Hi friends. So I've come upon a little bit of a writer's block on Hard Work so I wrote this to try to get my juices flowing. I've been rewatching Naruto Shippuden and boy howdy is Sai honestly one of my favorite characters. And seeing him in Boruto makes my heart hurt in all the good ways. Anyway, here's the story. It means a lot to me and I've brought in a few of my real-world feelings into the story. I struggle with major depressive disorder, but I'm getting help. I see a therapist and I reach out to people in my life when I need help. I know that I'm one of the fortunate few, though. Always remember, if anyone out there is having a hard time, there are always people out there to talk to. You can simply send me a PM. I love meeting new people and making new friends! There's also the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 800-273-8255. This story can be triggering for some of you, but I hope that it's enjoyable nonetheless.
Sai and Ino walked hand-in-hand through the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village. All around them were shops and restaurants that were bustling, taking full advantage of the village's nightlife crowd. As Ino looked peacefully at her surroundings, she spoke to her husband.
"I'm so thankful Inojin is away on a mission. I honestly can't remember the last time we had a date, just the two of us."
Sai grinned at his wife as they walked. "I, for one, very much miss my son."
Ino quickly shook her free hand in front of her body in embarrassment. "That's not what I mean. I love Inojin so much and I miss him too. I just like having alone time with you as well."
Sai smiled at Ino. "I know that. I'm simply messing with you."
Ino growled playfully at her husband and gave him a small jab in his side, all while keeping a hold of his hand. Sai gave his wife another smile right before they arrived at their destination, Itchiraku Ramen. The couple entered the establishment and as they looked around for a suitable place to sit, they noticed a group of familiar faces sitting together at a table in the restaurant. Ino gave a delighted gasp and dragged her husband along with her to the table.
"Hey guys," Ino said happily once she was in the range of the group. At the table sat Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Sasuke. They all looked up at the blonde as she greeted them. "I can't believe that I'm graced with the presence of both the Sixth and the Seventh Hokage at the same time."
Sakura giggled at Ino. "I know, us too. We're all just so busy, all the time, anymore."
"Hey now," Naruto begins. "Team Kakashi is important to me. I will always find the time to have these team dinners."
"Team dinners?" Sai questioned the group.
"Mhmm," Sakura responded. "We made a tradition after Sasuke was pardoned that any time he comes back to the village, Team Kakashi gets together and has a meal."
"How precious," Ino said with glee. "The only time Shikamaru, Choji, and I are together is when we have team training with our kids. I wish we have more outings as you guys do."
"Like, I said, I wonder how we're able to do it sometimes," Sakura said with a nod. "So, what brings you two in?"
"Inojin and his team are on a mission outside of the village, so Sai and I took the opportunity to have a date night," Ino said as she wrapped herself around Sai's arm.
"Okay, I don't want to hear anymore," Naruto said, covering his ears with his hands.
"Don't be so prude," Kakashi snapped at Naruto. "They're a married couple with a child. They should feel free the be open about their sex life."
Ino gave Kakashi a deadpanned face. "Well, I think that we should be going now." Ino turned around and ushered Sai and herself to the other side of the restaurant so they could have a seat at a table of their own.
Once they sat down, Sakura looked over at Kakashi, also with a deadpanned face. "They weren't talking about their sex life. Why'd you have to go from 0 to 100?"
"I thought that was what they were getting at," Kakashi said with a shrug.
Naruto mumbled to his sensei. "You need to stop reading so many porno books."
Kakashi's only response was a dissatisfied grunt as he ate another bite of his food, being careful to shield his uncovered face from his students. Sakura and Naruto followed his lead, and they continued eating their food as well. Sasuke, instead, spoke to the group.
"I thought I was supposed to be the insensitive one out of the four of us."
The other three at the table looked up at Sasuke in confusion. He continued to speak, answering their unvoiced question.
"It was kind of shitty for you two to be talking about our team outings in front of Sai. He seemed offended by our gathering."
"Nah, I don't think so," Naruto replied to Sasuke. "Sai's just hard to read sometimes. I'm sure he's cool with it. The original team just needs to get together to reminisce now and then. I bet he understands that."
"If you say so," Sasuke said before he continued to eat his meal.
XXX
Sai and Ino sat quietly in their bed, each partaking in a separate hobby. Ino was reading a novel while Sai was drawing in a sketchbook. The room was silent, save for Ino's page turns and Sai's pencil strokes. Suddenly, Sai set his sketchbook in his lap and stared out in front of him. It took Ino a moment to realize that her husband has ceased his nighttime ritual, but when she did, she became concerned.
"Is everything alright, Sai?"
Sai did not immediately respond. He took a moment to search through his thoughts before he spoke.
"Do you ever think about your funeral?" he asked his wife softly.
Ino gave Sai a perplexed look. "What? My funeral? What do you mean?"
Sai sorted through his thoughts again before he clarified his question. "Do you ever wonder who would attend? Who would cry hysterically, who would try to hold back tears, who would say a few words in your honor?"
Ino gently set her book in her lap and closed her eyes as she thought.
"Yeah, I guess I do sometimes. I try not to spend too much time thinking about it, though. That's something that I'd never be able to know for sure, so I don't spend the time dwelling on it."
"I see," Sai responded. "Do you know if it's something that others think about often?"
Ino pondered her husband's question. "I'd say so, but people who are insecure or have low self-esteem would think about it more than others. People that feel that way often question the relationships in their life, and they are unable to predict how people would or wouldn't respond after their death. Contrary to that, those that have high self-esteem can trust the relationships in their life and can confidently predict how others would react to their death."
Sai's only response was a grunt. Ino turned her body so she could face Sai better.
"Why do you ask?"
"It was simply a thought that crossed my mind. I wanted your advice on how to navigate the thought."
Ino placed her hands on Sai's face and turned it so they could look into each other's eyes.
"I can promise you that many, many people will be at your funeral, though I hope it won't be anytime soon," Ino said with a smile.
Sai stared into Ino's eyes for a moment before he smiled back at her. He then placed his lips on hers, kissing her, before he turned off his bedside lamp and positioned himself under his blanket so he could sleep for the night.
XXX
Sai stood in the Hokage's office and gave Naruto his undivided attention.
"I wanted to thank you again, Sai," Naruto said to his teammate. "I know that helping out the police force with a small squabble is beneath your abilities, but your help is still appreciated."
Sai gave the blonde a smile. "Of course, Naruto. Any time."
As Sai was about to turn and leave the Hokage's office, there was a knock on the door. Before Naruto had a chance to respond to the knock, the door opened, and Sakura casually walked into the room. She had a relaxed expression on her face, but she seemed eager to share information. She stood next to Naruto's desk and rested her hand on her hip. She gave Naruto a smirk.
"So, guess who I was lucky enough to treat at the hospital today."
Naruto deadpanned at Sakura's words. "What did Boruto do this time?" Naruto sulked.
Sakura gave a small laugh. "Boruto thought that Sarada couldn't copy the Rasengan with her Sharingan and he was so sure of it. So of course, they challenged each other, and she knocked him out with his jutsu."
Naruto grumbled to himself. "Ah, why is he always doing stuff like this?"
Sakura laughed again. "Like father like son, am I right?"
"Hey now," Naruto said in his defense. "I wasn't near as bad as he is."
"Oh yeah," Sakura retorted, placing both hands on her hips in a challenging manner. "Remember when we got back from that mission at Mount Sumisen, and you snuck out of the hospital to go get barbeque? That's exactly like one of the stupid things your son would do."
Naruto chuckled at Sakura in embarrassment. "I remember that. I dragged Sasuke out of the hospital along with me, didn't I."
Sai loudly cleared his throat. Sakura jumped up in surprise when she heard Sai's voice. She rubbed the back of her neck and gave Sai an apologetic smile.
"Oh, I didn't see you there, Sai. You freaked me out a little."
"That was me that you dragged from the hospital, not Sasuke," Sai told Naruto politely.
Naruto gave Sai a quizzical look. "Are you sure about that? I thought that was Sasuke who was injured on that mission."
Sai held his smile. "I am sure. It was indeed me. I still have the mark on my back from where Sakura slapped me. Sasuke was still with Orochimaru at that time."
Sakura let out a sigh. "Everything in the past just seems to blur together. It was so long ago that Sasuke left the village, I often forget there was a period that he wasn't on our team."
"You got that right," Naruto said with a goofy smile.
Sakura and Naruto continued their conversation and reminisced about the times when they were younger. Not wanting to interrupt them, Sai quietly turned and left Naruto's office.
Once he was outside and walking the streets of the Leaf Village, a group of three kids caught his attention. They were huddled around a display stand at an outdoor shop. The display stand held different styles of postcards from the Leaf Village. Each child had the same postcard in their hand. It depicted Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all as genin and Kakashi standing over the three. It was the official team photo for Team 7. After the events of the war and the rising popularity of Naruto and Sasuke as war heroes, that image has been used as merchandise by many business establishments. The children were looking at the postcards in awe when one spoke.
"Do you think I could get them all to sign mine?"
"No way," another responded. "They're also busy, especially Lord Sixth and Lord Seventh."
"I don't know," the final child said. "I heard that Lord Seventh will sign anything someone gives to him."
The other two children gleamed in amazement. Sai smiled and walked up to the children.
"I'd be more than happy to sign your postcards if you'd like," Sai said, his smile remaining on his face.
The three children gave him confused looks as one spoke up.
"Sorry, we only want Team Kakashi members to sign them."
"I am a member of Team Kakashi. My name is Sai."
One of the children gave Sai a disgusted look. "I've never heard of you. Just leave us alone, weirdo."
The kids walked away, leaving Sai with a shocked look on his face.
XXX
Sasuke suddenly appeared on the windowsill of Naruto's office. Naruto noticed the noise and turned around to see what caused it. When he noticed the Uchiha, Naruto smiled at him.
"Welcome back. I take it your mission was a success?"
"Yes," Sasuke responded. He placed his feet down on the floor and he walked around to the front of Naruto's desk so they could easily talk to one another.
"I have no other information than what I gave in my report," Sasuke said firmly to Naruto.
Naruto nodded. "Sounds good. Go ahead and rest up at home then."
Sasuke nodded to Naruto and started to leave the Hokage's office. Before he was able to shut the door behind him, Naruto called out.
"Actually, do you think you could do me a favor?" Naruto asked.
"What is it?" Sasuke responded.
"I had to send Ino out on a time-sensitive mission, so she didn't have any time to let Sai know that she was leaving. Could you go to their house and relay the message to him? I'm just so swamped with work, and I don't think I'll have the time to do it myself."
"Sure," Sasuke said, exiting Naruto's office.
XXX
Sasuke knocked on the door to the Yamanaka residence. He stood and waited for the door to open. There was no response, so he knocked again, this time calling out.
"Sai, it's me."
There was no response again. Sasuke frowned at this. The last thing he wanted was to have to chase Sai around town just to relay a message. Hoping that Sai was sleeping, Sasuke reached out his hand and tried to turn the doorknob. To his surprise, the door opened with no sign of being locked. Sai must be home. He would never leave his house without locking it.
Sasuke took a step into the house and searched the room. From what he could see, the house was empty. Making completely sure, Sasuke went to check Sai's bedroom. He was unsuccessful in finding the artist, so he checked every other room in the house just to be sure. When he turned up empty, Sasuke sighed.
"What a hassle," he muttered to himself. He was about to leave the house and search for Sai in the village when he noticed a note on the dining room table. Sai's house was maliciously clean, so the single piece of paper stood out. Sasuke walked over to the table and picked up the letter. The font of the letter was written in a stunning style of calligraphy, obviously a work of Sai. You could tell that he used his time carefully to uphold the beauty of the simple letter. Sasuke began to read the words on the page.
Dearest Ino,
I cannot stop thinking about the conversation we had last night. While my heart yearns for you to be right regarding my funeral, I just can't find it in myself to believe that it's true. All around me, all I can see are reminders of how nonexistent I am. I don't even know who "Sai" is anymore. I joined Team Kakashi as a replacement for Sasuke. Now that Sasuke has returned, I am no longer of use to anyone. I am not needed. I am not wanted. It's just like it was when I was a child. Except now, I don't have anyone such as Donzo to give me some sort of purpose. No one will accept me. I see no other option than to rid myself of this world. I know that if I were no longer living, everyone would be more at ease. I would no longer be taking up space. I would no longer be where I'm not welcome. I don't know where I belong, but I know that it is not in this world.
I love you with all my heart. I know my decision will cause you pain and I could never apologize to you enough for that, but I know that you will rise above that pain. You are a strong woman. I know that you can live a fulfilling and happy life, even without me. Please take care of Inojin. He is such a curious and eager boy and I know that will get him into trouble. Despite that, let him roam. Let him learn. Let him live the life that I never had the chance to live. No matter what happens in the future, you will always be my Beautiful.
I love you,
Sai
After reading through the note, Sasuke's eyes when wide as he rushed out of Sai's house and ran back towards the Hokage.
XXX
Naruto was alone in his office, shuffling through paperwork when his door burst open. He grumbled and yelled at the intruder.
"Hey, a knock would be nice."
When Naruto saw that it was Sasuke who entered his office, Naruto relaxed his stature. Naruto then noticed the concerned look on Sasuke's face and Naruto mirrored that concern.
"What is it?" Naruto asked firmly.
Instead of replying, Sasuke walked towards Naruto and handed him the note that was found in Sai's house. Naruto's eyes moved hurriedly as he read the words on the page. His eyes got wider the farther he read. When he was finished reading, Naruto slowly lowered the note and looked up to Sasuke.
"I don't… what…?" Naruto said, having a hard time finding the right words to say at that moment.
"It's a suicide note," Sasuke replied to Naruto bluntly.
Naruto's eyes began to brim with tears as he spoke again. "A suicide note? I had no idea that Sai felt this way."
"I told you that Sai was offended by our team dinners," Sasuke casually said to Naruto.
Naruto slammed his hands on his desk, and he stood up to yell at Sasuke, the tears finally falling from his eyes.
"I get it! You told me so! Congratulations, Sasuke, but I don't care about that right now! Sai is my friend, my teammate, and I'm not going to stand here and do nothing while he's out there somewhere trying to kill himself!"
Naruto glared at Sasuke with anger in his eyes before his eyes softened and he slumped back into his chair. Naruto brought his hands up into his face and cried into his hands.
"I can't believe I pushed Sai away like that. I'm a failure as the Hokage. I'm a failure as a friend. His dead body is probably out there somewhere and I'm just sitting here in my office, too afraid to move."
Sasuke continued to look at Naruto with an emotionless face. Sasuke then turned around and began to exit Naruto's office. As he walked away, Sasuke spoke out loud.
"I don't know about you, but I'm going to look for Sai."
XXX
Sai stood and stared at the painting he created many years ago. The painting depicted Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai standing in a line and holding hands with one another. He was shocked that the painting remained in its original place, despite the crude sliding door canvas it was painted on. Since Naruto and his teammates are now icons of the whole village, locals must have kept the painting up as a dedication of sorts. Sai looked intently at the painting, studying every brush stroke. When he created the piece, every line and curve came so naturally to him. The image was in his head, and it took no time for him to bring the image to the world. Now, the painting brings pain to his stomach. There is no possible way that all four people in this painting could be smiling. There's always someone left out from the rest. First, it was Naruto before his academy graduation. Then it was Sasuke after he fled the village. Now, it's Sai, the replacement that was no longer needed, seeing as the person he was replacing returned.
"What a lie," Sai scuffed to himself. He walked up to the door which had the image of himself on it. He took out a kunai and he slashed a cut into the door, creating a gash when the smile used to be. Sai took a step back and eyed the revision he made. His blood began to boil, and his eyes started to brim with tears.
"No, it's all wrong!" Sai shouted as he ran back up the door and continued slashing at his self-portrait. As he mutilated the painting, his yells and screams became louder. The tears began to fall from his eyes as he shouted out into the night.
"You don't belong here! Wipe that damned smile off your face!"
Once the section of the painting was nothing more than unrecognizable shreds, Sai fell to his knees sobbing. His eyes were shut tight, and he had his hands clenched into fists. His breathing was uneven, and he felt like he was unable to fill his lungs.
When he finally felt that he no longer had the strength in his body to cry out, Sai looked up at the painting. With no expression on his face, Sai spoke to himself.
"Team Kakashi as it was and always should be."
Sai slowly stood to his feet, his legs shaking in the process. He slowly moved his hand, still gripping tight on the kunai. With unsteady hands, Sai pointed the blade at himself and positioned it at the center of his chest. He took many deep breaths and more tears fell from his eyes before he spoke.
"Goodbye Ino, Inojin. Please take care of each other."
Sai then started to pull his hands towards his body, the sharp end of the kunai piercing his clothing. Before the kunai could move any deeper, it was knocked out of his hands by a shuriken that was thrown in his direction. Sai's eyes widened in shock as he quickly looked around trying to find the wielded of the shuriken. He heard footsteps to his right and he turned his head to see Sasuke walking towards him. Sai's eyes remained wide in surprise, his breath hitching in your throat. When Sasuke got close to Sai, he placed his hand on his hip and glared at Sai.
"If the goal was to kill yourself, I'm glad I got here when I did. With the angle your kunai was at, you'd miss your heart completely and would probably withstand permanent injuries," Sasuke said, keeping his eye intently on Sai.
"What are you doing here?" Sai said quietly. Sasuke was barely able to make out what was said due to the low volume.
"I could ask you the same thing," Sasuke replies to Sai.
Sai's eyes narrowed at Sasuke, and tears began to fall from his eyes once again, his anger and sadness evident.
"Just get away from me! Go on and let me finish this! Then you never have to deal with me again! I'm tired of living in your shadow, tired of being the worthless fill-in of Team Kakashi! I'm nothing, no one!"
Sai took a deep breath and he spoke again. "The only people who would care if I died are Ino and Inojin. There's no one else out there who would even notice that I'm gone. And my wife and son are strong. I know that they can easily move on with their life and forget about me. This is something I have to do to make everyone's life better."
Sasuke stared with hard eyes and Sai looked at Sasuke with narrow eyes, tears still rolling down his face. Neither of them have any clue how much time had passed by. Finally, Sasuke let out a sigh and walked closer to Sai. Sai flinched and brought up his guard as Sasuke approached, but Sasuke made no advance to strike at Sai. Instead, Sasuke stood next to Sai, facing the opposite direction as him, and looked at the painting Sai had just partially destroyed.
"I like this piece of artwork a lot," Sasuke said out loud. Sasuke's words made Sai gasp and turn around to face him. Sasuke ignored Sai and continued to speak. "I ran across it one day when I was walking around the village, trying a brainstorm some attack plans. I knew instantly that you drew it. I think what impressed me the most was how you could depict me showing positive emotion after having only met me once. I for sure wasn't happy that day, so it makes me even more impressed."
Sasuke finally looked over at Sai. As Sasuke was talking, Sai turned again, slightly, and looked at the painting along with Sasuke. When Sai noticed that Sasuke was looking at him, Sai turned his head to look back at him.
"Do you remember that day?" Sasuke asked.
Sai gave him a small smile. "There's only one other person in this world who can knock me on my ass like that. The other person just so happens to be your wife."
Sasuke gave a low chuckle. "Yeah, she's knocked me on my ass quite a few times too."
He turned his gaze back to the painting as he continued to speak to Sai. "I despised you from the moment I met you. At the time, I really couldn't piece together why that was. You weren't anything important to me back then, just another person trying to get in my way. It wasn't until I came back to the Hidden Leaf for the war that I realized why I felt that way. I was jealous."
Sai opened his mouth slightly and expressed his shock.
"You were living the life that I secretly wanted to live," Sasuke said. "When I met you and the rest of Team Kakashi that day, I realized that going with Orochimaru all those years ago was a mistake, but I also knew that I couldn't simply give myself up with my tail between my legs. I failed Naruto and Sakura as a comrade, but you came in and became the person that they needed. Your bond with them is something that I don't have with them anymore. Sure, Sakura maybe my wife, but when we fight together, it's sloppy. She's grown so much stronger than I remember her being and I just can't keep up with her. But when you two fight together, it's seamless. The two of you work off each other's skills and fight as one person. The same goes for you and Naruto. I don't think I could ever have a relationship like that with them ever again."
"That's not true at all," Sai said, shaking his head. "You and Sakura skillfully take advantage of your Amenotejikara all the time."
"But that's something that we've practiced over and over again, and it's the exact same every time," Sasuke replied. "You two instantly know what the other is going to do without even so much as a look. No practice, no strategy, just the two of you know each other that well."
"I guess," Sai whispered as he looked down at the ground. "Even if that is true, I'm still a failure of a husband and a failure of a father."
Sasuke gave Sai a confused look. "You think so? Enlighten me."
"Did you know that Sai isn't even my real name?" Sai mumbled as he continued to stare at the ground. "I've been using so many fake names since I was a child. I don't remember what my real name is. I don't even know if I ever had a name that was truly mine. Sai was the name I was given when I first joined Team Kakashi so it's the name that stuck. I honestly hate the name "Sai." It's just a reminder of the time I spent as Donzo's killing machine. Not only that but to not be able to give a family name to my wife and son? I'm an embarrassment of a man. I love Ino with all my heart, but taking her last name is just a constant reminder of how much of a nobody I am."
"All that worrying about family names is utter bullshit," Sasuke scuffed at Sai. Sai gasped at Sasuke in response and looked at him with wide eyes.
"You can't possibly think that. You're a member of the esteemed Uchiha Clan," Sai said in exasperation.
"Who gives a shit about the Uchihas or any clan?" Sasuke said. "Times are changing. None of that matters anymore. Knowing Sarada, when she gets married and has her own kids, she'll fight anyone to the death to be able to keep the Uchiha name in the world, but if you ask me, I don't care what she does. She can take her spouse's family name, or she could choose not to have any family at all. That's all up for her to decide. I'm not going to impose silly traditions and an obscene focus on heritage on to her."
"But…," Sai muttered to Sasuke, unable to think of the right combination of words to show Sasuke his shock.
"The only legacy that matters in this world is what you teach your children, not something as useless and intangible as a name," Sasuke said to Sai. "Sarada and I have been training together and honing her Sharingan. On top of that, I've taught her everything I know about shuriken technique, and she might even be better than me at it at this point. I am proud to have passed those skills and techniques to Sarada, as you should be with Inojin. The Super Beast Scroll is an impressive jutsu and your son is lucky to have learned such a special jutsu from his father."
A small smile crept onto Sai's face. "I guess you're right. That is something that I am very proud to have given my son."
Sasuke let out a chuckle and took out his sword. Sai instinctively took a step back, away from Sasuke. Instead of attacking with his sword, Sasuke began to spin his sword in the air and catch it after it did a rotation. He continued this motion, playing a game with himself as he spoke.
"There have been many times that I felt like the worst father in the world, but one moment is sticking out to me right now. Sarada asked me to teach her how to sword fight. At the time, I had just returned from the village on a mission. I still had to submit my report and relay information to Naruto. I promised her that I would teach her later that night. By the time the moon was out, and night had rolled around, I had gotten sidetracked talking with Naruto that I had completely forgotten that promise I gave to Sarada. I was so ashamed to go home and face her and tell her that I had forgotten about her. To my surprise, though, when I entered my house, she came running up to me and she was so excited to show me all the sword fighting techniques that you had taught her."
Sai gasped. "Oh, yes, I remember that day. Inojin and I were finishing our training when Sarada walked onto the training field. She began asking me questions about my tanto. Sarada and I ended up sparring with each other until it became dark."
Sasuke gave a brief chuckle before he lunged toward Sai, his sword pointed towards him. Sai quickly grabbed the tanto strapped to his back and held it up to his chest to block Sasuke's attack. Sasuke gave Sai a smirk.
"That block was the correct one," Sasuke stated.
Sai smirked back at Sasuke, remembering the exact line Sasuke had given him all those years ago.
Sasuke eased his stance and sheathed his sword once again. Sai also replaced his tanto and stood in a relaxed position in front of Sasuke. Sasuke chuckled at Sai before he spoke again.
"Sarada thought that I sent you there to train with her. She made sure to thank me for it, as she claimed that you are a better swordsman than I am."
Sai also chuckled at Sasuke's words. "I can't say that I agree with her, but I appreciate it, nonetheless."
"And I appreciate you for that, Sai," Sasuke said, looking into Sai's eyes with sincerity. "If you weren't there to help Sarada, it would have just been another incident on my too long of a list of failures as a parent. You helped me more than you could ever realize that day. I am grateful to have you as a friend and as a comrade. I can't speak for anyone else, but I can promise you that my life would be worse off if you died. I would be devastated if I ever lost you."
Sai was at a loss for words as more tears fell from his eyes. Now, these tears were tears of joy.
"Don't tell anyone about what I'm about to do," Sasuke whispered to Sai. "Especially Naruto."
Sasuke took a step towards Sai and wrapped his only arm around Sai. Sai was confused by the action and his body went rigid. He soon was able to decipher that Sasuke was hugging him. Sai relaxed into Sasuke's hold as he brought both his arms around Sasuke and pulled Sasuke tighter to his body. His eyes released even more tears onto Sasuke's shoulder. Sai was very aware of how much Sasuke despised acts of affection, such as hugging, so Sai cherished the moment as much as he possibly could.
Sasuke eventually released his hold on Sai, and he took a step back to look at Sai. Sasuke has a rare genuine smile on his face as he spoke.
"I better find that painting fixed tomorrow. Now, in the meantime, let's get you back home."
Sai nodded at Sasuke as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He returned Sasuke's smile with a smile of his own before the two Shinobi walked back towards the center of the village.
XXX
Sasuke opened the door to Naruto's office and entered for the third time that day. Inside the room, Naruto and Sakura were both on their feet, pacing nervously but not speaking to each other. When they noticed that the door was opening, they quickly stopped in their tracks and gazed intently at the door. Sasuke stepped into the room and Naruto and Sakura's disappointment was evident. Sasuke then took a step to his right and revealed Sai standing behind him. Sai was staring directly at the ground and had a blush of embarrassment on his face. When Naruto and Sakura noticed Sai's presence, they both let out a gasp. Sakura quickly ran up to Sai and fiercely slapped him on his cheek. Sai gave little response to this action as he was prepared for some sort of physical attack from Sakura. After her assault, Sakura quickly wrapped her arms around Sai's body and held on to him tightly as she cried into his chest.
"Don't you dare ever do something like that again!" Sakura said, slightly muffled by Sai's shirt. "If you ever convince yourself that you're not wanted, I will slap you even harder than I just did. You have friends, you have a family. So many people in this village love and appreciate you. I love and appreciate you!"
Sakura continued to cry into Sai's chest, holding tight fists into his shirt. Sai was stiff and ridged for most of Sakura's speech, but he eventually relaxed into Sakura's hold and tightly hugged her back. "Thank you, Sakura."
Sakura sniffled into Sai's shirt before she brought her head back to look up at Sai. She wiped away a few stray tears that were on her face and she gave Sai a stern look.
"And if I ever have to tell my best friend that her husband killed himself, you'd have a beating waiting for you in hell," Sakura said with a scowl.
Sai smiled at Sakura and responded. "I expect nothing less."
Sakura returned Sai's smile and she unwrapped her arms from Sai's body and took a step away from Sai. Naruto stepped in front of Sakura and took her place in front of Sai. It was his turn to wrap his arms around Sai's body. Naruto was wordless as he held tightly onto Sai's body, Sai mirroring his actions and returning the hug. When Naruto finally released his hold, he looked up to Sai with sad eyes.
"Sai, I'm so sorry," Naruto said with as much sincerity as he could muster. "I had no idea that I ever made you feel cast out. I need you to know that was never my intention. I value you as a teammate and as a friend. You will always be a member of Team Kakashi, along with the rest of us. Nothing in this world can ever that that away from you. Your place on the team is yours and yours alone."
Naruto paused for a moment before he spoke again. "My memory gets worse and worse as the days go by, so I apologize for not remembering who I did what with in the past. Though my memory doesn't replace you with Sasuke, my memory adds both of you to events. I know that this isn't the case, but when I think about our time as genin back in the Land of Waves, I see you, Sai, fighting right next to us. And when I think about when we went to back up Team 10 against Hidan and Kakuzu, I see Sasuke there with us. Honestly, I prefer my memories this way. Nothing makes me happier than remembering all my friends together from the very beginning."
Sai smiled at Naruto. "Though it's incorrect, that is a beautiful way to remember the past."
Naruto laughed at Sai's words. "I hate to admit it, but my son might be right. I am becoming an old man."
Naruto and Sakura smiled at Sai, happy that he is alive and in their presence. Sai smiled back at them before he turned his gaze over to Sasuke, who was casually leaning against the corner of the office.
Sai cleared his throat before he spoke. "Thank you very much for saving me, Sasuke."
Sasuke sighed casually. "Just make sure I don't ever have to do it again."
Sai's only response to Sasuke is a smile. Naruto looked back and forth between Sai and Sasuke, smiling himself. His smile got wider, and he gave his teammates a thumbs up.
"Alright then, let's go find Kakashi Sensei and go out for some dinner, all of Team Kakashi. How's that sound?"
"That sounds great," Sai said, smiling at Naruto.