DISCLAIMER: No matter how much I want it, I do not own Naruto. I am still only borrowing the characters and promise to return them in good condition – well, maybe slightly battered!

AN:

The truth part in this chapter was essentially a conversation between Death the Kid and Professor Stein on Soul Eater. Also, I want to send out a big, huge thanks to Dark Serpent Cat who basically inspired this whole chapter – you rock! I also want to thank TheCookiemonster77 for taking the time to read this and tell me that Sai didn't go too overboard. Now while I don't think that it's too bad, others might - so be warned - this chapter contains scenes of torture.

Chapter Forty:

'C' is for Confirmation

If you feel alive, if you got no fear

Do you know the name of the one you seek?

If you want the answer, if you want the truth

Look inside your empty soul

There you'll find the noose.

~Danzig~

Zabuza lead them to one of the mountain bandit's hideouts that he had discovered during his mission. They separated the prisoners, tied them up and then took the leader to a separate building.

Confidant in his ability to escape, the man arrogantly boasted, "Welcome to my place. It's been so long since I've had guests."

Naruto gritted his teeth, a flush of anger spread across his face. He retorted, "Could be the stench of death. Most people don't like it."

Sai looked on with no change in his expression while Haku finished tying the wire with a little more force than necessary. As the room emptied, Zabuza walked to the door and opened it. He looked back and jeered, "You won't be so confident by the time we're through with you."

"Pah, I'm not afraid of you."

The door closed with a gentle snick but not before the bandit leader heard the Mist shinobi's faint laugh and parting shot, "You will be."

The man, Takeo, was alone in the room. He hadn't lied; he wasn't afraid. He'd been in tight situations like this before and had always managed to escape. They had tied his hands behind his back with some sort of thin wire and sat him on a chair, so he couldn't see that a large rope was tied to the wire and passed over a beam on the ceiling. He began twisting and flexing his wrists.

~~O~~

A half hour later, terrified screams echoed across the compound while trickles of blood beat a slow and steady rhythm onto the wooden floor. Takeo still had not been able to free himself. The shrieks of his comrades unnerved him a bit, but he didn't lose confidence… He would escape.

Obviously they were trying to get information from his underlings. "Tch, as if I would tell them anything…"

Another half hour passed. The compound was silent. He vaguely wondered if any of his men survived. Not that it mattered all that much.

So caught up in his attempts to escape, he almost didn't hear the door open. He looked up and let out a snort of derision. It was merely a boy. He was tall and thin with a trace amount of baby fat on his cheeks that marked him in that awkward stage between a boy and a man.

He laughed. "What, you thought you could make me sweat by making me wait? Please! Go home little boy and come back when you grow a pair."

The boy didn't even glance in his direction as he crossed the room. He picked up a chair, carried it over to Takeo, sat down, and opened a folder. He perused it silently for several minutes before speaking.

"I am Sai Morino; a shinobi of Konohagakure. As you may have noticed, it is useless to try to escape. You cannot break ninja wire. It is designed to hold the weight of a grown man. Now then, I have a detailed list of your crimes here." He tapped the folder and looked up. His face held a curious expression; almost amused. He continued matter-of-factly, "Your name is Takeo and you are the leader of a group of thieves known as the Kyodo-kai. Historically, your group has been known for committing robberies and ransoms until last year. You stepped up to murder; over ninety percent of which have been on families associated with the daimyo to the Land of Mountains."

"You know as well as I that you have been able to operate in these mountains as long as you have only because you have not been too greedy or too dangerous to others. Your Daimyo merely saw you as a thorn in his side – a little annoying, but insignificant. Something changed. One can only conclude that you are working on another's orders. I want you to tell me the truth. Tell me who you are working for."

"Truth?" He laughed sardonically. "There is no truth. There are only lies that mask themselves as the truth."

"I disagree. The truth is easy to see when you know right from wrong."

"Oh is it really? You're quite naive aren't you?"

"About what?"

"Everything. You think what I've done is bad. I see it as a cleansing."

"Killing innocent people is wrong. It is immoral and criminal, plain and simple."

"You think that I'm evil – that I have no morals? I'm here to tell you, little boy, that there is no inherent good or evil in the world. Those labels are just hollow concepts. Right and wrong are determined by people like the Daimyo, people who hold a position of power over others. That's the way it's always been."

Sai shook his head and disagreed, "What you have done is wrong. Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."

"Wake up boy. The rich rule over us and force us to dance to their tune. I have done everything on my own. The truth you seek doesn't exist. Morality has become nothing more than a shadow of itself. It's a mere echo of the past now."

"You are wrong."

"It just makes you feel safer to believe that truth can be carefully categorized into good and bad. Idealistic boy, the world is one big gray area. That's not actually how it works."

"You are wrong. Truth alters how we think; it alters what we think is possible."

Takeo began to laugh bitterly. "The truth is rarely pure and never simple. What if a man was out working hard for his family and when he came home he found his wife and child murdered? What if they were killed simply because that same man had once stood up against the Daimyo because he was treating his villagers cruelly? Would he be justified in wanting revenge or would he be vilified?"

Sai was quiet for a moment as he pondered the questions. He thought of his friends killed at Waterfall and the friends he had now. He knew that some would die before their time. They were shinobi. He answered, "Your base of operations here was once a peaceful farming community until you showed up. You and your men raped and brutalized the women and children and murdered the men. Those were your countrymen - your brothers, your sisters. I cannot comprehend the amount of evil it takes to commit such a foul deed."

Takeo's eyes flashed in anger, but he said in a calm, composed voice, "They were not my family. My family is dead."

"To seek justice is a good and noble thing, to seek revenge out of hatred is something that will devour your very soul, after all, the dead do not desire revenge, but the happiness of the living."

"As I said before, you are naïve."

"And you are a murderer… All this talk of philosophy is getting us nowhere. It is time for you to tell me who gave you the orders to kill those people."

"Go to hell!"

Sai stood up and set the folder down on the chair. He serenely brushed the wrinkles from his pants and smoothed down his shirt before walking behind Takeo. He yanked on the rope until the man was hanging from the arms. The full weight of his body was supported by the extended and internally rotated shoulder sockets. He patiently waited until he heard a loud popping sound. Takeo groaned loudly.

He let out a long, calming breath; braced himself and said grimly, "You can do what you want, but you won't make me talk. I am stronger than you."

"I disagree." Sai hummed thoughtfully as he stared at the bandit leader's pale face. "You know, dislocating a shoulder can be a tad bit painful the first time. I remember the first time my father did it too me. I cried. Of course, I was only five. Did you know that it can cause long-term nerve, ligament, or tendon damage? The technique typically causes brachial plexus injury, leading to paralysis or loss of sensation in the arms." He pulled on the rope again.

Takeo refused to cry out. In an attempt to antagonize Sai, he pointed out, "Your own father dislocated your shoulder?! Isn't that what you would call evil; for a father to purposely injure his own son?"

"It is an occupational hazard. I am a shinobi; we have to be flexible. My father did to me what I will do for my own child someday. He did it out of love."

Sai lowered the man to the floor and stood back, his eyes were black and unreadable. "Are you ready to tell me the truth now?"

Takeo glared and refused to answer. Sai quickly reached out and pinched his lip.

The man yelped and tried to draw back, but Sai didn't let up. "Did you know that there are a lot of nerves close to the skin surface of the upper lip? As I'm sure you can attest to, it is quite painful."

Takeo moaned and writhed in pain. Yet it was all to no avail.

"I have all the time in the world to do this," Sai told the man softly, "You really should tell me what I want to know." He released the lip and looked the man in the eyes. "I can gouge out your eyes next. After all, you do not need your sight to give me information. I could also shave off your tongue a little piece at a time. Of course, that would bleed a lot. Do you have a strong stomach?"

The man tried to spit on Sai, but it never reached its target. "Saliva contains germs. Do not do that again," he sternly admonished. He walked behind Takeo and used the toe of his sandal to strike the tailbone where all the spinal nerves were located.

He moaned loudly. "I have nothing to tell you!"

"So what you are saying that as head of this rag-tag band of miscreants, you do not know who gives you your orders? I do not think that is true." Sai walked back to the front, folded his fingers at the second knuckle and struck the man's rib cage, breaking one. "You should not lie to me."

Sai calmly sat down on the chair and opened the file again, patiently waiting for the leader to catch his breath. A bored expression was on his face when he heard the man try to breathe shallowly. "One would think that as a supposed leader, one would know everything… unless of course you are merely a mindless puppet and someone else holds the strings?"

Takeo clenched his fists in suppressed rage. Sai's comment hit a nerve. He was a very conceited man who ruled his people with an iron fist. To imply that he was not in charge made him furious. True, he did work with someone… but not for!

"I am in charge! I lead these people! I tell them what to do."

~~O~~

The torture went on for quite a while and Takeo still would not speak. Sai could tell that he was weakening. He pushed him harder. "The human body can endure a lot of pain before it shuts down. Are you willing to die for another? Are you so certain that he or she would do it for you?"

"Pah, you can't kill me. You're just a kid. Do you really think you're capable of murder? It would give you nightmares for the rest of your life."

"You are correct. I do not believe I am yet capable of cold-bloodedly murdering someone without emotional repercussions; however," Sai lifted the folder off the chair and opened it, "It would not be murder. It would be justice. You might think that last tap I gave to your rib was painful, but it was nothing compared to what you did to Ai."

"Who?"

"Ai. That is the name of the baby girl you murdered last month."

"What do you care? It's not like she was yours."

Sai raised an eyebrow and with no expression on his face, walked over to Takeo, opened his shirt to expose the little 'V' shaped point where the rib cage ended on his chest, and gave it a hard jab.

Takeo screamed and then vomited all over himself. Sai stepped around the puddle and serenely sat down. "I now have a baby sister. Her name is also Ai," he informed him, "And I would do much worse to you if you even looked at her. Now then, who are you taking orders from?"

"You think you're so tough. I'll bet you wouldn't last two seconds if I were untied. Or maybe you're just afraid to face me man to man."

Sai stared at him for a moment before shrugging. He pulled a kunai from his pouch and approached the prisoner. Takeo tensed in anticipation of his next act of punishment, but instead, felt the ropes encircling his wrists fall off. As he rubbed the life back into them, he warily eyed Sai. He thought this might be his chance to escape.

Before he could put any of his thoughts into action, Sai wagged his finger as though scolding a young child. "You are free to try it, but it is hopeless."

With a burst of adrenaline, Takeo rocketed towards the teen. Blood was pumping furiously throughout his whole body, clouding his mind. He tried twisting his head around to see where the boy was, but in a blur, he was on the cold floor. As Sai moved closer, he tried to shake himself free of the pain running through his body.

In a curious tone, Sai stated, "You are the leader of thieves and murderers. You kill innocent people for money. I would have thought you could do better than that."

Takeo pulled himself upright and slowly stood up. Blood dripped to the ground, a furious snarl wrinkled his face as he turned to face his opponent. He was losing; he charged at the teen and flailed out desperately. The boy swatted his fist to the ground and smashed his face into his knee.

Sai stepped back and studied the man as though he were an interesting specimen under a microscope. He tsked and commented, "Takeo, you have much to learn. I saw that coming from ten feet away. You should keep you opponent guessing, you must be quick and precise. Up! You should try again."

Sai's last move cut his eyebrow causing blood to pour into his eyes. He tried to swipe the blood away but the flow wouldn't stop. With nothing left to lose, he blindly reached out where the boy had been standing and punched... air.

Sai deftly sidestepped and then stepped forward, his steely gaze piercing the man's soul as he spoke gravely. "If you hope to survive what lies ahead you must learn to put your opponent to the ground fluidly." In a movement too fast to see, Sai placed his left arm deftly under his right, thrust his hip into his abdomen, and effortlessly hurled him to the floor with a tremendous THUD.

As he lay there gasping for air, Sai looked down at him a bemused expression dancing across his face. "That is appropriately called a Hip Throw." He kicked Takeo's knee with the side of his sandal in an upward motion. It ripped the ligaments and the cartilage and broke it.

Takeo was by now in a world of pain. He could barely breathe and was getting weaker every second. He vomited up blood and lost control of his bladder. He was standing on one shaking leg. For the first time since he lost his family, he felt something other than unrelenting anger.

He knew he was going to die.

Sai's black eyes held no mercy, no pity, no nothing…

He felt fear creep into his heart.

Sai dug his finger into Takeo's collar bone, bringing him to his knees. "Will your men last as long as you I wonder? I grow weary of this. Tell me who you work for."

He thought of his wife and son and smiled. If the boy didn't kill him then the man with the bandages wrapped around his face would. He knew it deep in his heart; he would be joining them soon. It was just a matter of how – long and slow or quick and merciful. He dropped his head to the floor and sobbed, "Fukisaka! Fukisaka is planning a coup d'état on Lord Isobe. He paid me to get rid of all theDaimyo's allies!"

"Thank you. I appreciate your honesty."

The door suddenly opened and Zabuza walked in. The bandages usually wrapped around his face were pooled at his neck and he was slurping a cup of ramen with relish. "Took you long enough," he grunted to the teen. He handed him the cup, pulled out a kunai, and strolled over to the former bandit leader. He squatted down and grabbed the man by his hair. Peering into his battered face, he commented, "What, you didn't skin him? I thought you were a Morino."

"It was on my to-do list, as well as ripping out all of his fingernails, but those were my last options."

"Humph, go get yourself some lunch… oh and clean your face;" he ordered gruffly, "You have blood on it."

Naruto and Sasuke peered into the bloody room, both a little shaken at the viciousness their brother was capable of. "See Baka; I warned you not to mess with Sai. You better not pester him about those suspicious tissues under his bed."

"Nah, he's still our brother; if we can't joke around with him, then who can?"

Sai walked past them humming a happy tune while behind him, Takeo cried out one last time. He shut the door without looking back.

But there was a look in his eye that bothered Naruto. He knew his brother well enough to know that what he had done bothered him. In an attempt to distract him, he asked, "So uh, Aho, when did you get the trench coat?"

"My father gave it to me for my fourteenth birthday last week."

"You still thinking that you're fourteen?"

"As I said before, because of the early onset of puberty…"

Naruto violently shook his head. "No-no-no, I don't want to hear about that once more. You can be fourteen if you promise to never tell me about that again… ever."

Kakashi came over and put his hand on Sai's shoulder. "Good job. You're father will be proud as will Lady Tsunade."

Sai frowned. "Kakashi Sensei," he asked, "What if what Takeo said was true and the Daimyo, Isobe really did kill his family? Was it right for Zabuza to kill him?"

"Well," he replied slowly, "What do you think?"

"I think I am a bit sad for him, but…" he paused as he tried to express what he felt inside. "But those people he killed were innocent. They were killed simply for their association with the Daimyo. That was wrong. He hurt a lot of people in the name of vengeance. He had to be stopped. And it is Zabuza's mission."

"Mmm, that's right. There's an old saying - when you dedicate your life to revenge, you should dig two graves – one for the person who committed the wrong and one for yourself."

"I understand. What about the other prisoners? Is Zabuza going to take care of Lord Fukisaka?"

"That's his business. We've done our part here; let's go home."

"Hey, so Kakashi Sensei..." chirped Naruto, bouncing on his heels happily, "We are so going to own the chunin exams, huh?!"

AN:

Ai means love, but they didn't name her that because of its meaning - it's a combination of Anko & Ibiki.

Just to let you all know, the next chapter is a filler... just something inspired by one of my readers, Lightningscar...and what an inspiration it was! Now I have to get back to work slaving over my computer and wading through tons and tons of notes on the upcoming chunin exams.

Thanks to everyone that followed/favorited/commented on the last chapter. I'm now at over 800 reviews and all I can say is wow... just wow! You all are so awesome!

I have another fic I just started reading that I thought was really awesome - Thicker Than Blood by EmptySurface. It's really, really great! Check it out...

Ja Ne,

AZFAERYDUST