The darkness filled the council room. On each side of the table sat three people. Tsunade took the middle seat between Kakashi and Shikaku, her hands folding in front of her face. On the other side of the table Danzō sat between Koharu and Homura.

"Team Seven is highly questionable, to say the least," Danzō stated without emotion. He adjusted his position in his chair. "We must make some alterations to its structure."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware we were that concerned about a bit of irregularity."

"A bit?" Danzō frowned, his eyes still calm. "Slightly more than 'a bit' of irregularity. If memory serves, current Team Seven includes a Hidden Sound double traitor who likely would take the option that benefits her no matter how dangerous it is to Hidden Leaf and a Hidden Sand monk who almost certainly has conflicting loyalties, both of whom have more experience than the primary members of Team Seven. It's risky to leave the Nine-Tails in such a dangerous situation." He pressed his finger against the paper. "Under these circumstances, Root demands a reassignment, that of the subject Sai to the team, to ensure that we retain control of the Tailed Beast." He paused, waiting for a response from Tsunade.

Tsunade frowned. She looked down at the papers. After a long pause she met Danzō's eyes. "That won't be necessary unnecessary. I trust these people."

"I see. Well, then, let's regard another issue requiring more team members," Danzō pressed. "Both Akatsuki and Hakubo have grown bolder—"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "We managed to recover that jinchūriki, did we not?"

Danzō cleared his throat, talking over Tsunade. "The One-Tail was stolen from Hidden Sand with great ease. Akatsuki is capable of moving freely, and Hakubo clearly does not fear the Great Nations. The delicate balance between our battles has been cut away. New jinchūriki could be created; the entire balance of power of the world nations is being destabilized. At the very least, it's at the risk of being destabilized. We need to protect Hidden Leaf's current place in the world. To do that, we need to protect the Nine-Tails in our possession."

"Your fearmongering has no place here," Tsunade stated sternly. "Naruto's team is perfectly capable of protecting him."

"What about from their own desires?" Danzō questioned harshly. "Or what if a mistake happens? We cannot risk a breach in this regard."

Tsunade blinked.

"Desires and emotions breed a world that cannot control itself. You have allowed them to grow unruly, acting merely from their own desires."

The councilors inclined their heads quietly.

"As you can see, you've failed these children with regards to their discipline, the most important trait to develop for the sake of their survival. This hesitance might prevent them from defending him from an internal threat, making this assignment necessary. In addition to the aforementioned request, we'll be assigning a jōnin to the team to ensure the safety of the Nine-Tails until such time as Nōtō-san returns to his duties. Does this seem reasonable to you?" Danzō questioned.

Tsunade scowled. "It seems you've already made your decision without my help. Also, I object to your naming of him. He should be called Naruto, not an animal. But I do wonder. Regarding the matter of this Shishi fellow, has anything been discovered?"

Danzō shook his head from side to side. "Only that whatever his powers, they must originate from space-time ninjutsu." He brushed his hand along the table. "Honored elders, do you have any guesses?"

Homura shook his head. "It is the duty of shinobi to fight shinobi. We do not send business persons to farm."

Danzō nodded, acknowledging the correctness of the statement.

"I, at least, know some little," Kakashi stated shortly. He looked upward. "Some theorized that, due to the similarity of his power to Kamui, Shishi was Uchiha Obito. As you know, the eye I took from Obito has the power to transport people to a shadow dimension. This has some degree of similarity to what Naruto's report describes."

The councilors nodded.

Danzō leaned forward, his expression suddenly interested. "And what were your findings?"

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Obito was my friend. For that reason, I demanded that Hidden Mist exhume the body. They acceded primarily due to the shame they experienced in the battle against Team Seven several years ago; since we agreed to ignore it they allowed us access to the body. This Shishi, whoever he is, isn't him." His hands folded across the table.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"The body could be faked," Danzō stated, a little too hastily.

"I requested that the body be examined by Sakura, to confirm my original suspicions. She's verified that the body is Obito's based on chakra traces and an analysis of his DNA. On top of that, I've seen his face myself, and it's the same." Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "There's no doubt that it's Obito-kun's body. Uchiha Obito is dead, and his remaining eye demonstrates the same traits as mine, meaning that his eye was not replaced. Whatever the case may be, it seems clear that my friend isn't responsible for Shishi's actions."

Danzō frowned. "That is troubling." He leaned back in his chair. "There is no mistake, then?"

Kakashi shook his head from side to side. "You know me."

Danzō sighed heavily. He sunk into his chair as though deflated. "I see."

Tsunade nodded briefly. "From what Naruto said, he didn't use hand seals of any type. That also suggests a Sanzengan power, or at least a dōjutsu of some kind."

"But there's a distinct dearth of Sanzengan remaining in this world." Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "And given Tayuya's testimony, it seems unlikely that Itachi did it. Certainly it's not impossible for him to set up an illusion to contain Tayuya while simultaneously preventing Naruto from interfering with the ritual, but against Tayuya it seems unlikely he could make it convincing enough."

"There's another possibility," Shikaku interjected. He rested his hands against the table in a triangle, his expression serious. "I honestly didn't believe that that type of power existed, but I've seen someone who possessed that ability myself now in the prison. Soru genkai."

A silence fell over the table.

"I thought that only applied in the case of the Sanreigan. None of those six powers amounted to the same thing as what Shishi did, according to Naruto." Tsunade frowned.

"There are different versions." Shikaku shrugged his shoulders. "Depending on the type, the powers granted are different. The Sanreigan is quite rare in that it can be transferred between people, where other soru genkai are unique to their user." He smiled grimly, shadows crossing his face. "Or at least that's what my research tells me. At a guess, if he does possess a soru genkai, it's likely a Retsugan. Something controlling space and time completely, or at least his own perception of it."

Kakashi fell silent. His face looked grey as he folded his fingers together.

"That would explain Naruto's perception of events," Tsunade agreed. Her brow grew stormy. "But if that is the case, how can we fight someone like that?"

Shikaku's hand rubbed his brow. "We can fight someone like that only if we can figure out how his power works and how to counteract it. The first part, I have at least a guess that seems to be supported by the evidence. The second?" His shoulders rose and fell rapidly. "If I knew that, I wouldn't have spent last night trying to figure out effective countermeasures."

Danzō cleared his throat. "We may be blowing this out of proportion. His power is likely not so extraordinary. Perhaps an illusion. Even if we aren't overestimating him and he's capable of using such powerful space-time ninjutsu, it would be remiss to rush too much. Clearly his power has some limits; else we'd all be dead by now along with Team Seven." He paused, glancing around the table to ensure that his account had been accepted. "Regarding the earlier matter, it's agreed, then?"

"Yes. Sai-kun may join Team Seven." Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "For the time being, I'll dismiss this meeting." She swept out of the chair rapidly. Kakashi and Shikaku followed after a long moment, emptying the room.

"Great elders, you must be very tired after such a long debate." A warm smile crossed Danzō's lips. He bowed, his hands clapping together.

"There's no need to disguise your intentions. Though I don't mind your speech being measured some days," Homura remarked with a grin. He rose to his feet, bowing. "You have an agent to speak with?"

Danzō nodded. "I do, indeed."

"Then we shan't keep you. Root's duty is most important." Koharu placed one arm on Homura's shoulder. The pair hobbled out of the room. The door shut behind them in a gust of wind.

Danzō nodded briefly. He glanced toward a painting in the corner of the room. "You heard?"

The ink peeled away from the canvas, reassuming the corporeal form of a short-haired figure bowed on one knee. "I did indeed, sir."

"Sai will be your name from this point forward. Truthfully speaking, I imagine your skills to be on a level far above those you will be accompanying, though you should take no pride in this. On the whole you are superior to most of those in your age group. Be cautious and wary, and above all else ensure that the jinchūriki does nothing untoward."

"Yes, sir." Sai smiled.

"Do not use that tool on me," Danzō ordered. His voice was without malice.

Sai sighed heavily. "I know. I still can't smile right."

"As you have used a smile it is ineffective. You do not understand what a smile indicates. More details regarding your assignment will be provided to you by Yamato." Danzō turned slightly. "One more thing."

Sai's brow furrowed.

"Try to find something you enjoy. You've built up a great deal of stress over the past few years, and it's affected your growth of power." Danzō looked briefly toward Sai. "Sketches help somewhat, but there is a discernible alteration in your level of skill after you kill someone, and it's consistent. Find something that truly gives you some kind of strength, and use it to your advantage."

Sai looked toward Danzō without words. After a long pause, she started, "I have no past. I have no future."

Danzō's lips curled upward. "You've learned our creed well, but you have forgotten its spirit."

Sai's brow furrowed in incomprehension.

"If there is no past and no future, what is there?"

"The mission?" Sai attempted, face scrunched in concentration.

"There is the present. And that present will never solely consist of missions. You have learned the discipline of a mission, the singular need to complete that mission." Danzō paused. "When a tool rests, if it is constantly set against challenges to which it has not been placed, it will become scratched or damaged. Therefore, you must learn to truly rest. A mission is a mission. And you cannot worry about things that do not exist until they happen. But when you reach a point between missions, you must also learn to bend." His hand stretched out towards Sai's head, hesitated, and retreated. "In a way, that is also a purpose of this mission. To become familiar with the need to bend, like the dappled willow in a high storm."

Sai nodded after a long pause. "I don't know that I fully understand, sir, but I will heed your words and attempt to understand their meaning."

"Oh, and another thing." Danzō paused. His expression grew more serious. "You should get some more girlish clothes. They'll accept you more readily if you seem to be less of a threat."

Sai sighed heavily. "Those clothes are immensely impractical."

"They'll serve a use in ingratiating you. As you are you are quite intimidating, and that is perhaps dangerous." Danzō turned to face the window, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Very well, sir." Sai bowed deeply. "Does my mission begin immediately?"

"As close to it as seems reasonable to you." Danzō nodded. The gesture was a dismissal, and Sai recognized it.

Turning, Sai leapt out the window. She disappeared in a flood of black ink.