Chapter 9: The One So-Named... Sai...?
Tenten squirmed in the spot she was currently sitting. She sat traditionally at the small table, palms going a little sweaty as opposite of her sat the Third Hokage. The man was legendary, having trained the Sanin and hailed as the Ninja Professor for his knowledge of pretty much everything ninja. Tenten had no idea how she had even gotten to the point that she could have a very private meeting with the Hokage, sitting across from him the last minute or two as he appeared perfectly at ease with staying in peaceful silence for the rest of the evening.
"He always makes me feel this way." Tenten thought, shying away from the table a little as she looked down on it. It was shiny, and she could see her own reflection in the finely polished wood. "Like I'm one of his grandchildren that has come over for a visit. I remember when I was in the orphanage, he would come and read to us. This man… a great and powerful shinobi… has always left me feeling like he was just a regular old grandpa…"
"Hmm, Tenten, are you perhaps hungry?" Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke, rubbing at his bearded chin in thought himself. "I find myself with an appetite, so really what I am asking is if you'd like to join me for lunch after we've wrapped things up here?"
"Oh, uh!" Tenten jumped at being directly addressed so casually. Lunch with the Hokage? That was what kids in her class dreamed about! The only kid she ever knew that had lunch with the Hokage was Naruto, and even then, it was rare. "I would love that, Lord Hokage!"
"Please, please, Tenten. You must relax." He waved at her, displaying a smile that made her think she was amusing to him, so skittish and awkward. "There is no one here but us. You may call me Sarutobi, if you like. I think Hiruzen would be a bit too casual, even given how closely you'll be working under me from now on."
She didn't know what to say. Even now, in the ceremonial room of the Hokage mansion, Tenten was rendered dumb in front her village's leader. He was one of the three oldest active shinobi in the entire world, and still the most powerful. And yet, here he was inviting her to lunch with him! Tenten took a deep breath to get herself under control.
"Yes, Lord Sarutobi. Thank you for your kindness." Tenten bowed her head to the table, and Sarutobi gave an amused chuckle at how polite she was.
If only she could rub off a bit on Naruto…
"Now then," Sarutobi's eyes sharpened a bit as they were getting down to business, "I understand you have something for my personal attention. Naruto and Sasuke were very direct in making this meeting happen. I was told I'd be impressed quite a bit."
Tenten did not raise her head from the table immediately, but did so in a slow fashion to convey that she was taking everything with the fullest amount of attention. This time, when she looked up at Sarutobi, her own eyes were cast in a firm expression. Tenten's face was drawn in a cool manner as she reached under the table and presented a long black wooden box to her leader, complete with a red ribbon tied in a bow.
"Lord Hokage… No, that's not right. Lord Sarutobi, I thank you for seeing me personally." Tenten once again bowed her head, but this time it was quick and short. "On behalf of the Divisions, I, Tenten Yadomaru, present you with the fruit of my labors… The first fully created and complete… And by proxy the oldest… Zanpakutō…"
Hiruzen stroked his chin as he sat up a little straighter, staring at the box with a glimmer in his eye. He took a tentative approach to accepting this gift. He opened the box gently, then gazed upon the finely crafted sword that lay within it. This zanpakutō as she called it looked to have been made by the hands of a master swordsmith from the Land of Iron, and yet, he knew without a doubt that young Tenten had crafted the blade almost completely by herself.
"Only a couple of years, and she has such masterful of the weapon-making arts… To think she wanted to be like Tsunade when she has such talent in this field… I am glad it did not go to waste." Hiruzen thought to himself as he took the sheathed sword from where it rested in purple velvet inside the box.
In appearance the sword was perfectly standard. It was formed as a katana, with a dark purple handle and a circular hand guard. However, Hiruzen could feel the blade for what it truly was. This sword before him held great and terrible power, but at the same time felt so horribly empty. It puzzled him. How could a sword feel so hollow when Hiruzen could sense the greatness of it?
Perhaps he was getting a taste of its hidden potential? Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes at the plain looking sword. It would require further study.
"Please, Lord Sarutobi… no, again that is not right. Head-Captain Hiruzen Sarutobi of the Divisions, I, Tenten Yadomaru as creator of this sword and all others that are to follow, do humbly request that you keep the zanpakutō with you, at all times. That you eat with it. Sleep with it at your bedside. That you train with it. Only then will you and it become as one." Tenten again bowed her head to the table, and this time waited for Sarutobi to reply to her.
He stared first at her, then back at the unusual sword. So, it took time for the sword's power to be unlocked? Or was it something else? For once in his life, Hiruzen Sarutobi found himself with too many theories and not enough evidence to support any of them. He would have to back through the many progress and summary reports Tenten and her father had compiled for his interest over the last two years.
In all his time as Hokage he never thought that glancing over a report instead of reading it outright would come to bite him back so badly as now. True, it wasn't a matter of security or a mission that was particularly tricky, but as far as his curious mind went, this would bug him for days to come until he cracked the enigma that was his new sword.
Ugh, this was going to be a rough week. He was so busy this week that he'd never get the chance to just leisurely go through years' worth of reports to find the answers he sought.
"I thank you for this gift, Tenten. I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, shall follow your professional request to the letter. This blade will leave my side only in the most troubling of emergencies. My only hope is to prove myself worthy of such a handsome gift."
Tenten lifted her head, and the smile she gave was unmistakable. Hiruzen had seen it many times throughout his years. It was one of pride and accomplishment. To have your hard work recognized by those you held in high esteem meant the world. Hiruzen was glad he could make her smile as such at him.
Perhaps he was not such a failure after all…
"Thank you so much, sir!" Tenten finally squealed, letting herself go just a bit in front the Hokage as he relaxed himself. She couldn't believe things had gone so well! There was a second there where she thought she was going to drop the box while placing it atop the table. And she had almost forgotten Naruto's only rule that she distinguish that the gift was not for the Hokage of Konoha, but the Head-Captain of the Divisions. At first, she didn't really know what Naruto had meant by that, but now she was beginning to understand. "I was really nervous about coming here all by myself when the others told me that I could finally present the creation of the Zanpakutō to you. Thank you for making me more comfortable."
"It's not a problem, Tenten. You should always feel at home with me. The village is like family to me, and so we should never be uncomfortable in each other's presence." Sarutobi smiled at her, and she smiled back just as happily. Then a perplexed look overcame his face. "Hmm, though I am curious. Where are young Naruto and the others? I thought for sure they would attend such a ceremony with importance to the growing history of our new societal organization."
Tenten shook her head. "They seemed to be a hurry when they came to me. Apparently, it was Hinata that reminded them that the ceremony was today. Something else for the Divisions came up with them, though. Something about a new member, though I could have just misheard them…"
"Hmm, a new member? That does sound like something to distract them from even this." Sarutobi placed the zanpakutō back in its glorious decorative box and picked the box up as he rose from his spot at the table. Tenten waited a second, and then rose herself to show the proper respect for her leader. "It has been years since they added a friend to their little group, the last of which had been you, yourself Tenten. Even though they are all more popular than before, their group has been seen by most as inapproachable because of how close they have grown together. No one wants to feel like the third wheel in a group that seems so tight-knit. A shame really… people don't take a risk in forming new bonds with one another… It is one of the reasons that my predecessor and old sensei, Tobirama Senju, formed the ninja of this village into teams of three after graduating the Academy. So, people would grow together and form those lasting bonds with people, even if they were unfamiliar with each other."
"That's very interesting, sir! I never knew that!" Tenten was beaming, she knew. To talk with Lord Hokage and hear the stories he could share was a rare treat for an Academy student. Sure, he came by every month and watched their classes, but he rarely spoke to them individually. Normally he just gave a lecture to the class.
"Yes, I suppose it isn't a detail taught in the Academy since prospective ninja need first pass their exams. I should make a note to the program to emphasize it more often." The guards at the door opened it like automatic when Sarutobi arrived at the door. In the hallway, he continued his conversation with Tenten, even as his guards flanked behind them in silence. "Naruto and his little friends must be initiating the new person into their ranks right now. The person must not have had a secret to share that would bind their loyalty to the group."
"I had a secret, and still had to be tested…" Tenten muttered, and Sarutobi chuckled.
"Do not feel too bad, young Tenten. They did not even ask for my secret, even though I would have shared it. I, myself, even wanted to take part in their test, but they refused me by saying that it would be unfair. Whether that meant unfair to them or myself, I am still unsure."
"Probably to them, sir. You are a very powerful ninja, after all. I don't think any of us could devise a test that would even begin to challenge you."
Sarutobi laughed, and Tenten went pink.
"I thank you for the high praises, Tenten, but you would be surprised at just how puzzled your gift has left me. I will be spending much time in the future figuring out how it works."
"Umm," Tenten started awkwardly, "it was all in the reports, sir. You did… You did read the reports from my father and me, right?"
Oh shoot! Sarutobi tipped his hat to hide his fretful eyes. He then scratched his chin, a nervous habit when he was caught in a bad situation. He would hate to let on that he had only been barely interested in what Tenten created for the Divisions before today. He would have never thought she—a Genin ninja for barely a year now-would be forging swords that could potentially rival those of the Land of Iron, or even the legendary ones of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
"Oh, umm, yes! Yes, I read the reports, dear sweet little Tenten! However, it has been sometime since I last got a good look at them. Yes, that's it! Please forgive this old man. My memory is not what it used to be." He tipped his Hokage hat even further down to hide his shame, but Tenten seemed to accept his excuses at face value since he was the Hokage and would have no reason to deceive her.
"It's okay, Lord Hokage, I should have never even spoken out of turn like that. You're a very busy man, so it would stand to reason that you can't recall every detail off the top of your head. Even if you didn't read a few reports in between every now and then, I'm sure you had more important details on your mind. Forgive me for being so prideful of my hard work." Tenten stopped to bow properly to the Hokage, but he was too nervous to stop in his frantic pace.
He would be taking young Tenten and the entirety of Naruto's little Divisions group with a lot more seriousness from that point onward.
"Yes, yes! All is forgiven on both sides!" Sarutobi waved her off as she and his guards caught up to him. "Now then, about lunch. How about my treat, entirely? Anywhere you want to go!"
Tenten's eyes sparkled like a dream come true. She rushed to the side of the Hokage, giving him a hug around his waist as a daughter might give to a father who presented her with a birthday gift. "Oh, thank you, Lord Hokage! Thank you so much!"
He chuckled a bit as he patted her gently on the back. "Think nothing of it. Really it is I who should be thanking you. After all, this is something of an excuse to get me away from all that dreadful paperwork waiting for me back in my office."
Tenten blinked, then looked up at the Hokage. "Umm, what did you say, sir?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing at all, little Tenten. Don't mind the ramblings of this old man! Now, on to that lunch. Lead the way!" He saved himself another embarrassment as Tenten ignored him and started growing excited for the lunch she would share with him.
Sarutobi had no idea what was wrong with him today. Maybe if he kept his mouth shut for the lunch and allowed Tenten to chat up about herself he could save himself further shame.
"Lunch, here we come!" Tenten cheered as she led the way to her favorite restaurant.
Naruto stood his ground, defending himself from the oncoming twisted version of Sakura that had crawled out of the Shattered Shaft and began attacking them all. He dodged her claw fashion swipe for his head, and countered by throwing her into a boulder.
He narrowed cerulean blue eyes as the wicked pinkette pulled herself from the impression her body had made in the stone. She was laughing once again, demented and creepy. This was not Sakura. Not her movement. Not her temperament. Not even her voice or eyes. The voice was like a demon fresh from hell. And the eyes… black pupils, amber-colored irises, and black sclera. This thing that masqueraded as Sakura was also deathly pale and had large amounts of dried blood under its nails and on its clothes where wire-thin cuts in the attire were made.
"You are something else… whatever you are…" Naruto finally spoke to the apparition directly, "You don't move like Sakura. You don't talk like her. But I guess you have all her smarts and stuff."
His eyes narrowed further, and the twisted version of his classmate smirked viciously at him. "And those wounds… they're healing really fast. Those cuts have stopped bleeding, and so have your fingers. I guess you just ignore pain and press onward toward whatever you set your sights on. It's like all of Sakura's body and mind got a supercharge…"
"I don't like you very much. You talk too much, and you reek of power! Terrifying power! I cannot let you live! You must should DIE!" demented-Sakura screamed, charging at Naruto with something gleaming in her hand.
"Naruto! Look out! She's got a kunai!" Kiba yelled, helping Hinata up of the ground.
"Dammit!" Sasuke cursed, feeling his kunai pouch empty of his emergency weapon. That crazy girl had stolen it from him.
"You idiot, move!" Ino shouted, seeing that Naruto had not bothered to move an inch, even as the dark Sakura raced toward him with the kunai aiming for his stomach.
"You're not Sakura… but you have Sakura's body…" Naruto said, standing rooted to the spot. His eyes were fierce with determination "We brought her into this… I can't bring myself to do what's needed for bringing you down… It would only hurt Sakura…"
"Then all the better for me! WAHAHAHAHA!" dark Sakura laughed manically as she aimed to gut Naruto like a fish.
A shadow leapt from behind the rocks, and the clashing of two metals rang out.
All eyes widened upon seeing a completely unknown figure with inky black hair who was protecting Naruto with the use of a wakizashi short sword.
"Oh my…" the pale-skinned stranger said with extremely narrowed eyes and the grin of a Cheshire cat, "That sure was a close one, hmm. Wouldn't you agree… Capt'n?"
"Who the hell are you?" was all the dark Sakura could get out before she was slammed into the ground, face first with some kind of sealing tag on the back of her head.
"That's enough outta you, ugly. The Capt'n and me are talking, ja." The pale boy with practically closed eyes said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"What the hell… h-have you… d-done to me?" the twisted spirit raged in a subdued fashion, trying to fight whatever the pale boy had used on her. She glared up at him—at all of them—and Naruto took notice of how the black was receding from Sakura's eyes. The amber-yellow irises were slowly, but surely turning back to a jade green color. "Y-You pale bastard…! I'll fucking k-kill you! I refuse to be made servant to a weak princess…! I want the crown for myself! No, NO!"
"That's right, ugly. Just go to sleep so the less ugly side of you can show its face." The pale boy grinned down at the girl as her thrashing stopped and she became still aside from the light rise and fall of her back, indicting that she was still alive.
The pale kid turned back to Naruto, and he finally saw that this stranger was wearing a shabby version of their Divisions robes, looking almost like he wore them every day for years. He kept his eyes constantly narrowed to slits, and although he appeared to be Naruto's own age, this strange boy was unusually thin and tall with very sharp features, giving him a skeletal appearance. His hair was inky black, the darkest black Naruto had ever seen, even when compared to Shikamaru's own dark black hair.
When the boy looked up at Naruto while sheathing his short sword at his side, he kept his face set in a wide mocking smile. "Well now, Capt'n, that sure was a close one. I wonder now, what should I do?"
"You shouldn't even move." Ino said as she held the forgotten kunai to the boy's throat. She stood behind him, and the others were quick to follow as they either kept an eye on him or Sakura from various spots close by.
"Uh oh, Capt'n, looks like I got caught." The pale kid threw up his hands in a mockery of surrender while grinning savagely at Naruto.
"Don't play around with us, idiot! Just who the hell are you anyway!?" Kiba barked out as he stood to the left of the boy, his bokken drawn for a fight. This time he was prepared.
"Oh my, I think I'm hurt there, Kiba-kun. How could you forget about your old buddy Sai?" the boy said, mocking Kiba with his smile as the Inuzuka bristled.
"I don't have any friends called Sai, and they damn well wouldn't be as creepy as you!"
"Well that just breaks my itty bitty heart. How cruel… I've been around since the very beginning after all…"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Kiba snapped, but Sasuke threw out an arm, and stopped Kiba from advancing upon the mysterious Sai.
"He is somewhat telling the truth. I have felt his presence since joining your group. He's been watching us from afar for quite some time." Sasuke said, his eyes leveling Sai with a cool look.
"He's been following us ever since Naruto came back to the Academy from his training trip." Shikamaru revealed, narrowing his own eyes at Sai. "I was just wondering when he'd step forward to actually interact with us."
"You were there watching me train, now that you mention it." Naruto spoke calmly, "I tried to get you to join me for lunch. You disappeared after that."
"Well, there's a very simple reason for it all." Sai tilted his neck away from the kunai Ino was using. "I'm a snake. Cold of flesh and devoid of heart. My tongue flicks back and forth, ever in search of new prey, and if I like what I find, I swallow 'em whole."
"Hmph, I doubt a common peasant like you has the strength to stand against us." Sasuke said, closing his eyes to the nonsense Sai was spewing.
"Is that so? Well, we'll just have to test that little theory, Uchiha-kun!"
Sai dropped low, sweeping a leg under Ino's feet as swift as the wind. Ino, however, dodged the surprise attack and flicked the kunai in her hand toward Sai's heart. He drew his short sword in the nick of time to bat the kunai away, but it was caught by Sasuke who was already in motion to stab Sai through the neck with the weapon. Sai spun out from under Ino and skidded off to the side where he parried Sasuke's attack. The two weapons clashed against each other, sparking a few times from the effort the two warriors put behind trying to end the other.
"Hmm, quite impressive, Sasuke Uchiha. But I suppose we shouldn't expect anything less from the last noble Uchiha."
"Peasants like you should watch themselves careful, less you die for offending me with that fake smile." Sasuke spat calmly, pushing Sai back a bit.
"Oh my, how scary! But I see that you've yet to draw your sword. Where is it? I happen to know that you all have actual swords in place of those wooden play things you carry around. Why not kill me with that instead of a crappy little kunai?" Sai asked, before his grin grew wider. "Or can't you control those strange swords yet?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Sai, pushing him back to the point that Sai had to break the clash between them and retreat a few meters back, less he be injured by Sasuke.
"Do not talk so big, boy. You would need a hundred years before you became worthy of my blade. My sword is not drawn to kill paupers such as yourself." Sasuke looked down at the kunai in his hand, then made a sound of disgust. "To think that even this cheap object would be needed to end your life is beneath me. Know your place, one named Sai."
"Hmm, well, if you won't draw your sword to fight me… Perhaps the Capt'n will end my life honorably! Here I come, Capt'n!" Sai dashed toward Naruto with a burst of speed that the others weren't expecting.
"Shit, this guy is better than he's been leading us on to believe!" Kiba thought as he and the others gave chase. Hinata and Ino stood guard over Sakura's unconscious body.
When Sai got close enough to Naruto, he reared back his short sword for a shallow blow. Just enough to draw blood. However, what Sai had not been expecting was for Naruto to stare him down like a mountain against an ant. Sai felt small under that intense blue gaze, like the sky was falling upon his shoulders. His sword arm shook, and for a moment he was fearful of attacking the boy in front of him.
Naruto grabbed Sai's sword in his hand, not caring that it cut into his palm and caused him to bleed. He gripped it tightly, drawing Sai in close so he could stare the pale boy down so intimately that their noses were practically touching.
"Hear this, and listen well, boy." Naruto's voice was gruff and stern, like an old war general chastising a child. "Our blades are not for killing the likes of you. They were forged to end evil and defend lives in preservation of justice. The ideology around which those swords were created means that they should only be drawn as a last resort to thwart malicious souls from extinguishing the innocent. Those who draw their swords as quickly as you do are no more than butchers who senselessly slash away at the world around them. Remember this well, boy. Noble is the blade hidden from light, for in bloom is the soul that abstains it from fight. Wicked is the blade bathed in blood, for wretched is the soul whom it loves."
Sai had to admit that he was a little caught off-guard by the amount of conviction he saw in Naruto's eyes and heard in his tone. The fact that Sai could now feel Naruto's blood dripping down onto his shaking sword hand only made him stare at the blond in awe of his resolve even more.
But then there came a crushing weight upon his shoulders. Naruto was now pinning him under his gaze to keep him in place. He had let go of the sword, and was now almost towering over Sai, despite Sai being a few inches taller than him. The pale intruder collapsed to his knees, so great was the weight of Naruto's charka on him that he couldn't even stand.
"All this power… focused entirely on me like a microscope… When did he learn to do this? It's almost in the same league as a Jonin-level ninja's Killing Intent…" Sai thought as he tried to use his own chakra to repel some of the effect.
It was damn near useless. Naruto held too much power, and had caught Sai too off-guard with the move. He couldn't muster enough strength to get up, never mind summoning up the chakra.
"This is bad. I was supposed to toy with them a little and spout that nonsense, so they'd let me join their group. I never believed I'd encounter such a situation as this! His chakra is like a boulder on my back. I can feel it saturating the air. If he doesn't let up soon, it'll suffocate me. The very air itself is already growing heavy with it. I won't be able to breath such chakra-enriched air in a few moments. It'll be like I'm drowning on dry land…"
And all Naruto Uzumaki was doing was standing there, looking at him. Starring directly into Sai's now wide eyes which showcased how inky black his irises were. That unnaturally stern expression in his eyes made Sai feel like a scolded child.
"I'm s-sorry, Lord Danzo… I have f-failed you…" were Sai's final thoughts before he completely gave up on his own life.
And in that same moment, he felt the enormous heft of Naruto's chakra disappear while two sets of arms hauled him to his feet and kept him prisoner. On either side of Sai were Kiba and Choji, both who were sweating slightly from having entered the field of Naruto's power before it was entirely gone.
"He has too much power right now. It is beyond that of any ninja short of Lord Danzo and the Third Hokage… and still… I can sense that this is only a fraction of his true might. How frightening of you, Naruto Uzumaki…" Sai thought as Naruto sighed and slumped his shoulders.
"Take him into custody and lock him away in the abandoned district. We shall deal with him tomorrow, after we've gotten Sakura the medical and mental attention she needs." Naruto said, and everyone nodded. Hinata and Ino disappeared with Sakura carried between them. Shikamaru and Sasuke disappeared in the next second, probably to bring the Hokage up to speed on what had occurred.
"Wait." Sai said as he felt Kiba and Choji about to use their high-speed technique to vanish from the spot. He bowed his head forward as much as the tight grip of his two captors would allow. Fighting them and escaping would be counterproductive to Lord Danzo's plans. He was meant to join their group, not fight them. Plus… he was now very interested in Naruto Uzumaki. A boy with so much power, and yet he didn't kill Sai when everything a ninja was taught was to kill the enemy if they weren't specifically commanded to be captured. So why the mercy? That was what Sai wanted to find out. "Once again, Captain Naruto Uzumaki, my name is Sai. I really do wish to join your ranks as a member of the Divisions. I saw this as my chance to introduce myself. Though this attempt turned out badly, please allow me a second chance. I believe I would be fit to portray the character of Gin Ichimaru, if you will allow me."
"Hmm, understood." Naruto nodded firmly only once. "Take him away!"
"Yes, sir!" Kiba and Choji chorused before vanishing a in blur with Sai between them.
A/N: And so, Sai has now made his presence known in the open. What is his purpose for joining the Divisions? And why does he specifically choose the character of Gin Ichimaru?
Until Next Time, See Ya!