Sakura laid in the shade of the tree and watched as the pack chased Naruto through the stream. Well most of the pack. Turning her head she stared at Kotaro and before turning to stare at Sai. The raven haired man was sketching furiously on his pad while Kotaro remained perfectly still; his tail in his mouth, his paws positioned were Sai had moved them, while his eyes focused on the spot Sai had instructed him to stare at. She wished she could have said that it was a rare occurrence, but it wasn't. Since the war had ended Kotaro had been a muse for Sai, who was obsessed with detailing each and every spot. More than once she had come home to find Kotaro positioned a certain way with Sai drawing furiously.
Still the heat was sweltering, and she was worried Kotaro would pass out soon if he didn't get some water soon. Reaching out she plucked the pencil from Sai's hand careful not to disturb the image. "Why don't you go get Naruto, and we'll all head back to my place for lunch and air conditioning."
"They're still running around." Sai stated
Sakura smiled "I realize that, but it's close to a hundred degrees, the dogs have fur, you're wearing black, and the back of my shirt is drenched in sweat."
"I'm fine."
"Sai . . ."
"We didn't even train, why are you sweating?"
"Sai . . ."
"Not to mention, isn't your mate currently at your home?"
"Sai!"
"Yes?"
"Go fetch Naruto."
There was another long moment of silence before Sai went to do as he was told. A moment later Kotaro trotted over to her and laid his head on her lap, his good ear facing towards her. She smiled and stroked his head, making sure to scratch extra-long behind his bad ear. While at the camp, during the war, Kotaro had been playing outside when white zetsu had suddenly swarmed the camp and several exploding tags had gone off. The sound of the explosions, at such a young age, had left the Dalmatian deaf in his left ear. As a result he always made sure his right ear faced whoever was talking, so he was certain he didn't miss anything. Furthermore, he had never let his injury stop him; he had always excelled in running and was the first one to chase down anyone who needed it.
Placing a kiss on top of the dog's head, she smiled at the men approaching her, before she burst out laughing. Kotaro glanced over a moment later and let out a howl of laughter of his own. During his retrieval Sai must have fallen into the mud, most likely Naruto and Daishiro's doing, and was now covered in little specks of dirt. The smudges looked like spots, and she couldn't help but think, that perhaps Sai had been a Dalmatian in another life.
Naruto and the rest of the pack stood behind the artist, dripping wet and smiling. Without another thought Sakura stood up and brushed her pants off. "Come on lets head back to my house, we'll get you two cleaned up, and I'll fix everyone lunch." Howls and shouts of acceptance were sounded, as Naruto grabbed Sai and began pulling him towards the Nara grounds. Sakura smiled and let them get a bit ahead when she heard Kotaro ask "Does this mean I can draw Sai, now that he has spots?"