ramen Ichiraku, I get two free bowls of ramen! You've gotta come!"

"But..." Sai trailed off. "Actually, I'd love to come." _'I'll study these books extremely thoroughly.' _he decided, determined to make this first social challenge a success. "Where should we meet?"

"At six o clock, in front of the training posts, since it's only a short walk to the village from there." Naruto told him, getting up. "I can't wait!"

"Neither can I." Sai glanced up at him. "Erm, Naruto, why are you still in your underwear?"

Naruto looked down at himself. He'd been so preoccupied with his thoughts that morning that he'd forgotten to change.

"Eep!" The boy let out an undignified yelp and dashed behind a white porch chair, clinging to the back of it. Sai chuckled, and Naruto felt his cheeks heat up with embarassment.

_'Hold on.'_ he thought. _'Why am I so embarrassed that another guy saw me in my boxers? I shouldn't be this bothered...' _

"Later!" Naruto squeaked, and ducked through his house's doorway, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

><p>It was a handsome prince that strode across the open field of grass. He passed by occasional scorch marks and bare patches where hearth had been gauged out by overenthusiastic trainees. His burgundy cape billowed impressively behind him and his chainmail shone, although a bucket shaped like a kitsune head that swung in his right hand rather spoiled the effect.<p>

Naruto looked up at the sky. The sun was an enchanting deep orange colour, making half the sky go from a dark blue to yellow, pink, orange and red. He peered closely at the training posts. Someone was already there... but it didn't look like Sai...

His eyebrows short up in surprise, and he threw his shoulders back, adjusting his cape so it settled more comfortably on his shoulders.

"Hello there!" he greeted the lady. She was a little bit taller than him, but he remained undeterred as he could see she wasn't much older than him. Her face was artfully touched with rogue and a little bit of lipstick, while the shade of eyeshadow that she more perfectly complimented her pink and green flowered kimono. Her hair was a lustrous black, done up in a large bun with two chopsticks stuck through it. She was carrying a simple white cloth bag, like those used for laundry.

Naruto attempted to perform a gallant bow. "Are you going trick or treating too, miss beautiful?"

Her lips opened, but the voice that came out was far from feminine.

"It's me, Naruto." Sai said, clearly amused. He could not help a little laugh as Naruto's eyes bulged and the boy staggered backwards, gaping at him. "Close your mouth. You look like a fish." He reached out with one hand and pushed lightly on Naruto's chin. His face reddening, Naruto pushed Sai's hand away and pointed at him accusingly.

"What's with the crossdressing?" he demanded. "I said to dress up, not, like... _dress up_! Okay, so you're pretty and all in that getup, but I didn't mean for... I mean, I didn't..." _'Oh, god, pretty?'_

"My books said Halloween costumes had to be very convincing, so I tried my hardest." Sai said happily. "Shall we, go, Naruto?"

Grumbling, the downcast prince followed him, trying to keep his eyes on the grass below their feet but constantly looking back up at Sai.

"Are you an okama?" he asked before he could help himself.

"No, I'm a geisha girl." Sai replied. "More specifically, a Maiko, or a younger geisha." They were in the midst of the village now. Gaggles of extravagantly dressed kids and even a few adults moved from building to building, chattering excitedly. Naruto smiled to himself as he saw a few dressed as foxes.

"Naaaruuto, who's your new girlfriend?" A familiar voice jeered. Naruto's head jerked around, and he saw Kiba standing next to Akamaru, Shikamaru, and Choji. Kiba was dressed as a werewolf, with his hair dyed black and dressed in a furry suit. Akamaru, who was resting on top of Kiba's head, wore a headband with some cat ears stuck atop it, while Shikamaru and Choji both had on black suits and sunglasses with their hair slicked back. It especially looked amusing on Choji, whose hair always stuck up.

"Shut up! This is just my friend's costume!" Naruto yelled back as he walked over, Sai trailing behind him. "Guys, meet Sai." Internally, he prayed that Sai wouldn't say anything stupid or insulting.

Sai smiled politely. "Pleased to meet you all. I am Sai." his gaze flickered to Choji. "Nice costume. Makes you look fa-" he broke off with a startled gasp as Naruto discreetly kneed him in the small of his back.

"_Never_ call Choji fat!" Naruto whispered furiously. Sai hurriedly amended himself.

"Makes you look fabulous."

Shikamaru glowered at him. "Oi, oi. Don't go around flirting like a girl just because you're dressed like one."

"Chill, Shikamaru, it was just a compliment." Choji elbowed his friend. "Let's get started already, I'm getting hungry!"

Akamaru barked in agreement, and Kiba reached up to ruffle his fur. The Inuzaka boy fell back to talk with Sai as the group strolled through the streets.

"Akamaru said he likes you." The boy's voice was friendly. "You seem a little weird, but his opinion's good enough for me. I'm Kiba, Inuzaka Kiba. The brown haired secret agent is Choji, the black-haired secret agent's Shikamaru, and of course this _kitty_ here..." Kiba teased fondly, poking one of his nin-dogs fake cat ears. "Is Akamaru, my partner and best friend in the world. Sorry that you couldn't meet Neji or Lee. Neji doesn't like this kind of stuff, and Lee's just being a training fanatic by chasing after 'ghosts' with his teacher Gai. Oh, here's the first house! Get ready- go stand by your prince!" Before Sai could protest, Kiba pushed him forwards so he stood next to Naruto.

_Ding._ The doorbell rang once, and within a minute the white door opened to show a kind-looking old lady with wispy grey hair.

"Trick or treat!" The group minus Sai said in unison. She smiled at them, holding out a bowl of candy and allowing them to take some from it. Her eyes fell upon the two standing in front of her.

"Ah, what a sweet young couple!" she exclaimed. "A prince and his girl- did you two plan this out? It's very adorable!"

"We're not-" Naruto started to argue, but Sai cut him off, speaking in a slightly higher voice.

"Thank you!" he smiled at the lady. As soon as the door shut and the lady's footsteps receded, Naruto rounded on Sai.

"What was that all about?" he demanded.

"What?" Sai said innocently. "I thought you said that I could not understand the concept of a 'joke', so today I read up on them and decided to try one out for myself."

As Naruto spluttered, Kiba herded their group back onto the streets. Sai drifted in and out of the conversation, feeling oddly happy. For the first time in his life since he had held Shin's body in his arms, he had friends. He had feelings. He had...

_'A mission_._' _his mind told him. _'This is all for the mission.' _Sai tried to ignore it, but the look in Danzō's eyes when he had spoken out against an order haunted him for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>Thought I'd initiate an idea that I've been having for a while, which is just putting a simple quote at the beginning of every chapter to sum it up better than the chapter title. I'm not that great at naming chapters- quotes are much easier, but don't fit into the little purple box.<p>

Couldn't help myself; I had to include some fluffy stuff here, as future chapters will leave little chance for something of that level.


	5. Departure

_"Suspicion is a heavy armour, impeding more than it protects." _~ R. Burns

* * *

><p>The air was still, allowing grey clouds to amass in the early November sky. Most of the trees were asleep already, having given up their life-gathering greenery to the streets they overshadowed. Those same, dead leaves crunched noisily underneath four pairs of feet. The members of Team Seven were heading back from their last mission together before Naruto would have to leave with Jiraiya in the evening.<p>

Sai barely paid attention to whatever Naruto and Sakura were talking about. He nodded occasionally to feign interest in a remark or question, but his mind was already at their destination. He wondered what would be waiting for him once they got back. He had not received a single summons or even secondhand order from Danzō ever since that ill-fated day where his change was discovered. At the very least, he had expected to be taken off the team.

_'No, he wouldn't do that... Danz__ō__-sama already spent so much work paving the way for my assassination of Sasuke. I'm the only tool available for that important task, and so he can't take me off the team, which is the best route to getting to the Uchiha... But then, he would think of another punishment. This silence... Deliberately not sending for me, for so long...'_ Not for the first time, Sai wished he could understand the old warhawk's thoughts.

Walking a little ways behind Sai was Kakashi, who had his eyes fixed on the back of Sai's head as if trying to see through to his mind.

_'Three days ago, this chunin named Ruto Linski was murdered, his body found floating in a steam two miles from the village... The official report was that he had been standing on the riverbank and it crumbled, making him fall into rapids upstream. He hit his head on a rock and while unconscious, drowned. Still, it's a funny coincidence that he had been spreading some bad rumours about the government of Konoha for a little while before that... Tsunade would never result to underhanded tactics like murder, but I'm sure Danz__ō__...'_ Kakashi stuck his hand in his pockets and shut his eyes halfway as he saw Sai tilt his head a little ways around to glance at him. The boy's black eyes were unreadable, and within a moment, Sai's gaze went back to Naruto.

_'No doubt, he knows that I know.' _Kakashi sighed quietly. The further he waded into this matter, the more frustrated he got. There was nothing he could do to pin blame on Sai, nothing at all, especially since the boy was on his team. _'That very day that Linski was killed, Sai didn't show up for practice after leaving with another Root member. He doesn't speak about it the next day, though it's true he and Naruto seem closer than before... still, I doubt Sai would have told him about something like that.'_

"So, Naruto, are you looking forward to your training with Jiraiya-san?" Sai asked, acutely aware of Kakashi's scrutiny. _'At least I don't have to see him for two years- the team is breaking up, Sakura going to train under Tsunade-sama, Naruto with Jiraiya-san, and Kakashi will.. what _will_ he do? And what will _I _do?' _

Naruto's eyes lit up, and he pumped his fist in the air. "Yeah I am, believe it! It'll be so cool, and Pervy Sage is gonna teach me so much new jutsu! Plus, before that, as a send-off gift, we're going to the barbeque place later on with all the other teams! Man, I really want some barbeque, but ramen would be twice as good. I'll ask Iruka-sensei for some later!"

"Naruto, eating too much ramen isn't good for you." Sai chided. The boy crossed his arms.

"What, are you my wife now?" he teased.

"If you like." Sai said seriously, and Naruto laughed, soon drawing a smile out of his taciturn friend.

Sakura watched their good-natured teasing, trying to refrain from giggling. Naruto looked happier than he had been ever since Sasuke had left them. His grin no longer harboured any lingering traces of sadness. It was whole once more, free from burden and stress. Sai, on the other hand, looked... she frowned, trying to read his expression. Yes, he was smiling, and it wasn't a fake smile. It was more strained, as if his mind was on something else.

_'Didn't Kakashi-sensei say that Root shinobi weren't supposed to have any emotions?' _Sakura wondered. _'And Sai didn't originally, but now I've seen that he developed them. Was he supposed to do that for his mission, whatever it is, or was it an unintended side effect?'_ Her mind winged back to the day that her team had first met the pale boy, and she decided against her former hypothesis. _'No, then he would have tried making friends with us from the start. But then, what does his mean for him? Why do I feel almost worried?'_

"Naruto! Sakura-san!" A voice yelled out. "Kakashi-sensei!"

The foursome turned and saw that they had completely overshot the barbeque place, and that everyone else was already sitting and waiting for them. Rock Lee had been the first one to notice, and as soon as he spotted Sakura's bright pink hair among the crowds he had shouted.

Team Seven made their way into the restaurant. Asuma grinned up at Kakashi as he took a seat between him and Shikamaru.

"I've got a proposition for you, Kakashi. You can pay for your team, I'll pay for mine, Gai'll pay for his, and Kurenai will pay for hers... _or_, you can go do seven hundred handstand pushups in 8 minutes with Gai right now as one of your contests, and I'll pay for your team as well as mine- _if_ you win."

Kakashi spared the green-spandex clad man on the opposite side of the table a disinterested glance and put his napkin down, rising from his seat. "You backed yourself into a corner you can't escape out of, Asuma."

The man raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Are you sure? You'll need do to one pushup every one and a half seconds at the least to reach the mark."

Kakashi sounded faintly exasperated as he and Gai flipped up onto their hands. "Did you really think I'd eat in front of the kids?"

Realization dawned in Asuma's eyes and he slapped a hand to his face. Kurenai laughed and reached across the table to pat him comfortingly on the shoulder.

"It's all right. Look at the kids now- they have something to keep them entertained until the food comes." she told him, and Asuma peeled his hand off his face. As always, the kunoichi was right. Rock Lee was cheering enthusiastically for his sensei, while Naruto urged on Kakashi. The two jonin in question didn't seem to mind making fools of themselves in the street. Asuma watched their strength with a twinge of jealousy. It didn't help that Kakashi was one ahead of Gai in his counting.

"Food's ready!" The delighted cry shook Asuma out of his reverie. The children began carefully lifting pieces of the delicious smelling barbeque onto their little white plates with chopsticks. A few minutes later, a disgruntled-looking Gai shuffled back into his place next to Tenten. Kakashi sat back down next to Asuma, smiling through his mask. The jonin scowled at him.

"A deal's a deal." Kakashi said happily.

"That was so awesome, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed. "You were like, ohgodIgottawin this, and Gai was like doing his gottabeatmyforeverrival face-"

"_Eternal_ rival!" Gai corrected him. "That simply makes our score even, my eternal rival! The power of Youth shall outlast your coolness yet!"

"I have complete faith in you, sensei!" Lee shouted.

"Yeah, to lose!" Naruto argued. "You saw Kakashi-sensei! He was so much better!" He waved his hand that wasn't holding his chopsticks through the air emphatically. However, it hit a jug of hot tea and knocked it over onto Sai's hand, who had been reaching out for a piece of tofu that minute. With a cry more startled than pained he jerked his hand back, drawing all eyes to him.

"Oh, gosh, Sai, I'm sorry!" Naruto hastily apologized.

"That's fine, it's not bad." Sai said through clenched teeth. He reached out for a napkin, but Sakura, sitting across the table, grabbed his wrist.

"_Sure _it's fine." she said sarcastically. "I'm taking a look at it."

"No, Sakura, it's fine-" Sai tried to protest, but she had already whisked off his glove and rolled down the soaked part of his sleeve. Her green eyes widened.

On Sai's hand was a network of thin, crisscrossing scars. Some were wider, some longer, some newer and some at least years old. A thicker, jagged one started on the top of his wrist and curved around, vanishing under his sleeve.

"Sai, where'd you get those?" Sakura breathed. Naruto craned his neck to see, and now all the others sitting at their table turned to look. Sai fidgeted uncomfortably underneath the attention. Sakura's grip had gone slack, and he swiftly drew back his hand, putting his glove back on.

"Don't bother Sai, you guys." Kakashi intervened. "The life of a shinobi is hard. I thought I taught you that already. Scars are just part of life, gained over many years." The two ex-ANBU's eyes met, and the elder one saw a silent thanks in the younger's dark eyes.

_'We've both seen too much.'_ Kakashi thought, idly twirling his empty plate around. _'It's a shame that someone so young has already almost reached the stage of an old codger like me, though.'_

* * *

><p>"Ahh, I'm so full!" Naruto stretched leisurely. They were walking back from the restaurant, their steps slow and lazy. Kakashi set the pace, an easy stroll that allowed for plenty of talking time. It was drawing closer to evening. Jiraiya could be seen in the distance, sitting at bar and attempting to talk with the barmaid.<p>

"Ugh, to think of what you'll be like after spending two years with that guy!" Sakura complained. Inner Sakura spat in disgust, picturing a Naruto with his blonde hair grown down to his back and a stronger addiction to the bushes at the edge of the girl's spa.

"Yeah!" Naruto said dreamily. "I'll be so strong! I'll even be stronger than Kakashi-sensei!"

"Don't push your luck." Kakashi said flatly, and Sai chuckled.

"We'll all be training too." he said. "But we'll be rooting for you, Naruto.

"That's gotta be the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Sai. I _really_ appreciate it." Naruto joked, then his face became serious. "No really, I do. Thanks for everything you've done for me, guys. I..."

"It's not goodbye yet." Sai said mildly, and almost bumped into Kakashi, who had stopped short. "Erm-Kakashi-sensei?" Then he paused, too.

Standing in their way was a single cloaked and masked man- or woman, it couldn't be differentiated. They said nothing, but their presence said everything for them. Sai stepped forwards, his cheerfulness gone.

"Sorry, guys." he apologized in a soft voice. "I'll be right back."

"It's okay, Sai." Naruto replied. He stretched a hand out, looking abashed and apprehensive at the same time. "Hey, just in case... you know." Understanding, Sai took his hand and clasped it tightly, giving him a strained smile. Then, with a final shake, Sai stepped backwards and disappeared into the trees with the Root member.

Naruto cast his eyes down at the ground. "I feel like we won't seem him again." he muttered. Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder, her voice falsely bright.

"Don't you trust him enough when he said 'I'll be right back'?" she questioned. "Cmon. Let's get you packed; your new teacher's waiting."

* * *

><p>Danzō's expression was inscrutable as Sai sat on the ground before him, sorting through his scrolls and kunai sets, picking out the sharpest blades and the clearest paper. He had asked Sai to pack his things in his presence, so he could talk to him as he worked. Yet it was a cold and stiff silence that permeated the air of the traditional Root meeting area, made all the colder by the lack of heating in the recesses of Konoha's underground.<p>

Sai placed an inkwell on the ground. One hand grasped the container, and the other made a seal. He closed his eyes in concentration, sending his chakra to merge with the ink and thus make it suitable for his jutsu. However, once the ink was safely tucked in his backpack and he reached for his scrolls, Danzō stopped him with a curt word.

"Don't."

Sai paused. "What is it, Danzō-sama?"

"You don't need that many." The man indicated a section of tiles before him. "I want you to practice a number of things on your mission. One of them includes drawing your creations on surfaces other than paper. And while traveling to your destination, I want you to study that book of carpentry you were given."

"What is my destination... sir?" Sai added. He had gotten so used to Kakashi's informal manner that he had almost forgotten to address Root's leader with the proper honors. Danzō said nothing, however, and simply paused to stare thoughtfully at him for a minute before continuing.

"Gaki Village, in fareastern Konoha, located on the sea. It is a successful artisan village, with a focus on fishing and crafting. However, it has grown very isolated in the past five years, shutting its doors to trade within the nation. Several Root have observed Kirigakure nin going in and out of the village, however, and it has become clear that the village could be planning to break away from Konoha and become part of the Land of Water. Not only would this boost their weak economy, it would give them a foothold in invading our country."

Danzō drew out a package from the folds on his cloak and tossed it on the ground in front of Sai. It contained some neatly folded civilian clothes and a pair of casual sandals.

"You're going to infiltrate this village disguised as a carpenter's apprentice, living with a man named Takasugi Natsu. Arrangements for your arrival have already been made; if asked, all you know is that the previous apprentice met with the rather unfortunate accident of bandits attacking him on his way back from a hike."

"Yes, sir." Sai got up.

"Sai."

The boy froze in his tracks. He forced himself to sound casual, and put on a fake smile. "Yes, Danzō-sama?"

The man frowned at him. "Don't ever smile like that in front of me again, boy." Sai stopped. "Especially not when you've shown a real one to those you're supposed to be watching."

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you are implying, Danzō-sama. I do not have any bonds with my teammates." Sai answered. He didn't like the knowing glint in that dark brown eye.

"Forming bonds is useless." Danzō said.

Sai said nothing.

"They'll always be broken, and you'll get hurt." The man continued.

Sai remained silent. Danzō's fingers tightened imperceptibly around his cane. This new person in front of him was infuriating; he could clearly see through his pretense, yet the boy insisted on keeping it up.

"The people you bond with will always betray you, or die and leave you alone. If you insist upon keeping these 'bonds' of yours... it will eventually destroy you."

"I don't understand."

"You will."

* * *

><p>Naruto hefted his pack, staring at the ground as he walked. Everybody but the person he had wanted to say good-bye to the most had been present at his sendoff. Not just because he was his friend, he was genuinely worried for Sai's future. That faceless, nameless Root that his friend had left with scared him. To have people like that hiding in the depths of the village, their true intentions unknown... and what scared him even more was the look in Sai's eyes: Nervousness, yes, but no surprise. The boy had expected something like that to happen.<p>

"Hey, hey, Pervy Sage!"

The white-haired Toad Sannin looked down at the small blonde boy who was tugging on his sleeve.

"Huh?"

"Do you think we could go back just for a minute? I wanna say a proper good-bye to a friend of mine!"

Jiraiya shook his maned head regretfully. "Sorry Naruto, we've already gone and left. But don't worry, kid; they'll still be there when you get back."

Naruto hung his head. "I hope so..." he murmured glumly.

* * *

><p>I made this chapter short as the next one will be too different and too long to stuff in with it. The end of this chapter marks where the original <em>Naruto <em>ended, and the two-year timeskip begins. The next chapter... well, you can probably guess as to what it'll have in it! And no, I won't simply skip two years.

Hope this chapter was allright, anyways.


	6. Mother

_"I love taking you inside a world that you're not apart of and showing how actually works."_ ~ J. Bruckheimer

* * *

><p><em>Tap. Tap. Tap.<em> A hammer lightly tapped a single nail, embedding it further in the joint of two pieces of wood. The hammer was set on the ground, and a long finger gently brushed the nail, running up and down the wood around it to make sure it was not injured by his tapping. Satisfied with the result, a piece of fine-grained sandpaper was brought up by the hand's owner. It glided against the dark ebony, smoothing out any remaining bumps.

"Good work!" A loud voice rang throughout the large shed. The voice belonged to a tall, fair-haired man with a weathered face and hazel eyes. Despite his age, as proved by the streaks of grey in his hair, he had a fairly muscled build that resulted from having to carry many of his larger wooden creations to the houses that ordered them. The ageing carpenter looked over the chair his apprentice had made with evident approval. "Now, Sai, my wife's a-wanting to talk to ya, so head on up- I'll be right about finishing this order for ya!"

Sai nodded and put down the sandpaper, flexing his tired fingers. He was glad that he had been allowed to use his real name for this job, as it wasn't that well known yet. _'Wait, real name?' _The boy almost laughed at himself. _'I have no real name. But it's true, that name's the one I'm the most comfortable with...'_

"Thank you, Takasugi-san." he bowed politely to the carpentry master who he was apprenticing with.

"It's Natsu-san to ya!" the man declared, shooing him away. "Ya don't need to be so stiff all of the time. Now, get on to the house; s'getting dark out an' she needs things getting done!"

Smiling, he bid a farewell to Natsu and exited the shed, running up the small stone path that led from the backyard to the back door of the town house. As he ran, he cast a glance up at the skies. They were a dark, leaden grey, and the sea was ominously still. Gaki village was situated right near the sea, a location from which many villagers benefited from as it surrounded them on two sides and provided a measure of protection as well as a source of income. Sai had wintered in the village, and now it was drawing closer to April. He had barely been in the actual town due to inclement weather, spending most days holed up in the Takasugi's house or tool shed.

"Good evening, Tashigi-obaasan!" he called out as he wiped his shoes on the entrance mat. Natsu's wife had held no truck with Sai either when it came to honorifics, and quickly taught him to call her as such. She also disliked the 'nameless apprentice' stereotype, and addressed him as familiarly as if he were her own son.

"Saii-chaann, welllcome baack!" a singsong voice trilled. He entered the small kitchen and saw the woman drawing a pan of bread out of the oven. Her ponytailed blonde hair was a little greyer than her husband's, but she was trim and fit from jogging every morning possible and there were deep smile lines on her face. "How'd it go today? Natsu wasna breathin' down your back, was he?" Her rich voice had a pleasant accent to it; not as thick as Natsu's, but noticeable all the same.

"No, he wasn't." Sai managed a little laugh and sat down in a light oak chair with swirls engraved upon it by a miniature knife. It was the first chair he had made himself, in his earlier days, and Tashigi had insisted that it become his 'special seat'. _Sai _was engraved on the back in hirigana. "He did say that you were asking after me, though."

"Course I was, sweetie!" she beamed at him. "In fact, I've a very special job for you t'do!" Picking up the hot bread with her gloved hands carefully, she placed it into a wooden basket lined with a folded white towel. One of the folds was then flipped over the bread to preserve its heat, and she handed the basket to Sai. "Do y'know that cottage on the cliffside?"

Sai faintly recalled when he had first come to the village and seen a dirt path winding way up a hill to the top of a nearby sea-cliff, where there stood a distant house.

"Yes, I know where it is. Why?"

"The lady that lives there- oh, poor Aina! She's known as young Widow Aina, since she married an' had a baby at just seventeen, an' her husband ran off with the child just after the birth, which probably went an' killed him. The baby, I mean, but we never got any news of the husband after that either. I always tol' her he was no good... but now she's all by herself, the poor thing, and isn't so healthy either. I send over some food to her every now an' then, as a thank-you gift for taking care of my husband when he caughta case of pneumonia."

Curious, Sai asked, "How long ago was that? The affair, I mean."

Tashigi blinked at him, surprised by the question. "Round sixteen years ago. She's thirty-three now, and hasna remarried, but she does hava kid come by occasionally to help her out."

"Thank you, 'baa-san." Sai thanked her, and departed. The carpenter's house was on the edge of town, which meant all he had to do was climb up that path.

Something wet landed on the back of his neck. Sai looked up and promptly received another raindrop on the tip of his nose. Sighing, he pulled his dark brown working jacket tighter around him and tucked the breadbasket underneath his arm, steps becoming a quick jog. Despite his small exasperation at being sent outside so late when it was about to storm, it felt good to stretch his legs again. The path went further up the cliff, and he looked to his right. Whitecaps were appearing all over the roiling mass of water that was the village's neighboring sea as the wind picked up. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and subconsciously he sped up. The cottage was a simple affair, a long-standing square stone building with a wooden triangle roof and stone chimney. A little wooden overhand provided shelter from the elements for anybody who waited at the doorway, so Sai ran right up to the door and knocked. Seashells were embedded in the door, adding colour to the worn greyish-brown wood.

_Creak. _With a loud protest, the door opened on its hinges and Sai found himself staring at a pair of startlingly grey eyes.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The widow was a woman of medium height, slightly shorter than him, with long black hair that tumbled down her back. She was rather thin, and there was an unhealthy greyish tinge to her pale skin. However, she was nowhere near as pale as Sai. Her eyes were wide, staring at Sai as if seeing a ghost.

Sai, in turn, stared back at her. He could have been looking at one of those carnival house mirrors- where your reflection is distorted, but still recognizably your own. Everywhere, he saw himself- in the curve of the woman's jaw, in the snub of her small nose, in the angle of her eyes, in the inky darkness of her hair. The basket dropped to the ground.

"Oh, god..." the woman whispered. "You look just like him... no, you aren't."

Sai tried to speak and found his voice, when it escaped him, was much quieter than he thought it would be. "You look just like _me_."

Slowly, the woman reached out and brushed his cheek. Sai let her, all of his shinobi training telling him not to let a stranger get so close, but his instincts told him this was no stranger. Then, could this be...?

"Are you..." The words trailed off. Rain drummed on the wood above their heads, but they took no notice. "Mom?"

Her eyes glimmered, and he found himself drawn into an embrace. The contact startled him. Never, in all the years he could remember, had he been hugged. It felt so alien, so unfamiliar, but so overwhelmingly _right_. Hesitantly, Sai brought his hands up and hugged back.

_'Is this what it feels like?'_ he thought, dazed. _'Is this what it feels like to have a parent? Is this what normal kids get to experience, day after day?'_

"I can't believe it." The widow- _Aina,_ Sai corrected himself- murmured as she released him. "The villagers send me many gifts, but I never thought that one of them would be the son I once held for too short a time."

Something rose in Sai's throat, preventing him for speaking for a long minute. _'Am I sick?'_ he wondered. _'Why do I feel so warm?'_

Now a laugh bubbled in his throat, and he fought to bite it back. "I was sent up here to deliver a simple basket of bread, but I never thought I'd be delivering it to the mother I never thought I had."

"_Someone_had to give birth to you." Aina's smile was small, but heartfelt and cheery. Sai wanted to make her smile more, wanted to bask in its warmth forever. He had gone his entire life without a mother's love, but though his mind couldn't remember it his body remembered being held and caressed. It awoke the softer emotions that Danzō had kept locked away, picking the lock after discovering that the man had thrown away the key. A twinge ran through Sai as his mother's smile disappeared. "No!" she exclaimed, distraught. "More than that... I can't believe that... my own son..."

As he watched his mother's mood fall, Sai frantically reviewed his books. _'I only studied what to do with friendships... but some of the same rules should apply, should they not?'_

"It's all right." he said soothingly. "What's wrong?"

"I don't even know my son's name. Your father left with you before we- before I could think of one." Aina's shoulders drooped. Glumly, she bent down and picked up the fallen basket, her simple woolen dress swishing about her ankles. "Here, come inside." Sai did as he was told, stepping over the threshold and neatly removing his shoes. The door shut behind them, muffling the sound of the storm. "I suppose they named you."

Sai nodded. "They did. My name is... Sai."

His mother looked up at him, a smile growing on her face again. "Sai...? Sai..." She repeated his name over and over to herself. "Sai... it's perfect. Would you... would you like to add my maiden name, Tsuki, to it? Of course, you don't have to." she added quickly. "I just thought you'd like it better than your father's name, who took you away from me..."

Sai shook his head. "No, you're right. I'd much prefer carrying my mother's name over his. Do you mind if I see his face?"

"His name was Izo." Aina pointed up to a large, framed picture hanging on the wall. "I painted that one, myself." The picture depicted the head and shoulders of a very pale skinned man around twenty years old. He had the tell-tale pink eyes and white-blonde hair of an albino, with a slightly cruel expression from the arch of his eyebrows and little smile. Despite this, he was quite handsome in a rugged way, a little whitish stubble evident on his chin.

"You're a good artist." Sai said quietly. "You know, 'kaa-san... I like drawing and painting, too."

His mother gently ruffled his hair. "I'm sure those you're staying with in the village wouldn't want you walking back in this storm. How about we sit down and have some tea together, and you can tell me everything?"

After a few minutes of preparing tea leaves and boiling water, Sai sat down on a small leather couch next to Aina, both of them holding steaming cups of green tea.

"You live here, all by yourself, with just someone dropping by every now and then?" Sai asked, and she nodded. "Are you happy here?"

Her long fingers, as delicate and long as Sai's own, curled around the glass mug. "How can I not be happy?" she said softly. "Every time I look at you, and see how wonderfully you've grown up... God answered my prayers. I have my son back, and that's all I ever wanted."

Sai watched her carefully. She seemed painfully petite and fragile to him, smiling or not. "Are you able to get along?"

"Yes, I make my way good enough. My father- your grandfather- was a medical-nin before his failing health led him to retirement here. He married my mother at twenty and they had me, but then he died at thirty-four from his illness. He taught me some medical ninjutsu before his death, and I was able to serve as the village healer. And several months ago, a little bit after Halloween, a strange man came to my door... he told me that my late husband had died, and that in a last stroke of goodwill he repented and left me a small inheritance. I always knew Izo was good at heart." Her tone was fond as she recalled the memory.

Sai, however, was far from assured. _'Around Halloween...? That's a bit after the time I went against Danz__ō__...'_ Trying to keep any suspicion out of his voice, he asked carefully, "This man... what did he look like? Was he masked or not?" He had seen several Root without their masks, as they mostly only wore them on missions.

"He was orange-haired, with odd yellow eyes and a strong features." Aina recalled. "He also had a funny way of talking; very matter-of-fact and laconic. Why, do you know him?"

"No, I don't remember any of father's friends." Sai sounded nonchalant, but at her words he felt disquieted. _'That's F__ū__! From the Yamanaka clan- and a loyal member of Root! So Danz__ō__-sama must have sent him... he knew, all this time, who my mother was... why did he send me here, then, when I'd obviously discover who she was? I thought he didn't want my emotions coming back... just what is he planning with this? __'_ He placed his empty tea cup on a small side table and stretched, suddenly feeling weary. "Do you mind if I stay the night?"

"You could stay every night, Sai." Aina replied, rising gracefully from the couch. "I prepared a room for you to stay in when you were little, but eventually turned it into a guest room. It's yours now, if you like."

Later that night, as thunderclaps rolled through the air and lightning flashed outside the curtained windows, the door to the guest room opened slightly. A shaft of yellow light pierced the darkness as a thin figure slipped through the opening and closed it behind her, carrying only a little candle. Aina sat down on the edge of Sai's bed. She was content just sitting there, watching the flower-patterned quilt rise and fall with every breath.

"We've lost so much time." she murmured softly to her son, a sad smile upon her young face. "Both you and I."

* * *

><p>Sai made his way carefully up the muddy path. The storm had made it slippery in some places, and though he trusted his agility enough in that he wouldn't fall off the cliff, he didn't want to enter his mother's house covered in mud. After spending the night, he had returned to the carpenter's home and explained to them his reasons for staying at the widows'. The elder couple was delighted upon hearing the news and granted him permission to live with his mother, but after discussing matters with Aina, he had decided to stay with the Takasugi's. Work was work, after all, and it would be far easier to not have to get up early each morning and go into town.<p>

The news that the kindly widow's son was their very own carpenter's apprentice Sai spread around like wildfire. People he had never known were coming up to him on his way out of the village and expressing their congratulations. Sai was bemused by their obvious joy. _'They don't even know me that well...'_ he thought as he knocked on the now familiar seashell door. _'Why should they care for my happiness?' _

The first thing that he heard was pounding feet. Aina would never make that sort of noise. Next, the door was wrenched open, and he found himself looking down at a short boy of about seven years of age. Bright blue eyes stared up at black ones, and Sai blinked in surprise as the brown-haired child gave him a toothy grin. Inexplicably, he was reminded of Naruto; this boy looked like Naruto when he was being treated to ramen, or assigned a higher-ranked mission.

"Aina-san, Sai's here!" The boy yelled, then paused and addressed him in a confidential, low mutter: "You _are_Sai, right?" When Sai nodded, he exclaimed in triumph, "I knew it! You look like Aina-san!"

The widow herself appeared behind him, smiling at Sai. "Sai! I was just about to take a quick bath, but in the meantime, you can meet Teide-chan. Teide, this is my son Sai. You can take him down to the beach with you, and then he'll walk you home. It'll be a nice experience." she added to Sai. "It's a beautiful place. Unfortunately, I don't have the stamina to scramble up and down the cliff paths anymore... but Teide'll show you the way."

Sai took in the distant sadness in his mother's eyes. "I can carry you." he offered. "I've had to carry one of my... friends much farther, and he's much heavier than you."

Aina laughed at him. "We'll see. I might be a lighter load, but those cliffs do still scare me, so I might complain too much."

A small hand tugged impatiently on Sai's sleeve. "Come on!" Teide began pulling Sai away. Resigned to his fate, Sai followed after him, waving a good-bye to his mother. The child led him down the other side of the hill, where there was another cliff, albeit a smaller one. Curving around it was a path hacked out of the dark rock, spread with sand and littered with shells. It was narrow, forcing them to walk single file. Despite the sheer drop, Teide skipped along with no fear as to the height. Sai watched him peer excitedly over the edge every now and then, feeling a little bit of admiration for the child's courage. The sea had calmed drastically from its turmoil the last night, and now tiny waves lapped at the shore.

Sai kicked off his shoes and placed them next to the beginning of the path. He walked barefoot across the white sands, enjoying the feel of the fine grains running through his toes. The beach was a small one, with cliffs on either side. The previous night's storm had washed many shells and debris onto the beach, providing infinite amusement for Teide as the boy ran around and picked up anything that caught his interest.

"Careful." Sai cautioned. "Some seashells might have living creatures inside. Besides being detrimental to the creature, shaking the shell would make it reach out and sting you."

Teide dropped the colourful pink and purple spotted spiral shell like one burned.

"Really?" he looked fearfully at the many shells around him and scooted closer to Sai. "Will they sting my feet?"

"No, no." Sai replied, laughing. "There's probably none to begin with, as I've only seen them in the far south of the Land of Fire."

"No, there are!" Teide insisted, and raised his hands in the air, looking at Sai imploringly. "Carry me!" Amused by his demand, Sai complied and lifted him onto his shoulders, the little bare feet dangling freely. He had gone on a D-Rank babysitting mission with his team in the earlier weeks of their time together, and Naruto had done this for the three-year old. _'So,'_ he reasoned, _'Why not now? I cannot fathom why children have such a delight at being carried as such. They are not of the age where they must try to compensate for being dickless like Naruto... Perhaps it is to compensate for their short height and to not feel so insignificant. That must be it.'_

As he expected, Teide laughed with delight. "Right! Go right!" Sai obeyed, heading to his right. His eyes flickered to the water, and an idea formed in his head. He had no inkling as to why he would want to do such a thing. But something, whatever it was, compelled him to act out such mischief. He walked toward the water and waded knee-deep into it, ignoring the chill. Then, he tilted his body at the waist, making his passenger scream and bury his hands in Sai's hair. That hurt, especially since Sai had allowed his hair to grow a bit longer and more unruly.

"You don't want to take a swim?" he asked innocently. "Teide-chan doesn't want to go swimming?"

"No swimming!" the boy shouted. Grinning to himself, Sai got out of the water and traveled further up the beach, depositing his cargo on a patch of sand safely away from the 'dangerous' shells.

"Aina-san should be done now." he told Teide. "Let's go. I'll take you home." After putting on his shoes, he ran after his young companion, chasing him back up the cliff. Not only was the boy agile, he possessed good stamina for his age. Sai was surprised at himself for playing along, and at how much he enjoyed playing a mock game of tag (of course, could have won anytime, but there was no way he would show Teide that) with some kid.

They entered the village. Teide's house was right off of the main street. It was the same weathered wood and stone as the rest of the houses, but its shutters were painted a bright yellow and unseasonable daffodils bloomed behind one clear glass window, which was thrown open to let in the fresh post-tempest sea air.

"See yous, Sai-niichan!" Teide yelled out as he hoisted himself up onto a windowsill and wiggled through the opening. Sai stood rooted to the spot as the child disappeared through the window with a loud _crash_, earning himself from reproving motherly cries from within the house. Sai snorted, and remembered his own mother. He still had an hour left before he had to go back to his master's house. Quickening his steps, he ran through the village. People recognized him and called out. He found himself nodding at them as he passed, occasionally smiling or answering in kind.

Sai passed by a little girl and a boy. The girl was yelling at the boy for something- it had to do with a bath, Sai noticed, and instantly was reminded of Sakura attacking Naruto for peeping. Caught up in his thoughts, he bumped against the shoulder of an older man who had his nose buried in a thick, dark green book. Instead of being angry, the man simply gave him a lazy, good-natured wave. Sai was reminded forcefully of Kakashi; of his easy-going, carefree attitude and his perverted mystery/drama novels.

_'I thought these villagers were bad people to be associating so closely with Kirigakure... but really, they're just like everyone back home.' _he thought as his strides took him up the cliff for what felt like the tenth time. His mother was kneeling in the dirt by her cottage, her gloved hands carefully placing a plant bulb into the soil. She heard him approaching and stood up, brushing dirt off of herself. Sai accepted her hug and hugged back tightly, finally releasing her. He wasn't sure whether he'd ever get used to having a parent present in his life, but was determined to learn from it and enjoy it as best as he could.

"I'm happy you're back so early. Come here- there's something I want to teach you." Sai knelt in the dirt by his mother, looking inquisitively at the small round holes she had dug in a row. Some were already filled it, though more weren't. Picking up a little bulb, Aina plopped it into the centre of the hole and used her palm to fill it in, lightly smoothing over the resulting mound of dirt. "Take a tulip bulb, and plant it. But be very careful when you put dirt on it. There can't be too much or too little, and you can't pack it down so the young plant will never reach the open air."

"I think I get it." He accepted an offer of spare gardening gloves. They worked in comfortable silence. Waves crashed against the sea-cliffs and seagulls cried hungrily in the distance, diving down to snatch at an exposed clam on the beach.

"You said Izo took you to Iwagakure, right?" his mother asked. Sai nodded, suppressing any regret he felt over such a blatant lie. "And worked as an artist before becoming a carpenter? Were you happy there?"

"You helped me so much growing up. I inherited the genes of a gifted painter, so of course I made a good living."

Aina flushed with pleasure. "You're surely much better than I am. What I meant was, were you happy there with your personal life? Were you lonely at all?" Her grey eyes reflected only motherly concern.

Sai smiled and shook his head. He thought wistfully of Konohagakure; there, he was right under Danzō's shadow, but he had his team with him. "No... I was quite happy there. I made lots of good friends." _'Lots is a relative term... but before I had _them_, I was all alone. To me, three is lots when before I didn't even have a _desire_ to make friends, much less actually have them.'_ He looked back at his mother, and was startled to see tears rolling down her face. _'Crying? But all my books said that crying was a sign of unhappiness! Is she upset with the fact that I have friends?'_ "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." she managed through her tears. She took off her gloves and wiped at her eyes. "I'm just so glad that... so glad that you grew up the way you did, so glad that we're back together again."

"So you're not sad?" Sai was befuddled, but pleased all the same at her heartfelt words.

"No, not anymore..." Aina wiped the last excess moisture from her eyes. "Let's go back inside, shall we? I want us to have some miso soup together before you have to go back down to the Takasugi's."

* * *

><p><em>November 25th, the Takasugi residence.<em>

Sai yawned as he grasped the doorknob of the townhouse. The past several months had been kind to him. He had grown several inches, figure becoming lankier. Despite his daily runs and exercises, he never returned back to his master's home with the appetite that a full day of Root training or a mission with Team Seven would have given him. Opening the door and closing it behind him, he was surprised to see that the house was very dark. He immediately sensed the presence of many people, some of them feeling familiar and some of them unfamiliar. Going on the alert, his hand drifted toward the flattened kunai he always kept in a row of sheaths under his belt. Taking one step forwards, he-

The lights flickered on.

"Happy birthday!" A dissident chorus of voices shouted, and something flew at him from its perch on the kitchen counter, hands encircling his neck and latching on.

Sai blinked in consternation and peered down at Teide, who seemed intent on strangling him.

"It's my birthday?" he asked, tickling the boy to make him let go, then swinging him onto his back to make up for it.

His mother stepped forwards, a little worn from walking all the way down to the village, but otherwise as sunny as that cloudless day had been.

"I've had to celebrate your birthday alone every year! But now, we're celebrating your seventeenth birthday, and the fact that you're here with us!" she declared, waving an arm around to indicate the crowd. Some were sitting on the countertops, some on the table, some stood. Only a few were actually occupying chairs. Teide slipped off of his back and ran to a tall blonde woman, who looked to be his mother. Overwhelmed by the turnout for the surprise party, Sai fumbled for words.

_'They're curious to see what I am like.'_ he guessed. _'Since I don't get out much, they want to meet me in person. I'm- I'm not ready for such a big social challenge yet! I need more time to prepare...'_ Swallowing, he gave a short bow, blushing when there were a few laughs at his overly polite conduct.

"T-thank you for coming, everyone." he stammered. "I would very much like to get to know you all better, as I'm sure anyone who is friends with the Takasugi's and my own dear mother can be my friend, too."

A round of applause greeted his short speech, and Sai found his body relaxing. That applause signified an end to his spotlight time. Now, he supposed, he would be allowed to mingle and blend in with the crowd.

The evening became a blur of grinning faces, laughter, and talk. Sai found himself clinking his glass of water (he had refused sake, despite now being old enough to drink in that country) against many other glasses. Everyone he talked to was welcoming and affable, making him feel more at ease. Despite this, he was careful to separate truth from lies and deal out a constant stream of false information without contradicting anything he might have lied about earlier. As open as these villagers were, he doubt they'd take kindly to him if they found out he was from the very village who they were trying to break away from.

Eventually, the crowd trickled away one by one, then two by two. Around midnight, everyone had finally left except for the residents of that house. Sai let out a long breath and sank into a chair, exhausted but content. Tashigi and Natsu were chatting outside with the last guest, the ageing midwife who had overseen Sai's birth as well as his mother's.

With a start, Sai realized he had not seen his mother since the beginning of the party. He opened the sliding kitchen door and poked his head into the living room. There, fast asleep on the couch, lay Aina. Sai crept over and looked down at her. He had rarely taken notice of it, but in the dim lighting the greyish tinge on his mother's cheeks seemed even more pronounced. She looked so still and frail just lying there, and offhandedly he thought that she looked lifeless.

Seized by a sudden fear, he pressed two fingers to her neck and breathed a sigh of relief when he found a steady pulse. _'She's just sleeping, after all.'_

"Should I fix up a guest room for her?" Tashigi asked from the doorway.

"No, it's alright. I'll take her home." Sai pulled on the blankets and let them slide off, then gently scooped his mother into his arms. She was startlingly light; too light for a healthy grown woman. "Do you mind if I spend the night at her- at my home?"

"Not at all. Goodnight, sweetie, and happy birthday again!"

Sai walked out into the chilly night. It was an inky darkness that greeted him, pierced only by the light of distant stars and a quarter moon. That, however, was enough for the seasoned shinobi, and he returned safely to the cliffside cottage that he had learned to call home.

* * *

><p>And so, among all the happiness, the snowball has started rolling and Danzō's plan to get rid of this new Sai is set in motion... that clever old bastard. Prepare for some action next chapter!<p>

And yes, November 25th is Sai's birthday- I made sure to look it up. =)


	7. Flight

_"He can perceive, if he bends his will thither, much of what is passing in the minds of men, even of those that dwell far off. It is difficult to deceive him, and dangerous to try." _~ Gandalf to Pippin, _Lord of the Rings_, J.R.R. Tolkien

* * *

><p><em>May 1st<em>

Sai took one last furtive glance around him. He was sitting cross-legged in the middle of a forest glade, the carpet of pine needles pleasantly cool underneath him and the air clear. It had taken a good hour's run to get safely far enough away from the village and far enough inland that no Kirigakure nin would stumble upon him. Danzō had told him that they were visiting the village, but so far he had yet to see one. Strangely enough, he felt relieved. He didn't want to think about what Danzō would do if the village was proven treacherous. Nevertheless, he still had a duty to his superiors.

Sai put his hands together in the 'tiger' seal.

"Ninpou: Super Beast Scroll!" he commanded, and a dove burst free from the pages, winging its way past the evergreens into a pale grey spring sky. Sai's eyes followed it until it vanished from sight beyond the trees. That bird contained his weekly report to Danzō, and while the man always recieved them Sai had never gotten a message or order back.

He rolled up his scroll and placed it in his pack, but kept his inks. Dipping his paintbrush into the well once more, his hand hovered over the ground. _'Too unreliable of a surface.'_ Sai got up, and walked over to a small boulder liberally spotted with lichen. The surface was rough, but at least it was stable. Danzō's words during a Root training session came back to him.

_"Your art requires ink already infused with chakra, and then a small initial application of chakra when giving the animation command. The larger the drawing, the more inital input required." _

He placed the brush on the stone and made a single stroke. Sai paused to collect his thoughts and kept painting. Once he was finished, he gave the command, and a lithe, antlered deer peeled itself off of the rock and sprang forwards, growing to full size. It was a dark grey colour, with oddly rough-looking fur. He felt a small drop in his chakra level; more than usual, but nothing alarming. Sai commanded it to step nearer and the stag obeyed, eyes blank and lifeless.

"Amazing..." he whispered, stroking his creation's neck. It was as hard as a rock, too, which would provide good protection in battle. He let his control over it slacken and it became ink once more. Sai's gaze fell on a nearby pine tree.

_'I wonder...'_ he thought. _'What if i drew it on something living? Would that affect my jutsu in any way?' _Placing his brush on the rough, sticky bark, he quickly painted a fierce-looking tiger. Tigers were his favourites for most battles; they intimidated the opponent, they could attack well in a group, and they didn't use up a lot of ink. Biting his lip, he finished off his drawing and spoke the invocation.

A shiver ran through Sai's body, and he suddenly felt short of breath. Something fell onto his head, and he gasped. The pine needles above him were losing their vibrant dark greens and turning yellow and then brown. A single shriveled pinecone had fallen onto his head from a drooping branch that looked as if it had seen too many winters. In the midst of a lively spring, the evergreen was dying.

His gaze returned to the tiger he had drawn. The black lines stood out clearly on its body, then flared. Colour was leeching from the bark around the drawing, turning the tiger into a shade of brownish-orange and leaving the wood to be a rotten, greyish-brown. Finally, the creature stirred. It blinked its black eyes, eyes that sparkled with intelligence, and leapt onto the ground to become full size. The tiger sat back on its haunches, flicking its tail from side to side and watching Sai intently. It wasn't any normal tiger, either; it had the appearance of any one of his tiger drawings, which were embellished and more frightening than the regular large felines. Thick, jutting eyebrows transformed its gaze into a permanent glare, while a fiery yet insubstantial mane streamed out from behid its head.

Unsure of how the creature would react, he willed it to stand up. The tiger stood.

Sai's lips quirked upwards at the edges. He held out his inkwell and let loose his concentration, the ink going back into its container as the tiger melted. _'What a technique... it surpasses merely making mindless tools to do your bidding for you. This new jutsu transcends that, stealing life from one creature to give life to my creation. However, knowing Tsunade, she'd probably make it a kinjutsu... all the more reason to keep it secret. Anyhow, that should be enough for today. I don't want to wear myself out if I'm going to have to do that favour for Gintoki-san later, and knowing the blacksmith, it'll be something that will require a lot of stamina.'_

He emerged from under the eaves of the forest and struck a course back to the village over pale, undulating hills of grass and heater. Sai increased his speed to a run, feeling a faint drizzle upon his skin as he ran. It was a light rain, so he didn't bother hurrying back. After an hour's steady travel, he passed through the open gates of the village and headed down to the blacksmith's shop.

It was dark within the area, lit only by the red glow of hot coals in the corner and something greenish to his left. As his eyes adjusted, Sai saw a familiar figure sitting by the huge, bulky figure of the village blacksmith, her hands hovering over his arm with a gentle green glow surrounding them.

"Amazing, you're just like the medical-nins back in Iwagakure." Sai peered over at Gintoki's arm. There didn't seem to be anything externally wrong with it.

"Tore a muscle." the man explained. His thick silver hair was tied back in a short ponytail, and his eyes, while underneath an impressive set of bushy silver brows, were kind. Despite the lines on his face and his hair, the man wasn't beyond fourty. "The last axe-blade I made, I worked on a bit too zealously, but Aina-san fixed me up like it was a little scratch! Next time, I'll take my time on things."

The woman let the green glow fade, plunging them all into darkness again. Sai was quicker to adjust to the change in lightning before anyone else, and he spied his mother draw her hand across her head and heard a small, shaky breath. There were deep bags under her eyes, even though every time he came to visit nowadays he always had to wake up up from a nap. Her tired eyes turned to him, and she smiled in greeting.

"Things happen; it's quite all right, Gintoki-san. And Sai... treasure the time you have, since it always passes by so quickly that a person ends up wanting more."

Now, he was certain something was wrong. _'I'm not very good at reading emotions, but Aina's are just rolling off of her in waves... just what's going on that she won't tell me about?'_ Sai opened his mouth to ask, heedless of the blacksmith's presence, when screams erupted from outside; not the scream of children at play, but of grown people afraid for their lives.

Sai dashed outside, stopping short as soon as he saw the cause of the screams. Strange, rough-looking men were pouring into the village, yelling obscenities as they went. Some of the villagers were running, though the village men had begun to gather and put up resistance. _'Bandits!'_

Sai's trained mind immediately began analyzing the situation. _'About twenty-three in all, wielding an assortment of weapons. Most lack forehead protectors, but the four that do possess them have them marked with three diagonal slashes; they must be from the Land of Hot Water. It was demilitarised several years ago, so these must be missing-nin who refused to give up their occupation. They'll be a problem, especially as I have to try and avoid using ninjutsu here.'_

Not wasting anymore time, he ducked back inside the shop. Gintoki was clutching a large, wickedly sharp axe.

"Bandits, twenty-three." Sai said shortly. "Mom- stay inside, and find a good place to hide. Gintoki-san, do you have any swords?"

The blacksmith looked at the tall, lanky carpenter's boy skeptically, but he trusted that the boy knew what he was talking about. "Long or short, double or single-sided?"

"Double-sided short." Sai accepted the proffered blade and examined it. "There are four shinobi amongst the bandits, distinguised by their forehead protectors. Steer clear of them, unless you enjoy defeat." _'Better safe than sorry,'_ he reasoned. Their skill level was as of yet unknown, but he didn't want to risk anyone else getting hurt. Casting his gaze around the room, he saw a small side window and crossed the floor to open it. He slipped out the opening and looked up at the side of the house. The stone offered no handholds besides a few miniscule cracks, but it was no problem. Sai had undergone chakra control training at the age of three. All he needed to do to climb the wall was concentrate his chakra in his fingertips and toes. This done, he scaled the wall in a spiderlike fashion and hopped onto the roof, crouching down low.

Gintoki had entered the fray. The village men rallied around the blacksmith, holding out impressively against the gang of bandits. Then, silent as a shadow, Sai leaped from the roof and landed in the middle of the fight.

The entrance of a seasoned Root member to the group of bandits was like unleashing a dog into a chicken coop. It was helpless slaughter. Sai went for the missing-nin first, and was dissapointed in their obvious lack of skill.

_'Really...'_ he thought, as he swung his blade around and stabbed the first of the four shinobi in the back, twirling away as soon as the blade hit home to let his enemy fall. _'It's like fighting children.'_ He ducked and wove through the crowd, not bothering to kill in all cases. Occasionally, he'd simply draw his blade across a bandit's legs and cripple them enough for a villager to finish them off. The second and third saw him coming, but he still outclassed them.

"Aniki!" he heard a shout over the chaos. The last of the missing-nin, auburn hair in wild disarray, stood on the edge of the fight. He was forming a set of hand seals, and judging by its length it wasn't going to be some small ninjutsu.

Sai broke free of the fight, heading their way.

"So _you're_ the one that's been killing all our men." The tall man sneered, parrying Sai's strike.

"I didn't kill all of them." Sai said reasonably. "I simply maimed them." Unamused by his humour, the shinobi formed a set of hand seals.

"Suiton: Sumi Daibakuryū!" A torrent of water erupted from the ground, accompanied by a jet of steam. Sai easily jumped out of the way, but then saw that the water was spilling over torward the villagers still fighting the remaining bandits. It gained speed as it went, roaring down the dirt street and soaking the front doors of houses.

_'Of course, he's targeting the villagers!' _Of course, the bandits would be caught up in the wave as well, but he wasn't concerned about them. Neither, appparently, was the caster of the ninjutsu. Sai's body seemed to vanish from its perch on a slanting roof. Those in battle were turning to run, heedless of their opponents; some had made it to the safety of the houses, climbing onto windowsills and scaling pipes to clamber onto low roofs. The bodies of the dead and wounded were swiftly overcome by the boiling tide. Sai spotted a villager with a badly bleeding leg desperately trying to pull himself along the ground.

"Natsu-san!" Sai yelled, catching the carpenter's attention. However, all the man saw was a flash of black, then felt himself being lifted up, and a resulting unpleasant drop in his stomach. The next thing he knew, he was on top of his own house's roof.

"Huh...?" Natsu blinked, nonplussed.

Sai was bounding from roof to roof even before the stream of boiling water stopped and began sinking back into the ground. The other shinobi regained the street, his thick-soled shoes protecting them from the still hot mud that remained. They threw shuriken after shuriken, each one thudding into the woodwork where Sai had stood just a moment earlier. Changing tactic, the missing-nin reached into his boot and drew out two throwing kunai. Sai frowned upon seeing this; why not just normal ones? What made those in his shoe any different? They came flying at him, and as he ducked he felt a searing hot pain slice across his cheek. Executing a backflip, he temporarily escaped the battle and put a hand to his face, feeling a small cut.

_'Poison?' _Sai thought. He felt his body stiffening slightly, but not enough to hamper his movements. _'They're out of luck...'_

"The hell?" his opponent muttered disbelievingly. "You should be completely paralyzed by now."

Sai gave him a thin smile. "It must have been a common muscular paralytic that you used, then. I've already built up resistance to most of them from past experiences."

"Past experiences...?" He felt those pale, watery grey eyes reading him, putting two and two together. "You're not just a simple carpenter's boy, are you?" The man tried to judge Sai's expression, but it was impossible. _'Damnit, what's up with that fake smile? It's a blatant sham, but it's such a good mask that I can't read him at all through it. No damn kid smiles like that.'_

Sai bent down and plucked the shuriken in the roof right out, dropping catlike into the street. As he fell, he tossed a small purple ball from his pocket. As soon as the ball touched ground, it exploded into a billowing cloud of smoke. Out of his backpack, he took out a small spool with thin, almost invisible wire wrapped around it. Swiftly, before the smoke dissapeared, Sai attached some wire to each shuriken, passing it through the hole in their middle, then just as the smoke cleared he tossed them torwards his coughing target.

_'He should attempt to avoid the first ones by going backwards and ducking... tch. Any genin would know that the first attack is always a fake.'_If he could have felt derisive, Sai would have. Instead, he simply gripped the wire spool tightly.

Sure enough, the man flipped neatly backwards, smirking slightly as he saw the next two shuriken go far to his left and right. However, as his feet were in the air, the wire following the two stray shruiken looped around his ankles. The shuriken embedded themselves deeply in the wall, and to make doubly sure, Sai threw another two to secure them. He grabbed the end of the wire in his teeth, pulling it tight and letting the now empty spool drop. His enemy cursed loudly as he crashed inelegantly into the mud.

"Fuck!" The man swore, and twisted around, grabbing a long kunai from his belt. Displaying impressive strength, he lifted half of his body off the ground and tried to slice through the thin metal wires. However, Sai didn't give him any leisure time. With a bound and a skip, Sai dissapeared from his place by a house's door and seemed to materialize next to his struggling enemy, twisting his wrist to take his blade and putting it up against his throat.

The two stared into each others eyes. The auburn-haired man felt a strange fear rising in the pit of his stomach as he looked at those black, empty holes. They were cold and remorseless, promising him a swift if unglorious death. Then, the kunai drew a red line across the man's exposed throat, and his head lolled forwards.

Stepping back, Sai exhaled and stepped back. His foot pressed down on something unpleasantly soft and wet, and he looked down to see one of the bandits lying facedown in the dirt, soaking his good sandal with blood.

"Oh, dear..." Sai murmured, half to himself. "There's a lot of cleaning up to do." He looked up, and saw all the bodies scattered around in various positions. Most of them were pinked from the scalding they had received earlier, but thankfully no body belonged to any of the villagers. The townspeople themselves were appearing one by one, slithering down from roofs or hesitantly exiting the safety of their homes. There was a cry of joy, and Teide ran out, poking at one dead bandit with a stick before being pulled back by his horrified mother.

"Teide! What are you doing?" she scolded. "That's a dead body!"

"I know!" he said happily. "It was a bad guy! Now he's like the shells on the beach, all dead and all not hurting us no more!"

Natsu limped up to Sai, presenting an odd figure as he was leaning heavily on his much shorter wife.

"What _was_ that, Sai?" he rasped, but though there was astonishment in his voice, he spoke through a wide grin. "I never woulda though ya could do somethin' like tha! An' against a high-n-mighty shinobi, no less! Where d'ya learn tha'? Not from _me_, obbysly!"

"Questions later!" his wife interrupted. "Canna you see that the poor boy's tired? He needs a bed and rest, that he does!"

"Before that, he needs my congratulations!" Gintoki declared. He patted Sai on the back with his huge hand that the boy stumbled forwards, only just regaining his balance before he toppled into the people standing in front of him. He was surrounded now, surrounded by a crowd of eager and admiring townspeople.

"We'd have probably all died, if you hadn't taken care of those guys for us." A short, brown-haired and bearded man holding Teide's hand said seriously, then a wide, toothy grin so much like his child's spread like lightning over his craggy features. "Hey, heeyy, three cheers for Sai-chan! Or more!"

Sai's battle spirit was going out of him like water from a drain. His fake smile dissapeared, replaced by a small, embarassed one, and his pale cheeks were tinged with red.

"It's no bother; I only did what I had to." he tried, but his small protest went unheard. The villagers to his left parted and he turned at the movement, seeing one person that remained still in their midst. Aina was standing there, her shawl loosely hanging on her shoulders as she smiled and clapped. _'She's clapping for me.' _Sai realized, and that unfamiliar warmth flooded his limbs once again.

"Go on." Gintoki swatted him on the back for the second time, making Sai stumble. "Go to your mother, Sai." Needing no further prompting, Sai made his way through the crowd, stopping before his mother. As their eyes met, he was suddenly conscious of his wild appearance- clothes flecked with the odd bits of blood and his face still dusty. He looked like a delinquent. Yet his mother's eyes were shining with love as she looked him over, drinking in the sight of her son like she had never seen him before. Then, he ran forward and embraced her, pressing the side of his face into her sweet-smelling black locks.

As soon as her arms wrapped around him, Sai felt something wrong. There was barely any strength behind her hug, and she felt cold. Her entire body was shaking.

"Mom...?" he said, voice sounding unnaturally loud. "Mom, you're trembling."

"I'm so proud of you, Sai." she murmured. "I was so afraid you would become a wayward child... but you grew up so well..." her voice wavered. "I'm glad..." Sai felt her hands on his shirt loosen, and then her body went slack in his grip.

Sai's eyes grew wider and wider. His body remembered all too well the feeling of holding someone close without them holding back. In that moment, it was autumn again, with rain pouring down upon him as he held Shin's lifeless form in his arms.

There was a faint buzzing in Sai's ears. The villagers had stopped cheering, falling into hushed murmurs and whispers. He caught the words _Sai_, _sick_, and _Aina_. Aina. His mother.

"Let go of her now. That's it." A soft voice murmured next to him, and Sai felt his fingers being pried off one by one, then two by two, then he let go. In his shock, he had not noticed himself being shaken. "There's nothing we can do for her now." Gintoki's words were gentle, but firm. He tapped Sai on the shoulder, but the boy didn't respond.

_'Why didn't she tell me? I could have done something... something, anything.'_ His thoughts swirled around in his head like a nest of angry hornets, yet he felt no pain from their stinging. No tears fell from his eyes, no sorrow rose up in his throat. _'Should I be crying?' _Sai wondered distantly. _'Should I...? I lost her, after so long not having her...' _He felt himself being lifted, and held in a strong pair of arms. Sai fell limp, letting himself be carried like an invalid. _'Aina... mother...'_

Yet try as he might, no tears came, and his expression was as blank as the dead, grey eyes of his mother.

* * *

><p>I feel kinda bad for writing that... but Sai's not heartless as we we'd hate (but Danzō would love) to believe. He's upset, in his own strange way.<p>

Might I add a thank you to the reviewers who just keep returning and filling out that nice little white box? Personally I'm a little lazy to spend as much as time as it takes to click the 'review chapter' button and give a few words of advice and encouragement (working on amending that though =D), so thank you ^^

The next chapter will be the last one during the timeskip, so prepare for a little bit more action!

(Apologize for any spelling errors, too- program wasn't working)


	8. Regression

_"The boy was blooming like a flower planted in fertile soil. Then He sent the frost, and killed it." _~ ...

**Warnings:** Some possibly disturbing violence in later part of chapter. You have been warned, but I still apologize.

* * *

><p>Gulls wheeled and cried in the distance, their voices almost drowned out by the roar of waves hitting the little beach far below. The air that morning had a fresh tang to it among all the saltiness, coming from the end of the light rain that had been falling ever since two days ago. Two days ago, when the attack had happened. Sai drew his knees up to his chest and clasped his fingers together, his gaze distant and clouded. He was sitting a few metres away from the edge of the cliff, on a patch of grass worn-out by the effort of staying alive in sandy soil.<p>

"You're worryin' me with how close ya are." A familiar voice behind him spoke. Sai had sensed them approaching from far off, but pretended not to notice. Now, he looked up as if surprised. "Was I really so sneaky?" A faint grin passed over Natsu's face.

"Sorry, Natsu-san." Sai put on his fake smile and shrugged, hoping that he appeared sheepish. "I was thinking. Is it time to go? You shouldn't have come all the way up here, not with that leg of yours." Sai nodded at the thickly bandaged leg in question. Natsu leaned on his single crutch and gave a dismissive snort.

"Pah, like that'll stop me. How're ya feeling?"

"I don't know..." Sai admitted hesitantly. "I suppose I'm just shocked, that's all. How long had my mother been sick?"

"Years." Natsu replied quietly. "It's one of those diseases tha' we simple humans don' understan'. She told me once that it ran in her family; her grandfather had died of it, as well, but at an older age than she did, so it was onl' natural tha' she'd get it as well." Sai was silent, and the man realized his mistake. "No, no!" he added hastily. "Not sayin' tha' ya gonna inherit it, as well. Ya look healthy 'nuff, and it always starts appearin' round this late teenage. Either way, there was nothin' we coulda done, not any of us." he paused, wringing his hands anxiously. "Sai?"

"I appreciate your words, Natsu-san. Don't worry, I understand. I appreciate that I got to know her for as long as a year and a half before she died, seeing as the circumstances were aligned against us." A little fakeness left Sai's smile. _'Natsu-san is an amiable person, the first to have accepted me here. I can understand why it was he that was sent to try and draw me out of my "depression".' _

"That's good hearin'." Natsu's grin widened. "You're a legal adult now, aintcha?" Sai acknowledged this with a nod, and Natsu lowered his tone. "Well... we adults, we men of the village, we're thinkin' of givin ya a chance."

The odd choice of words in addition to the furtive undertone put Sai on his guard.

"What kind of chance? What do you mean?" he asked, keeping all suspicion out of his voice. But Natsu just wagged a finger at him.

"Just come ta Gintoki-san's house in the evening, and you'll find out." was all he said. "By the way, ya don't have to live in that house by yourself just because you own it now. You can still stay in our house, since you well earn your keep." Sai got up, brushing sand and dirt off of his patched and faded pants and shouldered his pack, which now included some carpenter's tools. They set off down the steep hill, the boy letting his elder occasionally lean on him to get over a muddy patch where his crutch would stick.

"That's kind of you, but I can afford the exercise in the mornings." Sai didn't reveal his true reasons for declining- such a secluded spot away from the hustle and bustle of the village would give him much more opportunities to practice ninjutsu. Also, he wouldn't have to sneak away at night anymore to give the weekly reports that Danzō demanded. "Well, this is where we part, Natsu-san. I must go repair a broken cabinet for the Hao family."

Waving a good-bye, he continued up the street and turned right, knocking on a door with a reddish hue. _'Karri tree wood, usually not used for such common items as a door. The Hao's must be one of the merchant families in this town.' _Training under Natsu had served him well many times over. _'Hardwood, typically used in shipbuilding, I believe...? It's worth a shot.'_

A tall, petite woman with her black hair done into an elegant bun admitted him. Aotaba Hao's face was stern by nature, but she had spent many years practicing a kinder smile.

"Good morning, Sai-kun." she greeted him. "How are you?"

"Quite good, and you, Aotaba-san?" he returned, the epitome of politeness. Pulling on some thin brown leather gloves, he entered into the living room. The cabinet was lying on its back, all of its drawers taken out and lying to the side. Sai inspected the exposed interior for just a moment before he saw the problem, and went about mending it. The woman followed him into the room and watched him as he worked.

"Sabo and I were talking about how difficult it must be for you to live alone in that cottage." she remarked. The statement surprised Sai.

_'They were? I never imagined my affairs were of such interest to these people.'_ he thought, picking up a tape measure and measuring out a length of wood.

"It's lonely sometimes, but I can manage." Sai replied.

"I was thinking that I could send my boy over to your house every other day with some of my cooking. It'll do good for you, and as my husband's trade allows him to bring home all the spices I need, you'll never taste anything as good again."

"I don't want to trouble you, Aotaba-san." Sai protested. "Really, I don't mind cooking for myself every day. You should focus on your family."

Aotaba smiled fondly at him. "You come over here so often, I already consider you part of the family. My younger son and daughter want to be just like you when they grow up. With all these little 'Sai-niisans' running around, I swear I'm going a little crazy!" The merchant's wife paused, breaking off with a burst of silent, hearty laughter, before wiping her watering eyes and resuming her chatter. "May you at least stay for dinner before going to that forlorn shell cottage up on the hill?"

Sai, holding two small nails between his teeth, could only nod in assent. Satisfied by his reply, the woman left him to investigate the source of her children's frightened shrieks. Moments later, a small boy and an even younger girl sprinted down the hallway, delighted with their game, and chased by a dark-haired boy around twelve. Sai paused in his work and watched them go, amused by their antics.

_'So they want to be just like me...? I hope that particular wish of theirs never comes true. I want them to live happy, full lives, not grow up jaded and basically enslaved.'_ The thought of Danzō made Sai's little flare of happiness at the sight of the carefree children vanish. With newly lethargic movements, he tapped the hammer against the last nail.

* * *

><p>As per his cryptic instructions, after Sai had finished dinner at the Hao's at sunset, he struck a course for the blacksmith's house. Teide's father was waiting by the door, and ushered him in. They headed to the back of the shop, where the short man bent down and knocked twice on a section of wood. Peering closely at the area, Sai saw little lines half-hidden by sawdust that didn't quite fit in with the wood grain. There was a creak, and then a hidden trapdoor swung open. The other mentioned for Sai to go first down a tall ladder, who complied.<p>

_'A cellar? No... a meeting area.'_ Sai realized as he looked around. He was standing on a small wooden stage, in front of two tables with eight chairs at each. Every single chair was occupied except for two. Teide's father took his seat. There were two unfamiliar villagers leaning against the cement wall, each on an opposite end, and with a start Sai spied their Kirigakure headbands.

Sai felt someone nudge him. Gintoki was at his side.

"Might I present our very own little carpenter Sai? He's been apprenticing under Takasugi Natsu for nearly two years now, and is of age. Sai, our new business partners as well as ourselves would very much like to know wherein you learned your fighting skills."

Sai met the gazes of each of the Kirigakure nin in turn before looking at the crowd. He was an expert at divining the true feelings behind those carefully guarded expressions. There was no maliciousness or malcontent in their eyes; simply interest. They did not suspect him.

"I believe that I established myself as coming from Iwagakure already?" he began. Many heads nodded in agreement. "Well, I did not serve all of my life as a civilian. My father, when he kidnapped me from Aina-san's home, took me to become a shinobi. However, after so much rigorous training, one of my teammates opted out of the first section of the Chunin Exams and I was forced to wait another year." here Sai paused for effect, and put on an embarrassed tone. "I was admittedly, ah, _incensed _by this, and so I challenged my teammate to a duel, which I lost. Ashamed, I fled the village with every intention of returning, but I kept delaying that dreaded moment in which I'd have to face my disappointed sensei. Finally, I simply gave up and crossed over the border into Konoha, where I took up a new life and tried to forget. Life from the viewpoint of a civilian in truth was a momentous change in the way I looked at things. It was so much different from the strict, honor-focused lifestyle of a shinobi that I began to relax, and grew out of my immaturity."

_'There, it's working already.'_ Sai thought, seeing some rueful grins from some of the village men and little laughs at his narrative. _'I've been waiting to use this cover story for a while, and it appears that all that time has simply sweetened it instead of weakening it.'_

"Your skills would certainly prove valuable in the future, if they had increased over time without any practice." A Kirigakure man spoke up. His vertical light blue hair reminded Sai of the time he had looked through his Bingo Book and seen a picture of the infamous missing-nin of that very same village, Kisame Hoshigaki. The two of them could have gone to the same barber. "That is, if... Gintoki-san, would you please continue?"

The silver-haired man shrugged, and complied. "Sure. Now, Sai, let me give you a little bit of our village's history. We used to be a prosperous seaside town, with a population much larger than this. Trade was booming between us and the inland areas, especially those closer to the desert where cheap goods from abroad were difficult to come by. Because back then, the Village of the Sand was anti-Konoha and would only sell the goods here for ridiculously high prices. However, we'd always come to our fellow countrymen's aid and sell them the same items, for much lower costs. It was a nice agreement, and both of us were happy. Now, the Hokage decided to ally herself with the Sand, and as they are distance-wise much nearer to those border towns we've been put out of business."

"And so, your village began to shrink?" Sai interjected. The blacksmith scowled, crossing his burly arms.

"Not only that, but as the weeks pass, it's getting harder and harder to support ourselves. This town is a pitiful shadow of what it once was. We used to be the foremost artisan village in the land; now it's hard for us to support ourselves, let alone families. So, when Ao-san here-" Gintoki indicated the blue-haired Kirigakure man, "Came with an offer from the Land of Water, we mulled over it and began a hesitant partnership with them. Their economy is rather weak, so we will help them out in that aspect. However, there might be eventual retaliation from that cursed grandma in office, so they will, starting next month, keep a permanent ferry from their land to ours in case a scuffle should break out."

Sai's mind was working fast. _'Danz__ō__-sama was correct. The village is indeed allied with the Land of Water, but their reasons are perfectly valid. Perhaps, I can request to return to Konohagakure and inform Tsunade-sama, perhaps work out a diplomatic solution. After all, these villagers aren't planning treason. They simply want a way to support their families.'_

"Tha' old hag." Natsu growled. His change in demeanor was startlingly different from the grinning, genial persona Sai had always seen. "She'd rather get all buddy-buddy with some sand rats than protect all the dam'd people under her care. She's da reason Tashigi an' I had to send our son overseas soon a' he came of age, since we couldna support him in tha house if he was outta work like tha'."

"Teide was so happy when me an' his mother gave him a box of candy for Christmas." Teide's father spoke up, fingers curling into a fist. "I didn't have the heart to tell him that it was just our maple syrup poured into the snow in swirling patterns."

"Your mother was a good one, Sai." Gintoki sighed. "She'd never accept payment for any healing she did, just let us pay her back in a well-made kettle when hers broke, or groceries when she ran low."

A little bit of pride crept into Sai's eyes at hearing such good words spoken of his mother, as well as the strange softness he had not experienced ever since she had died. _'It makes me proud to be her son, knowing that she was respected this much by such hardy people.'_ he admitted. _'It's a rare thing that I feel this 'pride' at all, but though it's labeled as a sin... it does feel nice.'_

"It sounds just like her." Sai said. "I'm not surprised..."

"What am I doing?" Gintoki suddenly burst out. "You're probably tired from standing up here this long. Get on down to that empty seat, Sai; it's yours now, and is every Thursday and Monday evenings, when we meet. Now, all, we need to figure out where the Kirigakure shinobi are going to stay... Ao-san, what did the Mizukage tell you? Did she figure anything out?"

The man blinked his grey eye and smiled in a superior way. "Our Lady has nearly everything figured out. We are going to scatter ourselves throughout the village, in houses abandoned during your village's decline..."

Sai was tempted to fade out of the conversation at times, when talk drifted towards economical issues. However, he forced himself to pay attention, as he knew Danzō wouldn't accept a half-completed report.

At last, the trapdoor was opened at half past midnight by a waiting Sabo, and the crowd climbed the ladder one by one. Sai scaled it swiftly and strode out of the room, emerging into cool night air. The sky was cloudy, with stars occasionally peeping out through holes in the fuzzy grey blanket before being veiled again. Climbing slowly up the hill and dragging his feet to feign weariness, Sai reached his cottage half an hour after everyone else had gone home. The Kirigakure nin were nowhere to be seen, presumably heading back to their own country under cover of darkness. To make doubly sure, the boy sat in the darkness of his home for an hour before venturing outside again. A stiff sea-wind arose, blowing away the clouds and giving him enough moonlight to see by.

Sai dipped his brush into ink and drew it out again, staring at the blank paper.

_'What could I write...?'_ he wondered uneasily. _'No matter what, the facts will still be clear and Danz__ō__ will interpret their actions as betrayal. Unless I don't tell him everything... no, he would know a lie when he sees it. My best chance is to just ask for continued involvement in this mission, and try to help them out whenever possible.'_

He started writing, the words flowing easily from his mind, through his arm, through his brush and onto the page. _Invited to a secret meeting in one of the villager's homes... gained their trust... steady alliance with Kirigakure... negotiated by emissionary of Mizukage..._

Placing his hands together in a seal, he gave a whispered command. The words began swirling and rearranging themselves, melting together into a hawk that left the page and darted into the night sky. Sai's dark eyes followed it until it vanished from sight. Then, reluctantly, he packed up his scrolls and stretched, heading back into the small house.

A reply came just two days later. It was eleven o clock at night when Sai returned to his cottage, hanging up his jacket in the darkness. Shadows dappled the floor in strange, exotic patterns, shifting positions as the clouds in the sky above drifted past. The waves still roared in the distance, but their sound was muted, as if some sea-spirit had drawn them back to rest.

A polite cough sounded behind him, and Sai whirled around. Crouching on the windowsill, outlined by the bright moonlight, was a masked person with a heavy cloak concealing the rest of his body. Sai hadn't even sensed his arrival, and immediately placed one hand on the concealed sheath in his waistband where he kept a kunai. The other Root noticed, but did not comment.

"Orders from Danzō-sama?" Sai asked quietly, and the man- or woman- nodded, taking out a scroll and unfurling it. They scanned it for a second, then touched a lit match to it and set it on fire. A stream of small grey ashes fell into a neat pile on the previously clean floor. Then, the Root member reached into his backpack and took out a folded cloth and a mask, tossing both onto the ground. Sai picked up the mask- _his_ mask, and the cloth, which unfolded to become the standard issue Foundation cloak.

"Gaki Village has been found guilty of level one treason." It was a man's voice that spoke from behind the mask, a deep voice lacking any feeling. "Dealing with enemy countries, housing enemy military forces, aiding and abetting enemy actions, and cutting off all ties with the parent country."

"The villagers aren't housing 'military forces' just yet; they simply are discussing things with them." Sai returned evenly. "I do not feel as if level one would be an appropriate charge."

"Yet that is the charge Danzō-sama has given, and his word is law." The man replied, tone as neutral as ever but the meaning behind his words hard as flint. "You of all people should know that." There was a long, terse silence between the two. Sai tried to see past the dark holes that the mask presented as eyes and into the soul within, but failed. He strove to think of an appropriate retort that would not make his position any more precarious, but could not create even one. The other man, by contrast, was perfectly poised, waiting for the inevitable surrender from his younger comrade. At last, Sai gave in and stiffly bowed his head.

"I do." Sai murmured. "I do know that, and I accept whatever order Danzō-sama lays upon me now."

"That is well." The man did not sound any different than before. "Then put on your mask and cloak, and ready your tools. Level one treason merits an equally harsh punishment. As Danzō-sama cannot allow the Land of Water to gain such a strong foothold in the Land of Fire, you must simply destroy it so they cannot use it."

Sai froze in the middle of donning his cloak, which hung loosely on his shoulders. The mask slipped out of his hands and dropped noiselessly to the ground.

"What...?" he asked quietly, voice trailing off. The Root member regarded him.

"Are the orders unclear? You must destroy the village, and eliminate anyone residing within it. Kirigakure will be forced to give up on its plans for invasion, and our homeland will be safe once more." The man paused. "You must remember that while Danzō-sama might forgive an honest failure, he will not tolerate traitors. Many questionable things have been done by the Foundation to guarantee the well-being of Konoha. You yourself have participated in many of them. It is for the good of the village. Keep that it mind." Leaping backwards, the shinobi dropped off the windowsill and disappeared into the darkness.

Sai stood mute, black eyes completely blank but stretched as wide as the full moon. He looked down at his hands. _'My hands...'_ he thought dimly. _'They're shaking.'_ Indeed, his hands were trembling like wind-blown leaves. Trying to soothe them, he clenched them into fists, but it only made the shaking worse. The horrible words from the Root member repeated in his head over and over, becoming louder each time. _'Eliminate anyone residing within it... that's my mission. It's what he intended for me to do, right from the start. He- he _knew_ I would become attached to them, he knew I'd react like this.'_ Squeezing his eyes shut, Sai let out a small, strangled noise, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. _'But I can't help it! Am I really so easily manipulated? These emotions... he warned me. I went and formed bonds with the villagers, and Danz__ō__-sama warned me that they would be broken. That if allowed to continue, they'd destroy me.'_

Sai's hand twitched in the direction of his backpack which rested on the table, then jerkily drew out his scrolls and brush. _'He's right. He's always right. I can't let emotions get in the way of the mission...'_

The first tiger he drew was shaky, malformed. It stretched a largely arched back and waved its too-straight tail.

_'I am a tool. I have n-no feelings. No name.'_ Sai took a shaky breath, and his hand steadied, making the next tiger nearly perfect, with only slightly overlarge paws. It sprung from the paper with a soundless roar, showing off impressively sharp teeth. _'No purpose but to serve Konoha.' _

The third and fourth tigers were flawless; huge black and white beasts with claws that could rip through human skin like soft butter, and were designed to do just that. The final, fifth tiger was finished with a flourish of the brush and a command spoken in a soft, flat voice. Sai drew his tantō and followed the tigers as they bounded noiselessly down the slope, eyes void of any emotion. Moving like wraiths in the night, they entered the village. The ink tigers separated, flowing outwards in different direction, entering different houses.

_'This is almost too easy...'_ Sai thought blandly. _'No defenses, none at all. They're so trusting.'_

_'And why shouldn't they be? They know that the Hokage isn't paying any attention to them. They have no idea they're going to be killed by someone they trusted and loved...'_

Sai shook his head, almost missing his concentration as he used his chakra control to climb the first house of the town. He couldn't afford losing himself to a different persona. _'The person they knew was an entirely different person than me. I simply transformed myself for the time being. In reality, I'm nothing' _he recited, over and over. Grabbing the windowsill, he vaulted into an oddly memorable room and landed noiselessly on his two feet.

The room he stood in had been _his_room once, when he stayed with the carpenter and his wife. Even now, they kept it spruced up for him should he visit. Some of his drawings hung on the wall. A vase of fresh wildflowers resided in a glass jug by his bedside, filling the room with a delicate and elusive scent.

Stepping out of the moonlight that shone through the window, Sai merged with the shadows lurking in the recesses of the bedroom. His blade glinted once as he passed swiftly across the doorway and into the room where he knew Natsu and his wife slept. True to expectation, they had left their door open. Sai glided through, shifting his hold on his tantō. Even if they somehow woke up, they would see a cloaked stranger, not him.

Tashigi shifted and murmured something in her sleep. One of her hands uncurled from the blanket and rested on the fan of golden-grey hair upon her pillow. Sai paused for a fraction of a second, then continued his approach. He could not help noticing they were both smiling in their sleep, snuggled close together. Sai readied his tantō, but his hand shook and he very nearly dropped it on Tashigi's sleeping form.

A small, distant part of him screamed desperately for him to stop, but ruthlessly Sai crushed this last bit of resistance. He could not afford another failure. The boy bent down and touched the edge of his sword to the woman's throat, sliding it across swiftly before the cold metal could awaken her. Moving to the other side of the bed, Sai reached over and did the same for her unfortunate husband.

Red blood coloured the white sheets, staining the bedclothes and skin of the bed's occupants. Some got on Sai's hands and soaked his gloves as he withdrew, but he simply shook his hand to let excess drops fly off. He wiped his tantō on the edge of the blanket and exited the way he had come, but this time he kept climbing to stand on the roof and survey the damage. His tantō hung loosely at his side, blank eyes flickering from left to right behind their mask.

A shrill scream rent the air. It ended abruptly as it came, leaving everything still for a moment more. Then, a light turned on in the window of one home. Sai saw the figure of Teide's father moving around, and then leaving out his bedroom's door clutching an old-style farming scythe in his hands. Sai looked down at the streets, searching for his tigers. They were near Teide's house, but not close enough to reach it in time before the man could get out and raise the alarm. Sighing, he brandished his tantō and leapt into the street, dashing with lightning speed to the familiar house with flowers on the windowsill. He came up in front of Teide's father just as the man opened the door.

The man's face registered only shock before Sai's sword flashed, cutting him down. The cloaked Root ran past him, letting the decapitated body fall heavily to one side, the lonely head's face still registering nothing but surprise. Sai darted past an armchair in his way and headed up the stairs. The lights suddenly flared on, and he saw Teide's mother standing at the top landing, her face white with fear. Her shaking hands clutched a large kitchen knife so tightly he would have thought she was attempting to break it.

"Teide, get back!" she ordered, her normally melodious voice high-pitched and off-key. "Get back!" This last statement could have been directed at Sai or the boy. "Who- who are you?" she demanded. Sai did not respond, simply increased his pace up the staircase to a run. As he drew near, she lunged with the knife.

_'A beginner's mistake.'_ Sai thought dully. The voice trying to stop him earlier had ceased its protests, vanishing from existence all together. _'Never lunge with such a small blade; it leaves too many openings.'_ He had learned the hard way when he was five years old, during preliminary weapons training. He still carried the small scar on his left shoulder where his dueling partner's katana ran him through. Sai sidestepped, movements smooth and practiced, and twirled once around while pushing out with his other hand. Using the momentum of the woman's fall and his own push, Sai let his tantō pass cleanly through her neck before reaching the top of the stairs. The woman, in the meanwhile, crashed down to the floor below.

"AIIEEEE!" The piercing warlike cry startled Sai, and he felt something small barrel into him. Moving by instinct, he pressed his left hand to his assailant's opposite shoulder and thus used their own velocity to redirect their center of balance. Teide found himself teetering on the first step and then falling, tumbling head over heads to land with a sickening _crack_ next to his mother's mutilated body.

Sai waited a moment to see if the child would stir. Then, carefully, he descended and lifted the small wrist, feeling for a pulse. There was none. The bright blue eyes that had stared up at him with admiration and laughter were as lifeless, as dull and cold as Sai's own black ones.

With no particular destination in mind, Sai slowly crossed the white-tiled floor. It was newly decorated with dark crimson and burgundy splotches and dots, creating an abstract that would have made any artist seethe with jealousy. He emerged into the street and kept walking down the middle, cloak swirling in the sudden gust of air that came from emerging out into the open. Some bodies were scattered on the edges of the streets, the bodies of those that had gotten past their front doors before being overtaken by the ink tigers.

Somehow, the scene felt wrong. Sai felt that such a massacre deserved at the very least burning houses and panicking civilians. But no; everything was deadly silent, and he had no company but for the deceased.

The masked figure glanced up at the sky. Thin wisps of clouds attempted and failed to veil the looming, painfully bright moon. Scared by its powerful yet pale glow, they hurried on their way to the distant horizon.

"Three hours before dawn..." Sai said quietly. "I must be far away by daybreak..." He sheathed his sword, adjusted his mask, and closed his eyes. No other little flickerings of life called out to him. Every little candle had been extinguished, so he relinquished his hold over the ink tigers and headed out of the village.

* * *

><p>The next chapter will mark the end of the timeskip, and thus the return of Sai to Konoha, to give a forewarning. Team Seven... reunite! =)<p>

I hope that you all took the time to read the quote (yes, I made this one up) in the beginning- it fits nicely with the chapter, right? Danzō being the capitalised 'He' and Sai the boy. Though, it might have been a little misleading...

I feel guilty, though, for writing something like that... and I feel like I messed it up. It's been hard getting up the writing feeling of late, for some reason or other. Plus, I might have enjoyed myself too much writing that last scene where the village is massacred- deadly, skilled Sai is just too much fun to write- so if it disturbed you, I apologize.


	9. Beyond Repair

_"Always mistrust a subordinate who never finds fault with his superior." _~William Collins

* * *

><p>Little dark shapes darted across a wide, vividly blue expanse of sky. The sparrows darted to and fro, heading back from the park where free bread bits were given out by children and to their hungry young. Standing on the eaves of a thick oak grove was a black-haired boy in a forest green jumpsuit and a girl with bubblegum pink hair. The boy was breaking bits off of a loaf of bread and tossing them into the air, watching delightedly as three finches competed for the food, swooping down to catch it mid-air.<p>

"Oh, no!" Rock Lee cried. "Sakura-san! Look!" He held up his drastically shortened loaf for the kunoichi to see. "Two more, and it'll be all gone! I don't want these gentle little birds to go hungry!"

"They've gotten enough bread to feed a family of ten chicks twice over." Sakura sighed, but nonetheless produced a little roll of bread from the white grocery bag she had slung over her left shoulder. "Here. They can have this; I'm not hungry for anything right now."

"No, no!" Lee shook his head emphatically. "I cannot accept this! Was it not your lunch?"

"Just take it." Sakura shoved the bread at him while sounding exasperated, but her upward-tilted lips said otherwise. "I have another we can share later." When Lee still refused, she shrugged and tore a piece off of the roll, tossing it lightly into the air. A small, yellow-chested finch darted for the piece and caught it, flying into the woods. Lee laughed upon the sight.

"Amazing! You are as kind and caring as ever, Sakura-san!"

Sakura smiled at him, then tensed and put a finger to her lips, signaling for him to be quiet.

"Shh." she whispered. "Someone's coming through the trees." Almost instinctively, Lee moved to stand between Sakura and the oak grove, looking warily at the thickly covered branches. His foot shifted a step backwards, and he lifted his arms to get into battle position. A branch rustled as a hidden foot pressed too much weight on it and a single green leaf spiraled down.

"Whoever they are, they're not very stealthy." Lee remarked.

"Hey!" An indignant voice cried from above them. "I'm the _master_ of ste- eep!" The retort was broken off by a loud, startled cry as a branch from the oak tree closest to them broke, sending an orange-suited figure tumbling unceremoniously to the ground below. "Damnit, I thought that one was stable!"

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, surprised by his sudden appearance. A large smile spread across her face. "You look so... grown up!"

The Uzumaki boy stood up stiffly, brushing dirt off of himself. He gave the two a huge grin that nearly blinded them with the brightness of it.

"Man, it's so good to be home!" he declared. "Are you kidding me, Sakura? _You're_ the one that's so different now- but prettier, too! And- and this _Bushy Brows?_!"

Rock Lee beamed at Naruto, snatching his hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "Naruto-kun! It has been too long!"

Laughing, Naruto tried to extricate himself from the strong grip. "Hey, watch it! Are you trying to break my fingers? Guess you haven't changed much at all, Lee, 'xcept your eyebrows are even bushier!"

"You finally finished your training with Jiraiya-san?" Sakura questioned. "That's great! You have to tell us about it!"

Memories of many days spent in the bushes at the edge of a hot springs with his master sprang unbidden to Naruto's mind. He ran a hand through his hair self-consciously, embarrassed just by thinking about how much time he had spent with Jiraiya helping him with his 'research' for his perverted _Icha Icha_ novels. Trying to change the topic, he asked,

"So you guys were hanging out? Kinda friends now?" As far as Naruto remembered, Sakura had been creeped out by Lee's constant professions of undying love, and would never dare to step within one meter of the hyperactive boy. Thus, he'd never have imagined that he'd see the day when Sakura acted perfectly civil to Rock Lee.

"Well, actually, we've been together now for a year." Sakura reached out and clasped Lee's larger, bandage-wrapped hand. Lee glanced down at her, and a look passed between them. Naruto felt at a loss as he glimpsed that look, as if he were intruding upon something private. There was a world of love and affection in his two friend's eyes. He could not even begin to guess what had happened to bring them so close together while he was gone, and didn't want to try. A strange emotion rose up in Naruto's throat, preventing him from speaking for a minute. Sakura looked so... so _happy._ Her jade green eyes shone like two brilliant suns as they captured and held Lee's intent, focused gaze that was characteristic of the boy.

"R-Really?" Naruto forced a smile when one was not forthcoming. Quickly, his mind made up what he was going to say. "You two? Together? Wow!" The words came easier as he kept talking, more to take his mind off of what he had seen than to be any real conversation. "Can't say I thought it was going to happen, but congratulations!"

Apparently, he had changed so much that neither Lee or Sakura, who should have known him better, saw through his smile.

"Thank you!" Sakura replied, beaming.

"This is great!" Naruto hastily changed topic again. "Hey, Sakura, I saw Kakashi-sensei earlier! How about we go grab him and call up Sai, and we..." he trailed off. The happiness had slid off of Sakura's face, shadowing her features. "What's wrong?"

"It won't be that easy." she said darkly. "After you left, I went looking for Sai, but he hadn't been in his apartment. We waited, but he never came back. He's been gone; gone from the village these whole two years, just like you, except we've no idea where he went. I asked Tsunade about him, and she said she'd look into the matter, but all she was able to tell me was that he left on a mission the same day you left with Jiraiya-san."

A note of distress entered Naruto's voice. "That can't be..." he murmured, then raised his voice, sounding angry. "I knew something was wrong! He looked really weird when that cloaked guy came for him that last day! He looked almost..." He strove to remember the last time he had seen Sai. They had clasped hands as a way of farewell; the feeling came back so vividly that Naruto's hand tightened, as if still holding Sai's gloved hand in his own. There had been apprehension in Sai's black eyes, and something else. "He looked almost sad..." Clearly troubled, Naruto began wandering off. "Gotta find sensei..."

"I hope nothing happened to him..." Sakura turned to Lee. "Lee, me and Naruto are going to go find Kakashi-sensei. Would you like to come?"

"I would never intrude upon the affairs of a team other than mine, Sakura-san! Unless you wish me to come, I shall wait right here for your return."

"No, you can go to your own team." Sakura answered, squeezing his hand tightly before letting go, following after Naruto. "I might be awhile."

The two fell into a heavy silence after leaving the oak grove. Sakura kept glancing at Naruto, trying to compare him with the Naruto she had once known.

"Kakashi-sensei sometimes lounges on the roof of his apartment building." she prodded Naruto's shoulder. "Are you listening? We can go look for him there."

"Typical." he groused as they redirected their steps torward a tall, mint green construction. "The jonin apartments? Just watch as we get jumped by one, thinking we're robbers."

"Nobody's stupid enough to rob a chunin, let alone a jonin. Someone tried to rob _my_ house, thinking that since I was a girl they had a chance, but by then Tsunade's training did me good and I sent them clear off to the Hokage monuments to decorate the cliffs..." Sakura broke off with a giggle at the memory.

"Sakura-chan, you're a chunin now?" Naruto was flabbergasted. "When did this happen?"

"Lots of us received promotions. I took the exams with Lee and Tenten, all of us getting promoted eventually, since Neji was already promoted to jonin. Kiba's team all made chunin, too."

"And the Sand siblings? What about them?" Naruto interrupted. Sakura frowned as she tried to recall what had become of the odd trio.

"Far as I know, Temari and Kankuro are either chunin or tokubetsu jonin... and Gaara..." she hesitated, unwilling to impart the truth. "Gaara..." Her memory flashed back, to a sunny summer day just a month ago. _'Tsunade was standing in the office looking down at some paper,'_ Sakura recalled. _'When I asked what it was, she actually told me, but it wasn't something I had ever thought I'd hear.'_

Naruto fidgeted nervously at her silence. "What is it?" he burst out, aggravated. "Okay! Fine! So he's a jonin and I'm still a genin! I get it!"

"Naruto... he's the new Kazekage." Sakura muttered quietly. Seeing shock, then an alarmingly bright glimmer in Naruto's wide blue eyes, Sakura reached out and patted him on the shoulder. _'This is definitely Naruto. Of course he'd be upset, instead of happy for him. Underneath that new orange suit- which isn't that much different, anyways- and past that stronger face, he's still the annoying but determined little kid I knew.'_

"It's all right, Sakura." Naruto murmured softly, gently pushing her hand off of his shoulder. "All that means is that now, I have to work harder than ever, and eventually they'll see that, and I'll be the new Hokage!" His gloomy face transformed like lightning as a wide smile split his features. Sakura blinked and then laughed, placing one foot on the wall of the apartment building.

"Wow, the dummy grew up!" Sakura teased. "Though looking back on your attempted sneak attack, maybe you didn't change at all!" Taking another step, she began walking up the face of the wall, Naruto following. Every now and then, she would look backwards to make sure he hadn't fell. "You've gotten better at chakra control." she noted.

Naruto shrugged, an act that looked odd when horizontal. "So have you. It's not like we've been doing nothing all this time. You just wait; genin or no, once we get a proper mission, I'll show you just how much I've learned from Pervy Sage!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Pervy Sage...? Jiraiya-san...?" Reaching up with one arm, she grabbed the railing at the edge of the roof and hoisted herself up. "I really don't want to know..."

With a chuckle, Naruto leaped after her, performing an excessive twirl while in midair before landing neatly on his feet. They turned around, and immediately spied a tall figure leaning against the railings to their left with his arms crossed and eyes closed. He wore an uncharacteristically long black jacket with red straps, black pants, and gloves with the tip of the index and thumb covers cut off.

"Hello, ugly, dickless." Sai greeted them, opening his eyes and looking them over. "Waiting for Kakashi-sensei as well, I presume?"

Sakura gaped at her third teammate, but at the sound of a sharp intake of breath beside her she shook herself out of her reverie. Naruto's hands were curling into fists, his face reddening. Recognizing the warning signs, she made a grab for his arm, but missed and the boy stormed forwards to stand right in front of Sai.

"What the hell's that?" he demanded. "A 'hello' and two insults, and that's _it?_ That's all you can say after two years of not seeing either of us? Aren't you happy that we're all together again?"

Sai just looked at him blankly. "Happy?" he questioned. "Is that what a person's supposed to feel when they see old teammates after a short absence? Thank you, I'll keep that in mind, but I do not think I am capable of feeling 'happy'."

"_Short_?" Naruto continued, not put off in the slightest. "Two years isn't _short_! What kind of mission takes two freaking years to complete?"

Sai didn't look bothered by Naruto's clear anger. Instead of showing a hint of shame or annoyance like the old Sai would have done, he simply blinked and gave a tiny shrug. "That information is classified. You have neither the right nor the need to know."

"The _right_ to know? Of course I've a right to know what went on! I'm your teammate- your _friend_! Isn't that enough?" Naruto demanded through clenched teeth. "There's nothing you can't tell your friends!"

Sai slowly uncrossed his arms and stood up. Naruto took a step backwards, suddenly struck by the boy's height; he wasn't towering over him, but the Jinchuuriki still had to tilt his head upwards to meet his eyes. When he did, he felt a shiver run through his body despite the warmth of the sun upon his back. He didn't see any annoyance, sadness, happiness, or even boredom in Sai's gaze. Naruto felt as if he were staring down a fathoms-deep pit with absolutely nothing at its bottom.

"Friends...?" Sai began. "I don't have anything that you would call a 'friend'. Perhaps I did, once upon a time... but I was weak and inexperienced. I do not possess any of your human wants. I simply exist for the mission, that is all; and currently, our mission is to find our team leader and form a training schedule."

All of the fight left Naruto's limbs then. Despair crept in, weakening his knees and making them tremble slightly.

"What happened to you, Sai?" Naruto reached to take him by the wrist, but the boy drew back as if burned. Blue stared into black in a silent battle of wills. "Why are you like this?" To his shame, he heard his voice waver, and Sai's face began to get blurry. Furiously, Naruto blinked away the tears of frustration and bit his lip. _'It's not fair! I thought that it would be a happy reunion! Why is it, that every time I try to make things right, they end up backfiring and I lose a friend!'_

Sai watched him dispassionately. _'Naruto is the same as always... feelings on the surface and easily expressed, yet also easily wounded. Yet more proof that emotions will get you nowhere...'_ he thought. _'I have to end this. It's too pitiful to watch.'_ Looking up and past a frozen Sakura, he saw a figure vault over the railings and land frog-like on them, a new blue book in his hands. _'Ah. Perfect timing.'_

"Kakashi-sensei." he greeted the jonin neutrally. "We were just looking for you."

The silver-haired man looked between his three students, trying to judge the atmosphere.

"Good to see you back, Sai. And thanks for the book, Naruto, it's proving as excellent as the first edition." Stuffing the new edition of _Icha Icha _into a large front pocket, he leapt lightly down onto the roof. "Hokage-sama wants to see us all in her office, immediately. She disclosed nothing except that it was urgent." He did not mention the obvious tension that hung in the air.

"We're coming." Sai answered, sliding past Naruto and walking past Sakura. "Sakura, Naruto." The sound of her name jolted Sakura into action. She turned around, mouth opening to say something to Sai, but he had already leapt onto the next building's roof.

"Damnit!" Naruto swore, his knuckles white from the strain. "That bastard, who does he think he is?"

Kakashi didn't comment, but by then he completely understood what had happened. Saying nothing, he took up the rear position as their newly reformed team bounded across Konohagakure's heights to the Hokage Office.

_'That's exactly it, Naruto.'_ The jonin kept his gaze fixed on the distant, black and white figure of Sai. _'He doesn't think he's anything, and that's were the trouble lies.'_

"Naruto, Sakura." Tsunade addressed the two first as soon as Team Kakashi lined up before her, having of course entered by the door. Single shinobi giving reports (to her utmost consternation) liked using her window, but two or more typically entered the civilian way. The Hokage's russet eyes were stern, with some veiled anxiety, and when she clasped her fingers together she clenched tightly like she would never pull them apart. "This mission should concern you very closely. Naruto, Kakashi told me that you'd never settle for anything less than an A-Rank after your absence. Normally, your opinion wouldn't matter to me in the slightest-"

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed.

"...but unfortunately, luck seems to be on your side and not on ours. An emergency missive was recently sent from Suna. Our decoding team has been working on it, and just ten minutes ago they discovered that it was a request for us to send aid, immediately. Basically, it's a call for help, without imparting any details of the crisis. Since we know so little, it's an A-Ranked mission. I'm sending Team Kakashi to find the source of the problem and aid Suna in whatever ways possible. Some of you, I imagine, have had past experience dealing with the Land of Wind." Her gaze rested momentarily on the two ex-ANBU. "Thus, you are well qualified for this task. I cannot send anyone better."

"Except for yourself." Sakura added, smiling, and Tsunade smiled back.

"Maybe so, Sakura, maybe so. But I can't leave my office just like that. I wish you the best of luck." Understanding the clear dismissal, the team left the office.

"We have to leave now, right? Don't we have time to prepare?" Naruto asked.

"For an emergency response mission, there are pre-prepared items we take with us so we can leave immediately." Sai said, not looking at him. "You should know this, Naruto. Every genin studies it to pass the first part of the Chunin exams." Naruto jumped, and then turned around to give him a startled look. "Ah, but I forgot. You haven't passed them yet, have you?"

The blonde boy's face coloured, and Sakura winced. It was hard to tell with Sai, but intentionally or unintentionally, he had hit a nerve.

"Oh yeah?" he retorted. "Who did _you _take the exams with? You said it yourself- you don't _have _any friends, right?"

"It doesn't matter who I took them with. My old team members are all dead." Sai stated calmly. He didn't bother stating that after the exams, he had been the one to kill them in a traditional Foundation duel. "And teammates aren't friends."

"They should be!" Naruto flared up once more. He grabbed Sai's arm just as the boy reached out to take a backpack off a shelf in the room they were passing through. "What's going on? You can't just decide that you hate us all of sudden!"

Blank, dead eyes met his, and then with slow and deliberate movements, Sai turned his arm around, forcing Naruto to let go.

"I don't hate you." was his only reply. "Though, it you keep irritating me about what I 'can' and 'cannot' do, then I just might develop hate for you." Seething, Naruto whipped around and snatched another backpack, rifling through its contents to take his mind off of his infuriating teammate. Sai noticed Kakashi staring at him, and gave his team leader a small fake smile. "Shall we head off, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Soon enough, but first, do you and Naruto need to resolve any... er, differences in opinion before we go? I'm sure that the other members of this group as well as I would highly appreciate not feeling like constant intermediators the whole mission." Kakashi smiled lightly through his mask, matching Sai's fake smile with a more real, fairly pleasant one that made his leaderly reprimand a little less harsh. _'I'm not about to scold them both like naughty children... that would resolve nothing. However, knowing _him_, he's likely to have prepared his subordinate for such an issue. He's changed Sai so much... that look in his eye... I feel as if he's been broken beyond our repair.'_

"Of course." Sai replied mildly. "I apologize for any disorderly conduct, sensei, Naruto, and any offence that my words may cause. I am afraid that I can be overly candid at times, but I believe my words to be the truth."

"Oh, well, if you put it like that..." Clearly, Naruto was thrown off by Sai's ready apology. Kakashi, however, stared intently at Sai.

_'It came too easy... he definitely prepared it beforehand...'_

Naruto was about to just shrug and turn away before a new thought struck him, and his face practically turned purple in his anger. "OI! That's NOT cool! 'I believe my words to be the truth'?" he mimicked. "Bull! So that means you really think I'm- I'm-" Choking on his own rage, he fell into an aggrieved silence. Sakura caught Sai's eye, warring mentally with him.

_'Don't do it... Don't do it, Sai...' _she prayed. However, Sai's lips quirked with what would have been amusement if not for his deadened eyes. Sakura recognized the telltale signs from the early days of Team Seven and braced herself.

"What, dickless? Absolutely."

* * *

><p>Little flames from a simple candle-powered lamp lit up but a tiny portion of the small, Spartan-style room. They fell across the pages of an ancient-looking book on mythology, highlighting stained yellowish paper and vivid, terrifying scenes of war and conquest. Danzō flipped to the next page with barely a sound, his one eye trained on the faded black kanji. To all appearances, he was reading. However, his attention was in fact broken into fractions: One quarter devoted to the book, another quarter to the goings-on of the world outside his window, and one-half to the two ANBU crouching silently in the room right above his, peeking through floorboards. Danzō had to hold back an exclamation of contempt. Yes, the two ANBU were quite good by shinobi standards. However, the elder man's years of experience and hidden skills made their presence quite obvious.<p>

_'Though, why observe me now...? Usually, I only detect them following me around when I leave the central area of the village. Hrm... The departure of Team Kakashi for Suna. They want to catch me giving orders to my subordinate, but they have failed in that aspect...' _Danzō's eye fell a picture depicting a tall man wreathed in flames, who appeared to be wielding a short brush like a baton. His opponent, a fire jutsu user, was curled up on the ground as if in great pain. _'Ah, yes, Katon the Hell Painter. I must admit, when I first saw the boy's ability for the first time, I became rather too enthusiastic about his possibilities, thinking that maybe even I could have someone like Katon under my command. Perhaps I should have not taught him what I did, after his first detour from duty. And now, with Eagle telling me what that boy said...'_

Forgetting about keeping up the appearance of reading for the moment, Danzō paused in the middle of turning a page and recalled how he had met with one of his subordinates in the deeps of the Root hideout. He had sent Eagle to bring Sai his orders about the cleansing of the village, and the report he had received from his loyal subordinate disturbed him deeply.

_'He tried to mitigate their punishment... showed shock at the harshness of it... it ended up being far worse than I had expected. Just what kind of powers does this Naruto Uzumaki have? I send one of my most trusted and most loyal subordinates to temporarily serve on his team... and somehow, he manages to turn a simple replacement into the idealistic "friend". Given a little more time, Sai would have almost been beyond repair. Keh... I should have known this would happen. His father, obedient ever since infancy, started deviating right around this age, as well... It was too much to hope that that his heritage wouldn't surface.'_

Danzō folded over the upper left corner of his page and then closed the book. After he put it on the floor, he remained sitting on the couch, staring into space for a long while. The presence of the ANBU above him remained constant, but he didn't mind; Tsunade could have him watched all she wanted, but nobody she sent would be able to read his thoughts or follow his plans.

_'For now, I'll keep him on Team Kakashi. There, he has the best chance of getting to Uchiha Sasuke. However, should I still lose him to that Uzumaki boy... there is always a second option, but I would rather not resort to it unless he directly disobeys my orders.'_

* * *

><p>I would like to be able to say something else, but I can't, so... Hn.<p>

That sums it all up, I'd say... too much SAT study and the grueling test this morning make the perfect recipe for tiredness, but now at least I can get around to writing more! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Their reunion was a tall hurdle for me to jump, but now as the anime/manga gets into an exciting arc I have an exciting plot coming up, along with startling future developments =)


	10. Hell Painter

_"...But through me, it would work things too terrible to imagine." _~ Gandalf, _Lord of the Rings_, J.R.R. Tolkein

* * *

><p>"Say, Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto spoke at last, breaking the long and uncomfortable silence. He was wedged in between the old lady Chiyo who had jumped Kakashi and his sensei, with Chiyo's brother sitting on the left end of the bench and Sai sitting next to Kakashi on the opposite end. When taking their seats, Naruto had pointedly left a wide space between himself and Sai, although the boy paid it no heed and remained staring into space. "Who was that White Fang guy that this old lady was talking about? What's he like?"<p>

Kakashi's head lifted and he focused on the opposite wall, expression as blank as Sai's. "Now that's a question... let's see, who was he, exactly? I suppose I know him best as my father."

Sai heard the exclamations of surprise from the others, and formed a quip. Readily armed, he could not resist turning to Naruto for his attack. "The two elders of Suna I can understand, but really Naruto, I am constantly taken aback by your ignorance. The White Fang's name should be known the best among those of his village, if not in any good sense."

Ignoring the jibe and the boy who said it, Kakashi got up as a Sunagakure nin approached. His head was partially wrapped in cloth to protect it from sandstorm-level winds, while his weathered face bore several horizontal red markings on one side. The man extended a large green scroll to Kakashi, who took it and rolled it open.

"Baki-san, right?" Kakashi asked, scanning the paper.

"Aye. That message just came from Konohagakure, written by your Hokage." Baki answered cordially, and Kakashi gave him a brief nod of thanks. Tensions between Suna and Konoha had decreased dramatically ever since Orochimaru's and the Land of Wind's failed attack on the Hidden Leaf.

_'Strange how alliances go in this world.'_ Kakashi reflected. _'Just a few years ago, we were fighting to the death; now the same two shinobi are on neutral, even friendly terms, able to stand in each other's presence without attempting to kill the other. Not that I don't appreciate this peace, though; grudges are far too much trouble than they're worth.'_

"Kakashi-sensei, what did the Tsunade-baachan say? What did grandma say?" Naruto demanded, taking a peek at the scroll. Sai leaned back against the wall with his eyes closed and arms crossed. He appeared to be disinterested, but in fact he was listening closely to his two teammate's conversation.

"She's sent Gai's team to back us up." The jonin replied. "They'll be here in time to aid us in tracking down the Akatsuki. Baki-san, how exactly _do_ you plan to track them down?"

Reaching into his pocket, the Suna-nin drew out a ragged piece of black cloth. "This. Kankuro, during his fight with one of the two Akatsuki that took Gaara away, managed to steal a piece of their clothing with one of his puppets. It's not much, but..." shrugging, Baki gave the cloth to Kakashi. "I hope it will suffice."

"It will. Thank you." Kneeling, Kakashi placed his palm on the ground. Black lines comprised on miniscule runes radiated outwards before exploding in a puff of smoke. Immediately, a strong smell of canine filled the room, with a few preliminary yelps. Naruto stared in awe at the summoned pack. Most of them were unfamiliar to him. The only one he recognized, Pakkun, rested lazily on the head of a gigantic ebony-brown bulldog. All of the nin-dogs bore a blue jacket with an unrecognizable white insignia on the back. They crowded around their master, sniffing eagerly at the black cloth. "Get ahold of this one's scent trail." he told them. "When you do, report back to me. Pakkun, you got that?"

"Aye, boss." The little pug growled. "You're onto something big this time; whoever you're chasing has the strangest scent I've smelled in ages. And dragging the kids along, too?" the pug looked up at Naruto and Sai. "Heey, Naruto."

"Pakkun!" Naruto grinned broadly. "Same as always!"

"You too." Pakkun gave a doggy chuckle and darted off with the rest of his pack. Naruto leapt to his feet, determination shining in his eyes.

"All right! Let's go after Gaara!" he declared.

"Not so fast, Naruto..." Kakashi interjected, rising from his kneeling position. "We've had a long journey, and besides, the dogs aren't back yet. Baki-san offered us a place to stay for the night, which we're going to take."

"But, sensei... The longer we wait, the farther away Gaara gets!" Naruto whined, shifting his weight restlessly from foot to foot.

"Kakashi-sensei is right, Naruto." A soft voice said from behind them. Sai was standing up and stretching, unruffled by the glare Naruto gave him. "Kazekage-sama can wait, wherever he is. You're always doing this, rushing into a situation and then getting into trouble because you're too weak and stupid to handle it. Leave now, and we'll end up having to rescue you, too."

Bristling, Naruto marched up to Sai, planting himself in front of him. "The hell?" Naruto snapped. "You just don't care about what happens to Gaara, do you?" _'Shit, he's doing it again! I gotta- I gotta make him stop!'_ Naruto took another step forward, and instinctively, Sai's hand shifted upwards to his tantō. It was the merest suggestion of a movement, but Naruto caught it, and reacted impulsively. His fist came up and his fingers curled around a portion of Sai's jacket, but by that time the boy had mastered his fighting instinct and stared impassively at him.

"Of course I care." Sai said evenly. "Rescuing him is part of the mission we were assigned. Rescuing you is not."

"The _mission?_" Naruto couldn't believe his ears. "That's all you care about? The _mission?_" The blank expression on Sai's face did not change, and more rage bubbled up in Naruto's body. His fist tightened, drawing Sai's shirt collar uncomfortably tight. "Damnit, Sai! I can't stand you! You-" Naruto bit back his harsh words, visibly struggling to keep himself from blurting them out. "I thought you learned that it's not all about the mission. You're not alone. We can _help_ you. You just have to trust me."

"Trust?" Sai asked softly. "What is trust? A useless ideal that simply gets you killed."

Naruto's mouth opened and then closed like a fish's. _'Cmon, Naruto, say something!'_ his mind implored. _'Shit, but I can't! Just looking at him... at the way he says it like he truly believes it... nothing comes to mind. How! Just HOW can I reach him!'_

"Going from annoying brat to a good guy, and then becoming the biggest bastard ever! What's wrong with you?" the boy suddenly exploded.

The two Suna elders and shinobi exchanged uneasy looks in the background. Kakashi raised his hands placatingly, but neither of his students took notice.

"I wouldn't say the biggest." Sai answered coolly, making no attempt to push Naruto away. _'Really, Naruto... how many times must I show you that I'm not the weak, foolish child I once was? Why do you persist in keeping up the illusion that I actually do care, somewhere deep down? Why do you persist in fighting me?'_"At least I didn't betray you like Sasuke did."

Suddenly, the room fell into a deathly quiet. Kakashi's shoulders sagged as he saw Naruto lower his head. _'He did it...'_ the silver-haired man thought wearily. _'Whenever that name is dropped, it always has this effect...'_

"No." Naruto murmured softly. "No, you're wrong. You _did_ betray us, in a way you'd never understand." Letting his grip go loose, Naruto let go of Sai's shirt and started walking away, sticking both his hands deep into his pockets. "And somehow, it hurts just as much."

Sai gazed at his retreating form unseeingly, his black eyes a little wider than normal. _'I...betrayed them? I, the replacement, mattered that much to them...? _Images of mangled bodies and dark, empty houses passed before his eyes; then a child's body, the neck curiously contorted, lying next to a woman's corpse. He'd betrayed_ them,_ too, and did he care about a simple mission like that? Sai's face hardened, mending the crack in his mask that Naruto had managed to create. _'Betrayal is an empty word; it might be how they feel, but it does not matter to me.'_ Noticing the odd stares he was receiving, Sai put on a small smile. "Where is our team going to sleep, Baki-san?"

* * *

><p>The sky, showing in patches beyond the rustling green leaves, was a faint blue tinted by the last oranges and yellows of the sunrise. An early morning mist escaped the small, burbling river and lingered in the damp air before the daytime sun could chase it away. Team Kakashi and Lady Chiyo bent down by the riverside, filling up their water bottles after the long run from Suna to its unnamed neighboring land. Or rather, the younger shinobi filled their water bottles while Chiyo mimicked Kakashi and leaned against a tree.<p>

Naruto stole a sideways glance at Sai. He seemed to familiar, and yet so different at the same time. It was a stranger that knelt beside him with a pair of charcoal-black eyes reflecting the water's glimmer; it was a stranger that took a single, refreshing sip of the cold river water before capping his bottle and placing it once more in his pack. As Sai stood, his faded black jacket and black pants contrasted sharply with his whitened surroundings, but his paper-white skin went perfectly with the thick morning mist. Naruto's gaze became distant as he remembered seeing Sai among a very different kind of fog, one that was threatening and oppressive instead of gentle and soft like this one. Then, he had taken ahold of Sai's hand, afraid of losing him in the whiteness, and had been surprised by its warmth.

_'Funny.'_ he thought scathingly. _'I was so scared of losing him then, but when I finally felt safe enough to let him go, he slipped and fell this far... just being around him, I felt like things were back to normal. He was so warm back then, not just his hand- his feelings... ah, what am I thinking?'_ Mentally, Naruto slapped himself. _'Don't think like that! Weird thoughts!' _

"What are you staring at me for?" Sai's toneless voice broke through his reverie. Naruto blinked and opened his mouth to answer, but Sai had already started turning away. "Come on. The others are already in the trees. You have to keep up."

"Sai-" Breaking off, Naruto lunged forward and grabbed his hand. The face that turned to meet him was not that of a young, pale boy with surprise clear in his eyes, confusion that would be swiftly replaced by the beginnings of kindness. The voice, too, was flat and low, nothing at all like the reassuring words he longed to hear.

"What are you doing, dickless? Going to spout some more colourful speeches, when you know everything I hear is in shades of grey?"

Slowly, Naruto released Sai's hand and stepped past him. "No..." he muttered. "Just thought I saw something behind you, that's all. We oughta get going, anyways." _'His hand was still warm.'_ Naruto thought despondently. _'But he couldn't be any more cold.'_ He could not hear Sai following him nor sense his presence, but he knew that he was there. Up ahead, Naruto spotted the rest of the group and sped up, jumping into the trees just as Sakura lagged behind and matched her pace with his.

"What's up?" she whispered, eyes flickering behind Naruto and then back to him again. "Did you and Sai fight, or something?"

"I dunno!" Naruto snapped back under his breath. "Why should I care what he does or doesn't do? He's just a replacement- I don't give a crap if he wants to fight or not." Startled by his harsh words, Sakura fumbled for a reply. There was a silence filled only by the distant chirping of birds and the little _taps_ their feet made on the tree branches after her teammates' outburst. Naruto was looking straight ahead, but Sakura looked directly into his wide blue eyes. In contrast to what he had said, Naruto's eyes were filled with anger and an overwhelming confusion.

"You _did_ fight." she said decisively. "Maybe not just now, but knowing you, you definitely did. Listen, Naruto, I'm sure Sai doesn't really mean it. He's just... a little off now, but he'll soon be back to normal."

"No, Sakura." Naruto said bitterly. "He meant every word he said. He really _doesn't_ care about us anymore. He doesn't care if I'm his friend, or not. No matter what I do, he just won't listen. He's even _worse_ than Sasuke, with an even _thicker_ skull if that's possible!"

Sakura sighed, and directed her attention to her surroundings while pondering an answer. "Don't be disheartened, Naruto. It isn't like you." she murmured gently. "I'm his teammate, too. But as his comrades- and as his _friends_, no matter what he may claim- we can't give up on him." When Naruto didn't immediately reply, she smiled at him. _'It's really Lee's thing, cheering up others. But for Naruto-baka, I can give it a shot.'_ "Think about it, okay?"

"Yeah. I will." Naruto said softly. The mists had cleared away, allowing them to see that the forest had come to end. Naruto and Sakura jumped down to stand beside Kakashi and Chiyo, who had stopped for some reason. Sai jumped down a moment later, standing next to Naruto as if nothing had happened. However, instead of shying away, the Jinchuuriki stared ahead in shock.

Facing them on a patch of sandy grass was a tall young man with two diagonal wrinkles in his face that made him looked far older. A stiff wind ruffled his ponytailed black hair and made the edges of his long black and red robe swirl around his ankles and wrists. The sun, shining in full force now that they were out from under the cool green blanket of the forest, glinted on a silver leaf-engraved headguard with a leaf engraved upon it. Silence reined supreme in those few, breathless moments. Neither party spoke. As if sensing the tension, the woodland birds had stopped singing and trusting to their instincts, flown away from the imminent danger.

"Ah. So it's you." Kakashi broke the silence.

"Kakashi-sensei, just who is he?" Sakura's fists tightened. She redirected her chakra flow to her feet and her fists, ready to either strike out or dodge. The man was a stranger to her, but she recognized the red swirls on the cloak to be the cloud pattern characteristic of the Akatsuki.

"That man..." Kakashi paused to study their opponent closely, searching for the miniscule shifts in posture that would indicate an incoming jutsu. "Uchiha Itachi, formerly of the Hidden Leaf." With one hand, he slowly pushed up his headband and opened his left eye, exposing his own Sharingan. "Don't think this will be like last time." he addressed the Uchiha. "You caught me by surprise back then. I'm no slouch- this battle won't be at all like our last fight."

"Yeah!" Naruto glared fiercely at Itachi, who looked back at him with the same impassive expression that Sai wore. "I trained a lot, too! I'm not a dumb kid anymore, believe it!"

"I'm inclined not to." Itachi said coolly.

"Naruto, Sai, back me up, but whatever you do, don't look into his eyes. Study his feet and hands to predict what he will do. Sakura- protect Chiyo-san and be careful. We can't lose our medical nins. Don't let your guard down even for a moment. This guy..." Kakashi tensed, seeing Itachi's foot slide backwards an inch. "He's no ordinary opponent."

Sai drew out his scroll and paintbrush, but did not make a move. "Naruto." he whispered, so quietly that only the blonde could catch his words. "Cover for me."

"Why?" Naruto hissed. "Why should I help you?"

"Because we need to win." Sai's reply was brief. "I need some time for my jutsu; just work with Kakashi-sensei. As soon as I give you two an opening, then strike." He leapt backwards, perching on the branch of a tree on the outermost eaves of the forest. Naruto saw his brush begin its journey across the previously blank scroll.

_'Just what is he doing?'_ the blonde boy wondered. _'I thought he only made those animal like things. What's he doing that would take so long?'_

"Naruto!" Kakashi's call jolted Naruto back to attention, and he charged into battle.

Sai's dark eyes were trained on the paper, nearly all of his concentration devoted to his art. Hearing an explosion, he glanced up and saw that Naruto had hit one of Itachi's clones with a Rasengan, then saw him freeze in place. _'Ah, of course...'_ he thought idly, never stopping his brush strokes. _'Of course Naruto would be the first to caught in one of Itachi's notorious genjutsus. However, it is not my concern right now. One of the others can aid him, as long as Itachi's attention is kept away from me. I must admit, working in a team again has its benefits. I would never be able to use this jutsu in a solo battle, nor could I use it in an ambush like so many of my Root missions.'_ Dipping his brush into an attached inkwell on the scroll, he tapped it lightly on the page and gave it a flick, creating an alternating pattern of wispy lines and darker spots. With each new stroke, his body felt a little bit heavier. Sweat beaded his forehead despite the cooling breeze, but he did not stop. _'I shouldn't make this one too detailed, as I might need my energy for a follow-up battle... but this is an S-Rank missing nin. If my attack does not deal sufficient damage, the Uchiha might parry either Kakashi's or Naruto's next strike. I'll go with the fourth level for this attack... And his eyes- no matter what, I cannot look into his eyes or else all this will go to waste.'_

However, the pressure didn't faze Sai. It was true that most opponents he had faced previously were far less intimidating than Itachi, but then again he had taken on a couple of times a number of formidable shinobi all at once and emerged victorious. The eradication of emotions didn't just serve to get rid of useless things like sadness or happiness. Root members also were unable to feel nervous or afraid and thus avoided messing up at crucial moments due to their body's anxiety.

Itachi jumped backwards to avoid Kakashi's skillfully thrown shuriken, twisting sideways in midair to land lightly upon the grass several feet away. His red eyes darted to the tall, lanky figure perched in the branches like some pale bird of prey. _'Still drawing... An unique jutsu, to be sure, but what does that boy plan to do with it? Perhaps, if I switch to a different view...'_

There was a loud crackling noise, intermixed with a shrill whine. Kakashi was running towards him with a Raikiri in hand, dodging left and right to avoid the discs of fire that Itachi blew his way. _'An obvious feint, but Kakashi's no fool; this seems rather below him. Nevertheless...'_ Training his gaze on the other man's opened Sharingan that was so like his own, Itachi hurled some of his chakra like a spear into the jonin's consciousness to create a genjutsu.

"A shame, Kakashi Hatake..." Itachi murmured, and raised his hand. Inverted flames, coloured a painful shade of blue and black, erupted from the black ground and started eating away at the silver-haired man, turning him to ash as easily as real flames would devour paper. Face blank, 'Kakashi' took Itachi by the arm and stared him in the eye. Unfazed, the missing-nin swiftly dispelled the genjutsu. _'A clone... a mildly competent ploy. Far below what I expected of Kakashi.'_ As he had expected, his opponent erupted from the ground with more lightning in his hand as Naruto came from behind with a single Rasengan at the ready. Itachi was ready for them, jumping high into the air. His hands moved too quick for Naruto's eyes and almost too quick for Kakashi's, forming the seals for a water-style jutsu.

"Suiton: Suigadan!" The earth cracked below him, and drill-shaped cones of water shot out at Kakashi and Naruto. Abandoning his lightning jutsu, Kakashi swiftly created a blockade of earth to defend himself and Naruto. They both fell to the ground a little bit harder than normal, but still in one piece.

"Damnit..." Naruto panted. "We can't even get close to him."

Kakashi appraised his student. _'Naruto's tired out... and any longer using the Sharingan, I'll start getting low on chakra as well. I don't know what Sai's doing, but whatever he's up to, I need to give him enough time to finish. Naruto seemed to be drawing Itachi's attention away every time Itachi headed in Sai's direction- I doubt those two are close again, but Naruto knows something I don't. Still, if Sai doesn't get done soon and join the fight... I don't want to include Chiyo and Sakura if I can help it. The less of us at risk, the better.'_

Itachi made use of the momentary lull in battle to use his Sharingan to examine the space around Sai. Lines of oddly pulsating chakra were extending from his scroll at a rapid pace, branching outwards and filling the air around them. Itachi noted that most of the extensions were concentrated around himself, and were just getting thicker.

_'He's using his painting as a medium for his chakra...?'_ the missing-nin thought, a frown tugging at his mouth. Sai laid down his brush, tearing off the page he had painted on and sticking it to the tree by one end. He looked in Itachi's direction without meeting his eyes, and in that moment Itachi realized what Sai had been doing. _'No...! He's using his chakra as a medium for whatever he's painting!'_ The earth walls around him crumbled, but Itachi paid no heed. He brought his hands to his mouth, blowing a huge ball of fire straight at Sai while Kakashi and Naruto still were put off.

"Too late." Sai murmured, and brought his hands together in the Tiger seal while leaping sideways to the ground. "Ninpou: Naraku no Shōzō!"

Itachi's fire jutsu hit Sai's tree and exploded, sending the boy stumbling forwards by the sheer force of the explosion behind him. Itachi readied himself for another jutsu, but before he could do so he felt a sudden intense heat flare up in his chest. He winced, one hand snaking upwards to his ribcage and tried to shake off the pain, but it just intensified and he could not hold back a little gasp of pain. _'My body... it feels like I'm being burned from inside...' _His legs buckled beneath him and Itachi fell to his knees. The grass beneath him began to smoke, each blade curling up and turning black before disintegrating as if under intense heat. Fire appeared from cracks in the blackening ground around Itachi, enshrouding him in a halo of flames. Teeth clenched, he looked up at the approaching boy. Sai's black eyes stared fixedly at a point above Itachi's head.

"Ink Art, Portrait of Hell." he said quietly. "By the time you earned enough of a reprieve to pay attention to me, your fate was sealed by my painting of you... with fire inside your body and out." Sai's words trailed off, and his shoulders slumped. Kakashi recovered from his shock quicker than Naruto, and looked sharply at his older student, taking in his wearied appearance.

_'A powerful jutsu, but it took a fair bit out of him... and if I use any more chakra right now, I'll need more than just a few hours of rest.'_ "Naruto!" Kakashi commanded. With a jump, Naruto remembered that Itachi still wasn't defeated yet, though the flames were still eating away at him.

"I got it!" Swiftly now, Naruto summoned two clones and extended his hands, letting them form an extra-large sphere of swirling winds. He jumped into the air and came down Rasengan-first, ignoring the growing heat on his skin from the unnatural fire's close proximity. The faintly bluish ball, glowing with barely suppressed energy, crashed full-on into Itachi, gouging out a long scar in the earth several metres long as he was pushed back. Dust billowed outwards and debris flew everywhere, making everyone shield their eyes momentarily.

A body approximately as large as Itachi's rested in the newly created ditch. Moving cautiously, the group approached it, then stopped short. It wasn't Uchiha Itachi that lay dead in that trench.

"What the...?" Naruto rasped, and then cleared his throat. "What the _hell's _going on here?"

Chiyo studied the unfamiliar man's face intently. "This isn't an illusion; it definitely was that Uchiha that we fought." she clarified. "It must be a sort of substitution jutsu... but it's a real man, from Sunagakure. He went missing several years ago and was declared dead, but I'd have never imagined..."

Sighing wearily, Kakashi passed a hand over his face and pulled down his headband to cover his Sharingan once more. "The Akatsuki..." he murmured. "So far, everything they've shown is far beyond our present knowledge of the limits of human power."

* * *

><p>The team was scattered at odd points around their campsite. Sakura was curled under her blankets, Chiyo sat cross-legged and silent on the ground, Kakashi stretched out in a tree, Naruto was lying asleep on his mat, and Sai sat closest to the fire. The flames glinted in Sai's eyes, but reflected nothing. He was staring at the fire with a glazed expression, allowing himself to doze. Time again and again, his wandering mind brought back memories of Naruto- Naruto laughing at him, Naruto yelling at him, and most of all, the defeated look on his face after their most recent encounter. A humorless smile grew on Sai's face, and he laid back with his hands behind his head, looking up at what little nighttime sky he could see through the thick summer leaves.<p>

_'My mind... it keeps bringing back images of him, as if it expects me to do something about them. But what? Danz__ō__-sama said I might experience such things, and so I must simply disregard them. Besides, I do not 'feel' anything when I remember them. They do not pose any threat to the mission.'_

"Sai." The boy sat up, turning around to look up at Kakashi. "You're tired. Go to sleep."

Sai shrugged. "I'm fine." he replied, successfully keeping any weariness out of his voice. "Please do not concern yourself with me."

"I would hardly label you as 'fine' after the amount of chakra you spent on that new jutsu of yours. I have the Sharingan too, you know." Kakashi pointed out mildly. Sai's impenetrable eyes studied him with a disconcerting emptiness. Not for the first time, he wished he knew what the boy was thinking. Finally, Sai nodded and crawled into his bedroll, which was discreetly situated at the edge of the clearing and away from everyone else's. Soon, his breathing became soft and even in sleep.

Kakashi watched the faint rise and fall of Sai's blanket. _'He looks so innocent while asleep... almost normal, in fact. But that jutsu...'_ The jonin mulled the matter over in his mind. _'He not only imbues his painting with his chakra, but also somehow sends out his chakra to set a foundation for his art. The chakra threads were quite thick, so presumably the more harmful the painting, the more chakra he has to use. However, it's not the effects that worry me so much, though they were quite impressive... the problem is defending against it.' _The longer Kakashi thought about it, the stronger his uneasiness grew. _'There's no plausible defense against such a technique... perhaps, the Aburame clan could counter it with their chakra-eating insects, but Sai seems to have taken that into account and made his chakra tendrils so small that they disperse through the air, invisible to the normal eyes of a human or insect. There should never be a time where I would have to come up against Sai, but I still worry... just what else did that old warhawk teach him?'_

* * *

><p>Just a note here for any of those who read it and recognized it- Yes, some of Sai's new jutsu like the nearly alive tiger in the 8th chapter and Naraku no Shōzō are inspired by Kyosai from Nurarihyon no Mago. That's one badass painter right there- why can't Sai be just as good, when all his teammates and sensei trained so hard over the timeskip? Not only that, but their two names sound alike, and both of them typically have eyes with the same dead look in them.<p>

That fight with Itachi was the first real fight scene I've written in a while... I hope I didn't screw it up, since I was pretty tired during its creation. I'm not looking forward to the much longer fight I'll have to write soon... It's easy writing about our heroes beating up some weak opponents, but it's hard making fights with enemies as powerful as the Akatsuki believable (even though it's true that Itachi wasn't fighting with his full power in this part of the canon).


	11. Puppet

_"The furnace roared in the big engine, where they shoveled in coal, and the sparks flew out into the night. It was terrible. The driver stood so pale and immovable... Daddy didn't recognize him- didn't know who he was. He was just looking ahead as though he was driving straight into the darkness, far into the darkness, which had no end." _~ Par Lägerkvist, _Father and I_

* * *

><p>Little, miniscule ripples emanated outwards from the bottoms of ten pairs of feet. Their perfect circles were disturbed as one pair of feet shifted, causing a new wave to appear and overtake its companions.<p>

Neji stumbled as Naruto pushed him, but maintained his Byakugan.

"Hey, what do you see? What's in there? Is Gaara in there?" Naruto demanded, shaking Neji by the shoulder. The young jonin deactivated his Byakugan and turned around to glare, making Naruto yelp and back away. "Whoa!"

"He's in there." Neji said flatly. "There appear to be nine others, although I couldn't see them very well..."

"The question is, how do we get in? That seal will prove a problem." Kakashi craned his neck, looking up at the large white paper plastered on the boulder with the kanji 'forbidden' on it. "Chiyo-san, what do you think it is?"

"Hmm..." The aged kunoichi squinted at the seal. "It looks like-"

"A Five Seals technique." Sai interrupted, softly but surely. "The 'forbidden' kanji on that paper is characteristic of that sealing jutsu. However, it's written in red, which makes me wonder..."

"Red?" Tenten snorted. She cast a side glance over at Sai, seeing his eyes flicker her way. _'What's his problem?'_ she thought angrily. _'No respect for the elderly, as well as not greeting us at all when we met up! Sure, he doesn't know us that well... but I can tell that even Naruto and Sakura dislike him!' _"What's the big deal about a seal being written in red?" Her angled brown eyes were fierce and challenging as she met Sai's stare, but as several seconds ticked by without the latter saying anything, she became uneasy. "Well?"

"Ah." Sai murmured quietly, then raised his voice. "I was expecting you to know. In this small, civilian country, writing in red is considered to bring about bad luck and a curse.***** Both your parents originally came from here and you were born here as well before they emigrated to Konoha... so thus, I thought you would know your home country's legends. It's quite disappointing."

Tenten's eyes lost their contempt, becoming round and disbelieving. "Wha-what...?" she stammered. A slight, embarrassed flush crept over her cheeks, and she ducked her head in shame. "Who told you that?" _'I thought... I thought nobody knew! Nobody was supposed to know that I'm not from the village by birth... Now they'll never let me see the end of this!'_

"You bastard, what was that for?" Naruto yelled. He looked over at Tenten, who had become unnaturally quiet and was staring determinedly at her sandals. "Okay, sure, I bet you were given files on all of us to study before this mission! That's what you are, right? Not our teammate, but a tool used by your stupid, scheming old man! But still, you didn't have to go out of your way to hurt her feelings!" Naruto blinked, and Sakura, who was closest to him, saw a gleam of red appear in his eyes.

_'Oh, no!'_ she thought frantically. _'What with Gaara being in so much danger, it's so easy to push Naruto off of the edge!'_ She placed a calming hand on Naruto's shoulder, but he shook her off. "Naruto... remember what-"

Her friend's eyes were fixed on Sai and his little smile. "I know." he growled. "But I can't let this go!"

"You're going to have to." Kakashi cut in flatly. "Neji- can you locate the rest of the seals?"

The younger jonin looked up at the older one and nodded, activating his Byakugan once again. Kakashi turned to Gai questioningly, who flashed a grin and a thumbs-up.

"Not to worry!" Gai beamed. "I have just the thing!" Reaching into his backpack, he fished out seven sets of headphones. "Now, my eternal rival, I will be able to tell you my superior wisdom and you will _have_ to listen! No more pretending to be uninterested with these communication devices on!"

Kakashi took his and fixed it around his neck. "Pretending? I never pretend. It's childish." he deadpanned. Gai slapped a hand to his face, groaning with horror, but Kakashi continued on as if his peer was not there. "Gai and his team shall all have one, as they will be the sealing removal team. Chiyo, you should take one as well, and Pakkun's job is about done; that leaves one more."

"I'll take it!" Naruto said immediately, but Kakashi shook his head.

"No... I think Sai should take it. As your senior by a year and a half, along with his experience, he is capable of far more level-headed decisions." Sai met Kakashi's eyes, and he read the underlying message behind his words. He took the headset with a fake smile that told Kakashi nothing, but made him suspect everything.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. I'll do my best." _'I see. This way, he can keep tabs on me if we are separated for some reason. But what could he possibly be worried about? It's not like I will try to betray them. I have no orders against the Kazekage, and so I will do everything in my power to make the mission succeed; I'll do whatever it takes. Perhaps that's what he's worried about.' _

"YOOSSHHH!" A loud call startled Sai out of his musings. "Everyone, let's go!" Team Gai vanished from sight to their allotted seals. Several moments passed, then a crackle of static and a bright voice: "All clear! Go right ahead, Kakashi!"

Kakashi turned down the volume on his radio and waved two fingers at Sakura. Curious as to what the girl would do, Sai watched her charge forwards and slam a fist into the gigantic brown boulder. Shock waves reverberated through the ground, water and air, then a huge crack appeared down the middle. The pink-haired girl gave the boulder a little tap, and it crumbled into dust.

_'It seems Tsunade-sama has taught her the famous- or should I say infamous? chakra fist technique. I will have to report this back to Danz__ō__-sama and update the files. I must keep a close watch on Naruto, as well. He will be far more interested in the progress of the Jinchuuriki than the progress of a regular medic-nin. Indeed, the only reason I was ordered to study Sakura as well as Naruto and Kakashi-sensei was because of her close ties with Naruto, and of course Sasuke.' _

Sai's feet made a little splash as he landed in a large but shallow puddle of water. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to the two figures in the middle of the large and cavernous room. All it took was one look at the red-haired body beneath one of the robed men for him to leave things to the others and instead focus on memorizing the layout of the Akatsuki hideout and formulating possible battle plans. He sized up their two opponents: Both wore Akatsuki robes. One was hunched over, with a craggy and oddly greyish-brown face. The second was much younger-looking, with his yellow hair tied into a long ponytail and bangs covering part of his face. Sai looked intently at the bangs, trying to see what they concealed, and saw a glimpse of something metallic before the blonde tilted his head.

"Gaara!" Naruto yelled. "What are you doing, sleeping at a time like this? Wake up and fight! _Wake up!_"

"Naruto..." Kakashi trailed off, unsure of how to put it. He cast his eyes onto the floor, feeling uncomfortable, and angry. To have come so far, all for nothing; it wasn't the first time he had failed a mission, but it still hurt. However, his student completely ignored him and kept yelling.

"This isn't funny anymore! It never was! Wake _up_, Ga-"

"He's dead." Sai said sharply. "You're wasting your breath."

Sakura drew a quick breath just as her composure slipped. _'Gaara's... he's dead?'_ Instantly, she looked over at Naruto. The boy stuttered into silence, mouth hanging wide open. _'He looks like a wild animal caught in a sudden flare of torchlight...'_ Her mind thought idly while her body was still frozen. _'What with his prominent whisker marks and wide red eyes... red eyes...whisker marks and...oh, shoot!'_ Realized the danger, she tensed in preparation to leap over but Kakashi had already moved in front of Naruto as soon as he tried charging forwards. The blonde man sitting on Gaara's body laughed.

"Itachi was right, danna, un. The Jinchuuriki's the one who screams and charges first." The blonde sniggered, then cast a glance sideways. Sasori was staring at Naruto and did not respond to his younger partner's comment. "Eh, danna?"

"I'll take him." Sasori rumbled. "Seems like he wants to take this kid's body back."

"Mm-hmm..." The other mumbled, then a pointy grin spread over his face. "Sorry if this makes you mad, danna, but I'm going to fight the Jinchuuriki."

Something underneath Sasori's robe quivered, but the puppet master's voice remained the same, if slightly lower. "Deidara, each of us gets our own. You got the last one."

"Ah, but I've heard this particular Jinchuuriki is pretty powerful, un." Deidara raised his hand and looked at the mouth on it that was busily chewing. "I would be the only one of us who can appreciate such a fight. My art is the only thing that can draw beauty from the bloodshed, un."

Sasori raised a thick eyebrow. "Art?" he asked, almost disbelievingly. "You call those paltry excuses for explosions art? Art is... Art is something that can last forever, and remain perfectly beautiful. The embodiment of art is eternal beauty."

Sakura unconsciously leaned forward, drawn in by their argument. _'What are they doing?'_ she thought, surprised. _'I thought they were going to fight us. Why are they arguing about something as stupid as art?'_ The thought of art made her think abruptly of Sai, and her head turned sharply to glance at the painter. He caught her glance, and held it, eventually forcing her to look away. However, in a minute Sakura snuck another peek. Sai's black eyes were fixed on Sasori and Deidara, moving from one to another as if trying to uncover whatever powers they had before the fight started. _'The fight! When are they going to strike? Gaara's time is running out... I don't believe that he's dead, not yet!'_

"Danna, I respect you for being another artist, but your views are misguided. Art lasts for the most fleeting instant, appearing in a flurry of living blossoms before withering away, un. It is as ephemeral as the morning dew-"

"What did you say?" Sasori interrupted. "Art is _eternal_ and _everlasting_."

"Fleeting." Deidara sniffed haughtily.

"Eternal."

"Ephemeral."

"Bastards..." Naruto growled. Sakura took a step forward, alarmed.

_'He's going to snap!'_

However, instead of charging right away, Naruto retreated one pace and whipped out a scroll and vanished momentarily in a puff of smoke. The next second, he was out of the dust cloud and dodging Kakashi, a giant shuriken in his hand. Sakura's heart gave a pang upon seeing it, and seeing how he tossed it so skillfully. _'The Fuma Shuriken..._'she thought wistfully. _'The same kind that Naruto and Sasuke used when teaming up against Zabuza. So Naruto still carries one around, huh...?'_

_Clang_. Without looking or even pausing in his argument, Sasori had whipped out a long, white and scorpion-like tail to deflect the shuriken. It spun off wildly, sticking in the dirt several metres away with one of its blades slightly dented.

"I told you, it was _eternal._" Sasori said, unfazed.

"Well, I _did_ apologize beforehand if it made you mad..." Deidara retorted. He glanced down at his palm, which spit out a small lump of mushy white clay. Curling his fingers, he moulded the clay, a manic gleam shining from his blue eye. "But to me, the essence of art is and always will be... an explosion!"

Kakashi pulled Naruto backwards as Deidara tossed his little bird upwards, but it was needless. With a puff of smoke, the small bird became a large one. Bending down, it scooped up Gaara's body into its large mouth. Deidara gave a smile and a cocky wave to Sasori, but it was the wrong move. Sakura stiffened as Sasori's tail shot out torwards Deidara.

_'He's going to get skewered!'_ she thought fearfully. _'What kind of person is he to kill his own partner?'_

But Deidara jumped upwards before the tail could make contact, landing neatly on top of his bird.

"Well, I'll be seeing you, danna." he yelled cheerfully, and smirked at Naruto. "I have other guests to entertain." The bird glided over Team Seven's heads, heading outside through the gigantic hole that Sakura had made. Naruto bared his teeth in frustration and dashed after him.

"Naruto!" Kakashi yelled. He gave a short sigh before looking backwards. "Naruto and I will take the clay user. You'll have to manage this one."

"Understood." Sai said briefly, turning his back on Naruto and Kakashi. He looked at Chiyo and Sakura, taking out his scroll and brush. "Will you two be able to handle this, as well? I have faith in Chiyo-san's abilities, born of many years of experience. Sakura, it will not affect my plans at all if you decide to sit out."

Sakura momentarily forget all about Sasori. A vein throbbed on her forehead. "What are you implying?" she said through gritted teeth. "That I can't fight just because I'm a medic nin? Or just because I'm a girl?"

"Traditionally, Root takes only male members. However, there are a few females who have been worthy enough to serve under Danzō-sama. I have no problem with you being a girl. I make my decisions completely based around what I know of your abilities, which, asofar, I deem to be mediocre." Sai shrugged. "But fight if you will. I will make adjustments accordingly."

"What's you're problem, you little-!" Sakura was ready to charge at her infuriating teammate, but Chiyo laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. The old Sand woman's croaking voice was soft in her ear.

"Don't be riled up so easily." The elder soothed. "We all have to work together if we are ever going to defeat my grandson. You are powerful, Sakura. We need you. We need teamwork." Chiyo felt Sakura relax underneath her hand, and stepped back to face the enemy.

Sasori tilted his head, the artificial joints creaking faintly. His eyes flickered onto Sakura, lingered on Sai and his scroll, then finally rested on Chiyo. "Baba...I thought you went into retirement a long time ago, if not kicking the bucket."

"I suddenly felt like seeing my dear grandson's face." Chiyo replied. "Sakura..." she faltered for a minute. _'What was that boy's name? He's always in the back, like he's watching us and trying to stay out of sight. With someone like that, it's hard to remember... ah, yes.'_ "Sakura, Sai, please stay back. I will fight him." Reaching into the opposite sleeves of her long robe, Chiyo drew out a string of kunai. They hovered seemingly in mid-air, before she gave a sharp command and they flew outwards. Raising her hands, she steered them torward Sasori, making them attack in all directions.

The puppetmaster's tail whipped back and forth, batting away every single one except for two that grazed his robes. With a little snort, he retracted his tail and started tearing apart the robe at its seams.

"If you're going to fight me seriously... then I'll just have to reply in kind."

Sakura watched as Sasori's Akatsuki robes fell away, revealing a puppet body with four legs, a ragged face, and the scorpion tail extending from the mouth of a huge mask on its back.

"Kids." Chiyo murmured quietly and beckoned them over. "Sasori won't attack us for the moment; he's impatient, but will want to use this time to formulate plans of his own. I have a plan... Except, what I'm thinking of using will only work on one person. I can use my puppet mastery to turn someone into a living marionette, if they are willing. Sasori's first attack from that puppet armour, Hiruko, will come fast and swift. With that technique, I can maneuver of one you to dodge it while I dodge it myself."

"Then it should be Sakura." Sai said. "I know the limits of my speed and agility, and I can create ink animals to take attacks for me. I alone can create my special art. If you use me as your puppet, Chiyo-san, then you would not be able to utilize my jutsu. Using Sakura, on the other hand, you can make great use of her extreme strength."

"That sounds feasible." Chiyo agreed. "Sakura, are you alright with this?"

Sakura bit her lip, still reluctant to fight with Sai. _'But I have to. It's for Gaara. It's for Naruto. If we're going to win this, I have to fight with them.'_

"Okay." she said. "Chiyo-sama, please use me to destroy the puppet armour. Sai, why don't you do that jutsu you used on Itachi?"

To her ire, Sai shook his head. "That won't work." he stated blandly. "Naraku no Shōzō only works if I know the real appearance of the person. While Sasori still hides in his puppet, I cannot paint his death portrait. Also, in a battle between puppeteers, there are numerous chakra strings in the air. If I send my chakra through the air with that jutsu, then I do not doubt that Sasori, with his level of skill, can entangle it in the strings of his puppets. Worse still, it can interfere with Chiyo-san's jutsu on you, and result in an unfortunate mishap." Sai paused, and then he looked directly at Sakura. His voice was as mild as ever, but his implications were clear. "A basic inference, and yet you could not reach it. I wonder just how much Hokage-sama has taught you?"

"That's enough." Chiyo intervened. "Sai, you shouldn't say such things to your teammate, especially when we're about to fight a battle."

"Sorry, Chiyo-sama, but you don't know anything about Sai if you think you can get him to be nice to us just with a few words." Sakura growled. "I was all for giving you a second chance, Sai, but if _this_ is what we get in return for all our kindness..."

"Squabbling children." The words were low, but rumbled throughout the air. The trio turned around, facing Sasori. "Nothing makes me more bothered than annoying kids. You brats are even worse than my partner. Are these the people that you're going to fight me with, Baba? Are these the great conquerors that will take me down?" Sasori's eyes traveled across them. "A withered hag... a silly little girl..."

His eyes narrowed as he contemplated Sai. The tall, pale boy was an enigma. He did not have the slight fear and stupid, overly fiery determination burning in the eyes of the pink-haired girl. Nor was he staring at him with a weary sadness, like his cursed grandmother. His face was as blank as one of his puppets, his eyes just black holes that offered no foothold for an insult. Sasori searched for something to say, and finally settled on something.

"Is _this_ what you think will be the end of me?" Snorting again, he reached up with a finely crafted hand and tore away the cloth that hung over his mouth. His jaws clattered together and then opened. Sakura drew out a kunai, and then she and Chiyo ran forwards. Sai hung back for a second. With a few brush-strokes, he created two little eagles. Dropping to the ground, he drew several small hawks on a rock. With a caw, the birds of prey burst out of the rock just as it crumbled into dust. They were not white and black like their paper counterparts, but instead a mixture of black ink lines and brownish rock.

Sakura heard one of the hawks screech behind her, but did not look backwards to see if Sai was okay as a massive amount of shrapnel shot out form Sasori's mouth. She deflected some with her kunai before she felt her body move around on its own.

_'Chiyo-sama must be moving me now.'_ she realized with a twinge of gratefulness. _'Just as well, because without her, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to dodge this...'_ A flash of dark brown whizzed past her, and she focused on the object. It was a small hawk, looking like one of Sai's drawings, but its colour was odd. The hawk opened its beak and extended its talons, catching some of the shrapnel. One shard pierced its body, but instead of dissolving into ink the hawk simply squawked and flew on. _'That's impossible!'_ Sakura thought. _'Sai's creations can't withstand a hit like that!'_

Behind her, Sai took a quick breath. All of his concentration was focused on the gleaming flashes of silver that surrounded him. His eyes flickered left and right, and he ducked and twirled with a practiced grace. One of the shards passed dangerously close to his left ear, so close he felt the wind of its passing and heard a faint whine. Something flew off the tip and landed on the side of his head. Reaching up while he moved, Sai brushed off something wet and stole a glance. The liquid on his finger was purple and oily-looking. He had no doubts about what that liquid could have done had the blade pierced his body.

"Aaaaannnn... CHA!" Sakura exclaimed as she rose above the thinning onset of poisoned metal shards. Sasori's puppet's head turned, but she and Chiyo were too quick. With a deft flick of her wrists, Chiyo made Sakura slam her fist straight into the puppet's back. Sai executed two neat backflips and stood away from the battle, trying to catch his breath as he surveyed the situation. Sakura retreated to stand by Chiyo.

"Sai, you all right?" Sakura asked without looking at him.

Straightening, he put on a fake smile which went ignored. "I am fine. Did you destroy the puppet armour?"

"I think so..." Sakura replied uncertainly. "Chiyo-sama, did I?"

"Yes." The elder woman stared intently into the dust cloud, which cleared to reveal a huddled figure covered by dusty black cloth. "That's him. That's my grandson."

"Watch out." Sai warned. "He's not done yet." The warning came just in time; the destroyed Hiruko's head rose up into the air, then flipped over. Sakura momentarily froze with shock as a second, short hail of needles shot down at her.

"Move!" Chiyo commanded, and pulled back with her hands to make Sakura dodge out of the way. Seconds later, Sai's last remaining hawk flew head-on into the floating head and sheared it in half with its sharp beak. The head dropped to the floor, cloven in two and resting in a puddle of ink and several bits of rock.

"Just what I expected of my grandma..." A higher, clearer voice said from underneath the folds of the black cloth. "Using the girl, who wouldn't be able to dodge by herself, as a puppet. You two and your porcelain statue companion with the good reflexes... clever, clever, clever. Clever enough to make me leave Hiruko like that."

Chiyo's gaze was intent upon the black cloth. Sakura looked uncertainly at her elder; she had never seen the old woman look so serious. "Quite an impressive feat, Sasori, seeing as how I made my chakra threads thin enough to be invisible to the human eye."

"Impressive? You give me too much credit. It wasn't hard, especially as I learned my art from you." Sasori's voice changed almost imperceptibly, becoming fractionally colder. "However, I'm growing rather tired of this game." The cloth was shifted by an unseen shoulder. Sakura tensed in preparation as she realized that her opponent was preparing to come out at last. With an elaborate twirl, the black fabric came off completely. Her eyes saw the Akatsuki robe with its red, swirling clouds, and traveled upwards to...

_'What is this?'_ Sakura thought in disbelief. Sasori's face was startlingly young. His drooping amber eyes blinked lazily at them, and he smiled at his frozen grandmother. _'He doesn't look a day over twenty!'_

"I think I'll show you one of my greatest works of art..." Sasori murmured, drawing out a long scroll with the kanji for 'three'. "You brats had better appreciate it." With a flourish, he drew a single finger across the scroll, then tossed it aside. A dark greyish brown hand emerged from the aged paper, reaching up and curling its fingers around the edges of the scroll to pull itself out. Then a shaggy black mop of hair came out, followed by the head upon which it rested and a long body with a black cloak. A puppet's mouth clattered and chittered, is fake wooden teeth clashing together and the blank white eyes rolling in their wooden sockets.

"Oh, god, no..." Chiyo whispered, her voice cracking. Sakura whipped around to ask her what this new puppet was, but Sai spoke first.

"Ah, so it was you." he said to Sasori while examining the new puppet's face. "My lord was preparing to send me with a special team to get rid of the Third Kazekage, but it seems that you beat us to it."

Sasori sounded intrigued. "Your lord? I could never imagine the Third doing that. However, it's just as well for you that I defeated him first, for he was the strongest Kazekage in history. Even _I _had a difficult time with him. You brats won't stand a chance."

"_You_ were going to be sent to assassinate the Third? By the Third Hokage?" Chiyo was staring at Sai, numb with shock. Sakura stepped forwards.

"Don't bother with him, Chiyo-sama." she muttered under her breath. "He isn't loyal to the Hokage, Third or Fourth. Consider all of his actions as separate from Konoha."

"Sakura..." Chiyo bent her head. "Perhaps his loyalties are a little different. But we can't get around the fact that you two are still young. Take Sai and get out of here, even if you have to drag him. I never expected Sasori would bring out the Third."

"I'm sorry, Chiyo-san, but I cannot do that." Sai interjected, overhearing. His gaze was fixed on Sasori and his hovering puppet. With slow, deliberate motions, he took out his scroll. "My mission specifically stated that I must work to destroy any of the Akatsuki that I encounter. Abandoning the fight and fleeing would be detrimental to my village. As to Sakura, I am no expert upon feelings, but I am certain that she feels as if she needs to fight. You cannot do this alone, Chiyo-san, so we shall help you."

Sai spread his scroll out on the ground and placed his hands together. "Ninpou: Choju Giga!" There was a flurry of flapping wings. Many small birds with an odd pattern of ink on their feathery backs shot out of the scroll, moving in unison through the air like a school of fish in the ocean. Switching his hand seal, Sai leapt backwards to dodge the Third Kazekage puppet as it came hurtling his way. "Taka Huriken!"

The birds left their orderly flock and became an angrily screeching cloud. It moved to surround the Third Kazekage puppet, then every single bird exploded. Fire billowed everywhere. Coughing and covering her mouth, Sakura ducked and rolled away, hoping that her companions had done the same.

Without warning, her limbs twitched and she jumped sideways to avoid the puppet arm that came down where she had been standing. There was a loud buss and a shearing noise, and she saw that a gigantic buzz saw was extending from the arm to carve the ground. .

_'That must be Chiyo-sama...'_ Sakura thought. _'To be able to tell through this smoke where the puppet is, she is very skilled.'_

"Sai!" she called aloud. "Don't let anything touch you! All of his blades are poisoned!" There was no reply, and for a fraction of a second she worried. _'Oh, nevermind; he's not answering because he doesn't want to give his position away! Knowing him, he's setting something up. I have to work with Chiyo-sama to distract Sasori long enough so Sai can paint some more animals.' _

"Chiyo-sama!" Sakura yelled, and the old woman yelled back in her hoarse voice.

"I know! Get back!"

_'She knows, but I hope she knows the right thing and isn't just making a wild guess.'_ Sakura ran through the last remaining traces of smoke to stand by her elder. Sai was kneeling several metres away, looking slightly winded but unhurt. Despite herself, she breathed a sigh of relief. Chiyo, in the meanwhile, was taking out a puppet scroll of her own. Sasori paused to watch, his Third Kazekage puppet hanging at the ready. Sakura noticed that one of its arms had been cut off, and was nowhere in sight. Now, instead of an arm, it simply had several blades extending from the arm socket. _'Sai's doing... Good thing he destroyed it completely, because it might have still been usable like that earlier puppet's head.'_

"Bringing those old things out?" Sasori asked. The bored-looking eyes showed no change as they stared at the two puppets Chiyo wielded, one of which looked extremely like him.

"I thought you might have wanted to see your Mother and Father's dear faces again." Chiyo replied.

"It's no use... I know every one of their tricks and abilities by now. _I _created them. And there's a reason why the Third Kazekage is my favourite puppet..." Sasori's fingers twitched, making the chakra strings leading to his hovering puppet tremble. The Third's jaw dropped down and stayed there, letting a stream of something dark grey and glittery float out. Some of it dispersed into the air, and when Chiyo tried to move her puppets, she found they would not budge. "The Third's Iron Sand can block the joints of any puppet. You have the wrong opponent for this kind of battle, Baba. Now, hurry up and die. My partner may be infuriating, but I hate to keep anyone waiting."

"There's no way he's waiting for you to finish!" Sakura shouted, her voice carrying across the stone cavern. "Naruto and Kakashi-sensei are probably finished with him now!"

Sasori's stare fell upon her, and Sakura bit her lip, trying not to retreat. "Is that so?" he asked, and rubbed his chin. "Somehow, I don't believe you. Having seen how hot-headed that Kyuubi boy is and knowing how much like him my partner is, I'm inclined to think that they all will go up in smoke. Deidara's the type of artist who loves to show off his work." Sasori looked at Sai. "But come, what kind of artist are you? I've never seen your type before..."

Sai paused in his drawing. Sakura squinted, straining her eyesight to try and see what he was drawing. _'That's no portrait or animal... what is it? It just looks like a bunch of squiggly kanji.'_

"I draw and paint." he stated simply.

"But you don't just use paper for your canvas." Sasori's voice was low and searching. "Those brown birds from earlier..."

Sai put on a little smile that told his opponent nothing. "You can use any human to make your puppets, can't you? Then I am entitled to use any available surface for my creations. You wonder at what I can animate. Then, perhaps this will interest you..." Raising his brush, he swept it across the air. To his audience's shock, no ink went flying off the tip. Instead, little trails of the thick, viscous black liquid remained hovering in the air. The minuscule lines joined together in places under the direction of Sai's brush, becoming a swarm of insects that flew at the Third.

Sai's eyes met Chiyo's who caught the look and nodded. "Sakura!" The old woman shouted. "Get ready!"

_'I get it. The Iron Sand can't block my limbs, so I'm the only puppet that guy can't freeze!'_

Sasori frowned as both Sakura and Sai came running at him, one with a kunai and the other with a tantō. He raised both arms in the air, moving the index and middle finger on each hand.

"Satetsu, Shigure!" he commanded. The Third, having sliced through the thin, airy insects, jerked forwards and opened its mouth again. More sand came out, forming a cloud of sharp bits of the iron sand above them which then hurtled downwards at Sakura and Sai. Sakura hesitated for an instant before she saw Sai make a single gesture at her.

_'Go,'_ he was saying. Reluctantly, she kept running in Sasori and the puppet's direction, feeling Chiyo relax the chakra strings attached to her so she could run faster. Sai tossed upwards the scroll that he had been inscribing kanji on and mouthed some silent command. Water surged out from the scroll, taking on the shape of three of his preferred ink birds. They spread their wings wide, catching the oncoming iron particles in their watery feathers. Without a sound, the waterbirds dived to the side so they could dissolve harmlessly into a large puddle.

Slowly, the iron in the water returned to the air, and the metallic sand gathered anew. Now, it made gigantic shapes- triangular and rectangular prisms. The triangular prisms began spinning, forming huge drills. Sai swiftly drew a hawk and leapt on it, soaring into the air among the deadly prisms. Bending down, his brush painted a small ink character on the bird's back, then he leapt off. The hawk continued flying, tilting its body and spreading its wings outwards to catch one block of iron sand in an embrace before exploding.

Sai landed neatly on a cube and drew his tantō.

_'If I leap off of this one, I can use the monumentum to attack the Third puppet directly... it seems to be occupied with directing its Iron Sand...'_ His leg muscles tensed, and then extended, but he never made it into the air. Sasori smiled as he directed the cube supporting Sai to dissolve slowly, crawling up the boy's body and engulfing him.

"B- Sai!" Chiyo shouted in alarm. She momentarily lost her concentration over controlling Sakura, making the kunoichi stumble and almost lose an arm to an attacking blade of iron sand.

Sasori's smile slowly became a frown. The cube had dissolved completely now, letting ink instead of blood and human remains drip onto the rocky ground. _'A clone, yes. But the question is, how long has he been a clone?'_ A patch of crumbling rock to his right drew his attention, and Sasori saw a hand emerge from the rubble, then two long black sleeves and the rest of the boy.

Sakura could not help but feel a flicker of relief. _'He's a lot like Kakashi-sensei.'_ she thought in wonder. _'Well, okay, not that much alike... but they both start off fights against strange enemies by using clones. I wonder if it's some sort of ANBU technique, burying oneself in the ground to hide like that...'_ She felt a tug on her elbows, and complied, letting Chiyo steer her to the side. One gigantic block of compressed iron sand slammed down right next to her, nearly squashing her flat. Sakura focused her chakra flow into her fists in preparation for the strike. Chiyo brought her forwards and around an onset of little iron shards that rose up from the ground, letting Sakura slam a fist into the rectangular prism. It hit the ceiling and pierced it, stopping only when it was hallway between the cavern and the outside world. The ceiling cracked and the walls shook. Dust floating down from above.

Meanwhile, Sai directed his new ink owl as far away from Sasori as possible, to the opposite wall where neither rocks from the slowly crumbling ceiling or the Iron Sand could easily reach him. Brow furrowed in concentration, he ran a hand over the sheer wall in front of him.

_'My ink's running low... and I have no more clones I can switch places with. I still have my hidden weapon standing at the ready, but if I summoned it now that Kazekage puppet can easily destroy it upon noticing. I'll need some sort of distraction, and a large one.'_ His eyes fell upon Sakura. The girl was punching iron shapes left and right, sending them in all directions. _'With the way Sakura is attacking, this cavern will collapse very soon.'_

The cavern rumbled ominously, and large cracks branched out through the rock. With a shout, Chiyo directed Sakura out of the path of the falling debris as the roof caved in. Bright sunlight momentarily blinded Sai, and after blinking a couple of times he saw that the battle had resumed its course.

_'Sakura's acting by herself now... The old woman's relaxed her puppetry for the moment, since she can tell that Sakura is reading Sasori's attacks quite well. But that alone is not enough of a distraction. Sakura I can deceive, but not Chiyo... I need to get Sakura to attack quickly, before Chiyo starts up her puppet jutsu again.'_ Decided, Sai whipped out his scroll and brush, dipping the end in his last dregs of ink. He had no qualms about what he planned to do.

Sakura winced as she hit the back end of one drill. She hadn't shielded her hand properly after her last attack, and so while the hit was still powerful she lost some skin on her knuckles to the swiftly rotating iron. Oddly enough, she didn't feel scared anymore. If anything, she was exhilarated by the rush of invigorating blood through her veins and the fierce desires of battle.

A twitter in her ear caught her attention. She turned her head slightly to see a tiny white and black ink sparrow sitting on her shoulder, tweeting madly.

_'Good, Sai's got a plan.'_ she thought briefly. _'Since I'm just going by instinct, I'll just follow this birdie and see what he thought of... After all, Chiyo-sama did say we have to work together. I may not like it, but even Naruto would work with Sai in this kind of situation.'_ The bird lifted off her shoulder, and Sakura followed it. It dodged a cloud of iron sand and hovered some ways above the Third's head. _'He wants me to attack from above, and so directly...? What the hell is he thinking? That's way too risky!'_ Sakura bit her lip as the sparrow flew circles around the Third Kazekage puppet's head. One of the puppet's arms snapped upwards, catching the bird in its grasp. _'Now, or never... Sai, you'd better know what you're doing!'_

"Shhhaanaarro!" she yelled her favourite battle cry, charging at the puppet and leaping into the air. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw both Sasori and Sai. Sasori's eyes were fixed on her, a smirk on his face. Sai stood unnoticed by the puppetmaster as he put his hands together in a seal. _'Here he goes, while Sasori's distracted...'_

Just before Sakura's fist connected with the Third's head, the puppet brought its arm with the sword blade up and around, thrusting a sword through Sakura's forearm and swinging her outwards so she dangled by the pierced limb.

_"Sakura!"_ Chiyo yelled. Sakura's eyes opened with shock even as they watered from the pain. She felt the poison on the blade creeping into her limbs through the wound, but took no notice of it.

_'He did... did nothing...'_ she thought numbly. _'He didn't do anything.'_

Sasori's smirk widened slightly, but just then there was a sharp _crack_. The rock directly beneath the Third broke open, and a roar resounded through the air. A huge, reptilian head shot out from the ground with snakelike speed, opening its gaping maw wide. Just in time, Chiyo pulled on her chakra strings to pull Sakura to safety. The creature, eyes empty black pits and skin a mixture of white paper and black ink lines, closed its jaws upon the unfortunate puppet and chomped down. With a sudden blaze, the creature erupted into flames, taking the puppet with it.

Sakura placed a hand on her bleeding arm to heal it, but watched the burning beast with a horrified fascination. The expression on Sasori's face was terrible to see. The flames glinted in his brown eyes, making them look less childish and more dangerous.

"Sakura. _Sakura_. Are you all right?" Chiyo demanded, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right, Chiyo-sama." Sakura managed, her gaze turning to Sai. "I'm immune to Sasori's poison. I took the antidote beforehand."

"I get it now..." Sasori said to Sai. "You knew that she was immune to my poison, so you risked using her as bait to land such an attack on the Kazekage puppet."

Sai shrugged, voice perfectly neutral. "In fact, I didn't know of her immunity. I simply acted in the best interests of the mission. She provided a good opening, so I took it, and with sterling results. The fact that she had already taken the antidote was just an added bonus. I was prepared to lose her to defeat your most powerful puppet. However, seeing as she is still alive, then she will be useful later on in the battle."

Sakura simultaneously stifled a gasp and a cough. _'He... he didn't know I took the antidote before? He would have been fine if I wasn't immune? He was willing to let me die? Sacrifices for the mission, okay, and if this is for Gaara I would understand it. But how can he throw his comrades away like that?'_

Her eyes met Sai's, who stared at her disinterestedly. However, the longer Sakura looked at him, the more her anger ebbed away. She felt the antidote flowing through her veins and consuming all of the poison, but also felt a tide of something else welling inside of her. Her limbs felt heavy all of a sudden, and to her surprise, she realized that it was sadness that weighed her down.

_'That face...'_ she thought dully. _'It used to belong to someone I knew... Now, I feel like it belongs to a stranger. This person, standing so still and pale... I don't know him at all.'_

"Who are you?" she rasped.

Sai raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I am Sai." Giving a little smile, he said, "Perhaps the poison has some side effects upon your mind that you were not aware of when you created the antidote?" He turned back to Sasori. The puppetmaster was eyeing him oddly, running an expert eye over Sai's composed features, long artist's fingers, and lanky figure. His expression lost its fierceness, becoming that critical appraisal of the connoisseur examining something on display.

"Sai, was it?" Sasori asked in a lilting voice entirely different from his faintly mocking one. "Fine joints, unique ability, exceptional agility. Overall, a very nicely crafted specimen of a human. You'd make a good puppet."

Sai didn't reply immediately, and Sakura stared at him, wondering what was going on in his head. For the merest moment, she saw something odd flicker across Sai's blank face. His face was transformed for that fleeting second into the face of the boy that she once knew, the boy who could laugh and smile. Yet it wasn't a heartfelt smile that passed him by. Sakura saw his lips tilt downwards and a shadow fall over him.

"I already am." Sai said softly. Just after the words left him, he seemed to realize what he had said. The shadow passed, and he was the same featureless statue as before.

"Tch." Sasori snorted. "You're no puppet, much as though I'd like you to be one. You, as a human, still have the potential to change. I, on the other hand... I will show you just how close one can get to becoming a _real_ puppet!" Taking ahold of his cloak, he whisked it off, letting it fall to the side. "Behold, the secret of my youth."

Chiyo gasped. "Sasori, you..."

"Yes." he said smugly, even as wing-like metallic blades extended from his artificial back and the pointed, poison-laced cable in his stomach partially unwound. "It's been so long since I've used myself, the greatest puppet of all."

Sakura inched closer to Chiyo, lowering her voice to a mutter. "Chiyo-sama, here." She pressed a small vial into the elder's withered hand. "Take the antidote now- it'll last you three minutes exactly. We're going to attack him and finish this. Sai will hang back and prepare a long distance attack with his inks..." The elder nodded, and tucked the antidote away in her sleeve.

"Out of tricks?" Sasori's voice rang out. "You look rather tired, and you're not scribbling away... I wonder, just how much ink do you have left?"

Sai did not reply. He drew his tantō, getting into a ready stance.

"I see. None. And that reptile of yours must have taken quite a lot of chakra... I wonder, now that you're exhausted, what will the hag and the girl do?"

"I'm not quite ready to drop yet." Sai answered evenly. "Sakura and Chiyo-san will fight with me, but it won't be long before you'll be the one on the ground."

"Is that so? Then I think that I will make the first move, before you can get your friends and 'fight'!" Sasori's arms snapped in position, sticking straight outwards. A metal tube jutted through the palm of each hand, and just in time Sai jumped backwards, pushing Sakura behind a rock as he did so.

"Get off- whoa!" Sakura's protest became a startled exclamation as roaring fire hit the rock they sat behind, shooting past it but not curling around. She could see that Chiyo had taken cover as well, behind a second, smaller boulder. Turning around, Sakura faced Sai, sounding cross. "So now you decide I'm worth saving? I get it, not out of any sudden longing for the friendship you once shared with us, but because it would benefit _the mission_!"

Sai was looking past her at the stream of fire, every single muscle in his body tense and ready to jump.

"It doesn't matter." His voice was quiet. "Focus on defeating him. There's no time for you to start acting like Naruto, trying to change me and find out 'what's wrong'. I've grown weary of you two consistently badgering me, as if your words are actually more important than my orders from Danzō-sama. Don't talk to me. Just fight."

The fire ceased momentarily, and Sai jumped out from the safety of the rock. He ducked under a short spurt of flames and zigzagged across the rubble, trying to get close enough to Sasori to land a hit. Reaching down to the belt at his side, he withdrew several kunai and tossed them at Sasori. The cable came up and deflected them easily, then a blast of fire forced Sai into retreat.

Sakura came up right behind him, pirouetting gracefully in midair and landing on all fours, before jumping from the spot as more fire went her way. She, too, had to retreat as Sasori's fire attacks switched to water-based ones. She ducked behind a rock, but heard Chiyo shout,

"Sakura, get out of there!" Obeying by instinct now, she leapt upwards just as the rock cracked and broke under the pressure of a powerful, concentrated jet of water. Sasori's eyes were wide and a delighted smile was frozen on his face as he moved his hands from side to side, letting the jets cut through solid rock in their attempts to slice his grandmother and the two younger shinobi.

Sakura pushed off of the rock wall, avoiding a blast that would have taken off her head or shattered her skull. Seeing that she had dodged, Sasori turned his attention to Chiyo and Sai. Sakura used the brief respite to appraise her comrade's states. None of them in were very good shape. All of them bore slight cuts from flying debris or the iron sand, and the battle had been dragging on for a long time, making every breath more difficult than the last. Also, Chiyo was struggling with her puppet arm, trying to get it out from under a rock that was dislodged by some water.

_'Chiyo-sama looks tired...'_ she thought. _'She's really powerful, but the difficulty of this fight and her age are a bad combination. Sai's slowing down, too. I can tell that he's conserving as much energy as possible, just barely dodging anything Sasori throws at him. Damn, Sasori was right... Sai really did run out of ink, and he's low on chakra after the fight with the Third Kazekage puppet. Admittedly, I didn't do as much, so I feel a bit better. It's up to me to do something now!' _

From her perch on an outcropping rock on the side wall, she could see that as Sasori's water jets became more erratic one of the scrolls on his back disappeared. As it vanished altogether, the water ceased, and Sasori let his arms fall loosely to his sides. He looked more like a puppet than ever, with his droopy eyes wide and staring and his face as empty as Sai's.

"What a joke." he muttered. "An old woman and two brats are giving me this much trouble... Curse that hag." The cable in his stomach started to unwind, with its sharp and pointed end embedding itself in the dirt. Sasori rose part-way into the air and extended his 'wings'. Sunlight glinted off of each individual silvery blade, highlighting every sharp edge. He tucked his arms inwards as each wing started rotating around a center pole, becoming a deadly rotor saw. "Hanging onto life for so long... Why won't she just _die already!"_ With a sharp exclamation, he shot forwards, straight at Chiyo.

Alarmed, Sakura ran forwards. She grabbed ahold of the cable and strained to pull it back in time. Sai dashed torward Chiyo, pushing the rock off of her arm.

"Go!" he told the elder. "Gain higher ground, quickly."

The elder nodded. "Thank you, young man." she said swiftly before jumping up onto a boulder. _'Sakura might have been a little harsh on him...'_ she thought. _'She is young and inexperienced. She does not see what my old eyes do. Perhaps the boy can fool his peers and even his teacher, but he can't fool someone who's been on this earth twice as long as any of them. There's life in him yet- real life, not a slave's life.'_

Sai bent his knees to follow, but something made him look at Sasori. The puppetmaster was grinning.

Suddenly, the end of the cable left it's place in the ground and retracted swiftly. Sakura let out a cry as the fast-moving metal rope burned her hands, forcing her to let go. Sasori changed directions and used the rotating saws like twin propellers, pushing him back through the air even as his cable raced through the air. Sai tried to get out of the way, but his chakra-starved limbs failed him and he stumbled. Too late, he moved sideways, and the pointed cable pierced his left shoulder.

For a moment, Sai stood stiffly, then he was thrown to the side as the cable retracted. Dust rose into the air as he hit the ground and rolled to a stop, lying still.

"Sai!" Sakura hollered, dread coursing through her. _'That tip was poisoned. The end of that thing is poisoned and I don't have my antidote and he was cut and...' _She starting running to him, but the cable whipped through the air once more, wrapping around Sai's midriff and hoisting him into the air. His arms and legs swung slightly and his head drooped, like he was a doll in a small child's hand.

"Ah, dear..." Sasori said loudly. "He did not take the antidote. Am I correct? He's just paralyzed now, but I'm sure he'll be in a lot of pain before long..."

Sakura whipped around and stared at Sasori, her fists clenched so tightly that her hands ached. "It was a trap. You pretended to attack Chiyo-sama so I would go for the cable. You knew that since I was stronger, I would try to pull on it, and Sai would be put in your path as he freed Chiyo-sama."

"The pale boy was right." Sasori sounded faintly disdainful. "You're only capable of making the most basic of deductions."

The kunoichi's hands shook, and she forced herself to try and calm down. She narrowed her eyes at Sasori. "Give him back."

The puppeteer considered her. "As you wish." The cable whipped back and then forward, unraveling far enough to toss Sai into empty space. Sakura ran and caught him, dropping down to her knees with the sudden weight, though Sai was far lighter than she had expected. Sweat beaded his face and his black eyes were dull, but they seemed to be focusing on her.

"Sakura..." Sai whispered.

"Shut up." she said sternly. "Chiyo-sama has an extra antidote, which you're going to take, then we'll defeat this guy."

"No, run..." Sai cut off, straining for enough breath to speak. "Drop me and run..."

Sakura's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What are you talking about? I'm not going to drop you."

Sai started to speak again, but suddenly winced and curled up, his body wracked with pain. Sakura got quickly to her feet. _'The poison's advancing really quickly... I have to get the antidote to him fast, before it goes any further.'_

Behind her, Chiyo peered closely at Sai. _'There's something not quite right...'_ she thought, then the answer came to her, and she sharply jerked her hand backwards, pulling Sakura away just as a kunai flashed in Sai's hand. Sakura fell heavily down in the dirt next to Chiyo's boulder.

"What's going on?" Sakura gasped. "Sai, why did you attack me? You shouldn't be able to move like that!"

Sai was standing rather unsteadily on his feet, his shoulders slumped and his head sunk down onto his chest. Sasori was also standing, but his hands were extended outwards and now Sakura could see that long, shimmering threads of blue chakra extended outwards from each finger before seemingly vanishing after one foot of length.

_'Chakra threads?'_ she wondered. _'But he doesn't have any puppets... oh. Oh, no, god no...'_

"You realize it too, now, don't you?" Sasori asked, and twitched one finger. Sai's head rose and his half-lidded eyes met Sakura's bright green ones. "Baba's not the only one who can use living humans as puppets. Of course, they normally have to be cooperative. But your friend is sufficiently weakened enough by my poison that I can manipulate him like this. After I defeat you two, I'll kill him and add him to my collection so I can put in some modifications. But for now, I'll have to make do with how he is now."

Sasori flicked his left wrist, and Sai bent down, picking up his fallen tantō before running at Sakura.

"Chiyo-sama!" Sakura tensed in preparation to fight. "Let me handle this one. You get your puppets ready and go after Sasori. I've practiced sparring against Sai several times." Chiyo nodded, and Sakura felt the chakra strings attached to her joints break off, allowing her to draw a kunai and parry Sai's first strike.

Sakura ducked and sidestepped, her small blade clashing with Sai's longer one time again and again. _'I have to immobilize him somehow.'_ she thought grimly. _'If I wound him now, he won't get any slower due to the injury. Sasori will force his body to keep fighting no matter how badly injured he gets and hurt him even more. I need to make him stop moving without hurting him.'_

"Sakura." The voice was soft and rasping, but she heard it all the same.

_'He can still talk?'_ Sakura thought, surprised.

"Hang in there." she encouraged him even as he tried to cut off her head. Sliding her kunai down the length of his tantō, Sakura pushed Sai back a step with her superior strength. "I'll figure something out. Chiyo-sama's going to handle Sasori."

"It's no use..." Sai murmured. "The way that I am now, I'm just a liability... you have to kill me quickly before I can do any more damage."

Sakura let out a short, humorless laugh. "Oh, kill you? You have no idea how many times I've wished to do something just like that. You've hurt Naruto countless times, Sai, hurt him more badly than you'd ever know. And every one of those times, I want to kill you for it."

Sai was silent as he lunged with this tantō. Sakura twirled around to avoid it.

"But you see, I'm not going to kill you. And you know why? Because I'm your friend. Maybe you don't consider _us_ your friends... but we consider you as one, no matter what, so shut up about your stupid Danzō-sama already."

"Don't speak of-" Sai began, but Sasori's hand pulled him upwards, making him jump over a strong punch and come down with his tantō. Sakura parried, throwing him back into a boulder. Her emerald eyes were smoldering with inner fire as she advanced upon him. Sasori frowned and maneuvered Sai to get to his feet, but by then Sakura had knocked the tantō out of Sai's hand and slammed him once more against the boulder.

"You've been so _blind_, Sai! Can't you see how much we- how much _Naruto_ cares about you? Can't you see how much _you_ care about _him?_ Stop denying yourself these emotions and feelings! They're in you, I know it- so stop trying to pretend they're not!"

Behind them, Chiyo had engaged Sasori in battle with her Mother and Father puppets, forcing his attention elsewhere. Sai stared up at Sakura and her raised fist, panting for breath and unable to move himself. His eyelids flickered and he coughed harshly, making Sakura drop her fierce expression and kneel by him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to read his face. Sai looked away, unable to meet her eyes.

"Sakura..." he murmured. "Sorry for using you like that... I'm sorry..."

Sakura smiled sadly at him, feeling a strange mix of relief, sorrow and some last traces of anger that were swiftly fading. "It's all right. It's all right, now." she waited for him to respond, but Sai's eyes had closed and he did not speak again. "Sai?" Seized by a sudden fear, she grabbed his wrist and sighed when she felt a faint pulse. _'He's just unconscious...'_

Sakura straightened and swiftly took out a roll of wire from her side pouch, using it to gently but securely tie Sai to the boulder so Sasori would not be able to move him. Then, she stood up, looking around for Chiyo. The elder woman had engaged Sasori in battle with her two puppets and the remains of Sasori's first puppet that he had used in the beginning of their battle. Sakura leapt to Chiyo's aid, but the woman did not seem to be having trouble. In fact, Sasori looked more exhausted than his grandmother. His puppet's eyes were as wide as ever, but they had lost their luster and his movements were much more lethargic.

"What happened?" Sakura asked Chiyo in an undertone.

"One of the abilities I gave to the Mother and Father puppets when Sasori fled Sunagakure was a chakra needle shooter... He didn't see some coming in time, and they hit that white, red and grey cylinder stuck in his chest. Whatever it is, it seems to affect him somehow." Chiyo replied, skillfully maneuvering Hiruko's disembodied arms to shoot Sasori's own shrapnel out at the puppeteer. "Sakura, get him from behind. I've got a plan."

"I hope it doesn't involve sacrificing me." Sakura joked as she ran behind Sasori, making Chiyo chuckle. As Sasori's cable tail tried to strike at her like it did to Sai, she jumped onto it, grabbing it at the base of its spear-like tip carefully enough so it would not be able to pierce her. However, Sasori's metal wings began whirring, forming saws once more. Letting his cable tail extend outwards to push Sakura away, Sasori flew at Chiyo. "Chiyo-sama!" Sakura called. "Move!"

"Die, you old hag!" Sasori growled. "You've clung to life for too long!"

However, instead of running backwards like he had expected, Chiyo ran head-on into him, her arms reaching outwards to hug him tightly. "It's been so long since I've held you, my dear grandson..." she murmured. "I remember I used to hold you on my lap and tell you stories... how did you become like this, Sasori?"

Sasori's teeth bared in a snarl. Sakura flinched at the expression on the puppetmaster's artificial face, taken aback by how the typically stoic criminal transformed.

"Get off of me!" Whipping sideways, he dislodged Chiyo and turned so his metal wings cut straight through her. Sakura froze, the cable sliding out from between her hands. Then there was a little puff of smoke, and two small rocks that were neatly cut in half dropped to the ground. The puppetmaster stilled, and his eyes went wide and uncomprehending.

_'A replacement jutsu, this late in the battle...?'_ Sakura thought. _'Did she have that much chakra left? Did Sasori somehow miscalculate?' _Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two dark shapes rising up. Too late, Sasori turned to meet them, and too late he readied himself to dodge.

Dual swords pierced the greyish cylinder embedded in Sasori's body, each dripping with purplish poison in place of blood. Chiyo leaned whole and unharmed against a nearby boulder, her fingers out and extended, the chakra strings connected to the two puppets that now wrapped Sasori in a deathly embrace.

* * *

><p>I'm sorry for the long update, but I found it very hard to try and write this chapter. For one thing, I'm a firm believer that the whole fight with Sasori was just a feeble attempt by the author and the producers to make Sakura seem more powerful than what she is. (Not that I dislike her; she's okay) Plus, re-writing big canon fights to fit in just one added character are pretty hard, since you don't want to make it <em>too<em> different or _too_ much the same. And this fight was extremely long in the anime... and fights in general are just hard. But I hope that was okay, anyways... grr.. stupid Sai... why are you so hard to write into a story? Still, I think it was a much better idea making him fight Sasori instead of Deidara, since Kakashi pretty much takes the spotlight with his Mangekyo's ability. Chiyo and Sakura defeating Sasori all by themselves was pretty stupid, especially considering how powerful Sasori is.

Replying to Tingklang (As you're anonymous, I must put it _somewhere_)- The new jutsu that Danzō taught Sai? Well, he _did_ teach Sai that one, but it wasn't _the one_. It wasn't The One that he taught him in the beginning of the story. You'll eventually see what it is, though =) And as to SaiNaru? I'm undecided yet, but it will probably be there, just indirect, no outright confessions or anything; I'm not good at those. So yes and no at the same time. It will likely end up being decided by the reader how to interpret things, as a very close friendship or a more romantic association.

Shortcomings aside, review if you like and do please tell me if I mispelt something or if a character was too OC. Thank you! =)


	12. Nightmare

_"Sometimes I dread the truth of the lines I say. But the dread must never show."_ ~Vivien Leigh

* * *

><p>Sakura's small, ungloved hands neatly undid the knotted wire, and taking ahold of Sai by the shoulders, she gently laid him down on the ground.<p>

"Chiyo-sama, the antidote." she ordered, and the elder nodded, handing her the little vial of orange liquid. Sakura rolled up Sai's sleeve, trying to ignore the old, faded lines that crossed his skin in some places. Lightly piercing the skin of Sai's left arm with the needle, she depressed the stopper and then removed the needle, tucking it away in her backpack. "It should start taking effect soon, but I still need to heal him. Then, we can go." A green cloud of chakra surrounded her hands, and she placed them over the bloody, circular tear in Sai's shirt. Her eyes were focused on the wound, but her mind was elsewhere.

_'What did he possibly mean by his apology? Directly, it was about using me as bait for the Third Kazekage puppet... but indirectly, it felt like he was apologizing for how he's been acting this whole time.'_ Sakura looked on as Sai's face slowly relaxed from a pained grimace into calmness. His breathing became slower and more even, but still a little too short for her to relax just yet. _'The antidote's working just fine, but he received more poison in one dose than Kankur__ō__ had gotten from such a direct hit. I'm going to have to use that technique again to get the last traces, but for now Sai'll be okay.'_

Chiyo watched as Sakura carefully lifted Sai, placing one arm under his legs and the other across his back. _'Those two boys... Sai and my grandson were a lot alike... both holding something dear to their hearts, but unable to express their emotions, not even through their art, which instead became a battle tool. However, this young man seems like he's finally stepping back onto the right path... if only Sasori could have done the same...'_

"Hatake-san, come in." Chiyo took small delight in being able to use the radio device. "Eh, they sure didn't have these when I was still in the service."

"Chiyo-baasan?" Kakashi's voice was tinny, occasionally disrupted by crackles of static. "We're all right on this end, our man's hiding somewhere but we have retrieved Gaara. How are you and the kids?"

"Alive." Chiyo replied. "We defeated my grandson. Where is your location?" She paused, listening. "Northwest... down the canyon... to the left side. I got it, thank you. Over and out." With a flourish, she turned off the radio. Sakura would have facepalmed if she hadn't been holding Sai. Instead, the medical nin gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Was that 'over and out' really necessary?" she asked as she and Chiyo took off, out of the caved-in space and into the trees. Chiyo chuckled, the wrinkles on her face deepening as long smile lines appeared.

"Sakura, you must understand that these radios are a novelty for someone like me. Perhaps you have grown up with them all of your life, but they're a truly amazing technology, even if they do only work over a limited distance. When I return to my brother, I'm going to get one of those radios and tinker with it. Who knows, maybe I will increase its communication range by countless kilometres!" Chiyo chuckled again at the prospect, and Sakura grinned. Then, the humour on her elder's face became seriousness. "No, but Sakura..."

"What's wrong, Chiyo-sama?" Sakura asked respectfully.

"Nothing's wrong." Chiyo smiled at her. "I simply wanted to say... I wanted to say thank you. For staying and fighting with me. I could not have defeated my grandson without you and Sai. But seeing how you were able to help that young man... forgive me for saying this, but I wonder if you would have been able to talk sense into Sasori, given enough time."

Sakura's gaze was distant as she jumped onto another branch, feeling summer leaves brushing her face. "Maybe I could have. I probably wouldn't, though... I don't have a good enough idea of what made Sasori who he is. I didn't know him before he changed, either. Sai, on the other hand, I knew for about a year and a half."

They ran in silence for a while. Then, Chiyo spoke up.

"Is that them?"

Sakura peered through the trees, and spied several flashes of blonde, spiky hair. "That's them! Looks like Naruto made some clones." Changing direction, they touched down in a clearing where one Naruto stood by Kakashi. "Hey, Naruto, sensei!" Sakura called, running an expert eye over the two. They both looked a bit out of breath, but neither was wounded, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Still looking for your guy?"

"We've let him go for the moment after getting Gaara back." Kakashi said briefly. "Chiyo-baasama, what-" Kakashi broke off as Naruto pushed past him with a loud exclamation, running over to Sakura and peering down at Sai. Brushing aside his annoyance at his impatient student, Kakashi looked at Sakura for a diagnosis.

"He's not in any immediate danger." Sakura assured them. "Sasori uses a potent poison that destroys cells and invades the muscles, but he received the antidote much quicker than Kankurō. We don't need to worry about getting a new replacement."

Naruto didn't respond. He searched Sai's face, trying to reconcile that disturbingly peaceful expression with the cold and stony one Sai wore so often. With his lightly closed eyes and serene face, Sai looked very, very dead. Naruto extended his hand, placing two fingers on the side of Sai's neck. The pulse was slow and steady. He withdrew his hand and stepped back, face darkening.

_'Sai's okay... I don't care if he's being a bastard or not, I'm still happy he's alive. But Gaara... Gaara...'_

* * *

><p>The first thing he noticed was a bright flare of red behind his eyelids. Sai opened his eyes and blinked, startled by the sudden burst of light. The sun glared down upon them, reflecting painfully of baking sands that held barely a scrap of life. They stretched to the horizon and presumably beyond, a seemingly endless span of desert sand.<p>

_'Sand...? Ah, yes, we were on that mission to the Sand Village. But then, why am I being carried? Who is this? Why-'_ Sai paused in this thoughts as feeling returned to his body, and with it, a fierce ache that seemed to emanate from every limb. The pain was especially concentrated in his left shoulder, and he gritted his teeth, grasping his shoulder with one hand.

"Hey, stop that." A familiar voice snapped. "You'll just hurt yourself again." Sai let go, taking note of the face of his bearer for the first time. A pair of large ocean blue eyes stared back at him, currently filled with a measure of annoyance.

"Naruto." Sai acknowledged him, his voice flat. "What happened while I was unconscious?"

"Oh, nothing much. We saved Gaara, but Chiyo-baasama sacrificed herself to bring him back to life, so now we're heading off home. Gai-sensei took Kakashi-sensei on a run, and Lee went after them. The others are jogging some ways ahead."

"Chiyo...baasama? Ah, I remember..." Sai was lost for words. The smiling face of the old woman was fresh in his mind. "So she survived the battle with Sasori, after all, but ended up dying in the end... And you fought that Deidara, am I correct?"

"Yeah, but now I'm stuck carrying you." Naruto groused. "Do me a favour and be quiet for the whole trip, okay? I don't want to hear you talk about how Sasuke betrayed us and how ignorant I am. I don't care if you don't want to be friends anymore, so just shut up and let me take you home."

Satisfied, he thought, _'There. Now, the freakin' idiot won't blabber on about the importance of the mission over friendship. Maybe I'll even avoid another stupid dickless joke...'_ To Naruto's surprise, Sai did shut up. As the silence stretched out, Naruto began to feel more and more uncomfortable. Unable to stand it any longer, he looked down at Sai. His teammate was staring straight ahead, clearly not seeing the desert but memories of his own.

"Sai?" Naruto asked uncertainly.

"You said that you didn't care if I didn't want to be friends anymore..." Sai said slowly, as if he were unsure of his own words. "Does that mean that after everything I said, we still were?"

The blonde boy's mouth fell open.

"Gee, what do you think?" he asked, his tone bitingly sarcastic. "Of _course_ I abandon people after they give me some trouble, after they act like heartless bastards and hurt me and people I know. Of _course_ I stop trying to make them better again. Of _course_ I just forget about them and try to go on with my life. After all, why should I bother with people who don't have friends, just tools to work with and then throw away once the mission's done?" The words came out harsher than he had meant them to be, and to Naruto's shock he felt Sai flinch.

"Sakura..." Sai took a deep breath, and plowed on. "Sakura said I hurt you."

"Sakura said that?" Naruto's eyebrows raised, and Sai gave a tiny nod.

"I'm sorry." Sai said quietly. "But Naruto, I can't help but be hurtful. If I let myself cultivate emotions, I know I'd just be destroying myself. Emotions will just make a person jaded and unhappy, and eventually dead before their time. Danzō-sama was right in saying that they killed my brother. I can't let them kill me, too."

Naruto sighed, and shook his head. "Sai..." he murmured, but his voice steadily grew louder and louder. "God, that's it? That's why you did all this? That's _it?_ You're so damn stupid!" Naruto started to say more, but cut himself off and struggled to keep his anger under control.

Once it had subsided, he said more gently, "You're afraid of the wrong thing. Emotions don't make you miserable. It's trying to hold them back, and trying to distance yourself from people that makes a person unhappy. You pretend that it doesn't affect you, but it does. You're starving your body of happiness each time you step away from us. Don't you get it? The more you try to push away, the harder we'll pull. Nothing you do or say will make me any less determined to get the Sai I know and like back."

Naruto smiled down at him, and Sai's night-black eyes widened slightly, staring up at his teammate's face.

"Why are you doing this? Why do you keep trying?" he whispered. Naruto's smiling face became shadowed by some past sadness, yet his smile remained intact.

"Because I know what it's like to be alone, and nobody should have to suffer through what I did when I was little. Maybe you don't realize it, Sai... but you're lonely, and it's making you unhappy." Naruto halted in his tracks, and they stood for a minute in silence, the rest of their team moving further and further away. The Jinchuuriki was overly aware of how Sai stared at him, and how he still couldn't read what lay behind that mask like face.

"Hypocrite." Sai said at last. Naruto frowned, eyes narrowing at the insult.

_'Did nothing I said get through to him?'_ he thought despairingly. _'Just as I thought he was getting better...'_

Sai kept talking, though he stopped more and more frequently to catch his breath. "You talk about how much I pretend, but I see you pretending all the time that you're more stupid than you really are. What you said just now... it makes me realize for the first time that you aren't just a dickless moron."

It took all of Naruto's self-control to stop him from jumping for joy when he heard the teasing note in Sai's voice. Instead, he settled for a resounding laugh that his injured teammate could feel reverberating through his chest.

"You're _just _realizing that? Boy, I guess I really lay it on too thick."

"Actually, I think idiocy is your natural state." Sai deadpanned. "You don't need to fake it."

_'I practically set myself up for that one,'_ Naruto thought ruefully. _'But it's worth it. I get to hear that note in Sai's voice which I haven't heard for two years, and which I'd never have thought I'd hear again.'_

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled from where she walked by Tenten's side. "Are you planning on becoming a Suna nin or are you coming back with us?"

"I'm coming! Geez, Sakura-chan, why do you always have to go and ruin a moment?" Naruto yelled back, pretending to be aggrieved. Unnoticed, Sai gave a little smile as he closed his eyes once more. The sound of Naruto and Sakura arguing was a lullaby to his ears. He would never admit it to himself, but he _had_ missed their bickering.

_'Whatever Naruto may say, emotions do make a person weaker... yet, they're enjoyable. These feelings... I think I'll keep them for a while and see what happens, but Danz__ō__-sama isn't going to be pleased. I must turn his attention elsewhere, and have him mull over something other than his subordinate. Maybe if I find out more about our opponents... he would appreciate such valuable information...'_

"Naruto," Sai mumbled tiredly. "Keep talking. I don't want to sleep just yet." The boy blinked at him.

"About what?"

"How about your fight with the clay user?"

However, as Naruto went off on a rant about pyro bastard this and crazy bomber that, Sai was only half listening. He tried to keep his eyes open, but they felt heavier and heavier, just _refusing_ to lift...

Naruto's voice ceased into nothingness as he felt Sai go limp in his arms. Frowning, he ran to catch up to the rest of the group.

"Sakura-chaaan!" he called. "Sai's unconscious again. Is that normal?"

The girl jogged over to walk next to him. "Why, he was awake? And no, you don't need to worry. In all honesty, I didn't expect him to wake up for another day."

"That's okay, though." Naruto adjusted his arms so Sai's weight would rest more evenly. The carefulness of his actions and the tiny smile on his face made alarm bells ring in Sakura's mind.

"Naruto... did something happen while he was awake?" she probed. Naruto stopped for a minute, considering her words.

"Nah." The grin and thumbs-up that he gave her nearly blinded her, and she rubbed her eyes. "Sakura, you don't need to worry anymore. Thanks for being concerned and all, but whatever happens from now on, I'll handle it, okay?"

* * *

><p>Little bumps appeared on the backs of two smooth, creamy white hands as their owner tightened her interlocked fingers. Those delicate-looking hands were deceptive in more ways than one, Tenzou* knew. Not only was the Hokage impossibly strong, she must have been at least sixty five by then. Her hands should have been darkened and wrinkled from all the years that her body had seen and all the enemies (and all too often, subordinates) that they had punched.<p>

_'Not,'_ Tenzou added to himself, _'That it's a good idea to remind her of her age...'_ He, too, had been on the receiving end of a punch, and still harboured a grudge against Kakashi for setting him up for that one.

"You summoned me, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes." Tsunade stared up at him seriously. "First of all, take off that mask. This mission isn't classified. I'm sure as a former member of his ANBU team, you have already heard that Hatake got himself hospitalized again."

Tenzou inclined his head, a smile gracing his metal-framed features. With his mask removed, he looked to be in his mid to late twenties.

"May I ask what it was this time?"

Tsunade snorted and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. A ray of sunset light landed upon her blonde hair, turning it a shade of peachy orange. "Overuse of his Sharingan, that idiot. Well, it can't be helped, considering especially who they were up against... but I'm sure your new students will fill you in on the details."

The ANBU's calm front was shattered as he started forward, mouth forming a perfect _o _and huge almond-shaped eyes doing likewise. Tsunade smirked to herself as she felt his shock through her closed eyelids and savored it. It wasn't often that she got to surprise her ANBU subordinates, but she relished every chance she could get to pay them back for always entering through her window instead of through the office door.

"_Students?_ Hokage-sama, you... I'm being taken out of ANBU? For a genin team?"

"They're far from genin." Tsunade said, still leaning back in her swiveling chair. "In fact only one of them is still a genin, but his skills are far beyond that level: Uzumaki Naruto. All I want you to do is fill in for Kakashi on this mission while he's recovering. It could prove dangerous. You and your team are going to meet with a spy of Sasori who could have intel on Orochimaru. Sasori told this to Sakura as he was dying, but that information in itself is questionable. Thus, I'd put this mission at an A-Rank which could quite easily turn into an S-Rank should it go against you. An ambush? I don't know. The best we can hope for is that nobody would ever show up and you four return safely."

Tenzou frowned. "Looks like even the bad guys fight against each other. I'd have expected Orochimaru to be working with the Akatsuki, seeing as he has Sasuke, the younger brother of one of their members."

"About Sasuke... be very careful about dropping his name." Tsunade sighed and put a hand over her eyes, drawing it down her face. "Naruto and Sakura are very touchy-feely about him." Suddenly, she sat straight in her chair, her russet eyes stern once more. "There's something else I want you to do."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" Tenzou asked respectfully. An inappropriate joke had popped into his head as soon as she had said those words, but he dismissed it immediately and kept his eyes on the Hokage's face.

_'Too much time spent around Kotetsu, damnit... curse the day I was assigned to check up on the jonin station every weekend...'_

"One of your teammates is named Sai. You'll know him as soon as you see him; tall, thin, too pale for his own good and black-haired. He's in the hospital as well, but will be healed enough to leave tomorrow on the mission, if not fully healed. It takes about two to three days of straight travel to reach the Tenshi bridge, so by then he would be fit enough to fight."

"I don't understand. What exactly is it that you want me to do?" Tenzou asked.

Tsunade lowered her voice and she leaned forward. "Keep an eye on him. He was assigned as Sasuke's replacement by Danzō, which means that the old fox is up to something. I'd expect him to be following different orders- so just make sure that you find out what his real mission is and if needed, stop him from carrying it out."

"Understood." Tenzou bowed. "And what name shall I give them?"

Tsunade idly twirled a lock of hair around one finger, studying him.

"Yamato." she decided, slapping one palm down on the table. "Get going, Yamato."

"Ya-ma-to..." The man rolled the unfamiliar combination of syllables off of his tongue. "I think I just might get used to that name. Now, tell me... which room is this 'Sai' in?"

The boy in mention was currently lying on his back, staring out the window as the twilight grew dimmer and dimmer, evening fading into night. He counted the stars- one, two, three, ten, fifteen, thirty... and then gave up, instead opting to stare up at the ceiling.

_'Information about Orochimaru... I highly doubt its reliability, but if it's true...'_ Rolling over onto his side, he stared at the small vase on his bedside table. Naruto had brought a few large dandelions with several leaves still attached, declaring that he needed all the help he could get before they would leave. Though Sai didn't know how dandelions might help him heal faster, a small but growing part of him had appreciated the gesture. Yet, it was not the dandelions that bothered him. Naruto and Sakura, when they had visited, had seemed _different. _Their smiles didn't seem the same as usual, and Naruto's jokes were a little more forced. They had left fairly quickly as well, without so much as a good excuse.

_'It's Sasuke...'_ Sai thought dully. _'Naruto and Sakura both are brooding over Sasuke; of course they wouldn't want to spend- no, waste time around his replacement.'_ The thought bothered Sai, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't understand why. For the fifth time in ten hours he wondered whether Danzō had been right after all and Naruto wrong. _'Are these the feelings I get in return for opening up to Naruto again? Perhaps it would be better to just give up...'_ His eyes found the dandelions once more and he thought of Naruto's smile as the blonde boy stuck them into a little vase. Brief thought it was, that smile had been real; and just thinking about it made some of the odd queasiness in Sai's stomach go away.

_'No, I can't do that. I'm curious to see just how these feelings can cause Naruto to be so persistent, so cheerful and determined. I want to understand _why_ he does what he does, and not simply take action based on the situation and current intel.'_

A faint, warm summer wind blew in from the open window and across his face. It could have been the miniscule rustle of the curtains, or the barely perceptible intake of breath. Sai immediately sat up in bed and then doubled over, unable to stop himself from hissing in pain as his sore body protested the sudden action. Now more careful, he slowly sat up again and turned his head torward the intruder on his windowsill.

Sai looked at the two dark eye-holes of a cat mask which showed nothing behind them. The person's figure was concealed by the thick beige Root cloak and hood, but the mask he knew well, as well as the faded black hair tied into a spiky ponytail he could spy underneath the hood.

"Hyō-sempai." he greeted his fellow Root member, who acknowledged him in return with a little nod.

"Someone is coming." Hyō said shortly and quietly. "How much chakra do you have right now?"

Sai prepared himself and climbed stiffly out of bed to crouch with his elder on the windowsill, putting two hands together in a seal.

"Enough." Without a sound but with a little bit of smoke, a second Sai took his spot in the hospital bed. However, this one was sleeping peacefully. "I can't go too fast just yet, sempai. A boy in his hospital gown wandering the streets at night might raise questions."

"We have time." Hyō answered. "I'll match my pace to yours. We will not be going far."

Moving like shadows across the face of the building, the two jumped from window to window, balancing lightly on each sill before continuing on. Close to the top, Sai's jump fell short. Reflexes slower than usual, he missed his grab for the window's edge and began to fall, wishing that he had been wearing his long jacket instead of the hospital gown, and wished for the wire and kunai in one of its many hidden pockets that could have saved him.

One of the shadows cast across the hospital by a tall oak twisted and shot out, merging with Sai's. On his own, his arm reached out and he clung onto the edge of a window one floor down and two floors from the bottom. Looking up, he saw that Hyō was in the same position, his shadow extending downwards. Unsurprised by the jutsu, Sai let himself be thrown upwards by the shadow and landed gently on the roof, his companion following seconds later. The cat-masked man had been his team leader for many Root missions, and Sai had never questioned why a Nara would be working underneath Danzō. The older members of Root, thirty and above, had joined voluntarily. Sai had learned long ago not to question anything in the organization. Thus, Hyō was no exception.

"We won't be overheard up here." Hyō said quietly. "Now..." Reaching into the folds of his cloak, he took out a sealed envelope and handed it to Sai. "Be careful with it. You have a high probability of encountering one of Orochimaru's slaves on this mission. You will use this to gain theirs and in turn, Orochimaru's trust, thus allowing you to infiltrate his hideout. And from there... you know what to do."

"Yes." Sai said quietly. "I do."

Hyō was silent for a long minute. "The wood-user ANBU has left your room and is going back to his apartment. The climb down should be easier, but I will keep watch just in case."

"Thank you." Holding the envelope between two fingers, Sai concentrated his chakra in his fingertips and toes, swiftly making his way back down and sliding in through his room's open window. Hyō watched him go, face expressionless like all of his comrades underneath his mask.

_'He was a promising boy, and of excellent use on missions.'_ Hyō thought after making sure Sai had gotten back safely. _'It is a shame that we won't be able to use him anymore. However, Danz__ō__-sama is always looking out for the village. This is what is best for Konohagakure; this is what must be done. And even if somehow it could be avoided, he would end up useless anyways.'_ Despite his currently featureless exterior, the man had grown up like a normal child and was far more experienced in some areas than his younger, specially trained comrades. He had seen the flowers by Sai's bed, and had seen how Sai was staring at them. _'Getting rid of two threats to the stability of the tree of Konoha's Roots at once... Danz__ō__-sama is indeed wise.'_

* * *

><p>The group of four people walked steadily on the dirt path, making little puffs of dust with each step. They had just passed out of a little forest village, the inhabitants of which were looking at them like they were aliens. Yamato had laughed nervously when one child ran up and asked them if they were, but Sakura, when hearing Naruto starting to shout a 'yes', punched him on the side of his face before he could say any further. Unfortunately, this had only reinforced the villager's suspicions, and they had to beat an escape before a horde of them could amass.<p>

Naruto strode with his arms behind his head, looking comically annoyed. "Geez, Sakura-chan!" he whined. "Why did you hit me so hard? Cmon, what kind of people would seriously believe that we're aliens?"

"Why do you always have to go and say something incredibly _stupid?_" Sakura retorted. "Those people are so secluded, shinobi are just myths. To them, we rank among aliens and mythical creatures like dragons. The next one we'll pass won't give us any trouble, it's a nice and big village."

"No." Sai interrupted quietly from where he walked in front. "Even in the larger trading villages, shinobi aren't understood. In one village I went to last year..." he trailed off. "In one village..."

"Oh, boy, you got in trouble?" Naruto lit up. "Hah, I can imagine you standing in a street full of angry people and wondering why they got mad when you flew in on one of your ink birds... Say, is that what happened?"

Sai stopped abruptly, making Naruto bump into him and stumble back. The taller boy didn't move an inch.

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Naruto asked angrily, before he saw the curious blankness on Sai's face. Something about it was different than the blank facade he was used to seeing. Sai's eyes weren't empty; they were seeing something other than the blue skies and thickly leaved trees that crowded along the side of the road. The fingers on Sai's right hand twitched ever so slightly then curled around the hint of an imaginary sword. "Sai?" Naruto tapped him uncertainly on the shoulder. "You said last year... that was while I was with Pervy Sage. That was when you started to be a bastard, too. What happened then?"

Sai blinked. He was no longer in a darkened room with the recently slain bodies of Natsu and Tashigi. It was daytime, and he was on a mission with his teammates, his friends. Turning his head, he looked back at the others and gave them a smile.

"It's not important." Sai said simply. "Yamato-taicho, where will we be stopping tonight?"

Yamato ruffled his hair as he tried to remember. "Er... well, since we're making good time, I thought I'd treat you all to a night at a hot springs! We'll have to up our pace if we're going to make it there by sunset, but I heard the food's great." Hardly had the words come out of his mouth when Naruto took off.

"Food? Ramen! I haven't tasted deluxe ramen in _ages_, and that ramen I had in Sunagakure by treat of Gaara was all dry and grainy! This will be _great_, believe it...!" his voice faded away into the distance. Yamato sighed and made several hand signs, muttering quietly as he did so, then slammed his hand onto the ground. Motioning with one arm, the rest of the team jogged forwards until they saw Naruto lying spread-eagled on the ground, covered in dust and a large bruise on his forehead. The Jinchuuriki leapt to his feet, looking shocked.

"Yamato-taicho! You wouldn't _believe_ what just happened! I was running, and then a pillar of wood came out and hit me, and then it went back into the ground! Damnit, what _was_that? Is it an enemy attack?" Completely serious, Naruto grabbed Sai by the shoulders. "Sai, do you sense anyone? Are we being ambushed?"

"If that was an ambush, you'd be dead by now." Sai pointed out dryly. "And that hurts."

"Oh- sorry!" Naruto let go of Sai as if he had been burned. "Sorry. I- I forgot that..."

"No, I'm being slightly too harsh." Sai rubbed the sore shoulder. "Sakura's medical jutsu is becoming closer and closer to Hokage-sama's every day."

"Sai, you know that's not true. Tsunade-sama is legendary, and I'm just lucky that she's teaching me." Sakura chided him gently, then turned to Yamato. "Yamato-taicho, do you know what caused that wood to hit Naruto?"

"Yes." Yamato chuckled. "I did. And before your jaws drop off, since they're hanging so low it makes me fear for their safety, I _do_ know that only the First Hokage is supposed to be able to use the Wood element. However, the fact that I can use it is one reason that the Hokage chose me to be interim leader."

_'He's being completely honest, and he's not talking with any bit of arrogance, either, despite revealing such a great power.'_ Sakura marveled. She found her respect for the strange man growing, even though she still harboured suspicions as to the unsaid reasons why Tsunade had assigned him.

"Naruto, I didn't want you to rush ahead of the team. This is one of the things we have to work on. I'm sure that you have been told many times not to rush into things-"

"Too many times, especially by _some_ people." Naruto lightly elbowed Sai, who just elbowed him back.

"Boys, boys, calm down." Yamato chastised gently, then sighed and shrugged ruefully. "I guess the only ones with sense here are the adults and the girl. Tell me, Sakura, how is Kakashi able to keep those two in line?"

"At first, he couldn't." Sakura admitted, a fond look in her green eyes as she watched Sai and Naruto begin bickering. Naruto was mostly spluttering for retorts as Sai doled out a few premeditated words that made Naruto's face redden with anger. It was a familiar scene, and a great weight lifted off of Sakura when she saw it. "We used to hate Sai, a lot, and Sai- well, he didn't _hate_ us. It seemed like he did, but he was just too honest and didn't know how to act in social situations. If Kakashi-sensei tried to intervene, we'd just keep arguing with him, and Sai wouldn't ever try to back out. Now, I've pretty much given up on fighting with Sai, since he's easier to deal with now. Naruto... well, let's just say Naruto hasn't changed much," Sakura said with a small laugh, "But he thinks of Sai as a friend now. We all do. He's a good person."

"I'm sure he is." Yamato replied warmly, but the smile on his face was plastered on.

_'A "good person"? Seeing as he's from Root, I doubt that... but that smile on his face doesn't seem fake. Could it be maybe that he has different priorities than the rest of them?' _

"Yamato-taicho, you know Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, giving up on his argument.

"Yeah. We, er... did missions together before."

"I remember that Kakashi-sensei was an ANBU before he had us as a genin team." Sakura questioned, and Yamato gave another nervous chuckle. His hand went up to rub his hair once more, running back and forth through the short woody brown locks. He felt very conscious of the swirling tattoo on his right shoulder, even though before the mission he had smeared some concealing oils over it.

"Well, your sensei was a normal nin for a while because he had previous genin teams, only failed them, so during that time we met and started being assigned for missions." Yamato explained, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"You couldn't have gone on missions with Kakashi-sensei during that time, taicho." Sai put in helpfully. "He would have been preoccupied with testing his genin teams, receiving rebukes from the Third, and drinking a little bit in the local bar while reading _Icha Icha_."

Yamato glared at him, irked by his comment that had hit right on the mark. Sai's eyes met his, and something in them made all of the wood-user's annoyance ebb away faster than the ocean tide.

_'He's much more perceptive than I originally thought... yet, he doesn't mean anything by this. Sakura, I think, was right; he's not like the rest of them.'_

"Although..." Sai began. "Around this time of year, the ANBU are called together for a meeting. I remember witnessing it when I was assigned to work as one of them for three consecutive years."

His tone was so matter-of-fact, Yamato almost believed him. However, he knew that no such gathering within the ANBU existed. _'He has lying down pat,'_ Yamato wondered. _'The perfect combination of accurate-sounding information and vagueness to make it believable by two kids who don't know much about the organization. And what's more, he lied to protect my cover. Does he have any other motives, or is he just trying to be helpful?' _

"Sai's right, in any case." he said quickly as Naruto began questioning his teammate. "Are we going to those hot springs, or what?"

As he expected, Naruto exclaimed with delight and started running ahead once more, Sakura jogging after him prepared to drag him back. Yamato hung back to talk with Sai, who had a little smile on his face as he watched Naruto disappear around a bend in the road.

"Thanks for that." Yamato said quietly. Sai just nodded, gaze focused on the spot where Naruto had disappeared. "You admire him, don't you? Naruto."

"I don't know what 'admiration' feels like." Sai replied evenly. "However, if it means a strange lightness deep in my body, then yes, I do admire him. With his friendship, I am able to satisfy my curiosity about 'feelings' and 'emotions' and feel mostly what I believe is called 'happiness'."

"Mostly?" Yamato probed, and Sai shrugged, a shadow passing over his pale face and darkening his eyes.

"In Root, I am unable to cultivate emotions at all. I prefer a mix of them rather than none at all, and I would do anything in my power to protect the person from which many of them stem."

Yamato hid a smile. "Sound like you really like him."

Sai stared at him, making the man disconcerted by how blank the stare was. "What?"

"I meant, it sounds like you two are really good friends."

_'It's useless joking with him. He obviously doesn't understand implications.'_ Yamato griped mentally. _'Still, it's fun throwing them at him. He's killed before, and many times. I can tell. But in a few ways, he's more innocent than Hinata Hy__ū__ga and younger than the Third's grandson. Someday, I gotta get back with Kakashi and we can introduce him gently to the seamier side of life.'_

* * *

><p>Little curls of steam rose up from the hot water into the early evening air, coloured orange and golden yellow by the setting sun. Naruto sank down lower into the water with a loud, contented sigh, then briefly dunked his head.<p>

"Don't stay underneath too long." Yamato warned him. "You'll get heatstroke." When a spout of water came his way he laughed and dodged to the side, letting the droplets hit the stone tiles surrounding the men's hot spring. Looking pleased with himself for his sharp shooting, Naruto lounged against the side of the pool and closed his eyes. Both his and his captain's faces were flushed pink by the hot water. Sai sat a metre back from the edge, dressed in a dark bluish-grey yukata. His hair was still dry, and he doodled on a piece of paper free of any water spots.

After three minutes of soaking, Naruto turned around and folded his arms so they rested on the pool's edge, placing his chin on top of them.

"Sai, the water's _great_." he said enthusiastically, flicking a little bit of puddle water Sai's way with his forefinger. "Ditch your yukata and hop in."

"No thanks." Sai did not look up from his doodle, which had started turning into an abstract. "I'm not a fan of hot water."

"There's nothing to be afraid of." Yamato said mildly. "Come on, you're among fellow men. We won't make fun of you. It's not like the girls are peeping on us..." he grinned as Naruto choked and fell back into the pool. "Though it seems Naruto would very much want them to."

Sai smiled at Yamato's words, but did not move. "Please continue enjoying yourselves, Yamato-taicho, Naruto. I don't want to disturb your relaxation."

Naruto was back at the pool's edge once more, his gaze oddly intense. "Is it about those scars on your hands and arms? There's nothing to be ashamed of. It's not like we're gonna laugh or anything about the battles that left their mark on you."

Sai raised an eyebrow. "Naruto, you just said something insightful. I'm shocked."

"Hey!" Naruto protested. "I'm being serious!"

"I know." Sai stood up and retreated further away from the water's edge, sitting in a chair by a tall wooden fence that marked the separation between the women's and men's hot springs. "I know you wouldn't do anything like that, and I appreciate it. However, I have my reasons for not going into the water. Please respect them."

"Hmph, acting all high and mighty..." Naruto's grumbling became a burbling as his mouth sank below water level. He turned instead to Yamato, looking at him beseechingly.

"Sai's right, Naruto." Yamato told him. "If he doesn't want to go in, then he doesn't have to. It would still be nice if you joined us," he directed the remark in Sai's direction, "But I can't talk, as I need to leave now anyways. I'm starting to feel like a potato that's been in boiling water for too long and is starting to turn into mush."

Naruto harrumphed and turned away as Yamato climbed out of the hot springs and headed inside, wrapping a white towel around his waist. The blonde boy leaned against one edge of the hot springs, sinking down until his noise was barely above the calm waters.

That night saw him sharing a small room with Sai. Yamato had of course, gotten Sakura her own room, but then instead of sharing a single boy's room he had ordered his own. He wasn't going to say it outright, but he didn't want to stay in the same room as a certain one of his students who he didn't trust to not attack him in the middle of the night. All the same, Yamato was awake until one hour before midnight, wondering if perhaps he should have risked it in order to keep an eye on Sai.

_'Naruto'll keep him in line.'_ Yamato thought sleepily and yawned, finally closing his eyes. _'For all their arguments, they really do seem like friends. I guess I can let him alone for just this night...'_

Two rooms down, the curtains were open, letting moonlight shine in through a large sliding glass door. The door was not open, but Naruto sat cross-legged in front of it with his eyes fixed on the stars. Thanks to the Kyuubi's influence, his physical senses were higher than the norm. He could hear every quiet breath Sai took and his every heartbeat, as well as the little skittering noises of mice in the hallways. He could sense the killing aura of the local cat on the prowl for mice, and could sense the presence of an owl somewhere close by, in the darkness outside the glass doors.

_'I really should go to sleep...'_ he thought offhandedly. _'It's not that I feel uncomfortable about sharing a room, or anything. I'm just not tired yet. And besides, the sky's interesting.' _Laying down and putting his arms behind his head, he tilted his head to the left so he could still look up at the night sky. _'I wonder if Shikamaru ever stays up at night and lies around like this... nah, I bet he doesn't. He likes sleeping too much to put in the effort of staying up late enough to watch for shooting stars. Normally, I'd prefer sleep too, but...'_

The image of a duck-butt haircut and slouching shoulders flashed in Naruto's mind, and a smile ghosted across his face. There were so many things about Sasuke to make fun of, and yet so many things that he could be grateful for. The Uchiha had been the first one to truly acknowledge his very existence, albeit in a negative way. His early animosity with the young prodigy made him feel as if he was a person, and not some outcast that nobody wanted to say a word to, unless it was a passing insult. Sasuke, in his own way, had reached out to him. Now it was Naruto's turn to reach out to Sasuke. He was so close, so close to finding him at last, he simply couldn't sleep.

_'Soon...'_ Naruto thought wistfully. _'Soon we'll be a team again.' _He heard the heartbeat behind him quicken, and turned around. However, Sai still wasn't awake. Naruto stared at his teammate for a minute, wondering just how such a person had become his friend as well. _'Sakura says Sai and Sasuke are a lot alike, but I don't think so. Sasuke is much colder than Sai, and he hates much more easily. Sai's social awkwardness is annoying, but at least he doesn't hate, and doesn't feel anything negative. If Sai ever tries to sign off once we get Sasuke back, I'm going to beat him up and drag him back so he'll be forced to stay a part of Team Kakashi, because otherwise...'_ Naruto paused, reluctant to admit it even to himself. _'Otherwise, it wouldn't be the same. I'm not going to lose him too, no matter what.'_

Sai shifted in his sleep and rolled over, startling Naruto out of his musings. The Jinchuuriki peered at Sai and crawled closer, studying him. Sai's eyes were shut tightly, and he seemed tense instead of relaxed. The pale boy muttered something unintelligible, and Naruto leaned closer.

"Teide..." Sai was murmuring. Naruto almost burst out with laughter before he saw the pained expression on Sai's face.

_'He's dreaming.'_ Naruto realized. _'And it doesn't look like a good one... but can you even have bad dreams if you don't have much emotions to begin with? Either way, I can't let this continue.'_

"Sai." Naruto shook his friend's left shoulder. "Wake up."

Sai's eyes flew open and he sat up, hand flying to his back where normally, the hilt of his tantō would be. Seeing it was just Naruto, he visibly relaxed.

"Naruto?" Sai asked quietly. "What is it? Is there an emergency?"

The other boy studied him intently, but could not find any traces of fear left in those carefully guarded black eyes. "You were having a nightmare."

"Nightmares? I'm afraid that's impossible for someone like me." Sai gave him a thin-lipped smile. "My body probably was just suffering some pain from getting rid of the last traces of Sasori's poison."

"Just your body hurting?" Naruto snapped. "Like hell. I thought you trusted me. I thought we were friends again, and thought that you were better. I guess I was wrong, huh?"

Sai's lips quirked quizzically and a hint of confusion showed upon his face. "We _are _friends."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto retorted. "Then why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying." The denial slipped out of Sai's mouth before he could stop it, and Naruto snorted disbelievingly.

"Then who's Teide?" he challenged. As soon as he had dropped the name, Sai became very quiet. Realizing his mistake, Naruto searched frantically for words. "Hey... sorry if I hit a nerve..."

"Hit a nerve?" The words were slightly off-pitch, and to Naruto's alarm, Sai covered his eyes with one hand and leaned forward so his elbow rested upon his knee and most of his face was hidden from Naruto's view. "I wonder, does a tool like me even _have_ nerves? Truly, I shouldn't... but I'm finding out that there's a price to pay for everything. My mind can't seem to take it now that I'm letting myself cultivate emotions. Things that wouldn't have bothered me two weeks ago bother me now, and it's hard. It's worse than I could have ever have thought, Naruto. If I had known just how bad it would be, I would have never allowed myself to become friends with you."

Naruto's blue eyes became wider and wider as Sai spoke.

"What do you mean?" he whispered.

Sai's hand dropped and he stared at the floor, his fingers clenching and eyes seeing some invisible horror.

"Everything I've done when I was still just a tool, and not 'Sai'... it's crowding my mind. I can't get rid of it. I can't forget what I've done, and I can't dismiss it for nothing anymore, because now I know what I did was wrong and now I'm able to _feel_ something about it. Naruto, I..." Sai's voice broke and became softer. "Naruto, I killed them all. They trusted me, and I killed them."

"Wh- killed who, Sai? What happened? Is this..." Naruto hesitated, unsure whether he should ask for the hundredth time. "Is that why-"

"I can't tell you." Sai's shoulders slumped and he looked down. "I'm forbidden from revealing anything, no matter how much I want to."

"Why?" Naruto demanded. "Is it cause of your stupid Danzō again? You can tell me, screw orders! I'm your friend!"

"I _want_ to tell you, but I can't. Look." Sai opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, letting Naruto see an odd black symbol imprinted on it before he shut his mouth again. "Danzō places a curse seal on each Root," he explained. "That way the organization won't be put in jeopardy should one of its members be captured by the enemy."

"But that's cruel!" Naruto protested, and Sai shrugged. "Sai, I don't completely get what happened while I was gone, and it looks like I'll never know. But what you did as a member of Root doesn't matter. What matters is that now you feel remorse for what you've done. That's a _good_ thing, Sai, and don't you forget it. It might hurt now, and it might give you nightmares... but whatever you do, _don't_ just give up because of a few bad dreams!" He stared at Sai with burning blue eyes, hoping fiercely that his friend would understand. Sai stared back at him, but at last the mask broke and a little smile curled across Sai's paper-white face, and the boy drew his blankets closer around him.

"I think I understand."

"You'd better, because I just used up all my intelligence for the rest of the week!" Naruto cracked a joke, and grinned when Sai smiled wider before lying down. Naruto got up and walked back over to his place by the window, sitting down and folding his legs neatly underneath him. The moon was at its highest and fullest, enabling him to see the dark shape of the owl he had sensed earlier sitting in the low branches of the closest tree. When Sai's heartbeat didn't slow down to its sleeping pace, Naruto turned around and saw that his friend was sitting up again.

_'Still awake...? I guess his nightmare must have really shaken him... Knowing how he grew up, I bet it's his first nightmare ever.' _Naruto kept looking at Sai, who didn't notice his gaze. _'He looks pretty stiff... probably too nervous to go back to sleep, the poor guy...'_

"Ah, damnit!" Naruto burst out in a loud whisper. "Sai!"

Sai turned around, and saw Naruto beckoning him over to the window. Understanding, he grabbed his blanket and crawled over to sit next to him.

"Thanks." he whispered.

"No problem." Naruto muttered back. There was silence.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I lean on you? I'm getting tired."

"N-" Naruto stopped, looking at the dark shadows underneath Sai's eyes that were clearly visible on his moonlit features. "Fine, just this once." he relented. Sai inched closer and leaned against Naruto's side, his eyes closing. The younger boy shifted to make himself more comfortable and discreetly tugged on Sai's blanket so it covered his knees as well. Soon, both of their breaths fell into a soft, even rhythm.

Sai was barely awake as he felt Naruto fall asleep. He felt relaxed and calm, as if all of his worries and troubles had vanished once he entered the little square of moonlight.

_'So this is what it feels like to have a friend...'_ he thought drowsily. _'It feels... nice... I only wish I had more time... no, I can't think about that. Better enjoy this now while it lasts, so I will have no regrets when it finally comes time for me to carry out my mission, and fulfill Danz__ō__-sama's orders...'_

* * *

><p>**Note- why did I skip out a large section of the arc, namely Gaara's revival? Well, because since most people have watched the animeread the manga, they know what happens, and the story's nothing more than a write out of canon when our favourite (and out of place) protagonist is unconscious.

*Tenzou- apparently, Yamato's previous codename, as read from a bunch of other fanfiction and heard in the series. Nothing like trusting other people to have done the research already and then stumbling on it by accident.

I surprised myself with this chapter; I had expected it to be short, but it came out longer than usual. I thought only chapters with fight scenes could be long, but a combination of fluffiness and a little bit of angst, as well as some plot mapping... it really turned out longer than I expected. I hope you liked it! And just saying... Sai's mission here is a little different from canon, so there will be some surprises!


	13. For my team

_**"**__I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion."_ ~Mia Hamm

*I've been spelling it 'Tenshi Bridge' when I just watched Naruto again the other day and saw it was 'Tenchi Bridge'. Fixed that now!

* * *

><p>"Oi, watch it, you perverted artist." Naruto warned Sai, who smiled in response. "Dickless jokes I can-" he gulped, "Withstand, but don't even <em>start<em> to insult the orange. It's a _manly_ colour."

"Why do you call me 'perverted'? All my books say that a 'pervert' is someone who goes beyond lewd humour and steals every chance he or she can get to look at inappropriate areas of the same or opposite sex's body." Sai's voice was mild. He took no notice as Naruto gagged, his blue eyes fairly bursting out of their sockets. "All I did was glance at your jumpsuit and state that the brightness of that colour would more befit a woman."

"You're lucky you stopped wearing your stupid as hell stripper's jacket, or else I'd get one right back at you." Naruto grumbled. "Say, why did you stop wearing it, anyways?"

Sai started, and then a mischievous glint came and went in his darker than black eyes. Rubbing his chin as if confused, he said, "Why do you ask? Is it perhaps because you miss the chance to look at the exposed areas of skin? I would have never-"

"NO!" Naruto screamed, cutting him off. Sakura repressed a giggle as she saw her friend's face instantly turn beet red.

_'It's the perfect opportunity to jump on the bandwagon... but I'll leave poor Naruto alone. It looks like Sai can handle him, for now.'_ She was walking four paces in front of Captain Yamato and two paces in front of the two boys, discreetly eavesdropping on their conversation and glancing backwards every now and then. _'It's not because I'm interesting in what they're saying.'_ Sakura made a face. _'It just.. I guess it just makes me happy to hear them talk like this, and to see them walking like that.'_

Naruto was slouching as he walked with his hands in his pockets. Previously, he would refuse to be anywhere near Sai, and if he was, he would be ramrod-straight wearing an expression like he smelled something foul. Sai always had perfect posture, but before his smile was so fake Sakura couldn't stand looking at it. His choice of words had always seemed wrong as well, especially when delivered in his smooth but toneless voice.

_'They're peas in a pod again... but something's still...'_ Sakura blinked. For a moment, as she glanced quickly at Sai, she had seen a different face, with larger eyes and sharply angled, bluish-black hair done up in almost comical yet irresistible spikes. Then she blinked once more, and the illusion was shattered, replaced by shorter, messier charcoal-black hair above a too pale face that was too sharp and too.. too _not Sasuke_.

_'Sasuke...' _The kunoichi let her imagination wander away. In her mind's eye, it was Sasuke walking next to Naruto with that beautiful smile on his face. Both him and Naruto were the same as in their younger days, when Team Seven was naive and untainted by its first encounter with Orochimaru, when Sasuke was still not filled with hatred, when she still had a childish obsession with him. She wouldn't give up Lee for the world, but her true desire was to simply get the childhood friend and teammate she knew back.

Sai frowned as he felt a marked increase in weight in the air around them. Naruto kept talking, blissfully unaware of it, but Sai turned half of his attention to figuring out where the extra weight came from. He dropped to the ground to adjust a shoe strap and stole a stealthy glance backwards. Sakura and Naruto always claimed he wasn't good at reading people- that was true. But what Sai was good at was reading the atmosphere in a certain area. Reading the atmosphere was a vital skill to any Root member who wanted to carry out a successful undercover or espionage mission, and even more so when that particular mission included assassination. If you were standing in a room full of your enemies and conversing with someone whose death you would bring about that night, you had to be able to tell whether they had found you out or not.

_'There are always subtle clues... the too-swift blink, slight shift of the lips and eyebrows, infinitesimal change in position.' _Sai recited. _'And of course, how light, heavy, forced, or threatening the atmosphere might be around them. This feeling... I'm not quite sure, but judging by the expression on Sakura and Yamato-taicho's faces, I'd say it would be coming from Sakura. She is staring at me, too. Perhaps I have something in my hair? What is it that girls think when they stare at a boy?'_ Sai frowned as he wracked his memory for what his books had said on the topic, but the answer came to him the next instant. _'Ah... she must be comparing me to Sasuke... apparently, I look like him, and this mission must be making her recall the traitor.'_

His steps slowed down. Sai let his feet drag as he walked, not paying any attention at all now to Naruto as the blonde boy jabbered on and on. He found himself staring at the perma-grin that refused to leave Naruto's tanned, whisker-marked face, no matter the subject- how amazing the past day had been, how delicious the hot springs dinner was, what a nice day it was turning out to be, how blue the sky was, how he was going to take Sai to hang out with the rest of his friends once they got back from that mission and appreciate the summer weather.

"Naruto?" Sai interrupted. Naruto ceased talking and glanced at him, his blue eyes bright and lively. "Can I... can I ask you something?"

"Ask me anything you want!" Naruto answered, grin widening, then shook his head in mock despair. "Seriously, Sai, you're too stiff and formal all of the time! You don't have to be like that around your friends! God, the things we still have to teach you..."

Sai paused, taking in his words, then continued in a mild voice. "How would you feel if Sasuke died?"

Naruto stopped short. Behind him, Sakura had overheard and had stopped walking as well, making Yamato nearly bump into her. Sai looked from one teammate to the other, who seemed so still they could have been frozen. Slowly but surely, the grin slid off of Naruto's face, his jaws clenching together.

"Did I say something wrong?" Sai wondered aloud. Yamato opened his mouth to speak, but inflamed by the innocent question, Naruto beat him to it.

"_That_ is one of the things we should have taught you already. You should have learned that." The words were forced, as if their owner was struggling not to say too much of his feelings. "_Never_ go out and say something like that."

Sakura's words were gentler, but her expression was just as deadly as Naruto's. "Naruto's right, Sai. That was insensitive of you, and completely out of place. Just- just please change the topic, and let's do this mission right."

Yamato bit his lip, unsure of whether to use his wood jutsu yet or not. He hated treating supposedly mature shinobi like children. Naruto and Sakura were in their mid-to-late teens, and Sai was nearly an adult. At least Sai, with all of his reason, should know better and back out with an apology.

_'But that's the catch! He _doesn't_ know better! He might be mature in some ways, but he has no idea of how to handle something like _this_!'_

"I simply asked how you would feel if he died. Why does an 'if' bother you?" Sai said reasonably, making Yamato slap a hand to his face and groan.

"Because he _isn't_ going to die!" Naruto snarled back at him.

"I never said he would." Sai's black eyes flickered from Naruto to Sakura to Naruto again.

_'What's wrong with a little question? From this, I can infer how upset they would be if he died... but what is it about Sasuke that makes them follow him like this? Why are they always like this? More importantly... why does it bother me? Naruto called me a friend... how will he feel if- no, when _I_...'_

"Why are you always like this?" he asked abruptly. "Whenever you hear anything that even remotely sounds like 'Sasuke' or 'Uchiha' or anything that vaguely reminds you of him, you get very unstable. No matter how much I try, I cannot understand why a traitor who hurt you, your friends, and your village means so much to you. I asked you on the very first day of our partnership, when we first met, and you didn't give me a straight answer. I asked you the next day, and you told me you shared a bond with him, one that could not be broken... I didn't understand back then. I have some idea of it now, but what I'm wondering is why you don't want that bond to be broken."

Naruto's fists tightened and he flexed his fingers as if gripping someone's neck. "Because he's my _friend, _almost a brother! How can you be so stupid?" He looked ready to leap at Sai, but Sakura stepped forward and stuck her arm out, pushing him one step back.

"Naruto, I'll handle this." she ordered sternly, glaring narrowly at Sai. "Sai, I don't know what's making you say that, but Naruto's right. You should know better by now. You're beginning to form bonds, too- can't you even begin to understand how much they can mean to a person? That's why we keep running after Sasuke, even if he hurts us."

Sai looked at her blankly. "But Sakura, you're the one who told me you'd kill me if I kept hurting Naruto. That's exactly what Sasuke is doing right now, and even more than I had. Yet, you're not heading out to kill him, you're trying to save him and somehow change him into a good person again, if he ever was one in the first place. What makes me so different from Sasuke that you'd do that for him, but not for me?"

The question was delivered in the same mild tone as ever, but though directed at Sakura, it was Naruto who answered, pushing away Sakura's warning arm. She winced as he did so, feeling four light pricks where his hand touched her forearm. Glancing down, Sakura saw a set of four evenly spaced short scratches.

_'Scratches? From fingernails...?'_ Her eyes darted to Naruto's hands, and with horror, she saw that the nails were extending slowly, becoming small, needle-sharp claws. _'Naruto!'_

"Are you trying to compare yourself to Sasuke, now?" Naruto was beyond furious. "What are you trying to pull? I let myself become friends with you, and hell, I enjoyed it! I thought you were a good guy! Yet now, damnit, you're going and trying to fill a spot that you will _never_ replace!" With each remark, he jabbed a pointed finger into Sai's jacket, finishing off with a push. Sai stared down at him, refusing to be intimidated by the darkening whisker marks on Naruto's face.

The taller, pale boy took his time in answering. Finally, when he spoke, his voice was softer than before.

"I remember now... you also said to me once that you wanted me to go back to wherever I came from. Do you want me to? Would you rather have the Uchiha traitor, Orochimaru's pet, on your team?"

"Orochimaru's... _pet?_ _Sasuke?_ What, you really think that I'd rather have you?" Naruto let out a short bark of laughter which ended in a snarl. "Would I rather have Sasuke over Danzō's dog? Hell, yes!"

Naruto's answer startled the pink-haired kunoichi who stood wordlessly beside him. She had expected him to yell, but hadn't expected such an answer.

Sai bent his head, his eyes shadowed by a mop of dark hair, and his face- so like Sasuke's, yet not Sasuke's- was unreadable.

"I see." he said softly. "If that is what will make you happy, then it can easily be arranged. I will do my duty on this mission, and find your traitor for you, and then you'll be rid of me."

Sakura looked closely at Sai, taken aback as she saw his shoulders trembling, so slightly that she almost passed over the tremors. The fury in her heart began to fade, replaced by an overwhelming sense of guilt.

_'Is Sai... is Sai actually upset? He's not crying, like it's even possible for him to do that, but this whole time what he's been saying... it's as if he feels left out. I don't think he himself even realizes that he feels that way. Naruto was his only friend ever since his brother died, and now that Naruto went and said that, it's like he betrayed Sai.. just like Sasuke betrayed us. Sai trusted Naruto, and Naruto told him off so harshly in return, betraying that trust.'_

_**'You told Sai off, too.'**_ A snide voice whispered in her head. It wasn't Inner Sakura, Sakura knew. Inner Sakura was just the more confident side of herself that became assimilated into her main personality during training with Tsunade. This voice was the little voice of uncertainty and criticism present in everyone's head, consciously or unconsciously.

_'I didn't know he'd react like that!'_ Sakura protested. _'I didn't know that-'_

_**'That he had feelings?'**_The voice cut her off, sounding scathing and smug at the same time. _**'He doesn't know about them, but he still has them. Are you taking advantage of that?'**_ Sakura had no retort. She shook her head to clear the voice and tapped Sai lightly on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Sai... I'm sorry. It was cruel of Naruto to say something like that, and for me to do nothing about it."

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. "Sakura, you're taking _his_ side? Have you forgotten everything that Sasuke did for us? Did you forget... did you forget our _promise?_" Spinning on his heel, Naruto strode ahead in the general direction of Tenchi Bridge. Distressed, Sakura waved hastily at the remaining two men and ran off after him.

Sai raised his head and stared after them once they both had turned their backs. He seemed lost in thought, and only came to when Yamato, unsure of the action, patted his shoulder once lightly.

"Naruto's got a lot on his mind... Sai, I sincerely doubt he meant it. He's the type of person who can say something in the heat of the moment and regret it later. His actions speak louder and ring truer than his words. Just wait- everything will smooth out."

Sai looked straight at his captain, his eyes unfathomable. "Yamato-_sempai,_ you're just as bad at being comforting as I am, which isn't normal for your age. Besides, we _were_ on a mission together once. There's no point to hide your status as an ANBU around me."

Yamato chuckled uneasily, giving an awkward shrug. "I was hoping you would have forgotten about that time. The mission in Kumogakure? That guy Darui is lazy, but he was a bit too perceptive for my liking. If you hadn't tipped us off there, then-"

"There's no point in trying to hide that part of your assignment is to keep an eye on me, either." Sai interjected shrewdly. Yamato froze, staring at the younger ANBU with his already huge eyes looking even wider. "It's not your only reason for your temporary captainship that you haven't told us about, but it does rank among the higher of them. After all, Hokage-sama always needs to have someone keeping a leash on Danzō's dog."

The shock faded from Yamato's eyes as they became guarded and wary. "I expand on what I said earlier. You're far more perceptive than those around you give you credit for."

"It pays to be underestimated." Sai replied. "We should go catch up with Sakura and Naruto, and hope they didn't get caught by the spy already. Also, I have something I want to try."

When they arrived in the clump of bushes nearby Tenchi bridge, Yamato bent down on one knee and rummaged around in his pocket. A very loud, stifling silence permeated the air as he searched. Each younger shinobi avoided looking at each other- that is, Naruto and Sakura did. Sai, lacking the sense of awkwardness learned by most at young ages, kept glancing at his teammates. Sakura was biting her fingernails nervously, emerald green eyes focused on Yamato. Naruto stared at the ground, but his shoulders were slumped and he seemed subdued.

"Naruto, please hold this photo up for me. Yes, that's fine." Their interim captain made two seals and muttered some words underneath his breath, disappearing into a puff of smoke. Wood curled up from the ground, changing colour before vanishing into the fluffy white cloud. When it cleared, a perfect replica of Sasori in his puppet Hiruko was hunched before them. "Now, all I need to do is change the voice, and we'll get a good Sasori to meet with the spy. Sai, you said you had an idea?"

"Yes." Sai nodded. "I can create one creature for each of you to stick with you in case of an emergency or sudden attack, and if none of the others are close enough to help. These creatures will be self-sacrificing to protect their bearer, so if the enemy thinks they have you cornered, they will be able to aid you. Call it an ace in the hole, if you will."

"It sounds reasonable enough." Yamato acknowledged, his voice becoming steadily deeper. Sai took out his brush and dipped it in his scroll's inkwell, but then replaced his scroll back in his bag and held the brush aloft. "Er... Sai? Are you out of paper? If you need any, then I will be glad to-"

"No, no." Sakura interjected. "First things first, Yamato-taicho, Sasori doesn't speak like that. He's rude and impatient, not polite and helpful."

Within the puppet, Yamato smiled and cleared his throat. "Ahem. Brat, just say if you're out of paper or not. You're making us all wait. I can make some faster with my wood style."

"Second thing..." Sakura interrupted once more. "I've seen Sai draw his animals on rocks before, so he doesn't need paper for his super beast scroll. But, Sai, why are you drawing on a tree? There's a good rock right there. Isn't the bark too uneven of a surface?"

"It's even enough." Sai replied, focused on his painting. He gave a swift, curving stroke with his brush, the ink sticking to the tree instead of rolling down it in great black drops. "You and Naruto aren't the only ones who have gotten stronger these past two years. I have spent much of those two years practicing and perfecting this new jutsu. What you saw earlier was one of my prototypes, and a weaker version. Those rock and ink creatures are durable, but still just mindless manikins bent to my will. After some close calls when I experimented upon how much chakra I needed to put into this jutsu, I've reached a point where I can create three of these comfortably."

Naruto, despite his earlier argument, looked up curiously.

"Three snakes? That's it?" he asked doubtfully. "Big deal..."

Sai didn't answer, and Naruto bit his lip, looking back down at his feet. Instead, the taller boy ran through five hand seals.

"Ninpou: Kyūketsuki!" Finishing, he let his arms drop to his sides and stood still and impassive as the others gasped with shock. The inky black snakes began lightening to become brownish green, each drawn line spreading out and forming scales. The snakes stirred and started to slither down the tree they had been drawn on when the bark got rougher. The host tree's leaves yellowed, several drifting downwards, and the bark cracked as it withered. Two crows burst forth from the dry leaves with startled, harsh cries and vanished into the green trees, abandoning the embrace of dead boughs for living ones. The snakes, in the meantime, separated and coiled up at Yamato's, Sakura's, and Naruto's feet.

Yamato stared through Hiruko's eyes at his snake, which uncoiled and rose to one third it's height, hissing and looking at him inquisitively. Sai's ink creatures were black and dead. This one... nobody could miss the glint of intelligence in its dark gaze. The only thing off about the snake was its eyes, which were still an inky black that lacked any pupil.

_'A technique that _creates _life, instead of simply mimicking it... This goes against the laws of nature! By all rights, it should be a kinjutsu. It's too much like Orochimaru's reanimation jutsu, too much... I wouldn't put it past Danz__ō__ to have retained some of the snake's research and used it to help his prized student develop such an ability.'_

Trying to keep his voice level and in Sasori's tone, Yamato asked,

"Just how does that work, Sai?"

"Perhaps I'll fully explain it later, but in part, it uses the life force of its base object- in this case the tree- to sustain itself, and the chakra that I put into the creatures I draw is used to control them." Sai pointed to each snake in turn. "Let them hang around you. They'll come in useful." He waved his hand seemingly carelessly, but upon seeing the gesture the snake closest to Yamato slithered into the folds of his Akatsuki cloak, while Sakura's snake curled lightly around her left ankle as if it were a mere piece of jewelry. Naruto looked uncomfortable, but bent down to allow the snake Sai had drawn from him to slither up his sleeve and rest around the collar of his neck.

"Hm, quite appropriate for the situation, are they not?" Sai asked lightly, making Naruto jump and look at him. His teammate had his back turned to them, but his voice was like usual: Toneless and deceiving. "Orochimaru's snakes and jutsu far surpass my own little dabbling in that art. However, do not worry. I have no burning desire to learn from just one of the two traitors to Konoha. That's about as far as I'll go with that jutsu, unlike-"

"Sai." Yamato said sharply, abandoning his impersonation of Sasori for just one word. Sai paused mid-sentence, and looked back at him with a small smile which gave nothing away.

"Yes, _taicho_. You must be going yourself. The spy is approaching the other end of the bridge."

Yamato nodded and shuffled forwards, bells tinkling. The remaining three hid behind a thistle patch, careful not to get too close to the sharp thorns but wary of crouching too far back as to be in sight.

Sakura peeked over the bushes, squinting her eyes and shielding them with one hand.

_'All these leaves that the wind is blowing around make it hard to see... Who is the spy? I see silver hair, around Kakashi-sensei's shade...'_

"It's Kabuto." Sai said. He sat with his arms crossed to her right, and Naruto knelt on her left. "He's the spy."

"_Kabuto?_" Sakura exclaimed, then covered her mouth. "_Sorry!_" she whispered, mortified. "I thought he was practically Orochimaru's lapdog!"

"Oi, you..." Naruto growled under his breath with a side glare at Sai. "Don't even say anything. I know what you're thinking."

Sakura tensed, feeling the sudden flare of anger from the blonde Jinchuuriki that came and went.

_'Are they going to start fighting again here? I have to stop them, before we're found out!'_

"You... know what I'm thinking?" Sai asked quietly. "That's quite the odd apology."

Naruto blinked, nonplussed.

"A-apology?"

"Yes." Sai's dark eyes met Naruto's blue ones, full of deadly seriousness. "Two of my books said that only once they have formed a deep bond will friends be able to know what the other is thinking without them saying so. They have also said that only those who are completely honest with each other can become friends, or stay as such. I was honest with you, Naruto, and I meant everything I said about Sasuke. In turn, were you honest with me?"

Sakura looked nervously from Naruto to Sai. As she expected, Naruto was the first to look away. Sai kept his creepy gaze focused on him with disturbing intensity.

_'No wonder Naruto couldn't win that staring contest...'_ Sakura thought ruefully. _'Sai doesn't know the meaning of awkward, and I doubt he'll ever learn.'_

"Sai... what I said, it's not something that you're supposed to want me to have been honest about." Naruto muttered, drawing small circles in the grass with one finger. Sai chuckled slightly, but it was without humour.

"Ah, but Naruto, how am I supposed to tell whether I want you to lie to me or not? I have no prior experience with emotions, thus I can't figure out what my feelings mean."

Naruto stopped inscribing circles in the grass, slowly raising his head so he could meet Sai's eyes.

_'That smile... it's an obvious fake. What the heck happened to his real one? I think- no, I do miss it. Despite everything he said about Sasuke, I still miss that smile. Does that mean I don't want Sasuke back? Gah! Too hard! What am I supposed to do? Why does he always have to make things this hard?'_

In frustration, Naruto hissed, "Then tell me how you feel, and I'll figure it out for you!"

In the silence that followed, the two heard a faint, sharp intake of breath.

"Naruto!" Sakura whispered. Peeking back over the bushes, Naruto tried to focus on the scene. Yamato, for some reason or other, had left Hiruko and was kneeling opposite two men. Kabuto was standing slightly in front of a tall man with skin as pale as Sai's, his long, lank hair blowing sideways in the stiff breeze. Even from their distance, the younger shinobi could see purple coils wrapped around the newcomer's waist. Yamato raised an arm, and Sakura mentally prepared herself.

_Woosh_. With a flutter of wind, Naruto darted forwards and agilely leaped off the small cliff that held their thistle patch. Sai glanced at Sakura, who nodded tersely. He landed neatly closer to the right edge of Tenchi Bridge, falling into the old movement of landing with one hand on the wood to steady himself and the other prepared to draw his tantō. Typical shinobi would arrive in a half-kneeling, half-crouching posture with one hand on their leg and the other on the ground. Sai recalled several lessons where a different posture was taught, one that would allow them to get to their weapons quicker and thus allow them to survive. Sai fixed his dark eyes on the smiling Sound-nin's faces.

_'I will need everything I have learned and more, if I am to somehow get my teammates and I through this battle. Orochimaru is certainly a dangerous opponent, with an unstable mind to go with his powerful jutsu. He and his lackey are both smiling, though I do not see anything funny about the situation. Ah- he's looking my way. Does he find me funny?'_

"Does my appearance amuse you, or are you simply not paying attention?" Sai asked frankly, destroying the ominous air that lay heavily upon them. Yamato's eyes widened at hearing Sai speak out of turn. Orochimaru's lips curved higher and he laughed heartily, his snake's eyes shielded momentarily by their purple lids.

"So straightforward! Is this boy for real, _taicho_?" Orochimaru glanced over at Naruto. "He is Sasuke-kun's replacement, I'm guessing. Goodness, what resemblance! Their dark eyes are both so intense, and they both have the same enticingly narrow jaw... but their attitudes seem very different. I see now... you tired of Sasuke's constant gloom and backtalk, so you got someone who looked like him but acted the way you wished that Sasuke could be."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto growled. "We care about Sasuke for who he is! We don't want him to be a single bit different than how he was!"

"Are you sure?" Orochimaru held up his hand, studying his fingernails idly. "He has some temper, you know. Poor boy, he has such long nights that he's insufferably grumpy _the morning after._"

Sai frowned, not understanding the innuendo, but the way Naruto's clawed fingers carved trails on the planks of the wooden bridge showed that the Jinchuuriki obviously did. To his surprise, Naruto's hair had begun to puff out, becoming spikier and messier.

_'His claws are becoming longer as well, the whiskers on his cheeks are more prominent, and his eyes have changed to red. Danz__ō__-sama had warned me about this... so this is a Jinchuuriki's transformation? That chakra cloak is definitely a characteristic of the transformation.' _Sai tensed as Orochimaru started speaking, his voice low and taunting. _'He's trying to goad him on and make him transform. For what purpose? Danz__ō__-sama had no specific orders as to what to do if Naruto transformed, but I can't let it go too far.' _

"I'm very interested in seeing how _my _Sasuke-kun has grown... perhaps, I shall pit him against you. A dogfight, if you will."

"Sasuke's not _yours!_" Naruto's voice shook with rage, each word forced out. With a sickening bubbling sound, the chakra cloak around him started to boil, and two short stubs near the first tail grew out to join it. "Don't talk about him... like you _own him!"_ In a flash of orange, Naruto darted forwards, swinging his hand like an attacking beast, all claws outstretched. As he struck, the railing shattered and debris flew into the air. The strike had come at lightning-speed, but Sai caught the faint flicker of Orochimaru's form just before claws connected with flesh.

_'He dodged it.'_ Sai thought, his suspicions confirmed as Orochimaru appeared back in nearly the same spot with a grin still on his face. _'Something that fast and powerful, he still dodged it...'_ A shrill, piercing whine drew his attention back to Naruto. _'That chakra cloak, what's it doing? More tails? No, these are darker... it's almost as if he's overflowing with power, and it has to escape somewhere, so it's forming above him. Naruto... I would have never guessed that you could have held this much power.'_

The lashing, darker red tails of chakra around Naruto increased their speed, hitting the bridge railings and breaking them. Sai, out of the corner of his eye, saw Kabuto tense. He grabbed for the hilt of his tantō, but the medic-nin ran right past him, heading straight for Naruto. Kabuto faltered as Naruto turned around, then raised the deadly chakra scalpel he bore. Naruto's red eyes flared, and he opened his mouth wide, letting a brilliant white ball shoot out and expand. It hit Kabuto and kept going, taking him with it.

Sai acted on instinct as the airborne man flew their way. He rolled to the side and popped back up as soon as the missile had passed, glancing back to check up on his teammates. Yamato had dodged, but Sakura's snake had darted out and grabbed onto one of the now twisted red railings to pull her out of harm's way. Just as the kunoichi regained her footing, Naruto jumped at Orochimaru, his landing causing the whole bridge to shudder and then break. Sai heard Sakura give a short scream of surprise as their footing suddenly crumbled away beneath them, sending them tumbling down into the gorge.

Sai spared the rushing, white-capped waters beneath him only half a glance as he fell. Moving swiftly, he relinquished his grip on his tantō and drew out his brush and scroll, letting the wind snap his paper upright long enough for him to draw an ink bird and give the activation command. Feathery wings burst out from the scroll, followed by a large hawk's head. Stretching out with one hand, Sai grabbed ahold of the thicker ruff of feathers near the bird's neck and hoisted himself on.

_'Where are they... That wooden pillar must be Yamato's jutsu. If he's safe, then- there she is.'_ Swooping downwards, the ink hawk let Sakura drop onto its broad, soft back.

"Thanks, Sai." Sakura gasped out. "Is Yamato-taicho alright?"

"He created a wooden pillar to stop his fall." Sai answered shortly, his eyes trained on the rapidly growing figure of their captain closer to the top of the chasm. As they approached, Sakura jumped off the hawk to land next to Yamato, looking up at Sai expectantly while his hawk hovered in the air. Sai didn't get off. Instead, he focused his attention on Yamato. "Taicho, this is swiftly degenerating into a bad situation. We need to find the means to stop Naruto before things get too dangerous."

"I can stop him once I get within range, but we'll need to keep a certain distance from the fight. Sai, you're not thinking of doing anything like luring him out, are you? Not only is he fighting Orochimaru, but he's not in the right state of mind. With three tails, the lines distinguishing friend from foe blur and- are you listening? Hey, where are you going? I said, don't try to lure him here! It's too dangerous!"

Sai simply smiled slightly and gave a stunned Sakura and Yamato a small wave. As he flew, he took out his scroll and drew two ink snakes, which slithered up his long sleeves to hide from view.

_'I'm not going to just lure him out; who does he take me for? I- I don't think I want to be just a watcher anymore. I don't want to sit by and do nothing while Naruto is like this. I'm getting this strange queasiness in my stomach whenever I think about Naruto fighting Orochimaru all by himself. My books said that queasiness is a sign that I am nervous for a person that I care about... so naturally, as a teammate who cares for his other teammate, I must go to help him. Although, it's strange that Naruto hasn't been restrained by the snake I sent to him already. Something has to be wrong.'_

The bird suddenly screeched and he felt a blast of wind hit him full on. Shielding his face from the buffeting air and the many leaves and sticks that accompanied it, Sai peered at the ground, his eyes widening with shock. In the epicenter of a huge crater was a swirling sphere of black energy. The ground around it seemed to implode, then shot outwards, sending a gigantic plume of dust and debris into the air. Sai shielded his face once more, but could not stop the bird from exploding into ink. He quickly grabbed for his scroll to draw something to stop his fall, but the wind increased and the paper was torn from his hands. Unshaken, he braced himself for impact and rolled sideways just as his body hit the ground.

A slight gasp left Sai's lips as he felt the jarring impact. An sudden, intense pain jolted his senses, concentrated mainly in his left shoulder. Dust filled his vision and he coughed to try and rid his throat of the heavily tainted air.

_'I must have broken my collarbone...'_ Sai thought to himself as he ran his right hand lightly over the injured area. _'It is lucky I didn't land on any of the fallen trees, or else I might have suffered far worse. However, to be in such an open space...'_The pale boy stood up, taking stock of his surroundings. The dirt he was standing upon was formed into a regular pattern of large, wave-like yet sharp ridges that emanated outwards from a single point. At the very center, something had replaced the black ball. Sai narrowed his eyes and bent down to let the snakes slither out from his sleeves, never taking his eyes off Naruto. The two black serpents burrowed into the ground and vanished. Slowly, Sai started walking towards the Four-Tails.

_'Careful,'_ the rational part of his mind warned him. _'Orochimaru is still around.'_ He ignored the voice. The four-tailed beast captivated him, somehow. He couldn't take his eyes off it. He couldn't believe, that in such a short time, Naruto had changed so much. _'It's taken me years to change this much, yet Naruto's personality was completely reversed in a matter of minutes. How can the Kyuubi have such a hold over him? How is that possible?' _

"Naruto." he called, and the beast whipped around. Blank white eyes stared into blank black ones, neither of them moving an inch. "You don't need to fight anymore. Calm down, and we'll work together to defeat Orochimaru. We're a team, aren't we?"

The thing didn't reply, even after Sai repeated his words a little louder.

_'Can he even understand me?'_ Sai wondered, and he took a step closer. A low grumbling came from deep within the Four-Tail's throat, becoming louder and louder the closer he got.

"You shouldn't be like this, Naruto," he said loudly. "Don't you remember how much you always talk about teamwork and friendship? You're a hypocrite if you think you can just abandon us. Despite how much I tell you you are, you're not weak. Dickless isn't the same thing as weak, got it?" The faintest smile touched Sai's face and then left it, as fleeting as a breath of wind. He advanced another step, making Tailed Naruto snarl. "You're not weak, so why are you using the Kyuubi? No; why are you letting it use _you?_ The Naruto I know isn't like this. The Naruto I know would stand up to the Kyuubi and fight against its influence. Instead, you..."

Sai couldn't help flinching as the snarl came again, much more fierce this time. Unbidden thoughts ran through his head, borne of some strange and uncomfortable feelings that stirred deep in his body. _'What if he can't understand me? What if... No, I must stay calm and keep note of the situation. Danz__ō__-sama warned me that emotions would cause me pain. Is this what he called "panic"? Yet, I can still keep it under control. Other feelings are worth this uneasiness.'_

He stepped forward, slowly bringing his hands together in a seal. The Four-Tails crouched low.

"I don't want to have to do this, Naruto. But I have to. This is the first time in my life that I'm bound to a person instead of to order and law, and it was a bond that you forged for me. After some initial resistance, I let myself be swept along by your foolish ideals, and here I am now trying to uphold them for you." Sai smiled slightly, not even trying to putting any heart into it. "A little ironic, isn't it?" Without moving a muscle, he whispered a command. The ground at the creature's feet cracked, letting a multitude of smaller snakes that had divided from the original two burst out. The snakes hissed as they wound around the beast's legs, but Tailed Naruto's subsequent roar drowned them out. Sai felt the back of his neck prickle uncomfortably, but he shook it off and concentrated on maintaining his jutsu.

_'No person, shinobi or not, has broken out of those snakes before... but this is an opponent whose level far exceeds mine. As long as I maintain my concentration and stamina until Yamato gets here, I'll be fine.' _

A bead of sweat ran down Sai's face and he felt his heart beating unnaturally fast. _'What's going on? it feels like I'm being drained of energy.'_The Four-Tails kept thrashing around in the grip of the snakes, but they held form. Suddenly, the orange glow of the cloak that still faintly enveloped his body darkened and started bubbling once more. Sai's eyes widened as the snakes started disintegrating underneath the new attack. Even before the snakes had fully burned away, the Four-Tails' legs bent and he shot forwards. Sai immediately retreated, but not fast enough. In a flash, he felt something heavy, sharp, and burning hot strike him across the face and send him flying backwards. Sai hit the ravaged ground hard, rolling to a stop and then hesitantly sitting up.

Something red was getting into his right eye. Sai tried to blink the liquid away and then put a hand to his face, the pain increasing from a dull flame into a burning one whenever his hand passed over four long lines that passed over the upper right side of his face. His headband had been ripped, and now lay uselessly to his side.

_'He must have got me...' _ Sai thought dazedly. _'I suppose I'm just lucky that it didn't cost me my eyesight.'_ Lowering his hand, he saw that the tailed beast was creeping toward him like a fox stalking its prey; a fox that was unsure of a meal, but close to deciding to make the strike that would net it one. Sai inched his hand to pocket where he kept his ink well and brush, but the fox snarled at him. The long, red ears tilted flat against a head that was neither human nor animal, and all four tails whipped angrily back and forth. The ground cracked beneath the fox's claws, a telltale sign that it was about to jump. Sai braced himself for the impact.

It came, but not as he expected. Just as Tailed Naruto jumped with its claws outstretched, the ground beneath Sai erupted. The Four-Tails smashed right through the pillar of wood that carried Sai upwards and away, but another one sprouted to grab the falling boy and bring him to the safety of the grassy cliff on the edge of the crater.

Sai felt himself being deposited gently onto blessedly soft grass.

"Are you all right, Sai?" Yamato asked, sounding uncharacteristically serious. Sai looked up at his captain, who had both hands together in a hand seal and his eyes focused on the raging form of the Four-Tailed Kyuubi.

"Y-Yeah." Sai sat up, looking down at his hands. Both were dusty and scratched from all the times he had braced himself against the rough ground of the newborn crater. His right was covered with the blood that still trickled past his closed right eye and down his face. He felt a light pressure on his chest and felt himself being turned around to stare directly into Sakura's watery green eyes.

"Oh god, Naruto did this to you?" Sakura whispered, touching a gentle hand to the long clawmarks. "That's horrible..." Sai winced and she immediately drew back.

"That isn't Naruto." Yamato said dully. "He's as far from Naruto as you can get. Would Naruto willingly hurt his friends? That thing you see in the crater isn't capable of rational thought. Everything that is said to it is understood, but only as an insult."

An aqua-green glow surrounded Sakura's hands. She placed them together, holding them over the clawmarks on Sai's face. Sai sat patiently and let her work, tilting his head so he could see what Yamato was doing and quietly enjoying the coolness that emanated from Sakura's healing jutsu.

"Sakura, Sai, get back." Yamato said sharply as large wood pillars sprang from the side of the crater. The two obliged, Sakura momentarily stopping her jutsu. The wood raced through the air, wrapping around the Four-Tailed Kyuubi and pulling it their way.

"What are you doing, taicho?" Sai questioned, trying to make himself heard over the beast's protesting roars. "When I tried to restrain him with my ink snakes, they melted away. How come your Wood techniques work?"

"This might require some quick explanation." Yamato's words were short, all of his concentration focused on trying to get his struggling captive closer. "I was the only survivor of a group of twenty children that Orochimaru had put the First Hokage's DNA into, and so the only one to successfully acquire his abilities. The First Hokage not only had the wood jutsu, but the power to repress and seal tailed beasts." He turned around slowly, following the Four Tail's movements with an outstretched palm. As soon as it came close enough, eleven wooden, spiked pillars exploded from the ground in a circle around the tailed beast.

Sai glanced sideways. Sakura was inching forwards, her eyes wide and fixed on the creature. Yamato, too, took no notice of him sitting in the back. Slowly rising into a half-crouch, he backed away and then quietly vanished into the trees.

_'Orochimaru's likely still out there.'_ Sai reasoned, wiping away the trickle of blood running down his cheek. _'If he still is, then I can fulfill my mission...'_ He looked down. Right there, the trees stopped, giving way to a gradually flattening slope, from steep to horizontal. Standing in the middle of the crater was a tall figure with long black hair, who appeared to be looking in the direction of Yamato's sealing jutsu. Trying not to make much noise, Sai reached back with one hand and unzippered his backpack, taking out a thin, brown folder. He closed the pack and held the folder in front of him, staring at it. _'I should go.'_ He took one step out and then froze. Images of Naruto and Sakura's faces flashed unbidden to the forefront of his mind. _'I'm betraying them,'_ he realized. _'They've already have to go through Sasuke's betrayal; can I really make them suffer another one? Somehow, it... it bothers me. Is this what "bonds" are? There may be bonds between my team and I, but what they really do is prevent you from hurting the one you share a bond with.'_

Face expressionless, Sai put the folder back in his pack. _'I could break them, if I want to... but the odd thing is, I don't. This is the only mission I don't want to complete, for fear of losing them. Or is it because I am just afraid to die?'_ He looked away from Orochimaru to where Yamato was sealing Naruto. From his distance, he could see that the pillars were shrinking. _'"Sai" was created to be a tool for Danz__ō__-sama. Live, die, none of those two are supposed to be my choice. Yet, none of this was in Danz__ō__-sama's orders. Does this mean I am not "Sai" anymore?'_ With a sigh, he slowly started zipping up his backpack. _'I don't understand...'_

The back of his neck prickled. Sai tensed, and dropped his backpack, reaching for his tantō, but something hit him in the small of his back, unbalancing him, then twisted his arm around. Sai struggled, but couldn't escape the death grip as his captor jumped into the air to land in the crater made by Naruto. He felt his arms twist higher and the coldness of a kunai press against his neck, as the snake himself approached with a smile on his face.

"You've caught yourself a pretty little thing, Kabuto." Orochimaru drawled. His clothes were dusty, but otherwise none the worse for wear after his encounter with the four-tailed Naruto. "Sasuke-kun's replacement, hm? However, it looks like the kitten I was playing with earlier made him lose the Leaf's symbol." Orochimaru's hand stretched out. Sai flinched away from it, but the kunai pressed harder against his neck and forced him to stay still. The man trailed his fingers down the still-fresh clawmarks and Sai's neck, coming to a rest on his shoulder. "What is your name, child?"

_'Does this situation require a smile or not? A smile can get you out of many difficult situations. However, this one wasn't on the list that I studied. I won't risk it.'_

Keeping his face neutral, Sai said, "I have no name."

"No name?" Orochimaru's eyebrows arched in surprise.

"It's Sai." Kabuto said from behind his captive. "I heard the wood user call him Sai when I was spying on them. Orochimaru-sama, we should be leaving soon. I destroyed the wood user's clone, but now that his sealing jutsu has finished he will be noticing its loss."

"Is that so?" Orochimaru stepped back. "I'd hate to stop this interesting conversation so soon, and Sasuke-kun should love to have a playmate from his old village. We're taking him with us."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto inclined his head and released Sai, who whirled upon him. Kabuto swiftly placed two chakra-surrounded hands on the front of Sai's long black jacket, pushing him back a step. For a brief moment, their eyes locked; then Sai's eyes fluttered closed and he crumpled to the ground. Kabuto bent down and placed two fingers to the boy's neck, feeling for a pulse. When he reaffirmed its slowness, he picked him up and slung him over one shoulder like he weighed nothing at all.

"Swift and to the point as usual, Kabuto." Orochimaru complimented his lackey. "Now we should leave. You know how much Sasuke-kun hates to be kept waiting."

* * *

><p>I predict there might be some criticism on this, so yes, I know Naruto seemed rather cruel... I just wanted to emphasize how strongly he still feels about Sasuke as being "good at heart" (utter bosh in my opinion). He's the Jinchuuriki of the embittered and vicious Kyuubi; with such a creature influencing him, of course he would have trouble toning down his emotions (exact opposite of Sai, I might add). Plus, I feel like this chapter was differently written from usual. If you think that too, tell me what was different, as I can't pinpoint it =|<p>

Let's see, next chapter... look forward to a nice fight, with some interesting plot turns.

And as to update time- it's not that I dislike this story; in fact, I have high hopes for it and have a lot of ideas, but the hard part is connecting those ideas into chapters.

Final note (I'd appreciate it if you gave an opinion here)- I'm thinking about making a deviantart so I can start drawing a doujin. I'd like the first main character to be Sai, but who should be the second? I've been thinking Naruto, Ino, or Kakashi, but can't decide. Kakashi would be easier to draw because of his mask, though. ^^ I don't have confidence in fanart, but dounjins should be okay since they don't have quite the same level of art as in single-panel drawings or paintings. Manga-style lineart, I'm fine with. Shading and colours, not as much.

**Those who are up to date with the manga- YES! =D FINALLY! The ending of that chapter made me so happy! =D I've literally been waiting months for that to happen. And also, soon the anime Shinobi World War Arc is going to start! Can't wait to see a major Sai battle animated, as well as Daytime Tiger!

=D


	14. For my friends

_"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival." _~ C.S. Lewis.

* * *

><p>All he heard was the wind. It howled as it blew past his ears and through his hair, through drifting leaves and then over a great expanse of destruction in the middle of what used to be a vibrant, unbroken forest. Naruto's blue eyes were wide and unseeing. They stared blankly ahead like they had been overwhelmed by what they had seen.<p>

"Naruto. _Naruto._" Someone was shaking him. Jerkily, he turned his head and saw that Sakura was tugging at his arm, her green eyes bearing an unnatural sheen to them.

_'She's trying not to cry in front of me.'_ he thought, not paying attention to whatever she was saying. _'She's like this because of me. All this is my fault... I made Yamato worry, and Sakura cry, and...'_

Naruto paused, a dreadful thought occurring to him. It had just been several minutes after he had awoken, and upon seeing the destruction Yamato had told him the truth. _'All of the truth?'_

"I was worried, since you must have used a lot of chakra while being-"

"Sakura." Naruto interrupted. "Where's Sai?" Sakura drew a sharp breath, and then looked away, unable to meet his gaze. Panic crept through his bones, and he tore his arm away from Sakura's grip, and fear seized him- fear that he had done something terrible. "Where is he?" he repeated loudly.

"Naruto, you..." Sakura bit her lip, deliberating whether to tell him or not. Finally she said quietly, "While in the Four-Tailed state, Sai tried to calm you down and restrain you, but you attacked him. It wasn't serious," Sakura added hastily when Naruto's knuckles whitened. "It wasn't deadly. I was healing him, but when I was distracted by Yamato-taicho's sealing jutsu, he disappeared. Yamato-taicho is looking for him now, and we should be back together any minute."

"I'm afraid it's a little bit more difficult than that." A man called. The two younger shinobi turned around. Yamato emerged from the trees, jumping down the crater's dirt slope and stopping in front of them. He held up a medium-sized grey backpack with an empty short sword sheath on its side. In his left hand, he held Sai's tantō. "First of all, my wood clone was destroyed by Kabuto; he had attempted a sneak attack, but it was able to relay information to me before he broke it. Secondly, I found this some distance away from the sealing site. It was half zippered, and around it were two different kinds of footprints. The tantō was closer to the left side of the crater. I saw Sai's forehead protector from where it fell after Naruto-" Yamato stopped, seeing the expression on Naruto's face. He cleared his throat. "And... I assume you two haven't seen him?"

"No, nothing." Sakura said nervously. "What does this mean, taicho?"

"Initially I would be inclined to suspect foul play- by Sai." Yamato raised his voice as Naruto started to argue. "I have been informed that he is a member of Root, and despite how you two feel about him, I don't know him that well yet and so I must always consider what Danzō's orders might have been. However, Kabuto destroying my wood clone and Sai leaving behind all of his weapons and books makes me think that for whatever reason, Orochimaru and Kabuto kidnapped him, and are taking him with them."

Sakura covered her mouth with one hand, but couldn't hide the sound of her gasp.

"That's it, then?" Naruto forced out through clenched teeth. "He's gone, just like that? The Sandaime, Sasuke, and now Sai... who else can Orochimaru take away? Damnit, how come this always happens and I _can't do anything about it!"_ Naruto swore in frustration. "Why _him_, Kami, why _him!_ Why couldn't Orochimaru have taken _me_ instead of him!"

"Naruto!" Sakura pleaded. "Please, calm down! We'll- we'll go rescue him!"

"Rescue him?" Naruto retorted, voice laden with bitterness. "We don't even know where they've gone! I want to run after them so badly, Sakura, but where are we supposed to start?"

"Ahem." Yamato coughed discreetly. "It's not all like you think. Even those that are very experienced at running away like Orochimaru- he's turned his tail on more battles than you might think- leave tracks. I have a better sense of wood than most because of my jutsu, so I can use it to detect imprints on the bark better than a nin-dog can smell traces of a person's scent. However," he warned, "Past one week, the imprints are healed by the tree, and my ability doesn't extend to non forested areas. Should we lose the trail to a grassy field, we have to do it the old fashioned way. Finding them within that week is our best bet."

"A week." Naruto muttered. "A week before we lose them." All of a sudden, it hit him, and Naruto sprung into the air and caught onto a branch. "What are we wasting time for?" he demanded. "We have to get going, already!"

* * *

><p>Something was digging into his side. Sai winced and rolled over onto his back, but there was just another rough edge. His eyes flew open as he remembered and he sat up straight, immediately alert. Everything around him was dark. He tensed as there was the faintest intake of breath somewhere in the darkness, and shot to his feet as he sensed the unknown presence approach.<p>

All of a sudden, his head swam and he swayed on his feet, falling back against an invisible stone wall. Someone laughed softly, and then a dim orange-yellow glow lit the room as torches outside the cell he was in came alive. Sai blinked in the sudden light and froze; Orochimaru was standing right in front of him. By instinct, his right hand shot backwards to where his tantō would be, but something tugged at his arms just as his hand got to a non-present sword sheath. Looking down, Sai saw metal bands clasped around his wrists that attached to chains embedded in the ground. His long black coat sleeves were torn off at the elbows so the metal could surround the skin of his wrist, and thus eliminate any possibility of slipping off.

"Had a pleasant nap?" Orochimaru asked conversationally. Sai faced him, face carefully schooled into a blank expression. It wasn't difficult. It still took him work to show any expression at all, so showing none was quite easy. "You were unconscious for only two days instead of the expected four. That in itself shows good training, good quality... Kabuto couldn't even spend the proper amount of time healing those wounds on your delicate face due to other tasks, so he had to administer some drugs to keep you asleep long enough to settle you in. Those should wear off within the next few hours. I trust your accommodations are to your liking?" At this, Orochimaru chuckled; a sound that threw Sai off for a second before he answered.

"What did you heal me for?" Sai asked calmly. _'They healed the clawmarks Naruto left...? It's true, I don't feel them burning anymore. What ulterior motive can they possibly have for healing me, then keeping me locked up?'_

Orochimaru laughed again, tossing his head back.

_'My simple question seems to have delighted him... where's the humour in it?'_ Sai pondered.

"I was just waiting for you to ask!" The snake Sannin replied with a flourish. "You, my dear boy, are the Jinchuuriki's teammate, are you not? You must be very skilled, and I'm curious as to your abilities. However, I'm guessing that you would never join me willingly."

"In that you are correct." Sai deadpanned.

"Good, because that isn't my plan. Although the offer still stands," Orochimaru added with a slight sneer, "Should you change your mind, like Sasuke-kun eventually did."

"I am not a worthless traitor like him, so it's not right trying to compare me to him." Sai smiled lightly. "Am I to be told of your plan, or will I be kept here indefinitely? It is a little chilly, and these chains chafe."

"You're _very _funny!" Orochimaru complimented him. "Polite and to the point, yet able to give insults with a straight face. It almost makes me regret that in three day's time, you're going to be killed."

Sai paused, his next retort dying on his lips. _'Killed? Then, they likely do not know about...'_

"Could I ask why?" he asked, his face still a perfect mask.

"Because in three days, you're going to fight my precious Sasuke-kun. We'll supply you with any weapons you typically use, of course. I had thought that he might be getting bored, and needed some stimulation other than fighting some of my expendable subordinates. He's been badgering me day and night to teach him new jutsus. Thus, if I give him an interesting opponent, he should be satisfied for a little while... and gain valuable experience in the meantime."

Unbidden, the corner of Sai's mouth twitched and some of the practiced blankness left his dark eyes. He quickly realized the expression and replaced his mask, but Orochimaru had caught the infinitesimal change.

"You don't seem scared at all, being so close to one of your village's greatest enemies and being told that you're about to be killed by another one of its enemies." Orochimaru noted. He paused, a small grin appearing on a face that was as pale as Sai's. "Or could it be that you think that you can defeat Sasuke-kun?"

"No." Sai replied simply. "I know the limits of my abilities, and I know that the Uchiha's are likely greater considering his Sharingan and having you as his tutor. I don't think that I can win against him, or even occupy him for a great length of time as you suggest. You are right in one way, however. I am not afraid because I am incapable of being afraid."

A strange gleam appeared in Orochimaru's eyes and he licked his lips. "Then, would you like me to give you a better chance of winning against him?" The Sannin stepped closer. Startled by their proximity, Sai tried to sidestep, but Orochimaru grabbed his arms and pinned him against the wall, baring his teeth and lunging forwards. Sai flinched, waiting for the strike.

No pain. He felt Orochimaru's hot breath tickle a vulnerable area of his neck, but the other did not attempt to bite him.

"Are you sure you're not afraid?" Orochimaru asked softly. Sai didn't reply, and he felt the man press closer. "I can feel it. Your heart is beating unusually fast for someone who claims he can't feel fear. Are you afraid of me, or simply the pain of a curse mark? What, child, are you afraid of?"

Sai tried to formulate a response, but his throat felt dry. _'What is this?' _he wondered. _'My legs feel weak, but I don't think it's because of the drugs Kabuto administered... How is he doing this to me? What strange jutsu is this?'_

"Nothing." Sai answered at last, his voice a little shakier than he would have liked. "I'm-" he stiffened as sharp points pricked his neck, then withdrew without penetrating further. Orochimaru pushed him away with a little laugh.

"Kabuto will stop by to ask you what tools you need." The Sannin exited through an open cell door and locked it behind him. "I'll be watching your stay here with interest, _Sai_."

Eyes wide and unseeing, Sai sat against the wall in the same position he had fallen down in for a long time, staring into empty space. The tiny quirk of his lips came again, staying there.

_'I almost find it "funny" myself... To have gone to such a length as to try and disobey Danz__ō__-sama's orders to not fight Sasuke as to not hurt my friends, yet just as my mind was set I was forced into this. Could Danz__ō__-sama have expected this to happen?'_ With a long sigh, Sai stretched out upon the floor and tried to make himself comfortable. His heart rate had gone back to normal, and the brief rush of adrenaline was gone. His head felt dizzy again, so he closed his eyes. _'Naruto...'_ he thought fuzzily. _'Sorry...'_

* * *

><p>Orochimaru poked his head through a small, heavy wooden door reinforced with metal bars. Sasuke stood in the middle of the large room that the door opened into, sword in hand. He stood just on the edge of a large pool of blood, in the middle of which was a still body. The head was partially torn off by some creature's fangs, attached to its body by only the spine and a few stubborn strings of muscle.<p>

"I tried the kenjutsu you taught me yesterday, Orochimaru." Sasuke said shortly. He didn't give the body lying face-down on the floor another "It was effective, but more for show than outright killing. No higher level shinobi would ever fall for it, and as such it's useless to me. Teach me something else or give me a partner that won't die in a few minutes."

"You're impatient, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru chided. "However, I have just the person for you; our newest arrival. You two should get along very well. He _is_ from Konoha after all."

Sasuke's deadened expression did not change. "I have no ties to that village." he stated flatly. "Kumo-nin, Kiri-nin, Iwa-nin, Konoha-nin. None of those make a difference to me."

"Ah, but Sasuke-kun, _this_ one was the Kyuubi boy's teammate."

"Naruto's teammate?" Sasuke questioned, and Orochimaru grinned in response. "I care nothing for him, or anybody on that team. However, if my replacement's truly from Konoha, he's probably weak, just like Naruto and Sakura, and full of foolish ideals."

"He's not as you expect." Orochimaru replied mildly.

"Not interested. Keep him for yourself." Sasuke answered shortly.

Orochimaru entered the room fully and shut the door behind him, eyes glittering. "Don't try and tempt me, because I'm already doing my best not to have Kabuto run him through some tests and find out what interesting techniques that boy possesses. I'm trying to keep him whole just for you, Sasuke-kun. It's in your best interests to accept the gift and fight him in three day's time. Anyone who can stand against the Jinchuuriki's four-tailed state for more than a few seconds should be a worthy opponent."

"Naruto became the Four-Tails..." Sasuke's voice trailed into nothingness when Orochimaru nodded. "Hn. Only to be expected from a worthless knucklehead with no sense of control."

"You're cold!" Orochimaru admonished. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. I guess I do get to examine him." He turned to leave.

"Give me two weeks." Sasuke ordered. Orochimaru paused in the doorway, his back to the Uchiha so his student would not see the grin on his face. "I need to make a trip outside for a meeting with someone who has information on Itachi's whereabouts. When I get back, he'd better be worth it."

"Ah, what a _shame_. I was _really_ hoping to run some tests on him, but if you are so insistent then I'll leave him all to you. I'm always looking to create the best experience for my Sasuke-kun, after all."

"Sure." Sasuke answered shortly, wiping his blade on a small part of the cadaver's shirt that was yet not soaked in blood. "Just don't give me that patronizing crap again and teach me something worthwhile after the fight."

* * *

><p>Sai raised his head as footsteps came down the long, narrow hallway. He had been left alone for what seemed like a week, but in reality must have been only two days. He heard a soft voice murmur something, and the wall-torches flickered to life, making him blink in the sudden light. Ever since Orochimaru's visit, he had typically been kept in the pitch darkness of an unlit cave, with only an hour or so of torchlight during what he assumed was daytime outside. A young man with silver hair appeared at his door and put a key into lock before noticing that Sai was looking at him. Kabuto winked at him in greeting. The lock <em>clicked<em> and the cell door swung open. Sai got unsteadily to his feet, feeling oddly lightheaded. Before he knew it, Kabuto seemed much too close, and the walls-

_'The walls, should they be moving?'_ he wondered offhandedly. Just before he fell, the other man caught him by the shoulder and helped him stand straight. Sai didn't say a word or acknowledge the help; instead, he just stared at Orochimaru's lackey. _'He's carrying a bag... I can't trust Orochimaru's word that I won't be harmed before my three days are up, but as I am, there's not much I can do. Playing along should be the best option until I see another avenue.'_

Kabuto laid his brown hemp bag on the ground, first taking out a short sword still in its sheath and drawing it for Sai to examine.

"Is this the type you use?" Kabuto asked, watching Sai run an eye over the blade. The sword was not cut off at the end like a traditional tantō, and was double-edged. However, the blade length and hilt were otherwise similar to Sai's lost Foundation-issued tantō. Sai nodded, and Kabuto carefully re-sheathed the sword and put it back in his bag. "I went to some lengths to find one in the limited storage we have in this hideout, especially considering that this complex isn't Orochimaru-sama's primary residence. Perhaps, if things were different, you'd be staying there..." Kabuto smiled at Sai, pushing his glasses up with two fingers, "Unfortunately, you were spared." He waited expectantly for Sai to answer, but the pale boy just shrugged. Slightly disappointed, he bent down and withdrew a large paper scroll with a built-in inkwell and brush holder. "_This_ I had one of my subordinates make. It should suit you nicely."

Sai looked at it without a hint of expression. "It will do." he answered simply, his throat feeling dry and scratchy from its lack of water. "I have faith that it was designed correctly, with all the spying you did on Naruto and I's brief scuffle in the crater. My strange jutsu must have been interesting."

"It _was_." Kabuto said emphatically. "I hope that's not all that you can do." His grin broadened. Sai smiled politely back.

_'Strangeness seems to be a trait of those who work underneath Orochimaru. However, he is not as intimidating as his master. Should it come down to a battle, I am confident that I could beat him in my normal state.'_

"I will not disappoint you, then." he replied. "I have many other techniques that will mean victory."

Kabuto raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?" he asked skeptically, the grin still present. "I've seen Sasuke fight, and honestly I doubt that you can win. However, that suits me. I'm in need of the body of someone your age, but the way things are going I'll have to wait longer. Your allotted time is for two weeks, as Sasuke wanted to go to the canyons for training before fighting." Putting a hand back in the bag, he took out a small bottle and held it out invitingly. "You must be thirsty."

"I won't deny it." Sai stretched out an arm to take the bottle, and Kabuto noted how the arm trembled slightly. Seizing his chance, he grabbed Sai's wrist with his other hand and held his arm still. Sai attempted to pull away, but Kabuto held his hand fast.

"Your grip is weaker than normal." he stated, running a medic's eye over the captured arm. Little black threads hung down by the elbow from the edges of Sai's recently cut-off sleeves, making Kabuto frowned. He _hated_ it when jobs were done messily. _'Just goes to prove I can't get a decent subordinate who appreciate the value of a clean job...'_ Moving slowly upwards, he leaned in closer and peered at several faint, jagged lines, some clearer than others. He clicked his tongue in consternation and looked up to meet Sai's emotionless dark eyes. "If you want, I could heal these for you. Not that they affect your ability at all, but I don't want to present Orochimaru-sama with someone scarred like this."

Sai glanced briefly at his arm and then shook his head. "If you don't mind, I'd like to keep them." he replied. "I don't want to forget the things they stand for."

_'I don't want to become just a tool again. I need... I need to remember anything that makes me, me. Sai. My name. My _name_, not just a codename that Danz__ō__-sama assigned.' _

Kabuto chuckled and let go. "I can see why Orochimaru-sama took a liking to you. Now, drink." Sai took the small water bottle and uncorked it, sniffing the top suspiciously. His eyes narrowed and he deliberately tilted his hand. First, little droplets; then a stream of clear, innocent-looking water spilled out onto the floor. Kabuto stepped backwards, the torchlight reflecting into his glasses and painting them white and orange, his eyes hidden by the glimmer and face unreadable.

"I'm sorry." Sai apologized without any feeling in his words. "I suppose I'm not thirsty anymore."

"You're very good." Kabuto replied. Behind his glasses, his eyes had lost their humour and were looking at Sai calculatingly, trying to pierce his mask and figure out what kind of opponent he would be.

"I have to be." he answered evenly. "Learning how to recognize poisons and other serums was one of the top priorities in training for missions into other nations." Sai tilted his head, studying Kabuto. He knew that the tables were turned, however temporarily, and he intended to use it to his advantage. "You have no practical motive for killing me. You claim that you need a body, but then you can wait and see if I lose to the Uchiha. However, you did mention that I'm Orochimaru's 'interest', so-"

"Orochimaru-_sama_!" Kabuto hissed.

"So that means that _you_ aren't one of his favorites anymore." Sai continued blandly, heedless of the look Kabuto was giving him. "You're jealous, aren't you? My books say that such acts of violence typically stem fro the emotion called 'jealousy'. It all started when Sasuke joined Orochimaru. He was and still is the apple of his master's eye, who lavishes so much attention upon him. However, Sasuke's too powerful for you and too dear to Orochimaru, so you'll settle for the next best." Sai paused, and smiled. "I could be wrong. I'm not very good at these kinds of things yet."

Kabuto was silent. He picked up the small bag and headed out of the cell, stopping in the doorway without turning around.

"Orochimaru-sama is a very busy man, and isn't often at home." he said calmly. "As he cannot spare the time, I must look after the few guests in this hideout. I do not intend to disappoint Orochimaru-sama's precious Sasuke, so he will get his fight. However, the resources in this area are scarce. It might be difficult getting enough to you." On that last note, Kabuto locked the door behind him and departed. Sai stared at the small puddle of water on the floor, then carefully stepped away from it and fell back against the wall.

_'One of the main components in my plan's gone... There is a way around it, but I'm not sure if I can last that long, and it's a large risk...'_ Sai closed his eyes, searching within himself for any lingering trails of chakra. _'Too little. Without the proper nutrition, my chakra will take a long time to come back to full strength. If I still carry out my escape plan, then I'll be placing everything in luck. I won't have enough strength after it to fight Sasuke, let alone win. Yet, if I hoard chakra income for the purpose of the fight, I'll still be too weak. My best option is to go with the plan. For the first time ever, I'll need to place my trust in someone besides myself.'_

Kabuto's footsteps faded away, and light departed with him as the torches blew out.

* * *

><p>Yamato winced as he sat down on a stubby, broken-off branch and readjusted himself to fit more snugly in the crook between two larger branches. He looked down and gauged the distance- not too high, not too low. The pine was perfect for staying out of sight in with the thick, distracting needles on the medium-high branches, but not too high were it would be difficult to come down in case of an attack. Sighing, he glanced once more at the moon to see how much longer his turn on watch would be.<p>

A rustling. Yamato's hand went to the kunai at his belt before he saw the familiar, spiky-blonde head emerging from the pine needles. The boy in the orange jumpsuit sat down a little further on Yamato's branch, his hands supporting him on either side and his head bowed.

Neither of them spoke for a long moment.

"It's late, Naruto." Yamato said quietly. Sakura, he knew, was soundly sleeping below. "Go to bed."

Naruto shook his head, biting his lip. His fingers curled around the tree branch, gripping it tightly.

"Taicho..." he mumbled. "It's been six days. We're not out of this forest yet, and they're still nowhere to be found. They know that we're following them, you said so yourself... what if they laid a false trail? What if they're still hiding somewhere close by, and we don't know it? What if..." Naruto swallowed, unable to voice his single and greatest fear.

Yamato looked at Naruto silently. He had no idea how to comfort a student. In that area, he was as clueless as Sai.

"They cannot leave a false trail when there's no other tracks to go by." he tried to reassure Naruto. "However, if this trail keeps going... it's leading us into dry land, which quickly becomes desert-like. We might have to go back to Konoha and wait for Kakashi and his nin dogs to-"

"_No!_" Naruto growled quietly. "There's _no way_ we're going back, not now! Giving up on him, after everything that I said; he might die believing it, and there's no way I can allow that to happen!"

_'He's blaming himself.'_ Yamato thought. _'Knowing how he is, it's no surprise. He doesn't outright admit it, but it's clear in everything he says, in every distant look he gets and in his unusual silence during the day.'_

"I don't know about that." Yamato tried to keep his voice mild. "Sai seemed very ready to accept the fact that you were sorry and didn't mean it; even he could tell that you were sorry when you asked him to tell you how he felt."

Naruto nearly jumped into the air. "You were _spying_ on us?" he croaked. Despite himself, Yamato felt a grin tug at his lips before the seriousness that the situation demanded got rid of the momentary humour.

"Of course." he deadpanned. "Kabuto didn't destroy my wood clone before the bridge incident, he destroyed it after. You have to understand that I needed to keep an eye on my temporary students before giving them back to Kakashi. Naruto, you're not the one who's at fault. It was my duty and still is to protect you three and get you back safely, with Sasuke or not. If there's anyone who failed Sai, it's me; and I swear to you, no matter what, I'll do everything in my power to help you two bring him safely back home." Reaching out, he ruffled Naruto's hair and smiled. "Do you understand what I'm saying, or are you going to insist upon self-imposed torture?"

"Hey- stop!" Naruto protested lamely, swatting Yamato's hand away. However, his movements were quicker and less lethargic than before. "I'm going to sleep, taicho. Sakura had better wake me up on time, because we need to start as early as possible to get back on their trail!"

"We'll be heading into the desert tomorrow, so it'll be a tiring walk." the man warned him. "Value every minute of sleep you get, because there'll be no rescue unless the rescuers are in better shape than those they'll be facing against."

* * *

><p>A small spot of dark green appeared in the void, drifting lazily through the air. Sai's eyes flickered to it, but as soon as he tried to focus on the inconsistency in his darkened world the green spot vanished into the overpowering blackness. No sooner had it gone than a faint grey outline that looked a bit like a face momentarily appeared to mar the corners of his vision. He sighed and closed his eyes. It was still there.<p>

_'I'm imagining things.'_ he thought bluntly. _'My mind is trying to compensate for the lack of light, so it creates images that shouldn't be there.'_ The grey face had a smile now. It grinned and vanished. Oddly enough, the experience didn't disturb him. _'Should it?' _Sai wondered to himself. _'Why should it bother me? I'm not supposed to exist, after all. Imaginary things are fitting company for someone who only exists as an object, and not a real person.'_ He moved his left arm slightly and felt a stabbing pain run up his arm when the chain rubbed against raw skin. Sai gritted his teeth and instinctively drew the injured arm close to his other one, lying it on top of a cold chain to try and relieve some of the ache. The pain had cleared his mind, giving him a rare moment of clarity. In that moment, he saw in his mind's eye not a grey line or green spot, but wild blonde hair and smiling blue eyes. _'Naruto... yes, Naruto. Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Yamato, Shin... If I'm really nothing, then how come they treat me like I'm something? I must exist. In a way, they gave "Sai" life and a reason for survival. I can't waste all their efforts.'_

Gradually, he became aware of something warm and wet sliding slowly down his right wrist. Sai tried to sit up, but every muscle seemed to think otherwise and it took him three full minutes to get into a sitting position with his back against the wall. After so long without eating and drinking only water, he had stopped feeling just hungry. All there was inside of him now was a painfully empty space that sapped away his strength. Putting a finger below the manacle on his left wrist, he again felt the wetness and smelled a sharp, metallic tang.

_'Blood...'_ he thought. _'I can feel it, but I can't see it. For all I know, I could be bleeding ink... _ink!_' _Sai reached down within himself, hoping against hope that he would be able to reach the store of chakra that all shinobi could make use of. It was there. _'I hope that there'll be enough by now... Weak as I am, it wouldn't have come back so quickly.'_ To his relief, he felt its comforting touch. Just by coming into contact again, he felt a little bit stronger and less tired. Shaking off the thought of what would happen once he used up most of that store of chakra, Sai ran a finger along the ground until he felt a small pool of liquid where his arm had lain. He let the tip of his right index finger rest in the little pool for a second before withdrawing and putting it down again on smoother, unstained rock. He let his memory guide his hand as he drew, slowly channeling chakra down his arm into the makeshift ink. With each stroke, he felt some of the newfound energy leave him. A final flick to complete the tail- and his snake was done. Exhausted, Sai slumped against the wall and took a deep breath.

_'Almost done... my usual ink is preprepared, so I only have to give the initial animation chakra amount... I have to have enough. I have to. Once it's done... it'll take at most a day to reach them.'_ Slowly, he brought his two hands together, arms heavy with weariness. His normally smooth and even voice came out as the barest whisper in the darkness.

"Ninpou... Choju Giga."

The command given, Sai let his arms fall limp. Something rough, rocky, and yet scaly at the same time brushed lightly against his hand. The last thing he heard before falling unconscious was a serpent's hiss.

* * *

><p>"Damnit... <em>damnit<em>!" Naruto yelled in frustration, slamming his fist against the side of the small rock he was sitting on. "How are we supposed to find them in _this?_"

Behind them, the mild, young summer forest gave way to gradually thinning grasses, which in turn gave way to cracked earth and sand. Before them lay a seemingly endless expanse of craggy dark brown rocks, occasional scraggly bushes and a sea of hard sand. Wind blew endlessly across the harsh landscape, pushing up against the odd tall outcropping of stone and then rushing past it with a great howl and whirl of sand. Sakura looked behind her and saw that the relentless wind had already blown away her small footprints, leaving no trace whatsoever. Fearing the worst, her gaze shot back to Naruto, and her heart twisted. He was sitting with his head bowed, fists trembling slightly from the effort to not punch the rock again, or indeed anything- or anybody- else.

Yamato bit his lip. He knelt in the sand and placed a hand on a small patch of dying grass, but couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary.

_'We're running out of time.'_ he thought bleakly. _'At this rate, I don't know if I can keep my promise.' _Still determined not to give up, he walked past Sakura and stood in at the apex of their little triangle, searching the distance. His eyes narrowed as he spotted an oddly shaped _something_ heading across the sands. Whatever it was, it slid along the ground as quickly and easily as a fish swimming through water. Now Yamato could make out a long, dark red body moving from side to side, propelling itself forward by the bodily motion. _'A snake?'_

"Naruto, get up. At the ready." he said sharply, putting his hands together in preparation to use jutsu. Naruto glanced up and got to his feet. The three of them stared curiously as the snake slithered closer and then stopped three feet away, lifting its head.

"Hey, wait a second, something's wrong with it..." Naruto frowned, inching forwards and kneeling to see the snake's face better.

"Naruto, it could be Orochimaru's! What are you doing?" Sakura demanded. She jumped forwards, ready to haul him backwards should the snake attack, but she too stopped short as she noticed the snake's eyes. Those eyes weren't dark and calculating. They were blank white holes, and the scales bore a pattern unlike no other living creature.

"It's Sai's!" Naruto cried. "Hey, can you talk?" he demanded. The snake didn't look at him. Instead, it began melting, transforming into a thick stream of dark crimson. The liquid separated, forming characters written in a slightly messier version of familiarly neat, artistic handwriting.

_Not far from start. Follow painting, take him and run._

"Take him and run?" Naruto asked, confused. Sakura was silent, staring at the message. All of the joy upon seeing Sai's snake had suddenly vanished from her face. "Hold on..." he trailed off, dread creeping into his limbs. "Sasuke? Take Sasuke and run, but what about him? And why is the ink so red?"

The dully gleaming red letters flowed together, morphing back into the painted snake.

"It's not ink. It's blood." Yamato said slowly. "Sai's."

"So that means..." Naruto couldn't finish his sentence. The snake had begun slithering off to the northwest, forcing them to follow before it went out of sight. He swore and dashed after it, new energy coursing through him at the definite lead.

_'Sai, whatever you're planning to do, don't you dare think that we would rather leave without you!'_ Naruto thought fiercely. _'Take him and run- like hell! We're taking you back, too!'_

* * *

><p>Sorry for the long update~ I was part of a program where students from a different country came to my school and stayed at my house for a week and three days before going back, and while it was fun, it was tiring and I couldn't get inspiration or time to write in the first place during those ten days<p>

The ending seems rather rushed to me, too... but I couldn't find inspiration, so I tried as best as I could to get it done on time before I would have to go to sleep.

However, I did enjoy writing this chapter overall :) Now, to leave you with the question of how this Sasuke issue will turn out... ;)


	15. Just a Replacement

_"You just never know when somebody's gonna die. It could happen at any moment so you've got to really treat everybody that way. Just really let everybody know how you feel about them." _~ John Frusciante

*Apologize for making you all anticipate a fight last chapter; I had decided to split the chapter into two. You'll get it this chapter, so read on :) Plus an important plot turn.

*Mild spoiler warning for those who haven't watched episode 211 of Shippuden yet.

* * *

><p>Sai interlocked his fingers and stretched his arms outwards, trying to relieve the incessant ache between his shoulder blades. As he stretched, his forearms twinged painfully and he winced, immediately stopping the stretch. Kabuto had healed his wrists somewhat, but he could tell that the man had deliberately stopped the process early. He lightly ran a finger around his left wrist, judging the extent of the bruised and broken skin while trying to figure out another plan. Orochimaru was giving him an hour to prepare in complete solitude whatever jutsu he needed, to make 'the fight more interesting to watch', as he had put it.<p>

_'My two weeks are up... If my snake has made contact, they should be coming... but my fight with Sasuke will begin in just a half hour. I wish I could do Naraku no Sh__ō__z__ō__, but I don't know what Sasuke looks like now. Kabuto will give me a chakra-enhancing pill, but its effects won't last beyond an hour, and most duels take only about ten minutes at the very longest. I should focus my time instead on fighting against Sasuke and his lightning jutsu... which Kakashi must have taught to him. I've read that Kakashi was very proficient in the lightning style, but I never read that orange book that he keeps on reading, it must be very interestin-'_

Sai suddenly bit his lip and shook himself. His head was starting to hurt. _'I'm rambling,' _he thought, feeling uncertainty creep up through his limbs. _'I'm so weakened, I can't even think straight... can I win this? No, I have to focus. I have to focus on how to survive long enough to not involve them in this.'_ Reaching to the scroll next to his sword, he drew out the brush only. He had spent several long hours the previous day infusing the supplied ink with his meager chakra supply, and now that it was refreshed he felt safe enough to use some of it. He raised his left arm, turning it over.

_'Now it's a good thing that the sleeves got cut off, since this won't work on cloth, and to keep rolling up my sleeves would be a problem in battle.'_ He drew the first stroke of his chosen character swiftly, afraid that if he was more careful his hand would shake and ruin it. With this jutsu, he knew, he had to be very precise or risk ruining it. Several more brushstrokes, and he was done. The kanji _Release_ shone brightly on his skin for a moment before dimming into inky blackness, and he noted the corresponding slight drop in his chakra. _'The Uchiha's are genjutsu masters; this will prevent me from losing because of an illusion.' _He leaned against the wall, staring up at the rocky ceiling. A tiny, entirely fake smile formed upon his lips. _'A strange paradox... I can't lose, but neither can I allow myself to win. I owe Naruto that. He thinks of Sasuke as a true friend, and no matter what I may think of it I won't be the one to severe that bond, like what had happened with Shin, but that was a little bit different because-'_ Sai's thoughts wandered off.

The door at one end of the small room opened, and Kabuto slinked in with a smile on his face.

"Are you ready, Sai?" he asked, drawing out Sai's name a bit longer than necessary. He held the door open invitingly, waiting for him to pass through. Sai shrugged and nodded, putting his brush back in its holder and approached the doorway.

_'He seems to be in a good mood... it bodes ill. I don't like it.'_

As he stepped underneath it and started walking toward the open door straight down the hallway, Kabuto lightly rested his free hand on Sai's shoulder, making the boy stop dead in his tracks. "Not quite the right way."

The little whisper of danger that had saved him so many times during his tenure in Root passed over Sai's mind. It was like the faintest breath of wind, but he still took note. Keeping any suspicion out of his voice, he asked,

"Am I not going to fight your master's pet?" The grip on his shoulder tightened and he was steered away, down a passage whose door was marked with a little dash. "You're very eager to watch me die. Why are you bothering to delay?"

"Hmm-mmm..." Kabuto murmured. He tilted his head slightly, glasses turned white in the reflection of the torches. "I can't deny that I'm looking forward to taking apart your body once Sasuke is done with you. However, you're scheduled for an appointment before the battle to make sure there'll be no cheating involved."

Sai frowned slightly. "Cheating...?" In the corner of his eye, he saw Kabuto's left arm move. The nagging suspicion in his mind flared to life and he attempted to sidestep, but his reactions were slowed. Something sharp came around and pricked his neck; Sai saw the faint glitter of a needle before his vision blurred. The grin on Kabuto's face grew wider and the man adjusted his glasses, catching Sai neatly as the boy's knees gave out from underneath him. He held him with one arm, leaning his limp form against his own so he wouldn't fall. The Sannin's lackey put two fingers to Sai's neck, noting how the pulse rapidly slowed down and leveled out at thirty beats per minute. Then, he held up the hypodermic needle. It had been full, but now was three-quarters empty.

_'A large dose... unfortunately required, as the brat's training probably gave him some level of immunity to it.'_ Kabuto capped the needle and placed it in his pocket, then picked up Sai's body and resumed walking down the hall. _'Orochimaru-sama is waiting... I should hurry before he gets impatient.'_

* * *

><p>Bright lights glared from somewhere overhead, and Sai winced in his sleep, his eyes unconsciously squeezing tightly shut before flying open. He blinked, momentarily blinded by the harsh fluorescent lighting. It filled his vision, bringing him once more to the cruel world that lurked outside the safety of sleep. As some of the whiteness faded, he could discern a lamp overhead and the form of someone standing beside him.<p>

_'Standing? Why am I lying down?'_ His wrists were aching once again, and he pulled at then, only to discover that they were bound to the white surface he lay upon with a gleaming metal band. The same went for his ankles, neck; he could barely move at all. While he had been unconscious, someone- Kabuto, he assumed- had removed his jacket and cut away his undershirt, leaving him feeling cold and exposed in just his worn black Root pants and boots. He turned his head slightly, straining to see who it was standing next to him, but the figure moved into the path of the light and blocked it, allowing him to see their face. Long, lanky black hair framed a faintly smiling face and golden eyes, which stared at him with disturbing intensity.

"Awake at last?" Orochimaru asked softly. "I've had a good amount of time to study the battle record I can see in front of me, and it's rather impressive..." He reached out and lightly rested his fingers upon a light scar at the base of Sai's neck. "But what interests me most..." Orochimaru lifted his hand then placed it right above Sai's heart. "...Are these."

Emblazoned at four different points on Sai's chest were tilted pairs of rectangles, stark and black against his pale skin. Three of the four were one whole rectangle and the second of the pair broken in half; only the one resting closest to his left shoulder was made of two whole rectangles. Sai bit his lip and looked away. In a monotone he said,

"Those tattoos? They're not of any interest to a reptilian woman who pretends she's a man."

The insult didn't faze Orochimaru at all. He said nothing for a minute, letting the silence draw out.

"These are no tattoos... The reverse four symbols sealing jutsu, isn't it? Upon your death, the seal automatically activates and expands in a wide radius, drawing in and sealing your opponent into your body. To think that Danzō would try and use it against the one who taught him much of what he knows about curse seals..." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, suddenly blazing with a cold anger. "And then, after all I did for him, he runs off with my entire collection of Sharingan, the damned old man; he's just as bad as Hiruzen!" His nails dug into the skin of Sai's shoulder and the boy winced, his mind reeling at the news.

_'Danz__ō__-sama learned some of his sealing techniques from Orochimaru, a traitor and enemy of the village? And... he stole _Sharingan _from Orochimaru? Where are they now? What was he doing, collaborating and working with the enemy?'_

"I wasn't sure of how to use them, anyways..." The fury faded as quickly as it came as the man's voice returned to its typical half-mocking, half-serious tone. "What I need is the body of an Uchiha, not just its eyes, and I already have that in Sasuke-kun. I do my best to train him properly and give him experience so I will have an undefeatable container; that's why I arranged it so he could fight you, my dear boy. However, I held a suspicion about what that old fox might have done to you to ensure that I would be brought down, and it looks like I was right. I can't allow a cheater, but Sasuke-kun will be _so_ disappointed if I let you waste away, alone and isolated... mind, you're already halfway there," Orochimaru added, eyes roving over Sai's unhealthily thin form. "But I came up with a better solution. Having taught your master the tricks of his trade, I've found ways to counter them."

"Counter them...?" Sai asked warily. "Why do I have to be restrained for a simple counter-method?"

Orochimaru smiled thinly. "It's not that simple, child." He bent down, his lank black hair folding in on itself and tickling Sai's shoulder. "I regret having to do this... it's short, and the aftereffects are relatively low, which is in favour of your oncoming battle. It will elevate you miles beyond your current level and make the fight more interesting, which is also in favour... But the initial stage is very difficult to surpass, and if you prove not strong enough..." While speaking, the man had gradually leaned in closer until at last he whispered words into Sai's ear. "Why, you'll die, of course, and die with the knowledge that I'm still alive and those that you learned to call friends will forget about the replacement and move on in their mad rush to get Sasuke-kun back." His fingers reached around and grasped the other side of Sai's neck. Sai lay rigid, and a flash of something akin to fear passed over his eyes like lightning, then sharp teeth found his neck and bit down.

His charcoal-black eyes, dulled by hunger and cold, became wide. A little trickle of warm blood ran down his neck, and then Orochimaru withdrew. Three lines arranged in a spiral slowly formed near the bite, each one with a small curve at the end. Once they were fully formed, a small black circle appeared at their centre. Sai felt a mild heat rise up with the marks, but it didn't stop. The heat kept increasing in intensity, from mild to warm to hot to burning. It spread throughout his body from there like a malicious cancer, particularly concentrating in his chest as if it were trying to turn his lungs and heart into ash. Sai couldn't bear it anymore; a short scream escaped him, doing nothing to ease the torture. He pulled against the binds, straining to get free and run and do something, _anything _that would make the devouring flames leave him alone. None of his strength training in Root had prepared him for something like this; something that struck relentlessly from everywhere at once.

Amidst the overwhelming haze of pain, some distant and lucid corner of his mind noticed a crawling feeling. It was as if many insects were inching up his chest in the direction of the curse mark. Orochimaru stepped back and watched silently as the black rectangles of Danzō's fuinjutsu shifted from their place and were drawn slowly but inexorably to the curse mark he had left. Each one, as soon as it touched the swirling lines, shrunk and was absorbed by the mark. The moment the last rectangle disappeared, the fire vanished and Sai relaxed but for an occasional twitch. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Sai took no notice as Orochimaru put his hand on each metal bind and opened it, releasing him. His mind was far away...

_He was wandering in darkness. Sai took an uncertain step forwards, his eyebrows drawn together and lips turned ever so slightly downwards. He looked almost worried before the expression left him and he stopped walking, face as blank as a clean slate. Something at the base of his neck ached fiercely, and unconsciously he rubbed the spot with one hand, still staring around him._

_"Sai?" A voice from behind him asked. Reflexes took over and Sai whirled around, facing empty air. But no, it wasn't empty; something orange and yellow was forming. It was a mere phantom at first before resolving into Naruto Uzumaki. Sai's eyes widened in surprise. _

_"Naruto?" he asked disbelievingly. "What are you doing here? Where _is _here?" _

_Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. His blue eyes sparkled as they looked at him. _

_"Why should you care?" he returned, sounding exactly like Naruto. "You're going to leave soon, anyways. Cmon, I'll take you with me." _

_"Where are we going?" Sai asked cautiously. His body seemed to be getting lighter and lighter. He felt as if any moment he would leave the ground and fly to Naruto and from then on back home. Naruto didn't answer. The spiky-haired boy stepped forward and took him by the arm. _

"Naruto..." Sai murmured.

"You see the Kyuubi boy when you're dying?" Orochimaru sounded amused. His lips curled into a toothy grin. "That's interesting information..."

_That smile was just as he remembered it: As wide and brilliant as the sun, blinding him with its brightness. Yet, at the same time, it was gentle, just like Naruto's touch on his arm. That bothered Sai; he knew that Naruto would never voluntarily hold him. He wanted so badly to trust the thing he saw before him, but what held him back was a sense of something off place. He tugged his arm away and stepped backwards, trying to ignore the hurt look on 'Naruto's' whiskered face. _

_"Don't you trust me? I'm your teammate, remember? I'm Naruto... your best friend." It said. _

_"No." Sai answered bluntly. "Dickless wouldn't pretend to be kind to me."_

The thing's ocean-blue eyes became wistful. "But right now, I'm all you have. I'm the Naruto that you wish you had in the other world. I'm the Naruto that you wished would stop obsessing over Sasuke and accept you in entirety. You're bothered by it, Sai... and deep down, you know it. You're going to die anyways at the hand of the traitor; why not just come with me, who values you much more than your Danz

_ō__ or Naruto.'_

_Sai hesitated. "True..." he paused, unable to give voice to the many little voices of emotions he didn't know, feelings he had no clue of to their true meaning. This Naruto spoke with reason, but what he thought he felt was entirely unreasonable. "But for some reason, I prefer it that way."_

_It regarded him silently. Then the tanned skin upon its face paled to a more normal, peachy tone, while the whisker marks faded. The blonde hair faded into a light grey, and the eyes became a deep black. However, they weren't the same empty, inky blackness as Sai's eyes. These were more like the midnight sky- dark, but sparkling with myriad stars. The strong chin narrowed out and the orange suit vanished, replaced by the traditional, shortened Root jacket Sai had to give up for concealment of Danz__ō__'s fuinjutsu. _

_Shin smiled sadly, his form fading away._

_"You've changed so much... I'm so happy that you've found people who you can value that much to sacrifice anything for them. Remember, I'll be waiting for you, nii-san..." _

A rough shake. Sai's eyes fluttered open and he stared up into an older man's face, who had a tan darker than Naruto's, stubble around his chin and dark green hair. Sai caught a gleam of worry in his amber eyes, but it quickly vanished behind a guarded expression as the man stepped back.

"Oi, you're awake at last." The man said. "I'm here to set you back on your feet and escort you to the arena..."

Sai was only half listening. Shakily, he tried to use his arms to lift himself off the table. He felt stiff, but the gnawing pains and numbing weakness had diminished. The man kept talking, but he didn't bother to reply. He stared blankly at the wall past him, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

A slightly push, and the feeling of something soft brushing against his skin. Startling, Sai glanced downwards and saw that the stranger had thrust a long-sleeved black turtleneck at him, and held out to him with his other hand Sai's sword sheath and replacement backpack. He tried to make eye contact with the man, but he was looking away.

"Thank you." Sai said evenly, pulling on the shirt. It was a little loose on him, but once he had strapped on the sword sheath and backpack, it fit slightly better. To his relief, the curse mark was hidden underneath his shirt. Getting to his feet, he was amazed by the change from earlier. His chakra reserves were nearly complete and his steps steady, but there was a constant faint pain coming from the mark at the base of his neck.

Annoyance crossed the man's face. "You didn't hear me say so earlier? Nevermind... You're probably not going to see me again, anyways. Come on; I'll show you the way to the arena."

The man walked ahead of him out into the hallway, always staying a few steps ahead. His hair was shoulder-length and wavy, but judging by its shine a source of pride for the man. He kept his shoulders straight and his steps were long, yet slow. Sai judged the distance between them as well as the man's silence and drew a reasonable conclusion.

"Are you afraid?" he asked frankly. The man paused for a moment, startling him, then continued on. "Because you're keeping more distance than you should for guarding someone like me. Don't you think that I'll escape?"

"Hell, no." The man replied calmly. "A poor kid like you _should_escape. I'll just say that you were too quick for me. And the truth is, the newly 'marked' are unpredictable, especially at your age... damnit, it's always the kids."

Sai said nothing, waiting for him to continue. _'There is one of them in every institution; I learned that from so many years of infiltration.'_ he thought, gaze fixed on the back of the henchman's head. _'But I never expected a dissenter within Orochimaru's trusted ranks.'_ Realizing that the silence had stretched out too long, he asked,

"You're unhappy with your master?"

The man snorted. "Many of are, in all of the hideouts. We joined because he promised us power, but we just got experimented on by his scientists and that damned sidekick of his. He gave a good many curse marks while trying to create different versions of his juinjutsu. Those that survived didn't receive any better treatment... of _course_ we'd be unhappy with him."

Sai thought of Danzō's method of keeping followers. There were older shinobi closer to the top of command in Root who joined voluntarily, but they were devoted wholly to Danzō. Two of his most frequent mission partners had been from those selected few. The rest were raised to be emotionless tools from young ages; nobody in either category would even think of turning against their master.

_'Nobody, except for me.'_ Sai thought dryly. Trying to keep his mind and worries off the cunning Konoha elder, he returned to listening to his escort.

"And once the Uchiha kid got here, we thought things would get better now that Orochimaru focused attention on him. But things got ten times worse... Before, we were mostly left alone except for occasional experiments. Now, those of us with marks and even some without are being used as practice for that spoiled brat." The man sounded angry. "He doesn't even bother to spare them to spar against later. He's killed ten of my friends so far- ten!" They had arrived at the doorway to the arena. It was a large, circular room with a tiled brown floor and rock walls lined with many torches. Some rocks jutted out from the walls, and littered the floor to provide cover. It looked abandoned; Sai couldn't sense anyone nearby. The door shut off behind them by itself. The man turned around to face him, and Sai was surprised to see a stern, yet not unkind look in the amber eyes.

"You look pretty strong, kid." he said abruptly. "Do us all a favour and kill him."

Sai shrugged. "I sincerely doubt that I'll be able to do that." he said flatly, and then smiled. "But I can try."

The man stared at him wordlessly for a moment, judging the sincerity of Sai's smile, then grinned back and clapped a strong hand on his shoulder. Sai winced lightly, but the man didn't notice.

"Then go kill that bas-t-t-!" The man broke off with a choking gasp as something bright silver, blue, and red appeared on his chest, swiftly elongating into part of a long katana that appeared to be surrounded by crackling lightning. Sai leaped sideways, drawing his sword in a flash. With a loud squelch, the mysterious attacker pulled his sword out of the green-haired man and left him fall limply to the ground, turning to face Sai. The boy took in hair of the darkest blue, done up in the ridiculous duck-butt style that was so familiar from pictures. There was no way he couldn't recognize the face. He had studied younger versions of it for hours in preparation to kill its owner. Yet Sai wasn't prepared for those dark, soulless eyes looking at him now. He kept his sword at the ready, but put on a fake smile.

"Hello." he greeted Sasuke pleasantly. "I have to say, you're shorter than I expected."

Sasuke regarded him coldly. The lightning dancing along the blade of his katana flickered and went out. "You look weaker than I expected."

Sai kept smiling. "They always say that appearances are deceiving."

"Tch." Sasuke snorted derisively. He lowered his sword, but Sai noted his grip on it was still not loose and relaxed. "You'd better be stronger than the person who took you here, or all the time I could have spent training now will be wasted."

_'A feint, to see how aware I am. He pretends to relax and lower his guard, but will attack at any-'_

Sai almost didn't catch the tiny step Sasuke took. He brought his sword up just in time.

_Clang_. The steel katana clashed against his own and stayed there, both of them standing at an impasse. Sasuke's eyes bored into Sai's, who didn't look away despite the threat of a genjutsu. He needed to look for the miniscule change in his opponent's eyes that would signal another attack, and prayed that his painted _Release_ seal would work against someone like the Uchiha.

"That was the wrong move." Sasuke stated unfeelingly. Sai blinked in surprise, and then lightning crackled one more up the length of the katana, allowing Sasuke to cut straight through Sai's short sword. He jumped backwards, but not before the longsword cut a small gash in his right arm. Sai felt an electrical charge run up the length of the injured arm, almost making him drop the sword. Sasuke came at him again, and Sai switched the now shorter blade to his left hand and dodged. He tossed the sword at Sasuke to buy a moment of time, and then whipped out his brush and inks. Swiftly and still using his left hand, he drew three tigers to engage the Uchiha in battle.

"Ambidextrous?" Sasuke asked. He twirled around and easily cut through two tigers, splattering the third with ink before he stabbed it as well. "That's good. My replacement should at least be able to do that."

Sai leapt up onto one of the rocks jutting out of the walls, replacing his scroll in his backpack and dashing his brush across the otherwise smooth wall. As he quickly painted a bird, he felt the area where his curse mark was begin throbbing painfully. He hissed between his teeth, leaping onto the dark brown bird as it peeled away from the wall and shot upwards, coming to an unsteady hover near the ceiling.

_'Earth neutralizes lightning; he won't easily be able to take down this creature... but I don't know how long I can keep it up without activating the mark... if I use it, will I be able to control it? If Naruto does arrive, I might even hurt him...'_

Sasuke was coming his way now, jumping from rock to rock. He made some hand seals as he went, blowing a great ball of fire at Sai. Sai recognized it to be just like Itachi's jutsu, and he veered sharply downwards. He commanded the bird to tilt its wings a little bit more then necessary so he would be hidden momentarily from view. In that brief moment, he dropped to his knees and swiftly painted a symbol on the bird's back. He heard the shrill, piercing whine of a million volts of electricity and the bird darted to the side, opening its beak wide as if to swallow Sasuke whole. A narrow beam of lightning shot into the open mouth, but it vanished harmlessly into the creature. The bird was just about to reach the Uchiha when he vanished from view; however, Sai was already prepared for such a move. He channeled chakra to his feet and the bird rolled over in midair, nearly throwing Sasuke off when he appeared behind Sai. A flash of metal came at his face, humming with energy, and Sai sidestepped, catching with amazing agility the wrist that held the sword, pressing on a pressure point and with the other arm, holding a kunai to the back of Sasuke's neck. The katana rolled off his bird's back and fell a long way before it finally clattered upon the ground. The kunai pressed a little deeper and stayed there, unmoving when it so easily could have made a deep cut and ended the traitor's life.

The corners of Sasuke's lips twisted upwards into a little grin.

"I knew it." Sasuke breathed. "You're holding yourself _back_, aren't you? You're _afraid _to kill me."

Sai clenched his teeth and held Sasuke's gaze almost challengingly, but he didn't move the kunai. Sasuke's free hand came up and his fingers curled around Sai's left shoulder, right next to where his still-fresh curse mark was. Sai dropped the kunai as a painful shudder ran through his body and the bird swerved downwards toward the ground when his concentration wavered. He recalled his taijutsu training in a flash and got behind Sasuke on the rapidly tilting creature they were standing on, making use of gravity and speed to then perform an extra-powerful arm slash reminiscent to the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist style. Sasuke countered easily, and they exchanged several blows, none of them connecting.

The taller boy broke the pattern first, jumping off the bird just before it hit the ground and landing cat-like upon the stone floor. Sasuke jumped off after him, forming hand seals in midair.

"Chidori: Nagashi!"

Lightning appeared around his body and then shot outwards in uneven bolts, filling the air with numbing electricity. Sai crouched down instead of fleeing, and his earth-based ink bird dove downwards in less than half a second, coming to a rest behind him and enveloping him in the embrace of its dark brown wings. The lightning crashed against the wings and harmlessly disappeared into them. A little bit of dust flaked off of the bird, but otherwise it remained unharmed.

"Tch!" Sasuke snorted. "It'll stand up to lightning nature ninjutsu, but it won't work against kenjutsu." He snatched up his katana and darted forwards. The bird let out a screech and then tilted its head upwards. Realizing what was going to happen before it did, Sasuke tried to get back in time. The drawn brown feathers became red, then the bird exploded with a huge burst of orange and white heat. Flames licked the ceiling far above and dark grey smoke billowed outwards, while the huge blast radius caused several cracks to appear in the walls. A little bit of rock and dust rained down from the ceiling.

Sasuke coughed into his sleeve and blinked the smoke away, looking down with displeasure at his now sooty clothes. He wiped his face with the clean inside of one sleeve and got into a ready position, dark eyes looking left and right.

Sai was nowhere in sight. The boy was neither above nor around Sasuke. While shielded by the bird, he had tunnelled underground and then commanded the bird to explode. Underground travel was a trick taught in the higher levels of Root and ANBU to only those skilled enough to attempt it, for though it had benefits like being able to hide clones and traps, the application of chakra to surrounding dirt needed to be very precise. A shinobi had to have excellent chakra control in order to expel some from his body and then use it to crumble weak spots in the ground, enabling him to move swiftly forwards.

_'I can't create a clone while hidden; staying hidden myself will require more chakra to be used to create a wide enough air space underground... I have no doubt that activating the first level of the curse mark will give me the chakra I need and more, but I have to avoid using Orochimaru's mark for as long as possible.'_ he took out three kunai and wove a length of wire with attached explosive tags through their end loops, then held the newly made weapon in his left hand while he located Sasuke's position. _'I'll need something flashy at first, then I can return to my inks." _

Sai exploded out of the dirt with his kunai string at the ready, but Sasuke was not below him. There was a flicker in the air, and he saw a brief flash of dark hair and something unnaturally red before Sasuke kicking him sideways, sending him crashing into the wall and sliding down. He attempted to get up, but with a flash, his opponent was there- kicking downwards, driving his foot into Sai's back as if trying to fix him permanently onto the ground. Sai gritted his teeth and kept his head tilted, looking up at Sasuke's once again impassive face. However, as soon as his charcoal black eyes found Sasuke's face, they widened in shock. The red and black of Sasuke's eyes didn't surprise him. He knew that eventually, Sasuke would tire of drawing out the fight and activate his Sharingan. However, instead of the two-tomoe Sharingan he had studied, Sasuke's was now inverted black and red, with three intersecting ellipses.

"Mangekyo... sharingan?" Sai muttered. "That's not possible... It's only activated if the Sharingan user kills the person they thought was closet to them."

Sasuke shook his head, his steady, cold gaze never leaving Sai's face. "I did kill the person who I once considered my best friend. I killed the Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto."

For the first time in his life, no thoughts ran through Sai's head when he was spoken to. His mind went completely blank, replaying what Sasuke had said over and over but not understanding it. Finally he whispered,

"You can't have killed him. I was with him on a mission recently, and he was perfectly healthy and had his teammates around him."

"You don't understand." Sasuke replied. "I know that Naruto still exists. But when I fought him at the Valley of the End and left him lying for dead, I truly believed he was dead after a while spent in isolated training with Orochimaru. Then, just two months ago, I got word that he was alive. It made no difference to me. In a way, I had still killed him. Naruto is dead to me. I care nothing for him, nor for the village you Leaf shinobi are so proud of."

"You didn't kill the Naruto that you knew; he's the same as ever. You just killed the part of yourself that felt for him." Sai returned.

Sasuke blinked slowly. "Then it was that part of myself I killed which gave me the Mangekyo. It makes no difference. I have power, and I use it. You, on the other hand, were given power and you're too afraid to... I'm swiftly tiring of an opponent who doesn't fight back." His foot pressed down a little harder.

"I don't want to fight you." Sai stated clearly, his mind reawakened to the demands of battle and strategy. _'I need to stall him long enough until the team gets here... Just long enough for them to come, and hopefully I'll be able to immobilize him somehow so they can take him back to the village.'_ "Naruto thinks of you as a brother... I'm not about to destroy a bond that strong now that I've learned how powerful they are."

He felt the pressure on his back lighten, but Sasuke raised his sword. "And what if I already cut those bonds?"

Another fraction lighter, but it was enough. Sai twisted and used his arms to help him jump up, lashing outwards with the explosive kunai. Instead of dodging, Sasuke caught one by the hilt and held it for the briefest moment, before tossing it high into the air and forming several hand seals.

Sai took in the ball of fire swiftly forming and expanding around Sasuke's outstretched hand. _'He's crazy! Does he intend to ignite the seals with that much firepower? He'll bring down the whole room!'_ He dove to the side, just as the fire shot outwards like a lightning bolt and connected with the falling explosive tags. The paper burned as the fire enveloped it, then it convalesced into a small white ball and exploded outwards, becoming orange and red as it went, all in the slightest bit of a second. Half a moment later, a tremendous _boom_ shook the air.

* * *

><p>Naruto kicked at a stone and cursed when it proved to be buried deeper than he had thought. Before the three-person team was a tall cliff of darker brown stone, inconspicuous and no different from any others in the rocky desert other than for the snake that now lay coiled up against its wall, looking expectantly at the three shinobi.<p>

Yamato had noticed that some of the luster had faded from its dark red scales, and the light in its eye was dim and barely present. He wasn't familiar with Sai's powers at all but he could guess that the snake's lifetime, such as it was, was coming to an end.

"Damnit!" Naruto said angrily. "How are we supposed to get in? Sakura, punch it again!"

Sakura's pink hair was a little disheveled and a thick layer of dust coated her gloves. She whipped around and glared at Naruto. "How many times do I have to tell you? It's protected by some sort of magical barrier!" she snapped.

"Children, children!" Yamato interjected, hastily stepping in between the two. "I shouldn't even have to call you that, but you're acting like little kids! If we all just take a moment to calm down, we'll be able to find a solution."

"I'm trying!" Naruto sounded frustrated. "Yamato-taicho, he's _right there _ and we're stuck out here, but so _close!_" Yamato had no idea of who Naruto was referring to- Sasuke or Sai- but he would never find out. There was a tremble in the ground beneath then, then without any further warning, it fell out from underneath them with a gigantic roar and clashing of rocks.

Naruto yelled with shock, yell lost in the overwhelming noise. Something hard and rough crashed against him and by instinct he pushed off of it into a clearer space where there were for some reason much less rocks. He shut his eyes tight and braced for the impact, landing heavily on rocky ground, almost blacking out. A few little rocks bounced off his forehead and forced him awake.

"Shit..." Naruto groaned. He rubbed his head and sat up stiffly, looking around him. Behind him, more to the left side of the room and close to the wall, lay Yamato and Sakura. They looked winded, but all right. He was about to get up and run to them when he caught a flash of something white and black close by his position. Naruto's gaze traveled to the right, and he froze.

There was a person lying on their side, a rock that could have killed them lying just an inch away from their head. Their black hair was unkempt and dusty, and the dirty black clothes and backpack looked out of place on the man's- boy's?- paper white skin. Naruto's breath caught in his throat and he scrambled to his feet. He felt his heart pounding wildly as he reached the still form, bending down to turn him over when the boy rolled over by himself and those deep, unfathomable black eyes opened, staring up into Naruto's blue ones. They looked duller than usual, lacking the sparkle that had gradually come into them ever since Sai was assigned onto Team Seven.

"N-Naruto?" Sai asked. His voice cracked and he coughed, sitting up. "Sorry, it's a little dusty..."

_'That's all he has to say? That's all?'_ Naruto thought blankly. He ran his eye quickly over his friend. To his relief, his face was only lightly scratched. However, he didn't know what kind of wounds his black turtleneck might be hiding and he hoped that Sai was all right. His hand reached out and rested on Sai's shoulder and he swiftly drew it away, shocked by the boniness. "You're really thin..." he trailed off, then shook himself and stretched out a hand. "Come on. Let's get you back home."

Sai paused, then a slight smile appeared on his face and he took the hand and allowed Naruto to pull him up. Yet, as soon as Naruto let him go, he staggered and only saved himself from falling by grabbing onto Naruto's arm.

"Sorry." he apologized swiftly. "Naruto, he's here."

Naruto's eyebrows knitted together with confusion. "Who's here?"

"Sas-" Sai broke off with a startled exclamation. Something huge and a slimy, faded green shot past Naruto and wrapped around Sai, wrapping around his waist, shoulders and neck and lifting him into the air. The giant snake's head hissed, forked tongue darting out and tasting the air. Sai struggled uselessly as he grabbed the snake with his hands, trying to lessen the pressure on his neck. Crying out, Naruto whipped out a kunai and ran toward him, but a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"I wouldn't try." Sasuke said calmly, one arm stretched out and the snake's body emerging from the hanging sleeve. Slowly, Naruto's blue eyes grew rounder and rounder. His grip on the kunai loosened as his mind processed what his eyes were seeing, then the grip tightened and his expression became determined.

"Put him down, Sasuke, and we'll all go back together."

The red and black gaze never wavered from Naruto's face. Naruto found himself enraptured by those eyes like a mouse being enticed by a predatory snake.

"Naruto!" Sai shouted. "Don't look into his eyes!" The snake around him hissed angrily and tightened its coils, but the damage was done. Naruto blinked and focused his gaze on the lock of hair on the left side of Sasuke's face.

"And what if I don't?" Sasuke asked delicately. "What if I just do... this?" The snake bared its long, deadly sharp fangs.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called. Sasuke tilted his head, studying the kunoichi as she approached. She came up short a little bit in front of Naruto, staring at Sasuke with a mixture of desperation, anger, and a veiled longing in her eyes. Yamato stood next to her, eyeing Sasuke with distrust and knees slightly bent in a battle stance.

"Ah, Sakura." he said calmly. "Is Kakashi dead, or did he finally give up on trying to train you three?"

"He's not dead, nor is he retiring. I'm just a temporary stand-in, but my duty is to give him back his students safe and sound- all of them." Yamato spoke up. "I'm going to have to ask you to release Sai." Sasuke didn't move, and Yamato hesitated, eyes flickering from Sai to Sasuke. Sai hung limply in the snake's grasp now, and his breathing was ragged. He could see that his student had no energy left, and that Sasuke would be able to command the snake to strike before any of them could stop him. His only option lay in talk, which was having no effect.

Sasuke's mouth turned down and his eyes went blank. "I'm wasting my time... you're all in the way. This isn't your fight." Lightning crackled around him, and Yamato had just enough time to shout a warning before it filled the air.

Sai watched in horror as his teammates were struck by the lightning and thrown to the side, their bodies stiffening and curling up as the electricity raced through their bodies and numbed their limbs.

_'Naruto... Sakura... even Yamato, all taken out in an instant...'_ his thoughts trailed off. _'Does the Mangekyo Sharingan increase his power that much? Against him, there's nothing I can do. I'm too weak... perhaps I got my hopes up too high. Perhaps I'm not meant to live...'_ the throbbing on his neck increased in intensity, and in that moment Sai made his decision. He closed his eyes. _'But at least, I can give them the chance to!'_ Within his mind, he reached out to the darker tendrils of chakra weaving their way through his body, alarmed by how far they had gotten in such a short amount of time, and how much energy pulsed through their black channels. Some of his own chakra was currently suppressed the curse mark. Sai carefully eased up his control over it, allowing just enough leeway for the first activation.

It was like opening a jar just a fraction when there was maelstrom raging inside. Immediately, pain lanced through his body and he bit his lip to stop himself from crying out. Dark, swirling black marks flowed outwards from the curse mark and marched up his neck, covering part of his face. His hand shot out and grabbed the constricting snake at the base of its neck and he twisted its head with incredible strength, breaking its spine and pulling the creature off of him in one smooth movement.

The pain didn't stop, and the marks began to spread further. Sai fell to his knees, struggling to retain control. At last, he asserted his dominance and stood up, facing Sasuke.

The boy smiled slightly at seeing Sai's transformation. "It looks like my method of persuasion was correct... you should be a good opponent. I've never seen Orochimaru give a curse mark like that one before. Now, all you need is a little bit more prodding..."

Sai's eyes seemed darker than usual, black holes that were devoid of any comforting light or glimmer as he stared at Sasuke. "I don't have any intention of letting you do that." he said coldly, icicles hanging from each frosty word. With deliberate slowness, he took out his scroll, Sasuke's eyes watching him intently.

The brush whipped across the paper and Sasuke's hands formed seals, both moving too quick for the human eye.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" Sasuke placed a hand to his lips and blew out a series of spiraling discs of fire. At the same time, Sai formed a one-handed seal and held the paper away from him, jumping backwards to gain more time.

Naruto groaned quietly, shaking his head. He looked up, searching frantically for Sai. To his relief, Sai was there, but-

_'Black marks? It's almost like... no!'_ The truth hit.

"Ninpou: Katon no Gōryūka!" Sai shouted, and a gigantic, fearsome head burst from the page, growing larger and larger. The dragon opened its maw, heading straight for the incoming discs and swallowing them. It roared, and then the ink which gave it life burst aflame.

The orange flames cast a flickering reflection in Naruto's wide blue eyes. He watched, open-mouthed, as the fiery dragon whipped its tail and smacked Sasuke into a fallen boulder so hard that cracks appeared in the rock. Sasuke grabbed onto its tail before it could pull away, hanging on unharmed among the flames and using the momentum of its lashing to launch himself at Sai, who ducked the initial stab and then touched his palm lightly to the ground before spinning away. Even from his distance, Naruto could see black and brown shapes rising up from the earth, one of them sacrificing itself to block Sasuke's lightning sword thrust and the rest joining the flame dragon in engaging the Uchiha in combat.

"Sai!" Naruto yelled, scrambling to his feet. Life coursed anew in his veins as he ran toward the tall, lanky boy. _'I'll have to worry about it later! Cursed or not, he's still my friend and I'll be damned if I just sit by and do nothing!'_ He leapt over a rock and kept going, skidding to a stop beside Sai. Before he could say anything else, Sai had grabbed his arm and pushed up his orange sleeve.

"Wh-wait, what the hell are you doing?"

"Stay still." Sai commanded, and Naruto shut up, surprised by the uncharacteristic sternness and sharpness with which Sai spoke. It wasn't like him at all; in battles, his commands bore no emotion at all. They were expressionless, not sharp and biting.

_'Sasuke's personality changed like this too, with his first curse mark.'_ A voice in Naruto's head whispered.

"Okay, but what are you doing?" Naruto persisted, trying to ignore his misgivings. Sai swiftly painted the kanji for _Release _on his arm.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan is far superior to the normal Sharingan in its dojutsu-based genjutsu. That should give you some measure of protection, at least. Keep Sasuke occupied while I go check on Sakura and Yamato and help them; they were closer to Sasuke than you, and so got more of the blast." Sai gave the kanji a last flick on one lines end then dashed off, heading to Sakura, who was just beginning to stir. Naruto nodded and turned his attention onto Sasuke, who had just sliced the flame dragon apart. Little sparks flew into the air and vanished, but the earth creatures remained.

"Naruto!" Yamato panted, running up to him "Get a Rasengan ready, and fast; I have an idea in mind. We'll never bring Sasuke back willin-" he broke off, unsure of how Naruto would take it. However, Naruto just nodded again and summoned two clones, sticking out his hand and letting them gather wind and some of his chakra. Swirling water started to appear in the wood-user's own hand, and as soon as Naruto's Rasengan was ready he shouted, "Now! Gufū Suika no Jutsu!"

They tossed their respective attacks simultaneously, the water and wind merging together in mid-air to create a huge blast. There was no room for Sasuke to dodge, and he was caught in it. The whole area filled with steam.

Sai crouched down next to Sakura, looking her over. She seemed a little shaky, but her eyes fluttered open. "Sai...?" she asked, dazed, then her eyes seemed to focus on him and she gasped. "_Sai!_What happened to-"

"One of Orochimaru's unfortunate experiments." Sai cut her off flatly. "Here, give me your arm. If we're going to fight Sasuke, you'll need an anti-genjutsu method I developed. It'll use a little bit of your chakra when activated, but it is necessary against someone like him." Dumbstruck and a little afraid of his cold demeanor, Sakura gave a tiny nod and held her arm out for Sai to sketch a kanji on. Trying to fill the silence, she said,

"Wow, Yamato-taicho and Naruto had an amazing collaboration jutsu right there. I never knew they could work together so well."

Sai froze just as he finished, the brush dripping ink onto the rocky ground.

_'Yamato's fighting? He can't! I didn't check on him yet! Like this, he'll be vulnerable to Sasuke's genjutsu!'_

"Sai?" Sakura asked, worried. "What's wrong?" Sai didn't respond. He shot to his feet, looking around for his team captain.

Yamato placed both hands on the ground. Naruto and five Naruto clones were behind him, readying what the blonde called a 'super-big Rasengan, believe it!'. Yamato gathered his energies and called,

"Mokuton: Mokusatsu Shibari no Jutsu!" The cloth of his arm turned brown and hard and the skin underneath it followed. The wood elongated at a rapid pace, shooting forwards like racing flames and wrapping around Sasuke. Yamato allowed himself a little smirk and stood up as the wood broke off and his arms returned to normal. "There... now, you'll be coming back with us."

Sasuke's red and black stare was unnerving. Yamato felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck and he tried to break away from the gaze, but couldn't.

"Let me show you..." Sasuke said slowly, "...one of the reasons why the Uchiha were so feared." Slowly and deliberately, he blinked, and suddenly a great pressure squeezed Yamato's body. Instinctively he loosened up to try and slip out, but the binds simply tightened. All of the wood vanished from Sasuke's body, reappearing around his own. He cursed lightly, struggling to break free out of his own jutsu, when there was a shrill and piercing whine. His head shot up and suddenly he was looking straight into a world of red and black while a whole different world of shearing, numbing pain burst open in his stomach. The wood around Yamato shattered as Sasuke withdrew his bloody katana from the captain's abdomen, leaping backwards and letting him fall.

"Yamato-taicho!" Naruto yelled in shock. His hair was ruffled by an unseen force and then Sai was there next to Yamato, lifting him up.

"Don't stop! I'll make sure he's safe- you focus on occupying Sasuke!" Sai commanded and darted away to Sakura, who was already back on her feet. Naruto hesitated, staring at his captain's pain-filled face. Then he spun around and faced Sasuke, the Rasengan still growing larger.

"You're being an asshole just like always, Sasuke." His eyes were narrowed. "Hurting those close to me and pretending you don't care... If I have to knock sense into you, then I'll do it." Suddenly, he tossed the Rasengan sideways, another one of his clones catching it. "Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Tens of more Narutos appeared and some of them ran at Sasuke, wielding kunai.

"Tch!" Sasuke snorted, crouching low. "Using the same old weak techniques... at least my replacement's ink animals can stand some hits. _Your_ clones are _nothing._" He punctuated the word by simultaneously taking down three blade-wielding clones in one sweep of his katana, cutting down two more the next second. Naruto gave a slightly feral grin. Despite how Sasuke was acting, part of him was happy with the battle.

"This is almost like old times, huh, Sasuke?" Naruto ran up close, aiming a kick at Sasuke and letting a clone take the blow meant for him. "Just me and you, trying to beat each other up... then teaming up heart and soul to defeat the boss enemy, in this case Orochimaru. Sasuke you ass, you've hurt me and more importantly, my friends. But they're healing. Sakura's healing the wound you gave Yamato-taicho. Rock Lee's healing the hole you left in Sakura-chan's heart. Tsunade baa-san healed me up pretty damn well after our last little scuffle. And Sai..." Naruto trailed off, letting his body move on its own according to the demands of battle. "Sai's helping to heal the chasm you left in our team. Now, it's my job- my job to heal _you_."

At once, all of his clones leapt into the air. They were spread out over a large area, and their sheer number made the move more impressive. Sasuke stood still and impassive, hair hanging over his face.

"Heal me?" he asked quietly.

With a puff of smoke, the Naruto holding the huge Rasengan disappeared and the real Naruto caught it. "Yes! I want to heal the depths of hatred in your heart, Sasuke. I can see it's eating you away from the inside, but there's some _good_ left in you. I can tell that you've always refrained from striking the final blow. You still love your village, Sasuke, and you really don't want to hurt anyone from it."

With a large white puff of smoke, a Fūma shuriken appeared in each clone's hand. They closed in on Sasuke, making no avenue for escape. Naruto jumped high into the air and right above Sasuke, bearing down upon him with the giant Rasengan in hand.

"Heal the hatred inside me?" Sasuke let out a small bark of laughter. "It's not _curable_ to begin with. You say that I've been holding back... Now, I guess I have to prove to you that I'm not the weak little boy you knew. Konoha and its people mean absolutely nothing to me."

Somewhere deep within Naruto, his spirit faltered at the malice underlying Sasuke's voice, then before he could abandon the attack he was already crying,

"Ōdama Rasengan!"

Sasuke crouched down low, head tilted upwards and his eyes fixed on the incoming ball of destruction. Suddenly the marks on his neck flared and flowed outwards, spreading up his face, neck, and body in a manner reminiscent to Sai's mark. He extinguished the lightning on his sword and leapt up to meet the Rasengan head-on.

_'No!'_ Naruto thought, horrified. _'At this range, it'll really hurt him! I was going to miss by a small margin, just enough to knock him out... Sasuke, no!' _

He braced himself and squeezed his eyes shut, just as the feeling of a miniature hurricane circling in his palm vanished and a searing heat slapped him in the face. Naruto's eyes flew open and as he fell, all he saw was flames surrounding him. Sasuke had used an incredible amount of fire jutsu to overwhelm even his big ball Rasengan, and then... where was he now? Naruto landed on all fours, looking frantically around for the Uchiha through the fire. He felt like he was being slow-baked over a roasting fire inside his orange jumpsuit. Suddenly, bluish white light split the flames and surrounded him, crackling around his body. Naruto jumped away to try and avoid the lightning, but he was too late and he stumbled, muscles stiffening up. The animal instincts present in all Jinchuuriki screamed at him and he turned around as fast as possible, staring at the sword nearly upon him. His mind went into overdrive, already dodging the blade of death, but his electricity-laden body moved sluggishly.

_'Sasuke, you...'_ Naruto's eyes went from shocked to a strange, unreal mixture of dissapointment and sadness. They met Sasuke's two unwavering ones. _'You're really going to do it this time, aren't you...'_

Lightning crackled around them. For a moment, all Naruto could see was bluish-tinted whiteness, and a head of black, black hair, and all he could feel was a great heat surrounding him. But little pain. Not the pain he had expected from Sasuke. Instead, there was a pair of arms tightly wrapped around him. Naruto blinked, and saw Sasuke appear fully through the blaze of fire and energy as if he were a ghost. The sword raised and came down- but not at him. He felt something warm and wet splatter onto his cheek and felt the arms around him loosen. Then, an impact as he and whoever had held him crashed into the ground.

Naruto shook his head, groaning. Only partially thinking he raised his hand to wipe off his cheek, then froze.

_'Blood... I'm fine, so...'_ Looking wildly around, he saw something black and white and _red_ lying to his side. Naruto's breath hitched in his throat.

"Sai!"

The boy tried to get to his feet but stumbled, crawling over on his hands and knees. Sai was lying on his back, his chest rising slightly then falling with each shallow breath. The black curse marks were gone from his skin, leaving it smooth and white. One pale hand rested on his chest, while the other lay soaked in a gradually increasing pool of thick, red liquid. Naruto, unhesitating, grabbed the hand that lay so forlornly on Sai's jacket and felt the wrist, feeling for a steady pulse and finding it, albeit a weak one. Sai stirred at the touch and he opened his eyes halfway, looking up at Naruto dully.

"Naruto..." he murmured. His eyes flickered, trying to stay open for as long as possible. Naruto's gaze shot to Sai's face. Alarmed, he noted that the typically pale face was tinted grey.

"You're hurt..." Naruto whispered. He didn't know what else to say, and could not bring himself to truly comprehend what had happened. "I'll take you to Sakura. Hang in there, okay? I'll take care of everything. You just need to be okay."

_'Where is all this blood coming from? Why won't it stop?'_ Naruto looked over Sai's clothes for any telltale tears or rips, but could not find any.

Sai shook his head slightly, the corner of his lips twitching upwards. "It's no use..."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto demanded. Panic welled up inside of him at Sai's strangely even tone and his calm eyes. There was something in those eyes that said something very important, but he couldn't read it. Biting his lip with anxiety, Naruto placed one hand on Sai's shoulders then moved it a little bit down, to support his back. The hand brushed against more wetness, and something rough. At the same time, Sai couldn't hold back a soft cry of pain. Naruto immediately drew his hand back, then more carefully grabbed the top of Sai's opposite shoulder and drew him into his arms, slightly turning him inwards. However, as he looked down at Sai's back, his eyes widened his shock.

"No... no, this has got to be a joke..." Naruto whispered disbelievingly. There was a long, deep tear in the thick black turtleneck and the palest skin, all of the surrounding cloth soaked with blood. The wound stretched from the base of Sai's neck all the way down to his lower back, on a slight diagonal tilt. "Please, someone tell me this isn't real..."

"Naruto, it's fine... just go. Take Sasuke, and go-" Sai broke off, clenching his teeth. Naruto felt Sai's whole body tense.

"_No!_ I'd rather- I'd rather have you with us, not that damn _traitor!_" Distantly, Naruto wondered at his own voice. It was loud and even angry. Where had he found the heart to say that? Sasuke had just done this to Sai. _His_ Sasuke, his best friend in the entire world...

_'No. This isn't the Sasuke I knew. Sasuke would never do something like this!'_

"You're going to be okay. You're going to Sakura, she'll heal you, we'll take you back and-" he froze as Sai just smiled up at him in response.

"I tried, Naruto, even when Danzō told me not to... I tried and tried... but it wasn't any use. Keh, emotions... they make you do such pointless things..." His eyes moved to the open sky, yet he seemed to not see it at all. "Funny, isn't it? You'll have to get a new replacement now..."

"Shut up!" Naruto growled, fighting to speak over the lump in his throat. "Don't even _think_ that's what you are, just a replacement! You're _Sai_, damnit, a loyal citizen of Konoha, a valuable teammate, and- and an irreplaceable friend! That's why you have to live on... Don't even _think _about giving up now! Because... nobody can fill your spot on our team, Sai!" He bit off the last words and blinked fiercely, feeling wetness gathering in his eyes. Sai didn't respond, and Naruto saw that his eyes had closed. Ashamed of the tear that landed on Sai's cheek, the blonde boy shook his head and leapt to his feet, looking frantically around for Sakura. She still seemed to be healing Yamato, but their captain was sitting up now, sweat beading his face from the pain, yet his wide black eyes stared at Naruto and Sai in shock.

"It doesn't look like he has much time left." Sasuke observed. He had been standing silently off to their left, watching with dark eyes. He raised his sword, but Naruto didn't move. Sasuke took a step forward in preparation to strike, but then there was a sudden gust of wind and dust, and Orochimaru and Kabuto appeared between them.

"My, my..." Orochimaru said lazily, gaze roaming over the destruction. "Sasuke-kun, you've not only managed to damage my new toy, but you've completely wrecked this hideout."

"Move, Orochimaru." Sasuke snapped. "You're all getting in my way."

"Don't speak like that to Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto warned him, then turned to Naruto with a smile plastered on his face. "It's good seeing you again, Naruto-kun, but I'm afraid that since Sasuke-kun here endangered our position with his extravagant battle style we'll have to make our excuses..."

Naruto's mouth hung open and he stared at the three. Sasuke stared back, then bent his head and sheathed his katana, putting out the lightning and flames still dancing along its length.

"You're only practice, anyways... I'm not going to waste my time on trash like you when Itachi still runs free."

At those words, something inside Naruto snapped. Sai lay limply in his arms, his life slowly fading away after his sacrifice for Naruto; staining Naruto's orange jacket red, and here was the cold-hearted bastard that started it all turning tail on them.

"Fine, go and run away with your new master Orochimaru! Don't forget- I'm still coming after you! But I don't want a monster like you on my team anymore, and I'll _never_ forgive you!" Pausing, he took a deep breath, and then pointed a finger at the dark, impassive boy. "Next time, I'm gonna make sure that you don't hurt anyone _ever again!" _

Orochimaru's laugh rang throughout the air and Kabuto's smile widened, but Sasuke's Mangekyo eyes never left Naruto's face until his body completely disappeared from sight in a swirl of flame.

Light, soft hands touched his arm and then Sakura gently lifted his precious cargo off of him. Naruto sank to the ground, all of his anger draining away as he stared at Sai's thin, ascetic features, their paleness only amplified by the dimming, orange desert light.

_'Sai...'_ he thought, anguish threatening to grasp him in its claws and never let go. _'Sai...'_

* * *

><p>*Note. There are many more chapters, so do not despair! This was an extra long chapter in itself to make up for the long update time.<p>

I know Sasuke is a little OOC. He's cooler that way, I think- and all I'm doing is speeding up his mental downgrade that happens anyway in-canon.

Apologize for the cliffhanger... I hope to update soon, but I have the SAT to study for. Still, I admit that having Orochimaru give Sai a curse mark wasn't my original plan. I'll need to rework the story's plan quite a bit, since I don't know yet how much it should affect what I already had planned (I tend to think of endings before beginnings). Originally, I wanted to have Team Yamato be the first ones to discover what Danzō did, and the scene was pretty cool. Then I wondered _But how is he supposed to fight now knowing that if he dies he'll pretty much kill everyone around him?_ So things worked out as they did.

*Those who are up to date with the manga... How can Kishimoto possibly avoid a fight between Sai and Sasuke now? If he does, I'll be furious, beyond furious. Especially if Itachi gets him back to the good side... eh... not looking forward to future chapters..

On the other hand- soon the episode "The Artist Returns" will be aired =D =D I hope it's about the corresponding manga chapter that I think it is, and I hope it will be just as if not more than epic than its manga version =) Just the name sounds cool!


	16. Healing

_'Love is the expression of one's values, the greatest reward you can earn for the moral qualities you have achieved in your character and person, the emotional price paid by one man for the joy he receives from the virtues of another.' _~ Ayn Rand

* * *

><p>Naruto's eyelids began slowly drooping closed, then he realized that he was beginning to fall asleep and he shook himself awake. It was daytime, yet a pale grey light filtered through the windows and made the white room seem more forbidding and empty than usual. A light summer rain drummed on the windows, serving as a lullaby for the tired blonde. He had been in the same hospital room since that morning and until nine o clock the past night, sitting on the same stool. For the millionth time, his gaze wandered to Sai's face and he clenched the sides of his chair with his fingers as Tsunade's words came back to him.<p>

_The Hokage blew out a long breath, exhausted from the long surgery. She had dreaded facing the wide blue eyes before her now, thinking over for hours what she could tell him without him exploding in her face._

_"Well?" Naruto demanded. "He's all right, isn't he? You're the best in the whole shinobi world!"_

"Even the best can only do so much!" Tsunade snapped, her temper getting the better of her. Trying to put herself under control, she took a deep breath before continuing. "The wound would have been bad enough, but since the sword that did it was imbued with lightning, it's going to scar... otherwise, he should be coming around in a day or two. However, about sealing that curse mark..."

Naruto's gaze darkened as he looked at the seemingly innocent swirling pattern at the base of Sai's neck, just visible underneath the blanket.

_"We were unable to seal it." _

_Naruto's shoulders slumped and his eyes widened. "Unable to... but, how? Pervy Sage was there, too, and he's an expert on seals!" _

_The fire left Tsunade's amber-brown eyes and her shoulders slumped. Suddenly, she looked ten years older than her current appearance, more her true age than anything else. The bags under her eyes darkened and she passed a hand over her face, looking defeated. _

_"We don't know." she confessed. "The mark behaved as it already had a curse seal, and it was all we could do to stop it from activating right then and there while Sai was unconscious."_

Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled. It was only seven in the morning, yet the storm was just beginning. The early summer rain did nothing to help Naruto's mood, and he continued to gaze at Sai's face. As he watched, he saw out of the corner of his eye a change in the almost imperceptible rise and fall of the pale green blanket. Sai's minute breathing quickened ever so slightly, and his eyelids, previously relaxed, closed tighter, his face pulling into a wince. Naruto's breath quickened and he sat up, hoping against hope. In the first day of his vigil, he had often agonized for minutes at a time when Sai's teeth clenched in his sleep and his muscles tensed, feeling pain that was incomprehensible to Naruto. It was only that day his condition was evening out enough for Tsunade to let him be alone in the room- not that he would have been, in any case.

Naruto said absolutely nothing as a hint of black appeared on the too-pale face, and then widened into tired, blank dark eyes.

Sai stared up at the ceiling, disoriented. In his mind, he was still in the confusing mass of dreams that plagued him in sleep, taunting him by raising emotions he couldn't identify and showing him distorted versions of people and places he longed for.

"Are you okay?" A soft voice asked. Sai's head turned and he looked to his left, seeing Naruto sitting with his head bowed. The Jinchuuriki didn't look at him.

"I- I don't know." And, honestly, Sai was surprised to find that he really _didn't_ know. Memory came back to him in a rushing tide of sensations- pain, weariness, and a strange emptiness deep within himself when he remembered the purpose of the mission that had placed him in the hospital. He took in Naruto's uncombed, messy hair and his drooping posture and quickly guessed at what had happened. _'Ah... Sasuke must have escaped again... there's no other reason for Naruto's depression. I suppose we'll have to start working on getting him back again...'_ Again, that unpleasant feeling whenever Sai thought of Sasuke rose in his stomach and he pushed the thoughts away. He gripped the edge of his bed with his hands, trying to use the support to sit up. The moment he did so, some invisible fire raced through his back and he fell into the pillows only halfway sitting up, stars dancing before his eyes. Naruto let out a small cry of alarm, but Sai held up his hand. The other bit his lip but kept his distance, watching as Sai gradually and painstakingly got into a sitting position.

No words were spoken between them. Sai was content just catching his breath and waiting for the black spots to disappear from the corners of his vision when he saw Naruto's hands clench upon his knees. The orange cloth wrinkled up, and his overhanging blonde hair cast a deep shadow on his face that all but veiled his expression.

"Naruto?" Sai asked uncertainly. The rain began pounding on the hospital room's window, just making the silence seem louder by comparison as if it were trying to outdo the storm.

"Did you..." Naruto's voice was hoarse, and Sai was alarmed to see that his hands clenched his knees tightly. "Did you really think that? Did you really believe that after all this time, you've been just a replacement?"

Sai's lips quirked upwards in a plastic smile. "It's not about whether I believe it or not. You said it yourself; I'll never fill Sasuke's spot. He'll always be that invisible member of our team. I may be your friend, but I don't mind it at all if I'm the extra teammate."

Naruto didn't reply immediately, and Sai sighed, closing his eyes and beginning to lean back against the wall. He was startled into wakefulness when a gentle hand rested on his shoulder, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that Naruto's face must have only been a foot away from his own. The oceans-deep blue eyes were solemn and the usually sunny face was unsmiling.

"I hate people who lie to themselves." Naruto said clearly, never breaking the gaze. Sai's eyes widened, and he stared back. He felt like at that moment, Naruto could see into the depths of his mind and could pick out every unidentifiable emotion, giving it meaning. He wanted badly to look away, but couldn't. "You _do_ mind, and stop pretending that you don't care. I can see it so clearly now... it's like I've been stuck in the dark, and just now I've been lifted out... You probably don't realize it, but you always get the same look in your eyes when Sasuke's name is mentioned, or you're reminded that this team wasn't originally meant to exist. You think that it's still not meant to exist, and you believe that completely."

Finally, Sai wrenched his gaze away and stared down at his folded hands. He wished that Naruto would take his hand off his shoulder.

_'His closeness... it makes me uncomfortable. If I tell him how I really felt, it'll just make him feel worse. When you're friends with someone, aren't you always supposed to make them feel better?'_

"Sai. _Sai._" With a start, Sai realized that Naruto was gripping his non-wounded shoulder tighter and had repeated his name several times over. The blonde was beginning to sound faintly desperate. "I was completely serious, too, when I said to tell me how you felt. Please, tell me. All this time, I've been putting you down without knowing it! I've been hurting you like Sasuke hurt me once, but I'm doing it to you every single day! All this... all this is my fault!"

The hand slipped from his shoulder and Naruto's voice shook. Swiftly and without thinking, Sai reached for Naruto's hand and grasped it tightly between two of his own.

"I've noticed something about you, Naruto." Sai's voice was calm, but just as serious. "You always try to shoulder the burden of others. First, you took upon the burden of the whole village by accepting your fate as the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails. Then, you took upon the burden of Sakura's pain when you promised to bring Sasuke back. You added extra weight by dedicating yourself to studies underneath Jiraiya-san. Now, you're trying to shoulder my problems too. It was my own fault that I happened to be in the wrong place in the wrong time and got captured. The curse mark is my burden alone; you can't bear it for me. And I _let_ myself be hurt by your feelings torward Sasuke... Honestly, I don't know what I feel at all." Sai broke off with a small laugh that had no humor behind it. "Am I what my books call jealous? Perhaps, knowing that jealousy is a pointless thing. I'll always be the fifth and never the fourth member of Team Seven. There's no point to my emotions, yet I have them all the same."

Naruto's voice was quiet and he stood up, pulling his hand away from Sai's. "Sasuke is no longer a part of Team Seven."

Lost, Sai just looked at Naruto as his friend got up from his stool and walked over to the window, looking out at the thick grey clouds. A flash of lightning highlighted his face and disappeared.

_'Naruto... renounced Sasuke?'_ The thought was incomprehensible to Sai. For three years now, ever since his first assignment onto the team, Sai's friendship with Naruto had been plagued by the Uchiha. Sasuke might have been gone, but his shadow loomed over Naruto and Sai was lost in it, insignificant in comparison. He started to say something, but Naruto turned around, and he was shocked to see a wide smile on the tan boy's face. His smile shone brighter than the sun, which couldn't manage to pierce the dark clouds enshrouding the blue sky.

"But you know what, Sai?" Naruto said happily. "I'm not carrying his burden anymore. I'm just glad that you're alive."

The emotions threatening to overwhelm him finally surfaced, and a soft, heartfelt smile broke out on Sai's face at the warmth in Naruto's words.

"I should be glad that I'm alive, too." he laughed quietly, breaking off with a wince and leaning against the wall. As he stared at the ceiling, the smile slowly slid off his face. _'I had forgotten... Danz__ō__-sama will want a report... and he will want an explanation as to why, exactly, I had failed to die.'_

* * *

><p>That night, Sai lay half-awake for a long time. The thunderstorm was over and the rain had stopped, so to freshen up his room Naruto had left the window open when he left. Sai hadn't the energy to go up and close it when nighttime came, and he liked the warm, damp breeze coming in and making the bottoms of the strung-up curtains flutter. A thin shaft of moonlight cast a gentle glow across the room, and it slowly traveled as the hours passed until it rested directly on his face. He blinked and yawned, his eyelids feeling very heavy all of a sudden. The light, far from waking him up, actually was just making him more and more tired. The oddly light feeling in his body since Naruto's visit in the morning became less prominent and more soothing.<p>

_'I'm going to have to face whatever may come next morning, probably, when I'm discharged from the hospital... Danz__ō__-sama won't be able to send me out on any missions, but that doesn't mean I won't get a debriefing... but I'll worry about that tomorrow. Right now,'_ he thought drowsily as his eyes closed, _'Right now I'm rather tired...'_

The moon began sliding away from its high position among the stars, and the darkness in Sai's room grew. In the far right corner, the shadows seemed no different from any other corner, but in truth they had a visitor. Hidden by the darkness was a form with spiked silver hair and an intelligent grey eye roaming around the room, its owner on high alert.

Kakashi Hatake's hand drifted to his kunai belt. He couldn't sense anybody, but his instincts told him otherwise and he had learned to place a measure of trust in those flighty, earliest hints of danger.

The dark outline of a hand upon the windowsill appeared, and something larger and approximately human-sized followed it. Kakashi's eye narrowed and he drew two kunai as the stranger dropped silently into the room. He passed into a shaft of moonlight and stopped, apparently checking if Sai was truly asleep. The concealed jonin saw a blue-and-red striped mask, moulded into a weasel's likeness.

_'Fitting,'_ Kakashi thought idly as he watched the intruder, _'Considering how weasels sneak into the chicken coop at night to kill their prey.'_

The masked, black-cloaked stranger stepped forward. He placed the tips of his fingers on Sai's forehead, and in that moment, Kakashi threw three wired kunai. They had long wires along with a small ball attached to the end, designed to injure and capture rather than directly kill. However, just as he threw, the other somehow sensed him and leapt away, sliding out the window as swiftly as he had come. The kunai thudded into the headboard of Sai's bed, awakening him, but Kakashi took no notice. The jonin rushed over to the window and peered out, but the streets were empty and noiseless.

"Who- Kakashi-sensei?" Sai asked warily. "What are you doing here, and why are you armed?"

Kakashi didn't respond. He closed the windows and flipped up the lock, then unstrung the curtains and drew them closed, plunging the room into darkness. Moving by memory, he walked across the floor and flicked on the lightswitch. The harsh fluorescent lights flickered on, giving everything a curiously flat look, and he took Naruto's stool by Sai's side. The boy had sat up, trying to ignore the kunai next to his right shoulder.

"Someone just decided to drop in through the window, and also had an odd fetish for putting their fingers on your head." Kakashi said half-jokingly, but his grey eye was stern and piercing. "Were you expecting any visitors at this hour? Because for some reason, I doubt that anyone coming through the window in the middle of the night, wearing a mask to boot, is a well-wisher."

Sai was silent, confirming Kakashi's suspicions.

_'He knows that I suspect something's going on in Root, but he's forbidden to tell me anything...'_

"You don't have to keep your silence anymore." Kakashi said seriously. "You're a member of my team. If anyone's out to harm you, then I swear to you I won't let them." Sai looked away, and despite himself Kakashi felt slightly frustrated. _'Just what has Danz__ō__ done to his subordinates to bind them to him like this? If all Root members are this silent, we won't be able to do anything against him.'_ "Sai, you have to tell me; who do you think it was just now?"

"I can't tell you." Sai said flatly. He knew that as soon as he mentioned Danzō's name in any bad way or as a release of information, the curse seal on his tongue that was given to all Root members would activate and he would be unable to speak for hours. _'But to think that he would go to such lengths to get information himself... it appears he knows that I have some things to hide. Kakashi said the visitor touched my head; it must have been F__ū__, then, of the Yamanaka clan. He's the only member of that clan that's in Root, and his skills rival that of Inoichi Yamanaka. He must have been sent to draw information from my memories of the mission while I was asleep.'_

"Sai, you must understand. Without your word, we can't give you protection from anybody, or pin blame on anyone." Kakashi's voice was low and urgent. "The Hokage is only so powerful. Legally, she can't say a word about this matter to D-"

"Stop." Sai cut him off. "I am entirely unaware of the identity of whoever might have come here, and thus, regrettably, I won't be able to provide Hokage-sama with any information." He put on a smile. "I'm sorry, sensei, but that incident made me quite tired and Naruto asked me for a walk around town tomorrow, when I'm released. May I go back to sleep?"

Kakashi looked at him, trying to judge his expression, yet Sai gave nothing away. He nodded and got up, moving the stool to the corner of the room, turning off the light on his way.

"If you'd like." he managed to keep his voice amiable. "I'll just doze here until morning, too."

He had been sitting for only a few minutes when Sai spoke, his voice soft.

"How long have you known?" he asked.

Hidden in the darkness and underneath his mask, Kakashi smiled slightly. _'He's more perceptive than he ever lets on. Somehow, Danz__ō__'s stopping him from speaking directly, but I can tell that Sai, in his own way, is on our side.'_ His mood darkened, and the smile vanished. _'I can safely guess that Danz__ō__ knows that, too, and that's the reason for this whole mess.'_

"Since you came back from the two-year mission." he answered quietly. "You don't have to worry tonight, at least. I fell asleep while reading Icha Icha after checking up on you, okay?"

A small measure of relief passed over the boy and he smiled in return. "I know."

* * *

><p>Naruto sat on the base of the hospital steps, where they had agreed upon meeting. He was early by maybe ten minutes, a rarity. He twiddled his fingers nervously and hummed a little tune, looking up at the sky. It was a bright blue, lacking any clouds due to the strong yet warm breeze sweeping the land. He stuck a hand into one pocket, feeling for the two free ramen tickets he had brought along. Everything was perfect. He was ready to spend some time with one of his closest friends; go for ramen, take a walk, pull pranks on people, and generally teach Sai how be normal... and also, maybe... Naruto frowned, looking down at the sidewalk. His humming ceased and he stood up. Shizune was approaching, looking harried and rushed.<p>

"Naruto?" she asked, sounding breathless. "Excuse me for a minute..."

"What's going on?" he asked. He knew that Tsunade would never send Shizune for him unless it was something that concerned him greatly, and that was worrying.

"Tsunade-sama requested that you see her in her office, immediately." Shizune explained once she had caught her breath. "She didn't tell me what it was about, but you probably know."

Naruto's frown deepened. _'Sasuke.'_ "Tell her I'll be right there." With that, he leapt away, channeling chakra into his legs and soles of his feet to move faster over the rooftops. Behind him, Shizune gave an exasperated sigh.

"You might as well tell her that _I'll_ be coming soon..."

Naruto had already entered the Hokage building by the time Shizune got around to following. He strode through the hallways, his face set.

The door to the Hokage's office banged open and shut. Tsunade didn't move from her seat as Naruto brashly took up a position in the middle of the room and crossed his arms. His eyes flickered to the side of the Hokage's desk, where a pale-purple haired woman stood. Anko. And on the other side, there was Kakashi, reading an blue novel that could only be the _Icha Icha _Naruto had given him after returning from Jiraiya's training.

_'Anko? Why is she here? Well, I guess she knows a lot about Orochimaru, so it makes sense that maybe she has some idea about his hideouts.'_

"I know what you're going to talk to me about, Tsunade-baachan." Naruto had meant to sound stern, but instead he sounded only tired and frustrated. "My feelings about Sasuke are clear now. You don't have to worry anymore. I would never try to accept him as part of our village."

"That's good, but not my point." Tsunade said briefly. Naruto's jaw dropped. The blonde haired Hokage interlaced her fingers and propped her chin on them, barely skipping a beat. "Sai. You're going out with him today, aren't you?"

"Ye-hey, don't try to put things in that context!" Naruto yelled, red-faced, but neither of the tree adults before him looked amused.

"I want you to do something for me." Tsunade continued. "No, I'm making it an order. Watch Sai, and tell me if he acts any different from usual. You know him best, Naruto. I'm counting on you to be able to detect any difference in his behaviour. Before Anko's curse mark was sealed, she said, she was more emotionally unstable than usual. However, she examined Sai's mark thoroughly, and said it wasn't like any she had seen before. We can't guess how it will affect him, so all we're asking if you to tell us if something's wrong."

_"Watch Sai?"_ Naruto demanded, incredulous. He took a step forward, eyes wide with distress. "Stop talking about him like he's our enemy because of something that he can't help, something that was never supposed to happen!"

"The Uchiha massacre was never supposed to happen, was it?" Tsunade returned sharply. "Orochimaru was never supposed to invade Konoha, was he? We can't change what's already past! I'm just trying to do what's best for the village, and if you ever want to be Hokage, you have to calm down and realize how necessary this is! I kept Sai's well-being in mind when I issued you that order. Now, I expect you to follow it, you insolent brat!"

"It's not like you're doing Sai any harm, Naruto." Kakashi interjected lazily. Naruto looked at him, and though his sensei's face was still buried in his novel, he could discern dark shadows under the jonin's eyes. "You're just keeping an eye on him for us."

Naruto let out a short bark of laughter. "Shit, I don't even get half of what's going on. But if this is what you want me to do, baachan, I'll do it, long as it doesn't hurt Sai." His eyes were drawn to the clock hanging on the wall, and surprise jolted through his body. "I'm going to be late! See you, baachan, Kakashi-sensei, Anko!" He ran over to the window, still open from Kakashi's entrance, and vaulted out of it. Tsunade stood up with a shout on the tip of her tongue, but the orange-suited boy was already gone.

He bounded from rooftop to rooftop, hastening to get back to his and Sai's proposed meeting spot. As he ran, he thought about what Tsunade had said, and the more he thought about it, the less he liked the idea.

_'Something's up.'_ he decided. _'Something that they're not telling me.' _He touched down lightly on the street.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." An even voice said from behind him. Naruto turned around, and there he was, descending from the hospital steps with one hand on the railings for support. Sai wore sandals and a long, loose pair of black pants, as well as a dark green t-shirt with a raised collar to hide his curse mark. Shikamaru, who was closest to his height, had lent him the clothes; but even then, the cloth hung limply on his shoulders. His face was still an unhealthy shade and sharper than he remembered, but the smile at least was intact.

"Sorry for being late. I, uhh... had to help an old lady cross the street." Naruto hastened to make an excuse, and to his relief Sai accepted it with his usual gullibility.

"I do hope you didn't kick her across." he said, suddenly becoming serious, and Naruto sweatdropped. He put his hands up in a show of innocence.

"No! I'd never! Really!"

"That's good." Sai was smiling again, and Naruto blew a sigh of relief. He looked sideways at Sai and directed his gaze at the street.

"How's..." he hesitated. "The curse mark... is it bothering you?" When Sai didn't answer immediately, he looked back up. The taller boy was rubbing the area of his neck where his curse mark was, eyes distant. "Sai?"

"I wish I could say I hardly notice it, but then I'd be lying." Sai said honestly. "Every second... every moment, I feel it there, like some sort of creature living off of me. Whenever I think about it, I get the strangest feeling. I can't even begin to explain it. It's as if it's pulling at my mind, telling me to forget about little things like happiness and laughter. It feels like it's telling me to forget about these 'bonds' I've made, to..." unconsciously, his fingers tightened on his skin and his voice wavered. "Naruto, I-"

A warm, tan hand rested on his cold white one, gently lifting it off of his shoulder.

"We're in Konohagakure." Naruto began calmly. "We're two best friends, going for some ramen on a sunny, summer day." Sai relaxed, letting the words draw his attention away from the mark. "We'll take a walk in the park, maybe, and then head back into town, go to see what sensei's up to, and then I'm going to teach you how to pull a prank..."

Sai blinked, the soothing spell shattered as Naruto let out a snort of laughter.

"Pull a prank?" Sai repeated. "All the books I have read described that act of pulling pranks as doing something harmful and/or embarrassing to one or more individuals. I don't wish to harm anyone, and I doubt that I would be up to the task in the first place. The nurses seem to enjoy talking to me, but their giggling confuses me greatly and I don't wish to be back in there for another day."

"I wouldn't hurt a fly!" Naruto protested indignantly. "Sai, I promise we're not going to hurt anyone, and it won't be too stressful on you. It'll be funny, believe it!"

"I don't know..." Sai hesitated, but before he could reply Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled him along and away from the hospital. "Hey- ouch! Naruto!" However, he could feel a lightness in his body that had nothing to do with Naruto pulling him.

_'I don't know how he does it... but just being around him, he makes me feel the emotion 'happiness'. It's as if he has an aura of goodwill.'_

"Naruto, can I ask you something?" Sai questioned. Naruto had thankfully let go of him by then.

"Sure!" The other answered, shooting him a brief flash of a grin. "What's bothering you?"

Sai's face and tone were serious. "Do you have a happy jutsu?"

Naruto blinked, nonplussed, but in a second he burst out laughing. Sai waited for him to stop. He was slightly confused, but smiled nonetheless.

_'I'm not good at these things yet... but somehow, I managed to make him laugh. He's going through the trouble of forming bonds with me, someone who doesn't even understand them like normal people do. I have to repay the favour by helping him... by helping him carry his burdens.' _

"You're talking weird again!" Naruto choked out. "Sai, you gotta learn what's normal and what's not normal to say."

"Aren't you supposed to teach me?" Sai returned.

"Sure, but over ramen." Naruto grinned. "I saved a ticket just for you." As they walked, Sai's steps became slower and less certain. Naruto frowned, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, but Sai didn't notice. His tired dark eyes were focused on the street below him, as if he were afraid that he would trip on his own feet and fall.

_'He's still not up to this.'_ Naruto fretted. _'I really shouldn't have taken him out today... but I had to! Just thinking of him, all alone in his room, with nobody to talk to...'_

"We're almost there." The Jinchuuriki encouraged. Sai glanced at him and gave him a brief smile. At last, Ichiraku's came into view, and they both took a seat in the middle of the stand.

"Narutoo! Oi!"

_"Ruff!"_

Naruto swiveled around in his chair. A wild-haired boy with dark red marks running down his cheeks was running their way, and practically galloping at his side was a huge white dog with black lips. Akamaru skidded to a stop right before Ichiraku's with his mouth open and tongue lolling out. It was still early in summer, but the dog's fur was thick and unsuited to the warm weather.

"Kiba...kun?" Sai asked uncertainly. The boy grinned and waved a hand, plopping down on the seat next to Sai.

"Yo!" Kiba greeted him. Akamaru barked.

"What are you playing at, Kiba?" Naruto asked suspiciously. "You're not getting free ramen from me just by joining us. Oh, and I want pork ramen!" he passed over his ticket to a waiting Teuchi. The old ramen cook turned to Sai with a friendly smile.

"What can I get you?"

"I..." Sai hesitated, then returned his question with a polite smile and handed his ticket back to Naruto, who took it, surprised. "I'm really not hungry."

"You _have _to be!" Naruto insisted, thrusting the ticket back at him. "Just look at you!"

"Naruto, I'm really not." Sai protested. "I haven't been doing anything strenuous except for that walk here for the past several days."

"Let him alone, Naruto." Kiba interjected. "If he's not hungry, then he's not. Hell, I ain't either. I just came here to see how you two were doin' on this kinda day, that's all, and see if Sai was okay."

Naruto visibly relaxed as he realized his ramen tickets were safe, but Sai was confused.

"You don't have training today, Kiba-kun?"

"Drop the -kun already!" Kiba flicked Sai's shoulder lightly with a finger, careful not to get his sharper nails stuck in the dark fabric of the pale boy's shirt. "We're friends, got it? Just call me Kiba. The same goes for Akamaru," he added with a laugh, "But I doubt he would mind being given a title for once."

"Friends?" he asked. Kiba grinned widely.

"What, you don't want to be?" he asked jokingly.

"I..." Sai looked down at his folded hands, then looked back up. "Yes, I'd really like to be friends."

Naruto watched the exchange with a fond look in his deep blue eyes. _'Looks like Sai's finally learning how to form bonds on his own, without my help. I'm happy... but not just happy; I'm happy that he's happy.'_

"Ramen's ready!" Teuchi announced, depositing a large, steaming bowl before Naruto. The latter's eyes lit up and he eagerly grabbed the proffered chopsticks, anticipating the first succulent mouthful.

"Naruto!" The chopsticks fell back into the ramen bowl as Naruto started at the sound of his name. "Kiba! Sai!"

A very harassed-looking Shizune stopped before them, her face slightly pink. Her hair was in disarray in comparison to that morning, and stress peeked out from every corner of her face.

"What's up now?" Naruto groused, but the Hokage's aid's face was serious.

"You and Kiba are being called to the third training ground for an emergency mission, along with several other chunin and jounin. Sai; you will be attending the meeting, but I'm afraid that you haven't been cleared for active duty yet."

* * *

><p>Naruto's grumbles were lost after Tsunade had explained the situation.<p>

"Two Akatsuki in Konoha! Damnit, why didn't she assign me onto a tracking team? Cmon, baachan...!"

"I'm sure she has a good reason." Sai tried to placate him as the crowd of shinobi thinned and trickled out into the greater part of Konohagakure to prepare for their mission.

"Naruto, Sai, I want to talk to you two." Tsunade called, beckoning them over. "Naruto, you may join the teams that will track down the two Akatsuki in our area. I am prepared to give you that opportunity, and risk... but on one condition: You must successfully complete training with Kakashi and Yamato first."

"Training? Yosh!" Naruto grinned hugely and threw his fist into the air in celebration. "Jiraiya-sensei taught me tons of stuff, but I wanna see what Kakashi-sensei will, and I'll do it so good, that those Akatsuki won't stand a chance!"

"Good." Tsunade nodded, satisfied. She took a quick glance around- apart from them and Shizune, the clearing was empty. "Now, get to it. If you ever want to catch up to Sasuke, you'd better start training." She had intended to name to work as a motivator to get Naruto to leave faster, and it almost worked. Naruto's breath caught momentarily in his throat and he gave a tight nod, beginning the first step away. Then, he stopped short. Tsunade bit her lip. "Well, go on." she prodded.

"Isn't Sai coming? What's he going to do?" Naruto asked. Tsunade's eyes narrowed, but he stayed resolutely in place, and his tone became slightly challenging. "Something you don't want me to hear, baachan?"

"Sai." Tsunade snapped. "Don't let this moron bother you and get a good night's sleep, and report at ten o clock tomorrow morning to the basement of the Intelligence Division to meet with Jiraiya."

"Pervy Sage? What's he still doing here?" Naruto interrupted. Tsunade ignored him, and Sai looked back and forth between the two, unsure of how to lessen the enmity-laden atmosphere.

"I understand, Hokage-sama." Sai answered after a minute. "However, if I may repeat Naruto's question...?"

"He's an expert on curse marks and seals." Tsunade answered briefly. "If you two will excuse me. Shizune! We've got several stacks of papers left today!"

Her mild-mannered aide jumped. "Yes, my lady!" Instead of striding away, the Hokage vanished with a swirl of leaves. Shizune gave the two boys an apologetic smile before disappearing after her. Wind buffeted their faces and filled the air; then they were alone.

"Damnit!" Naruto swore, pounding his fist into his palm. "Who does she think she is, sending you to the Intelligence Division? She makes it sound like you're some sort of criminal, when the real ones that we're supposed to be chasing are at large in the country! Why can't she just send you to the hospital?"

"It's not a difficult deduction." Sai answered flatly. Naruto's anger faded and he stared at Sai, open-mouthed at his sudden change in tone. His friend was staring into the dark spaces between the trees that lined the forest as if he were expecting to see something- or someone- hiding there. "If somehow my curse mark activated and I lost control of it, I would be endangering the hospital patients. The Hokage is very wise, and she also does care, leaving the matter in the hands of someone as capable as Jiraiya-san. Don't you trust her, and him?" A softer note entered his voice, and the hardness left his black eyes. "Please don't worry yourself, Naruto. Focus on your training... I'll be right behind you, always."

"No, you won't be behind me anymore." Naruto corrected him. "You'll be right beside me. Promise me that, at least."

"My books said that promises strengthen bonds..." Sai trailed off. "Alright, Naruto, I promise."

* * *

><p>Hmm, the plot advances underneath a coating of fluff and the story is becoming a little darker, as even Konoha isn't safe... There'll be an unexpected turn once Nagato makes his move.<p>

Sorry for the late update. I'm a little depressed about a manga chapter that'll soon be appearing in anime, which I'm not sure I'll be able to watch but probably will anyway despite hating what happens to one of my favourite characters.

I think the angsty scene in the beginning must have been my longest so far between just Naruto and Sai. They finally resolved the issue of Sasuke that separated them and they're very close; Naruto being able to get Sai to understand his feelings and Sai helping Naruto unburden himself from all his troubles and worries that he keeps hidden from all his other friends and his teachers. That's just how they should be =) . So, then, is the story over? No, the world's greatest bastard still runs free and let's not forget about Danzō; he still has a major role to play and I'm looking forward very much to that.

I hope some of you noticed how I put the great Naruto quote in Shippuden 206 here instead of him saying it to Sakura, who doesn't deserve it at all ^^;;


	17. Watched

_'Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.' ~ _John Barrymore

* * *

><p>Sai rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. His body ached, but it wouldn't let him go to sleep. He carefully sat up and leaned back against the wall with his head tilted upwards and eyes closed.<em> 'I feel like an invalid... At least this way, I can't be summoned until I heal enough.'<em> He didn't move or open his eyes, but the air around him seemed to shift and he felt a little bit of wind blow in. _'The window should have been closed...'_

"What brings you here tonight?" he asked quietly, opening his eyes. There was nobody there; just shadows and the moonlight.

"Danzō-sama sent me to check up on your status." A voice replied, coming from somewhere right outside the window. The voice had no hint of concern, or anything at all. It was completely empty of emotion. "He acknowledges that you are not available right now, but I was asked to ask you for a brief report. The Hokage is keeping information about the Sasuke Retrieval mission on tight security, and none of our agents in the Hokage Building have been able to get anything, not even those in the upper ranks. It would appear that this is information she shares with very few."

"There is not much to report..." Sai hesitated, wondering what to leave out. Unbidden, Orochimaru's words flashed through his mind:

_"And then, after all I did for him, he runs off with my collection of Sharingan!"_

"You have not forgotten your orders, have you?" The other Root asked, his voice neither cold nor sharp yet somehow sending an unexplained shiver through Sai. "You're very valuable, and it would be... most unfortunate if you happened to forget anything of importance you learned on your mission."

_'I'll have to tell him enough so he's satisfied... but no matter what, I can't let anyone know about the Sharingan. If I tell the Hokage, even, that might put her in danger; Danz__ō__-sama's own powers are great, but if he indeed has the dojutsu of the Uchiha and combined with Root's network of spies and agents...'_

"How could I possibly forget what happened?" Sai answered in a monotone. "However, give me until morning... I have enough chakra to write a full report and send it through mouse to headquarters." _'It'll be much easier to lie on paper than in person. I don't have as much trust in my skills at deceiving anymore, not when they're so suspicious of me now.'_

The room was silent. Sai waited for a long minute, then got out of bed, drawing his blanket around him. He wasn't cold, but instinct warned him against Danzō's reaction should the man find out he bore a curse mark that couldn't be sealed, and so he drew the blankets up high around his body as if he were really cold to hide the area of his neck which his sleeping clothes did not cover. Walking with swift, gliding steps, he crossed the room to the window and looked out. Nobody was there, and he had expected it to be so. Danzō had taught them to never linger in the vicinity after delivering a message. Their way was always to be present as the merest shadow, then gone as quickly as the wind.

_'At least they won't be able to bother me today... Root has only one agent in the Intelligence Division, and he holds a position as a paper boy. I can't be summoned either, now that the Hokage's keeping a close eye on me and will notice if I disappear for a few days.' _

Returning to his bed, he drew his covers around him and rested his head on the pillow, looking up at the ceiling, until he allowed himself to slip back into restless sleep.

* * *

><p>"Shit, I'm never drinking again..." The white-haired Sage mumbled to himself. He ran a hand through his mane and massaged his head, trying to relieve the post-binge ache that had been plaguing him since that morning. The other hand was curled loosely around a mug of thick black liquid on the small wooden table. Tightening his grip, Jiraiya brought the mug to his mouth and downed an impressive swallow of the still steaming coffee. He made a face. "I asked for black coffee, but this is the blackest you can get. Almost makes me miss that accursedly sweet sake last night. Fact is-" he took another gulp of coffee. "I'd rather be drinking or doing anything than this right now."<p>

"You're a prime example of why I don't drink, Jiraiya-san." A man entered the room, dressed in the porcelain animal mask and drab uniform of the five others in the room, apart from the Sannin. "And I made sure it was extra strong, because you'll need to be more than just sober to handle this. He's here; should I show him in?"

Jiraiya waved a hand and stood up. "Go ahead." He remained standing, looking at his surroundings. They were in a medium-sized, nondescript grey cement room with fluorescent lightning. His table and chair were positioned close to the left wall, while the centre of the room was occupied by a large runed circle painted on the floor. Jiraiya grimaced to himself and looked away from the circle. He had inscribed it just that past night, and the paint was barely dry. He hated hasty jobs like these. After Tsunade had gotten him to help with the original crisis, he hadn't needed much persuasion to take a look at the pale boy's- Sai's? - curse mark again. However, he hadn't expected her to assign ANBU to oversee and aid him, and certainly hadn't expected being called upon so soon.

The plain, unassuming grey door opened. A boy about the same height as the tall ANBU came in first, followed closely by the masked agent. Jiraiya watched his eyes flicker swiftly around the room, taking it all in, before going to him. A smile appeared on the still-young features, yet it did not reach his blank eyes.

"Jiraiya-san." Sai greeted him. "It's good to meet you properly."

"Hum, well, for sure last time didn't really count." Jiraiya replied. He wasn't sure how to talk with this boy- his pupils best friend, perhaps, but Naruto and Sai were nothing alike. He settled for the easiest route. "Are you ready to get started?"

Sai blinked. "You're talking like I have a choice." Jiraiya floundered for a second before he found the faintest glint of humour in Sai's eyes, and chuckled. Some of the coldness left Sai's smile at hearing the Sannin's laugh. "What do I have to do first?"

Jiraiya's face grew serious again as he returned to the task at hand. "Follow me." He led Sai to the centre of the runed circle and directed him to kneel. "Can you take off your shirt so I can examine the mark?" he asked. "And tell me right away if at any moment you begin to feel it bothering you; that'll be vital to figuring out its nature and to keeping you safe."

Sai nodded, and unbuttoned the few buttons that ran down from his collar and slipped out of Shikamaru's shirt. Jiraiya knelt and looked for black lines around the base of his patient's neck, but instead his eye was drawn by an out-of-place redness starting at the back of Sai's right shoulder blade. He shifted his gaze and his eyes widened, following a slightly raised ridge cutting a diagonal line across the paper-white skin. And that wasn't the only thing that troubled the older man- there were other, older and paler lines present on the boy's back where there should have been nothing at all.

"Tsunade's making you come for examination with a wound like this one?" Jiraiya muttered, touching the top end of the newest scar. Anger rose inside him- a small part indeed directed at the Hokage, but more at whoever had forced the boy in front of him into so many dangerous battles, for an obviously large amount of his young life. Sai's shoulders rose and fell.

"I'm a little stiff, but as long as I don't do any fighting I'm okay." he replied. "Hokage-sama is aware of that."

Jiraiya bit his lip, torn between what he should do, but at last he reassumed a professional manner and motioned to the ANBU at the sides of the room. They came forwards and each took up a spot on the circumference of the circle, hands together in different seals. Jiraiya took a minute to check each one from where he knelt.

_'Tori, I, Tatsu, Ushi, Mi, Hitsuji. Good; their seals are all in order. Now, it's my turn... I hope to whatever God's out there that this will work.'_

He stood up but remained in the same spot behind Sai, forming three swift hand seals and then swiftly dropped to the ground, placing his palm on the floor with his fingers spread. Each of the ANBU did the same as soon as his skin made contact with cement, causing white lines to spread from each of their points and move through the painted black lines to the centre of the circle. Sai tensed as the glowing lines came closer to him, but stayed in place. The white lines shrunk and seemed to peel away from the runes Jiraiya had painted, converging upon Sai's curse mark and layering themselves on top of it. Sai bent his head, but Jiraiya could see his fingers curling as if he were trying to gouge a piece of the floor out.

_'Going well so far; if this works, then it'll drain a lot of his own energy; but chakra can be regained and the most important thing is that whatever that curse mark is will be sealed. I don't understand why it had the reaction it did the first time, as if it already contained a seal. Probably, it's just because its a far higher calibre than any seals Orochimaru has attempted before. If so, I just hope that this new method I developed will be able to counter it...' _

Abruptly, the glowing white overlapping the curse mark mutated into a burning, fiery red. Sai grabbed his shoulder as if trying to stop it, but swirling marks spread across his skin like wildfire and he curled up in agony upon the cold cement floor.

"Stop!" Jiraiya shouted, abandoning his hand seal. Nothing happened. The marks advanced across half of Sai's face. Jiraiya whipped around to face the ANBU. "I said, stop!" he ordered. "Something's going wrong!"

"We've abandoned the jutsu, sir!" One ANBU answered, one hand going back to where its sword was. "It's not having any effect!"

"Shit!" Jiraiya swore, spinning on his heel. To his alarm, he saw that the orange-red swirls had crossed over Sai's back now, and were darkening into black. Sai's pained black eyes opened and he stared up at the Sannin.

"Jiraiya-san... stop it..." he spoke haltingly through gritted teeth. "It's... I can't stop it..." He blinked, and just before his eyes squeezed shut again Jiraiya saw a hint of yellow appear in the black irises. Dropping down to his knees, the Sannin withdrew a faded, slightly crumpled square piece of paper with a miniature rune circle and the kanji for _suppress_ written in the middle. He lunged forward and stuck the paper to Sai's shoulder, just as the boy's pale skin began to darken.

The change was immediate. Sai fell limp, and the black marks swiftly retreated back into his curse mark. Jiraiya inched forwards, taking no note of the three ANBU that approached. He lifted Sai's left wrist and placed two fingers on the underside of it, judging the slight pulse he found. His eyes never left Sai's face. Now, asleep, he was struck by how _old_ the black-haired shinobi was- only seventeen in years, but at least fifty in experience from everything he must have gone through. There were dark shadows underneath his eyes, and a person could tell where the bones of his face were through his skin.

_'A last-ditch resort, in case things got so out of hand... I didn't want the ANBU to hurt him, but I wasn't entirely sure about how that chakra-suppressing seal would work on a normal human. I originally designed it for Naruto should he ever fall into a tailed state; it wasn't meant to be used for something like this, and it looks like it worked only too well.'_

Carefully, Jiraiya took Sai's body in his arms and he stood up. "He's not going to be awake for a while." the man announced. "Take him back to the hospital while I go speak to the Hokage." A sudden memory struck him, and Tsunade's face flashed past his eyes. He could practically hear her irksome voice nagging him.

_"There's something you should know about him..." The Hokage closed her eyes, letting her hands fall to the table. "He's ROOT."_

_Jiraiya's eyebrows shot high up into his hair. "I thought they were disbanded after the war. Don't tell me he's our age, baba!"_

A vein on Tsunade's forehead twitched, but she mastered the urge to hit Jiraiya and instead blew out a long breath. "They're been secretly active. I can't find any solid proof of their existence, but it's clear enough what Danz

_ō__ has been doing."_

"Wait." he held up his hand. The ANBU carrying Sai now turned and looked at him expectantly- or appeared to do so. It was hard to tell expressions upon a mask. "Make sure nobody sees you... and keep a watch outside his room; just stay concealed. Got it?"

The other nodded. If the agent had any questions, it certainly kept them to itself.

* * *

><p>It was the constant, ceaseless drumming of heavy rain upon glass that woke Sai up. He blinked, disoriented. Everything was like before- the setting, the bed he lay in, the greyish lighting that gave everything in the room a curiously flat look. He even caught a sight of blonde hair to his left, before he looked up and saw at the person standing by his bed.<p>

Tsunade stood silently, looking down at him with an unreadable expression upon her face. She was dressed in formal, all-black attire, and despite her blank face, her russet eyes were tired.

Sai immediately sat up, then gritted his teeth and waited for the pain assaulting his body to reside.

"Hokage-sama, why are you-" he began, but she interrupted him in an uncharacteristically quiet tone.

"Hmph, between you and Naruto, I'm running myself ragged trying to keep you two alive..." Her voice was slightly hoarse, as if she hadn't used it for a long time. Warning flags went up in Sai's mind; Tsunade in particular was known for shouting at every provocation. Trying to keep his voice even, he asked,

"Is Naruto all right?"

"Bah, he just used a new technique of his called the Rasenshuriken and did damn extensive damage on the cells in the arm he hit that Akatsuki man with. He'll heal, but the little brat is refusing to stay in bed... not that I blame him, not now."

_'Black... Naruto not staying put... the Akatsuki... It looks like the hunt was successful, but what was the price?'_

"Hokage-sama, I have to know." Sai stared the tall woman in the eye. "What happened? What's going on today?"

The Fifth turned her back to him, looking out the window at some distant point on the horizon. Her posture slumped, and she leaned wearily against the windowsill, the side of her head resting against the cool, rain-streaked glass.

"What would you do, kid, if you knew that every time you sent some of those under your protection outside the walls of the village, it would be likely that they would come back one short?" she asked suddenly.

Sai was at a loss for words. The concept of a superior protecting their inferiors was completely alien to him. "I don't know, Tsunade-sama."

The woman sighed. "I should have known better than to ask you... Asuma Sarutobi's funeral is in half an hour. I'm going to be present there, as well as all the jonin not on a mission, some chunin, and a few genin. I just needed to stop by and see if you were conscious yet."

_'Asuma-san...?'_ A mental image of a tanned, smiling face and the smell of cigarettes flashed through Sai's mind. He doubted that the man knew him very well, but Asuma was one of the Konoha jonin that Root members spent time studying the files of, due to his relation to the Third and the ensuing status of 'a threat'. However, ever since being assigned to Team Seven, Sai had seen how the jonin acted around other people, seen his kindness torward his team and everyone he met. _'A man whose status as dangerous truly only means dangerous to Danz__ō__ and Root...'_

"Take me with you." he found himself saying. Tsunade's eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

"I'm coming to his funeral." Sai insisted. He moved to the edge of the bed, placing his bare feet on the floor. "I did not know him well, but I knew him, and for Asuma-san, that is enough." That said, he stood a little too quickly. His head swam, and he took one step before his legs gave out from under him. The Hokage caught him and pushed him back to sitting on the bed.

"Tch, brat, do you really think I'd let you get up?" Tsunade retorted. "I'm allowing Naruto to go because he only injured his arm. You've been badly injured recently, and now Jiraiya had to temporarily cut off your chakra flow and nearly killed you that way, too. You saw it yourself- you're barely able to stand. Tommorow, I'm letting you go, but today I'm ordering you to lie right there."

Instead of a submissive nod and silence as she had expected, Sai gave her a thin smile. "Ah, but Hokage-sama, I don't wish to disrespect Asuma-san's memory by not being able to go. If I went now and Naruto helped me, I'm sure we'd get there on time. Besides..." he added craftily and his eyes glittered, "It's easier to keep an eye on a cripple who can't run anywhere, isn't it?"

"It's not that I'm worried about." Tsunade eyed him shrewdly. "It's much easier for cripples to vanish than someone able to run, if you get my point."

Sai considered her words, then shook his head. "Less so if those cripples are only crippled for a short time, and they have someone in a bright orange jumpsuit at their side." The Hokage considered him for a moment longer, then sighed.

"Maybe, if I had a few more drinks, I'd be willing to argue with you... but as things are, I can't. Go. Just go. I'll send Naruto up here with a suit you can change into, but you'd better either come back here or go right home and stay put."

With Tsunade's reluctant permission, Sai found himself ten minutes later in the driving rain, leaning against Naruto's left shoulder to stay on his feet. Originally, the boy had protested, but now he had fallen silent to match the sombre mood of the well-kept graveyard. It was a small crowd that surrounded the simple gravestone that came up to half Sai's height. Nearby, he could see the much larger headstone of the Third Hokage, and a fresh bunch of flowers placed upon it.

Tsunade walked up to the gravestone and stood next to it, laying her hand gently upon the top.

"I don't know how to express just how much I wish I wasn't standing here, having to say these words..."

Sai listened patiently, absorbing every word that every person who came up to speak said, but by contrast, Naruto just stared at Asuma's gravestone with a distant expression. When the ceremony was over, nobody seemed to want to hurry home and get out of the rain, despite their relatively fancy black suits being soaked through. Sai hesitated, unsure of where to go as he looked at the softly murmuring crowd.

Someone pulled gently on his arm. Naruto was still there, his wet blonde hair hanging in his face. Water droplets dripped down from each thick clump of hair, running down his face and into the collar of his suit. He jerked his head to the side, and Sai nodded, letting the boy help him walk down a winding cobblestone path. Dark green grass grew between each rock, giving the path between the gravestones an aged look. They walked in silence for a few minutes, before Naruto stopped, and looked up at the sky. His hand still rested on Sai's arm, earning him an odd glance from the taller boy, but Naruto took no notice.

"I wish it'd stop raining..." he said quietly. Sai looked briefly at the leaden clouds, then returned his gaze to Naruto's face.

"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about, Naruto?" he asked evenly. All he got for an answer was the pounding of rain upon ground that surrounded them like a chilly blanket. "Naruto?" Sai questioned.

"I got a note from Jiraiya-sensei earlier today, written on the back of a leaf- apparently he left, two days ago." Naruto blinked rainwater out of his eyes and turned to face him. "He told me... tomorrow, I'm going to go for training at Mt. Myoboku, and to not let anyone but Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade-baachan to know about it."

Sai's dark eyes appraised him. "Then why are you telling me?" he asked candidly. "If Jiraiya-san told you not to tell anyone else, then you shouldn't." Naruto bent his head, looking resolutely at his feet. "Have you told anyone else? Sakura, maybe?" Naruto's head bent further, confusing Sai. "Naruto, what-"

"I trust you, Sai." The Jinchuuriki said quietly. "I don't care if you work under Danzō. I don't care. If anything happens, you know where I am... alright?" His grip on Sai's arm tightened, and his voice became slightly desperate. "Please, promise me that you won't do anything stupid while I'm gone!"

Sai's eyebrows drew together in puzzlement. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you? You know that I am the least likely of all people to do something foolish."

Naruto gave a short growl of frustration. "You don't _get _it, Sai! The last time when I left for training, you disappeared somewhere... and _changed_. You were so cold, and unfeeling. You were even worse than when I first met you. I'm afraid that when I come back after training, then you'll be..." Naruto trailed off. _'Different... or dead?'_He shook his head furiously, angered that the thought had even crossed his mind. But Tsunade's strange commands about keeping an eye on Sai still haunted him, and with difficulty he returned his attention back to his friend's face.

The corners of Sai's mouth tilted upwards in a soft smile. "Naruto, you don't have to be worried. I value these bonds that we share, and nothing can break them now."

Naruto still looked unconvinced. "Nothing?"

A tiny sigh escaped Sai, but he nodded, and finally a grin flashed across Naruto's face before disappearing as quickly as it had come. However, there was a glow in his blue eyes that had previously been nonexistent, and Sai noticed his step was lighter.

"Come on, I'll take you home." The blonde boy said, and swiftly reached up and flicked away a lock of black hair that was hanging in Sai's eyes. "Baachan's going to be pissed if I let you catch pneumonia just as she released you."

* * *

><p>This only turned out a short chapter because I didn't want these things to appear in the next chapter, which will give plot advancements that these little hints aren't even <em>close to<em> in magnitude. Though, there's another plot turn still to come after that... Oh I can't wait 3 =) Hope you all are enjoying this so far!

I know, I know... There wasn't any action with Hidan and Kakuzu; they're two awesome characters, but writing about fighting them was never on my list for this story. Why? Well, it's so soon after the Sai/Sasuke/Naruto battle, and Danzō would likely never be letting Sai leave the village for something like that at this point, anyways. Plus, the Invasion of Pein is coming up... Naruto's gone to train, and Sai is left behind in the village (he does seem to be getting left behind lately doesn't he?). Prepare for a leap away from canon, into the unknown beyond! :)

And damnit... Yamato :( Kishimoto had better not kill him off when the war ends.


	18. Sacrifice

_"I was in uniform for four years, and I know that heroism doesn't occur from taking orders, but rather from people who through their own willpower and strength are willing to sacrifice their lives for an idea."_ ~Thor Heyerdahl

...Do prepare yourselves, as I'm initiating a turn of events that I hope you all will enjoy, yet... T_T

P.S. I suggest having epic battle music going when you come to _that_ part :) Enjoy!

* * *

><p><em>Briiing. Briiing. Briing.<em> Shikamaru winced as blinding sunlight pierced through his closed eyelids, turning a dim orange/black into a bright red, and harsh ringing assaulted his ears. He opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling. Late morning light shone directly onto his face from the window, while his alarm clock rang on and on. He turned his head and saw the time.

"Ten o'clock..." he groaned, and flipped over, faceplanting into his pillow and wishing the noise would stop on its own. But, alas, his mother had bought him an alarm clock that did not stop automatically after several minutes when he moved into the chunin apartments. Rolling out of bed, he landed upon the pile of clothes he discarded at the side of his bed and got up, dropping his hand down upon the red STOP button on his alarm clock. He had just pulled on his flak jacket when there was a loud _thump_ against the side of his window. Startled, he looked at the glass, then after a moment's hesitation, slowly crossed the room and opened it, looking down. A little sparrow lay on a patch of grass at the foot of his home, its legs sticking straight up into the air and twitching.

Shikamaru sighed. "Damn birds..." he muttered without any real anger in his voice. It look a lot to get him angry, and an innocent avian hitting his bedroom window would never be the trigger. Gently, he lifted the sparrow and carried it to his bathroom. Placing it on the side of the sink, he turned on the cold water faucet and splashed some of the water onto the bird in the hope that it would be revived.

It worked. The sparrow let out a feeble cheep and got to its feet, shaking water out of its feathers. Noticing that it was in a human's den, it swiftly jumped into the air and darted out the window, landing on the windowsill to grace Shikamaru with some warbling song and then winging its way back into the sky. He leaned on his elbow, looking after long after it had vanished into the blue expanse, then his gaze gradually drifted downwards. From his side of the chunin apartments, he had a good view of a grassy hill with a lone, tall oak tree on top of it. It was a fairly popular meeting spot for teams before they started on missions, due to its proximity to the chunin apartments, and also a good place to lie and watch the clouds. He had been planning on going there himself, maybe meeting up with Chouji and dragging him along to stare at the sky all day. It was the perfect weather for cloud-watching, too: The sun wasn't too bright, the clouds were fluffy and scattered all over, and a slight breeze kept twisting them into interesting shapes. Now, however, he saw a black-and-white figure sitting against the trunk of the tree.

Shikamaru looked closer. _'Some guy drawing... oh, it's Sai.'_ He contemplated whether he should still go or not. _'Might be too much of a bother to get acquainted... but hey, he seems cool enough. And he's just drawing. He's not like Naruto, who'd never leave me in peace. It'd be more troublesome to just stay here, so...'_

On the hill, Sai switched his pencil for another with a softer lead, and adjusted his grip on it. With careful, even strokes, he shaded in a portion of his sketchbook page, stopping occasionally to blend it with a piece of dirty cloth even out the colour. Switching back to his previous pencil, he started to colour in darker areas of his painting. Absorbed by his work, he only noted that the presence approaching was not an enemy.

"A storm, huh?" Shikamaru bent down, looking at Sai's paper curiously. Sai quickly closed his sketchbook.

"I'm afraid it's not done yet." he said politely. "Good morning, Shikamaru-k..." he trailed off. _'What would Naruto say about calling those who are supposed to be my friends their names with an honorific? Is Shikamaru-kun my friend?'_ "Good morning." he settled for the safer option instead, and avoided using his name altogether.

"It's really good, anyways." Shikamaru commented. He plopped down in the grass next to Sai, settling down on his back with his arms behind his head. "What's it for?"

"A new jutsu I'm going to try out once I'm fully recovered. Hokage-sama said I wasn't well enough to fight yet, and I'd rather wait until she clears me as creating new jutsus can often have a dangerous outcome if they backfire or end up using too much chakra." Sai put down his sketchbook on the side of him that was further away from Shikamaru, and dusted off his hands in the long grass surrounding the bole of the oak tree. He did not distrust the easygoing Nara, but he didn't know him well enough, either. Naruto and Kiba for certain would take a peek at his drawing.

"Hm, that's true." Shikamaru drawled. Sai glanced at him, then looked up at the sky.

_'What's so fascinating about the sky?'_ he thought. _'How can a person possibly spend so much time laying about when there is so much work to be done...? Patrols... studying... missions... if there is really nothing that a shinobi can do, they can always go train. Who would rather do nothing but lie down?'_ Growing up as Root, there was no time to be idle. Sleep was the only time the members of Danzō's organization could be immobile, and even then it was frequently interrupted by surprise attacks- typically initiated by older members. However, as time passed, Sai felt his muscles relax. The late summer wind was soothing and warm, while the oak tree provided convenient shade. Little circles of sunlight dappled the grass for a wide radius underneath the boughs of the great oak as the breeze shifted the leaves above their heads.

For a long while, the two sat in peace underneath the tree. Finally, Sai broke the silence.

"Shikamaru...? Can I ask you a question?" he asked. Shikamaru opened his eyes and looked up at him, but didn't move from his spot.

"Sure." The chunin successfully kept his growing curiosity out of his voice. He often became a little frustrated by the lack of emotion on Sai's face, as he prided himself on being able to read others. But now, he could have sworn that the pale boy looked troubled.

"Why do you have them?" Sai asked bluntly. Shikamaru blinked.

"Huh?"

"Friends. Bonds." Sai explained. "I don't understand. Why do you, the laziest shinobi in the entire village, bother with them?"

Shikamaru's breath huffed out in a small exclamation of laughter. He turned his head back so he could stare at the sky, but he couldn't help the wide grin that spread across his face.

"Because it would be too troublesome without them."

Sai stared at him silently, then looked down at his folded hands. A little smile tugged at the corners of his lips. _'Maybe you're right...'_

"Do you want to be my friend?" he asked suddenly. Shikamaru looked at him blankly for a second, then closed his eyes.

"Sure." he repeated. "Sure, we can be friends. You're a little weird- but hey, everyone is."

"Weird...?" Sai wondered aloud. Shikamaru opened his eyelids a fraction, looking at him stealthily. Sai was rubbing his chin thoughtfully while looking at the ground without really seeing it. He obviously was thinking things out.

_'It's refreshing, I suppose.'_ he thought distantly. _'Someone so straightforward in the middle of a world of liars and secrets, with only a few trustworthy shinobi. Is that why I'm going to all the trouble of getting to know him? I guess that's for time to tell.'_

To keep the conversation going, he asked, "What do you like to do, anyways? In your free time."

"Hmm..." Sai picked up his sketchbook, putting his pencils in his shirt pocket. He tucked his book away into his small backpack, but before he could zip it Shikamaru saw an inkwell and brush inside. "I suppose I like to draw and paint. Although lately, I haven't had inspiration for it."

Shikamaru eyed him shrewdly. "Is that because Naruto's gone?"

Sai shrugged. "I don't know, is it?" he replied, and Shikamaru sighed, disappointed with the failure of his quip. He hadn't even needed any effort to think it up; it simply floated into his head and out his mouth, presenting the perfect opportunity to comment on something without needing to really think about it.

"Man, you're clueless... how about I take you around town, to one of my favourite spots for some peace and quiet? You'll be able to think and draw there, and I can go to sleep."

Shikamaru could have sworn he saw a brief flash of gratitude come and go in Sai's eyes, before the boy raised his hands in protest.

"I don't want to inconvenience you!" Sai protested. "Thank you for the offer, Shikamaru-k- ... Shikamaru, but I..." he paused. _'If I go with Shikamaru, then it'd be safer than if I remained by myself- he can't summon me if I'm right in front of someone.'_ "I'll go if you really want me to."

"I was going there anyway." The chunin pointed out, and leapt into the air. "Let's go!"

Jumping after him, Sai landed on a wide oak branch and pushed off of it, catching up to Shikamaru in one stride. They leapt from rooftop to rooftop after that, traveling in a friendly silence. Sai's attention to whatever Shikamaru might be saying drifted.

_'How long must I live like this? Is Danz__ō__-sama purposely keeping me in suspense? He had the perfect opportunity to summon me last night, after Tsunade-sama's final checkup... and he knows that the information I hold is valuable. I hardly told his messenger anything, and only a fool would that that I told who he sent everything. Does he suspect that I know about the Sharingan he took? What is he planning? He's already sent __F__ū__ to try and get information from me forcefully while I was asleep, and it's a common Root tactic to abduct those from whom information is needed. I've participated in several of those missions, myself, but never have I thought that I would be the target... it's gotten so that it's best for me to carry around my inks and a weapon wherever I go. I'm just lucky that my tools of choice are deceptively innocent to the common eye.'_

"Hey, Sai..." Shikamaru broke his train on thought. "You were just sketching with pencils, right?" They landed on the roof of the Intelligence Division building, and Shikamaru stopped, turning to Sai with his arms crossed. Sai nodded, and Shikamaru continued, "Then why did you need your chakra-infused inks?"

Sai, thinking quickly, gave him a fake smile and an acceptable answer. "It's always best to be prepared, isn't it? Besides, I was developing a new jutsu. I eventually need these inks to test it out."

"Eventually." Shikamaru answered. "You said that you wanted to try it later, since you didn't feel confident doing it today."

"There's still nothing unusual about carrying a weapon." Sai pointed out. "You have several on your, yourself- paper bombs in the pockets of your flak jacket and wire and kunai in your belt, as well as some shuriken in a small pocket on the side of your jacket." Shikamaru's hand reflexively went to the hidden pocket as Sai revealed its existence, then he relaxed and eyed him with a little more respect. "Must I continue, Shikamaru?"

The boy shrugged, deflating. "Eh. No, I was just curious, that's all. Are we going?"

Sai was about to nod, when he saw the outline of a cloaked shape in the trees. A brief flicker of some unexplained, new and unpleasant emotion passed through him- dread?- then he schooled his features into a smile. "Actually, I have to get some coloured pencils. I'll be right back- you go on ahead." Shikamaru nodded an affirmative, and continued on. However, as he disappeared behind another building he snuck a peek back. He caught a glimpse of Sai looking around for any watchers, and ducked behind the building again.

_'Just coloured pencils? Then... is that presence I felt trailing us going to deliver them to you?' _

Sai stole quietly through Konoha's alleyways, heading into less and less inhabited areas of the village. The Root member he had seen was nowhere to be found, but protocol dictated that when traveling to the hideout they had to be alone; groups heading to the same place would attract attention. Instead, the network of underground tunnels that was HQ had a number of entrances. Sai ducked inside a dilapidated hovel and knelt, biting his thumb and placing his palm on the ground. Dirt shifted away underneath his hand, revealing a wooden trapdoor. He opened it and jumped down, knowing that as soon as he was fully inside the chute it would snap shut behind him and the seal would draw dirt back over it, erasing his footprints and hiding any evidence that the decrepit hut was still in use.

The darkness was complete. He landed with practiced ease at the bottom of the short drop, feeling cold metal beneath his fingertips, then ran swiftly through the still pitch-black tunnels. The way to the main rooms had been drilled into trainees from a young age. First one fluorescent light appeared, running along the ceiling, then several smaller ones on the walls.

Abruptly, a tremor ran through the ground and the ceiling shook. Sai's steps wavered and he pressed against the wall for support, staring suspiciously upwards.

_'The summons has come at last... but what's going on up there? It sounded like an explosion.'_

He turned down another, larger passage, which opened up into a huge space. A large red bridge spanned the length of the space.

Sai stopped short. In front of him were all of the members of the Foundation, masked and in uniform dark cloaks. Danzō stood at their head, both hands resting upon his cane. For a brief second, his single dark hazel eye met Sai's night-black one. Nothing passed between the two carefully guarded gazes, and then Sai sank down onto one knee like all the rest of the Root shinobi with his head bowed.

"This attack spells the end of Tsunade's era... However, they are still our enemies; we cannot allow the Akatsuki to capture the Kyuubi."

Sai's eyes widened, and he ducked his head further, staring at the ground and hoping nobody had noticed the expression of emotion. _'Konoha is under attack? Is that what the explosion I felt was...? And Naruto- they're after Naruto. I had a feeling that he was in danger... but I hope he stays far, far away. But Sakura, Shikamaru, Kakashi-sensei, Kiba... all the others are in danger. Once I get back to the surface, I'll go and-'_

Danzō continued speaking. "We will lie low in the safety of underground and wait for the chaos to settle."

"Shouldn't we go and help?" Sai spoke up from the back, his voice even and reasonable. "It would not do us any good, Danzō-sama, if everyone was dead when we returned."

The dark gaze rested upon him, and Sai wished he hadn't spoken. He kept his head bowed, and did not look up.

"Tsunade is one of the legendary Sannin. With her summons Katsuyu, she can protect many of Konoha's citizens, which will weaken her enough so that she will be forced to take leave. Certainly, there are limits to how much she can shield others, and there will be lives lost. But you should understand that is a necessary sacrifice for me to take the position of Hokage, and make Konoha great once again."

"I understand." Sai answered quietly. _'No, I don't.' _

"You all are to return to the barracks." Danzō ordered. "Hyō, Terai, stay- the rest of you, go."

Sai's mind was awhirl as he departed. _'He dismissed me- again. Now I can understand, as at any moment we may be interrupted if the enemy ends up being able to travel underground, but more importantly, Konoha is being attacked and I am virtually imprisoned here. Danz__ō__-sama's words are law... and typically, I'd follow them to the end. Why, then, do I feel this way? Why do I feel dissatisfied with his orders?' _His wandering steps gradually took him away from the main tunnel, down a smaller one that certainly did not lead to the barracks, yet he took no notice. Another explosion made the floor shake and he stopped, leaning against the cool metal of the tunnel wall. He closed his eyes for a brief respite, yet the faces of the people he knew flashed before his eyes, along with another surge of emotion, and the answer came to him in a flash. _'It's them. The bonds I've made and the feelings I've cultivated are compelling me to do something.'_

Sai took a step forward. Then another. Then he broke into a walk; then a full-out run, eyes fixed ahead of him and jaw set. Ahead of him, he knew, there was a small ventilation shaft that blew in air to keep that section of the lair oxygenated. It had been recently broken, but Danzō hadn't been able to spare any of his subordinates to fix it. Sai caught sight of it and jumped upwards, channeling chakra into his hands and feet to cling to the ceiling and carefully pry the barred door off of its hinges. He let it drop to the ground and started climbing up the smooth walls of the shaft, relying on his chakra control to get him up. He prayed silently that no explosions would cause the metal to bend and squash him.

_'There's no telling what Danz__ō__ will do now that I've directly disobeyed his orders... but I can't think about that now. I'm almost there.'_ He burst out of the ground, sending the small opening fan set in the ground flying, and landed catlike in the street.

A shout. Sai turned around to see a gigantic green _thing_ bearing down upon him. Startled by the sudden attack, he had just enough time to draw the kunai he had hidden in one pocket before he was forced to leap backwards as a huge lizard with light purple, black ringed eyes landed where he just stood. While in midair, he tossed the kunai with deadly aim into the creature's eyes, causing it to screech in pain. A sticky tongue shot out and demolished the building behind Sai. He ducked underneath the attack and ran forwards, taking out his scroll with the built-in inkwell and brush. A few swipes across the paper, and a giant dragon like reptile slithered out of the scroll, growing larger for every inch that left the page until it was bigger than the lizard summons. Its body had a pattern of repeating kanji for _fire_ on it, and when it opened its maw, the dragon sent forth a burst of flame. The fire coiled around the lizard and incinerated it, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.

"Sai!" A familiar voice shouted. Sai turned, and saw Shikamaru jumping down to join him.

"What's going on, Shikamaru?" Sai asked. "Who's attacking?"

"The Akatsuki. There's a few of them, apparently- and they're all linked to each other. The thing you fought just now was a summons by the shortest one, which is going around summoning giant creatures everywhere, like- watch out!" Both of them leapt to opposite sides, avoiding the strike of a giant rhino that plowed through the streets to get at them. "Kage Nui no jutsu!" His shadow elongated rapidly and split into four arms, each of them wrapping around one of the rhino's legs. Sai didn't wait to be told what to do. His brush was already on the move, dancing across his scroll. A flock of black and white eagles flapped their way torward the rhino. The majestic birds alighted upon the summons' thick hide at various points, latching on and digging in with claws designed to hold on to prey and never let go.

Sai made a single, quick hand seal just as Shikamaru released his jutsu. "Ninpou: Kibaku no Choju!"

_Boom._ With a gigantic explosion, the birds exploded as one. A loud roar from inside the dust cloud indicated that the rhino wasn't done yet, and it burst out of the smoke with its skin mangled but horn and glaring eyes still intact. Sai ran torward it, jumping up when it lowered its head to try and gore him and landed on its snout. From his paper, he drew a sparrow with the kanji for an explosive tag on its back, but as soon as he gave the animation command and it left the paper, it multiplied into twenty identical sparrows. Sai ran down the length of the rhino's thick neck, letting the sparrows fly around the rhino's head and explode one by one.

_'Looks like he's buying me some time...' _Shikamaru thought, putting his hands together in a seal. _'Well, if I can-'_

Abruptly, the rhino lost interest in them and swung its head, dodging the last of Sai's explosive sparrow. Its eyes alit upon a cluster of still-standing building and it began charging their way. Shikamaru's eyes widened. _'That's an evacuation route! There still might be people there!'_

"Kagemane no jutsu!" he yelled, and his shadow extended outwards, wrapping around the two back legs of the rhino. It roared in frustration, straining to continue forwards. Still on its back, Sai was forced to engage in a brief battle with a pterodactyl summons whose interest was spiked by their futile battle.

A bead of sweat rolled down Shikamaru's face and mixed in with the soot and dirt marring his features. The chunin gritted his teeth, arms beginning to tremble. _'Damnit, it's too large for me to handle by myself. But I have to keep it going... I have to...'_ His shadow grew thinner and thinner, then at last the rhino surged forwards, breaking his shadow bind technique completely. Sai looked behind him after impaling the pterodactyl with a number of kunai, and saw Shikamaru fall to his knees. Looking ahead, he saw several civilians fleeing, two of them hand-in-hand; a mother and her child. As he watched, the woman scooped up the four year old girl and continued to run.

_'Shikamaru's temporarily out of chakra... and if this thing isn't stopped, it'll run those people over. There's not one of my jutsu that can stop this thing in time, except for...'_ Taking a deep breath, Sai prepared himself, and dipped his brush in ink before storing his scroll away. Crouching, he ran his brush in long strokes on the rhino's back, drawing a large tiger right upon the rough, grey skin he stood on.

"Ninpou: Kyūketsuki no jutsu!" he ordered quietly, and the tiger obeyed. Colour flowed into it as the skin of the rhino around it became grey. Then, as the tiger, which was larger than Sai started to climb out with drawn muscles and fur rippling, the flesh of the rhino started becoming whiter and whiter, and crumbled as if it were ash. A shiver ran through Sai, and then his legs became weak. He sat down hard on the rhino's back, seeing black spots tease him out of the corner of his eyes. The tiger was complete and the rhino had stopped, yet still the tiger kept leeching energy. Sai closed his eyes, willing the jutsu to end, but by the time the tiger leapt off to carry the feeling evacuees to safety it was too late. The rhino let out a warbled, dying roar as most of its body crumbled away, and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sai felt a sudden, sickening rush of weightlessness as he fell through the air, and then pain exploded through his back as he landed hard upon the rubble-strewn street. He hissed between his clenched teeth and rolled over onto his side, curling up to try and relieve the pain with pressure.

Something slightly slimy and wet crawled across his hand, but it was pleasantly cool. Soon, Sai felt the weight shift itself across his body and onto his right shoulder. The soothing feeling flowed through his body, lessening the pangs that emanated from his scar. He opened his eyes.

"Are you all right, dear?" A soft, high-pitched feminine voice asked. Sai turned his head to look at the source of the voice. If he was surprised at finding a small slug surrounded by a greenish healing glow, he didn't show it. "My name is Katsuyu, Tsunade-hime's summons. I'm very sorry that I just managed to send one of me here, but there are so many injured."

"It's all right, Katsuyu-san. There are others who need it more than I do." Sai was about to get to his feet when a hand entered his field of vision, and he looked up to see Shikamaru. Taking the proffered hand, he asked, "Are you all right?"

"A little tired, but I can still fight." The two made their way to a building and leaned against the wall, taking stock of the situation. "That jutsu you did... You haven't told anyone about it yet, have you?" Sai winced, but nodded, and Shikamaru sighed. "I was able to tell you had used it only once before as your control over it wasn't fully complete. The tiger had stopped its growth, yet it continued to destroy the rhino. That might have been intentional, except for the fact that if the rhino was destroyed before you could get off you would fall. Like you ended up doing," Shikamaru added pointedly, "But that's over and done with." he stepped out from underneath the abandoned house's awning, turning around. "We should go check in everyone from that evacuation route got out safely. Let's go."

A flash of orange. A figure in a black cloak with red clouds splattered on it jumped down from the roof, landing right behind Shikamaru. Sai cried out a warning, but it was too late.

A hand shot out from the folds of a large sleeve, and hit Shikamaru on the back palm-outwards.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" it cried, and Shikamaru's eyes widened. His mouth opened, but no words came out as he fell forwards. Black lines spread over his body, and then his jacket tore as something huge and feathery erupted from his back. A gigantic, drill-beaked bird burst free of Shikamaru's back, flapping its way into the air. The Animal Path jumped backwards.

Sai lunged for Shikamaru, dropping down to his knees and catching him just before the other boy hit the pavement.

"Katsuyu!" he commanded.

"I'm on it!" the slug answered, inching off of his shoulder and falling off to land on Shikamaru's neck. Sai placed Katsuyu in the centre of the wound, wincing as he saw the extent of the damage. A large patch of skin was missing from the boy's back, and the whole area was shiny with blood, most coming from the deeper area of torn flesh in the centre of the injury. Sai felt his newfound strength, given to him by Katsuyu's healing aura, drop as he lowered Shikamaru to the ground and broke off contact with the slug so she could focus on healing the Nara. He got unsteadily to his feet, staring at the person waiting in the centre of the street.

"You're after Naruto, aren't you?" Sai asked, and the Rinnegan eyes blinked slowly, but the Path made no other response. "We'll never give him up to you."

_'I lost too much energy with that jutsu... I should have never used it, not so soon. The risks were too great, and I hadn't developed it to the point where I could use it so casually in battle. I saved those people, yes... but does that mean I'm going to get killed myself?'_ He saw the drill-beaked bird that had injured Shikamaru coming back for another attack, and prepared himself, crouching down low. _'If this is what it takes... then I will do it.' _Drawing a kunai, he swung up onto the roof of the building using a hanging, broken pipe and then onto the back of the bird. He clung to its feathers, a strong wind blowing in his face as the bird screeching in protest and shot up into the air, turning corkscrews to try and shake him off. Sai, however, was experienced in aerial combat. To be able to stay on a creature that could turn upside down, roll over, and dive at any moment, a shinobi had to have excellent chakra control in the soles of their feet. He let go on the bird's feathers, throwing two kunai with explosive tags. They embedded themselves in the sides of each of the two chakra receivers on the bird's back. Sai, however, had no clue what the receivers could do.

_'If they are present, then they must serve a purpose.'_ he reasoned. _'Metal rods just like those, albeit on a smaller scale, were attached to the enemy I saw just now- it's likely that through those, it retains contact and control over its summons.'_

This done, he took out his scroll, drawing a hawk and jumping off the bird, onto its back once it burst out of the paper. He added more chakra than usual to his creation, allowing it to reach a size to match his adversary. The drill-beaked bird screeched angrily, increasing its speed to try and impale Sai's drawing. Sai directed his hawk away and had it roll in the air, flapping its wings once to put on a burst of speed. The hawk shot high into the air, and for a moment it hovered in the air, outlined by the huge, blindingly bright sun. Then it came down, extending its feet and catching the unfortunate summons in its talons. Large green feathers spiraled past them as Sai's hawk tucked in its wings and dove, dragging the summons with it.

Sai felt his strength drop further, and stubbornly clung on, readying himself to jump off seconds before hawk and enemy summons would hit ground, in which he would immediately detonate the explosive tags. However, something huge and orange came swinging around, and slammed full-on into the two birds. Sai tumbled off of his hawk, just managing to catch hold of a roof edge and let himself drop safely to the ground from there. He turned and watched as a massive orange and purple centipede-like creature hit his hawk again, causing it to let go of the drill-beaked bird and the kunai to fall out of the creature's iron rods. Within a second, the hawk vanished inside the centipede's mouth, and only a few drops of ink leaked out from between the creature's unnatural teeth.

Fate wasn't done with its cruel game. As if on cue, a second orange-haired figure leaped from another rooftop to stand on the house behind the Animal Path. This one was a male, its hair much longer and eyes narrower. The piercing through its nose was diagonal instead of straight and its facial features were still different, but the hair colour and eyes of the two were the same.

_'There's two summons now, and two enemies.'_ Sai thought despairingly. _'The first can summon as many of these things as it likes, and the second's powers are unknown. As I am now, we'll be overpowered, and Shikamaru will be killed... then, it will go on to join its comrades and destroy the rest of Konoha. I can't allow that to happen. But how... How? I'm too weak. I can't do anything against it.'_

A heat pulse came from his left shoulder, and he became aware of his curse mark. _'It almost seems agitated... is that the answer?' _ Hesitantly, he placed a hand near the base of his neck where the mark was, feeling his pulse through it. _'Last time, against Sasuke, it gave me so much power... but that won't be enough. It won't nearly be enough. Six of these killed Jiraiya-san, and only one did so much damage by itself.'_

Sai steeled himself. He took off his backpack, rummaging through it and taking out his scroll and ink. Behind him, Shikamaru stirred, and saw the tall boy standing in front of him.

"Sai...?" he mumbled. "What's going on?"

"Shikamaru..." Sai trailed off. His resolve wavered, then strengthened, and his voice became eerily calm. "We're losing, aren't we?"

"We can still fight." Shikamaru argued, propping himself up with one elbow. "We can protect those who are left."

"Yeah... we can fight." Sai answered quietly, then bowed his head, closing his eyes. "No, _I'm _going to fight. This is my battle now."

"Your battle? Don't do anything stupid and get yourself killed, Sai!" Shikamaru growled. "There's two of them! Call for help, or retr-" he cut himself off, staring in shock as glowing red lines wound their way up Sai's neck. His mind flashed back to a memory of a springtime forest, and a smirking Sound kunoichi with black swirls across her face.

_'A... curse mark? One of Orochimaru's...?'_ More memories rushed back to him, of the despair upon Naruto's face even when he was encouraged that Sai would recover from his wound; how he had been guarded while in recovery and operated on by not only Tsunade, but Jiraiya too; how Sai had needed to borrow his high-collared polo until he could buy a few black ones of his own. It all fit. Sai had a curse mark, and he was using it. _'Just what happened during the Sasuke Retrieval mission?'_

Shikamaru's eyes became wider and wider, inadvertently following the fiery swirls as they advanced across Sai's skin and stopped when they covered half of his face. Then they briefly flared and went black again, and the pale white skin began to darken. His hair lifted slightly as if by a light breeze, and grew longer until it flowed halfway down his back. Sai wasn't facing him completely, but Shikamaru could see that his eyes were darkening and lightening in opposite places. His irises became a golden yellow, while where the white of his eyes should have been there was a faded black.

"Sai..." Shikamaru gasped out. The boy turned his head to look at him, and as he did so what appeared to be white bone poked through the top of his hair and lengthened to be two, deadly sharp and smooth horns. Two large bumps poked through his shirt and grew, narrowing into skeletal wingspan with diaphanous, black membranes stretched in between the spaces on each wing. "Y-You..." By all appearances, what stood in front of him looked like a monster. Only the face was relatively the same, but marred by the black and yellow eyes, and dark skin that should have been paper-white.

The golden black eyes regarded him. "If you can't fight, focus on staying out of this." Sai said shortly, with no hint of kindness or anger in his voice. He turned around and faced the Animal Path. It was indifferent to his transformation, responding only by slamming its palm onto the ground. Black lines raced across the ground torward Sai, and he leaped backwards, grabbing Shikamaru when he landed and beating his wings once, thus propelling them onto a house roof to avoid the gigantic, toothed and spiky centipede-like creature approaching them.

Sai carefully placed Shikamaru onto the red-tiled roof and straightened, eyes following the movements of the animal summons.

"Sai." Shikamaru managed. "I'm not able to move much, but I can still form hand signs, and I have chakra left. I'll-"

"-be a deadweight in the actual battle. Focus on protecting yourself..." For a brief moment, the iciness in the horrible, wrongly-coloured eyes wavered. "I haven't used this form before, so I don't know how much I can manipulate it yet, and don't want to hurt you in the process... so please, just stay out of this." Sai took his brush out, and leapt down onto the ground. Armed with only the thin piece of wood with an ink-soaked bristle tip, he ran towards the gigantic centipede just as it began to ravage a former dango shop.

_'He's insane!'_ Shikamaru thought. _'Does he plan to take that thing on with only a paint brush? Don't tell me...'_ He bit his lip, becoming unsure. He had come up against the power of a level Two curse mark before, and had learned a bitter lesson about not underestimating it. Tayuya, after all, had only a flute- and Sai's normal, uncursed level was far above hers.

The centipede reared up to its full height, then brought its head down in a snakelike strike, burying it into the ground right where Sai was. Rocks and debris flew into the air, momentarily obscuring the area. Shikamaru strained to pierce the dust, looking around for Sai; hoping against all the odds that he had escaped the attack when he had seemed to be running straight into it. The dust cleared as the centipede reared its head, buffeting wind through the area. No Sai; just an indent in the street where he had once stood. Shikamaru's eyes became wide, and he was about to cry out, when the centipede's eyes bulged. Black lines appeared on the animal, zigzagging outwards and covering its whole body in a lightning pattern. One of the spikes on its neck dropped off, and Sai climbed out through the summoned creature's skin looking remarkably unruffled and clean. However, the centipede didn't stop there. It turned around and lunged at the gigantic pterodactyl that the Animal Path summoned next, catching it in its jaws and tearing it apart.

_'Controlling the enemies' own summons by painting symbols on or in their body, without having to change your own actions to match?'_ Shikamaru thought, awestruck. _'That even surpasses my shadow mimicry jutsu! Then, how long will it last?' _He watched as Sai faced the Animal Path again, the caterpillar engaging in battle with a giant three-headed dog. The Path got into a fighting stance, but suddenly, Sai vanished. An instant later, he reappeared behind the Path, striking outwards with a straight arm and breaking its collarbone. The next strike, however, was blocked, and the two exchanged several blows. _'So fast!'_

The longer Shikamaru watched, the more the hope grew inside him that maybe Sai would win. He almost dared not to trust that growing hope, but this had surpassed all expectations. The other Path had moved, and was coming up fast behind Sai.

"Sai! Behind you!" Sai twisted around and ducked as the Human Path lashed out. Recalling Kakashi's precious information, he shouted, "Their eyes are linked- they can see whatever the other one sees!"

"So we had the best chance of victory when there still was only one..." Sai muttered underneath his breath. "No matter. There are ways to even the score."

He took out his scroll, drawing two tigers, and mentally commanded the centipede he had placed under its control earlier to give the finishing blow to its adversary and head their way. It obeyed, burying its fangs in the three-headed dog's thick middle neck, and withdrew. Hundred legs flailing, it stirred up a massive cloud of dust that obscured everything for a fifty yard radius.

_'A necessary obstruction... I can always command it to wave only its upper legs later, and clear away the dust once I emerge from underground.'_ Sai thought as he created a space for himself underneath the ground with his chakra, wings folded close around his body. He had thought of the body-controlling jutsu on the spot, his transformation giving him the confidence, chakra, and materials necessary for it. Just a single symbol, and ink would sink through a layer of skin and then travel through the infected creature's or person's bloodstream, permeating the victim's very cells and responding only to Sai's whim. The amount of chakra he had spent on controlling a creature as large as the centipede was enormous, but never before had he felt so alive, and so... he couldn't describe it. His transformation into a level 2 state had goaded the confusing swirl of new emotions into a raging fury, so he waged two battles at once: One, against the two Paths, and another internal one, to try and keep himself from falling apart.

Tunneling a little further, he judged his position and then painted a runed circle with the kanji for 'snake' where he crouched. Then, tunneling two metres away, he burst out of the ground with several shuriken at the ready in one hand. With the other, he held his brush, swiping it through empty air. The ink stayed in place, forming into three thin, long snakes that dropped onto the ground once they were complete and slithered off to the nearest building. They wound themselves around a still-intact pipe and thus made their way onto the roof, disappearing into the gutter at the edge of the roof.

Sai threw two shuriken at the Animal Path, and shouted a command. The two shuriken appeared to split apart, multiplying their number by a hundred as they hurtled torward their target. Unable to dodge quickly enough, the Path responded by slamming its palm down on the ground and summoning a gigantic panda to stand in the way. The shuriken thudded into its wide chest and disappeared along with the panda in a puff of smoke. Sai had other problems. The Human Path used the few seconds he had spent in throwing the multiplying shuriken to attack him. The two traded lightning-fast blows for a couple of minutes, neither breaking through the other's defense.

Sai's eyes narrowed as one attack after the other kept getting blocked.

_'It seems to be proficient in taijutsu...'_

He switched tactics, using his elbow to push away the next strike instead of his palm, and with the same hand uncurled his arm and grabbed ahold of the Path's foot, unbalancing it. He pushed forwards, bending his head with the intention to impale his opponent with his new horns, when Shikamaru cried a wordless warning. Not understanding, Sai still disengaged and pushed away in order to briefly escape the fight.

"What do I need to know?" he asked shortly. Shikamaru was sitting up now, looking paler than normal, but he managed to say,

"Don't get too close to that one- by placing its hand on your head, it can draw out someone's soul and kill them, all the while gaining information from it. I saw it happen to another chunin, but the thing got away before I could attack it."

"Suits me perfectly." Sai answered, his gold and black eyes fixed on his two opponents. He saw the Human Path take a step dangerously close to where his hidden runes where, and a little, feral smile curved its way up his face. The intangible creature shifting restlessly in his mind roared in approval. "I've got that one right where I want it." He bent low, and then shot forwards. The Path came to meet him, but at the last moment he swerved. The snakes he had created earlier out of air and ink dropped from the roof of their hiding house, landing on the Path and pulling him one step to the right.

_'Got you.'_ Sai thought silently. The ground beneath the Human Path ruptured, and a mass of writhing, black and brown bodies shot out, wrapping around it and bringing it down into the ground until only its head stuck out. The Path stared blankly up at Sai, even when the latter turned his attentions back to the Animal Path.

His first opponent hadn't been idle. In the time that Sai was busy, it had summoned a giant rhino and now stood on top of it with folded arms.

For a long moment, the two were at a standoff, but at last, Sai broke the silence.

"The creatures you summon... they all died out a long time ago. You aren't just using a summoning technique... you are summoning and animating creatures who should not exist anymore. You're giving life to that which does not posses it... I never imagined that someone beyond the Sage of the Six Paths and perhaps, the infamous Madara Uchiha was capable of using the Yang Nature, but now I know..."

He lifted his head, staring the Animal Path straight in the eye. "It has taken this battle with you for me to realize my own true capabilities. A strange turn, to be thanking my enemy... but at least now you will die with my gratitude."

The rhino half-reared and brought its feet down hard, cracking the paving stones, and then charged straight at Sai. He stood and waited for it.

"What is he doing...?" Shikamaru muttered as he watched. "Move!"

"Don't worry dear, I'm sure he's thinking of something." Katsuyu attempted to soothe him. "Please stay still, with you moving around like that it's hard to heal you."

The rhino bore down upon Sai, tossing its head and bringing its nose down, intending to ram him with his horn. Sai didn't move, not even when the horn's tip impaled him. However, as soon as it pierced his flesh, he dissolved into ink.

_'An ink clone?' _Shikamaru thought warily. Yet, the ink didn't simply drip onto the ground. It traveled against gravity and onto the rhino's snout, not a single drop of it lost. _'No, that's not it.'_ The chunin realized. _'The artist's literally become his art.'_

The ink stopped once it was fully on the rhino's snout and formed a human shape, the colours filling back in to reveal Sai; whole and unharmed. He brought his hand and bit his index finger, then drew shining red lines in the air in the shapes of many small birds. They took off as soon as they were drawn, flying around the rhino in a mad storm like many twittering, partially translucent cardinals. Sai spread his wings wide, stretching them to their full span, and tilted his head up to the sky. He pushed off of the rhino's snout just as it tossed its head to try and shake him off, using the extra monumentum to shoot like a bullet into the air, then flipped around and beat his wings slowly to stay at that height.

_'I'm going to use _that_ jutsu. The one I never finished. With its wide area of impact and the nature of the attack itself, there's no way this one will be able to escape.' _The mere thought of the ensuing destruction, and his victory, sent a shiver up his spine that almost felt _nice_. Sai gritted his teeth and fought against the emotion, quelling the desire for battle rage that the curse mark insisted upon.

"Whatever you are planning is useless." A slightly cracked, feminine voice said from below him, and Sai looked down to see that it was the Animal Path who had spoken.

"I wouldn't be so sure." he answered, forming ten hand seals. _'As long as I keep these seals associated with the element of the jutsu, then it should work.'_

"It seems you, unlike all of the others I have fought in this village, have information on the location of the Kyuubi. I am not letting that go." The purple eyes bored into Sai. The certainty in their eerie gaze unsettled him, and for a second he faltered. Then, as he finished the eleventh seal, he kept his left hand in that seal while with his other he pointed upwards. A sudden wind ruffled his hair and then became stronger, making his long black hair lift and blow outwards. The few, puffy white clouds in the summer skies picked up their pace and converged at a point right above Sai. The clouds darkened into an unnatural black colour, becoming visibly thicker. Sai drew his right hand in front of his mouth, creating a ring to blow a stream of fire up into the clouds. The orange flames disappeared into the murky blackness, and a cloud of steam floated up. This done, he slowed his wing beats, gradually floating back down to the ground.

_'Rainclouds? But why the flame?' _Shikamaru looked apprehensively up at the ominous clouds. A few drops of black rain fell, landing on his rooftop nearby him, but they did not splash as normal raindrops would. Instead, they plopped onto the red tiles with a loud hiss, evaporating into thin air soon after impact. _'Boiling ink...'_

Sai's feet touched the ground, and his wings folded closed. "Ninpou: Futton Tatsumaki!"

The clouds' swirling suddenly increased, and they formed a funnel shape, shooting straight at the Animal Path with lightning speed. It jumped down from the rhino to shield itself, but the tornado of boiling ink pierced straight through the rhino and continued on, its speed undiminished.

_'It's going to hit!' _Shikamaru thought. _'Go, Sai!' _

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of black and orange, and then the tornado reached its target.

Sai exhaled, closing his black and gold eyes without waiting for the explosion.

It never came. His eyes flew open and he saw the clouds swirling angrily, getting smaller and smaller as they were sucked into a vanishing point in front of a _third_ Path's outstretched palms. That was the only glimpse he got before the Human Path suddenly flash-stepped in front of him, eyes glittering, and then a bright, super-hot flame seemed to erupt in his chest and expanded outwards. The Human Path had produced an iron rod from its voluminous sleeve and ran him through. He flew backwards, the tip of the rod embedding itself in a thick wooden wall and suspending him several inches above ground.

His dark skin began paling once more, and the wings in his back and bones jutting out from his shortening hair receded. Sai opened his eyes, which had reverted back to their normal inky darkness and he coughed, feeling blood rise in his throat and threaten to choke him. He blinked slowly several times, trying to get the blurry world he saw into focus.

_'My chakra is going in all directions... is this some sort of disruptor? It's... I'm hard a hard time breathing... did they get me in a lung?'_ His eyes flickered upwards to Shikamaru, who was watching wide-eyed from the opposite roof. _'The way he is now, he won't be able to escape should these Akatsuki go after him. I need to get him to safety...'_ Reaching out to grab his last, tenuous thread of chakra, he raised a shaking hand and touched his blood-soaked shirt, getting some of the viscous red liquid on his finger and drawing a tiger in the air. It made no sound once completed, and scrambled onto the roof to make a leap to the one across the street.

The three Paths paid Sai's tiger no attention. It grabbed Shikamaru by the collar of his jacket and tossed him onto its back, paying no heed to his desperate protests. The Human Path started walking towards him, another chakra disruptor rod in one hand, the other free and outstretched.

Sai coughed harshly, his hand tightening around the chakra disruptor.

_'What is my life worth...?'_ he thought faintly. _'To be captured, and information taken out of me about Naruto's location, then tossed aside... All this time, I've been relying on Naruto's help, to rescue me from Orochimaru, Sasuke, and even from myself... He's done so much for me, even after I betrayed him once. Now, inadvertently, I'm about to betray him again.'_

With a single, sharp tug, he pulled the rod out of his chest and held loosely in his right hand. Just before it slipped through his fingers, which were slick with blood, the answer came to him and he tightened his grip on the rod. The Human Path was coming his way; soon, it would reach him and spirit away everything he knew.

_'Naruto... I'll show you the strength of our bond.'_

Sai swayed on his feet, blood dripping from his mouth and body, then his arm swung around and he stabbed the iron rod straight into his heart. The Human Path lunged forwards and caught him as he fell backwards, placing a hand on his head. Its face was expressionless, then slowly the Path withdrew and let go, letting Sai fall to the ground.

"He's dead." he said simply to the waiting Preta Path. "The other one got away."

* * *

><p>Shikamaru knelt down, looking for a long while at Sai's face. He had come back after witnessing the return of hundreds of souls to their bodies, after being in the crowd that had cheered Naruto's return. Now, fully healed, he had joined the patrols that combed the debris for any remaining survivors that hadn't shown up on their own, making a beeline for the spot of so much anticipation and worry. Sai had been half-buried under some rubble and wooden planks, but breathing, when the Nara found him at last. Now, after digging him out and checking for any injuries, Shikamaru sat patiently.<p>

As he watched, Sai's breathing took on a nearly imperceptible change. Without waiting for the boy to fully come to consciousness, Shikamaru asked,

"Awake?"

"Hm..." Sai murmured with his eyes still closed. "I remember coming back... but why am I...?"

"Pein destroyed the village in a go." Shikamaru answered his unspoken question. "It's lucky that you weren't inside a building when it happened. Some of those who were revived nearly lost their lives again." Sai didn't reply, and he added, "You're also lucky that I found you first."

"What do you mean by that?" Sai asked, and Shikamaru shrugged despite knowing Sai couldn't see him with his eyes closed.

"Nothing." he replied. _'Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions... I don't even know the full scope of what I'm guessing at. But we're definitely being watched.'_ "Word's going around about you and your battle."

Sai's tired eyes blinked open, and he stared up at the sky for a long minute. "Thank you for coming out all this way just to find me, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru was about to point out Sai's change of topic, when his eyes were drawn to the hole in the centre of the latter's black shirt, still surrounded by drying blood. His skin was unbroken and whole once again, but the memory of the moment still made Shikamaru pause. Playing along, he groused,

"It was freakin' troublesome to walk out all this way when most people are celebrating. Damn fool... don't go killing yourself ever again."

"I didn't have a choice!" Sai protested, fully awake at last. When he saw the smile spread across Shikamaru's face, he returned it with a small one of his own.

* * *

><p>It's a lame sounding title for this chapter, but now you can see that Sai made two sacrifices, though because of Nagato's 7th Path's jutsu, only one is going to haunt him. I had quite a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I hope I didn't do too badly with the battle scenes, which took up pretty much the entire chapter. It surprised me that they came out so long; the only battle scene I've done that's as long as the Invasion of Pein before in this story is the one with SaiSakura/Chiyo vs. Sasori- and that was fun, too. Sai gets shorthanded in the series. They just want to make Naruto's power ups look better (not saying that Naruto is weak though; I _adore_ what happened in the manga to make him ten times more powerful).


	19. Roots that rise above the ground

_"Not how one soul comes close to another but how it moves away shows me their kinship and how much they belong together." _~ Nietzsche

Here I present to you a major deviation from canon that will affect the rest of the story. I'm sorry if you were looking forward to canon events, but this is... well, read on.

* * *

><p>It was still early in the morning, early enough where the birds hadn't arisen yet and the moon still clung to the dark sky. The artist's barely-decorated room was dark and wrapped in shadows; even the more colourful paintings that had started to appear on his walls after his recruitment into Team Seven were muted by the faint greyish light that the tired moon gave off.<p>

_Thump. _The bundle of blankets that had just landed heavily on the floor groaned and shifted. The thin, desaturated blue cloth slid off halfway to reveal a head of messy black hair and dark black eyes. Sai put a hand to his head, trying to stave away the memories and unwelcome visions that plagued his sleep. Reaching as far as he could without actually getting up off the floor, he flicked on his beside lamp and dropped back to a reclining position.

_'Even at night, I'm not given any rest...'_ he thought wearily. _'This is almost worse than- no, worse than Root training, because I have no way to fight off whatever goes on in my head, apart from breaking the emotional ties I'm still in the process of making... Not anymore. Not after Naruto...'_ Rolling over onto his stomach, Sai resting his head on his palms and stared off into space. _'What does Naruto mean to me? A good friend... a best friend, yes. But how can he make me want to endure this? And how come he persists in helping me? What do _I _mean to him?'_

Lost in thought, he absentmindedly turned his head so he face the underside of his bed, then his eyes fixed on an object. It was a piece of parchment with some ink characters on it. Anybody who didn't know Sai might have considered a stray parchment lying around to be a normal thing, but the artist was unfailingly neat and kept track of everything he possessed. He had _nothing_ under his bed; a stark contrast to Naruto, who kept _everything_ he could fit under there.

Carefully, Sai reached for the foreign paper and picked it up, holding it closer so he could examine it.

_'Thick red border, yellowed parchment... but what do these symbols mean?'_ his eyes widened as he recognized the symbols to be written in a standard Root code. A tiny flame appeared on its own in one corner of the rectangular slip of paper, and Sai dropped it immediately. _'A timed paper bomb!' _Moving quickly, he slid open his desk drawer and whipped out a brush and ink. Typically, these types of bombs could not be disarmed- but Danzō had taught him how to use his inks to disrupt the bomb's inscription. Sai was about to put a dash of interfering ink on the bomb when he remembered the code. _'Could it be a message?'_

Swiftly, Sai scanned the paper. The fire was consuming it ever more rapidly, getting closer to the 'explosion' kanji at the bottom. Two lines before detonation, Sai dabbed his brush over the offending paper and the fire went out. Unfortunately, the use of such a technique meant that the code was written over with the explosion symbol.

_'If I had woken up at standard time...'_ his thoughts trailed off. In his mind, he pictured the symbols once again. He'd been trained to read fast, but what he had read then made no sense. _'Three... east... oil... oil? The kanji for oil is a symbol of the Mt. Myoboku toads. Jiraiya-san often bore that symbol on his clothing. So far, it looks like directions- three east would likely mean three blocks east. But Mt. Myoboku is a hidden area that Root should not have knowledge of...'_ Sai raised his brush and drew the kanji in the air, letting it hang there while he studied it intently. _'It looks like the beginning of the Aburame's clan name. The Aburame have headquarters near the perimeters of the village. Three blocks east of them... a small Root hideout, the one Torune-senpai can access most easily. This code also says 'half empty'. It's a time- the declining moon will reach the halfway mark tonight.'_ Sai's eyebrows furrowed. _'This isn't a message. It's a summons.'_

A cheerful twitter distracted him, and he looked out his window to see the first grey light of dawn illuminating the world. Sai cautiously got to his feet, but there was nobody within sight or sense.

* * *

><p>"By God, Sai, it seems like every time I turn my back on you, you get into trouble. Seems like I oughta keep a leash on you or something... Killing yourself? After I worked so hard to bring you back from Orochimaru, too!" Naruto groused. He was walking with his shoulders slumped and hands stuck deep into his pockets, while by contrast the taller boy stepping along beside him had posture ingrained through years and years of strict discipline. Their destination, two days after the invasion, was the still partially demolished Konoha Hospital, where they would pick up Sakura from medical duty and go training.<p>

Sai racked his brains, confused by Naruto's words. "I'm sorry." he apologized at last, trying not to let the hurtful feelings instilled by Naruto's words show. "I'm stronger now... I can protect myself better, so please don't worry yourself over me."

"Sai..." Naruto stopped in his tracks, and they stared at each other for a long moment. _'He's grown so much... changed so much... Well, still clueless, as he couldn't tell that I wasn't being serious.'_ "I don't _care _if you're weak or strong. You're still someone very close to me, so don't even try to isolate yourself from those who care just because you can take care of yourself."

The black eyes blinked slowly. Naruto was close enough to see his reflection in them, but he didn't back away. Sai opened his mouth to respond, but when no words came out, he closed it and then hurriedly began walking again, making Naruto jog to catch up.

_'What's this?'_ he wondered, confused. _'My face feels warmer, and I can't seem to find anything to say in response.'_

Naruto was silent for once, but when he glanced at Sai out of the corner of his eye, he saw a light blush dusting those pale cheeks. Though surprised, a grin spread across his face and he playfully nudged Sai with his elbow.

"You're embarrassed!" he grinned. "Hell, I didn't know you could act that way!"

"I'm not..." Sai protested weakly, but it went unheard as Naruto laughed. "Why are you laughing? Am I being funny, somehow?"

"No, it's just that looking at you, I feel happy." Naruto answered. "To see you able to smile and act embarrassed just like a normal guy instead of a statue, and to know that I was the one who got you to do that..." he scratched his head, looking awkwardly down at his feet then up at the sky, past Sai's head. "It makes me feel happy." he repeated.

"I know that I want to learn how feel more often, but right now you're making me feel uncomfortable." Sai mumbled, but his words went unnoticed. He sped up his steps, wanting to get to the hospital and out of the sight of prying eyes as quickly as possible. He hadn't dared to stay any longer in his room after that morning's scare. "Naruto, do you think I can stay over your house tonight?" he asked casually.

"Wh-what?" Naruto stammered. "What's with this, all of a sudden?"

Sai tilted his head as he walked, examining his friend intently. "Your face is all red, Naruto." he noted curiously. "And you didn't answer my question." Suddenly the slight smile dimmed. "Could it be that I'm inconveniencing you?" he asked anxiously.

"No, I er- I don't mind." Naruto muttered, scratching his head. "Really, I don't. Come over whenever you like."

_'Shit, Naruto, pull yourself together. This is Sai, for god's sake- it's not like he's trying to make a move on you, or something.'_

"It's settled then." Sai placed a hand to his head, shielding his eyes from the bright afternoon sunlight while he searched the nearing crowd of medics and patients. A makeshift building had been constructed by Yamato, but less serious cases were attended to under a canopy in the open air. Soon, he spotted a familiar head of bubblegum-pink hair.

"Heyyy, Sakura-chaan!" Naruto yelled, running closer. Sai was about to run after him when he saw the person Sakura was talking to, and he froze in place. It was a tall man, with the dark spiky hair and almond shaped-eyes that were characteristic of the Nara clan. His dark blue eyes, darker even than Naruto's, glanced upwards and locked onto Sai's black ones. A jolt of recognition shot through Sai. The two stared at each other for an infinitely long second, then the man gave him a tiny smile. In that smile, Sai suddenly saw himself from several years ago, the Sai that Naruto must have seen when he first joined. The smile was fake, and the eyes cold.

Sakura sighed in exasperation when she noticed Naruto coming her way. "Okay, okay, I'm coming. Thank you for the information, Ryou-san."

The man gave a brief, official nod, then disappeared into the crowd. Sakura noticed Sai standing a little ways off and pulled Naruto by the arm so they could all walk together. She first ran a medic's critical eye over him, then satisfied, asked after his well-being.

"I'm fine." Sai answered, giving her as real a smile as he could muster. Thankfully, the kunoichi was too preoccupied with Naruto whining about not having any free time anymore to try and spot a lie. "Sakura, who was that man that you were talking to?"

"Ryou-san? He's- _Naruto, get off! I can't go for ramen in the evening anyway! _He's one of Tsunade's aides." Her shoulders drooped and she cast her eyes on the ground. "She hasn't woken up from her coma yet, so he's one of the people looking after her."

Sai was silent. Naruto stopped his whining and both he and Sakura looked at him curiously.

"Do you know him?" Sakura asked.

"I don't." Sai answered evenly. "I've seen him around a few times before, that's all, but I never got around to finding out his name."

"Hm." The girl swiftly lost interest in his question as she spotted Shino exiting a shop with Kiba. Both of them looked extremely furtive; Kiba's back was slightly bent and he cradled a small brown package against his chest, while Shino- well, it was difficult for Shino to look any _more_ suspicious, but the Aburame's steps were quicker than usual. "You two, what are you doing?" she called. "Up to no good?"

Sai paid no attention as Kiba and Shino hastily crossed the street and strode up to them.

_'One of Root's top members, working as a Hokage's assistant? I was never informed of this...'_ Due to his skill, Sai had been the most valued agent of his generation under Danzō. He had always been told of where Root spies were planted, in case a message needed to be sent to them swiftly and indiscreetly. _'To think that they've managed to infiltrate even the Hokage building and get to such a high position, and that I was never told about it. Danz__ō__-sama does not trust me. That's clear. And a Root member, in such a position of power... Sakura said he was one of those tending to her while she is incapacitated, and she hasn't woken up yet... Could it be...'_

To give the impression that he was paying attention, Sai asked suddenly, "Where's Akamaru, Kiba?"

"Oh, on surveillance." Kiba lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "It's Hinata's birthday soon, you see- and so he's keeping a lookout in case she pops up."

At the mention of Hinata's name Naruto shifted uncomfortably, though nobody but Sai, who was standing right next to him, felt the out-of-place movement. The taller boy made a mental note to ask Naruto about it later, and also read up on bodily reactions at the library after training.

"Well, catch you later!" Kiba added in an overly loud voice. "I sure hope my mom likes this!"

"You're speaking in too loud a voice, Kiba. She will suspect. Why? Because..." Shino's reasonable voice and Kiba's loud protest faded off into the distance. The trio turned onto a footpath that led to the Third Training Ground.

Naruto jumped. Sakura covered her mouth in shock. Sai simply raised an eyebrow. Kakashi was there, sitting cross-legged upon the centre wooden post that Naruto had been tied to many years ago. A blue book was open in his hand.

"What are you kids doing here?" he asked without looking up.

"Aw, couldn't you have picked someplace else to read your perverted books?" Naruto complained. "I had such a great idea planned! Me and Sai were going to team up and Sakura..."

Quickly regaining her composure, Sakura questioned, "Is there anything you wanted, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Actually, yes." Kakashi closed his book and put it away in his backpack. "Could I talk to you, Sai?"

"Yes, sensei." Sai nodded and stepped forward.

The silver-haired man regarded him. "No need to be so stiff. Relax." When Sai still stood at attention, Kakashi sighed. "Anyways... I was wondering if you're in shape for some more rigorous training."

"I was cleared for any level mission, Kakashi-sensei, but if that is the case, then why are you not addressing all of us?"

"Because I want you to fight me." Kakashi smiled through his mask. "With the first level of your curse mark activated."

Behind Sai, Naruto and Sakura gasped.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto protested. "You seriously can't want to fight Sai!"

"Naruto has a point, sensei, though his words could have been better." Sai's dark eyes were serious. "That's going too far for simple practice. I don't want to hurt you by accident."

"That's exactly the point. Since it cannot be sealed, you need to learn how to control your curse mark. Your actual power isn't the thing that increases when you unleash another stage. The only thing that increases with each stage is the amount of chakra you can use. The drastic physical transformation in the second stage is a warning sign that your chakra levels how risen to a point where chakra is seeping out and changing your body; the more drastic the change, the more powerful you are shown to be. From your case, we can tell that your curse mark is a much higher calibre than those of the Sound Four. But the thing that I mean to help you improve on is not the rising chakra levels. It's the ingenuity required to manipulate them. A person's power lies in their capability to understand themselves and their intelligence."

Sai hesitated, then gave a terse nod. "But what about you, Kakashi-sensei? What if during the fight, something goes wrong?"

"Oh, don't worry about little old me." Kakashi answered mildly. "I _think_I'm a little bit stronger than your average run-of-the-mill shinobi. Besides, I'm going to have a little fun, too..." Reaching up, he slowly raised his headband.

Sai got into a ready posture, taking out his ink brush. He took a deep breath and let it out, relaxing the instinctive control he had over his curse mark just a tiny bit. Swirls flowed out to cover half his face and his arms, flaring red before darkening into the same raven black as his hair. Naruto and Sakura scrambled for cover as Kakashi, Sharingan eye uncovered, lifted his hand and blew a stream of fire at Sai. The boy sidestepped, sticking his ink-saturated brush in the fire and twirling it around like he was trying to make cotton candy out of the deadly flames. Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he studied Sai's movements through his Sharingan.

He could identify none of his own chakra within the fire he had blown out, which was typical- it was a simple nature release, after all, with no shape-changing technique applied. But from the tip of Sai's brush there was a steady stream of chakra, winding itself in ever more intricate spirals through the fire. He switched back to normal vision as the fire suddenly redirected itself and swirled in a mad storm, shrinking down until it was all drawn into Sai's brush.

Predicting what his student would do, Kakashi formed a set of hand seals, and the ground ruptured, rising up to form a dragon made entirely of earth. Sai painted a flaming tiger using the stored fire in his brush, but as it bounded torward Kakashi, the dragon intercepted it and grabbed it betwixt its jaws, ruthlessly crushing the creature's spine. The dragon's mouth crumbled and charred bits of earth hit the ground. However, the mass of earth eventually overpowered the smaller amount of fire and energy Sai put into his tiger, and the severely deformed earth dragon shot at him.

Sai ducked under the assault, but the earth dragon twisted in the air above him, spikes shooting out of its tough skin in an attempt to impale him. While dodging from side to side in a snakelike manner, Sai took out his inkwell and dumped most of that day's supply of ink on the ground. It pooled further than it shoulder have, even working against gravity so much of the field was covered in thick black liquid. Kakashi attempted to brush some away with the soles of his sandals, but it only moved temporarily before extending to cover the bare patch of grass.

_'It's chakra infused ink... I can't see anything under my feet with it covering the ground like this. He's planning an underground attack.'_ Kakashi deduced. _'Smart, utilizing one of the few weaknesses of the Sharingan. This is almost like what Zabuza did, with his Mist Concealment jutsu.'_

Sai bent down as the dragon seemed to start giving up on catching him, swiftly creating a fire clone from the remaining flames in his brush and then burrowing underground. _'Fighting a clever opponent isn't a battle of power.'_ he thought. _'It's more like a game of chess... set up the board right, and you can bring them to check, then checkmate.'_

Naruto watched open-mouthed as the tall black-haired boy engaged his teacher in hand to hand combat. He had thought Kakashi's speed was unmatchable once he revealed his Sharingan, but Sai was doing surprisingly well.

"This is unexpected." Kakashi commented as he ducked under a palm strike.

"It shouldn't be." Sai answered calmly, twirling away from Kakashi's return kick. He dropped down low and rested his weight on his palms to try and sweep Kakashi's legs out from under him. "Your fighting style has elements of ANBU training, which I'm well defended against, even without my curse mark."

"Hm." Kakashi grunted as he barely avoided a chop to the back of his neck that would have stunned him. _'Time to try something new then.'_ Ducking, he rolled and twisted over on the ground so his back was to the earth, grabbing Sai's ankle as the boy kicked outwards. He brought him down, pulling himself up by the same motion and shooting into the air, coming down to kick Sai in the back and into the dirt.

Kakashi pressed down a little harder on Sai's black shirt and activated his Sharingan. The red eye grew wide and the jounin jumped backwards as 'Sai' vanished in a spurt of white-hot flame, leaving behind charred grass and a lingering smell of burnt leather from Kakashi's sandal. The red eye darted back and forth, searching the trees.

Beneath Kakashi, who was still airborne, the ground crumbled inwards and something black and white shot noiselessly out. Somehow, the jounin sensed him coming and he drew a kunai, bracing for the impact as both of them landed feet-first on the ground.

Sunlight refracted off two identical kunai, both of them held at their opponent's throats. Kakashi stared into Sai's dark black eyes, searching for any hint of recognition. For a long moment, he saw nothing; no cool acceptance, no amused light, no emotion. Then Sai blinked, and the spell was shattered. The black marks on his skin started to recede and drew back to hide within the curse mark on Sai's neck. Kakashi sighed and stepped away, replacing his kunai in its pouch and covering his Sharingan again.

"Your control is admirable. I had almost expected you to try and kill me." Kakashi's voice sounded from the trees. "Thus, I took certain precautions."

Sai stepped backwards as the Kakashi he had been fighting the whole time vanished in a puff of smoke, while the real one emerged from the cover of the forest.

"That was amazing, Sai!" Sakura called.

Sai's breath huffed out as he relaxed from fighting posture and shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't that great. I just... fought."

"Pssh, yeah, right!" Naruto scoffed. "I couldn't see your and Kakashi-sensei's hands for a little bit, you were that fast!"

"And you used an ingenious trick." Kakashi complimented him. "Please remember it, should you ever come against another Sharingan-user in combat... blocking the ground with a layer of chakra-infused ink so they couldn't see past it was effective, although a true Uchiha could produce flames of enough heat to boil the ink and render it useless."

"Thank you." Sai gave a quick bow. Even he could hear the sincerity in his teacher's voice. _'To be complimented by the great Copy Nin, and an elder ex-ANBU no less...'_ He remained in the posture for the proper length of time that was required for a younger to their elder, but to his surprise, he felt a hand rest on his hair and then ruffle it.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi asked teasingly. "There's a time and place for formalities, Sai. You don't need to follow them all the time."

Sai looked up in astonishment. Kakashi was smiling down at him, the edges of his mask and the corners of his eye crinkled. The hand left his hair, and Sai felt a sudden sense of loss. For a moment, he was in the place of a child, a normal child, one who had just gotten a good grade on his test and was being praised by his father.

"I'm going to have to go, guys..." Sakura apologized hastily, her voice interrupting Sai's musing. "I promised Lee that I would meet him by six, and the sun's already descending."

"Enjoy yourself, Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice was suggestive, and her face heated up. He ducked neatly under the thrown punch and waved her off. Sai looked after her, wondering what he was supposed to do now that the girl was gone and the training session over.

A different kind of weight was slung around his shoulder as he straightened, nearly making him double over again. Naruto's arm was around his shoulders, and the blonde boy grinned at him.

"Say, if you're up to it now, how about town? I promised I'd show you the ropes. You can come over at eight, after that."

Sai looked down at the hand hanging down the side of his right shoulder. "Is it customary for people to do this?" he asked uncertainly. "I've observed some people doing this, but it seems like a very uncomfortable position to walk in. More often, I see pairs of civilians in town walking while holding hands. Would you want to do that, instead?"

"Are you _kidding _me?" Naruto scrambled away, nearly tripping over his own feet. Sai looked at him with an eyebrow raised, and the boy rushed to explain himself. "Well, you see, Sai... that's the kind of things that only certain kinds of friends do. Really good friends."

Kakashi, who had just taken out _Icha Icha_, looked up at the turn of conversation.

"Hm, not my problem. You two sort this out." he said immediately, and gave a short wave before disappearing in smoke. "Ta!"

"But..." Sai trailed off, unperturbed by Kakashi's hasty exit. Naruto could see the direction in which Sai's mind was going.

"We _are_ really good friends, Sai! Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just... you- never mind." Naruto bit his lip. "Catch you later." he forced out, and turned on his heel, walking quickly away from Sai and ducking out of sight into the trail that led back into town.

"Naruto!" Sai called. He started to walk after him, but he heard Naruto's footsteps speed up. Feeling lost, Sai stopped and stared at the point where the boy had vanished.

The Jinchuuriki strode quickly over to the nearest store, which happened to be a small restaurant, and sat down heavily at a table. He stared aimlessly into space, eyes glazing over. The restaurant and training fields were on the very edges of town, so thankfully neither of them was hurt by Pein's invasion. Naruto's own house was unhurt, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it had some unwelcome visitors when he discovered half his freeze-dried ramen packages were torn open by greedy claws and nibbled on by little teeth.

"Anything I can get you, sir?" A soft feminine voice asked. Naruto started and looked up at the waitress. Their eyes met, and her large green eyes widened slightly before she looked away, a hint of red on her cheeks.

"Erm- yeah. A coffee, if you've got it, with lots of sugar. And a sandwich- any kind. Just, something, alright?"

"I'll- I'll be right on it." The waitress bowed stiffly and hurried off, tucking her notebook into her apron pocket. Naruto sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair, then covered his face.

_'Hinata's birthday...'_ he thought. _'I knew it was coming; but how can I face her now? She must know, already... she's really smart. Then, why did she still tell me that? Did she want me to suffer like this? No... she's too kind. But maybe, she did it to get it out of herself, and help her come to terms...'_

"Gahh! I don't know!" Naruto yelled in frustration, throwing his arms into the air. The action elicited a startled squeak from the waitress, who at that moment had come by with his coffee and sandwich. Immediately guilty, Naruto took his order and paid her. "Sorry!"

"Yes! It's no problem!"

He sipped the sweetened drink, staring into space.

_'I should get back...' _ his eyes wandered to the window. Everything was bathed in orange; his favourite colour. Naruto heaved another sigh and got up, throwing what remained of his order in the trash. He exited the restaurant, sticking his hands in his pockets. With each step he took, the more tired he became, and his mind reverted to its old one-track focus.

_'Gonna have some ramen... then go to sleep...'_ He fumbled around in his pocket for his door key. His house wasn't the nice colour it used to be; it was scorched in some spots, and the walls were ashen-tinted, but otherwise fine. Naruto turned the key in the lock and attempted to open the door, taking a step forward.

_Bang._ The shinobi banged his head neatly on the obstinate wood, and he staggered backwards, glaring at it.

"Was it already open, and I locked it...?" he muttered to himself, unlocking the door. "I swore I had locked it earlier..." Naruto paused, his eyes narrowing. Quietly, he reached into his belt and took out a kunai. His door opened creakily, but Naruto refrained from making any further noise; Kakashi had taught him a few things about the value of silence, if not as much as he would have liked. Stealthily, Naruto crept into the dark living room, seeing the door to his bedroom open a crack. Bright golden light spilled out from the narrow opening. Naruto grasped the kunai tighter and jumped forwards, throwing the door open-

"Hi, Naruto." Sai greeted.

"Wh-what is this place... what..." The kunai clattered to the floor. Naruto stared around. This wasn't his bedroom. It couldn't be. The floor wasn't dusty, all his clothes were folded and in the closet, and his bed was made. The window, also, was wide open, purging the room of its stale smell with a fresh summer evening's breeze. Sai himself had changed into a simple, loose black t-shirt and pants, hair tidier than it had been after the fight with Kakashi.

"You said I could come at eight o'clock, so I did, and I'm afraid I took the liberty of cleaning things up a little..." Sai's eyebrows raised by the merest fraction. "How can you stand to live in such a mess, Naruto?"

Naruto got over his shock and crossed the room, plopping down in the bed and kicking his shoes off. Sai, he noticed, was already barefoot. "Damnit, Sai, now I won't be able to find anything!" he complained, then he looked at the boy suspiciously. "Hey, how did you get in in the first place?"

"Your lock isn't hard to pick." Sai answered candidly. "I'm surprised that you would have ever thought something like that would stop a shinobi, much less a bunch of greedy rodents, as seen by the state of your cupboard."

"Why you- shitty two-faced-" Naruto spluttered. He started to get to his feet.

"Those were also easy to get rid of, too." Sai interrupted. "It took just a few ink cats."

Naruto blinked, his anger fading. He sat back down on the bed. "Erm, thanks."

"I read that friends were supposed to help each other. That's all I am doing." Sai smiled. He took a seat near Naruto.

The blonde looked curiously at Sai. He hadn't noticed it before, but the pale boy had shadows underneath his eyes.

"Are you sleeping well?" Naruto plastered on a grin to mask his concern. "Don't tell me you're trying to train in the nighttime to make up for the time you spend helping rebuild during the day."

"I'm not doing a lot of fighting outside." Sai answered evenly, then tapped his head. "It's in here that I've been fighting."

Naruto frowned, the smile sliding off of his face. "Nightmares...?"

Sai shook his head. "Please do not concern yourself, Naruto. It's no big problem. Danzō-sama is being more insistent with missions in Konoha's time of weakness, and I simply don't sleep well. That's all."

Naruto stared at Sai. In his mind's eye, he flashed back to the stop at the hot springs, during the disastrous Sasuke retrieval mission. Sai, curled up underneath his blanket, face scrunched into a painful expression he would never be able to wear in his waking moments... _'And he's still facing that? Without telling me? No, what the fuck am I thinking- he can't understand it at all. He doesn't know what nightmares mean. He doesn't know that they're something that can be stopped.'_ The Jinchuuriki took a deep breath, and scooted closer to Sai.

"Sai, I can't tell you how badly I wish I could steal all those nightmares away... but whenever you're feeling strange, like you're scared, or hurt... just come to me. Don't isolate yourself in that gloomy apartment of yours. Come here."

Sai shook his head, trying to move away. "I don't want to get in your way! I'm just..." he paused. Who _was_ he? _What_ was he?

"Hell, no you won't." Naruto growled, grabbing Sai's arm. "There you go again! Each time you pull away, I'm always going to be there to drag you back. I'm not going to let you fade into the nothingness of Root, not when you mean so much to me. I'm always afraid that..." Naruto hesitated, then finally confessed. "That someday, Danzō will pull you away on a mission, and you'll stop being Sai. That someday, you'll disappear..." Naruto's voice, which had previously been so angry, became quieter and quieter until at last he broke off, blinking furiously.

Sai's eyes widened. "N-naruto...? Are you...crying?" He couldn't comprehend what he saw.

"Hell no!" Naruto sniffled furiously, bending his head and rubbing his arm across his eyes. "I have allergies to this stupid neatness you made..."

Sai sat there for a long minute, feeling unsure and awkward while Naruto didn't speak. At last he inched forward and wrapped his arms around the Jinchuuriki, resting his head on his shoulder with every expectation that he would be thrown off.

Pressure. Strong arms were holding him back. Sai looked sideways at a head of spiky blonde hair, surprise clear in his black eyes.

"Promise me here that no matter what, you'll never lose to Danzō." Naruto said, words slightly muffled. "Never, ever, give in to him."

A small smile flickered across Sai's face. "I think I can do that." He felt Naruto relax in his arms, and the boy pulled away, scratching his hair awkwardly.

"Here.. I'll sleep on the floor today."

Immediately Sai became apologetic again. "No, I am used to sleeping on hard surfaces. I'll take the floor."

"No, _I _will." Naruto argued. Sai rolled his eyes.

"I am very grateful you're letting me stay here tonight. The least I can do is stay out of your way and sleep on the floor."

"Whatever!" Naruto exclaimed, exasperated. "We'll _both_ sleep on the floor!" He snatched one of the pillows off of his bed and threw it at Sai, who caught it with a shinobi's reflexes. Then, he stomped over to his closet and pulled out an extra blanket that Sai had so neatly folded minutes before. This, he tossed on the floor, and took his own blanket. Sai watched Naruto come and go with his eyebrows scrunched, and heard him muttered insensible things underneath his breath.

_'All the signs of anger, according to my books.. but somehow, I don't think Naruto's really angry.'_ Sai slid off of the comfortable bed and sat down on the floor. Naruto had gone to change into more comfortable clothing, turning off the lights as he left. The fading sunlight was gone now, replaced by a more gentle moonlight. Feeling a little strange, Sai brought the blue blanket to his face and inhaled the smell. It had the musty smell of a rarely used cloth, but underneath the scent he could also detect a hint of something warm and unidentifiable. The old blanket was a far cry from the stiff, cold one he had back in his apartment. His eyelids drooped, and he laid his head down on the pillow with the blanket over him.

_'Naruto's been acting very strange lately...'_ Sai thought. _'Though, being this close to him makes me feel strange too. I suppose I'll have to ask him about it... but Tommorow. I'll do it tommorow.'_ The notion of a happier 'tommorow' comforted him. In Root, the word existed only as a subjective term. It was cold and without feeling, holding only the promise of more dangerous missions.

The door to the bedroom opened and closed. Naruto stopped in the doorway. Sai looked to be already asleep, with his eyes closed and breathing even. He tiptoed quietly to the blanket next to him and stretched out underneath it, staring at the ceiling.

"Sai?" he whispered.

"Hmm.." Sai murmured with his eyes still closed. "What is it?"

"I'm really sorry about earlier. Dunno what got into me." He twiddled his thumbs underneath his blanket, feeling like Hinata more and more. "Well.." Naruto trailed off. _'Oh, to hell with this.'_ "I actually wouldn't mind holding hands, if you would still like to."

Sai was quiet. Naruto was going to roll over and face the opposite direction when he felt warm fingers curl around his right hand.

"Goodnight, Naruto." Sai said sleepily.

Naruto closed his eyes, feeling a foolish smile tug at his lips. "Yeah. Goodnight."

* * *

><p>Sai opened his eyes, blinking in the moonlight. He slowly sat up, feeling his hand slide out of Naruto's. The boy was deeply asleep, if his snores were anything to go by. Sai's mouth twitched, and he suddenly felt the urge to smile. Then, he looked out the window, and the feeling vanished as quickly as it had come.<p>

Half-moon. The dark-haired boy laid aside his blanket and got up, crossing over to the open window. He hesitated for a minute, looking back at Naruto's sleeping form, then he slipped out of the window and dropped catlike onto the empty street below. He made it to his apartment without incident, but only stopped to put on a rarely-used flak jacket and get his backpack. He had refilled his inks after the invasion, and started to keep a standard jacket stocked with the typical shinobi necessities in his apartment as well. _'I'm not going anywhere unprepared anymore, especially if I have to visit the lion's den.'_ Sai was about to climb back out of his window when Naruto's words from earlier passed through his head.

_"Promise me here, that no matter what, you'll never lose to Danz__ō__." _

_'I have no intention of losing. Not when I've gotten so far... Shin-niisan... he did the same for me. He'd understand. But unlike him, I'm going to keep this balance I have right now between the two sides.' _

He headed east, taking care to travel in the alleyways whenever possible. The closer he got to the walls of the village, the more wary he became of being spotted by the night watch that patrolled the perimeter. Sai passed the gated entrance to the Aburame residence and continued east, stopping only when he reached a nondescript looking building. It looked just like any other tidy, private residence in Konohagakure, but he knew it for what it really was. Sai formed a series of hand signs and placed one palm on the door. There was a small fizzling noise as the house's barrier deactivated in that one area, allowing him to open the door and enter.

The room was dark, but he could detect a familiar presence.

Sai's eyes narrowed.

"Ryou-san, wasn't it?" he asked calmly, well aware that 'Ryou' was just a fake name, just like 'Sai' had originally been his temporary name. The man from earlier stepped out from the shadows, dressed in a traditional Root outfit. "Please do your best in healing Tsunade-sama. It must have been difficult to get so high in rank to be able to attend to her in this moment of weakness."

"I was already in place for such an event." Ryou replied. "Danzō-sama's plans have been in the working for a very long time already, and soon Konoha's new age will come, thanks to this opportunity."

"Secretly poisoning the Hokage, under the pretense of treatment?" Sai said shrewdly. "It's true that Root does assassinations, but our objectives were never to overthrow the government."

"You underestimate me." Ryou said coldly. He stood as still as ever, but Sai knew he was preparing to defend himself. "I am not treasonous. Hokage-sama will not die; she simply will take her time sleeping."

_'Does he really think I'm going to attack him?'_ Sai wondered. Aloud he asked, "What is my mission?"

Ryou seemed satisfied by his answer. His tone became official and empty of any warnings. "I repeat. A new age for Konoha is coming, but there is one large, powerful threat to this that you are the most capable of taking care of. The villagers talk of him incessantly. They admire him. There are many on the street who want him to be interim Hokage. Of course, there will be an advisor appointed for him, as he's still young..."

Sai felt his mouth go dry. He mentally shook himself. _'It can't be. He's far too young... isn't he?'_

He only just managed to keep his voice level. "Who is it?"

Ryou's face was as impassive as ever. "Have you degraded this much? It's obvious. You are to kill the hero of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki."

Sai stepped backwards in shock. "I..." He shook his head, retreating back further and further until his back pressed against the door. "I-"

"-Can't do it?" Ryou advanced upon him, his dark blue eyes like stones set in a stony face. "Either way, the Uzumaki boy is going to die tonight. You're full of silly ideals now, aren't you? Go. Use them. It's much better for him to die softly, at a friend's hand. Isn't that right?"

Sai stared at the man. Slowly, Ryou saw the mixture of defiance and fear disappear from Sai's eyes, leaving them black and emotionless.

"Yes, senpai. You're right." Sai answered quietly. "I can do that, if nothing else." He bowed stiffly, and left the house. Ryou stayed in place, watching the door long after it had closed and Sai was far gone.

"I would have never believed it." Ryou said quietly, seemingly to himself. "You were right, Danzō-sama."

"This has never happened in the history of Root." An old man's voice said from somewhere in the darkness. "To have a top member be so hindered by emotions that he cannot sense the presence of others in the room. The roots of Konoha are tainted. This disease that weakens them must be destroyed."

* * *

><p>Sai bounded from rooftop to rooftop too fast for the passing human eye to catch. He bit his lip, shooting a glance behind him. No pursuers. Reaching back into his pack, he whipped out his brush and scroll and drew two large tigers. They jumped down from the next rooftop he lightly touched down on and dropped into an alleyway below, wriggling into trash cans. <em>'I might need them later... scratch that; I'll definitely need them if we're going to get away safely. I have to get Naruto somewhere more populated, where they won't dare to touch him...'<em>

There! He grabbed onto a tree branch and swung down, landing on Naruto's roof. A light switched on somewhere in the house, and wasting no time, Sai dropped back into the boy's home.

"Jeez, where _were_ you?" Naruto complained. "I-" he froze, mouth hanging open as he took in Sai's battle-ready outfit and inks. "What the hell? Why are you dressed like that?"

"There's no time!" Sai interrupted. "Come on, we have to run!"

Naruto kept gaping at him. Sai shifted restlessly from side to side, and his eyes darted from Naruto's face to the window, then back again. He swallowed his shock. "I'm in pajamas, Sai, do you seriously expect me to go training _now?_"

"This isn't training! Someone's after you, Naruto, and I can't let them get to you!" Sai made a grab from Naruto's wrist and took it in a steely grip.

"After me?" Naruto repeated. "This isn't a joke! Wh-"

The door opened. Naruto's eyes slid to see who entered on reflex, and then the blue orbs widened, before his eyelids closed and his knees buckled. Sai caught Naruto before he collapsed to the floor.

"Naruto!" Sai shouted

"To see you've fallen so far... it's a shame."

Sai's head whipped around and he stared at the arrivals. Two masked Root stood behind Danzō himself, cane and all. But there was something missing... the bandage around Danzō's head was unraveled. The old warhawk raised his head, and two eyes- one brown, one Sharingan red- met Sai's inky black ones.

The Sharingan eye blinked slowly. "Sai, age seventeen, an ex-Root; found guilty of treason to Konoha."

* * *

><p>This chapter felt like a bloody soap opera. I'm <em>very<em> sorry. But at least I included a little action, and more so torwards the ending. You'll find a nasty (or maybe awesome, depending on how you feel about Sai) surprise heading your way next chapter.

+ Thanks to this new 'image manager' I'll be making a cover page.

Looks like a majority of the people who take the trouble to voice their opinion- thank you :) - asked for more NaruSai... so I'll be turning previous hints into more solid things :) And okay- I'm terrible writing those sorts of things, as you could tell. Sai's too clueless and Naruto's just too... bleh. Not IC.

The latest animated episode, Sai and Shin... YES! I've been waiting months for it to come out! It was so beautiful... made me cry. All that I had hoped for and more. I only wish there was more poignant music. But the latest manga chapters... DAMNIT SASUKE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE EVIL!


	20. which pull down the Tree they hold

_"This and no other is the Root from which a tyrant springs; at first, he is a protector."_ ~ Plato

*This chapter contains some gore; please skip that if you're sensitive.

* * *

><p>The curtains fluttered in the soft evening wind. Instead of closing them, one of the Root crossed over to the lightswitch and flicked it off. Shinobi were trained to see better in the dark than regular people; and Danzō didn't want any watchers peeking in, when lamplight made everything in a house room clearly visible for a long way around.<p>

Danzō regarded Sai with narrowed eyes. _'I had expected him to do something, but this... he should not have been able to warn the Kyuubi boy of this. The Root seal should have prevented him.'_

"Boy." he commanded. "Stick out your tongue."

Without thinking, Sai complied. Taking orders had had become so second-nature to him, so ingrained, that in the blank state of mind he was in now he did it unthinkingly. Before he realized his mistake and closed his mouth again, Danzō had scanned him for the black rectangles that marked his signature curse seal.

Nothing was there.

"You removed it." Danzō's voice was sharp.

"It's... gone?" Sai muttered. _'Don't tell me... when Orochimaru gave me my curse mark, it must have sealed Danz__ō__-sama's second seal, as well...'_He started to speak again, but his elder cut him off.

"As you are, I'm inclined to suspect you already divulged important information about the Foundation. You are a liability to the entire system. By creating these cracks, the whole organisation might fall down, and no tree can last long without its roots." Danzō eyed him distastefully. "Something of this nature only happened once before; in the earlier days of the Foundation, I had sent a young man close to your age, to a certain village under orders to assassinate the village head. He succeeded, but stayed longer than he should have... Initiating an investigation, I saw he had fallen in love with a woman in that village. I arranged to have him killed when he returned to give his report. It was this event that sparked my interest in taking orphaned children and raising them to be perfect, starting with the man's child the assassin found."

Sai's hand gripped the brush a little tighter. _'Could he...'_ He could feel Danzō's gaze boring into him, but he didn't dare to meet the stare of his Sharingan.

"It looks like the rebellious streak runs in that man's blood; I see you have started developing feelings for the fox's container, and you've clearly turned your back on Root."

_'Feelings for? I don't understand...'_ Sai knelt, placing Naruto gently on the floor. However, as he stood up, the moonlight cast on the floor of Naruto's room shifted. He tensed; that wasn't the moonlight moving, it was the shadows bordering the light. However, the attack didn't come from to his side, as he expected. Something grabbed his ankles from behind and swiftly snaked around his body, trapping his arms before he could dodge. Losing balance, Sai fell to his knees.

"Was the woman this man met... Aina?" Sai managed. "Was this man my father?"

Danzō waved his hand that wasn't on his cane dismissively. "It's of no importance. Both of your parents are dead now."

"For a long time, I considered you a parent." The words left Sai's mouth before he could think over them thoroughly. He stared into the Foundation leader's face, not looking at the ever-present threat of the Sharingan. "You'll be dead soon, too, if your age is anything to go by." There was a flash of anger in the old man's dark eye, while his red one stayed eerily the same. Danzō knelt, grabbing Sai's chin with one hand and jerked his head upwards to force him to look into his eyes.

Sai tried to pull away and shut his eyes tight, but he felt a shudder run through his body, and he opened his eyes again to find Naruto's room fall away into darkness. Red skies and ground replaced the friendly home. He stood shakily, noticing that the Nara's shadows binding him were gone.

_'Genjutsu?'_ Sai thought warily. He had just barely regained his balance when there was a rumbling sound, and metal stakes burst out of the flat red ground and impaled him at different points on his body, immobilizing him. A short cry escaped him, then he ground his teeth together, trying to stop himself from making any more noise even as a still-growing metal spike cracked the bone of his left arm. Danzō shimmered into existence in front of him.

"Magen: Kasegui no Jutsu." he said simply. "Unique to Sharingan users, but- ah, you see.." Two of the metal stakes through Sai's arm crumbled away. "It's not very effective unless you were born with the Sharingan in question."

"And whose Sharingan might you have?" Sai asked through clenched teeth. A sickly warm wetness spread over his shirt, and he looked down, feeling oddly detached from the blood staining his clothes.

"You might be interested." Danzō tapped his cane against the ground. "Fine. I'll tell you. I won't reveal how, but I once defeated Shisui Uchiha in secret; and stole his right eye." The man noted shock cross Sai's face. "Oh, so you see the significance? Indeed, you were taught well. Shisui's Sharingan's ability allowed him to manipulate a person without their realizing it. If I so wanted, I could use my Sharingan to make you serve me again. But I have no more use for you. That tactic would be reminiscent to using a gold general to protect a pawn in Shogi. As such..."

Sai ignored the pain from the metal spike in his elbow as he pulled his arm far enough to put his hands together. "Release!" he commanded. The red sky darkened and was sucked away into blackness. The metal spikes vanished, to be replaced by constricting shadows. Sai felt the pain of his wounds vanish as the genjutsu was dispelled.

The elder looked down at him, eyes unfathomable. Slowly, he wrapped white bandages back around his head to shield the Sharingan.

"I regret it." Danzō said simply, then turned away. The two Root moved forward to take his place. One of them, Sai noted, had black spiky hair. Hopefully Ryou was the Nara who had vanished into the Foundation's clutches.

The second masked man drew his tantō. Sai bowed his head.

_'Trapped... would the first level be enough to get me out? No... I can't activate it here... should I just accept this? Naruto will be...'_

"I thought that I had finally broken free, but I've been used all along." he said softly. "I finally have realized what it means to live, and now that will be taken away from me..."

He prepared himself for the strike; the brief flash of pain; the darkness as the man approached. A soft wind ruffled his hair as the Root stepped past him- _past him?_ Sai's head whipped around, and he saw the man raise his tantō over Naruto's defenseless form.

"No...!" he gasped out, voice rising in volume. "NO!"

The tantō came down with a bright glint of silver, reflecting the cold moonlight. As if in slow motion, Sai saw the sword press down onto Naruto's orange nightshirt. The cloth crinkled inwards in a cascade of ripples and shadows, then tore, and then the sword reached skin. It pressed on, sliding neatly through flesh, then suddenly jerked as it hit a rib and was pulled out with a squelch. Blood droplets flecked Sai's cheek as the man brandished his sword and turned his way.

The boy stared at Naruto. The moon had changed positions in the sky, illuminating the spreading pool of blood around him. Sai's eyes grew wider and wider. The colourfulness of the scene was almost _mocking_ him; the bright red blood staining Naruto's neon orange shirt complemented him and his sunshine-yellow hair. The combination of red and orange looked like the type of colours Naruto would wear on any given day. Yet, those clear blue eyes were closed as if in sleep...

"He's in shock." Ryou said quietly to his teammate. The other nodded, looking at Sai through the eyeholes of his mask.

"More proof that emotions are useless."

"It will be easier than slaughtering a lamb to kill him, right now."

"Yes." The man with the sword bent down, intending to make a clean cut across Sai's throat. Sai was still staring wide-eyed at Naruto. His breathing was louder, sounding like he was wounded himself, and his fingers, unbound by Ryou's shadows, twitched. The Root paused, expecting some last words. When they weren't forthcoming, he knelt down behind Sai and put the blade in front of his throat.

Sai turned his head as far as he could to look into the empty holes of the assassin's mask.

And smiled.

The Foundation member's arm moved to try and begin its slash, but two shapeless masses burst out from Sai's back, piercing the shadows that bound him. Two spikes on the end of each mass came up as Sai shot to his feet, cutting through the assassin's collar and leaving behind a gaping hole in his throat. His spiky wings neatly shore off half of the attacker's face and whipped off his mask. The body fell backwards, its jaw askew and the white bones of the jaw visible. It looked almost unnatural as it fell backwards; like a broken mannequin. Red stained his teeth and ran down the disfigured lower half of the dead man's face. Ryou took a step backwards as dark swirls took raced across Sai's skin, down his arms and stopping at his ankles. They crawled over half his face, then his skin darkened, turning from white to an unnatural brown in the space of five seconds. Sai's mind, already delicate from the inexplicable emotional upheaval it had started since his induction into Team Seven, finally had too hard of a blow, and in that moment of weakness, the curse mark took its chance.

His black and yellow eyes stared at Ryou without recognizing him. The blackness in the room writhed and then shot out at Sai with the intention of a swift and direct kill. However, Sai was already ducking, grabbing his brush off of the floor. He started to paint something, but Ryou had abandoned his attack early and tossed a red bomb onto the floor, leaping out the window. Sai bared his teeth and was about to follow, when he stepped into the pool of Naruto's blood.

Some of the bestial fire in his eyes dimmed. Sai dropped to the floor and spread his wings wide to shield Naruto. Using his finger, he swiftly drew three tigers in the air out of the Jinchuuriki's blood that jumped in front of them before the bomb exploded.

_Boom_. A cloud of fire and smoke billowed into the night sky, covering the stars and moon. The red tigers took most of the explosion and burst, splattering red liquid over the two they were shielding. Sai staggered to his feet, features twisted into a snarl as he clutched at a deep cut in his leg caused by the blast. The membranes of his wings had not gone unscathed, either, bearing several cuts and holes from flying glass, while the soles of the cheaper shoes he had worn to Naruto's house were burned right through. Impatiently, Sai kicked the cumbersome trash off of his feet and picked up the first Root assassin's tantō, whipping around in time to block a new arrival's attack. Naruto lay forlornly on the ground behind him, just a few metres away from the flaming ruins of his house.

Sai leaned into his sword, trying to overpower his opponent. The masked man gave away nothing; out of the corners of his eyes, Sai saw more Root getting into position around him. He took a step backwards, stepping on the corner of Naruto's t-shirt. Bits of glass pierced his feet, but he paid them no attention.

_'Something soft... Naruto's shirt...'_ the thought crossed his mind, unbidden. But once it came, the inflow could not be stopped. _'Naruto...'_

A kunai whizzed past him, then more; Sai ducked, but he stumbled, and one of the blades grazed his shoulder. He hissed in pain as two more hit his wings , and he curled them inwards, trying to protect the delicate structures.

_'What's wrong?'_ he thought dazedly. _'Why can't I fight? I was able to take on two of the Paths of Pein like this at once... why can't I take on a few humans?'_ The answer came to him before he had finished his previous chain of thought. _'I have nothing left to fight for... I'm exiled from Root; they will not stop trying to kill me until they've succeeded... Danz__ō__-sama will become the next Hokage, and nowhere will be safe... and Naruto... I don't even have Naruto anymore...'_

Then, Sai heard Naruto's voice speaking to him, clear as day: _"Shut up! You're Sai, damnit, a loyal citizen of Konoha, a valuable teammate, and- and an irreplaceable friend! That's why you have to live on... Don't even think about giving up now! Because... nobody can fill your spot on our team, Sai!" _He'd been half dead when Naruto said those words to him, but he had never forgotten them.

Crouching down low, Sai caught the next tantō strike in his hands, feeling the blade cut into his skin. Before too much damage could be done, he rammed his horns into the Root man's stomach, feeling warm blood gush out. Sai kicked the body away and tilted his head torward the sky. Distantly, he heard warning shouts.

_'Reinforcements are coming... but by the time they arrive, I'll have to be gone, and no doubt this bunch will be too.' _ He crouched, then sprung into the air, beating his wings to gain altitude. The warm blood of his last opponent trickled down his face and he raised a hand to wipe it off. With every stroke he took, pain shot through his wings. Sai looked back once more at Naruto as he flew, then kept his eyes fixed firmly on the rapidly approaching wall. He reasoned it would be safer to cross over an unharmed section of Konohagakure's wall, as the barrier over the entire village wasn't fixed yet, and broken areas would be under much more surveillance. He caught a warm updraft and let it take him. Sparks swirled around him, carried by the wind and buffeted by the gusts of air from his wind. The little orange lights traveled alongside him, then as he crossed over Konohagakure's walls they faded and died out into ash.

Sai managed to stay in the air for a little while longer, but his torn wings soon failed him. He lost altitude, extending his wings to try and glide. The black, torn membranes quivered with exertion, then folded in upon themselves and he crashed through the tree canopy. Branches grabbed at him and slowed his fall; then he was on his feet and running.

A kunai whizzed past his head, shearing off a strand of hair. Sai cursed underneath his breath, uncharacteristic anger blooming inside him. More kunai, thudding into trees around and in front of him. He stopped, seeing their explosive tags, and forced his wings to beat swiftly a few more times before the exploding tags detonated.

Fire billowed into the air. Sai was caught by the sudden rush of air, and then he tumbled back down into the Forest, landing catlike and beginning to run again. He shot a glance backwards. Two masked figures.

The power of the curse mark forced movement through limbs that should have collapsed long ago, and sent fury in the form of adrenaline coursing through the veins of someone who normally would not feel such things at all. The black-haired boy clapped his hands together as he ran, murmuring the name of a jutsu.

"Doton: Doryūheki!" The earth rumbled, and then a large earthen wall shot up in front of two pursuing Root. Sai felt a flicker of satisfaction as his sensitive ears caught crunching noises. _'They can't risk sending more after me now. The whole village is in an uproar. No doubt Danz__ō__-sama will arise to the task and assume power in the face of this 'new danger'... no doubt he will erase mention of my existence. The only reason I have for my existence now is Naruto's...'_ The stony expression on Sai's face wavered. _'Naruto's wish... I can at least grant him that one wish...'_

He was only focused on getting as far away as possible, before more Root would come after him. He couldn't go back. There was no way he could return. There was no way-

Sai's golden-black eyes, half-blinded by the blood running down his face, didn't see the tree root in front of him. His foot caught, and he fell, crashing against the bole of a tree and tumbling motionless to the ground.

* * *

><p>"He's waking up."<p>

"Ah. Finally."

"I'm going to _kill _him!" Naruto twitched at the vicious words. That could only be Sakura. But why was she so angry at him...?

"Someone almost did it for you." Kakashi's tone was mild, but it had a cutting edge Naruto had only heard once or twice before. _'Shit, he's mad... wait, why?'_ His eyelids felt extremely heavy, but he persisted and at last succeeded in lifting them. His whole body had a dull and numb ache that pulsed with his heartbeat. He was confronted with wooden walls and white sheets, and the faces of two people close by: Kakashi and Sakura. Naruto turned his head. Two ANBU stood guard by the door. He turned his head to the window side. Two more stood guard by the window, which hadn't even been fitted with glass yet. He was in the newly rebuilt hospital... but again, _why?_

Kakashi spied the confusion in Naruto's eyes. "You don't remember anything? It's been two days."

Naruto shook his head hopelessly, feeling lost. "Sensei, what the hell's going on? Did any remaining Akatsuki attack and knock me out?"

"I almost wish they did. Then we'd at least know our enemy." Kakashi told him, the bitterness in his voice evident. "No. This was an inside job. You were found by the burning ruins of your house, with a blade wound through your body that just missed your heart. Whoever did that left you alive on purpose; yet they still burned your home and put you in great risk of death. Who was it that attacked you? You must remember!"

The Jinchuuriki felt anger creeping up on him. "For the last time, I don't know anything beyond talking to Sa-" he broke off, eyes going wide. _"Sai!_Kakashi-sensei, Sai was with me! He seemed kinda panicked- dunno why-, and I remember trying to calm him down. Where is he?"

"I went to his apartment to tell him about you, but he wasn't there. He's been missing these past two days." Sakura spoke up, her arms crossed. Her eyes narrowed. "What if Sai hurt you?"

Naruto's hands clenched into fists underneath his blanket, but before he could yell at Sakura Kakashi intervened.

"That doesn't fit." he said calmly. "Naruto described Sai as 'panicked'; something that Sai never was before. He would have been trying to warn Naruto, which means he had prior knowledge of what happened, and the only way he could have had knowledge of the attack is if the attack originated from..."

"Root." Naruto snarled. "I'm going to go kill that bastard Danzō!"

"You can't." Kakashi said bleakly. "Not while Tsunade-sama is incapacitated. In addition, Danzō has been named Hokage elect by the council; all they are waiting for is the jounin vote. We can't take action against him at all without solid proof that he's done anything wrong."

"But what about baa-san?" Naruto protested. He strained to sit up in bed, feeling sharp pain get past the numbing sedatives and strike him in the chest.

"Tsunade-sama's condition is unchanged." Sakura answered, staring at the floor. "I bet Sai knows something about Danzō that's dangerous to him. That's why he's gone missing." Her emerald green eyes darkened with anger. "What if Danzō's keeping him somewhere?"

"He can't be far away, then! As soon as I can move, let's go, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said determinedly.

"No." Kakashi's voice was quiet. "Danzō might not be full Hokage yet, but he still wields some power, especially among the Council. He also has the whole Foundation at his back. Remember when Sai first joined our team? He was still a child, but already a deadly killer and remorseless about dealing with his enemies. If you anger Danzō, Naruto, he might decide to finish the job. Poison slipped into your ramen; an 'accident' while out on a mission... I won't allow my student to die like that."

"But- he can't kill me... He can't just go and _kill_ me..." Naruto muttered. Kakashi's grey eye fixed on him.

"He can, if he put his mind to it. Please just listen to me for once in your life, Naruto; and I'll see what I can do. Keep watch on him." he added to the ANBU in the room, who nodded. Kakashi stepped out of the hospital room. He didn't have to walk far before he reached the entrance. The new hospital wasn't back up to standard yet, having only about a hundred rooms in comparison to its old four hundred. He navigated his way through the makeshift pavilions that were still set up outside for the lesser wounded. Progress on the hospital was slow, but Kakashi was well aware of how exhausted Yamato was due to his Mokuton. The wood-user budgeted his chakra with 50% on the hospital per day, 30% on official buildings, and 10% on civilian facilities, with only 10% left to keep him running or indeed alive at the end of the day.

Kakashi leaned against a broken-down wall, closing his eyes. He remained like that for a long time, until at last he shifted and took out a random edition of _Icha Icha_.

* * *

><p>"You summoned me?" Shikaku Nara asked warily. He and Danzō seemed to be alone in the room, but the Jonin Commander wasn't so foolish as to think that there were no hidden watchers. He did not trust the warhawk's intentions, but a meeting between the Jonin Commander and the candidate for Sixth Hokage was entirely natural. In fact, it was political standard. There was no way the Nara could have declined the 'invitation'.<p>

_'However, I won't let this go as he likes.'_ Shikaku thought grimly. _'He may have had years of practice at manipulating the Council- the results of which are before me now- but I'm experienced in the political game, as well.'_

Danzō gave him a curt nod. "You look like a man who doesn't like to bandy words. Good. Neither am I. I'll get right to the point."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow, affecting surprise. He had actually expected Danzō to act as such. _'By doing so, he identifies himself with me and tries to show me our similarities. Similarities, like hell. I won't fall for it. Besides, showing emotions means that he will underestimate my strength. In this case, it pays to be underestimated.'_

"What do you want to talk about, Danzō-sama?" The honorific felt like slime on his tongue, but he made a pointed refusal to call him Hokage. The old man's eye narrowed. He had noticed, and was staring him directly in the eye. Shikaku returned the stare, determined to last longer. It was childish, perhaps; but he needed to get the point across that he would not agree with Danzō on anything the other suggested.

Danzō blinked, ever so slowly. Shikaku began to feel unsettled. The Hokage candidate's stare was a little _too_ intense.

"Well?" Shikaku prompted. He tried to tear his gaze away, but oddly enough, he could not. Yet it was not the small, dark left eye that held him so. He felt his mind focus in on a spot in the bandages that covered where Danzō's right eye should have been. "Are you going to try and persuade me to... going to try... and..." Shikaku's rough voice became softer and softer until he fell silent, still staring at Danzō.

Slowly, he took a step back. The man blinked; shook his head as if clearing it of cobwebs.

"I think I can do a great deal for this country. Wouldn't you agree, Shikaku?" Danzō said carefully, eyes still fixed on him.

"Yes..." Shikaku muttered, then his voice became brisk and strong. To all appearances, he was his normal self. "Yes, I agree. I wish you the best of luck, Hokage-sama. It won't take much to convince just four other jounin to support you. My vote, after all, counts for considerably more."

* * *

><p>Kakashi pushed through a crowd of people, civilians and shinobi mixed. He had been on his way back to the hospital to visit Naruto, but a tide of humanity all heading to the Hokage Building swept him along. "What's going on?" he demanded of no one in particular. The uneasy feeling grew, crawling through his veins. "What's going on? Who's speaking?"<p>

"Kakashi!" A familiar voice boomed. Might Gai appeared from the masses. His chiseled face, normally cheerful, was distraught. The grown man reached his peer and latched onto him. "Kakashi, I'm so sorry! I am forever shamed! I grovel at your feet for forgiveness! I tried to stop them, but they-"

"Calm down, and tell me _exactly_ what's going on, Gai." Kakashi said slowly, trying to pry the jonin off of him and failing. Gai took a couple of deep breaths that would have been exaggerated if they had come from anyone but him.

"Shikaku-san announced today that he would support Danzō no matter the circumstances... we were shocked, my rival! But, Shikaku is wise, and we all trusted him; so Kurenai, Chōza, Inoichi, and Shibi all backed him. I knew what you would think of this, so I attempted to say otherwise, but Shikaku-san stood firm."

"That means..." The purpose of the crowd before the Hokage building dawned on Kakashi, along with a deep dread. His hands fell to his sides.

"It's over, my eternal rival!" Gai groaned, clutching the front of Kakashi's flak jacket in his large fists. "It's over!"

Kakashi stared over Gai's shoulder, uncomprehending. _'Danz__ō__ has been elected as the Sixth Hokage. Shikaku- the man who had always been on my side, fought with me and drank with me- has betrayed me. The jonin commander had cast his vote for the same aged warhawk that Shikaku and I always criticised; and by that action, had gotten the required four jounin to support his decision.'_

A figure stepped to the railing of the Hokage building, silhouetted against the glaring sun. His dark, cold eye looked down upon the assembled people of Konohagakure. Behind him, on his left, stood Shikaku. Kakashi searched his face, but the commander's expression was unreadable. On his right stood an ANBU, who was without a doubt just a Root member in disguise.

Danzō rapped his cane against the rooftop. "Citizens of Konohagakure... hear my pledge now. You have seen the destruction we suffered at the hands of outsiders. As the Hokage, I pledge to you that I will, by whatever means necessary, make us the country feared and respected above all others. We will never suffer like this again. I welcome you to a new age! Join me in greeting the glorious village of old!"

Underneath his mask, Kakashi's lips twitched upwards in a twisted smile. Never before had he felt more jaded and hopeless. _'Good-bye, Konoha...'_

* * *

><p>Coming up: What'll happen to Sai? What will Konoha become?<p>

If the grammar or word choice is inappropriate in some sections, I apologize. I'm with relatives in Poland, and though they are eager to learn English they don't speak it very well. You can imagine that some is rubbing off on me. I'm trying to adjust to writing/speaking in a sophisticated manner once more; but it's difficult :| Again, apologies for any mistakes.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter... here, I begin to write the story as I wish it could have gone. Whether Danzō will be good or bad at heart, it's yet to be seen. I don't even know, myself. I have the general tone of future chapters figured out, however. Please don't expect a Naruto-ised version of 'My little Pony' for the rest of the story... actually, it's better not to expect too much fluff at all. I will scatter it around when the opportunity presents itself, buut... :)

The reviews I got recently were really nice. Thank you, all, I like to give more attention to this character who does not get enough attention in the series. :)


	21. Snakeskin

_'Flee an enemy who knows your weakness.' ~_ Pierre Corneille

* * *

><p>"The road goes ever on and on... hum, dum, dee..." An old woman, back bent with age and face as withered as an ancient apple tree, shuffled over to a small tub that rested on a bedside table. Draped along the edges of the tub were long, dark green leaves, soaked through and their stems cut. She reached in and took out a white rag that had been floating in the solution, and squeezed as much liquid out as possible with her wrinkled hands. Then, she bent down over the man lying in the bed.<p>

Or, man it seemed at first glance; but at closer inspection, the boy only was as tall as one. He was too lanky to be full-grown, and his pale face was still young. The woman clucked her tongue softly as she pressed the cloth to his left arm. The wounds covering his arms and shoulder blades weren't like any she had ever seen. Not very long, but deep; as if they were stab wounds.

_'No animal would do this. What kind of monster of a human would stab a child so many times? Do we have bandits in our woods?'_ The medicine woman worried. _'Maybe he was running away from the bandits. To be sure, our village isn't in the safest place; we aren't close to the head village of Konohagakure at all, more to the border of northern countries. Yes, that's it. This child must have been from one of the less stable countries. Well, maybe...'_ The woman stepped back in surprise as the boy began to stir. _'The sedative herbs I gave him should have lasted much longer... did I not make it strong enough?'_

After several futile attempts, Sai finally was able to grasp onto the dawning light and pulled himself out of the darkness, opening his eyes without any further difficulty. Sudden pain lanced through his arms and his fingers clenched.

_'The holes in my wings must have transferred to cuts on my arm when I turned back... it was too much to hope they would simply disappear...'_ Sai blinked, looking at the concerned face of an old woman. The fact that he wasn't in Root headquarters for interrogation surprised him. _'I must have gotten further than I thought before I passed out, and incapacitated all pursuers...'_

The danger of his situation hit him. He was still a fugitive, and still in the Fire Country. Sai tried to get up, but only got as far as a sitting position before the elderly lady held him in place with a strong hand on his less-injured shoulder.

"Lie still, child." she commanded. "Tell me, are you a farmer's lad? Where did you meet those bandits?"

Sai stared at her in confusion. _'She doesn't know I'm a shinobi. I must be very far away from the main village. But then, my flak jacket should have immediately labeled me as a shinobi. Was it damaged?'_Taking advantage of his silence, the woman began wrapping clean bandages around his arms.

"You can stay in my son's house until you're fully healed. He's a very kind man, and he's taken a liking to you already. See, bandits attacked our village seven years ago, and he lost his son; don't tell him this, but I think you remind my boy of him..." Her voice dropped into a soothing ramble. Despite himself, Sai relaxed and watched intently as the medicine woman tied up the last bandage.

"My shirt?" he asked. The woman sighed.

"Dear, I'm sorry. Your shirt and jacket were both very badly burnt, so I had to throw away. oh- but this was in one pocket, and it seemed all right." The woman held up a finger. "Wait, wait, I'm sure I left it here somewhere..."

Sai fidgeted where he sat, eyes flickering from side to side. Something in the air made him uncomfortable.

"Forgive an old woman's memory, I can't seem to remember where I put it." The woman chuckled. "Ah, here we go. Seems I'm not _that_bad yet." she looked up with a smile, and Sai hastily put on a smile in return. Thankfully, she didn't waste any more time and held out a familiar scroll with attached inkwell and brush. Sai accepted it disbelievingly, looking it all over to make sure the scroll wasn't damaged. The paper was fire-resistant, but he still was surprised at getting it back. "An artist, were you?"

"Y-Yes." Sai stood up and gave her a stiff bow. The woman's eyes widened in alarm.

"Sit back down, this instant!" She scolded. Sai's fake smile did not change.

"I heal faster than most people. I am able to function like this." he reassured her. "I am very sorry to have troubled you, and thank you for treating me."

"Oh, I couldn't just leave you out there to die, you poor boy!" she demurred, and pointed to a long brown T-Shirt and a dark jacket woven out of tougher material, as well as a pair of sandals. "Those are my son's. He's about your height, and he was only too happy to lend them to you. He hates them, you see. Too tight on him." she added in a conspiratorial whisper. Sai nodded and pulled on the T-shirt, then the jacket. Both fit him well, albeit a little loose. The sleeves covered his bandages, and the toughness of the jacket would withstand thorny patches or tree climbing. The sandals were a different story; they were certainly durable, but far from the comfortable standard shoes that nearly all shinobi wore.

"So my sons house is two down on the left, when you exit, its the hut w-"

"I apologize, obaa-san, but I really can't stay." Sai said quickly. A lie came quickly to mind. "Those bandits that attacked me when I was out chopping firewood are probably still looking for me, you see, and I don't want to cause any more trouble-"

"Nonsense!" The woman said firmly. "After the last attack some time ago we wisened up and put a tall barricade around our home. You'll be safe here, child."

_A wooden barricade is nothing against shinobi._Sai considered his options. Yes- he would pretend to accept her offer and then sneak out at nighttime. His shoulders sagged as he put on a display of weariness. In fact, every muscle in his body was prepared for flight. "I cannot express my thanks, obaa-san."

She smiled kindly at him. "You're a sweet thing. Everybody was concerned about you when my son first brought you in from the forest, and I'm sure they'll all love you. Come on, let me introduce you to everybody." She started to head out the door, fixing her grey hair in a bun as she went. "But what's your name? Silly old me, I haven't even asked you your name yet."

_'Such a kind lad... Reminds me of my grandson, that he does. A little knocky about the knees and shy, but warm hearted.'_ The medicine woman thought. She stopped, hearing no footsteps following her, and turned around. The boy was still there, but his shoulders were drooping a little and he leaned against the wall as if for support. "Are you all right, child?" she asked, concerned. Sai looked up and gave her a small smile, nodding. The woman peered at him closely. He seemed paler than he had several minutes before; and his clothes were a little more faded. _'Just my imagination. It's this light.'_ "Come on, follow me."

Sai stepped outside into bright sunlight. Momentarily blinded, he still sensed a change in the air and a small gust of wind. He ducked and rolled out of the way as someone leaped from the roof of the old woman's house. Metal flashed and Sai felt blood hit him in the face.

Shouts, screams. Sai shot to his feet, facing the masked, black and grey clothed figure of another Root. He glanced briefly down at the body at his feet, then returned his attention to the intruder.

"You hide your surprise well." It was a man's voice that spoke from behind the mask. Sai recognized it from many missions spent together in the past; however, he held no attachment to its owner. There were no bonds between him and his old comrades from the Foundation.

The boy gave the figure a thin-lipped smile. "Actually, I'm not surprised. I was expecting this. Danzō-sama will stop at nothing to have me dead or captured, will he?"

The figure regarded him, the medicine woman's blood still dripping from his tantō. "As things stand, you are the only one who has the power to unseat Danzō-sama. Not physically, of course; the memories you possess are the greatest danger, as well as your lack of the Root seal. Even as Hokage, he may be tried for 'crimes' against the village. Your only use now is as a body to bury and a death to record in the archives."

Sai contemplated the words even as he whipped out his scroll and drew two large tigers. "Ah, that's right. He once worked with Orochimaru, didn't he? Before he stole the Sannin's Sharingan collection. I'd say working with the enemy is a fair cause for imprisonment, as well as misusing Shisui's Sharingan. Those memories would be very interesting to examine, wouldn't they?" His tigers left the scroll and leapt at the assassin, who slashed both of them in half. Instead of disappearing immediately, they dissolved and clung to his tantō as they disintegrated, tearing it out of his hands. Sai darted past him and picked it up, the ink puddling on the ground.

"You've gotten stronger." The man said tonelessly.

"You've stayed the same." Sai answered with a blatantly fake smile. In the distance, he heard running feet, cries of men: _Hide! I'll go! Dear, be careful! _

"It seems I'll have to finish this quickly."

"Can you not handle a group of backcountry villagers?" Sai questioned.

"Hide, kid! I'll get him!" A man shouted. Sai ducked and took a step backwards to glance at the newcomer.

_'There's no way that man can handle this guy.. He'll be killed in an instant.'_ Sai couldn't help it.

"Don't get any closer!" he shouted a warning. The man stopped short, looking at him askance. Sai turned back to his enemy, but the Root assassin disappeared from view. "Shit." Sai cursed under his breath. _'Naruto really rubbed off on me...'_ He caught a flash of black and lunged at it with his tantō.

"Where'd he go, k-" The man broke off with a choking noise as the assassin reappeared behind him, hooking one arm around his neck and holding a kunai in front of his throat. The eyes behind the mask were unfathomable. Sai stopped mid-strike, his blade a mere five centimetres from the villager's heart.

"I knew it." The toneless words cut like a whip. Sai flinched, but held his position. "What would you care if this man died? You can easily cut down the both of us; but something's holding you back. Pitiful. You're a disgrace to the flawless Foundation and Danzō-sama's good name. What do these simple villagers lives mean to you?"

The few village men fit to fight, about five in total, stopped where they were to avoid endangering their neighbor's life.

Sai felt the first unfamiliar sensations of nervousness begin to crawl up his skin. His mind brought up a memory in response, but he did not say it.

_"Well, yeah! You don't always have to kill the guy!" Naruto returned heatedly. Sai turned his blank eyes on him, making Naruto wish he had never mentioned the topic._

_"Sometimes it's unavoidable." Sai said simply. "Haven't you ever killed anyone before?"_

_Naruto had paused, thinking to himself. Then he had replied: "...But you have to learn to appreciate life. It's not just something experienced by yourself. Everyone deserves a chance to live, even if they're completely horrible people."_

_'This man has a family. A home, and a place to return to.'_ Sai thought. _'Do I have the right to deny him that?' _He gripped the blade tighter, the confusion inside him slowly draining away. The Root shifted, noting the tightness around Sai's lips loosening until the boy's face was completely blank. For some reason, he couldn't make sense of Naruto's reasoning. Life wasn't like that. For the majority of his seventeen years, he lived not by ideals but by truth, and it had kept him alive. Right now, he carried the key to Danzō's defeat; that was worth the safety and future of the village. _'Should I give myself up now, they'll extract that information from me and kill me. If the price of my continued existence is a few lives, then I'm prepared to pay that price.'_ Sai dropped his shoulders, affecting defeat. He bowed his head, looking out at the world through his hair, and saw the Root assassin signal the other two present. They took out spools of wire with the ends attached to a kunai and approached on his left and right sides.

Sai kept his focus on the assassin holding the hostage. _'He thinks I'm going to try and spare the man's life; thus, he won't be expecting a direct attack...'_

He lunged, quick as lightning. Caught off guard by the sudden frontal stab, the Root did not dodge in time and Sai's tantō went straight through the hostage's chest into the captor's heart. His sword glanced off a rib and he quickly drew it back out, just in time to send a splatter of mixed blood from it into the eyeholes of the left assassin's mask. He ducked, avoiding the kunai toss from the one on the right, twirling around and winding the wire around his tantō by spinning the blade around as quick as he could manage. His wrist moved in a circular motion, the tantō inscribing circles in the air as he deftly maneuvered the wire around the blinded Root's neck and pulled.

The result was more effective than a garrote. The tough wire, intended for capturing unruly targets, dug into the cloth around the man's neck and by pure friction, cut it. Warm wetness dyed the cloth a darker black around the dead man's throat. Sai spun away, abandoning the tantō to draw his brush and scroll.

"Two of you dead in a minute." Sai stated unfeelingly. The remaining masked man was silent. "I didn't even need to activate my curse mark. Isn't this the part where you say 'We've underestimated you?"

A woman's scream interrupted his moment. Sai tilted his head, looking at the horrified spectators out from the corner of his eye. For a moment, he felt a flicker of regret, but then crushed it. Emotions were weakness. Naruto wasn't there to support him anymore, and the village was lost to him.

"You should run away, and hide somewhere." he suggested, raising his voice. _'Not that they matter.'_

A stream of fire came his way. While he was talking to the villagers, his opponent had formed an attack plan. Sai swiftly painted a tiger on his scroll and jumped out of the way. The flame followed him, singing his pants leg before he finished the kanji for 'flame' on the creature and it leaped out from the paper, growing to be a metre tall. It was the most basic form of fire jutsu that the man cast, so he only needed a basic counterattack. Sai watched closely as the tiger, swallowing the oncoming fire, jumped at the man. He watched how the man spun away and struck it with the palm of one hand.

There was no visible outburst of force, but the tiger dissolved. Sai was sure that if he had the Sharingan, he would see most of the Root's chakra concentrated in his hands, and flowing at a faster rate than the norm throughout his body. _"A Hy__ū__ga? Well, I knew the Foundation had one, but I've never been assigned to a mission with him before. No matter. I think I can turn my attention elsewhere.'_

The woods outside the village, though thin at first, quickly became thicker and thicker, and more and more conifers started to appear. Sai landed on the branch of a large pine and remained crouching. He shot a glance backwards and then leapt to the next tree. It wouldn't be much longer before his ink clone ran out of the chakra he allotted it and was defeated. He was lucky to have created it in the first place, narrowly being detected in the act when the medicine woman looked around too early. He flashed past a birds nest, hearing an indignant squawk and several frightened peeps. His feet just barely pushed off each passing branch before he was off again, speed gradually increasing.

_'Where will I go?'_ he wondered. _'What will I do?'_ He had to get as far away as possible, but how far away was 'safe'?

* * *

><p>Kabuto bit his nails as he waited opposite the door to the room where Orochimaru had taken Sasuke. He had heard sounds of battle coming from within, but for the past five minutes everything had gone eerily quiet.<p>

_Creak_. The door swung open, and Kabuto tensed. He had every confidence in Orochimaru-sama, of course, but to have actually _resisted_, however temporarily, the Sannin's body takeover technique, was to surpass expectations for Sasuke Uchiha.

The man that came out of the doorway was tall, with long, lank black hair and skin as pale as that Sai boy's. Kabuto briefly wondered what had become of him when he fully realized who was the victor of the battle and smiled. He gave a short bow.

"Orochimaru-sama." he said reverently. When he looked back up, two Sharingan-red eyes gazed at him before blinking back into slit-pupiled gold. "He's gone, then? I had the utmost confidence in your power." The golden eyes regarded him but the thin mouth gave no answer. Kabuto kept smiling. His master had his moods. "Does the boy's death upset you? I had prepared your favourite dinner and rustled up some more powerful prisoners for you to test the Sharingan out on."

"Hn." Orochimaru grunted, and turned away. Kabuto's eyes flew open with surprise. Had the Uchiha boy really rubbed off on him that much to make his master say the infamous phrase? What's more, he stood with his back to him with his head slightly bowed. It was that same cocky posture he had seen countless times in Sasuke. Apparently full of openings, he would insult his opponent and then decimate them as soon as they moved. Orochimaru spoke again. "Did you really think I was defeated by that slimy bastard? When Itachi still lives and runs free?"

Kabuto reeled back. It was Orochimaru's voice, no doubt, but the words, the tone, the whole bloody situation was so damn _wrong_. "Y-you can't have..."

Lost in shock, he was unable to dodge when the other flash-stepped close to him and held the sword of Kusanagi at his throat. The silver-haired man gulped and tried to regain a semblance of control.

"What now?" he hissed through clenched teeth. "Planning to masquerade as Orochimaru-sama to get close to your dear nii-san? Not a chance. Itachi's his- was his enemy." The use of the past tense regarding Orochimaru was alien. The Sannin's lackey had a hard time imagining a world where Orochimaru only existed as a shell.

Oro- _Sasuke_ regarded him. "Danzō's Hokage now."

Kabuto blinked. "Yes." he paused, thrown off. "And?"

"Itachi's an enemy of Konoha." he continued.

"So are the Sound." Kabuto pointed out. Sasuke gave a short nod of agreement.

"However, the Sound village has the potential to be a powerful ally. Danzō, I'm guessing, will be more reasonable than that foolish old blonde."

"Ah..." The answer dawned on Kabuto. Sasuke saw the light of comprehension in his eyes and stepped back, sheathing the Kusanagi. Having worked things out, Kabuto was quick to start making a platform for himself. New allies needed to be made in this world without his master, and new plans laid. The smile was back on his face, and he adjusted his glasses. "You're playing a dangerous game, Sasuke-kun."

"It's Orochimaru-sama." Sasuke told him, beginning to walk away.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto held up his hands to feign innocence. "But may I repeat myself? You cannot simply walk into Konohagakure. Danzō might accept the Sound as an ally, but you need leverage over him should things go awry."

Sasuke stopped. Kabuto saw one hand impatiently brush away a lock of long hair and he grinned wider. _'Sasuke-kun's not used to the body yet. Orochimaru-sama's tastes must annoy him to no end, and now he has to stick with them to make himself more believable.' _ he thought gleefully. _'Plus, my comment's ticked him off. He hasn't thought of that yet, so he'll need to yield to me.'_

"What do you propose?" Sasuke's voice was neutral, but Kabuto knew he had won that little battle and mentally danced with happiness.

"Give me three weeks. I can find you your leverage and get his cooperation." he said confidently.

"No. We're going to Konoha in a week." Sasuke answered shortly.

"Fine." Kabuto fake-pouted. "Once we're safely entrenched in Konoha and my presence is not needed, then you let me go."

"Deal." The Uchiha headed down the hallway.

_'The next few weeks are going to be very entertaining...'_ Kabuto thought to himself. He adjusted his glasses and followed.

* * *

><p>Forgive the short chapter. I wanted to get something done and my Naruto-esque muse fed before it starved to death. In the next, you'll get to see Konoha under Danzō. What fun, eh? And I wonder who's really in power here... Sasuke or Kabuto. You'll find out in later chapters :) Though, I warn you, there will be some spoilers for the later chapters of the manga coming. I'll be sure to post a spoiler alert when those come at the <em>beginning <em>of the chapter.

Looking back... this is _really_ short. I mean, really. Apologies.


	22. A lure

_'The public is a ferocious beast; one must either chain it or flee from it.' ~ _Voltaire

* * *

><p>"If I may say so, sir, the administrators will not take kindly to having the whole system changed so suddenly." An orange-haired man said politely. He was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, giving his daily report of village proceedings to the Hokage. "I suggest making a tour of the academy and inquiring after the percentage of students who graduate per year, compared to those who must repeat a year or repeat exams. It would be much more effective becoming involved close-up than from a distance."<p>

"I want you to view the school today, then, Fū. Go as my representative and tell them I am interested in seeing the progress of Konoha's-" Danzō grimaced. "Bright new futures."

"In my experience, Hokage-sama, all humans enjoy praise. It has opened many doors; and as Hokage, most of them are opened for you already. I will arrange an appointment for...?" Fū paused, letting the question hang. His golden eyes blinked once, and he never turned his gaze away from his lord. Danzō absentmindedly drummed the fingers of his left hand on his desk. Yamanaka Fū was one of the select few in Root who knew of the truth behind Danzō's right eye and arm. He had been in Root for many, many years, along with his partner Torune, and they had never failed him nor inadvertently revealed his secret. With much of the original Root taking on a new task now, he was also part of the team of fifteen that still carried out undercover missions.

"Eight o clock, two days from today." Danzō picked up a pen and signed a slip of paper. "Take this authorization and present it to them for them to sign, confirming the visit. Is anything unclear?"

"Yes, sir." Fū bobbed his head in affirmation. "One thing. What if I find a low rate of failure and their current procedures are satisfactory?"

A corner of Danzō's lips twitched in what could have been a smile, but it swiftly passed. "I am not satisfied with just 'satisfactory.' There is always something those complacent idiots could be doing wrong."

"Understood." The man kneeled and touched his hand to the ground. Danzō took a minute to adjust his Hokage's headdress. Tsunade, as Hokage, rarely wore the wide-brimmed hat, and it wasn't required by law.

_'However, it's required by tradition.'_ Danzō thought grimly. _'Tsunade-hime decided to do away with it... but things are different now. She was content to let her chunin and even her jonin slack off and keep Konoha a meek country open to invasion. Genin and pre-genin under her rule were poorly trained, with but a few gems in their bunch born with talent. Hiruzen... bah, he also set a bad example. It is lucky I kept the roots of Konoha healthy, but now I am able to tend to both, and my country will become strong again.' _A knock on the door sounded, and this time the brief, mocking smile of earlier returned. _'It must also be noted that those under my command actually use the door.'_

"Enter." he commanded. The door swung open and closed, and Shikaku Nara stepped into the room. Danzō paused, formulating what he would say next. Something was going on if the Jonin Commander reported to him directly.

"News?" he asked at last, eyes boring into the spiky-haired man. Shikaku flinched almost imperceptibly, but didn't avert his gaze- he _couldn't_ avert his gaze. Danzō nodded to himself. _'Of course, as long as I still keep the orders I gave him under the Sharingan, then he can't disobey.'_

"Hokage-sama, there is a force of Sound nin heading our way." The commander stated. "They bear a flag of truce and their leader asks for an audience."

"And who is their leader?" Danzō asked quietly.

* * *

><p>"Damn, I'll be on liquid food for a week." Naruto grumbled, holding his stomach gingerly. He had one hand on the rail, refusing Sakura's offer of letting him lean on her shoulder. "And no training, either! And-"<p>

"Bed rest three hours a day, light physical activity and no missions or trips to the training grounds." Sakura said gently. "It's not the end of the world, Naruto. You've been in the hospital for a longer time before."

Naruto lowered his voice. "But, Sakura! At least then, I didn't have to have a shadow!" he protested in a loud whisper. The bubblegum-haired girl rolled her eyes and cast a swift glance backwards, where the third member of their little party walked. The masked ANBU gave no indication that he had heard Naruto's comment, nor any indication that he was paying attention to them at all. Sakura frowned to herself. Naruto disliked masks, and always needed to know what the other person was feeling. It was going to be a rough two weeks for the jinchuuriki.

"It's for your safety." Sakura insisted, also lowering her voice. "Kakashi-sensei recommended this man."

"But I don't even know his _name!"_ Naruto shot back.

"Iichiro." The ANBU said. Naruto jumped a foot into the air at the sudden reply. "I was Kakashi-san's elder and team leader before he retired, and now I do mostly solo missions."

"Such as guarding me." Naruto said, and Iichiro acknowledged him with a nod. The boy sighed, his shoulders drooping. There was dark circles under his eyes that belied many sleepless nights. "Whatever." Listlessly, he stepped off the last step and moved into the street. Sakura pursed her lips, worried.

_'No word on Sai... Naruto won't tell me why Sai was even over his house in the first place, or anything else about that night. I need him to stop worrying himself to death. Then I'll get him to talk.'_

"Say, Naruto." The kunoichi said aloud. She folded her hands behind her back and stopped in the middle of the street, putting a smile on her face. "You have to stay on liquid food, don't you?" she questioned. Naruto grunted, and she took this for a yes. "So you're not allowed to have ramen."

"Are you trying to make me feel any worse?" Naruto snapped, and Sakura almost flinched, struck by the viciousness of his answer. He made a step as if to go around her.

_'Oh, no you don't!' _Sakura thought stubbornly, and took a step so she moved over to block his way. Her smile broadened and sweetened. Some of the fakeness left it at Naruto's endearingly childish scowl. _'He's still such a kid.' _Her green eyes closed into half moons, and she tilted her head coquettishly. To many others and once even Naruto himself, this pose had men practically jumping into her lap. It was all an act, however. She would do it to Lee and watch his face go red (and then she would kiss him, but that was another matter altogether); she'd do it to Sai and get a raised eyebrow. She'd do it to Naruto and start some harmless flirting. Hell, she'd even tried it on Hinata before and made the poor girl pass out before she could explain it was a joke. It was a pose that was achingly familiar, full of awkward and dear memories.

"Naruto.. do you want to go out for ramen?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. "You might not be allowed to have noodles... But I'm sure that Ichiraku-san can make you some flavourful broth!"

A glint of amusement flashed in Naruto's dull eyes, and desperately Sakura clung onto it. "I'll pay." she pressed, and at last the act brought the desired results. Naruto heaved a sigh and stuck his hands in his pockets, looking away moodily. He couldn't fool her, though. The kunoichi saw a smile tugging at the corners of Naruto's mouth.

"Yosh!" he said brightly, though his voice still sounded a little too forced for Sakura's liking. "If you're paying, Sakura-chan, then I'll get to eat all I want!"

* * *

><p>"Bid them enter. Keep them under guard and parade them through the village, but make sure all of their weapons are removed first and that only five, including the Otokage, come to see me."<p>

* * *

><p>"Delicious!" Naruto mumbled before quickly raising his bowl of ramen broth to his lips again. He downed the remaining salty liquid in one big gulp, putting the bowl down with a clang. The boy burped and wiped his mouth, but he was grinning hugely at both getting to have a taste of ramen and Sakura's disgusted expression. The kunoichi was absentmindedly stirring a spoon through her own bowl of broth. She hadn't wanted to torture Naruto by ordering a full bowl of noodles, but now she was wishing she could change her mind and return the bowl. Watching Naruto slurp down the extremely salty liquid without the aid of a spoon was making her lose her appetite; and besides, ramen without ramen noodles was almost as bad as seawater.<p>

A little bit of oily liquid trickled down Naruto's chin, and unable to bear it any longer Sakura looked away. She shoved a handful of napkins in Naruto's direction.

"Here, baka." she hissed. "It's called _manners_- ever heard of them? God, you're worse than Choji at a table full of _ikayaki!" _

Ichiraku appeared before them, wiping his hands on a cloth. He smiled widely at Naruto.

"Would you like another bowl, Naruto?" he asked, and Naruto nodded vehemently. A few strands of blonde hair were shaken free and fell down across his forehead, so huffing out a frustrated breath he attempted to put them back into place. Looking around for a miiror, his blue eyes alighted on some cheap, microwaveable ramen cups for sale. They stood in a neat row on a shelf on the inside of the store, ordered by flavour: Pork, shrimp, vegetable, chicken, beef. Sakura smiled lightly at him as Naruto stared at the cups for longer than a simple look-over.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "I'm sure it won't be that bad going without that unhealthy stuff for just a week." Sakura nudged him lightly, grinning. "Maybe this will finally get you to start eating well!" Naruto didn't reply. Her smile faded, and she took a closer look at his face. His eyes were fixed on the ramen cups, but were seeing something else. "Naruto?"

"I was going to make those. For the two of us." Naruto said slowly. "I was going to- going to wake up in the morning earlier than him, for once, and have two cups of steaming hot ramen on the table to prove to that bastard that I can cook too." His fingers clenched on his thighs, and he lowered his head so he wouldn't have to meet Sakura's questioning gaze. "I was... heh, what am I saying?" he laughed softly and passed a hand over his face. "I'm embarassing myself right now, aren't I?"

Sakura watched him sadly. "You were going to have breakfast with Sai." she guessed, and Naruto nodded.

"Sakura... you don't think _he's_the one who tried to kill me, do you?" he questioned, at last lifting his head. His eyes shone with a desperate hope.

Slowly, the kunoichi shook her head. "No. No, I don't think he tried to kill you, but there's something going on here that he's a part of and we don't know enough about. Something to do with Root, and Danzō."

"But he's Hokage now! What else could he want?" Naruto asked heatedly.

"Who knows?" Sakura shrugged disdainfully. "Power, maybe. It's what people like him are always hungry for. There will be changes coming, Naruto, and maybe he'll slip up and give us a clue about what happened to Sai."

A smiling Ichiraku placed another bowl of ramen broth in front of Naruto, who drank it more slowly than the rest. The two sat in silence until the last slurping noises faded, and then Sakura stretched and placed some bills and coins on the table.

"Thank you for the meal, Ichiraku-san!" she called. As they started to walk away, a shadow detached itself from the side of the ramen shop and started walking a discreet distance behind them.

Kakashi paused next to an alleyway that appeared to be empty.

"It's all right, Iichiro-sempai." he murmured quietly. "Follow at a distance, but do not reveal yourself; I'll be close to them for a while." Having given his message, Kakashi took out a copy of _Icha-Icha: Paradise_ and sped up his pace so he would bump (_completely _by accident) into Naruto.

"Heey, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said cheerfully. The jonin raised an eyebrow at him. "Long time no see!"

"I saw you this morning." he replied simply.

Iichiro, true to his word, did not join the trio. He stole softly and silently across windowsills, behind street market stalls, and occasionally ducked into alleyways for a side route before meeting up with the main street later. He had had countless missions where he had needed to stay unnoticed and follow a target in an enemy village; but in all his long years on the job, he had never been ordered to follow a shinobi of Konohagakure. Even less did he expect that someday he would have to protect his charge from those who were supposed to be comrades. He had not been ordered to take on the job. Iichiro was doing it because Kakashi had asked him to. Little explanation was needed. The ANBU were feeling the reprecussions of Danzō's appointment already- the number of missions they took on a weekly basis suddenly decreased, leading many to suspect a second, secret force had taken up those jobs. They normally would have been ordered to investigate Sai's dissapearance, too, but the Hokage hadn't even mentioned it to them.

_'I have never seen Kakashi look so tense... well, in such a familiar environment, that is.'_ he thought to himself, watching the silvery head of hair weave through the crowd. To most observers, the scene was normal. Two students talking to each other; the blonde one pestering his sensei, the pink-haired girl trying to get him to stop. The sensei appeared disinterested in everything but his book, but Iichiro knew better. Kakashi had been on the same page for too long, and his free hand was casually dangling near the kunai on his belt.

Shouts from ahead. Iichiro's eyes flickered to the next intersection, where some some of crowd was forming. He saw an entourage coming slowly up the street, and his eyes narrowed behind his mask. _'What's going on now?'_

"Say, what are all these people doing?" Naruto complained as he tried to shove his way through the crowd. Some were whispering. Some people were glaring. He finally made it to the front of the crowd, Kakashi and Sakura squeezing out to stand close by.

Ten stern-faced shinobi were marching up the street, their feet making little impact on the cold, hard earth. In their midst were five shinobi; three of them wore characteristic dotted headbands and dark flak jackets, but the other two were dressed quite differently. Those two walked at the front of the group of newcomers: A silver-haired young man, his bespectacled eyes darting about; and a tall, pale man with lank black hair visible from underneath a blue and white Kage's headdress.

Naruto's mind went blank. He tried to formulate words, but nothing came to mind. The Sound nin had almost passed him by when the Otokage tilted his head a little bit so Naruto could see half of his face.

Orochimaru smiled. It was a terribly _knowing_ smile, one that sent shivers of dread running down the young Jinchuuriki's spine.

Kabuto gave the decrepit Team Seven a mocking half-wave.

The Sound nin passed on.

"What the _hell _are they doing here?" Sakura hissed venomously.

"Orochimaru must have heard about Danzō's election." Kakashi's mind was working fast. _'He hears about the election. He knows that Tsunade is incapacitated He is using this chance to strike a deal... or an alliance. Shit, that's it. An alliance. Knowing Danzō, he will accept. Two powerful wills brought together, each trying to control and manipulate the other. Konoha will become a battleground for each side's spies.'_ A bitter smile without any feeling threatened to take over his face. Thankfully, his mask hid it; if Sakura or Naruto had seen it, they would have though he was going mad. _'Perhaps I am.' _The jonin thought. _'It seems inevitable that someone will have to cave in. Things are getting worse and worse. Sai- I'm willing to bet he holds the key to this. Whatever happened that night was important enough for Danzō to make him disappear If he can testify, or if Naruto gets his memory back...'_ Kakashi's grey eye lingered on Naruto's face. The boy was talking angrily to Sakura.

"Naruto. Sakura." he said firmly, catching their attention.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura queried.

Kakashi steeled himself. _'Ah, well- if I'm going to find anything out, then I should start sooner rather than later. It pains me using Naruto like this.. but I need to appear complacent, like I'm just being tugged along for the ride, or else Danzō will find ways to stop me leaving Konohagakure.'_

"There is a tradition passed along by every Hokage to hear shinobi opinions on domestic policy every other Tuesday in the afternoon." he said mildly. "You're a chunin, Sakura, aren't you? I'm sure that you can take Naruto with you today and ask about Orochimaru's presence here."

Sakura frowned. "I can't, sensei, you know that I have to work in the hospital today." she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Can you go with Naruto and ask for me?"

"Hmm, well.." Kakashi sighed, affecting boredom. He put away his book. "If you insist."

* * *

><p>Danzō looked at Orochimaru keenly as the Sannin sat down in the chair opposite him, in the Hokage's office. His movements were languid and smooth. Both of them were wearing official dress, though now Orochimaru took his headdress off as a sign of respect for being in Fire Nation territory.<p>

"Looking as spry as always, Rokudaime. My congratulations on your appointment." Orochimaru said, his voice at once a paradox of being deferential and disrespectful. Danzō grunted.

"I doubt you came in person just to send well-wishes, Orochimaru." he said flatly. "You want something, and you came here to get it."

Orochimaru's tongue darted out and he licked his lips. "Very _perceptive_ as always, too." he noted appreciatively. "But I don't come here asking for Konoha's surrender-"

"Not today." Danzō quipped sharply. Orochimaru clicked his tongue, sounding offended.

"My, my! What a harsh welcome I'm receiving. Do you really distrust me so much, Danzō? I have already been made to realize Konohagakure's strength. I will never try anything of the sort again. All I want is something that will benefit the both of us."

"An alliance." The Hokage said, and Orochimaru nodded. Danzō leaned back in his chair, studying his opponent's pale face and hungry yellow eyes.

"And what if I were to simply betray the truce, and have you killed, right now?" Danzō said, so softly that Kabuto barely caught it despite standing close by his master's side.

Orochimaru was unfazed. He smiled a little wider and blinked slowly and theatrically. The two golden, slit-pupiled eyes became Sharingan red. Danzō's breath caught in his throat and he sat straight in his chair before remembering himself. The Hokage sank back, but now eyed Orochimaru slightly more warily.

"You took over the Uchiha's body, then." Danzō stated. "I had hoped to kill him before that happened, but it looks like I was too late."

"You needn't worry about that, if we are to be allies." Orochimaru persisted. He laid bony white hands on the table and leaned forward. "I sense it. You want to agree with me, so why are you holding out?"

Kabuto watched the exchange, feeling smug. _'Sasuke's adapted so well to Orochimaru's body and his habits that I'm beginning to think that Orochimaru-sama is not wholly dead after all. As time passes, he's displaying more and more of his mannerisms and quirks- licking his lips often, tasting the air, and treating everything like a play. It would be frightening if it weren't so amusing.' _

"We must still... negotiate the terms of the alliance. I would like you or your closest subordinate to be here at all times, accompanied by at least one of my personal guards."

"Agreed." Orochimaru waved his hand carelessly. "I would like to work with you on the capture of the Akatsuki, and the last remaining Uchiha, Itachi... for his Sharingan."

Danzō blinked. "Ah, yes, you were a defector, were you not? I would imagine that they would want you dead." He paused, waiting for a comment, but Orochimaru simply shrugged and smiled creepily. "In that case, I have a special request of my own, one that should be a specialty of yours- and yours." he turned his dark, one-eyed gaze onto Kabuto.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" Kabuto bowed.

"I need a corpse."

* * *

><p>Kakashi stopped Naruto out of earshot of the two ANBU standing guard at the entrance to the Hokage building.<p>

"Remember." he told his student in a low voice. "Wait for me to make an introduction first, and then talk, but keep your wits about you. You won't get away with just a bruised head if you cross the Rokudaime... Tsunade-sama was always lenient torward punishments."

"Hmph, lenient?" Naruto grumbled.

"Naruto." Kakashi warned. "If you want to find anything out, then you have to be respectful. I know it hurts, but bear with it."

"Yes, yes." Naruto shifted impatiently from foot to foot. When Kakashi nodded at him, he took off in a purposeful stride, entering the building with the jonin following close behind. The receptionist at the desk looked up. Kakashi frowned at her. Previously, it had been a sweet-tempered middle-aged lady who worked the desk. She was a shinobi, but preferred desk work to the field, and managed every visitor with supreme patience, efficiency, and kindness. This newcomer was about five or ten years younger, with her black hair done up in a tight bun.

"You're new." he said casually. "Did Minura-san retire?"

The woman gave him a bright smile that didn't reach her eyes, and Kakashi was immediately reminded of Sai, back in the day.

"Yes, she went to live with her family on an outlying so she could protect the borders and be with relatives. May I arrange an appointment?" Her voice, too, was wrong. It affected cheerfulness, yet at the same time was oddly flat.

_'Root.'_ Kakashi realized. _'Of course, he would want of his own agents to watch the door.' _

Outwardly, he kept his tone polite, aware that Naruto was growing increasingly impatient. "Actually, we are here to speak with Danzō-sama during his bi-weekly conferences with shinobi."

Her expression didn't change. "Of course. Proceed upstairs to his office, then, and I will ring up to announce you are coming."

Naruto looked around uneasily as he crossed the large entrance room to get to the stairs. He was one of the more frequent visitors of the Hokage's building, and had come to know most of its workers. However, other than Kakashi, he saw no one familiar around him now.

"I've noticed it too." Kakashi said unexpectedly. "There have been staff changes."

"That lady was weird." Naruto said by way of affirmation. "I don't think she would be nice at all." He put his hand on the side rail, ascending the steps. Fluorescent lights had flickered on by then, eliminating soft shadows and flooding the enclosed stairway with harsh light. "Say, Kakashi-sensei... what do you think Danzō will say?"

"I don't know, Naruto." his elder replied frankly. "I'm sure he will tell us a whole load of lies, though from those lies we should be able to find some grain of truth."

"Eh?" Naruto scratched his head, making Kakashi chuckle. The jonin ruffled his hair fondly, making Naruto scowl and bat his hand away. "What's that for? I'm not a kid anymore!"

"No, but I'm still older than you, so I have an inherent right." Kakashi answered cheerfully. He heard footsteps ahead of them, then saw a pair of sandaled feet come into view. He nudged Naruto to the side so they could let whoever was coming down pass.

It was Kabuto. Kakashi's hand twitched in the direction of his kunai before he mastered his instinctive response to that little half-grin.

"Should you be wandering around by yourself?" he asked mildly. Kabuto shrugged.

"I'm going to the bathroom." he answered pleasantly. "Besides, I'm sure that there are two ANBU above our heads as we speak. The security you Konoha nin have is really top-notch." He glanced over at Naruto, who was glaring at him with clear loathing. "Ah, hello, Naruto-kun! Just you and the sensei, I see. Where's the bubblegum girl?"

"Working." Naruto ground out.

"Mm. Interesting." Kabuto's eyes glittered, and Kakashi sensed the conversation was about to enter dangerous territory. "What about your boyfriend, that pasty one- Sai? I see he isn't here with you, either." Naruto dug his nails into his palm, but couldn't think of a retort. Kakashi noted with surprise that he hadn't automatically called out Kabuto on calling Sai his boyfriend and not mentioning their last disastrous encounter in Orochimaru's lair. Kabuto gave a short gasp. "Ah- don't tell me! Is he still injured from Sasuke's manhandling? I recall he shielded you from Sasuke-kun's katana. Or..." Kabuto gave a short laugh. "Did he die saving you?"

"You bastard!" Naruto lunged at Kabuto, forcing Kakashi to grab onto his collar and hold him back to prevent a physical fight. "You're just as bad as Orochimaru, slinking around under people's skin like the world's greatest asshole, and-"

"Naruto, we're going to see Danzō. Calm down and ignore him." Kakashi reprimanded sternly, though his fingers too itched to wipe that smile off Kabuto's face.

"Let me _go!"_ Naruto snarled. He twisted in Kakashi's grip and broke free, running up the stairs two at a time. His chest twinged painfully from the extertion, but he ignored it and Kakashi's calls.

Naruto burst onto the top floor and reached out for the door handle to the Hokage's main office, intending to wrench it open. Two ANBU shimmered into sight from where they had been standing camouflaged and attempted to push Naruto away. but he was too strong for them.

"Oi, old man!" Naruto burst through the doorway, his face flushed angrily. "And you- GET OFF!" The two ANBU who had accosted him at the door still somehow clung to his arms, but he shook them off with unnatural strength. It was only with Kakashi's quick intervention that he saved them from being thrown into the wall, but Naruto paid them no further attention. He stood in the middle of the room, breathing heavily and glaring at the Hokage. Danzō raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. "You were leader of Root, weren't you? And you disbanded it, didn't you?"

Danzō drummed his fingers on the desk, studying the furious Jinchuuriki like he was an interesting painting. "The Foundation was a militant organization under uncertain leadership. Even if I _happened_ to have something to do with it, I could never disband it, boy. It was never formally recognized. Now, what is this all about? I was polite enough to give you several minutes of my precious time, but the Fire Country is not easily run, and there are more pressing matters at hand than a young child's whim-"

"_Whim?!"_ Naruto stalked forwards and slammed his hands on the desk. Kakashi jumped forwards, grabbing him by the shoulder.

"Naruto, control yourself!" he commanded. "Hokage-sama, I am deeply sorry for this intrusion... Naruto heard that it was your day to hear shinobi opinions, and so he insisted on using some of your precious time." he laughed slightly and rubbed the back of his head. The placating words to this usurper made his mouth feel dirty. Danzō waved his hand, one eye crinkled and face twisted into a smile faker than any of Sai's.

"Now, now, let him ask his question." he paused, and opened his eye, meeting Kakashi's stare. "I will humour him. After all, I only wish to do what I can for the inhabitants of my village."

"Then tell me this." Naruto interjected. "Danzō... " he gritted his teeth. "Danzō-_sama_. You know all the members of Root, and track them wherever they go. So, tell me- where is Sai, and what have you done to him?!"

Kakashi sighed mentally. _'Naruto... I would have chosen a less straightforward way of asking.' _ He searched Danzō's face for any hint of malice, but found none. Instead, the Hokage looked down, regret colouring his voice.

"Ah... I had hoped to send a messenger to break the news to you, but it seems you got to me first."

"Break the news?" Naruto asked suspiciously. Danzō sighed, looking every bit his age.

"I regret to inform you, but he has... passed away."

"D-dead...?" A wave of dizziness crashed over Naruto, and the room swam before his eyes. He sat down hard on the floor, sending a jolt of pain through his still-healing chest. He tried to say something, but for some reason words didn't come easily to mind; finally, with difficulty, he forced out: "You're wrong. You're trying to trick me."

Danzō shook his head slowly. "I have had the body brought in for a proper funeral, if you wish to see it before the ceremony... he was found outside the village. The poor child must not have known that the Sound nin are our allies now, and attacked. He wouldn't have stood a chance against Orochimaru." He bowed his head. "I am so very sorry for your loss. He was a fine shinobi, one of the best."

Kakashi's own grey eye widened. He stared hard at Danzō, but the man gave nothing away.

_'He has to be faking it... he would never show regret.' _Unconsciously, Kakashi's fists tightened at his sides. _'But he's offering us a body. Is it the real one? Did Orochimaru kill Sai- or did Danzō arrange his death? Or maybe...no. Sai wouldn't.'_ He refused to believe the third option that presented itself: that Danzō was telling the truth.

"So Orochimaru murdered Sai, and you're letting him into the village?" Kakashi asked thickly, between clenched teeth. Danzō tilted his head, his face half-shadowed by the Hokage's headdress.

"Oh?" he murmured. "Would you have me forsake an alliance with a strong village for the sake of petty revenge?"

None of this registered with Naruto, except for one word. _'Orochimaru.'_ In his mind, he saw once again that tiny, mocking smile the Sannin had given him from under his blue headdress. _'Orochimaru.' _he thought numbly. _'He came to finish the job.' _

Kakashi couldn't tear his gaze away from Danzō. _'It takes a lot to get me worked up... hell, I can't remember the last time I was really angry. But something about this guy...'_ He let out a long breath, trying to calm himself down. "I'd like to see him, Hokage-sama. He was my student, after all."

"Of course. Would you like me to inform his teammates, or...?" Danzō trailed off, his gaze flickering in Naruto's direction.

"I'll do it." Naruto said, as if with great effort. "I'll tell them."

* * *

><p>Whoo-ee. Perhaps it was the manga that got me back into writing. (R.I.P. those dear characters in the recent chapters.. they will be missed. Necessary and good for plot, perhaps, but their deaths are still sad. Though if Kishimoto somehow resurrects them again, I won't be happy. Too fake).<p>

Welcome to Konoha underneath the Rokudaime, my friends. You'd probably be better off in the Mist village in its heyday; since at least then they didn't invite a snake to nest amongst their homes.

I hope I'm not confusing anyone with this whole 'Sasuke is Orochimaru' thing. I feel it would be more confusing to write in Sasuke speaking when everyone else except for Kabuto thinks he's Orochimaru.


End file.

Naruto, Adventure