A/N: And life is such that I bring you a second chapter. The world is a funny place, is it not?

Fifty Cents for an Art Lesson

Chapter II. Art of Anticipation

"Sorry, I can't," Naruto said, wide grin belying his apologetic tone. "I'm meeting with a friend after class."

Kiba gave him a kind of startled, strange look: after all, this was Naruto, the class loser. They might hang out sometimes, but they weren't more than classmates. The concept of anyone having enough patience to tolerate him for long periods of time was a foreign one- let alone the possibility of him having friends. He just sort of hung around. Naruto? Having friends?

No way.

But no, he was smiling so brightly it couldn't be a lie.

Naruto, at the very least, really believed that he was going to see a friend.

"Kay, then," Kiba said, rubbing a cheek. "See ya later, dude."

As he moved on down the line of desks to ask Chouji instead, Naruto leaned back with a happy laugh. This was so great! He'd never had a proper meeting with a friend before- the kind that was prearranged with just one other person, because you both wanted to hang out together. Not to mention it felt really cool to tell people that he was already busy: and he'd only told Kiba and old man Ichiraku and Sakura and Shino and Sasuke and the custodian, so far.

Actually, he'd been really surprised when that Sai kid showed up again that morning.

The day before, when he'd asked him to teach him how to draw, he hadn't really been expecting that much of a response. A yes, maybe. More probably, another refusal and a session of pestering. But that hadn't been the case. Sai had just taken a step back from him, and vanished in a puff of wind and leaves. When Naruto called out his name, he hadn't answered. And when he'd tried to look at the picture in the sketchbook once more, he found that he was no longer holding the book at all, but he couldn't even remember when he'd returned it.

Then, that morning as he stepped out of his apartment building, Sai had been there.

Sai had been there.

There, on the edge of the balcony.

Naruto hadn't had any clue how Sai knew where he lived- maybe he'd asked around? Anyway, there he was, unmistakeable with his dark hair and eyes. He wore the same overlarge white T-shirt and long dark pants that he had the day before, and the leather messenger bag was slipped over his head to rest on his shoulder. There was no mistake.

"I'll teach you how to draw," he had said, without waiting for Naruto to speak. "This afternoon, at the clearing."

And then he had stepped back and raised his hands, like a handseal, and Naruto was reminded suddenly of the day before when he had just vanished without another word. So Naruto had opened his mouth to say something, anything, to just keep him there for a moment longer.

"I'll bring my yoyo!" he had called out.

Sai had paused, nodded, and vanished.

But he had agreed. And even though they weren't friends yet- quite- this was the sort of thing that you did with friends, right? You talked and spent time with each other, and you maybe taught each other some new things, like yoyoing and drawing. And maybe if they did things like friends did, for a while, Sai would forget that he wasn't supposed to be friends with Naruto and they'd be friends for real.

Sai had promised. He'd be waiting in the clearing.

He would be there.

Shin's little brother was distracted during the morning's mission briefings. It was almost imperceptible: a dullness of the eyes and the looseness of his motions. The captain didn't notice, or if he did, he didn't mention it. Doubtless it would go in the day's report to Danzo- but Sai was reliable, and a few demerits would put him in no danger of punishment or dismissal.

Still, Sai was rarely so preoccupied.

Shin tried to tell himself that it was really his concern as a good older brother- and it was, partly- but really it was mostly curiosity that made him approach Sai after the meeting. What could he say? He just had an adventurous mind.

"Sai!" he called, jogging towards the slim, dark-haired kid. "What's up today? Get a special mission?"

"Not really."

So you're gonna be sneaky about it. Shin grinned. Well, that just makes it more fun. "Come on, whatcha got?" He reached out and tried to snag Sai's mission scroll, but his little brother stepped neatly away from his lunge.

Well, if that's how it's gonna be... he nimbly darted around the smaller boy, ducking behind his back. Sai was already turning, ready to lash out with a few heavy strikes, probably planning to follow up with a joint lock. Shin made his move: dodged the blows and sidestepped the kick, then while his brother was still recovering from the follow-through, he looped an arm around Sai's neck in a headlock.

And then gave him the greatest noogie of his life.

It was, after all, the older brother's prerogative.

Sai let out a breath, sounding altogether too exasperated for an eight-year old. "Onii-san," he said with a barely audible tinge of annoyance, "Please let go of me."

Shin acquiesced, releasing his brother. Sai stepped back and readjusted his shoulder bag, giving Shin a look. The older boy gave a bright smile in return-

And slid open Sai's mission scroll.

Just for a moment, Sai stared a little.

He recovered his dignity in a moment, of course, but Shin relished the moment for as long as it lasted. You didn't usually get to take him by surprise, and these days especially he was getting to be downright depressing. It wasn't like they knew for sure, but he couldn't be more than, like, eight. Where was his youthful recklessness?

Being the immature one all the time was exhausting.

"Please return my scroll."

Shin considered. "Don't wanna."

"It contains confidential information. I must insist."

The older boy raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Yeah, right," he agreed. "Like that's gonna stop me."

And he opened the scroll, glancing at the contents.

Let's see... Looking fairly straightforward, just some more recon- this can't be what he got so worked up about. Guard duty, too. Interrogation- know he doesn't like those, but that's still routine. Stealth mission, tailing some people, info gathering. No different from last week. It doesn't look like they've even restricted him at all after the deal yesterday.

"I give up," he said, sliding the scroll shut. "Are you sick or something?"

Sai gave him a blank look. "I am not."

"Then what's up with you?" he demanded. "You're all... distracted and thoughtful and weird, and you're not being sarcastic or insulting me or anything." That was what really really worried him; Sai never went so long without a barbed comment, and normally he'd never have let Shin get the scroll from him in the first place. He was completely off his game.

His little brother blinked. "I am never sarcastic."

Shin rolled his eyes. There was just no acceptable response to a statement like that.

"Do you want me to insult you?" inquired Sai. "If it would make you feel better-"

And then he paused as his older brother covered his face with his hands and gave a rueful laugh. "No thanks," he said, leaning against the wall. "I'm going to regret getting into this, I just know it." He dropped his hands.

Took a breath, and began again.

"Seriously, what's up?"

"What's up, Iruka-sensei?"

The teacher looked up and smiled. "Hello, Naruto," he said cheerfully. "I'm just finishing up these papers."

(Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that Iruka's good spirits increased in inverse proportion to the amount of destruction he had managed that week. This week's production had been rather slow as of yet, and the teacher was practically glowing with optimism. Seriously, he was going to have to work overtime to meet his chaos quota, or risk breaking a personal record three years in the making.)

"Huh." The blond child hummed, leaning on the edge of Iruka's desk curiously. "I don't remember taking this test," he observed.

Well, that didn't necessarily mean that he hadn't, but still, it might at least have looked familiar.

"Hm?" Iruka looked up. "Oh, these aren't for your class. I'm grading these for Akemi-sensei. You know she's on maternity leave, so we all have to lend a hand."

"Ohhh..." Naruto trailed off, lingering.

"Hey, sensei?"

"Yes?"

"Hmmm, never mind."

"What is it?"

"Nope, it's nothing."

"Okay."

A pause.

"Sensei, what's-" Naruto squinted at the upside-down scrawl on the paper and tried mouthing the word silently for a moment. "-what's 'catra'?"

"Hm?" Iruka blinked and looked up. "What's that?"

"Catra," Naruto repeated. "What is it?"

"What? Where?"

He pointed to the messy upside-down scrawl.

"Ah." Iruka laughed. "That's 'chakra'," he explained in an amused tone. "That's what shinobi use to perform techniques- an internal energy. You'll start covering the basics of chakra next semester; mostly just theory, but by October you should be able to feel it, and we'll begin practicing to move your chakra in December."

"Really? So when I learn catra-" he caught Iruka's pointed look and cleared his throat- "I mean, charka-"

(Iruka muttered something along the lines of 'close enough.')

"-I'll be able to do really awesome techniques? And I'll be able to be a really awesome ninja hero, and all the bad guys are gonna be so scared, they'll all run away and hide, and then I'll save the day, and I'll become Hokage, and everyone will think I'm just the awesomest guy ever! And then I'll finally beat Sasuke, too, dattebayo!"

"... I suppose that's possible," Iruka said noncommittally. The Ninja Academy didn't usually approve of the usual 'follow your dreams and reach far' rhetoric, but it wasn't like it could do any harm. Besides, Naruto deserved a little extra encouragement to make up for the deficit of normal childhood affection.

With that thought in mind, he considered.

He might- just barely, mind- have enough.

"Naruto," Iruka said cheerfully, quashing the part of his mind that wailed in mourning for his pocketbook. "I was thinking of heading to Ichiraku. Do you want to come along? It'll be my treat."

Every inch of the blond eight-year-old lit up in delight. This was a pretty normal reaction.

And then- this part was absolutely not normal- he wilted.

"Um..." he said, downcast. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Oh? Why's that?" Because, honestly, Iruka couldn't think of anything Naruto would prioritize over free ramen. Unless- "-You aren't up to some insane plot again, are you? You aren't- aren't leading the Inuzuka puppies to the Akimichi compound, or putting pepper on the ceiling fans, or putting vinegar in the Hokage's tea, or- or- or painting the Hokage monument with graffiti-"

"-hey!" Naruto cried. "I resent that remark! Wait, that's actually a really interesting idea..."

Iruka resisted the impulse to bang his head repeatedly against his desk.

"But no, I'm not actually plotting." Naruto's half-smile grew into a full-blown grin. "I've got a meeting with a friend this afternoon!"

Not what he had expected.

And not necessarily a pleasant surprise, either.

It was good, of course, to see Naruto smiling so warmly and brightly. How many times had Iruka wished that the lonely blond boy could have some real friends? The children in Naruto's class weren't usually cruel to him outright (Iruka had dealt sternly with the troublemakers who were), only standoffish. To hear that Naruto was going to meet with a friend- not a classmate, a friend- whom he honestly seemed to like should have had Iruka glowing with proud delight for the rest of the week.

He should be happy. He wanted to be happy for his student- his favorite, most frustrating, most resilient, most creatively destructive student, who really, really deserved something like this to happen.

Except-

"Naruto," Iruka said carefully, trying to think how to approach this. "Which friend is this?"

If possible, Naruto's grin widened even further. "I forgot- you don't know him, Sensei- his name's Sai! He's really quiet and he when he does talk, he talks like a grown-up or someone out of a book or something, it's really crazy. And he's really good at drawing and stuff."

He nodded slowly, thinking hard. "Where did you meet him?"

"Well, I was hanging out in the Nara forest-"

"Naruto! That's trespassing."

"-and he pops out from nowhere, like a real-life ninja; except he's not, he's the same age as me, I think. Anyway, he was super snippy and used a whole lot of big words, but he didn't even know what a yo-yo was! And he's an amazing painter: he drew this awesome picture of a tree, and then he did a picture of me, and it was really cool!"

Damn.

Naruto's rambling dialogue contained a whole lot of clues that were being slowly pieced together in Iruka's head. And while he didn't have all the answers yet-

Well, it added up to something ominous.

A mysterious boy just exactly Naruto's own age, just happening to show up in the Nara forest (out of nowhere, like a ninja, or something) precisely when Konoha's only jinchuriki was present and alone. Not only did he show up from nowhere and disappear to nowhere, but he conveniently managed to befriend Konoha's aforementioned jinchuriki and arrange a followup meeting.

Iruka was a ninja.

Ninja didn't do coincidences: they did plots.

How easy would it be, he wondered. To henge into a young child (or even just send an eight-year-old ninja: as much as the thought made him wince, Iruka knew that there was no shortage of child operatives in certain organizations) and approach the young boy in the middle of a deserted forest, dressed like a civilian child? It wouldn't be easy, but it could be done.

All it would take was a plan and a little determination.

To slowly lure the young, impressionable Jinchuriki into a friendship with a boy his own age would be simple, since Jinchuriki were frequently shunned in their home villages. First an acquaintance, then a friend, then a confidant: even if they failed to subvert Naruto's loyalties, it would be easy to lead him into a trap. A seal master could probably do something to prevent the Bijuu from taking over and rampaging, and once they did that they could easily drug him and place a genjutsu compulsion over him to keep him under control until they figured out how to use him.

Or, failing that, they could simply kill him and reseal the beast into a new, more malleable container.

And that, he knew, was only one of thousands of possible dangerous motives. It didn't even necessarily have to be someone from another village. There were certainly missing-nin that would be willing to capture him and sell on the black market, and mercenaries who would sell him to the village with the highest bidder, and even subversive factions of Konoha who thought the Jinchuriki could be much more... usefully applied.

Iruka's blood ran cold.

"Naruto," he said, gently, softly. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

Confusion. "Huh?"

"I don't know if this Sai person is trustworthy," he explained, hating the way that Naruto's eyes were growing wide and solemn and hurt. "It's dangerous for you to meet up with him all alone, when you don't know who he is or where he's from."

"I don't-" Naruto looked away. "Why does that matter? Just because I don't know who his parents are or what clan he's from- what difference does any of it make? Isn't it enough that I know him, and he knows me, and we both want to make friends with each other?"

Ouch. Iruka was very aware that 'Sai' was not the only one with mysterious origins, and Naruto was very touchy about the subject of parents.

"That's not what I mean," he said instead. "It's just- there are a lot of very untrustworthy people out there, and I don't want anyone to take advantage of you. I'm worried about you, that's all."

Naruto's face smoothed out. "Well, that's all right, then. Don't worry, Sai's really nice."

"Oh?"

"Yeah! He's going to teach me how to draw!"

"How to... draw?"

Okay, so maybe he couldn't see how that would lead to an immediate goal in respect to influencing the Kyubi Jinchuriki. But that did not necessarily mean that Naruto was out of danger. It could simply be a ploy to gain Naruto's affection. If the blond child had expressed an interest in the subject, how easy would it be for an undercover operative to latch onto that and use it as leverage?

Iruka already knew the answer: it would be far, far too easy.

"Yep! He drew a picture of me, remember? It was really, really good. Like, a photograph or something. And it felt like..."

"Like?" The teacher prompted.

Naruto glanced aside, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Looking at the picture- it felt like he was drawing it with- I don't know really- a warm feeling. I guess? No one's ever wanted to draw me before, and he drew me, and it was a really friendly picture."

And Iruka just couldn't argue.

With a smile and a gnawing worry in his heart, he reached out a hand and ruffled Naruto's spiky blond hair.

"All right, then," he said. "Go on and meet with 'Sai.'"

Naruto brightened.

"But-" Iruka said, holding up a hand preemptively. "I want you to promise me something."

"What?"

The teacher slid open a desk drawer and rummaged through the contents until he found what he was looking for. When he withdrew his hand, he held a small crumpled slip of paper; a seal imbued with concentrated chakra. There was black ink calligraphy on it, and it looked a little like an exploding tag, but the characters were different.

It was, in fact, a form of amulet seal.

"I want you to keep this on you- no, not in your bag, you'll absolutely lose it that way- preferably you'd pin it on the inside of your shirt, or something like. If you don't want to do that, tuck it into the cuff of your sandal. Just make sure you always have it with you, and don't lose it."

"What is it?"

"It's a seal- it's not dangerous at all, but it will keep me notified of your general location relative to me. Also, if you feel like you're in danger- legitimate danger, mind, so no pranks- you can tear it in half and there will be a chakra flare. It's the official emergency signal, so all the ninja within twenty-five miles will be on high alert.

"You need to be very careful not to set off the signal unless it is an emergency- but if it is an emergency, do not hesitate to set it off. Is that okay?"

Naruto frowned. "Okay, I guess. But Sai's a good guy, I know he is!"

Iruka just smiled. "Go on. Have fun, and be careful."

"So today you're meeting with the Jinchuriki, huh?" Shin pondered it. "Reconnaissance: so you're posing as a civilian kid and trying to make friends with him. Trying to win his loyalties, or just get a hold on him?"

Sai, silent and stone-faced, did not acknowledge Shin's presence in the least.

"What the hell made the commander pick you?" Shin jibed gently. "You're just about the least charming guy in the squad. He really should've picked a guy like me- charismatic, handsome, talented, brilliant. I just ooze charm, don't I?"

His little brother rolled his eyes.

Well, at least it was a reaction. Sai seemed incredibly freaked out by the prospect of meeting with the wacky blond kid who housed the Kyubi, and when Sai was freaked out he tended to revert to his default mode of engagement: rock-like.

"Do you really hate the kid that much? What'd he do to you?"

Mute, Sai shook his head.

Wait...

"You actually like him, don't you?"

And there was the answer, right in the sudden blink and the hunch of small shoulders and the distracted look on Sai's face that wasn't just worry or distress; it was confusion, plain and simple.

There was only one thing that would cause Sai confusion.

He knew how to deal with all negative emotions that might impede his duty. Every Root trainee had that ability hammered into him before he was able to properly read, or write, or throw his first kunai. Sai would not let such petty concerns affect his performance for such a long period of time. He would meditate on it and discard his personal emotions and excel, because Shin's little brother was the perfect shinobi.

Shin knew because he'd seen it.

But Sai wasn't quite a perfect shinobi. When he went undercover, he could function just fine as a normal person- until he opened his mouth. He had absolutely no sense of atmosphere or manners, and he had a critical eye and a brutally honest disposition. Shin would place a bet that Sai could successfully annoy any living creature on the face of the planet into raving, drooling insanity.

But his cute little brother was now faced with a person that he actually liked, and his carefully constructed world was falling apart. No wonder he was so confused.

Shin reached out and ruffled Sai's hair.

"Go on. Have fun, and be careful," he said.

Sai didn't smile, but he took a deep breath and shouldered his bag. "Moron," he said uncaringly. "You're stupider than I thought. You're almost ten minutes late to your team assembly, and by the time you get there you'll get at least a dozen demerits. I can't believe you actually call yourself a shinobi. You're such a disgrace."

Meaning: Thanks for worrying. I'll be fine, so look after yourself.

Or at least, that's what Shin hoped it meant.

But as he checked his watch and winced, and scrambled to pick up his own things, he couldn't suppress a warm smile. He was so proud- his little brother making real friends at last. He hoped it would turn out well. He couldn't really see the way to happiness, but there was always one there if you looked hard enough.

Shin closed his eyes and recalled a young, childish voice.

"I don't draw people."

And thought: Maybe he's just really shy, after all.

And that thought made him laugh. Because, after all, it was just so true.

"If all you have said is true, then we ought to be concerned indeed," the Hokage said gravely. "You were right to come to me with this information, Iruka. We must do our best to protect Naruto from those who seek to take advantage of him."

"May I speak, Hokage-sama?" Iruka asked.

"Certainly."

"If this 'Sai'- if he proves to be no threat, I would ask that Naruto be permitted to continue the friendship. I believe it means very much to him, and I would hate to cause him any unnecessary pain."

"Your concerns will be noted."

This was a clear dismissal. Iruka bowed his head and left.

When the teacher had left, the Sandaime was silent for a moment. He slid open a desk drawer and produced a long thin pipe and some tobacco. He lit the pipe and puffed on it for a moment, brows furrowed thoughtfully, and then puffed out a thin stream of white-gray smoke. Then he stood up from behind his desk, pushing his chair out from behind him with the back of his legs. He moved around the side of his desk to stand in the very front.

Then he spoke, seemingly to an empty room.

"I'd like you to shadow Naruto Uzumaki. Keep an eye on him for the next few days, especially this afternoon. Report back on the other."

There was a flicker of almost-darkness, and then there was suddenly a presence in the corner of the room.

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

"Dismissed."

And then the ANBU captain Kakashi Hatake seemed to vanish from existence once more, gone to perform his newest duty. Because if there was anyone who could be absolutely trusted with the protection of one of Konoha's most valuable individuals... well.

Kakashi always did the job right.