Disclaimer: Yeah I don't own anything. This is just written for all the fans of Naruto to enjoy. I know a lot of people out there are probably groaning, Oh, no... Sai's chapter. But I think you'll find it interesting. Please enjoy!

~An Artistic Soul~

Rummaging through his art supplies, Sai finally found his large scroll of paper.

"Ah, yes. There it is," the shinobi said to himself, as he carefully rolled out the amount he required. He then took one of his kunai and cut off a large sheet.

The dark-haired man held it up to the light. "Hmm... I believe that will do."

Gently, Sai spread the piece flat against the floor, placing small weights at edges to ensure limited movement while he worked.

Next, he grabbed one of his pencils and chiseled away at the tip with his kunai. It was important that the point be nice and sharp. He needed clear, crisp lines in the initial sketch. Because later, it would serve as a guide for his ink work. Sai didn't use this method very often, but for this piece he decided to make an exception.

The rhythmic scraping always comforted him in troubling times. It brought back memories of Shin. Back then, the dark-haired shinobi used to draw beside the campfire as his brother quietly read a book nearby. Was it really that long since he died? Sometimes it felt like an instant, while others seemed to stretch on for an eternity. During the final battle of the war, Sai was finally able to gain some closure in that regard. And yet, there were still days when he couldn't help but wonder... What would it be like, if Shin were still alive?

Ino said it was healthy to ponder such things, but not to fixate on. After all this time, his newly unearthed emotions were allowing him to grieve.

"Ino..." thought Sai with a small, genuine smile. "She truly is a beauty."

Lifting up his sharpened pencil, the dark-haired man began to sketch an image onto the prepared sheet. As his arm made wide looping circles, his mind idly wandered to his and Ino's relationship.

Sai, of course, knew that Ino had first been attracted to him because of Sasuke. In fact, many of their friends have stated that on the surface they seem rather similar. But their major difference was that Sasuke's driving force had always been his emotions. In the past, the man had fully embraced both his hate and rage. While on the other hand, Sai had chosen push these and the rest of his unwanted emotions away.

Or rather, down would be the more appropriate term. After the war, Sai began to notice the feelings Root had tried to eradicate were beginning to return. And honestly, he wasn't sure how to handle it. Most of the time, he would be fine. Then suddenly, he'd snap and almost tear someone's head off. Yamato-sensei, Naruto, and Sakura were all becoming concerned about this behavior. And he did not blame them. Sai's teacher and friends encouraged him to seek help, and his savior came in the beautiful form of his angel, Ino-chan.

He let out a sigh of longing as his elegant fingers began to draw in the details of the first figure's face.

Being of the Yamanaka clan, Ino excelled at both mental and emotional perception. She overheard Sai and Sakura discussing the matter one day and immediately offered her services. As a teacher, the blonde was blunt, but fair in her assessments. She took him around to various parts of the village, and taught him how to observe and decipher his responses. The more time they spent together, the closer they became. Once he really got to know Ino, Sai found her to be utterly fascinating. She was confidant and decisive in everything she did. The blonde made no apologies for who she was a person. "Don't like it, then just take a hike," she'd always say.

When Sai began feeling, certain urges toward his beautiful friend. Her ability to mind link and share sensations was not helping. Though he had to admit, at the present point in their relationship, there were times when Sai considered her technique positively enlightening. Especially for his, uh... novel research. And Ino was never the type of woman to shy away from experimentation. It fact, Sai trying to understand these new desires was what led him to discover the "Icha Icha Paradise" series in the first place.

As their relationship began to take on a new form, Ino was always open and honest with him. She helped guide Sai through all the emotional turmoil and find his soul again. Quite simply, he owed her everything.

Drawing always did this to him now; causing him to reflect on the past and the person he had become. Creating his artwork gave Sai a sense of clarity that he rarely felt in everyday life. It hadn't always been this way though. When he first met Naruto and Sakura, the shinobi never felt a thing when he drew. All he knew was that he wanted to capture certain images. But could never comprehend the reason why. After he finished a painting, it was simply done. Naming it was out of the question, because he didn't understand what possessed him to make the image in the first place.

Ino explained that this was a subconscious act to release his emotions in a healthy way. Even if he didn't realize it, this was his way of interacting with the world. Every stroke, every mark, came from his inner being. He just had to crack open the door wider and allow it all to flow out onto the page. Once Sai finally did, the freedom and joy he felt was almost euphoric. No longer was his art merely a thing he did. All his works now held a bit of Sai's soul, in a sense, they were a reflection of him.

Places he visited with Ino came vividly to life, shapes and forms he found interesting almost danced within his sketchbook, and precious moments with his friends were lovingly illustrated with vibrancy and joy.

Speaking of which, Sai just happened to be working on one such piece right now. You see, yesterday, a certain friend came inquiringly to his door...

*Flashback*

The dark-haired shinobi was sketching manga panels for the latest issue of "Icha Icha" in his studio, when a sudden knock broke his concentration. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow upon hearing this. People did not normally visit his studio. In fact, very few of his friends even knew where it was. As Sai pondered this, he stood and walked over to the door. When he opened it, the shinobi couldn't help but blink at the odd sight of Gai and Lee waiting there, dressed in matching dark suits and sunglasses.

"Hello..." the dark-haired man said uncertainly as the pair proceeded to push their way in. "Can I help you gentlemen?" Sai didn't notice the crow that flew past his open window going "CAW! CAW!"

Lee started making weird hand gestures to Gai, to which the older man simply nodded. This caused Sai to squint at them in concern. The green beasts were up to something, and no good usually came of that.

The younger man sped through the studio looking in every closet, behind each piece of furniture, and under every plant.

Once Lee appeared satisfied, he returned to Gai's side and began making the wild gestures again. To which, Gai rapidly shook his head and signed a bunch of different ones in return.

"Okay..." said Sai with a slight frown."You both are acting weirder than normal. That is rather disconcerting."

The two men then turned in unison and started manically waving their hands at Sai when POOF! and SMACK! A Naruto clone appeared out of thin air and cracked them both on the head.

"What the heck are you guys doing!" the blond yelled. "You were just supposed to check if anyone else was here and then report back!"

The green beasts shot one another twin looks of confusion and then began with the hand gestures again.

"WOULD YOU TWO STOP DOING THAT AND JUST SPIT IT OUT?" Naruto screamed, having finally come to the end of his patience.

"B-but Naruto-kun!" Lee stuttered out nervously. "You told me and Gai-sensei that if we said one more word-"

The blond's right eye took on an uncontrollable twitch."I MEANT ABOUT ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE PLAN, BAKA!"

Lee and Gai simply stared at him with dual looks of hurt etched on their faces.

Naruto took a deep, cleaning breath and regained control of his temper. "Look, whatever you two. I'm sorry I lost my cool. I know you are both doing your best. Now, just please stand guard outside while I speak with Sai. Okay?"

This quickly formed apology seemed enough to pacify them, as the pair then saluted the blond and went back outside.

"So... uh... what was that all about then?" asked Sai when they were finally alone.

Naruto released a long, laboring sigh and explained everything that had been going on the last few days. The look in Naruto's eyes when he spoke about Hinata, told the dark-haired shinobi all he needed to know.

Even before the blond said it aloud, Sai knew his friend was planning to propose.

"That's wonderful news, Naruto-kun," replied Sai with a gentle smile. "I feel honored that you chose to confide in me."

"Well, you are my teammate after all," he explained with an amused snort. "That, and Ino already found out. So if I didn't tell you soon, I think she might have burst."

Sai nodded in understanding. "Ahh... I see, Ino-chan and Sakura must be driving you crazy."

"Actually... I haven't had a chance to tell Sakura yet..." confessed Naruto with a rather large sweatdrop.

The dark-haired man froze in horror."Oh, my. Naruto-kun, I do believe you are a dead man."

"I know!" the blond groaned in despair. "But people just keep finding out! And since she's been away on that herb gathering mission in Mist for over a month I didn't-"

"Yes, but Sakura is not going to care and you know it," Sai bluntly pointed out. "Just be prepared, and refrain from telling her anywhere near your new home. I doubt it will still be standing after that."

"Duly noted,"the blond grumbled in response, but then immediately returned to the main reason for his visit. "So anyway, if you're up for it. I wanted to know if you'd be willing to make a commissioned piece for me... "

And of course, Sai readily agreed. For all he and Naruto fought, Sai considered the blond to be one of his closest friends. How could he refuse a request such as this? Really, Sai felt honored that Naruto wanted him to be a part of this special occasion. The artistic shinobi would give his friends his best work yet.

Sai let out a tried sigh as he stood back to view the overall work. Everything appeared to be in proportion, and the flow of the image seemed sound. And true, he could have put the couple in a more dynamic pose, but that would be inappropriate for an engagement event.

Decisively, Sai clapped his hands together. "Hai, I believe it is time."

The artist then got ready to perform the most important step. Grabbing his brushes and ink, Sai placed them beside the large sketch. He loved painting in a huge scale, it was nice that for once, one of these pieces would not be used in battle.

Sai steadied his brush above the page, before laying down the first flowing stroke. The image in his head then began to escape through his arm and down onto the paper. Each flick of his wrist, every time his brush slid across the page, a bit of himself went with it. This was what it meant to put your emotions into your art. The movement of all the lines he placed made a visual statement to the world-

This is who I am, and this is what I see.

Art, the very essence of creation.

After inking in the main lines, next came the shading. Sai didn't use this technique in his fighting jutsu. In battle, such a thing would be a waste of time. But in illustrating Jiraiya's original "Icha Icha" novels, he had begun using it more. Wetting his brush, Sai dipped it in into a bit of the ink to create a lighter shade. With broad, sweeping strokes, he painted over certain areas of the piece to give the entire image a softer feel.

Now that the shadows were in place, the artistic shinobi went back and touched up a bunch of areas. After placing his brush back into the water to soak, Sai stood up and admired the painting from a far.

Art, is best viewed the way the average person would see it. This way, you can better assess the composition as a whole. Sai stared at the piece for almost twenty minutes, analyzing every line, until he was 100% satisfied with the final product.

The painting was a simple one, as far as portraits go. Naruto on the left, depicted with his scarf, was lovingly kissing the illustration of Hinata on the right. They were wrapped in a loving embrace and seem oblivious to anything else.

Sai allowed the piece to completely dry before going back and erasing the under sketch's lines. The dark-haired man looked at the painting from a distance again.

"Perfect!" he finally declared and signed the bottom corner with a flourish. Normally, he would use a red stamp with his kanji symbols as the signature. But this painting was especially personal, and he wanted it to come directly from his heart.

Once again, the dark-haired shinobi studied the piece from every angle and noticed... that his art style had truly evolved. Gone were the cold hard lines he used to place upon the page. Even his ink stokes seemed softer somehow. This was made by a man who was at peace with who he was, and wished to express the love he felt for his friends through it's creation.

Now... all Sai had to do was give it a name. He placed a finger to his chin in thought. What would be an appropriate name for his masterpiece?

And then... as inspiration usually does, it suddenly came to him.

"I shall call it... 'The Dickless Man Discovers His Cock!'" Sai stated aloud, genuinely grinning at the thought of Naruto's reaction upon hearing it.

Because that's exactly what the artistic shinobi planned to tellthe blond.

In reality, the piece was entitled "Eternal Love."

And so, another person has been recruited to Naruto's most noble cause! But it would already seem that his friends are starting to mess with his well intentioned plans. Will Hinata get the day she truly deserves?

As always, only time would tell...

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: If you're curious about what Sai's painting really looks like, search no further than the cover image for the story! Hehehe! That's right, I've been planning this moment from the very beginning. I put a lot of thought into it. I really wanted to capture the artistic process in story form. Hope I did it justice. So did you like it? Let me know!

And now for next time! It's finally here! Sakura and Sasuke's big chapter has finally arrived! But will Sakura kill Naruto for telling Ino before he gets to propose to Hinata? Stay tuned to find out!

And as always...

Please remember to read, fav, and review! Feedback helps fuel the muse! Feed the fanfic muse!

Japanese Word Key:

Nii-chan: Brother

Nee-chan: Sister

Hai: Yes

Itadakimasu: It's a traditional Japanese phrase that means: "I thank you for the meal."

Otousan: Father (formal)

Tou-chan: Dad (informal)

Kaa-chan: Mother

Oba-chan: Granny

Arigato: Thank you

Kami: God or spirit

Chibi: Short, cute style of drawing

Baka: Idiot

Gomen'nasai: I'm sorry

Gomen: Sorry

Bento box: the Japanese term for a lunch box, or a boxed lunch of some kind.

Shogi: Japanese chess

Kunoichi: Female ninja

Shinobi: Ninja (not sure if it's just used for males though)

Sensei: Teacher

Dattebayo: Naruto's catchphrase in Japanese. It doesn't actually translate to "Believe it!" It's just an exclamation like: Yippee! or Huzzah!