AN: Note that I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of the characters from either Anime. This work is a fanfiction written out of my love for the series and not in any attempt to make a profit.
Proofread by: Author and Kyluxia
Apologies for this chapter being a bit late. I took some time getting started with it, but towards the end, it was smooth sailing. Hopefully, you enjoy it all the same.
Chapter 49: Between the two of us
"What do you know, about natural energy?" Sakura asked Sai, beginning their explanation.
"Natural energy? Nothing. I've never heard of it." Sai responded, his expression morphing into one of intrigue.
"You were supposed to stop doing that." Sakura reminded him, and Sai dropped his mask, remembering not to pretend, but relax and let his body find its own responses. Seeing Sai relaxing, Sakura continued.
"Natural energy is one of the energies required for creating Senjutsu chakra." Sakura began, smiling as she saw Sai's brows furrowing slightly without Sai seemingly noticing.
"I've heard of Senjutsu before, but not of Natural energy. Where does it come from?" Sai asked, intrigued. After all, the only energies he knew of that would create chakra were physical and mental energies.
"It comes from within us, just like physical, or mental energy. However, it is produced in such a small amount, that we can't normally perceive it, unlike mental and physical energies. It is also the reason why mastering Senjutus is so risky and difficult. Too much Natural energy destroys the balance of physical and mental energy within the body and transforms it into something else. Usually based on whatever type of natural energy you've absorbed. If it is natural energy that comes from toads, you'll turn into a toad, if it comes from hares, you'll turn into a hare, but ultimately, you end up as a statue." Sakura explained, pausing to let Sai ask any questions he might have so far.
"And if you use natural energy that comes from humans?" Sai wondered, making Sakura smile at his intuition.
"Nothing happens," Sakura told him, chuckling slightly at his incredulous look. "When a human uses natural energy from other humans, the body and the energy are identical enough that the energy won't affect the body… Well, at least not in the same way." Sakura explained, letting the genjutsu around their forehead fail, revealing their third eye-opening. "There are plenty of benefits to being a sage of your own species, but it still isn't without risks. If we ever stop producing Senjutsu chakra, our body will try and revert to its previous form, and it causes… complications. Fortunately, due to our Kekkei Genkai, this isn't much of an issue to us, and we've managed to adapt our body to passively mold Senjutsu chakra, rather than regular chakra, even when we're unconscious." Sakura explained, re-applying the genjutsu.
"That's... impressive. Your chakra control must be phenomenal." Sai concluded, making Sakura chuckle. Technically, their chakra control was shot, completely. It was an understanding with their own chakra that allowed them to use it as if they had complete mastery over it. Although, it seemed to have a mind of its own from time to time and would sometimes work too well. It was something the twins were currently working on, trying to figure out a way to let them be in tune with their chakra enough that it didn't do things without their knowledge, but instead inspired them, giving them the final choice any time their chakra was about to do something unexpected.
"Sure, let's go with that. Now, to answer your original question, our Kekkei Genkai seems to, in the broadest strokes, be nothing more than an incredibly high resistance to foreign natural energy. Any amount of natural energy that might harm a normal person, seems to have next to no effect on us. It takes a ridiculously scary amount of natural energy to affect us, but we're not immune to it. We're not certain exactly how it is connected to this resistance, but Heikō's existence and the biological changes that come from her existence all seem to be a result of this Kekkei Genkai. After all, it all started happening after the first time we came into contact with natural energy." Sakura clarified, letting out a sigh as she remembered the trials they had had to navigate to arrive where they were now.
"I see. Although that's quite unique, I suppose all Kekkei Genkai are unique in their own right. It reminds me of the Kurama clan's Kekkei Genkai. Is it possible you have some relation to them?" Sai asked, to which Sakura shook her head.
"You're not the first to make the comparison, but that's highly unlikely. We can't account for everyone in our family tree, but our family hasn't been in Konoha for more than three generations. The Haruno family has been civilian and originated from merchants that settled in Konoha not too long ago, and my mother's family was also from outside of Konoha. We believe we might have relatives somewhere in Tetsu no Kuni, the land of Iron, but were unable to find anything when we tried to find out." Sakura explained. Although their investigation had only been as deep as they could go by requesting the papers regarding their background checks when their families had settled in Konoha way back when. Sending actual inquiries to the land of Iron would likely not yield any results, and attempting to send letters addressed by family name hadn't yielded any responses either. As far as they knew, the only living family they had was all in Konoha.
"Understood. I can see why Danzō took an interest in you. I'm not certain he knew much about your Kekkei Genkai, but he would certainly have considered you a valuable asset if he could get you to join ROOT. He must have known something if he decided to use that technique on you." Sai decided, drawing the twin's attention.
"You know about the technique he used?" They asked as one, only for Sai to shake his head.
"No, I don't really. I am aware of it only through observation. I've only seen it used twice, and to my knowledge, he used it very sparingly. I suspect there is some kind of drawback to the technique, but I have no idea how it works. All I know is that after using it, the one he used it on is usually a loyal agent for Danzō." Sai explained.
"Right, fortunately, we were able to escape his clutches when he tried using it on us… It's a good thing he didn't use such an ability on anyone like the Hokage either." Sakura added after a bit of thought. It was a scary ability. Fortunately, it wasn't something that Danzō could seemingly abuse however he wished.
"Indeed, I'm glad that you managed to escape his technique unharmed. I wouldn't have been here otherwise, I suspect." Sai admitted, to which Sakura nodded in agreement, sadly.
"True, but let's not dwell on what if's, especially bad ones. Instead, how about you clarify why you never technically finished your ROOT training? If that's alright with you." Sakura inquired, only to wonder if it had been a mistake to ask, as Sai's face immediately hardened into an emotionless face. For several moments, he remained still, silent, as if contemplating how much he was willing to tell them, until he finally relaxed, letting out a resigned sigh.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt… I assume you're aware of what the final task of the ROOT training is?" Sai asked, to which Sakura shook her head.
"It's one of the things we never found out," Sakura explained.
"Are you at least aware that ROOT agents are trained in pairs?" Sai inquired, to which Sakura nodded. They knew at least that much.
"Less than forty percent of ROOT trainees ever graduate to become true ROOT agents. Ideally, it would be fifty percent, but no more. Only one trainee among each pair can graduate… by killing their partner." Sai informed the twins, who were horrified at the explanation. They already understood exactly how the system was supposed to work. Two trainees, brought together, training together, isolated from all others would inevitably become friends. With only a single friend, the bond between them would grow to a level that would make them inseparable, until they were forced to kill each other. The outcome would likely result in either both dying or one killing the other, forever scarring them. If neither killed the other, both of them would likely be killed or left to die a slow and painful death. The two children's friendship likely working against them, as one would try and sacrifice themselves for the other's sake, or their survival instincts forcing them to kill their own feelings to allow them to kill their best friend. It was a horrible choice to force on someone, especially children. Yet, Sai implied that he had somehow escaped such a fate, if only by a technicality.
"And you never did it?" The twins asked, empathizing with Sai, trying to imagine how horrible learning about the test must have been.
"No, I could never kill Shin. When we were forced to fight against one another, Shin told me that he was already dying, and to tell Danzō that I had killed him." Sai explained, his face not betraying any of his feelings, while his voice was laced with sadness and regret.
"Oh, Sai. We're sorry. We shouldn't have asked." The twins apologized, but Sai shook his head.
"It is fine. I asked about your Kekkei Genkai while knowing how personal such things are. It is only fair that I offered something equally personal in return." Sai offered, before suddenly stopping, actually looking stricken as something seemed to hit him. "My book…" He muttered, before getting up, making Sakura blush and look away with a shout of protest, as Sai hadn't even bothered to put on his bathrobe, or a towel to cover himself. He ran back into the changing rooms, strolling back out with a book in his hands while tracking sand everywhere.
"Sai! Don't just walk around naked like that!" Sakura chided, still not looking at him, blushing.
"Oh, pardon my indecency. I just remembered something important." Sai informed them, soon sitting back in his own sand bath again, at which point Sakura finally dared to look in his direction again. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done regardless, as the memory was already made, and Heikō had teased Sakura, saying she was going to frame the memory on repeat in their mindscape.
"Right, just… some warning would have been nice. I'd rather avoid having memories of friends of the opposite sex, naked, in my memories. We don't forget anything unless we deliberately try to, and Heikō is a bit of a hopeless perv. I suspect that you might not appreciate her lusting over you once you develop a proper sense of decency." Sakura explained, still blushing, and avoiding looking right at the confused Sai. Instead, she focused on his book, noting it to be a picture book. "What's with the book?" She asked, hoping to change the topic.
"This… is my and Shin's book. I originally intended to finish it, with Shin and I meeting in the middle, but I… forgot." Sai admitted, shamefully hanging his head.
"But, you remembered." Sakura tried to cheer him up, which apparently worked better than the twins could have hoped, as Sai looked up at them with a small, but genuine smile on his face, making Sakura smile back in response. "Sai, you're smiling." She pointed out, surprising Sai.
"Really?" He asked, touching his own face in wonder for a moment, before smiling again. "Thank you."
Naturally, Kotone wasn't all that happy to find that Sai had dragged sand all over the place, but accepted Sakura's assurance that it had been important. Next, after the two of them had rinsed all the sand off of themselves, it was time for the dreaded Acupuncture. Fortunately, the treatment up until then, and the happy end to the conversation between the twins and Sai had done wonders against Sakura's apprehension towards Acupuncture.
Lying down on the massage tables again on their stomach, they listened to Kotone as she began asking them questions and explaining just how the Acupuncture would work, making sure that she didn't end up surprising them as Shinobi, resulting in an unfortunate reaction from either of the two.
AN: Feeling tired as I finish this chapter. I've recently started cutting down on the sugar I put in my tea, and let me tell you, I can feel the difference. Of course, the allergies and sickness aren't doing me any favors. Of course, it's nothing serious on either front. I got my meds and I've always had a decent immune system. I'll be springing back soon enough.
Now, in this chapter Sai shared some of his backstory, and the twins, mostly Sakura, managed to help Sai out with something important to him, earning them Sai's first genuine smile after his time in ROOT. Yay for victories. Next chapter, Acupuncture!
Fun fact, a day ago, I found out one of my childhood friends is actually learning Acupuncture. How exciting. He confirmed the research I did on it myself.