A/N: 2012.12.22 Hi friends. The only Christmas perk I can give is to post a day early...
Chapter 20
~Faces~
Shikamaru and Ino were currently making their way through a thick forest located within the highest mountain peak of Fire Country a far distance east outside Konoha. They were accompanied by Chouji who had complained that he was left out of the loop. The mystery that was Sai had, therefore, officially become an Ino-Shika-Chou mission.
The initial two investigating shinobi had been at Konoha Hospital records section just a week before.
"We have to make this quick, Ino," Shikamaru told his teammate that day after they exited the hospital. The grabbed images didn't exactly have a permanent shelf life in either of their brains. At least they wouldn't be as clear as they were at the moment."Go to my dad and show him the images. I'll go to your dad and I'll show him the ones you transferred to me. They're bound to give us something."
As expected, Yamanaka Inoichi's mind-reading ability was on a whole different level than his daughter's. The darkened face projected from the transferred image in Shikamaru's head gradually became clear much like how an electronic machine expert would easily de-pixelize a blurred photo.
The revealed face confirmed what Shikamaru suspected all along. The man looking down on the child Sai was no other than Root founder, Shimura Danzo. The silhouette alone wouldn't have given out his identity. The man from Sai's memory had a full head of hair instead of the prominently bandaged head the old war hawk had been seen with in the rare times he made a public appearance. His right eye was the normal kind, not with the Sharingan he had stolen from a dead Uchiha. He also had free use of his right arm. All these made one thing clear - Sai had been in the Foundation even before the Uchiha Massacre.
"There's another thing, Inoichi-jiisan," Shikamaru said. "Can you make out the color of the swirling thing on Sai's palm?"
Inoichi placed his hand on Shikamaru's head again and located the image. "It's… hmm…the direction of the light from behind is making it look quite dark…It's… black, I think… wait a second…let me make sure…no…it's closer to dark red."
Unfortunately, the angry-looking man coming for Sai was not familiar to either Inoichi or Nara Shikaku. Neither was the location of the large hall. But Shikaku knew of an old surviving shinobi who had worked as Danzo's right hand man directly responsible for training Root shinobi since before the Uchiha Massacre. Shikaku was certain he was the one behind Sai when he was brought to Danzo inside that hall. It was a lead to the identity of the man in view.
"I've always suspected that he did not divulge all the secrets of the Foundation after Danzo's death," Shikaku said. "He retired and retreated to the mountains after the Orochimaru Invasion. He has lived as a hermit this past seven years but we still keep tabs on him, of course. We can't just lose sight of him given his background."
And that was why the three ninjas of Team 10 had traveled for a week outside Konoha, trekked up the highest peaks and now making their way through the thick forest to seek out the retired shinobi who could shed light to all the mystery.
~Back-Up~
Earlier that week while Team 10 was making their way to the East, Naruto was in Sage Mode feeling beneath the earth for anything suspicious, any trace of alien chakra within the area assigned to them by Kakashi. Tenzou's squad made straight way toward the center of the location in order to maximize Naruto's range. They ended up deep within the woods in the process. As a result, it took a day for Sai's ink bird to locate them.
"Buntaichou," Sasuke called. His sharingan was active as he was looking up at the forest canopies where only streaks of light peeked through to reveal small patches of the sky above. That was when he spotted the small black and white bird fly past.
Tenzou immediately leaped up and balanced himself on the tip of the tallest pine tree. He unrolled a blank scroll and as the parchment swayed like a flag in the air, the ink bird crashed onto the surface and transformed itself into the short message. At once, the ANBU unit of three was northwest bound to catch up to their comrades.
~墨~
In Konoha the next day, a very concerned Tsunade bit her fingernail as she considered her decision. Sai had also sent her a message informing her of the distress call from Hari's squad. She had hoped that the two squads that she had sent out on the initial dispatch would be enough to handle the unknown threat. ANBU that reported after were sent to other important missions. There were none other available at the moment to respond to Kakashi's squad in case there was a call for back-up.
She was sure Natagama, who had sent the first message, was dead. And now, Hari's squad might have met the same fate. Those were some of my best men, Tsunade thought. Kakashi can handle it, whatever it is, she reassured herself… "Tsk!"
Shizune turned her head from where she stood by a filing cabinet when she heard the Hokage click her tongue far too audibly. "Tsunade-sama…"
The Hokage was standing by her desk, her palms planted on the surface and her eyes closed. She took a deep breath and held it in as she thought of what to do. She exhaled quickly and spoke. "I made a mistake when I sent out a two-man squad in Suna and got them outnumbered and ambushed. This time I've sent ten and still not enough…"
"What do you want to do?" Shizune asked sensing the somewhat emotional tone in her superior's voice.
"I can't risk losing all my best men on the field by underestimating an unknown enemy again. I have no choice but to send out capable non-ANBU to back up Kakashi's squad. Summon Kurenai's team and have Shikaku brief them at once."
"Hai, Tsunade-sama."
"Pull out Team Gai from their mission and send a message to Team Asuma to the east. The matter about Sai will have to wait. I'll need Shikamaru to help find that blasted intruder as well."
~A Promise~
A straight path would have taken Kakashi's unit a day to reach the origin of the message but the terrain was so rough that it took them two grueling days instead. He signaled to his two subordinates to double the pace. He estimated they would reach their destination by nightfall.
They had glided through trees, climbed rocky hills and crossed lakes and rivers along their path. And they did all these in silence. All Sakura had to do was follow Kakashi's lead that her mind was free to entertain thoughts outside of her current task. From time to time she would glance sideways at Sai gliding a few paces behind her. He would always be looking straight ahead, solely focused on the mission as usual. Kakashi had told her that Sai's regression was caused by what happened to the picture book and by being away from them at the same time. Over the course of three years since he was assigned to Team Kakashi, Sai had learned to have real emotions, to finally feel. But with that came the feeling of loneliness at its worst…It made perfect sense…But Ino said…
'There's something about Sai that's…I don't know…different…it felt…dark and powerful.'
Why doesn't it add up?
Sakura slowed down a little until Sai caught up then she glided closer to the Artist Nin. This wasn't a spying mission, she was allowed to speak openly even if it's just a whisper. "Hey, Sai."
"Yes, Sakura," Sai said in an equally low voice while still looking straight ahead. Sakura was supposed to be in the middle and he at the tail. The triangle formation they suddenly took was a little distracting to him.
"Kakashi-sensei told me about the picture book…"
Sai didn't respond at once. It took a few leaps through trees before he spoke. "Ah, that. I'm fine now. Don't worry about it," he said while attempting to slide back to resume the right formation.
Sakura frowned at the obvious evasion and unrelentingly fell similarly back. "May I see it?"
"See what?"
"Your picture book, may I see it?"
"Now?"
"No, when we get to stop by nightfall."
Sai was quiet again. One leap, two leaps…three…"I'd rather you don't. What happened doesn't matter anymore."
Sakura kept her eyes on her teammate as she thought of something to say. "You should have told us," she finally said as she kept her pace. "Rather than lie to us a year and a half ago. You should've told us…We would've been there for you."
"I'm sorry," Sai said. "I was…confused."
"We'll always be there for you, Sai. I promise, we'll help keep Shin's memory alive."
"Thank you, Sakura." Sai turned his face to the kunoichi and smiled. "I'll hold you to that promise."
~Purpose~
Root Headquarters, 1-1/2 years ago
Sai wasn't sure why he remembered where that hall was. He was so young the first and only time he was brought there. And the memory, along with other important things, was suppressed from his mind for years until the Suna ambush started bringing fragments back to the surface and had disturbed him ever since.
After Pein's invasion, central Konoha was reduced to a vast gorge. The structures were shattered beyond recognition but Root's underground headquarters was built at least twenty feet underground, its ceilings encased in heavy iron and had therefore escaped ruin.
It wasn't until Danzo's death months later that it was opened and its numerous chambers, along with the Foundation's secrets, exposed to the leadership. The complex structure had since become an extension of ANBU facilities. An underground tunnel was built linking it to ANBU's Main Headquarters and the Hokage Tower. The old entrance was left blocked and deserted.
The small bookstore above, which disguised the original entrance to Root Headquarters, was never rebuilt. The edifice, with its outdated books and devalued artifacts, was the perfect cover from the outside world, for who would be interested in such a shop even if it was right smack in the middle of town? Its agents would enter and exit completely undetected by the common folk. Its eventual destruction did not gain any notice from the public either. It was there and yet not, quite consistent with what the Foundation stood for.
But there was a secret hall that not even Root shinobi from the higher ranks knew and thus was not revealed during the debriefing after Danzo's death. Not even a Hyuuga's Byakugan could penetrate through its walls, for Danzo was a man of extreme caution. His Root shinobi had experienced this quality first hand.
Only one other person knew of the secret hall, Danzo's right-hand man and confidante since he founded Root…And there was only one child shinobi who had ever been brought there.
It was only 9PM but the surroundings were already dark and quiet as the adjacent shops within the commercial area had all closed up for the night. The space that was once occupied by the bookstore was now a thickly cluttered junkyard surrounded by two dingy walls by the side and a wire fence at the front and back. With his hand, Sai felt the ground beneath him. His feet led him back to where the bookstore once stood, seemingly tracing his own path many years before. The space was littered by various junk above ground and debris underneath. Sai's burrowing ink beasts sought out the hollow parts leading to the underground entrance to make it easy for him to dig through.
From below he remembered his way, the descent further down, the number of turns, left, left, right, 20 paces, left…The path intentionally avoided the main sections where ANBU security agents were currently stationed. When Sai got to a dead-end from a narrow hallway, he recalled a series of hand seals. The man had formed them in front of the wall, not at the farthest end, for that would be too obvious, but at an uneven distance from the left post. Monkey, crow, turtle, dog...The brick wall slid open… And then another narrow path, and another… Why he noticed everything the man did, he did not know. Once the fragments of his past got pieced together, he was able to access the details as if it was happening in the present.
He remembered that the hall was illuminated by numerous gas lamps hanging from the high ceiling across the center. The lights had since died out. No one had been there after Danzo-sama's demise. Sai reached the head of the aisle and walked forward. The memory then started flooding back…
Little Sai, nameless then, was afraid. He didn't know why he was brought there. The children back at the camp all stared at him when he came to. They looked scared. They always looked scared but at the time, they seemed to be scared of him. He was separated from the rest. He knew he had done something terrible but he couldn't remember what it was. It was natural to assume that he was brought to this enormous place a few days later to be punished.
There was a man in a white hakama waiting at the end of the aisle. The man who had brought him there pushed him forward because he kept on stopping in his tracks. He'd stop and then got pushed again, but not too roughly, until they reached the tall man at the end.
Danzo looked down and stared straight into his eyes. For some reason, the boy did not feel scared anymore. The memory from that time ended there.
Sai looked around him and tried to remember what happened afterwards. There were just a lot of shelves with scrolls. He unrolled some of them and found various correspondences between Danzo and his officers, records of surveillances…clan movements…Hyuuga, Uchiha…those with kekkei genkai…
Sai browsed through them trying to figure out a pattern that would lead him to what he was looking for…dates…the scrolls were arranged in chronological order…that's it. The correspondence ended after Danzo's death three years back…First aisle…second aisle…scrolls from four years back…down further until he reached records from 12 years before. One by one he opened the scrolls and read the contents…
7th Shelf…40th scroll…
27th Year of Sandaime's Office, September 12th
Danzo-sama, I investigated the incident as you ordered. The whole account was related by Makio, the assistant trainer of Batch 3. Kabou got too rough on the beatings. He kept on striking one of the trainees even after he already lost consciousness. One boy tried to defend him so Kabou turned to that one instead…
It was at that moment that Sai recalled the events.
The boy getting beaten was the only other child who was ever kind to him since they were taken to that place. They had been training day in and day out to be nameless protectors of Konoha. They were all hungry and tired. The kunai slipped from the light-haired boy's hand and earned the head trainer's wrath. Sai stood frozen with the other children as Shin got beaten and kicked repeatedly until he passed out. The man stooped down and struck his face to rouse him. Shin opened his eyes only to receive more beatings. The other children started screaming and crying in fear. But Sai got angry, so angry that he charged forward and pounded on the man's back with his fists without thinking. But he was too small that his punches must have felt like a slamming feathered pillow against the large man's back. Kabou was livid nonetheless. He faced Sai and slapped him in the face with the back of his hand. The blow was so hard that the child felt himself spin as he fell to the ground.
"You think you're tough, do ya?" Kabou challenged as he walked up to a large sack hanging by a tree and pulled out a bullwhip before marching toward a disoriented Sai. The little boy's lower face was covered in blood streaming out from both his nose and lips. Kabou struck once creating a long welt along the child's back running up to his upper right arm. Another strike and the whip's lash circled his neck. Sai squirmed and grabbed at the leather, struggling as the tiny barbs of the tip penetrated his skin.
"Nooo! Stop!" The boy Shin begged weakly from behind.
Kabou uncoiled the whip from Sai's neck and aimed for Shin. The whip whizzed and created a loud cracking sound as it hit the light-haired boy's body.
"Aaaaaaaaah!" Sai screamed in his rage.
Sai stood by the aisle of the dark hall, holding his breath and his eyes wide in shock as the scenes of the past played out vividly in his mind. His knees gave way after reading the remaining parts of the message. He fell back hard on the marble floor and unknowingly let the scroll slide from his numb hands. He remembered the whole incident, including all the sensations that went with it.
'His blood just shot out of his body from the open wounds, enveloped Kabou's entire head and crushed it until it was severed from the body. The head exploded in its grasp. The boy lost consciousness after but could not recall what happened when he came to. It seems he has repressed all memory of the incident.
Danzo-sama, we have stumbled upon a legendary Kekkei Genkai in its purest form. The boy is a living weapon that can be used to the country's advantage in a most significant way. There's no doubt about it. He was born for such a purpose, just like his ancestors.'
.
.
.
~墨~
"Where have you been all evening?" Tenzou asked Sai the night the mokuton user disguised himself as a wooden post outside Sai's door a year and a half ago.
"Training," was Sai's curt reply. It was a lie. He had spent the night seeking out his past within the secret hall of the Foundation. By the time he emerged above ground, he had recalled the rest of the conversation between the two men in the hall. He had unrolled more scrolls to unravel more secrets. Sai ambled home in a trance, his mind floating with a discovery that would change his life…forever.
End of Part IV
"I was looking for a breath of life
A little touch of heavenly light
But all the choirs in my head sang,
NO...
To get a dream of life again
A little vision of the start at the end
But all the choirs in my head sang,
NO...
And the fever began to spread
From my heart down to my legs
But the room is so quiet...
And although I wasn't losing my mind
It was a chorus so sublime
But the room was too quiet...
Whose side am I on?
Whose side am I?..."
Breath of Life by Florence + The Machine
Next: Part V Chapter 21 ~The Hermit of Fire~
Merry Christmas to all!