Sasuke had been training before the Sun went up. It had been three days since the reunion of the kages; and today Naruto would have to decide whom would they send to the attack the islands of the water country.

Sakura would go as the healing nin, as well as a poison user, since she could kill easily with just using her chakra.

Hinata was an obvious choice because of her mastery of the ninjutsu and her byakugan would be extremely useful to determine where the enemies where hiding.

Shikamaru was another obvious choice, since he now could kill several people with his shadow techniques, silently and efficiently; not to mention his deductive skills.

And Neji, would be the leader of that team; that went without question.

The question was whom would they send as the one that would be in the Mizukage's team.

Kakashi hadn't healed yet, and Jiraiya, as powerful as he was, was too precious for Naruto to send off, not to mention that he had already decided to retire from the ninja life, unless it was about investigating someone or something. Lee was too noisy and it would be better if he remained in the village, along with his team.

The only ones left were Sasuke and Sai; and Sasuke didn't want to let Sai go; but the older ninja thought the same about letting the Uchiha go. And Naruto appreciated them equally, so when they had discussed the matter; they had had a fight because of it.

-Flashback-

They had already arrived to Konoha, and it was midday. After looking over the files of the jounins in the village, they had decided to send Sakura, Hinata, Shikamaru and Neji; but then came the question of who would be with the Mizukage.

"You two are my best ninja, and I you know that I don't want to put neither of you at risk, nor I want to have to chose between you." Naruto had said.

"But then how are we going to decide?" Sai asked.

"I don't know." Naruto answered, sincerely. He looked at them both, not saying anything.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but then said,

"I'll go. The Sharingan it is one of the most powerful bloodline limits, along with the Byakugan, it should be unstoppable."

"No, you can't. I'll go, since I have more experience in this, and my jutsu would be better to communicate with the rest of the teams." Sai countered.

Naruto was silent. The two black-haired men looked at each other, and Sasuke growled,

"I have more summons, so communication wouldn't be a problem. Besides, my illusions would be perfect to interrogate the prisoners. I'm better fitted for this mission."

"I trained under ROOT and Ibiki, so my interrogation techniques are perfect." Sai answered, raising his voice, slightly annoyed at Sasuke's superiority complex.

"Enough!" Naruto said, and the two men almost jumped at the surprise. Without even having noticed, they had risen from their seats, and Sasuke's sharingan was already showing.

The blond said,

"You pair of idiots! This isn't about who has more jutsus or whatever… I'll talk about with the rest of the team we are sending. I'll tell you my decision tomorrow. Now, this has been a tiring day; so let's go home."

There was an edge in his voice that neither of them had ever heard, and so they both nodded silently before the three left the office in silence.

Sasuke had gone to his house, still fuming about Sai's persistence about leaving and worried about Naruto's decision.

-End Flashback-

Sasuke kept punching the tree trunk viciously. He knew that Sai was more than capable of going to the Water country and coming back alive, but the mere possibility of losing him terrorized him. It wasn't that Sai wasn't strong, it was just that they would be too many enemies, and in an unknown territory.

He wasn't just about to let the other man go to what could be his death, not when… not when Sasuke appreciated him just too much. Not when he was finally having a steady love-relationship with someone.

He stopped to brush a drop sweat from his face, but then he realized that it wasn't sweat, but a tear. He sighed and just dropped to the floor, before looking up to the sky. It was dawn, the sky was slowly painting of all possible colors, which led him to realize that Sai painted his world. Well, along with Naruto, of course, but still; he couldn't think of not crying if he never got to see Sai using his brushes and pencils ever again. Because as much as he would like to deny it, he had fallen head over heels for Sai.

Naruto was revolting in bed as he hadn't been able to sleep in the whole night. The day before, after leaving the hokage's tower, he had asked Sakura, Hinata, Neji and Shikamaru whom he should send out of Sasuke and Sai.

And everyone agreed that though Sasuke's abilities were incomparable, the fact that he had just stopped being a missing nin some months before it would only carry problems, since it was likely that the ninjas from the other villages did not wish to obey him and that it was possible that more than one tried to get revenge on him; so Sai was the right choice for this mission.

Naruto knew that, but how would he be able to separate Sasuke from his beloved one, Sai?

He knew that there had been a time in which he alone would have been enough for Sasuke, but not anymore. Now that Sasuke had a lover, (and the only one in Naruto's eyes that could be a real equal for the Uchiha) what Naruto gave Sasuke would never be enough to cover Sasuke's love's needs.

Not to mention that he knew that the Uchiha loved Sai desperately, and should anything happen to Sai, he had no idea of how would Sasuke react. He couldn't afford to lose the two of them at the same time.

And yet, he knew that he couldn't send Sasuke because it was more than likely that one of ninjas from the other villages tried to get revenge or just fame by killing the very last Uchiha. It was a risk that he could not take, for it could also compromise the whole mission.

Besides that Sai would most likely die out of sadness if something happened to the Uchiha.

And that was without considering his feelings. Sai was like his brother, he had been his friend for so many years and he had bee there for him when nobody else had, stood beside him ever since they became friends. He knew that it if something happened to Sai, it would be like if they cut off his legs, cut tongue and took his eyes out.

And Sasuke, well, if something happened to him, he knew that he would die. It was that simple.

He knew that he would have to send Sai, for it was the most logical reason, but he couldn't help the tears that fell down his cheeks.

It wasn't just Sai, it was everyone he was sending there; he couldn't bear the thought of losing his friends.

He hated war.

Sai was painting. Or trying to, better said. His hand was trembling, and the truth was that he couldn't even imagine anything to paint. The canvas was just full of shaking strokes without sense or reason.

He had never felt like this, so insecure, so scared, and so sad.

It wasn't just that he wanted to protect Sasuke, and that he couldn't bear the thought of losing the last Uchiha; those feeling overwhelmed his heart every time he thought of that possibility if Sasuke was the one Naruto chose to send to the mission.

It was also that he felt like if Sasuke didn't think he was strong enough to protect him. The discussion with the Uchiha had been like if Sasuke was looking down on him, on his ninja abilities.

"Why? Why can't you see me as an equal, Sasuke?" He kept thinking.

"Why can't you love me and see that all I want is to protect you?"

He just couldn't bear the thought of losing Sasuke; he would rather die first. Sasuke was like the very essence of his painting, a fire that he could not think of going out, for it would be like killing himself.

Oh, he knew that the Uchiha had to be one of the most powerful and impressive ninja in the whole world, but that didn't mean he was invincible. One slip, one wound could be fatal; and life was a very fragile thing, he knew that better than anyone; for part of his life had been to end the lives of others.

He punched the wall with his fist, and thought that either way, who ever Naruto chose; he had to make sure that Sasuke knew that he loved him. With that thought in mind, he searched the pulse of the Uchiha's chakra and headed to the training grounds.

When he got there, he saw that Sasuke was slumped against a trunk tree, and sighed, before approaching him and saying,

"Sasuke…"

"Sai." The other one answered.

Sasuke looked at him calmly, no expression in his face; but Sai could see that the black orbs looking at him were full of thoughts. Sai sat next to him, pressing his back against the trunk, and sighed.

"Sai… don't go to the Water country." Sasuke asked gently, in a low tone that not even himself was used to hear coming from his lips.

"Why? Either way, it is Naruto-kun's decision." Sai answered tiredly. He looked up to the sky, waiting for the Uchiha's answer.

"I don't want you to go." Sasuke said.

"Don't you think I'm strong enough?" Sai questioned. Sasuke shook his head, saying,

"...It is not that."

"I cannot allow you to go either, Sasuke. I can't lose you. If something happened to me, you would be fine." Sai said, and Sasuke suddenly turned to glare at him, growling,

"How can you say that?"

"I love you, Sasuke. But you don't love me. If I were to lose you, you have no idea how would I feel. You would be able to go on, and I would like you to do that. But I can't do the same." Sai answered, plain and simple.

Sasuke stared at him, and it seemed that his voice had disappeared. Oh, he knew what he wanted to answer; he wanted to yell at the other:

"Are you out of your mind?! How can you expect me to go on if you aren't here? Can't you see that I love you too, fucking idiot?"

But those shouts seemed to be stuck in his throat, because, how could he say those things? Saying them would make it real, would prove that he had grown attached to Sai more than what he expected to, in a way he had only felt for one person, Naruto. And he had never been able to say "I love you" to anyone.

And if Sai did went on the mission, and died, what then? He would have admitted his feelings, only to not be able to enjoy them with that person.

In that moment, he was scared. Because admitting his feelings was letting go of the only cover he had left in front of Sai, and that made him terribly vulnerable. And the only thing that came out of his lips was,

"You're the biggest idiot I've ever met…"

And yet, as insulting as the words were, his tone was like spider silk, thin and delicate, just about to break. Sai turned to look at him, surprised. He had never heard that tone coming from Sasuke's lips ever before, and asked,

"What?"

But before Sasuke could give his answer, a known, and somewhat feared voice by both of them in that moment, said,

"Sasuke, Sai… I've come to my decision."

The two black-haired men turned to look at Naruto, whose face showed great seriousness.

Gaara was looking at the sunrise from above the entrance of his village. Due the distance his ninjas would have to cover in order to get in time to the meeting point, they had left the night before.

He didn't know why, but his heart felt heavy with a sadness that felt like if it didn't belong to him. He wondered what was Naruto doing at the moment, and he somehow knew that the blond had to be going through a terrible moment.

As good as a leader as he was, Naruto had one strength and flaw at the same time; the fact that his emotions ruled most of his decisions. While this was good in terms that he would always look out for the safety and well-fare of others, and made the villagers and ninjas appreciate him greatly; it also meant that when it came to the decisions of who he should send in the most dangerous missions, he had a hard time making the right choice.

Gaara knew that the one that would be in the Mizukage's team, along with his brother Kankuro, would have to be either Sai or Sasuke due their skills. But the redhead also knew how attached Naruto was to both men, and deciding between them would have to be a rational decision, something hard for the blond.

Gaara sighed, looking at the desert, and prayed that all went well with the upcoming attack.

"Sai, you'll be the one to go with the Mizukage's team. Please get ready quickly, the others will be at the doors in one hour." Naruto said, not wanting to make the two men more nervous about who was going and who was staying.

The silence reigned for some seconds, before Sai nodded and got up from the ground and said,

"Of course, Naruto."

The blond looked at him sadly, but before he disappeared, Sasuke took his hand and said,

"Sai, when you come back… I have something to tell you. So, don't make me wait more than necessary."

"I'll come back, Sasuke. I promise." Sai answered, smiling slightly.

Sasuke looked at him seriously, before letting go of his hand and the older ninja disappeared in a whirl. Sasuke then looked at Naruto, and the blond approached him before falling to his knees in front of him, and said,

"I'm sorry, Sasuke…"

"Dobe… You don't have to apologize." Sasuke answered, before pulling him towards his chest.

He knew that Naruto had his reasons to choose Sai, and he was just doing his job, so it wasn't his fault. But the fear of losing Sai was still there, and he just needed to feel safe and Naruto could give him that. What surprised him, was that the blond clutched the back of his t-shit, and started trembling in his arms.

"Naruto?" He asked quietly.

"I hate war… I don't want to send any of them away, but what else can I do?" The blond answered, his head against the brunette's chest.

"Nothing. There's nothing else to do." Sasuke answered plainly.

He kissed Naruto's hair and caressed the blonde's back, even if he wanted to cry as well. Sai was still in the village, and yet… he felt that he was too far away from him. Naruto chuckled after some seconds, and said,

"I should be the one comforting you, bastard…"

"Hn."

"Why haven't you told him the truth?" Naruto asked, moving backwards, though Sasuke's legs prevented him from moving too much, and he moved his legs in the same fashion. Sasuke raised his eyebrow, silently asking what Naruto was referring to.

"The way you looked at him… the way you smile around him, it is obvious you love him, ass."

Sasuke looked away, not knowing what to answer. He did love Sai, but he wasn't brave enough to admit it, at least not yet.

"Is that what you're going to tell him when he comes back?" Naruto asked again and upon seeing the Uchiha's light blush, grinned,

"You're such a romantic… Are you going to run into his arms as soon as you feel his chakra in the nearness of the village?"

"Probably not." Sasuke answered, trying to smile slightly upon Naruto's silliness. How coud he think that Sasuke would act like a sissy girl waiting for her prince in shinning armor?

"… So there is a chance you do?" Naruto asked, oondering the answer.

"Idiot."

Naruto grinned again at the insult, but he could tell that Sasuke was truly worried about his partner. So he said,

"Hey, idiot Sasuke, who taught Sai everything about promises?"

Sasuke looked at him, not understanding what he meant with that, and Naruto said,

"Me, baka! And he knows that he can't go back on promises, so he will come back no matter what."

Sasuke couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. Naruto had never gone back on his promises… Hopefully Sai would do the same. Naruto kissed his forehead affectionately, before getting up and saying,

"You really are a girl."

"Dobe…"

Sai was in his house. His heart felt surprisingly calm, knowing that he had a mission ahead; and that eased him into a known tranquility. It had been a long time since he had gone out like this, too long since the last assassination he had performed; and somehow it made him feel slightly excited.

Besides, Sasuke and Naruto would be safe, in Konoha, far from danger. There was nobody he cared for more than those two men; and he was happy that he would be able to protect them.

It was all that mattered, protecting his precious people, just like Naruto would always say and do. He knew that the blond probably itched to go instead of the five people he was sending; but now the blond held a far higher responsibility, which was looking after not only those he loved and knew closely, but the whole village as well.

Should something happen, something that he hadn't foreseen or planned, or if the mission did not went as planned; Naruto would have to make sure to take care of the villagers and make sure nothing happened to it.

Sai wasn't afraid of the mission anymore. The only moment he ever felt fear was when someone he appreciated was in danger, and that wasn't the case any longer. Well, the other four would be in danger, Sakura, Hinata, Shikamaru and Neji; but he would be there with them; instead of worrying about them miles and miles away.

He felt relieved, and soon enough, he closed the door of his apartment and left towards the gates.

Neji, Hinata, Sakura and Shikamaru met up in the front gate, and after greeting each other, they looked around, wondering which of the counselors would appear to join them. Even Shikamaru was slightly nervous, as they all knew that the decision depended on Naruto, and it was practically impossible to know with what surprise he would come out next.

Even though, they were all relieved when a sudden whirl of ink appeared in front them and Sai said,

"Sorry for the wait."

"It's ok… are we waiting for someone else?" Neji asked, just to make sure that Sai was the one coming with them.

"Hey, leaving without saying good-bye?" A voice asked, and they saw Naruto coming along with Sasuke. It was early morning, so they were the only ones at the place.

"Hokage-sama, Sasuke-sama." They all said once, except for Sai, who simply nodded at them.

"Neji, Hinata, Sakura, Shikamaru… I've explained you all about this mission. Here's the scroll if you want to check the details again. Either way, I suppose that the teams will check everything before the attack."

He gave it to Neji, who nodded and put it in his bag. There were some minutes of silence, before the blond said,

"I want to see you here in less than two weeks, you hear me? All of you; take care and come back to us."

All of them smiled at his words, and nodded. Shikamaru yawned, before they turned around and left the village. Just a second before jumping to the trees to follow his teammates, Sai looked back at the two males and then disappeared from sight.

Naruto and Sasuke stayed inside the city walls, until the group was no longer visible, and Naruto took Sasuke's hand in a strange, desperate grip; and the black-haired men just tightened their bond in answer. Farewells were, are and always will be worse for those who had to stay behind.

Hello, my dear readers! ^^ Happy New Year to all of you, and I hope you had a great christmas and holidays! Mine were definitely, without any other possible description, exhausting; and didn't have a second to sit and write, that's why this chapter took so long. I did warn you the last time, so yeah.

Either way, what do you think that will happen? By the way, does anyone else feels that this is turning more SaiSasu than GaaNaru? Fear not, as soon as Lord Osamu is dealt with, we'll center again in the original pairing (though maybe that will be because SaiSasu will stop existing kuku...) and things will get juicy.

Please review! I've missed you!