"...But through me, it would work things too terrible to imagine." ~ Gandalf, Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkein
"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?"
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?"
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.
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."
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.
'My mind... it keeps bringing back images of him, as if it expects me to do something about them. But what? Danzō-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?'
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.
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).