Caught In Between
Chapter One – Oh Dear.
Everybody loves it when Naruto or any other member of Team Seven goes back in time to teach their counterparts. So why not Sai? Due to a paperwork mix-up, a confused Sai becomes a very reluctant sensei for Team 7 and Kakashi becomes an even more reluctant sensei for several traumatized ROOT kids. Or, what happens when you combine demonic chakra, Kamui, and Hiraishin and Sai is stuck in the middle. TimeTravel, Sensei!Sai
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and neither do you! Unless you are Kishimoto. Then you do. *sighs*
AN: I apologize in advance. I suck at writing anything related to fighting. Actually, I suck at writing in general. Let me know how you feel about Sensei!Sai
Sai stood on his ink bird as he watched Naruto and Madara clash in their latest epic battle. Madara seemed to be winning, but as usual, Naruto would pull something out of his ass, turning the tide. He sighed. This was getting a bit repetitive. Suddenly, he sighted a yellow flash.
Apparently, Naruto finally learned his father's namesake jutsu. It's about time. This could change the tide of the war!
With a yellow flash, Naruto suddenly materialized in front of Madara. He leaped forward, intent on killing the man that had brought the shinobi world to its knees. Sai dove down, seeing that Madara was preparing a Kamui. All three clashed together in a glorious display of jutsu, and a second of silence. Then, there was a massive shockwave and darkness, at least to Sai.
The rest of the Allied Shinobi Force was blinded by a flash of multi-colored light. When they finally came to their senses, they looked to the battlefield and saw that it was completely devoid of life. No Madara, no Naruto, nobody. For years afterward, they would remember the brave hero who sacrificed his life to defeat Madara.
In another world, Naruto awoke as Namikaze Naruto, to the smiling faces of Kushina and Minato Namikaze.
In another world, Madara awoke as the Second Hokage.
Sai, however awoke to the murderous smirk of Morino Ibiki.
"Oh, goody, you're awake."
Sai groaned and rubbed his eyes. At least he attempted to. When he tried to, he realized that his arms were completely restrained. "Good morning to you, scar-face. Are your scars real, or are they cosmetic to attract little girls?"
Ibiki growled. "My scars are all-natural, thank you very much. Iwa's top interrogator…" He coughed, realizing he was getting off topic. "Yesterday, you were found by ANBU Black Ops on the outskirts of the village after a massive surge of energy with an unknown forehead protector and a stolen Konoha forehead protector. Cooperate and we'll make your death quick."
Sai was confused. This was another one of Madara's illusions to give up vital information. Ibiki had died years ago. There was no way he would give into one of Madara's sick genjutsu.
"Don't screw with me! There's no way I'd hand over information about the Alliance to the likes of you!"
Ibiki slammed his hand on the table. "You have ten seconds before I bring out the thumbscrews."
Sai looked at him blankly, ROOT training taking over. "Sai, Chunin, Registration ID: 012420."
"Five seconds."
Sai merely repeated what he just said and Ibiki took out the thumbscrews. Sai sighed, closed his eyes, and prepared for the pain.
"Before I do this, I have only one question. Why did you take a Konoha forehead protector?"
"What?"
"Where did you receive that forehead protector? Did you take it off of the cold body of a Konoha shinobi? ANSWER ME!" Ibiki roared.
"What are you talking about, scar-face? I've always owned this. I am a Konoha shinobi. Perhaps your scars symbolize your stupidity and inability to duck. I once read in a book…"
"DON'T LIE TO ME! Konoha was destroyed years ago!" Ibiki thundered. (1)
"What?" Sai asked disbelievingly, devastated. "B-but how? Konoha…destroyed?"
"Konoha was destroyed several years back."
"That's impossible. What happened to Naruto?"
"Are you talking about Uzumaki? He died too, in the crossfire." By now, Ibiki was confused. What did the young container have anything to do with this?
"I can't believe it. Konoha is…gone. Naruto is dead too." Sai muttered dazedly.
"Just kidding, I lied. But at least I now know that you care for Konoha." Ibiki said. The entire situation was too confusing. An unidentified shinobi with a hitae-ate from no known village appears after a huge power surge, but appears to care for Konoha and its young demon container. This situation called for the Hokage. He pressed a button on the panel of the wall, notifying the Hokage to come from behind the one-way window. Scar-face, huh.
The Sandaime Hokage walked in slowly, every picture of the fearless leader and experienced war veteran he was. Sai absently wondered if the walk was carefully choreographed. Danzo always said that the Sandaime… Then, he nearly choked on his spit when he realized that he was looking at the Sandaime Hokage. He died years ago, fighting his student Orochimaru during the Chunin exam invasion by Oto and Suna. So why was he here? Was this another hellish illusion of Madara's to tempt him? Or was he really… He squeezed his eyes shut. There was no way time travel was possible. But if it was, he thought dryly, a Kamui, combined with Hiraishin and Kyuubi's chakra combined would probably do the trick. He was interrupted from his thoughts when the Sandaime cleared his throat.
"So, Sai-kun, mind explaining how you came here?" The Sandaime Hokage asked congenially with an edge of hardness.
"I can't remember much…Naruto used his father's Hiraishin and Madara used his Kamui, then I woke up here. I wonder though, how low the standards of the ninja world have fallen to allow an old man like you to be a ninja."
Sarutobi's eyebrows rose, then he tensed, deeply suspicious. "Who are you and how does Naruto concern you?" He purposely ignored Sai's comment.
"Naruto, Sakura and Tenzo are on my team." Sai responded. Didn't Madara already know that? Why was he asking these questions?
However, while Sai was clueless towards his time traveling, the Sandaime Hokage was not. He suspected that the clash of two powerful space-time techniques could have caused a rip in the space-time continuum, sending Sai, who was caught in the middle, back in time. It was so impossible, but yet it was the only possible explanation for Sai's peculiar behavior. All of his actions – the respect towards Naruto, shock at seeing him, Konoha hitae-ate and sudden appearance corresponded with time travel, but the idea seemed so absurd. Even he had time traveled, was Sai trustworthy? He recognized the emotional conditioning that every ROOT member possessed. Did Sai care for Konoha and its Will of Fire or Danzo's twisted version? For now, he would just ask him a few basic questions to make sure that he indeed had time traveled.
"Sai, how old is Naruto?"
Sai looked at him oddly. "Eighteen."
"Naruto is twelve."
"Oh dear."
Standing in the Hokage's office, Sai mostly tuned out the Sandaime as he explained how Sai would serve as a probationary jonin and Konoha citizen for six months, during which he was to be stalked by ANBU day and night.
"Okay, sign these forms here and here." Sarutobi said absentmindedly, pointing to the sheet that lay in front of him. Sai signed them. "Congratulations, you're a probationary citizen and ninja. Now that that little matter has been cleared up, let's discuss the future." He looked at him sternly, gaze sharpening, then motioning for the hidden ANBU to leave the room.
"Hokage-sama. To be honest, the future, well, sucks."
"Explain."
"Everything started to deteriorate around the Chunin Exam invasion." Sai shrugged.
"Konoha was invaded?" The Hokage asked, alarmed.
"It was only the beginning. A few years later, Pein turned the village into a smoking crater." Sai responded cheerfully. By this point, the Hokage was about to have a heart attack. "But it all turned out OK."
"OK?! THE VILLAGE WAS TURNED INTO A CRATER!" The aged Hokage roared, in a rare show of anger, nearly turning Sai into a vegetable due to his oppressive killing intent and rage.
"Well, Naruto s-somehow managed t-t-to convince him to revive everyone." The Sandaime looked slightly mollified and reduced his killing intent. Sai, taking this as encouragement continued, "And then Madara unleashed the Ten-tails, Six Biju, thousands of White Zetsu clones and reincarnated versions of famous shinobi, including the previous Kages, Seven Swordsmen and S-rank criminals."
Sarutobi entered into another fit of apoplectic rage, but was too furious for words. Sai cheerfully continued.
"But the five hidden villages got together to face the common threat, so cooperation occurred! It was great! We got to make new friends."
The Hokage growled – growled – at Sai, before sighing. "Start from the beginning."
Sai began his lengthy explanation, which took up the latter part of the day in which he explained how the combination of Orochimaru, Danzo, Akatsuki and Madara nearly annihilated the shinobi world, with upbeat – and unwanted – interjections about Orochimaru's pedophilia, Danzo's body snatching, and everyone's creepy obsession with Sasuke.