~Tenshi's POV~
After talking with Yamato, I looked at Sakura who was reading Sai's book while Naruto and Yamato talked to each other. I sat next to Sakura and looked at it with her, that when I saw what she did, our eyes widened.
"You guys, get over here!" I called Naruto and Yamato over. They ran over, Yamato sat by Sakura while Naruto sat by me and Tamotsu. Naruto narrowed his eyes at it.
"Just what is this picture?" He asked.
"This is so strange, so Sai drew this," Yamato observed.
"But look, this book, the two pages in the center are different from the rest, here," Sakura said showing Naruto the book.
"There's something that's just creepy about that," I said. She showed us the picture of a black haired boy in Chuunin/ Jounin gear with a Leaf headband. His right hand was in the center of the book like he was going to hold hands with the other character that's supposed to be there.
"The pictures on all the rest of the pages are finished, it's just this one," Sakura told us.
"And what about those other pages? If we can understand their content then we might be able to figure something out about Sai," Tamotsu said to us.
"Well, it looks almost like it's the story of the two boys, the one on the front cover and the one on the back," Sakura told them. "In other words, it works out so that the story of each of these two boys, starts with their respective cover and works its way towards the center. But the characters are silent and not a single word is written," Sakura told us.
"So, what's the story like then?" Naruto asked.
"I don't really understand it that well, if you start with the black haired boy for instance…" Sakura trailed off. She opened to the start of it showing the black haired boy fighting a ninja with a black scarf and a kunai. Sakura turned the page again showing the same black haired boy fighting a samurai with a sickle and chain.
"The same boy is always on the right page with the left side being a different person on every page," I said observed. Sakura turned the page again showing a man in a yukata holding a bladed staff. As I was observing, I looked at Naruto who seemed to have the same idea as me. "Naruto, you see it too?" I whispered to him, he nodded.
"Sakura, go back one page," he told her. She turned the page and Naruto saw what I did. "I thought so…see the boy on this page? On the next page, his outfit is a little bit different, not just that but look," Naruto pointed out.
"He's carrying the same weapon as the guy that was drawn on the last page," I told them.
"I guess it's a story about a boy vanquishing his enemies one after another then," Yamato concluded.
"And look, he takes the weapon and armor of each of his enemies after he defeats them," Sakura told him. She went through a few more pages seeing the same thing.
"So, two stories about two boys growing up as they fight their enemies then," Tamotsu stated. I nodded.
"While it starts at the other end, the white haired boy has the same kind of story," Sakura said to us. I looked closed and so did Naruto.
"Hey…don't you think that black haired kid looks like Sai?" I asked. Naruto nodded in agreement to my question.
"Yeah, he does…" Sakura agreed.
"So, Sai was drawing himself then," Tamotsu said to us.
"But I wonder who this white haired boy is then," Sakura mumbled. I then started thinking about when Sai and Sakura talked…he said he had a brother.
"It might be…Sai's brother and that would mean that the center of the pages are Sai and his brother," I told them. Naruto and Yamato were shocked. Yamato closed his eyes.
"Let's get going now, it looks like my Clone has been able to locate the lair," Yamato told us. We nodded and got moving again. I started holding my pendant. Naruto frowned and held my hand. Sakura saw and frowned too.
"What are you going to do when you see Sasuke again?" She asked me. I sighed and looked ahead.
"I'm going to follow my dream," I told them. They gave me a confused look. "I never told you guys, but when an Ookami no finds a mate, they and the mate have dreams about the other, such as future events that revolve around them. The hand I had about him that would revolve around now was he and I talking…you were all there as well," I told them. They nodded, but I could see that they were shocked.
"What about the dream you had the other night?" Tamotsu asked me. Everyone looked at me with curiosity. I sighed again.
"In that dream…I had to premonitions…one of me and Sasuke…and other of me and Gaara," I told them. They all gasped. "The first one of me and Sasuke was when…our first child, Itachi, was born, all of you were there of course," I smiled. They smiled back, even Yamato smiled at that. "Then when it came to Gaara, we had a three year old daughter named, Tsuki, I was also pregnant with a baby girl we were going to name Tori," I told them. They were shocked. I groaned. "This is not making my choice of mates any easier!" I complained. The boys chuckled while Sakura giggled.
"Leave it to Tenshi to lighten the mood," Sakura said to us. I smiled.
"If it makes it even better, you and Naruto were the godparents of Itachi," I told her. She and Naruto grinned.
"We're getting Sasuke home now, believe it!" Naruto shouted with determination making us laugh a little. Then we turned serious.
"Naruto, Tenshi, Tamotsu, this time we will succeed, the four of us, together," Sakura said to us. We nodded.
"We know," We said to her with determination in our eyes. I looked ahead. I placed my pointer and middle finger in front of my eyes and closed them.
"Taiingan!" I called out. My eyes changed and I looked farther ahead. I soon found the hide out. "We're about fifteen kilometers away, we have to hurry. Yamato, I also found your Clone," I told them. Yamato nodded and we ran faster. Then we finally reached our destination. The Clone told us that the lair was right below the rock formation we were looking at. It's under those rocks that Sasuke is waiting.
"Okay, let's go then," Naruto said but Yamato stopped him.
"Hold on a second," he said to him. His Clone disappeared and made four pills for us. "You can go after you've swallowed these," he told us. I grabbed mine and Tamotsu's while Naruto and Sakura grabbed theirs. "Even if we end up getting separated, with those inside you I'll be able to locate you immediately," he told us.
"What are these?" Sakura asked him. I knew what they were.
"They're seeds that are tracking devices, they only respond to Yamato's chakra," I told them. Yamato was surprised. "We had something like this back in Mangetsu, we would use Moon Flower seeds instead," I told him. He nodded.
"These are the same things I planted in Sai's food and clothes," he told us.
"I see, so that's how you were able to track him," Sakura observed.
"When did you manage to?" Naruto asked.
"Don't you remember? How I went back to the room before the three of you at the hot springs. Now you four should understand why I went out of my way using my own money, to treat everyone to such a lavish stay at that hot springs resort. Everything was just like Lady Tsunade said taking precautions with Sai sure has paid off in the end. Anyhow, enough talk. Swallow those now please," Yamato said to us. We did as he told us and swallowed the seeds. "Okay, everyone, it's time," he told us. We all nodded. "We'll conduct and infiltration file; Tenshi and Tamotsu are first, I'm second, and Naruto and Sakura are the rear," he told us.
"What's our method of infiltration?" Sakura asked putting on her black gloves as I was putting on my white fingerless ones.
"We're taking this by the book, so we'll use Earth Style to approach from within the ground," he told us. We nodded. Yamato looked at me. "Can you handle that, Tenshi?" He asked me. I nodded and did hand seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Infiltration Tunnel!" I shouted. I touched the ground making a circle around us as we sunk into the earth. We started walking through the underground tunnel I made until we reached a rock wall.
"Just like I thought, seems their hideout is surrounded by rock," he told us.
"That's nothing, I'll just bust it open with my Rasengan," Naruto told us.
"Hold on! If you go and use a showy Jutsu like that, they'll figure out we're in here in no time," Sakura lectured Naruto. Tamotsu nodded.
"Infiltration requires silence, blondie," Tamotsu told him.
"Then how do we…" Naruto started to ask.
"Here we go," we heard Yamato mumble looking at a crack in the wall. "It's for this kind of hard rock in particular that if you apply just a little force to the small crack…" he mumbled to himself. He turned his hand into a wood like blade and cut out a scare and pushed it making us a whole. "See, just like I said," he told us. We got out of the whole and looked down the hall way. "Well, at least we succeeded in the infiltration part. We'll look for Sai first," he told us.
"I'll handle that part, Yamato," I told him. He was confused as Tamotsu and I concentrated on Sai's scent and sniffed around. I pointed down the left side of the hallway. "It's this way," I told them.
"How do you know?" Yamato asked.
"She has the keen senses of a wolf, so she locked onto Sai's scent," Sakura told him. He nodded in understanding and we ran towards Sai. We reached another all and Yamato made a mirror to see if there were enemies.
"All clear, let's move," he said to us. We ran down the hall. I sniffed again.
"Just a little farther," I told them. We then made it to a door. "Here," I told them. Yamato turned his finger into a key and I opened the door. "And look who we have here," I smirked. We all walked in to see a shocked Sai.
"The Hokage controlled Anbu, impressive as always. To think that fake corpse wouldn't fool you," Sai said to us.
"Why don't you tell us what's going on?" Yamato asked. Naruto walked up to Sai and held him by his collar.
"You! Why did you betray us?!" Naruto yelled at him.
"You shouldn't make too much noise, it'll mean trouble," Sai advised.
"Why you!" Naruto glared.
"Naruto!" Sakura warned. Naruto let Sai go and I walked up with a glare as Sakura walked up as well with his book.
"Here, we found this, it's yours I believe," she said to him handing him his book back.
"Thank you," he said to her. My glare hardened.
"You're here under Danzou's orders, right? Danzou's planning something through working with Orochimaru and you were chosen as a go-between, what is Danzou up to, Sai?" I growled at him. Naruto placed a hand on my shoulder telling me to calm down, but I wouldn't. "He's plotting the destruction of Konoha with Orochimaru, part two of it, right?" I asked him, my eyes had changed into Jinroo's, and I was growling. He smiled
"No…actually…" Naruto interrupted him.
"We already know your smiles are fake and the same goes for the lies you force from them!" Naruto shouted at him.
"My mission ended in failure the moment you showed up…actually, the moment Tenshi threatened me at the resort. And I can't very well take care of all five of you, let alone just Tenshi and Tamotsu by myself so…since you already know so much, there is much reason to hide things anymore. Just as you say, we are going to destroy Konoha as it exists today," he told us.
"Why you…" Naruto growled lowly with me.
"In order to destroy Konoha, I was to gain Orochimaru's favor, thus giving us the chance to ally with him; that was my true mission," he told us. I grew my claws out, I pushed him against the wall with my one hand and placed my clawed hand by his throat.
"Keep talking, tell us everything you know," I growled threateningly.
"You...do you even realize what you're saying?! What it means…" Sai interrupted Naruto.
"That's not everything," he told us. "I was also supposed to secretly transmit information on Orochimaru to Lord Danzou. In other words, I was also assigned a mission of espionage," he told us.
"So, the mission was to ally with the enemy, then use and outwit him in the end…and that enemy is Orochimaru? Such a dangerous mission," Sakura said.
"Once Konoha falls, Orochimaru is guaranteed to betray us in the end, after all, my mission was intended to allow us to always stay one step ahead of him," he told us.
"Danzou wants to make Konoha his own, obviously, and you, on your own, were assigned a mission to make that possible," I glared at him.
"I was singled out due to my special abilities. The ink I write with becomes small, living animals and protecting themselves from harm they carry the information out to their destination," he told us. I let out a menacing growl.
"If Konoha becomes a stage of battle again, countless people will die! What your trying to do is going to have very real consequences, but do you even understand that?!" Tamotsu growled at him.
"I just followed my orders," he said as if he didn't care. Sakura, Naruto, Tamotsu, and I glared at him. "Just to let you know, 'Sai' is a name assigned to me merely for purposes of this mission, in reality, I'm nobody. I am nothing more than a tool of Lord Danzou, I don't really exist. As such, no matter what you say to me, it means nothing," he told me. I smirked.
"Oh really? In that case," I said to him, I grabbed his picture book. "Tell me why you care so much about that picture book you carry!" I demanded. "The two children on the covers are you and your brother, aren't they? You carry that because it is the only thing you have left that proves you really exist, am I not right?" I asked him. He didn't answer me. "You didn't manage to get rid of you emotions, despite what you say. Even for us Shinobi, abandoning our emotions completely is impossible," I told him.
"Please explain, why could carrying this picture book serve as proof to my existence?" He asked me. I sighed.
"The reason you refuse to let go of that book is precisely because you find yourself unable to forget your existence as somebody's brother, do you understand why?" I asked him. He didn't answer. "It's because you bonds with your brother are very important to you," I told him. His eyes widened a little. "The reality is you don't want to erase the bonds between you and your brother," I told him.
"…Bonds…?" He asked.
"Sorry to say, but we took a peek at the contents of that book. The picture on the two pages in the center is the only part of the book left unfinished. Judging from the rest of the book, you would end up fighting you brother on those center pages. Sai…I know that you were part of Anbu's 'Roots' and I know that Danzou has given you special training in order to relieve you of your emotions. Training identical to that of the forsaken tradition that were once practiced in the village of the Bloody Mist, Kirigakure," Yamato said. I then saw where this was going. "Sai, your brother was killed by none other than…" Sai interrupted him.
"You're wrong!" Sai told him. I then looked into his mind with Jinroo's eyes and saw it. My expression softened a little.
"You had intended to give that book to your brother as a present…but just when you were about to complete it…you brother died of an illness," I said to him. He nodded at me.
"We weren't connected by blood, but he did compliment me on my drawings quite a bit. 'Roots' was filled with a great number of children that had been separated from their families due to battles and I became close to one of those children, calling him my brother. About this picture book…the picture I wanted to show my brother most, the one in the center, I….after my brother died…I just can't seem to remember what I planned on drawing," he told us. I sighed and let him go.
"Sai, I know how you feel, I lost my grandfather to illness. I know why you say you don't have any emotions…you don't want to feel the pain of losing that one dearest to you, your brother. The pain may never go away, but it does get better," I told him. I saw his eyes widen a little. Tamotsu and I then perked up and looked at the door. "We need to go, Kabuto's coming. Yamato, tie Sai up," I told him. Yamato nodded knowing that I meant with his Wood Style. I then did the Earth Style Jutsu again and we made it to where we were with the Wood Clone.
"Unfortunately, Sai, we're going to have to leave you here with my Clone watching you," Yamato said to him.
"Now to get back to what we came here for," Naruto said cracking his knuckles. I nodded.
"It's time to rescue Sasuke," I said to him
"It'd be better if you gave up now. I met Sasuke, Orochimaru is always with Sasuke. If you continue to go after him, the best you'll manage is to be torn to pieces and turned into guinea pigs," Sai told us. He looked at Naruto. "Besides, Sakura told me you care for Sasuke as though he were your own brother, but he said he doesn't even care about you anymore, and despite that…" he trailed off. We were all silent. "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 to bring him back?" Sai asked us. "But why? It's not like you've been ordered to do so," he said to us. Naruto grinned.
"Way back then, I used to hate Sasuke, but once I got used to being with him I realized he's really a lot of fun to be around, he's…he's the one 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. But, he also means so much to Tenshi and she's like my sister, I want them both to be happy," Naruto said to him. Sai was shocked.
"…Bonds…still, that's not much reason, not if it means facing someone like Orochimaru," Sai said to him. I laughed making him look at me as Naruto chuckled.
"If our arms get ripped off then we'll just kick him to death. If we get our legs ripped off, then we'll just bite him to death. If our heads get ripped off, we'll just stare him to death. And if our eyes get ripped out, we'll just curse him to death," I said to him. Naruto and I became more serious. "Even if it means getting torn to pieces, we're going to take Sasuke back from Orochimaru no matter what," I said to him. I then bent down in front of Sai. "I told you about Sasuke being my mate…well, if he dies, then a part of me will die with him. And if I die…well…he knows that pain already from our first C rank mission," I said to him. I noticed Naruto, Tamotsu, and Sakura look down remembering that awful day. "On that mission, I died temporarily, but when I came back, I didn't just come back to my team, I came back to him; to the man I love most. That's why, when I see him, I'm going to make him remember everything he and I have been through, everything our team has been through, to show him what…our family has been through," I told him. I then noticed that everyone's especially Naruto's and Sakura's eyes widened when I said family. "That's how much we care for each other," I told him. Sai was wide eyed. I looked down with a frown. "I was kind of hoping you would be a part of that…but I guess I was wrong," I told him as I stood up. We were then silent until Yamato spoke up.
"Once my Clone's ready, we're going…" he said to us. Sasuke, hold on, we're coming for you and we will bring you home.