Here's to a new semester and a lot of stress! Alright so a lot of this chapter is going to be similar to season 10, episode 197, in Naruto Shippuden, but its more in perspective to Sai and I made minor changes. Enjoy.

Stirring Emotions

Chapter 36

"I'm certain. It's one Orochimaru's old hideouts," Sai stated, evenly, focusing on his super beast scroll jutsu. The rats from his scroll communicating with him as they investigated an old hideout.

"That's just like Kabuto. To take advantage of an old asset," Anko responded, her face solemn.

It had been a good four days since Yamato had left urgently, leaving Sai and Anko alone for this mission. Sai had caught Yamato saying Naruto had entered into tail beast mode as he rushed back to Konoha, abandoning their mission. Sai had wondered what had happened.

He was uncertain why Naruto would suddenly go into tail beast mode. Sai felt slightly uneasy about it. Naruto would go into tail beast mode only when he was being pushed to his limit or when he was overwhelmed with emotion. Naruto's emotions could have gotten out of hand and wreak havoc. There wasn't much Sai could do and he tried to push his uneasy thoughts away. He had this mission that he was to put his full effort into.

Sai was about to respond to Anko when he felt chakra presences drawing up behind him fast. Sai swerved and began to reach for his blade when he recognized the fellow Leaf Shinobi as Tokuma Hyuga, Muta Aburame, and Ranka. Anko had turned expectantly, addressing the new intruders.

"Captain Mitarashi, I have come with an order from the Village. Sai will return home and you will continue the mission to track Kabuto. We are here to assist you with that," Tokuma Hyuga spoke directly to Anko.

"You can give me information too," Anko began as she started to stand, eyeballing the three Leaf shinobi. "Yamato rushed back in the middle of the mission, so what happened?" Anko inquired.

"The Akatsuki mounted an attack on the Hidden Leaf Village. It has been destroyed and many were injured and Lady Tsunade is in a coma," Tokuma briefly explained.

"What?" Anko said incredulously.

"And now Lord Danzo has taken over as Hokage," Tokuma announced, looking over at Sai directly as Sai stood up.

"How did such a thing happen?" Anko questioned, softly.

"I can give you details later, captain. Right now Danzo wishes to see you, Sai," Tokuma spoke, carefully.

"Right," Sai nodded as he jumped into the trees and head to Konoha.

Sai could feel his mind rationalizing that the state of Konoha couldn't be that bad, but his body felt differently. There was a nervous feeling in his gut as he rushed home and he tried to put it aside.

Tokumo had said the Akatsuki were behind this…. Sai half expected this to happen at some point; after all the Akatsuki were after the jinchuuriki. They were bound to come after Naruto, which made sense why Naruto might have gone into tail beast mode and Yamato had ran off.

Sai tried to keep the pestering questions in his mind at bay, but one nagging question that kept popping up was whether his friends were ok. He felt a tight grip in his belly when he thought of Saryie during the Akatsuki's attack…. Could she have possibly engaged in the fight and got hurt? Or did she know better than to interfere with the Akatsuki. Sai had a sinking feeling the earlier notion was more likely and he pushed his feet faster.

He also didn't know if Naruto was still alive and well… or was he captured? Naruto was his teammate after all… and Sai felt they had built a bond… hadn't they?

The longer it took to Konoha, the more questions developed and pestered Sai. Even when he got to Konoha, he would have to see Danzo first and get answers to his questions later.

When Sai arrived at the top of the wall of Konoha, he was a bit taken back. He looked down at the two craters in the ground where Konoha use to be. All the old buildings and houses were rubble at the sides of Konoha's wall. Sai saw how in the craters that construction for new buildings and houses were already being constructed. There was a heavy supply of lumber and wood as carpenters went to work to build the new houses. Sai let his eyes scan the rest of Konoha noting the many pitched tents that were set up for shelter at the moment. Hokage Rock was still standing and all the faces were still intact and the buildings from up above were still standing.

A feeling in his chest suddenly tightened as he thought of Saryie and a feeling he wasn't quite sure what to name filled his being. He tightened his fists as his outward façade remain composed as he went to find Danzo.

Sai was immediately spotted by Danzo's men after entering the Village and they quickly escorted him to Danzo's tent. On the way, Sai briefly asked what happened to the Village. The Anbu gave vague details but told Sai how Pein attacked and that Naruto had saved the Village. When they entered Danzo's tent, it was dimly lit and filled with a few piles of books. Sai automatically bowed before Lord Danzo as Danzo's two Anbu departed, leaving the two alone.

"You wanted to see me, Lord Danzo?" Sai addressed, with a casual tone.

"Observe Naruto. If you see anything out of the ordinary, report it to me immediately," Danzo ordered, in his rough voice.

"Yes, sir," Sai responded, obediently, keeping his eyes to the floor.

"This village had suffered quite a lot of damage because of Pein's attack. We're lucky that they were not successful in capturing our jinchuuriki. However, Lady Tsunade is no longer able to fulfill the role of Hokage and to our favor, I have been accepted as the Acting Hokage. For many years I have tried to protect this Village from the shadows and now I will be stepping into the light. It is important to realize how vulnerable Konoha is at this very moment, and that the foundation will be crucial to protecting it," Danzo expressed, evenly, his eyes trained on Sai.

Sai nodded. "The foundation lives to serve Konoha for its best interest," Sai responded, almost robotically.

"Good. I trust your placement on Team 7 will not make it hard for you to keep a close eye on Naruto," Danzo reported, stiffly.

Sai kept quiet for a moment before he began to speak. "Um… may I ask you a question, sir?"

"What is it?" Danzo asked, skeptical, his eyes sharply watching Sai.

"Naruto…What do you plan to do with him?"

"Don't worry. Naruto is the Village's hero right now. All the Villagers trust and love him, more than they do me, the Sixth Hokage. If I were to do something to Naruto now, it will affect my new position. This is a crucial time, right before the Jonins' vote of confidence. Still Naruto is a jinchuuriki, and as such it is the Hokage's job to watch over him. I will not be as lenient as Tsunade was," Danzo stated, firmly

"I understand, sir," Sai responded, obediently, even though his eyes narrowed slightly in discontent.

"Do you…?" Danzo drawled, taking note of Sai's tensing posture. "Ever since your placement on Team 7, I've have been told that you have been frequently visiting a relative of Kakashi Hatake, Saryie, if I am not mistaken," Danzo stated, evenly.

"Yes, that is correct sir," Sai answered, his tone and voice composed. "I have been using Saryie as part of my cover."

"Go on," Danzo expressed, intrigued.

"I have had a difficult time trying to gain Naruto and Sakura's trust since the Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission. I had to show them in a way that I was trying to change. They have believed my attempts are sincere but they were still wary of me. By pretending to have relations with Saryie, it helped decrease their skepticism of me and now accept me as part of the team more easily," Sai explained, monotone.

"Impressive façade," Danzo mentioned as his eyes narrowed. "So I can be assured your loyalty hasn't wavered," Danzo stated, expectantly.

"Never, Lord Danzo," Sai replied.

Danzo smirked as he let his shoulders relax. "That's good to hear…. It's a shame though what happened to Saryie during the attack," Danzo spoke, his words slipping through his mouth casually, but his eyes were intensely analyzing Sai's next move.

"It is much unfortunate. I have heard many were injured during the assault," Sai replied blandly, not expressing any emotion.

"Yes, and many had died…" Danzo drawled and a moment of silence hung between them.

"Will that be all Lord Danzo?" Sai questioned, after the silent went on too long.

"Yes, you're dismissed," Danzo stated as Sai stood up.

Sai looked Danzo in the eye before bowing his head in respect before leaving Danzo's presence and his tent. Sai walked casually away but as soon as he was a good distance apart and when he was certain he wasn't followed, he felt the nervousness in his belly return.

He still barely had the whole story. He just knew Naruto had saved the village but what about everyone else? Sai's thoughts turned to Saryie. Danzo was trying to test his loyalty to the foundation when he taunted information about Saryie during the attack. He had said something bad had happened to her and Sai wasn't sure if that was a bluff. The only way to find out was to ask anyone who might know without looking too suspicious.

As Sai was walking through the row of tents that had been aligned on either side, he heard someone talking about Naruto and all the amazing stuff he did. Naruto apparently took on all the 6 Paths of Pein at once and was able to destroy 5 of them before his tail-beast emerged. Then he kicked the last Pein's butt and was able to talk sense to the one that caused all of Konoha's destruction. Naruto was able to convince the enemy that what he was doing was wrong. And that by some miracle all of the villagers that had died during Pein's attack had suddenly come back to life. That it was all thanks to Naruto.

After Sai heard pieces of the story that the villagers told about Naruto, Sai's stomach began to unclench. It was good news to hear that people who had died were restored to life even if the villagers' knowledge was unclear as to why.

Sai continued on as he briefly gazed into open tents and looked for a familiar face. He soon did hear a whine from a voice he recognized and immediately his eyes followed the sound. He spotted the blue haired, Michi, of which that familiar sound had originated from.

Michi was currently discussing things it looked like with an older man that looked much like Michi. The older man had blue facial hair on his side of his cheeks and had a blue standard shinobi cap on that displayed his forehead protector. His ears were stretched with green studs that were a signature mark on the Haruki clan. He wore a jonin standard vest and shorts, with elbow protectors with the Haruki family symbol on them.

Michi's back was too Sai as he approached, Sai held up his hand in greeting as he interrupted the two.

"Michi," Sai called for the boy's attention.

Michi and his father stopped talking as Michi's attention went to Sai. His eyes widened a bit. "You're back?" Michi questioned, getting to the point.

"Yes," Sai stated.

"Have you seen Saryie yet?" Michi questioned, fully focused on Sai.

"No. Which is why I was glad to run into you. I suppose you might know where I can find her?" Sai questioned, casually, a fake smile gracing his features.

"Oh yea sure… She kind of in the infirmary at the moment," Michi stated, serious.

"Could you please take me to her?" Sai asked, bluntly, his smile falling from his face.

Michi looked to his dad to which his dad nodded having listen to the conversation. "Hurry back, I still expect you to help me later," Michi's father, Miruko, commented understandingly.

Michi nodded as he began to show Sai the way to the infirmary tent for the sick and injured. They walked side by side as Michi looked seriously down at the ground.

"I'm supposing you heard what happened to the village?" Michi questioned, deadpan.

"Only the main details. Pein had attacked. Tsunade is in a coma. Naruto had saved the day. People had died and were resurrected," Sai mentioned briefly, his eyes keenly watching Michi for any information.

"Yea… that's the most of it," Michi stated, sadly.

"Why is Saryie in the infirmary?" Sai asked, bluntly.

"Well… I'll let her tell you the story but she's in there until the medics say her stab wound heals properly with the stitches and stuff," Michi expressed with a sigh. "As you can imagine Saryie is itching to get out and start helping the Village and all that."

"Does sound like her," Sai mentioned softly.

Once they arrived at one of the tents for the wounded, Michi escorted him in and maneuvered through medics and patients on cots till they arrived at a very grumpy looking Saryie. She was half laying in a white medical cot, with her arms half folded in front of her. She was in a simple black tee and had bandages wrapped around her head with her hair down.

"Hey grumpy face, I brought you a surprise," Michi called, gaining Saryie's attention and a few others.

The other patients soon realized who Michi was talking to and tried to mind their own business. Saryie looked over at the familiar voice of her teammate and her eyebrows raised suddenly at seeing Sai beside him. Her face instantly lit up and Sai briefly felt his body starting to relax for the first time since he got to Konoha. The tightness in his chest that he had felt upon seeing her vanished as he saw that she looked well despite her gloomily disposition.

Sai smiled awkwardly in greeting as Michi announced he couldn't stay and told Saryie he would see her later. Saryie understood and watched as Michi left to give them privacy as she grew in excitement to see Sai there. She beckoned Sai forward and Sai stepped hesitantly to her side.

His smile had dropped from his features as he stared down blankly at Saryie.

"Hey come here, you're back early from your mission. Did it go smoothly?" Saryie questioned in a rush and reached for Sai, grabbing his hand. "You can have a seat if you like," Saryie stated, nudging his hand.

Sai hesitantly sat on the side of Saryie's cot as he looked her over, more heavily with his eyes. "I was called back early from my mission because of the state of Konoha at the moment," Sai answered evenly.

"Oh, yea… I bet this must be a shock for you," Saryie stated softly, laughing slightly to ease the tension.

"What happened to you?" Sai asked, bluntly.

"Well…" Saryie started as she told Sai every little thing that happened during Pein's attack. She told him about the start of the attack and the chaos that unfolded. She told him about her and Michi's demise. The more Saryie began to unfold in front of Sai, the tenser Saryie noticed Sai was becoming. His eyes darkened as she told him that she was captured and had briefly died by the Human Path's hands.

She then told him the next thing she knew, she had her soul placed within her again and was able to breath. That Azumi stood over her, concerned as she quickly put pressure on the wound Saryie had sustained to her shoulder as it began to bleed again. Michi was able to regain his senses eventually too and came over to help Azumi. Michi hadn't suffered any bodily harm unlike Saryie.

Azumi had mentioned the wound wasn't life threatening but that she would need medical attention. One of the medics were able to patch her up and her teammates stayed with her until they were informed to take her here. The medics wanted to keep an eye on her head and stitches and were persistent in keeping her here.

Sai could tell Saryie wasn't happy to be sitting around, but his thoughts were more focused on her wellbeing as she continued. Saryie mentioned how her parents and brother were safe. That their farm suffered no damage from the Pein's attack, that it was a good thing they lived outside of Konoha's walls. Saryie told Sai about how they had came to visit her… that they made frequent trips into the village. Her father helped to supply food from the crops he harvested to others and her mother had paid her a visit with Nao.

Saryie's face was grim as she relayed the information. Saryie said how she could tell her mom was torn. That her mother was sad to see her there but was also relieved that she was okay. Nao had hugged her and was happy she was alive. They didn't visit for long with her but they had managed to visit almost every day to check on Saryie. Saryie could tell it hurt her mother to do so. Saryie looked sad as she told Sai this.

Sai listened patiently, a sudden burning sensation was rising up in his belly, along with other feelings he wasn't quite able to decipher. He was glad she was ok… but she had died…. She was gone at a point in time. He felt his chest seize up at the thought as Saryie mentioned how Kakashi, Sakura, Lee, Kiba and Gai all came to visit her as well within the last four days.

As Saryie came to the end of her tale and synopsis of the last few days, her tone slowly faded off. She tilted her head at Sai as she tried to read his face. He was no longer looking at her but at the floor.

"What's on your mind," Saryie asked, softly, raising an eyebrow.

"You had died," Sai mentioned after a moment.

Saryie could see how Sai's eyes narrowed as they move slightly from side to side as if he were trying to figure something out.

Saryie squeezed Sai's hand that was still held in hers on her cot. She gently smiled as she saw Sai's eyes rest on her face and then on her hand in his.

"I'm here now, and that's all that matters," Saryie mentioned, with a warm smile.

"Why didn't you retreat when you had the chance when Michi set off the explosives underground?" Sai questioned, his tone sounding odd.

Saryie looked confusingly at Sai. "What do you mean? It wasn't an option. The Hidden Leaf Village was under attack! I had to do everything I could," Saryie stated, firmly.

"You did everything and you lost," Sai stated grave, his eyes staring once more at the ground.

"Hey… Look at me," Saryie stated, evenly. There was a fierceness in her eyes as Sai obediently obliged. He took in her face as if engraving it into his mind.

"It is better to have failed, than to be a coward. I had died, but in the Shinobi world it's a risk we all take when we go out on missions. I tried to protect my village, my comrades, my family, and my friends. I risked it all to protect them, because I love them!" Saryie declared, her eyes boring into Sai's as her voice had risen with passion.

Saryie saw the wavering in Sai's eyes as his composure broke away briefly to unveil a look Saryie had never seen before on his face. He looked rather distressed and upset.

Saryie's eyes softened as she saw his barrier fade away, but before she could say anything more, Sai had stepped away from her. She saw him recompose himself skillfully as his eyes looked to be turning black before he turned away from her. She wasn't able to stop him as he quickly departed from her with a few quick hand signs before poofing away.

He left Saryie concerned with many questions running through her head.

DUN DUN DUN

The end.

Seriously, I'm leaving it there. Why? Because I wanted to be evil.

Lul, no. It's just that there's a lot more things that are going to start happening as I integrated my characters more into the current Naruto plot with the war and stuff. So I wanted to end this part of Sai and Saryie's story here before I start drifting off talking about the war.

I didn't want this story to be more than 40 chapters and it looks like I got my wish. I'm so glad this turned out better than I thought it would.

I am so proud of myself for finishing and writing this story so quickly. It took me less than a year to write all of this when I use to take like a year to update my other naruto story. I think writing 3 chapters to 4 chapters ahead of your current story, really helps. It puts you on a schedule and you get to see where the story is going faster so you can tweak stuff in previous chapters if you need to.

I really appreciated any reviews I got on this story and about my own characters. I want to say thanks to you for sharing your opinions. I hope all my readers enjoyed this part of the story. And please feel free to submit more thoughts on the story, whether you like it or not.

Also I am planning on making a Sequel to this story. To obviously talk about the war and I have a few other missions I'mma have Sai and Saryie go on before the war. Plus, Team H still has to perfect their defense jutsu.

So yea. The Sequel will have a similar title… like Sharing Emotions or Expressing Emotions or Experiencing Emotions… something to that effect. Let me know what you think. PM or reviews always welcome. I plan to start writing the sequel slowly so I can start to post it in December.

Thank you so much!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

I do own Saryie, Michi, and Azumi… as well as Michi's family: Miyu, Miruko, Airi, Aoi, Michi's mother; Isamu (Azumi's father); Hoshiro (Saryie's father), Nao (Saryie's brother)… and many side characters… like Nago, Oton, Yuri, Cho, Woo, Po, Kai, Nali, Shui, Rye, Theo, Reni….

Be sure to check out my drawings of each of the characters I created on my deviantart if you like!