-Set at the beginning of Shippuden, the Elders send Sakura off as a hunter-nin, wishing for her death as a way to weaken Tsunade's political powers. Sakura agrees to prove them wrong, but what she didn't know was that Orochimaru's involved! Oh, god… Just what did she get herself into?


Hip-hip-hooray! I got the new chapter up! Sorry it was so late, but I didn't get much inspiration this past month and so… I was really busy with my fanfic Akatsuki no Kuruma. It ended, and I went to work on its sequel. I almost forgot about this fanfic. Shinobi, Mirrorcle World isn't doing any better. I have no inspiration for that fanfic, and so I'm just trying to get this fanfic to catch up to its counterpart, kay? Right now, this chapter coincides with Mirrorcle World's Episode Seven and Eight. Also, just keep in mind that I'm going to be skipping some of Naruto and Orochimaru's battle since it's in Mirrorcle World already.

Thank you and please enjoy!


Episode Nine

~His Lost of Control,The Kyuubi's Power, Her Submission, and Sai's Betrayal~

"Guinea pig?" Kabuto asked, staring at Yamato. "Just who is this person?"

"Well, you see…" Orochimaru started as he fixed his face. "The first Hokage was a shinobi possessing the most unique of abilities… The wood style ninjutsu… What's more, he was also able to bend the tailed beasts to his own will. Oh, how I coveted those gifts of his… Having obtained data on the Shodai's genomes from his remains, I carried out an experiment in which his genetic traits were sliced into the cells of sixty different children, my test subjects. But their bodies didn't seem to like the foreign DNA, to say the least… They died by the dozens, one after another… And here I thought they all shared the same fate. To think that there was a lone survivor!"

Hinata stared at her team leader, shocked. Yamato-taichou . . . he used to be Orochimaru's experiment?

Kabuto smirked. "Well then, it seems you'll be able to get your hands on what one might call a long overdue research sample."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Yes… But before that,"—he turned his attention back to Naruto—"I would wish to see our Sasuke-kun fight the Kyuubi boy once. I wonder which has gotten stronger…"

"He isn't yours…" And suddenly, from his chakra shroud, Naruto sprouted two extra tails in just a blink of the eye. "IN MY PRESENCE, DON'T YOU DARE TALK OF SASUKE OF IF HE BELONGS TO YOU!" An explosion of chakra, threads of it, flew into the air like whips.

Yamato's eyes widened. "That's…!"

Hinata shifted her eyes at her teammate, her eyes now filled with worry. What is that . . . that chakra?

Sai held his hand in front of his face. This air… It hurts!

As Orochimaru stared down at Naruto—no, the Kyuubi—he couldn't help but smile at his fortune. How amusing… he thought.

No doubt about it, Yamato thought, cursing. That's the demon-fox shroud… And three tails already…

This chakra . . . it's terrifying… Hinata thought, Goosebumps all over her. I can tell by just how it feels on my skin… This isn't any type of chakra that can be controlled!

So . . . Sai thought, his eyes narrowing. This is Uzumaki Naruto with the power of the Kyuubi…

Kabuto focused his chakra into his palm and charged at Naruto while his back was turned. But with the Kyuubi's chakra in the air, Naruto felt the vibrations as Kabuto moved and turned around. He let out a horrifying roar, and another explosion of chakra erupted. It was so powerful that Kabuto was sent all the way across the bridge and into the forest. But Kabuto wasn't the only one hit; Hinata was sent back, and the bridge was cut in half and was now collapsing.

Moving quickly, Yamato hurried with his hand signs and used his jutsu to support his half of the bridge.

Orochimaru quickly moved back, but a large chakra hand reached out and uppercut him. And Naruto went after him.

As Yamato tried to sustain the bridge, he finally noticed Hinata's unconscious form. Did she hit her head when she fell just a second ago? She sure picked a Hell of a time to lose consciousness!

Sai, on the other side of the bridge, quickly took out a scroll. This is it! he thought. This is where my top-secret mission begins! He painted a bird, "Ninja Art: Super Beasts Scroll!" And it was in enormous proportions.

Yamato saw as Sai got on his painting. "Sai!" he yelled. "Help Hinata!"

But as the Hyuga began falling down in the gorge, Sai did not do as he was told. He just simply passed her on the way.

"Oh, please…" Yamato prayed as he created another flexible root of wood. It shot out to grab Hinata, and luckily it caught her.

Boom!

Another chakra explosion… And this time, it was so far in the forest. Sai could see it all from his view. Orochimaru seemed to have lost an arm. However, two hands came out of his mouth and pulled off his skin. Another Orochimaru? No, he was just recovering from his lost arm and shedding his outer skin.

"You're using the power of the jinchūriki, and that's all you have to show…?" he asked Naruto. "I can see why even your Sakura-chan left you… You still have a ways to go before you catch up with Sasuke-kun…"

And as Orochimaru taunted him, Naruto's fourth tail began to sprout. His skin began to peel until he was only covered in his own blood.

Orochimaru chuckled. This sensation . . . is quite different from what I've seen so far…

✿。.:**:.。✿

As Hinata woke up, she found herself back on the bridge, Yamato watching over her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Hinata sat up. "Y-yeah… I'm fine. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused." Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Naruto's evil chakra shooting into the sky.

I've got a bad feeling about this… Yamato thought as he quickly made a clone and sent it off to where Naruto was.

"Wh-what . . . what happened here?" Hinata asked, glancing at the now destroyed bridge.

"It was all Naruto's doing…"

"Where is he?" Hinata asked, worried now.

"On the other side of the bridge," Yamato answer. "Along with Orochimaru."

✿。.:**:.。✿

Sakura couldn't shake her feeling of dread. The way her chakra-filled bracelet was acting didn't help her at all. It only added to her worry, so much worry in fact that she almost forgot where she was. She glanced over at the Uchiha. He hadn't noticed her fret. Good, she thought as she took out the card (Hinata had given her). It'll make this easier…

"Show me what's happening to Naruto…" But what she (and Kiki saw) wasn't a pretty picture. Sakura could have fainted right there and then, her hand clawed at the floor. "Na . . . Naruto…"

✿。.:**:.。✿

Naruto's going to be a problem… Sai thought, still watching from his bird.

Suddenly, a whole orb of chakra shot up and disintegrated every tree within a ten-mile radius of Naruto.

"Honestly," Orochimaru who was sprawled onto the ground said. "This boy… He simply amuses me to no end."

And as Yamato's clone watched on, he cursed. The fourth tail was now fully completed.

Orochimaru threw up a whole army of snakes then, and they all charged—or rather, slithered as quickly as possible—towards the miniature Kyuubi. Naruto slammed down his hand, and a whole shockwave went through the area, destroying the snakes.

Yamato was almost knocked down. A shockwave this big with the wave of one hand? This can't be real!

Naruto slammed himself into the earth and, just when he was to grab the Sanin, Orochimaru quickly jumped out of the way as Naruto's arms shot out of the ground. But his hand continued to snake after the Sanin. And as Orochimaru shot a large snake at Naruto's hand, the snake turned ablaze at first touch. Another Orochimaru came out of the Sanin's mouth and punched Naruto right in the kisser. But Naruto returned the favor and sliced him in half. However, Orochimaru reconnected himself, a smile on his face.

✿。.:**:.。✿

"I can't say that I was expecting to see the fourth tail here…"

"Yamato-taichou…" Hinata said, realizing something. "You know something about Naruto-kun that you're not saying, aren't you? Just what's happening to him?"

"Hinata, there's no need for you to worry," Yamato replied. "It's for this reason in particular that I was chosen for this mission."

"Well, then…"

The two turned around. Kabuto was still alive?

"It would seem that Sasori won't be showing up, after all…" the freak said. "His decision to tell you of this bridge was, in all likelihood, made with the intent of having you take care of Orochimaru-sama since he's been a thorn in the side for the Akatsuki. If the Sasori I knew chose to send you here then that means he was impressed by your strength. Sasori harbored much ill-will towards Orochimaru-sama and was always talking of how he intended to finish him with his own hands. If he went back on those words and sent you to do the job then he's already been reduced to a state where he can't do it himself… In other words, he's either been taken captive or he's no longer counted among the living."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Hinata said. "But it's the latter. His grandmother and Sakura made sure of it."

Kabuto smiled. "Well, that's wonderful news."

✿。.:**:.。✿

Orochimaru moved back as he saw Naruto charging up for his next jutsu. This is getting rather troublesome… he thought. Even for me to be hit by such highly concentrated chakra would spend out unavoidable death…

Yamato's clone looked on with anxious eyes. So, in search of stability, the chakra that leaked out is attempting a form even closer to the Kyuubi… Then that is truly a miniature form of the demon-fox with Naruto's body acting more like a skeleton… The Kyuubi chakra here is different than what I saw before both in terms of its quantity and character. Most notably, it reeks of malice. How can he still be able to move with that kind of chakra around him? Naruto, just what's happening to you?

Just then, Naruto fell to the ground, almost paralyzed.

Orochimaru laughed at the sight. So you ingest that kind of chakra, making it harder for you to move… But how do you plan on fighting then?

Naruto's body bloated up and then Boom! He shot this . . . this laser out of his mouth.

So that's how it is? But even with that kind of jutsu pitted against him, Orochimaru was not going down without a fight.

✿。.:**:.。✿

"He's become more like the Kyuubi than he was minutes before…" Kabuto said.

Hinata, shocked at these words, didn't know how to respond. "Naruto-kun…"

"You'd be better off calling this a battle between demons rather than ninja."

Boom!

"Naruto's been thrown over here…" Yamato said.

And as Orochimaru went in for the kill, Naruto slammed his arm against the bridge—Orochimaru going down with it.

"Not good!" Yamato yelled as he carried Hinata to safer ground.

"Take a look at that…" Kabuto said. "He's willing to become that just to save Sasuke-kun."

Tears came to Hinata's eyes.

"By now, his own senses are leaving him… What a sad boy…"

And with that, Hinata's legs moved of their own accord. She ran . . . towards Naruto.

"No, Hinata!" Yamato yelled after her. "Don't go near him when he's in that state!"

"Naruto-kun!" she yelled. "Enough already! Even Sakura wouldn't want to see you like this! Please! I'll rescue Sasuke for you! So . . . so you don't have to—"

But Naruto didn't know friend from foe, and…

✿。.:*Somewhere far away*:.。✿

"He attacked Hinata!"

Sakura knew it was bad when she saw the orange color of the gem on her bracelet turn a bloody red but, when she saw the red shooting at a light sky-blue dot and the scene from the card, she jumped from her seat and ran towards the exit. But she forgot one teensy-weensy little problem . . . or person, whatever you want to call it.

When Sasuke grabbed her neck and slammed her against the wall, she clearly remembered why she was here in this dark underground hideout and not outside battling alongside Naruto. Now tightly stuck between the Uchiha and the wall and being almost unable to breathe, she stared right into his Sharingan. Kiki, completely infuriated, started barking as loud as possible.

"I thought I made it clear that, if you tried to escape again, I wouldn't be so lenient anymore."

"Let . . ." Sakura tried to pry his hand off of her, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Let me go… Please… Hinata's . . . she's in danger… Please… Naruto . . . he's . . . he's lost it…"

Despite her futile struggling, she saw the Uchiha's eyes narrowed slightly, and there was this darker feeling in them once she mentioned the other member of Team 7. She didn't know if it was because she kept information from him regarding what she knew about where Orochimaru had gone or because it was just plain dislike for the blonde, she just knew that he was just angry that she had tried to escape again. And this time after they had sparred together on her insistence. It must have seemed like it was all part of her plan to leave.

✿。.:*A Little While Later*:.。✿

"What you say…" Orochimaru asked, "On what basis should I trust it?"

Sai didn't answer, keeping on an impassive face, and reached back into his backpack.

Kabuto pounced him from behind, tackling him into the ground—a kunai to the boy's head. Everything from Sai's backpack fell out, including his paint set . . . and an envelope.

"What is that?"

"Come on, calm down, Kabuto." Orochimaru chuckled. "From today onward, this kid will become our subordinate."

". . . Can we trust him?"

"Please, look inside the envelope." Sai said to the Sanin. "It's for you from Danzo-sama."

And when Orochimaru peeked inside, he gasped. "This is…!"

"What's inside?" Kabuto asked.

"Kabuto, please. Release that kid," the Sanin ordered. "He's coming with us…"

Kabuto did as he was told, putting away his kunai and getting off of Sai.

"Sai, was it?" Orochimaru asked. "Shall we go then?"

✿。.:**:.。✿

"So . . . what happened to Sai?" Naruto asked, clutching his still hurting stomach. He got a good look of the now destroyed bridge, and his eyes widened.

"Sai . . . he's right now moving with Orochimaru," Yamato explained, having some kind of telepathic talk with his shadow clone who had completely witnessed the Root member's betrayal.

And before Naruto could yell out a loud "WHAT?", Hinata asked, "Wh-what do you mean? What's this all about?"

"Follow me…"

✿。.:**:.。✿

Clutching her throbbing arm, Sakura could only glare at her ex-teammate. "Bastard…"

Kiki also did not like her mistress's predicament, and so she continued to bark.

"Was this really necessary?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke just shrugged. "It'll be easier for me if you ever step out of line again…"

"You really are paranoid!" Sakura almost screamed. "How long will it take you to trust me again? It's not like I'd kill you in your sleep or something! I haven't even done anything remotely against you!"

Sasuke didn't say anything, his eyes scrutinizing her. "It seems your memory isn't as good as you think it is."

"What…? What are you talking about?"

"You haven't don't anything remotely against me? Fine, then what do you call slapping me, throwing breakable furniture at me, cursing my ancestors, trying to punch the heck out of me," and the list went on and on.

Sakura could swear her face was turning red. "I . . . that . . . well… Damn it, Uchiha! Must you always win at everything?"

✿。.:**:.。✿

"Hinata, daijōbu desu ka?"

"Ye-yeah, I'm fine…" Hinata tried to smile. "It's . . . it's nothing to worry about, Naruto-kun…"

But Yamato knew better. The Kyuubi chakra entering from her wound is like poison… Something like that can't simply be healed by Hinata's level of medical jutsu… For Naruto to endure it…

"How did you get that injury, Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"Oh . . . th-this?" Hinata glanced at the wound on her arm. "I . . . I was careless. Orochimaru attacked me . . . but it only hurts a little bit… I can barely even feel it…"

"Hinata-chan, you shouldn't be putting yourself in danger like that."

"Let's take a little break here," Yamato said. "Hinata is our only medical nin. She's needed if we are to complete our mission successfully."

"I'm . . . I'm fine!" Hinata argued. "Be . . . besides, we need to hurry! If we don't leave now—"

"It's true that I did say that we should hurry, but there's also the saying, 'rushing only leads to disaster.' There's a difference between hurrying and rashness, you know." He turned his attention back to the ramen-loving ninja. "Naruto! For the remainder of this mission, I'll be taking Sai's place as your partner. While we have time, let's decide on our attack pattern. Can you come over here for a bit?"

"But—"

"Daijōbu, Hinata-chan!" Naruto flashed her a smile. "It's just some man-to-man talk! There's no need for you to be involved!" And then he followed Yamato.

Here will do… the team leader thought, glancing at the distance between them and Hinata.

"So . . . what should we do first?" Naruto asked.

"Right, before that, there's something I need to discuss with you first, Naruto." Yamato said. "The one who hurt Hinata was you, Naruto…"

✿。.:**:.。✿

"So . . . that bridge, that hollowed-out landscape, and Hinata-chan's wounds… I did all of that?"

"Correct," Yamato answered. "Hinata didn't want to hurt you, so she lied… That Kyuubi strength that you have, I have a special ability that enables me to suppress your jinchūriki power, so you shouldn't worry… However, that is only when I'm close to you. In short, I really didn't have to tell you the truth right now or anything, but the reason why I'm telling you this is that, if you use that strength, you might have a faster chance of saving Sasuke. But relying on the Kyuubi's strength isn't your true strength. Relying on the Kyuubi will not only hurt yourself but others around you, close to you. You should have realized that by now. The reason why you didn't try to stop releasing that power is because you got impatient, right?

"From now on, I'm going to suppress your Kyuubi chakra completely. However, if you think that that will make you weaker then you're greatly mistaken. You're strong enough to not need to rely on that power. Your true strength isn't from the Kyuubi's power, and the reason you're able to stand its chakra is because of the strength of your own chakra. If you want to save Sasuke, use your own power, not the Kyuubi's."

✿。.:**:.。✿

Sakura could hear footsteps in the hallway. It was most likely Orochimaru and Kabuto. But there was a third set of footsteps. Whose were they? Did they capture someone from Naruto's team?

"Kiki…"

The dog immediately knew what Sakura wanted. Kiki quickly ran out of the room, through a small hole.

Sasuke, too, figured out what Sakura was trying to do. If that third person was someone from Konoha then it'd be bad if Sakura was found cooperating with S-ranked criminals. He mentally groaned. How troublesome could she get? But regardless, Sasuke sent his chidori through the floor, shocking his ex-teammate, making her fall to the floor, and paralyzing her.

But before she could retort, Orochimaru came into the room.

"You're late…" the Uchiha sneered. "Orochimaru, did you forget about how you were going to teach me a new jutsu this afternoon?"

Sakura would've flinched if it wasn't for the fact that she was sitting on the floor, thanks to the other fact that Sasuke had paralyzed her. Currently, she was trying to send her chakra through her body to stop the numbness. She shifted her eyes to the third man. Who's he…?

"You fail to mind your mouth, as always…" Kabuto said, clicking his tongue.

"Oh, do please calm down…" Orochimaru added. "You had your ex-teammate here to entertain yourself with. And instead of training, I happen to have come by a little present for you. He's a shinobi from Konoha, just like you… I figured you could bathe yourself in nostalgia, talking about your old village…"

"Greetings, my name is Sai."

"Get lost," the Uchiha said to the Root member.

"Even when I force myself to smile, it seems I'm the type of person who ends up being hated, and Naruto-kun didn't seem to care much for me the whole time too…"

So that's Naruto's new teammate… Sakura thought, glancing back and forth between the Uchiha and this really pale guy. He doesn't really look like Sasuke… But . . . why is he even here?

"But you know, in comparison with him, I think I'll get along with you much better."

And in that small second, the sound of birds chirping could be heard.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed, grabbing his arm before he could harm the Root member. (Apparently, the paralysis wore off.)

"How admirable!" Sai said, his smile still plastered on his face. Was he trying to compliment her? "To see lightning and not think life is fleeting[1]… You must hold some kind of position in his heart since you know he won't harm you…"

Sakura stared at the Root member. Did he want a death sentence?

The Uchiha stopped his jutsu then but activated his sharingan. And the moment Sai looked into his eyes, he fell to the floor.

Sai wiped his face. Sweat…? I'm supposed to feel nothing, have no feelings… Yet by just looking at his eyes, does this mean I fear Sasuke deep within my heart, despite being unable to recognize it myself?

"It'd be a good idea not to tease Sasuke-kun too much," Orochimaru advised. "You see, he's even harder to deal with than I am."

"I don't care to deal with trash like that," Sasuke said. "Orochimaru, it's time for training now…"

"It seems he's been looking for you all this time," Sai said as he stood up. "For the last three years…"

Sasuke said nothing, though Sakura was a bit saddened by that, knowing fully well who Sai was speaking of.

"Naruto-kun considers you almost like his own brother," Sai continued. "That's what Hinata-san told me."

"I only have one brother," Sasuke said. "He's the one I want to kill…"

Sai said no more after that.

"Anyhow, I'll be leaving now…" Orochimaru said as he handed Kabuto the envelope from before. "Use these to compile a Bingo Book for our ninja."

And when Kabuto opened the envelope and took out the papers, his eyes widened. "These are copies of the profiles of the Hokage's personal troop division…! And they would seem to be the real thing…"

At these words, it was Sakura's turn for her eyes to widen. She glared at Sai. Just who is he?

Sai smiled at her. "So you must be Tsunade's student… Danzo told me I might meet up with you…"

Sakura didn't say anything, her ears catching onto the name of Sai's superior.

"He told me to kill you if I get the chance."

She scoffed. "How nice of him…" Her hand rolled into a fist. "Tsunade also told me that Danzo would be restless… I wonder how he'd take it if Konoha finds you pummeled to a pulp…"

"Hey, now…" Kabuto said, trying to stop a fight. "I know you two aren't from the same political party—"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Gee, what ever could have given you that idea?"

"—but I don't want you two to start an unnecessary fight." Kabuto continued, ignoring Sakura's comment. "Sakura, you may be our honored guest here but, if you do anything to—"

"Enough," Sasuke said. "Sakura."

She knew what he meant. "Aw… And I thought you'd leave me here… So much for trying to escape again…" the kunoichi sighed, but really she was grateful she was getting out of that room. She didn't want to be surrounded by too many criminals nor did she like it.

And as she passed Sai, she smiled at him. "I owe you a punch for insulting Hinata-chan and, for betraying Naruto, you owe me a death…"

"I'm looking forward to it," Sai replied, a smile still painted on his face. "You're Tsunade's student, and Hinata said you defeated Sasori of the Akatsuki. I want to see for myself just how strong you really are."

Sasuke's ears caught on to the conversation. Akatsuki? Since when did Sakura ever take them on? His eyes shifted towards the girl as they left the room, following Orochimaru. She seemed to have been in deep thought once again, her eyes distant but her left hand still caressing her right arm.

The Uchiha mentally sighed. He didn't know why he placed that jutsu on her… It just happened. But there was no use thinking about it now. He just knew that he didn't want Orochimaru to find out.

"Sakura, go get some rest."

✿。.:**:.。✿

"Here, huh?"

"Yep," Yamato answered. "The entrance is right below that rock formation in front of us."

"Okay, let's go then." Naruto said.

"Hold on," Yamato held out a hand to stop him. And he took out two pills. "You can go after you've swallowed this, Naruto. And here, one for you too, Hinata. Even if we end up getting separated, with those inside you, I'll be able to locate you immediately."

"What are these?" Hinata asked, looking the pill over.

"To put things simply, those seeds are tracking devices. They're a tool of mine that respond only to my chakra. Those are just the same as the ones that I planted in Sai's clothes and food."

"I see…" Hinata said, still looking at the seed in her hand. "So . . . this is how you were able to track him."

"When did you manage to—"

"Don't you remember?" Yamato asked Naruto. "How I went back to the room before you three at the hot springs? Now you two should understand why I went out of my way, using my own money, to treat everyone to such a lavish stay at the hot springs. Everything was just like Tsunade-sama said. Taking precautions with Sai has sure paid off in the end."

✿。.:**:.。✿

"Here we are," Kabuto said, opening a door. "Come inside." He lit a candle. "This shall be your room. When we don't have anything for you to do, we expect you to quietly behave yourself in here." He moved to leave the room. "If something comes up, we'll call for you."

As Sai looked around his small and dull quarters, he asked, "Did the news of her betrayal not spread yet? How come I did not hear of it?"

"Her?" Kabuto asked, stopping in his tracks. "Oh! You mean the Haruno girl… She's here but not by her own will, if that's what you're asking."

"You've captured her?" Sai raised an eyebrow.

"Captured, invited, welcomed… Call it whatever you want. Orochimaru just keeps her here as an honored guest. I suppose he thinks Sasuke-kun needs the entertainment. I don't understand it myself. If it were up to me, she'd be dead by now. But Sasuke wants to keep her alive, so no one touches her. She's very troublesome actually, trying to escape every now and then…" Kabuto shrugged, walking out of the room. "Sorry to have to do this, but I'm going to have to lock this door from the outside. After all, you're… Well, you understand."

Sai had no protests as Kabuto shut the door. When he knew the door was locked, Sai pressed his ear against the wooden structure. Kabuto's footsteps were getting further and further away…

Sai backed away from the door and took out a small book from his backpack. He flipped through the pages, reading the information on them.

✿。.:**:.。✿

The door creaked open, and Sai quickly stuffed the book back into his bag.

"And look who we have here…"

And in came Yamato, Naruto, and Hinata.

Sai smiled. "The Hokage-controlled ANBU, impressive as always…"

"Why don't you tell us about what's going on here?" Yamato suggested, but Naruto had other plans.

"You!" he yelled, grabbing the collar of Sai's shirt. "Why did you betray us?"

"You shouldn't make too much noise here," Sai said. "It'll mean trouble."

"Why, you—"

"Na-Naruto-kun!"

Naruto held his glare for a few more seconds before releasing the Root member.

"Here," Hinata said to Sai. She held his picture book in her hand. "We found this. I believe this belongs to you."

"Thank you," Sai gladly took back his novelette.

"You're . . . you're here under Danzo's orders, right?" Hinata asked. "Danzo's planning something through working with Orochimaru . . . and you were chosen as the go-between. What is it that he's planning?"

Sai didn't answer.

"He's plotting the destruction of Konoha, right? Another war with Oto?"

". . . No, actually—"

"We all already know of your fake smiles!" Naruto yelled. "And the same goes for the lies you force them through!"

"My mission ended in failure the moment you found me," Sai explained. "And I can't very well take the three of you on by myself, so . . . since you already know so much, there isn't much reason to hide things anymore. Just as you say, we're going to destroy Konoha as it exists."

"Why, you…" Naruto's hands rolled into fists.

"We wanted to weaken Tsunade's political power, so we sent her apprentice away. She should be dead by now."

Naruto's fists shook.

"But in order to completely destroy Konoha, I was to gain Orochimaru's favor thus giving us a chance for us to ally with him. That was my true mission."

"Keep talking," Yamato commanded, pointing a kunai at Sai. "Tell us everything you know."

"You… Do you even realize what you're saying?" Naruto asked. "What it means—"

"That wasn't all," Sai continued. "I was also supposed to secretly transmit information on Orochimaru to Danzo-sama. In other words, I was also assigned a mission of espionage."

"So the mission was to ally with the enemy, then use and outwit him in the end… And that enemy is Orochimaru?" Hinata asked. "It's a dangerous mission…"

"Once Konoha falls, Orochimaru is guaranteed to betray us in the end. My mission was intended to allow us to always stay one step ahead of him."

"Danzo wants to make Konoha his own, obviously." Yamato said. "And you, on your own, were assigned a mission to make that possible."

"I was singled out due to the special abilities I have," Sai explained. "The ink I write with becomes small, living animals. They protect themselves from harm as they carry information out to their destination."

"If Konoha becomes a stage of battle again, countless of people . . . so many of them will die!" Hinata said. "What you're trying to do is going to have very real consequences! Do you . . . do you even understand that?"

Sai just shrugged. "I just follow my orders."

"Sai . . . you're—"

"Just to let you know, 'Sai' is just a name that was assigned to me merely for the purpose of this mission. In reality, I'm nobody. I am nothing more than a tool for Danzo-sama. I don't really exist. As such, whatever you say to me, it means nothing."

"In that case," Hinata said, "Tell me why you care so much about that picture book you carry around with you!"

Sai had no answer. He hadn't expected that question. He looked down at the book he held in his hand.

"The two children on the covers, that's you and your brother, right?" Hinata asked. "You carry that around because that's the only thing left that proves you really do exist, am I correct? You didn't manage to get rid of your emotions despite what you say. Even for us shinobi, abandoning our emotions completely is impossible."

". . . Please explain," Sai said. "Why would carrying this book serve to prove my existence?"

"The reason why you refuse to let go of that book is precisely because you find yourself unable to forget your existence as someone's brother. Do you understand why?"

Hinata took Sai's silence as a no.

"It's because your bonds with your brother are very important to you."

Sai's eyes widened.

"The reality is that you don't want to erase the bonds between you and your brother."

"Bonds…"

"Sorry to say, but we took a little peak at the contents of that book." Yamato said. "The picture on the two pages in the center is the only part of the book unfinished. Judging from the rest of the book, you and your brother would have ended up fighting on those center pages. Sai, I know that you are a part of ANBU's Root, and I know that Danzo has given you special training to relive you of your emotions—training identical to that of the godforsaken tradition that was once practiced in Kiri, the village of bloody mist. Sai, your brother was killed by none other than y—"

"You're wrong!" Sai said. "I had intended to give this as a gift to my brother but, just when I was about to complete it, my brother . . . he died of illness." And he said this with a smile. "We weren't connected by blood, but he complimented me quite a bit on my drawings. Root was filled with a great number of children who had been separated from their families due to battles, and I had gotten close with one of those children, calling him my brother. This picture book… The picture I wanted to show my brother the most, the one in the center… I . . . after my brother died, I couldn't seem to recall what I wanted to draw."

✿。.:**:.。✿

Once Kabuto unlocked the door, he walked in. Nobody was there, and he knew something was up.

✿。.:**:.。✿

"Unfortunately," Yamato said to the now tied-up Sai. They were just outside Orochimaru's hideout. "We're going to have to leave you here with my clone to watch you."

"Hmp!" Naruto cracked his knuckles. "Now to get back to what we came here for. It's time to rescue Sasuke!"

Sai just stared at Naruto and then looked down. "It'd be better if you gave up now," he said.

"I met Sasuke-kun," he continued, shocking the blonde. "Orochimaru is always with him. If you continue to go after him, the best you'll manage is being torn to shreds and turned into guinea pigs. Besides, Hinata-san said that you care for Sasuke-kun as though he were your own brother, but he said he doesn't care about you anymore… And despite that, do you really intend to go up against Orochimaru of all people, just for him? You're going to put your life on the line just to get him back? Why? It's not like you've been ordered to do this."

Naruto smiled. "Way back when, I used to hate him but, when I got used to being with him, I realized he's really a lot of fun to be around. He's the person that, more than anyone else, accepted me and my existence. Sasuke is my friend, and he represents bonds that I waited so long to receive, so that's why…"

Bonds…

"Plus, I made a promise to Sakura-chan! I'll make sure he's back in Konoha, waiting for her just like everyone else!"

". . . Are you sure this Sakura-chan is trustworthy?" Sai asked. "How would you know? She's just another person. Who's to say that she'd—"

"Of all people, she's the last person who'd betray me! I trust her as much as I trust Hinata-chan here!"

Na-Naruto-kun… Hinata almost blushed.

"Still, all for a promise…" Sai continued. "That's not much of a reason especially if it means going up with people like Orochimaru…"

"I don't care who I have to fight. If he rips my arms off, I'll kick him to death! If he rips my legs off, I'll bite him to death! If he rips my head off, I'll stare him to death and, if he gouges my eyes, I'll curse him to death! Even if I'm torn to shreds, I'll find a way to take Sasuke back, no matter what!"


[1] = a haiku by Basho

Yay! Chapter is finished! Sorry, that it was more about Naruto in this chapter, but I promise the next one will have more SasuSaku in it! I just had to make sure you guys understand the chapter and what happened! Thank you and please review!


POLLS!

Okay, I'll need you guys' help since I skipped the last half of it in Mirrorcle World.

Since Naruto's going to meet up with Sasuke soon, I'm going to need some ideas of how that should go. With Hinata there and Sakura's role completely turned around, there's bound to be a huge difference. So what do you think I should do for it? Write down any suggestions in your reviews.