~4~

Sai had lived in his apartment for about a year since he was assigned as a member of Team 7. It took a while to get used to staying in such an open space. Many would still consider it humble by ordinary standards but he slept in a more constricted room than this even when he was still training with Root as a child. He had started to like this extra freedom of movement now.

He didn't have many personal belongings. He hung some of his drawings on the wall in an even and systematic manner one would think they were displayed on the walls of a corporate hallway. Sakura, Ino and even Kakashi-sensei had given him books to read from time to time and he even purchased some on his own such that he was able to amass a bit of volume which he stacked neatly on a shelf. He generally kept things in proper order as a force of habit.

He visited Naruto's apartment once or twice and the mess was interesting to him. He tried sprawling used clothing and cups of ramen on his own floor but he didn't quite understand the point of it so he folded the clothes again and threw the trash in the dustbin. Whenever he's not on a mission, he kept the picture book he drew of himself and his deceased brother under his mattress. He would leaf through it before he went to sleep.

Three hours before sunrise- it should be another hour before he must wake up but Sai rose up from his bed when he sensed something alien inside his apartment. The sight of a shinobi from Root did not surprise him. One would come at any give time to relay instructions from Danzo-sama.

At times when a report was demanded of him, he always had information prepared on the movements of Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchuuriki. Naruto had gotten in various kinds of trouble by himself and at times, with him in tow, but nothing that would ultimately endanger the safety of the village, or so he assured in his reports.

*Naruto had been targeted by the notorious Akatsuki organization and Danzo would want nothing better than to confine the boy within the safety of the village. After all, this hyper-active ninja was also the human container of Konoha's weapon of mass-destruction, the nine-tailed fox. But to Danzo's chagrin, Tsunade, the current and fifth Hokage, let him loose on missions^ that Danzo felt other ninjas could easily fulfill. So Sai was assigned, in part, to protect Naruto and at the same time monitor his actions to prevent him from doing anything reckless, especially when it came to Uchiha Sasuke.

Sai was fully aware that he had been disobeying Danzo on this end. He did not only let Naruto continue to gather information about Sasuke, he even helped whenever he was able while making sure their tracks were covered from the peering eyes of Danzo's loyalists. Why was he doing it? He had asked himself that same question.

He witnessed a beautiful thing *when Naruto demonstrated his determination in bringing back Sasuke on their first mission together. Despite experiencing direct betrayal, Naruto remained loyal to someone he considered a friend; to someone he formed what he described as a life-long bond.^

Was it the artist in him that made Sai vulnerable to such fierce expressions of love and loyalty? He could not really pin-point anything specific as a reason. The question of why he was disobeying a direct order despite his strict training remained just a question to him with no clear answers.

He settled on a simple conclusion that he would not admit to be insufficient. He was just curious. He wanted to see how Naruto's struggle would play out. He did not consider that perhaps it's because he, just like any other shinobi of every nation, despite being trained to repress his emotions, was also human after all.

~5~

Sai found himself on one knee bowing to his master, just as he had done on many occasions in the past. The shinobi that visited his room informed him that he was being summoned and of course, he must immediately obey.

"You are to return to Root to perform black op missions just as you have done before," Danzo addressed his subordinate.

Sai did not expect this in the least but his blank expression did not change even as he kept his head bowed. He knew he had no say in the matter. More than a year ago, it would not have made any difference but somehow his heart ached at this development. He was to leave everything he grew to love behind and go back to the world he started from.

He hesitated for a moment but then a soft "Hai," was his only reply. Danzo did not fail to notice this slight evidence of hesitation to confirm that this young shinobi was lost to him. He was left with no other option but to get rid of the filth that had accumulated because of a wrong decision he made a year previous.

"Lift your head," Danzo ordered. The young shinobi obeyed, trying to consider if he should make an appeal to his master to let him stay where he was for a little while longer. *He once boldly asked to keep the name Sai after his first mission with Naruto. Danzo-sama graciously granted that request.^ Was there a possibility that he would be just as gracious this time?

But as he lifted his head to face his master, two invisible chakra wires came out of nowhere from both sides and wrapped themselves around Sai's wrists. His arms were pulled forcefully and fast until they were stretched from opposite ends. Both his knees touched the ground. He did not utter a word but kept his gaze at his master despite the stinging pull of the strings. It finally dawned on him - his disobedience had been found out. He felt the wires tighten and a seething pain ran through his wrist and across both his arms and throughout his body.

"Why did you betray me?"

Sai did not know how to reply. He was taught all possible courses of action if ever he was captured by the enemy, whoever that enemy was, but there was never any training on what to do if he was questioned by Root's founder himself. The wires tightened further and he felt it go deeper into the skin that attached his hands to his wrists.

"Sai, you like that name, don't you?" Danzo continued. Sai felt the strings tighten.

"But it's not your name. You have no name. You are a part of the roots that span wide under a precious tree which is the Fire country, acting as a foundation that keeps that tree secure in its place no matter what storm or calamity may pass."

Sai could only remain silent. What could he say? His master could be right. He was trained as a Root shinobi; he had no business in the affairs above ground where the tree's body exists, where its leaves spread in the air and sway in the wind. Blood oozed from where the wires were cutting through his skin.

"Why the silence?" Danzo asked. "Does not your country deserve an apology for your misdeed?"

"My deepest apologies, Danzo-sama," Sai said slowly through gritted teeth as he fought the pain.

"There is no forgiveness without atonement, young shinobi," Danzo declared. "Do you wish to be forgiven?"

"Hai," was Sai's quick reply. He was prepared to do anything now. He will not die a traitor to his country. He will return to Root and perform black op missions outside Konoha just as he had done before he became a member of Team 7.

"Well then," Danzo began. "Your next mission will be to eliminate Uzumaki Naruto."

Continue to Part 6

Author's note: I decided to use "Hai" instead of "Yes" or "Yes, Sir" because "Hai" has a more reverential tone to it.