Her Experience

by Tiny.Dncer

Sakura has been taking care of her sick civilian mother alone since she was 8. But now a full fledged ninja placed on team 7, she must learn how to stop holding herself back and let her team in, although, that proves challenging when her teammates are the wild and childish Naruto Uzumaki and her cold closed off long time crush, Sasuke Uchiha. (Better explanation inside.)

29. Sai

A/N: Sorry for the wait, my schedule got pretty intense and I had a lot of writing projects come up. If you want to read and support some of my original work, my book, Turtle A is available on Amazon Kindle, Saga fiction, Kobo, and Google play books. Anyway, just because I have a lot of writing projects doesn't mean I intend on abandoning this or KPD: Case Files. It might take longer, but I'm not giving up on these. Anyway, i know I said the reunion would be next, but it would have taken too long, and this was already shaping up to be a long chapter, so I decided to just have this be meeting Sai, and the Tenchi bridge.

"Sakura's thoughts..."

"Inner Sakura..."

Memory...

"Dialogue..."

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

---

There had been a few periods of time during the journey home where Sakura had needed someone to carry her, as she was still recovering from her chakra reaction, exhaustion, and the poisoned stab wound. She'd been nervous to voice the first time she needed a break, as they had to get home quickly, and she didn't want to lead Naruto or Lee on by letting them carry her. Thankfully, the person to take up the charge on that front had surprisingly been TenTen, who'd accurately read Sakura's reluctance, and was growing progressively more annoyed with Naruto and Lee's persistence. TenTen may have been the slowest of all of them, but Sakura was pretty light no thanks to several years of malnutrition she was still making up for, so there progress wasn't slowed too greatly.

On the bright side, the two Kunoichi continued to bond during that time, talking about Sakura's battle with Sasori, TenTen's battle with the copy of herself that had held her back from being able to assist Sakura and Chiyo, Suna's puppet jutsu and all the hidden weapons they held, and Kankurou and his interest in "TenTen's weapons arsenal." TenTen didn't believe for a second that there was anything more to it than that. She never voiced or dwelled too much on it, but similarly to Sakura, TenTen also had some insecurity about her appearance. She was never the most attractive girl in her academy class, and in her opinion, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were well ahead of her in the looks department. So she really didn't entertain the notion that someone who hadn't known her personality and talents for a long time could possibly be interested in her—taking Kankurou's interest at face value. Sakura, on the other hand, was very quick on the draw when it was in regards to anyone but herself, and kept insisting that Kankurou had a crush on her. Neither mentioned TenTen's own interest in Neji, given that he was way too close by and it seemed TenTen had yet to come out and tell him directly. But Sakura saw no harm in loudly teasing TenTen about Kankurou, in the hopes of eliciting a response from Neji…maybe Ino was getting to her. It had worked. TenTen hadn't noticed, but Neji, who'd been hanging back slightly since TenTen had started carrying Sakura, noticeably tensed when she'd mentioned Kankurou and TenTen hanging out a lot. He'd visibly relaxed when TenTen dismissed it as nothing, but the more Sakura pointed out Kankurou's flirting behaviors, the more tense he became until finally speeding up so he was out of ear shot.

That night, when they'd stopped for a brief rest, much to Sakura's amusement, Neji had stayed particularly close to TenTen, being the first to hand her food and offering to refill her water.

Sakura had been fully recovered by their last twenty-four hours of travel and was glad to be able to run full speed on her own two legs. She never had been good at staying still.

Once they reached Konoha, Sakura brought Kakashi to the hospital, while the rest of the team reported everything to Tsunade, who'd come to find her at the hospital a short while later.

Sakura looked up from Kakashi's medical chart to see Tsuande come storming towards her.

"Shi—" She quickly ducked and pivoted away as Tsunade's fist slammed into the wall she'd been standing in front of a moment before, causing cracks to stretch from the point of impact all the way down the length of the wall.

"What the hell were you thinking using yourself as a human shield?!"

"I—I wasn't, but—"

"Clearly you weren't! Damnit Sakura! You're not allowed to pull stunts like that! Not yet! You know that!"

"I couldn't just let him kill her!" Sakura defended fiercely.

"What did I tell you? What was the very first rule I taught you?!"

Sakura faltered, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Who'll heal the team if the medical ninja dies." She finally quoted back, her voice quiet.

Tsunade sighed, grabbing her arm and pulling her through the nearest room and out the window on to a wraparound balcony, away from the prying eyes of the other medics and nurses.

"I meant what I said back then. As a medical ninja, you cannot die. And Sakura, for Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, Kakashi, and for me…you cannot die. Do you understand what your death would do to any of us?"

Sakura paused, her eyes widening.

stop doing that. Stop using your body and life as a shield! Are you trying to throw away your life?!

never risk your life for me. I need you to survive. You're life's worth more than you give it credit for…

Her dream Sasuke's words echoed back to her. "So it's not just the Sasuke-kun in my head who thinks that…Tsunade-sama also…"

"I'm sorry Shishou…I didn't realize…"

"You're always so quick to assume that everyone who loves you is gone. Stop that now. There are people alive who depend on you. Who care if you live or die. Who desperately need you to survive. Stop thinking there aren't. There are several people alive who would be devastated if you died. Living as a medic is a burden, but it's a burden you chose, and since you chose it, you don't get the option of death the way other shinobi do, is that clear?"

"Yes, M'Lady…"

"Even once you complete the Strength of a Hundred Seal, using your body as a shield should still be an absolute last resort. The mitotic regeneration shortens your lifespan with each use of it, so you should only use it sparingly."

"I understand. I won't do that again until I have my seal, and even then I won't use it unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Good. Because I'll make this clear to you now. If you pull a stunt like that again, I will take you off mission roster. Are we clear?" Tsunade demanded sternly, her arms folded over her chest.

"Y-Yes M'Lady."

"Good."

There was the sound of footsteps along the balcony, and Shizune came into view. "I heard you were back, Sakura-chan, and the staff said you were in here with Tsunade-sama."

"Oh good, you're here, Shizune. We all need to talk."

Shizune came closer, fully joining the two of them on the balcony while Tsunade leaned against the railing, facing them.

"Naruto said you got some Intel about Orochimaru."

Sakura straightened, her eyes turning serious. "Yes. One of Sasori's informants within Orochimaru's ranks is supposed to meet with him at the Tenchi bridge in Kusa in four days time."

"Can we trust it? What if it's a trap? With Orochimaru as bait, Akastuki could be lying in wait for you."

"If it's a trap, then we'll just have to fight!" Sakura declared, her eyes burning fiercely. "We're running out of time and have had no leads. This is our first one in years. It might be a trap. But it also might be our only chance to save Sasuke-kun. I'm not going to waste that on a what if."

Tsuande glanced down seriously for a long moment before speaking again. "You say you'll fight, but Kakashi will be in that state for at least a week. And there's only four days…I guess I'll have to form a new team…"

"Tsuande-sama!" Shizune cut in, her tone concerned.

"What?"

"In that case, you should send a different team to investigate. Even if we send Sakura like you said, you must leave Naruto-kun out!"

Tsunade's gaze dropped, studying the railing she leaned against. Shizune's doubt was centered around sending Naruto into another potential encounter with the Akatsuki. It was true that it was a risky move…but Naruto wasn't someone who could be confined, especially not when it was about his teammates and friends.

Sakura couldn't help her sharp inhale.

"Shizune…Sakura is, like you, one of the very few shinobi I can trust in. I am definitely sending Sakura's team, Team Kakashi, on this mission."

Sakura let out a quiet breath of relief. This was about her team, so of course it should be her team that handled it.

"Then wouldn't it be the same if my team went?" Shizune insisted desperately.

"It's not the same…Both Sakura and Naruto are desperately chasing after their old teammate, Sasuke. They strongly believe, more than anyone, in rescuing him. And they strongly believe, more than anyone, in his ability to be rescued. Those strong feelings will bring the mission to succeed. You and Sakura are different…if you went and met Sasuke, you wouldn't see someone capable of coming to his senses…and the mission would fail."

Sakura blinked, slowly looking between the two older women. She never thought about it like that, but her mentor was right, and it only solidified her determination even more.

"Shishou's right. No one else cares as much about Sasuke-kun to try so hard to bring him back. It's up to me, Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei. We're the only ones it matters to that much, so we're the only ones who have a chance at success."

Shizune stared at the ground, ashamed that she questioned Tsunade's judgement like this, but not willing to dismiss her concern about this recklessly putting Naruto in the Akatsuki's path.

"…Understood…but for this mission, Naruto-kun…"

"You really think he'd stay back, willingly?" Sakura asked quietly, cutting Shizune off. "He already knows about the mission. He knows that this is an opportunity to bring Sasuke-kun back. He also knows about the risks. But he's now survived two separate encounters with the Akatsuki. Weighing the risk potential verses the reward, he'd choose to go on the mission. And that's assuming he's using more logic than he probably would. He'll always choose to go on the mission. He did in the Land of Waves. He did during the first test of the chunin exams. He did during the first attempt to bring Sasuke-kun back, and he did just now when it came to rescuing Gaara-kun. This is about his best friend. Even if you tried to bench him, he'll just sneak out and go anyway, and that would put him out there alone without backup. Naruto…he's not someone who can be shut up in one place for long." Sakura finished sternly, her eyes serious and imploring as she focused in on Shizune, who shifted under the young girl's weighted gaze.

"Hm, and now that you've heard it all, what do you have to say, Naruto?" Tsunade asked casually.

Sakura and Shizune both looked up in surprise to see Naruto standing on the edge of the roof above them.

"Sakura-chan nailed it! I'm going whether you let me or not! Believe it! I'll go looking for members right away!" Naruto rushed off before anyone could say anything else.

Tsunade smiled a little. "Always in a rush, that one. I hadn't even finished talking yet. I will find members to fill the gaps left by Kakashi and Sasuke. Tell that to Naruto too, would you?"

"Of course, Shishou!" Sakura smiled.

"Oh and come stay with me tonight. You'll be leaving tomorrow if you want to have any hope of making it in time, and I want to be sure you've had at least one good meal."

"Thanks M'Lady!" Sakura smiled softly…to think she'd almost thrown away her life and left this woman behind…she wouldn't be doing that again.

"Tsunade…"

The three woman turned to see an old woman approaching them…one of the elders. "I would like to speak with you…come."

Tsunade's smile immediately slipped as she turned to face the woman, a fact Sakura didn't miss. Tsunade always hated having to talk with the elders. Shizune shifted uncomfortably. Tsunade sighed and pushed herself off the railing. "Come by after your shift is over, Sakura."

"…Alright Shishou."

Sakura watched as Tsunade and Shizune followed the elder out of sight, off to the Hokage's tower, before returning to her shift. She may have just gotten back and had a mission tomorrow, but for now, she had patients to treat.

---

A plan that was derailed when a half hour later, a frantic Naruto burst into the hospital holding a red faced, unconscious, Hinata.

"Sakura-chan! You have to help! She just suddenly passed out and got all red and I think she's sick or something!"

Sakura let out a tired sigh, massaging the bridge of her nose. "What did you do, you nimrod?!"

"Nothing! I just ran into Shino and Kiba and thought I saw Hinata behind a fence but I wasn't sure so I went to check and she was there! So I asked why she was hiding cause I haven't seen her in a while, y'know? And I wanted to say hi and see how she was doing but then she turned red and passed out and I think she might be sick! You have to help her Sakura-chan!" Naruto talked fast, his eyes full of worry, trained on the unconscious—very pretty—girl in his arms.

"Three years with a mega-perv and he's still totally oblivious!"

"Just set her down here, Naruto. She'll be fine."

"Are you sure? You haven't even looked at her yet!"

"Yeah I don't need to. She'll wake up in a minute, but it'll be best if you're not holding her when she does."

Naruto blinked in confusion before setting her down on a bed. "You sure she'll be ok?"

"Yeah she just…" Sakura paused, not wanting to be the one who outed her friend's very obvious feelings to Naruto. That choice belonged solely to Hinata. "I'm not supposed to share this with you because of patient-medic confidentiality, but Hinata's prone to fainting spells due to sun sickness." Sakura lied easily. "She hasn't had one in a while, but it must have gotten to her today. They never last long, so she'll wake up soon."

"Oh! No wonder she turned red!" Naruto bought the lie easily.

"…Right."

"Well if you say so Sakura-chan…I should get back to finding more teammates." Despite his words, he looked hesitant to leave Hinata, making Sakura smile.

"You don't have to worry about that, Naruto. Tsunade-sama will take care of that. You should stay here with Hinata-chan until she wakes up, just give her some space when she does. I've got other patients to check on. Let Hinata-chan know she's good to go once she wakes up." Sakura turned and left, not giving Naruto a chance to protest.

---

When Sakura finally managed to check back in on them, Hinata and Naruto had already left, so she assumed everything was fine with them. With any luck, either Hinata had finally gathered the courage to directly tell Naruto how she felt, or he finally put the pieces together and the two were out on a date now. Praying that was the case, she went about her shift, making diagnoses and going through the clinic.

Sakura was called to the Hokage tower in the late afternoon, just before her shift technically ended. Tsunade had apparently made quick work of assembling a team, and apparently she wanted no part in introducing them. They were meeting outside the tower, not even in her office.

She'd just reached the overhang supported by columns at the base of the Hokage's tower when she stopped short, staring at a pale, dark haired, boy with an unnervingly flat sort of smile…as if his muscles weren't practiced in making the expression. Not far from him, leaning against one of the columns was an older man, maybe about Kakashi's age, or a few years younger, though notably less attractive than her sensei—at least Sakura assumed Kakashi was attractive, given that whenever they seemed to fail at catching him with his mask off, nearby women who did see were left swooning. This man had a mop of spiky brown hair, not long and cool the way Sasuke's or Kakashi's was, just messy, and large, deep set, defined eyes that looked like they could flip from kind to insane on a dime. Neither looked particularly trustworthy in Sakura's opinion. The only thing going for them was that they were wearing a Konoha hitai-ate, at the base of the Hokage tower, in broad daylight.

"Haruno Sakura?" The man asked, though it didn't really sound like much of a question.

"And you are?" Sakura asked back in lieu of answering.

"Sakura-chan!" Sakura glanced away to the ever energetic blonde running towards her.

"Hey Naruto, were you with Hinata-chan?"

"Eh? Nah, after she woke she insisted she was fine and apologized a bunch and ran off to meet with her team. I tried to tell her to take it easy and get some tea or something but she swore she was fine and ran off…her hair got long…" Naruto paused for a second, his face suddenly getting a bit warm, which was confusing, cause it wasn't a particularly hot day. Sakura said Hinata had sun sickness, maybe it was contagious? He'd have to ask her about it, but he needed to tell her about what happened first! "Yeah so then I went to go look for more members but then this—You!" Naruto suddenly shouted, finally catching sight of the pale boy with the strange smile and pointing accusingly.

Sakura glanced between the two, confused.

"Does Naruto know him? This is like the reaction he had to Idate at first…but when did these two meet?"

"The pale boy's kinda hot."

"He kinda looks…a little like Sasuke-kun."

"Which is to say he's kinda hot."

"But that expression…it's like he's never smiled a day in his life…or even been around anyone who was smiling…it's like it's foreign to him."

"Sasuke-kun doesn't smile much either."

"But when he does, it looks like it belongs there…it's not like that with this guy."

"Hiya…" The boy greeted, with a soothing though rather flat tone…there was an affect of pleasantness on it, but just like his smile, it seemed forced.

"Um…from now on, Team Kakashi…I'll be taking Kakashi's place as…" The older man trailed off, as if he wasn't particularly skilled with talking and introductions. Not that it mattered much, because Naruto was barely listening, positively seething at the pale boy.

"Naruto, do you know this person?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Sorry about before. I just wanted to gauge the ability of my new team member. I just didn't know how much I'd have to look after the little prick with no balls." The pale boy greeted flatly, his unnerving smile and pleasant tone a sharp contrast to the words coming from his mouth.

"What did you say?!" Naruto roared, trying to charge the boy, but Sakura was quick to hold him back.

"Hey! He's our teammate now! Calm down, shannaro!" She glanced up at the boy again, now torn between annoyance and concern.

"Who the hell does this guy think he is, just spewing crap like that?! But…the way he says everything, and his smile…it's almost like he…like he doesn't know how to do it…how to speak with others and react to what they're saying…it's almost like he's been raised without a single social interaction…"

"You're…not very good at this…interacting with others thing, are you?" Sakura asked carefully.

The boy let out a rather flat laugh. "Do you really think so? That's unfortunate. I like interacting with people like you, friendly hags."
"What did you just call me?!" Sakura snapped, her explosive temper triggered at the ribbing of one of her insecurities. She'd completely forgotten about Naruto, ready to charge the boy herself, if not for the older man grabbing her and holding her back.

"Hey, remember what you just said to Naruto?!" Their new team leader pressed.

"That's right. Calm down, Sakura. Let's be mature here. We already identified that he's bad at social interaction, so if this were a diagnosis, than you need a treatment plan, so…so…WHY THE HELL WOULD HE CALL ME A HAG, SHANNARO?! I'M NO INO-PIG OR HINATA-CHAN, BUT I'M NOT A DAMN SWAMP MONSTER—Calm. Down. Sakura!"

"Hag. Why did you call me that?" Sakura forced out, doing her best to sound calm, trying to walk through this logically.

"I read that nicknames are a good way to endear you to others."

"Read it? Is he…trying to apply a text book on social relationships to life right now? No wonder he's screwing up so badly! He's got no social skills whatsoever, and clearly doesn't get a goddamn thing about context, subtext, or common empathy. Ok, so what to do with a patient who doesn't understand social cues…um…Pig's really better at this sort of thing, being a mind expert and all…um let's see…try and understand them, and maybe…respond in kind?"

"So…what about me is it that you look at and see hag?" Sakura asked through clenched teeth, her fists shaking and eye twitching.

"Forget it, Sakura-chan! Clearly his eyes don't work if he thinks you're ugly." Naruto dismissed with a huff. It was as much of a fact that Sakura was pretty as it was that ramen was the best.

The boy cocked his head to the side, in a manner that suggested curiosity, though the expression on his face remained that same flat smile. He hadn't really thought about what it was that he found unattractive about the pink haired girl. It was just his knee-jerk reaction. Maybe it was the coloring that he found so off-putting? He was used to seeing pale pink and jade green naturally occurring in nature, but he wasn't used to those colors on people. The colors were too bright and lively for the tiredness the girl hid in her eyes. At least Naruto's coloring was more normal—blonde hair and blue eyes were well suited to people. Naruto's were a bit highly saturated for his taste, but he still preferred that to pink hair and green eyes.

"Your coloring is garish and unfit for people, and your forehead is a touch wide." The pale boy answered, his expression unchanging.

"What did you say to her, asshole?!" Naruto shouted waving a threatening fist, but Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"I think you look too pale to be considered healthy, there's no life in your eyes, and your smile looks…forced."

The boy regarded her curiously. "Is there a reason you're sharing this with me?"

"Tit for Tat. Since you're so closed off, you're oddly radically open. I figured I'd do the same and try to meet you where you're at. You're our new team member, which means we're going to have to work together…I thought I'd try connecting by getting on your level."

"And why would connecting make a difference?"

Sakura twitched. She'd thought he was the straightforward type who would respect honesty, but really he was just completely clueless and inept. Her words had meant nothing to him in the slightest.

"So much for trying to understand and respond in kind. Seriously, what the hell am I supposed to do with this guy?!"

"Right so, moving on…" The older man cut in quickly. "Since we're going to be deploying almost immediately, we really don't have time to socialize. So, um…why don't you guys go ahead…and introduce yourselves." The man scratched at the side of his face with an unsure expression, clearly uncomfortable and unsure of how to handle the situation.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"I'm Haruno Sakura."

They both grumbled their names with equal looks of annoyance.

"I am Sai." The pale boy answered with his flat unnerving smile.

"And I'm Yamato." The older man introduced. "All right, now that that's over with, let me explain our mission."

All of them straightened, their expressions dropping into serious and attentive.

"The four of us will head to the Tenchi bridge, capture the akatsuki spy who has infiltrated Orochimaru's organization, and bring them back here. This is our best chance to gain intelligence on Orochimaru and Uchiha Sasuke…information we can then use to plan Orochimaru's assassination and Sasuke's retrieval. So keep that in mind!"

SaKura's fists tightened at her sides. This was their first step in bringing Sasuke back. Socially inept teammate or not, she wasn't about to let this mission fail.

"We leave early tomorrow morning. As soon as everyone's gear is all packed, rendezvous at the main gate. Then we'll depart!"

---

"That jerk Sai…I already can't stand him!" Naruto whined as he and Sakura walked together towards their respective apartments. "Why does he have to be Sasuke's replacement? Team Kakashi is fine with just the three of us!"

"He looks so upset…" Sakura noted Naruto's disgruntled expression. "Even if I do agree with him, I can't just let him be upset like this…how to cheer him up?"

"You know, you were the same way about Sasuke-kun at first. You thought we'd be fine with just me, you, and whoever our Jonin sensei would be. And now look. Sasuke-kun's an irreplaceable part of team 7 for you…maybe it'll be the same with Sai."

Naruto sighed, kicking a pebble down the street. "I doubt it."

"Y'know, now that I think about it, Sai does kind of bare a slight resemblance to Sasuke-kun, his face, hair, and eyes…even if he is rude and foul mouthed…" Sakura continued lightly. Of course, even as she listed them, she knew it wasn't quite true. Sai's face was slightly rounder than Sasuke's. Aside from the difference in style, Sai's hair was more of a matte, inky black, while Sasuke's was more of a shiny blue-black, almost like the midnight sky. And their eyes may both be black, but Sai's were an empty void, while Sasuke's held so much in them, it could pull you into their depths and drown you. But she didn't think Naruto cared to note those particular differences, so she kept them to herself.

"Oh please! Sasuke's way cooler!" Naruto faltered for a second, realizing what he just said out loud, but it was too late, Sakura had caught it, and she was trying very hard to hold back her laugh.

"You're right, Sasuke-kun is a little cooler than Sai." Sakura agreed.

"More than just a little! Sasuke's a bazillion times better!" Naruto corrected, making Sakura giggle, but her laughter died when Naruto stopped short. "Ah crap. If you think he looks like Sasuke, does that mean that asshole's gonna have fangirls too?!"

Sakura wasn't sure whether to be angry or hurt by the question. "Does he really think I'm that shallow?! Damnit Naruto, I thought at least you understood!"

"I'd never like that asshole over Sasuke-kun!" She cried indignantly.

"What? No, not you Sakura-chan, obviously! Is that what it sounded like?" Naruto dismissed.

"Yeah, you should really listen to yourself when you talk." Sakura muttered.

"No, with you it's obviously the real deal. I just meant Sasuke's shallow fan club. Since Sasuke's not here and Sai is, do you think they'll all start going for him instead, cause if that happens I might just have to gauge my eyes out."

Sakura paused in thought before smiling so sweetly it boarded on evil. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that too much Naruto. Even if they did, just imagine what Sai would say to them…"

Naruto's eyes widened. If Sai was dumb enough to call Sakura a hag, he'd tear into those fan girls like they were nothing! Soon Naruto wore an evil smirk of his own. "Ok y'know what, never mind. I actually hope all of Sasuke's fan girls migrate to Sai. It'll be hilarious."

They both laughed, in markedly better moods, when they reached the intersection where they had to split up.

"I'll see ya soon, Sakura-chan!"

---

After packing her bag, restocking her med pouch, and triple checking that she had her reaction log and sedatives, she made her way back to the Hokage residence to stay there for the night.

She found Tsunade in her office grumbling under her breath while signing paperwork.

"—that power grubbing, mistrusting, cold hearted bast—"

"Shishou?"

Tsunade looked up, having been peripherally aware of Sakura's presence, but trusting her so thoroughly that she hadn't felt the need to break her work stride.

"Oh good, I'd kill for a break."

"Didn't you take one earlier when you came to see me at the hospital?"

"Who are you? Shizune?"

"So who's the power grubbing, mistrusting, cold hearted bastard?"

"Unimportant at the moment. I don't even wanna think about him. So how was the meeting with the new teammates?"

"…I don't even wanna think about it…" Sakura threw back dully.

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow.

"Apparently he attacked Naruto before our first meeting to gauge his abilities…and wasn't impressed. He called Naruto a little prick with no balls, and me a…hag." The word tasted bitter in her mouth.

"So which one of you punched him first?" Tsunade sighed, looking mildly as if she wanted to hit the boy herself.

"Neither. I held Naruto back before he got the chance, and Captain Yamato held me back before I got the chance…I did tell him I thought he was too pale, his smile was creepy, and that he had dead eyes."

"How diplomatic of you. So, it's that bad already, eh?"

"I'm afraid so, M'Lady. Where did you find this guy anyway?"

Tsunade sighed and leaned back. "Well, if it can't be helped, then you'll probably have to keep Naruto on an even shorter leash than usual." She completely ignored Sakura's question altogether.

"I promise I'll try but…" She wasn't sure she trusted herself not to shatter Sai's skeleton before Naruto even had a chance.

"I'm just gonna have to really keep my emotions in check…I used to be able to take all of Ami's shit with a smile…it's been a while, and I was told to stop doing that, but I might have to get back into the practice…I just can't let Sai get to me! Shannaro!"

A knock at the door interrupted Sakura from her thoughts.

"Enter!" Tsunade barked.

A grizzled older man walked in, with bandages around half his face. He carried with him an air of severity and a no non-sense demeanor that was off-putting. He looked like he hadn't laughed a single day in his life, and didn't know the meaning of the word smile.

"Who is this guy…and why do I immediately not like him?" Once upon a time, she would have second guessed her instincts. She didn't have proof that there was anything wrong with him, so there was no reason to be suspicious. But thanks to the help of Sasuke, Tsunade, Naruto, Kakashi, and Ino, she'd come to trust her gut reactions even if there was no proof to back them right away. And she immediately felt her guard sky rocketing in this man's presence.

"Danzo…what is it?" Tsunade asked, and immediately Sakura felt validated by the sharp, cautious tone her beloved mentor used.

"Were you able to assign a distinguished back ops operative to lead Sai's cell, Tsunade-hime?"

Sakura arched a brow as her lips pursed. "Why does 'Hime' sound like an insult when he says it? And how is he related to Sai…come to think of it, Sai looks our age—maybe only a year older, but I never once saw him at the academy…so he was trained outside the standard procedure, I take it by this guy. But Sai had a Konoha affiliated hitai-ate, and Shishou assigned him to the squad which means he is legally recognized as a konoha shinobi. Ugh why does this guy think he's so entitled to know about the Hokage's responsibilities?! Shishou doesn't have to explain herself to him!"

"I have selected an exemplary shinobi with experience from as far back as the Third Hokage's rule."

"Very well, I just hope he's not rooted too deeply in the pacifist teachings of that pushover, Sarutobi…"

"What the hell is this guy's problem?! Pacifist?! Lord Third?! That's bullshit! That was the guy who said the closest you could get to friends in the shinobi world was tentative allies!"

Tsunade huffed in response, a vein pulsing on her forehead. She really hated Danzo.

"Just as the Third Hokage was rooted in the teachings of your grandfather." Danzo continued, his flat tone holding an air of accusation.

Tsunade glared at him sharply, her hands tightening against her desk. She'd love for nothing more than to acquaint his face with her fist—how's that for pacifism?!—but she was the Hokage now, and he unfortunately held his own hold of power within the Anbu. She wouldn't put it past him to orchestrate an assassination attempt. It wouldn't have been the first time. So she was unfortunately stuck with diplomacy for now, until she could figure out how to get rid of him.

"In any case, I am relieved. Now, if you'll excuse me, Hime." Danzo took his leave, without waiting for Tsunade's dismissal, the door clunking closed behind him.

Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed.

"Um, who was that?" Sakura asked, staring at the door with unveiled hostility.

"Someone who long ago competed with the late Sarutobi-sensei over the seat of Third Hokage." Tsunade answered, her eyes still closed in an attempt to calm herself. "His name is Danzo, and he's the leader of a hard-line martial faction founded on rigid principles. He's also Sai's superior. As a student of the moderate Third Hokage, and granddaughter of the First Hokage, he actively despises me."

Sakura bit her lip, her adding this information to her observations about both Danzo and Sai. "This hard line faction…Is Danzo in charge of it, or does he simply hold a position within it?"

"In charge." Tsunade answered flatly.

"And…is part of their training social isolation?"

Tsunade cocked her head, regarding Sakura curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Something I noticed about Sai…he seems to have no concept of social interaction…he even made a comment about nicknames that he gathered and incorrectly applied from a book. Clearly he's not very practiced with it…"

"I wouldn't quite call it social isolation—they're not kept away from all humanity. But they're taught that things like social interaction, friends, emotions, and the like are distractions from the mission, which is the most important thing. They're trained until they no longer feel."

"That's horrible!" Sakura shrieked, her mind racing. "But then, why did Sai even bother picking up a book on social interaction. If that's his background, then it shouldn't matter to him whether he can connect with us or not. Maybe…maybe Danzo didn't break Sai as much as he thought he did, maybe he can be reconditioned…There's no one better for that job than Naruto, aside from maybe Ino-pig, since she's the mind expert."

Sakura looked up at her master, her gaze fiery and determined. "I'll do my best to try and get those two to get along!" Sakura declared.

"Well that's a different tune than what you were singing before. What changed?"

"I think…Naruto can help him. Sai…he…royally sucks at it, but he was trying to connect with us socially."

"So you think he can be de-conditioned?"

"I…think? Ino-pig would be better at assessing that than me, but I think there's hope."

Tsunade nodded. "Than I'm issuing you a side mission: As much as you can, try and show Sai the merits of social connection and emotion. What?" Tsunade cut herself off, seeing Sakura shift uncomfortably.

"Naruto's the one who can connect with anyone and everyone…even Kakashi-sensei and Lady Chiyo said it. He's the one you should be giving this mission too."

"Oh for gods sake, Sakura! I read the report which included how Sasori apparently changed over the course of the fight by your own admission. You made a sociopathic, homicidal, puppet man who loathed humanity appreciate emotions and humanity in his final moments. I'm sure you can make an awkward socially unaware teenager, who's already attempting to connect, see the merits of emotions and camaraderie."

Sakura blinked and nodded. "Right. You're right, Shishou. I'll do my best."

"Good. Ethics and moral correctness aside, if we can decondition Sai from Danzo's programming, we can learn about what he's scheming with that organization of his. And I know he's up to something—I trust Danzo about as much as I do getting a Lighting Storm card in Hanafuda."

"I understand…ugh but he's so annoyingly oblivious!"

"Who ever said missions were easy?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, I'm hungry shishou."

Tsunade smiled, feeling confident the mission—both to gather intelligence at the Tenchi bridge and to connect with Sai—was in good hands. And with all the responsibility she just dropped on Sakura, it was nice to hear the girl whine like the teenager she was. Plus it was nice to have the excuse to step away from her paperwork for a second. "Come on. You gotta fuel up if I'm sending you out so quickly after your last mission."

Sakura nodded excitedly and followed her master out of the room, annoyance pushed to the side at the prospect of a full meal.

---

Sasuke glared at Itachi, breathing hard. The two had been fighting for a while, and while Sasuke seemed to be growing steadily more exhausted, Itachi looked absolutely fine and unbothered, his black cloak with red clouds hardly even dirty. How was the gap between them so large still? Despite how much he'd been training! Suddenly Itachi disappeared from his view, and Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. Where had he…

"I was wrong about you, brother. You're still too weak, and have no chance of growing stronger. This is a lost cause. I'll just finish what I started that night and kill you now." Itachi's voice sounded from behind him.

The next series of events happened too fast for him to comprehend. He turned his head, eyes wide, seeing his brother behind him, a sword in hand pulling back to stab him, and for some reason his feet were glued to the ground. He couldn't move. He watched the sword coming towards him, there was a slight rustling from the forest to his right…and then blood splattered all over him, silky pink hair and the soft smell of aloe, Jasmine, sage, and a hint of disinfectant materializing in front of him.

"What…?" He couldn't even process what he was seeing. Sakura was standing in front of him, a sword shoved through her abdomen…a sword that had been meant for him…it was her blood he was splattered with. "No…"

Everything went deathly silent as Sakura fell to the side, sword still lodged in her. Sasuke, now able to move caught her on instinct, dropping to his knees with her and cradling her close. When he looked up, Itachi was gone, and at that moment it didn't matter.

"You…You can't die. Why'd you run in? You weren't supposed to…you were supposed to be safe from him!…Please, Sakura, you can't…I can't lose you too…" The words rushed from him brokenly, painfully.

Sakura gave him a weak, pained smile. "I couldn't let him kill you Sasuke-kun." She reached up, her hand gently cupping his face.

"You shouldn't…you shouldn't have had too…I was supposed to be stronger…"

"…no matter how strong you aren't or are, Sasuke-kun…I will…always do anything…I can to help you…save you…get you to…" She didn't get the chance to finish, her touch falling away from his face, slumping in his arms as she stilled.

"…Sakura…wake up…wake up! You have to wake up! Please wake up! Please…please…please…"

His words meant nothing. She was gone.

---

Sasuke awoke from his nightmare, his breathing uneven, sharingan activated, and face wet. He'd been having nightmares like this for the past week…not quite the same though they all had one key feature: Itachi garbed in his Akatsuki cloak, impaling Sakura's abdomen with a sword. This had been the first one where she'd gotten stabbed protecting him though. Every single time he awoke from them sweaty, panicking, with his sharingan activated…this was the first time he'd cried…then again, this was the first time she'd died in his arms, stabbed because she was protecting him.

Sasuke took a deep breath and sat up, running a hand through his disheveled hair and glancing at the crane on his nightstand. He wasn't sure what was going on. He was used to almost nightly nightmares, but they were usually about his family. Occasionally Naruto or Sakura were included, but it was never like this before…it was never repeatedly watching Sakura die, in the same exact way every time. Did it mean something? Had she actually died, stabbed in the gut by his brother?

He shook his head, clearing out the thought. No, it couldn't be. Just because he dreamed it didn't make it real. Besides, he would have heard if Sakura died. Orochimaru had eyes and ears everywhere, and that sadistic bastard would have for sure casually mentioned it to test Sasuke's apathy.

"She's alive." He whispered, his eyes trained on the crane, once again replacing his association with his mother, with the association of his former teammate. He reached out, gently rubbing at one of the paper wings. "Sakura's too mentally strong, and stubborn to die. And if she actually trained since I left, she should be able to handle herself." Feeling slightly more calm, his thoughts shifted to a different aspect of the dream. Itachi nearly killing him. Sakura wouldn't have been put in that position in the first place if he'd only been stronger. He needed more power if he was to ensure that his nightmares never became a reality.

His rage, which had taken to a back seat to his worry, surged again, the crane bringing up memories of his mother's body dead on the floor, and Sakura's being run through in his nightmares. He pushed himself off the bed, storming out of his room.

He needed to train.

---

Naruto glared at Sai as they trudged along, growling a little under his breath.

"What?" Sai asked, the question making Sakura jolt to attention.

She'd been thinking about one of her patients she'd left behind for the mission. She wasn't too worried because Shizune was taking the cases, but she felt a little guilty ditching them. She'd been telling herself to get used to it—that this was the reality of being a medic sanctioned for field work, but she wouldn't be Sakura if she didn't worry about it. With the Kazekage rescue mission, everything had been so personal and urgent that she hadn't had time to consider the work she was leaving behind. In this case though, while she knew she was needed, and would have been furious had she not been included, a subdue and intelligence mission didn't have the same pressing medical need as the Kazekage being kidnapped and his brother poisoned. But Sai's flat question reminded her of her secondary mission and ethical imperative—connect with Sai, and keep him and Naruto from killing each other.

Naruto glared at him in annoyance. The longer he looked at his new teammate, the more he did kinda resemble Sasuke…sorta sounded like him too…

"If you keep looking at me, I will hit you." Sai informed him factually.

"WHAT? YOU THINK I'M SCARED OF YOU?" Naruto exploded. He took it back, Sai was nothing like Sasuke!

"Look, I really don't have anything personal against you."

"Yeah, right." Naruto sneered, pointing an accusing finger at Sai.

"I'm just trying out a certain personality type."

"And which exactly is that?! Obnoxious and rude prick?…but actually though…it's kind of sad. He doesn't even think he has his own personality, he feels he has to test one out. That's really…it's horrible…uuUUUURRGH Danzo you jackass! I don't know how you managed to break someone this much, but I swear once I'm done putting him back together, I'll break you! Shannaro!"

"Well, you're sure doing a crummy job!" Naruto shouted, the connotations of Sai's statement sailing straight over his head. "We don't need someone like you on this team! In fact, I bet we'd be a lot better off without you…jerk!"

"I know Sai kinda sucks, but this kind of seems like an overreaction on Naruto's part…what's wrong with him?"

"Naruto!" Sakura scolded, but before she could continue her admonishment, Yamato beat her to it.

"That's enough, Naruto! Sai is your teammate now, so even if you don't get along, you're still going to have to find a way to trust each other. I know Kakashi-senpai taught you better than this. So please, for Kakashi-senpai's sake, lose the attitude, huh?"

"No! He's not one of us!" Naruto shouted back, to enraged to hear Yamato's point. He wasn't even sure why he was so angry…He and Sasuke fought all the time but he'd never had the gut instinct to completely reject him after the bell test. But with Sai…maybe it was the fact that he was so similar to Sasuke, but just not quite there. Maybe it was the idea that someone else would be assigned to the team in Sasuke's place, like they were giving his spot away to this new person. Like the village was turning its back on team 7. The fact that Sai bore a resemblance to Sasuke was like rubbing salt on the wound. "The fourth member of team Kakashi is Sasuke!" Naruto declared aggressively.

Ssakura's eyes widened. "Oh. So that's what this is about. I should have picked up on it sooner…after all, it's hard for me too, having someone who looks so much like him, even sounds a little like him, in Sasuke-kun's place. When we're walking and I'm not looking closely—just out the corner of my eye, I think for a split second that Sasuke-kun's still with us, and when I turn and actually look and it's not him…it just…hurts. A lot. No wonder Naruto's lashing out…still, we're never gonna get to connecting with Sai if we keep up like this…"

"Even on his best day, all this loser is—all he could ever hope to be—is a Sasuke wannabe! He will never be our teammate." Naruto growled.

There was a tense silence, but all Sai did was smile his flat, weird, smile. "Fine by me. The last person I'd ever want to be compared to, is some traitorous cockroach who abandoned his village for Orochimaru just because he wanted to become stronger."

"How dare you…" Naruto growled dangerously, his fist clenching as he took a step forward, but a hand shot out in front of him, blocking him from attacking.

"Regardless of either of your opinions…" Sakura began, her voice calm and carefully measured, though there was the slightest edge to her tone that only Naruto seemed to pick up on. He cast her a shocked, confused, and scared look. Shocked and confused that she would let Sai get away with what he said about Sasuke, and scared about what that edge was and who it was directed towards.

"Naruto doesn't know you all that well yet. But that's no excuse for him to judge you." Sakura continued, her voice steady and unwavering. "I'm sorry. Please forgive Naruto."

"S…Sakura…?" He had no clue what was going on! Sakura was always the most rational, mature, and diplomatic of them, but she had a short fuse and loved Sasuke so much…she would never let someone talk about him like that! So what was she doing apologizing on his behalf?!

"Whew…" Yamato sighed in relief, "good to see there's at least one levelheaded person on this team."

"Hey, like I said…fine by me."

"Really?" Sakura smiled beautifully. "Oh, good."

Out of nowhere, Sakura stepped forward and slammed her fist into Sai's face, sending him flying several meters back into the dirt, shocking everyone present.

"Huh?!" Yamato gawked. What the hell just happened?! She was the one apologizing and being rational! What the hell was that?! The team had been assembled so quickly, he hadn't had time to do a deep dive into their files. He only knew the basics: Naruto was a reckless powerhouse who'd been away training with Master Jiraya and was the Kyubii jinchuriki. Sakura was a hyper intelligent, analytical, medic who apprenticed under the fifth Hokage. He didn't have time to dig into their personality profiles. Was she always this unpredictable and violent?!

"I don't care if you forgive me." She glared at Sai, her voice low and dangerous.

"Ah," Sai observed, wiping blood from his mouth, "your smile was fake."

"You don't know Sasuke-kun. Never speak as if you do! Just keep bad-mouthing Sasuke-kun, next time I won't hold back."

Naruto's previous shock was now replaced with nervousness. Sakura sounded serious, he had no doubt she'd follow up on her threat. He was used to Sakura violently scolding him on occasion when he did or said something really stupid and out of line, but he almost never saw it turned against someone else, with actual hostility behind it. When Sakura roughhoused with him, there was something almost caring to it. She never went all out, never gravely injured him or made him bleed, and while it was usually an aggressive admonishment, he never minded too much because she always cared and had expectations of him. This punch hadn't been that. This was a full threat. She made Sai bleed and she'd been holding back. She'd been acting so calm this whole time, he'd nearly forgotten, but Sakura was in the same pain he was when she saw Sai in Sasuke's place…or maybe it wasn't the exact same, since their relationship to Sasuke was different, but it was similar in nature. He'd been acting on it this whole time, radiating his hostility openly. But she'd been doing what she always used to do, pushing it down, swallowing it back, trying to be the mature, logical one, until it had become too much and she exploded. She wasn't supposed to do that anymore! It was dangerous for her to let her emotions build like that! He should have been more attentive to her!

Sai chuckled dully. "Okay, I'll keep my mouth shut…but, that clever use of a fake smile…I'll have to remember that."

Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "That was bad. I shouldn't have done that…I couldn't let him talk about Sasuke-kun like that, but…but I'm supposed to be connecting with him, not alienating him further…okay, Sakura, time to make nice…"

"What are you talking about?" Naruto spat, unable to hide his dislike as well as Sakura could.

"The best way to defuse a troublesome situation is by smiling, even if it is fake. It will fool more people than you think." Sai quoted. "Or so I've read."

Sakura opened her eyes, her fists relaxing. "It doesn't work for you, does it?"

"No. I haven't been able to figure out why."

"It's because you don't do it correctly. You have to mean it."

"That contradicts the descriptor of fake." Sai pointed out, confused by what Sakura was saying.

"I meant what I said about you forgiving Naruto. I want you to give him a chance, and maybe even connect with him. My smile fooled everyone because I was genuinely glad when you said you weren't bothered, even if I was also angry at you myself." Sakura explained with a tired patience, so drastically different from the threatening hostility she gave off moments before. "The reason you don't smile right is because you're not feeling the emotion behind it. You said before you were testing out a personality, but from what Ino-chan's taught me, personality comes from a person's emotional responses to stimuli. You can't simply try one on and discard it for another. Nor can you convincingly fake it, if you're not actually having an emotional response to situations you're in. You're trying too much too fast. You should start with allowing yourself to try and feel something first."

"You're giving me advice. Why? You were threatening me before." Sai asked. The Hag was rather perplexing…they both were actually. Why would they be so enraged over a teammate who tossed them aside without care? It didn't make sense to him. Nor did Sakura kindly explaining why her fake smile worked and giving him tips for his own.

"…cause I'm hoping nature beats nurture."

"Come off it, Sakura-chan. This guy's a lost cause." Naruto grumbled.

"As lost as your dick is?" Sai asked, with his flat smile in place again, though he was internally mulling over Sakura's advice. He had to feel it? But how? How did one learn how to feel? Did he really want to do that? That ran counter to all his training as part of the Root…

"That's it! I have had—"

"Wood style: Four pillar prison technique!"

Wood beams grew from the ground around them, encasing the three teens in a fully crafted wooded cage.

"We only have three days to get to Tenchi Bridge. Keep it up, you three, and I'll throw you all in a cage!" Yamato declared, eyes closed in annoyance. Of the three of them, the one he was least worried about was actually Sakura. Sure, the girl had just decked Sai, a full member of Root, in the face and did damage, nor did she apologize. But at least she expressed interest in him and Naruto connecting, and attempted to offer the Root agent advice.

Naruto and Sai both glanced up at the wood cage enclosing them, in annoyed confusion on Naruto's part, and tense awareness on Sai's.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "This…this is wood style ninjutsu! A secret jutsu known only to the First Hokage…so how does Captain Yamato know it?" Sakura's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who is he?…A relation? No. Shishou's the only living relation left of the First Hokage…so then…"

The children had been forced to undergo experimentation using the First Hokage's DNA in an attempt to recreate the First's wood release, all at the hands of Lord Third's pupil and ANBU member, Orochimaru…

…All but one child died…

The horrible words flashed across her mind as her brain conjured up Orochimaru's file she'd secretly read. "So then…this man…he was the one surviving child…" Sakura's heart softened, going out to their new captain the way it had to Kakashi so long ago, during the first bell test when he mentioned losing everyone he cared about.

"There's not enough time. So you have two choices. Either you spend the rest of the day crammed inside that wooden cage reacquainting yourselves with the meaning of teamwork, and then we travel with no breaks for the next two days. Or enjoy a night at a comfortable inn with a relaxing hot spring along the way."

"Huh?!" Naruto felt thrown off by the choices. Was this a trick question?

"You don't really know me either…I prefer the kind and gentle approach, but I'm not against using more draconian methods when necessary…" Yamato warned, his entire countenance so oozing ominous menace that it was impossible to imagine him prefering or implementing a kind and gentle approach.

"An inn with a hot spring?! That sort of place is expensive, Damnit! Places like that usually round to about 800 ryo a person! Even if we all split a single room, aside from being cramped, that's still gonna be about 200 a person! It's way too expensive!"

While Sakura had a pretty good income now that she'd been promoted from a hospital intern to a full medic, as well as having been put back on the mission roster, she was making more than she ever had. But old habits died hard, and she'd grown up without ever truly experiencing financial security. She was averse to spending money on anything outside the realm of necessity, was constantly worried about something popping up that would require an hefty sum of cash to fix, and was generally inclined to hoard the money she had rather than spend it.

"—Alright, Alright, hot spring it is! Believe it!"

"—Cage! I vote cage!"

Naruto and Sakura spoke simultaneously, both sounding nervous, but when Naruto processed Sakrua's words he did a double take.

"Sakura-chan! What are you doing?!" He whispered quite audibly.

"Inns and hot springs are expensive!" She hissed back.

"Oh, that's right! Don't worry, Sakura-chan I'll cover you!"

"With what money? You haven't been going on any missions for the past two and a half years, aside from rescuing Gaara-kun."

Naruto paled. "Crap! I didn't even think of that! Ah man! Y'know, on second thought, cage doesn't sound too bad either." Naruto declared loudly, turning back to Yamato who stared at the two kids in confusion.

Why on earth would they think they'd be expected to pay for this? He was the one enforcing it. Did Kakashi not cover it when his kids spent the night in an inn rather than camping? Or maybe they only ever camped. But still, he wouldn't have expected fifteen or sixteen year olds to be so monetarily concerned, so much so that they'd rather stay in a wooden cage instead of an inn with a hot spring.

"I'd…be paying…" He answered somewhat at a loss.

"Oh! Never mind then! Inn for sure!" Naruto cheered, lack of money forgotten.

"Are you sure you don't want us to…pitch in or something?"

"Sakura, I wouldn't have even said it if I wasn't ready to shoulder the expense."

"Okay…" Sakura assented, still sounding unsure.

Through out all of it, Sai remained blank faced. It didn't matter to him one way or another. The only thing that mattered was accomplishing the mission. That was the way of The Root. But Sakura's advice bounced through his mind. Would trying to feel something make connecting to others and teamwork easier? Would it be beneficial to the mission?

Sai said nothing, lost in his thoughts as the wooden cage around them sank back into the earth with the release of the jutsu, and they once again set off.

---

Sakura hummed as she woke up to the sun just barely cracking over the horizon. Despite her initial protests, she really had wanted to go to the inn. She'd never been to a hot spring before and it was better than she'd let herself imagine. The natural hot water had relaxed and soothed her muscles, and made her ever present exhaustion and low chakra level feel more bearable. The only embarrassing draw back had been Naruto's boisterously loud voice carrying over to the women's side of the bath. At the time all the women around her had started laughing, making her want to sink further into the water, and question for the nteenth time how there could be a ninja with no concept of volume control whatsoever.

It had been somewhat lonely, not being with the rest of the team, and it had given her all too much time for her inner self to start painting pictures: of Sasuke joining her in the bath, just the two of them, alone in a steamy hot springs together…images that she had to fully submerge herself in the water to cover for her tomato red face and jar herself out of before she accidentally triggered a reaction.

Still, she was glad Sai had some more exposure to Naruto…hopefully it helped.

She stretched, reconnecting with her muscles after her relaxed sleep, looking out the screen door as she did so and catching sight of Sai, sitting a distance away, hunched over.

"What's he doing?…May as well go talk to him. I am supposed to be trying to help de-condition him after all."

Sakura made quick work of dressing before heading over to where Sai was sitting.

"Sai?" She called, but he made no move to answer, though as she drew closer she could hear the familiar sound of a pencil scratching against paper. Soon she had enough of a view to see that Sai was drawing something.

"Never figured you for the artistic type."

Sai turned in surprise, becoming aware of Sakura's presence for the first time.

"Looks can be deceiving." He answered flatly, watching as Sakura came up beside him and sat right next to him. Why was she doing that? Hadn't she made it clear she didn't like him before? But he'd read that females will try to decrease physical proximity when they were attracted to a male…was that what she was doing? But why? What would have changed?

"Don't I know it." Sakura said, her fake smile making it's way to her lips. How often had she hid her own circumstances behind well cared hair and her fake smile? How often had she repressed her own feelings in favor of the task needing her immediate attention? She even used a henge to hide her dancing—her art.

"Maybe he and I aren't all that different."

"You know, for someone so rough on the outside, you seem pretty…sensitive on the inside."

Sai regarded her curiously. She was wearing that very convincing fake smile of hers. "That fake smile again, don't tell me you're gonna slug me now?" He asked, returning her fronting smile with his own awkward one…he still wasn't getting it right and he knew it. She'd said he had to feel it, but he wasn't sure how to do that. Sakura was a better liar then he was, and that was a useful skill for a ninja to have.

"Only if you give me a reason."

"I'll try not to."

Sakura's smile softened, becoming more genuine. "I'm only playing with you…but it must be hard to tell, when you don't have a solid grasp on social interaction."

"It's not that important." Sai dismissed.

"Deciphering tone and syntax is a useful skill for a ninja. It reveals a lot about your opponent and those around you. Social awareness is a necessary tool to have, for any mission."

Sai fell silent, turning his attention back to his drawing as he mulled that over. Based on how this mission was going, so far, it seemed she had a point. But Root didn't usually operate in teams like this, and many of his missions were more along the lines of assassination, which didn't require reading or understanding the enemy. Intelligence gathering, though…social skills and tone deciphering would be helpful for that. Lord Danzo had to know that, right? And if emotional understanding was a key feature of navigating social interactions, then why would Danzo neglect such a useful tool for intelligence gathering? Either way, he still had no idea how to go about learning how to feel and understanding emotions, which Sakura said was the first step to a convincing fake smile. Maybe it was just something beyond his capacity at this point. It wasn't like it had gotten in his way of accomplishing his missions before.

"You could tell my smile was fake this time…you know, there's only two people alive who can consistently do that? Sasuke-kun, and Tsunade-sama. Naruto, Kakashi-sensei and Ino-chan can sometimes tell, but they can't see through it all the time the way Sasuke-kun and Shishou can."

Sai glanced back at her, unsure of where she was going with this and confused as to why the smile on her face wasn't fake, but didn't seem to be a happy one at all.

"The fact that you're able to identify it…yeah, it's observational skill, but it's also a degree of emotional recognition…maybe mirroring, in some way? Sasuke-kun and shishou, they both have had similar experiences or repressed certain things in similar way to me. There's something they can relate to that they recognize in me when they see my expression. I think…you might be the same way…and if you can recognize whatever it is you're identifying in me, you probably have the capacity to feel it…"

"This is the second time you've indicated that I don't feel anything."

"You can gather that sort of information from analysis of social interaction, tone, and syntax. Am I wrong?"

"Why is it so important to you that I do?" Sai parried.

"There was a point in time where I was totally numb…I didn't feel anything. I'd just lost my mother, but…through that period, I wasn't fully sure who had really died. Feelings, emotional responses…they're life affirming things. And they're a major part of connecting with others, which is also life affirming. Even if all I ever felt was pain, I'd still rather have that and know that I'm alive with the opportunity to try changing it all around tomorrow."

Sai said nothing. He'd never given that any thought before. He'd been told his purpose was to carry out missions to protect Konoha. That was all. There was nothing else, and feelings were a detriment. Did he feel alive? He knew he was. He was breathing. His heart was beating. He could draw and create, So he had to be alive…but the way Sakura described life…had he been dead this whole time? Was he still?

Sakura looked over at his drawing again, her head tilting curiously. "I would've thought that a place like this would have you drawing a landscape, but this is an abstract. It's really nice, what are you calling it?"

"…don't know…"

"You don't have a title for it yet?"

"There is no title. I mean, I've drawn thousands if not tens of thousands of sketches over time…but I've never titled any of them."

"Huh…I thought all artists named their work?"

Sai continued drawing, staring at the lines he was creating. "Honestly whenever I try to give them titles, nothing good comes to mind. The right words…escape me…"

Sakura pursed her lips thoughtfully, staring at the swirls of color Sai had breathed onto the paper. "You know," she began thoughtfully, "art is a life affirming thing too, driven by people's emotions, experience and need for expression. Titles are there to convey the thoughts, feelings, and emotions they felt and experienced while creating the piece…but the piece itself is also composed of those thoughts and feelings…maybe you've been feeling more than you know Sai, but you blocked it out and filtered it only into your art. You are feeling things, but you can't title them because there's a disconnect between you and your emotional processing."

"I think that's the right diagnosis, but I have no idea how to go about treating it. This is way more Ino-pig's territory. She's the one from the family of mental experts!…Not that she has the patience to deal with someone as oblivious and insulting as Sai…" Sakura glanced back at his drawing again, staring at the two swirls of color, splitting the page in half. Much of the colors throughout the piece were dark or cool toned: blacks, dark blues, greens, turquoise, and purples. But the upper swirl had a bright pop of red and orange—though even those were on the darker side as far as shades went. "If I'm right and he is drawing what he's not allowing himself to feel, then maybe it's possible to learn what those feelings are through the drawing…maybe it's like a code, crafted into the shapes or color choice…but I wouldn't even know where to begin…I've never read about anything like that. Maybe Ino-pig could glean something but…I should do some research when the mission's over…maybe analyzing his art will help him reconnect with his own emotions at the time of drawing. It might be a key part in de-conditioning him…but is there any research on this yet? Would I even be able to convince him to do it?"

Sai stared blankly at the paper he'd covered in color, his red pastel stilling. Was that true? Did he actually have feelings? He didn't think he did—he never felt them. There was no way she could be right. He'd accomplished his root training, and emotions were a detriment to the mission. But…he couldn't imagine his life without drawing. The sketches he made…he hung them up in his apartment, which was more an art studio than a living space. Why do that if they didn't have personal value? Even just seconds before when he was thinking about feelings in regard to life, he'd even affirmed his own life by the fact that he could draw and create. It was so integral to him, even his jutsu was centered around it…had he really been feeling things this whole time? No. It couldn't be. It would mean he was unworthy of being a Root operative. Danzo would probably kill him.

"I just don't feel…anything." He muttered, trying to reaffirm what he knew to be true countering the doubt that was slowly seeping into his mind.

"Is that why you're such an insensitive jerk?"

Sai and Sakura both looked over their shoulder to see a less than happy Naruto.

"Captain Yamato says it's time to go. So, if you wouldn't mind…" He hadn't been thrilled at waking up so early. Was even less thrilled when he remembered that his new teammate was a total jackass, and downright pissed when he'd discovered his favorite teammate sitting close and chatting amicably with said jackass.

"Ok." Sakura agreed easily, rising gracefully from where she'd been seated, as Naruto approached the two.

He cast a leery gaze at Sai's drawing, scoffing audibly. "That drawing is nothing special."

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed.

"Sure. Just like you." Sai agreed with flat cheerfulness and a fake smile. The innuendo in his words was not lost on any of them, and Naruto did not take it well.

"That's it! I've had it!" He shouted, pointing angrily at the watercolor copy of Sasuke. "I hate you! If you've got a problem with me, don't give me that fake smile, just say it! And I'll fight you any time!"

Sai closed his eyes, the smile dropping off his face. "But I don't hate you, Naruto. As a matter of fact, I don't feel anything toward you at all, good or bad." Even as he said it, he wondered if it was really true though. If Sakura was right, and he was filtering all of his emotions he wasn't feeling into his art, maybe he did feel something toward Naruto…but that was only if she was right. And she couldn't be. He was a Root member. Feelings were an unnecessary distraction that had been trained out of him long ago. The hag may have been a medic and the Hokage's apprentice, but there was no medical training for the mind and feelings. None that he'd ever heard of at least.

It didn't matter. He had a mission to complete. "Please. Just go on ahead. I'll catch up as soon as I've packed." He said turning away to gather up his art supplies.

"I'll help." Sakura quickly volunteered, desperately attempting not to lose ground on connecting with Sai. She bent down, looking more like a dance move than the practical completion of a physical task, and picked up a small book with a drawing on the front cover. She studied the drawing carefully, registering the way she could see and feel where the drawing had been glued onto the book. "This…it's not a printed copy. Did you draw this, too?"

"Yeah…" Sai answered, taking it from her without looking.

"Wow, your very own picture book!" Sakura was impressed. She couldn't draw anything other than diagrams and graphs. She could do some anatomically correct sketches of body parts, or cell structures, but everything outside of that—anything requiring actual artistry and creativity was outside her wheelhouse.

Naruto huffed, annoyed by how friendly Sakura was being towards Sai. Had she forgotten what an asshole that jerk was to her? He'd called her a hag and insulted Sasuke! Why was she being so nice to him now? Sure, Sasuke was an asshole too, but rarely to Sakura, and the few times he had been, it hadn't so much been with the intention to hurt her as it was that Sasuke was shit with words and communicating. So, he could accept Sakura loving and being kind to him…he was pretty sure the bastard loved her too—Sasuke wouldn't let just anyone stay at his apartment, and the way he treated Sakura was always…different. But Sai? He hadn't done anything to deserve Sakura's kindness or attention! As far as Naruto was concerned, he'd actively lost the right to both.

"Hey, while we're on the road, it it okay if I flip through this?" Sakura asked brightly. Maybe if she could see more of his artwork, she'd be able to pick up on patterns that she might be able to analyze or tie to an emotional response of some sort. Plus, these likely weren't abstracts, if the picture on the cover was anything to go by. It had the drawing of a boy on it…maybe it was someone who meant something to Sai, or a character that represented a longed for social connection. He'd cared enough to read a book about social connection, so there had to be some desire for it there, and the picture looked old—maybe it hinted at a desire for social connection that had always been there, that hadn't been successfully trained out of him.

"Sorry, but no…it's not finished yet. Plus, I don't really show it to others…"

Sakura tried not to feel too discouraged. She should have expected it. He wouldn't just let others in so easily, especially after whatever conditioning he'd gone through. It had to have been drilled into him that emotions and connections were bad, so letting anyone near either would take a lot more than some advice and a discussion about art.

"…because it belongs to my older brother."

"Brother?" Sakura blinked in confusion. "Sai has a brother…but I guess…it's not like I know him that well, so I shouldn't really be surprised. But if he's holding onto something that was his brother's, that means he does or did have a social connection that he valued…and that's another way in, if I use it right."

Naruto also looked a bit confused and taken aback by the new piece of information, but neither of them commented out loud. Besides, they had a mission to get to, and they were short on time.

---

They had made good time, and when they were only several kilometers away, they found a good place to make camp.

"This spot should do nicely. Wood style! Four pillar house technique!" Yamato said, his hand clasping together in a serpent sign. Wood pillars and planks erupted from the ground underneath his feet, weaving and connecting themselves until a large wooden house stood proudly in the middle of the clearing, Yamato sitting casually on the roof. "We'll camp out here tonight."

"Um…I don't think this really qualifies as camping out." Sakura muttered, both baffled and a little jealous. Where was this technique when she and her mom had been homeless after her dad died? What a lucky and useful skill to have, being able to erect quality shelter from nothing at all. Though, when she thought about how Yamato came to have his wood release, she caught herself. Luck didn't play apart in that at all…after all, he was the only one who survived…

They made their way inside, Naruto and Sai setting their stuff down in opposite corners while Yamato plopped down in the center of the floor.

"All right, gather around, everyone. Oh and Sakura, there are a few things I especially need to ask you."

"What about?"

"With regard to the Akatsuki member, Sasori. I received his file from Suna, but it would be helpful if you could fill in any blanks about his personality, speech patterns, mannerisms, or quirks. After all, you're the only one here who's gone toe-to-toe with him, and dealt the finishing blow."

Sakura was quiet, recalling the very scary, oddly fun fight with Sasori, and the choice it had forced her to make between two patients lives.

Naruto, knowing how hard it had been to talk about that fight with him and Kakashi, was quick to interject. "What do you need to know all that for?"

"The Akatsuki spy who has infiltrated Orochimaru's ranks expects to rendezvous with Sasori at the Tenchi bridge. They might catch me right away, but I'm going to try approaching them disguised as Sasori."

"Spy work entails pretty high risk, so your target will definitely have their guard up." Sai informed factually.

"Ture…and since there's still a small chance this is an akatsuki trap, I've planned for that possibility as well. That's why I'll approach alone, first. You three will lie in wait until I signal you."

"There was an Akatsuki spy, Yura, in Suna as well…the way Sasori mentioned it before he died, I don't think it's a lie, but…" Sakura murmured, her mind still reliving the fight.

"Either way, this spy is most likely quite strong and accomplished." Sai finished.

"Yeah well, so are we!" Naruto growled, determined.

"Which brings me back to Sakura. Can you remember any details? I know it's a tough ask but—"

"Sasori primarily went around in his Human puppet Hiruko, so no one would catch on that he'd made himself into a puppet. It was a hunched sort of shell he used as both an offensive and defensive strategy. There were probably some pictures of it included in the file you read, but depending on when those were from, there were some new additions: an arm canon containing several cylindrical canisters of poison spikes as well as a demonic Noh mask on its back, and a wooden scorpions tale. His primary instinct was always to attack or defend with the tail first, before dipping into any of the hidden mechanisms within the puppet. I think he also somehow manipulated his voice while inside it, because his voice always had a sort of rasp to it, but while he was in Hiruko, he spoke at a lower octive, and the tone was more gravely, whereas when he was out of Hiruko, he spoke in more of a low tenor range and the rasp he had was a bit smoother."

Yamato blinked in surprise. "Oh. That was…a lot more detail than I was expecting. Thanks."

"Sakura-chan's got a scary good memory." Naruto shrugged off proudly, as if he was the one who'd received praise. But he was always like that when it came to members of team 7, even Sasuke. Their praise was his praise and his praise was theirs. That's what a team was. The three of them were one.

Sakura flushed a little, tugging lightly on a lock of hair. She'd never been great at receiving compliments, and that fight in particular was burned vividly in her mind—it was the hardest, scariest, most exhilarating battle she'd had so far. Plus it wasn't like it had happened all that long ago. Of course she remembered.

"Noted, that's a good skill to have. Speaking of details, the devil is in the details, team…so here's the mission from A to Z. Our one and only goal is a live capture, the target must not be killed of injured no matter what. Even if it means having to fight them. If they're killed, we lose our only source of intelligence. Therefore, this mission is even harder than when you just have to take down an enemy. And because it's such a delicate situation, this must go off without a hitch. So, while you three act as backup, I'll go ahead and try to capture the target by myself. If, by some chance, my disguise is penetrated and it is revealed that I am in fact, not Sasori, a battle will likely ensue. Then, and only then, do you shift into combat mode everting the fray on my signal alone." Yamato explained while the kids listened seriously. "We will fight in pairs at all times. Every warrior's action will be covered by their partner. The watchword, people, is teamwork. So, here are the pairings. Squad one will be Naruto and Sai. Sakura, you're with me…"

"But…"

"As much as I want them to bond, and connect, I don't think throwing them into battle as they are is gonna work. I know I can work with Naruto, and, I could probably adjust myself to Sai if need be…wouldn't it be better partnering them in literally any other combination?"

"You're the team's one and only medic ninja. We can't afford to have you injured, so I will cover you."

Sakura pursed her lips tightly. She still wasn't technically allowed to fight on the front lines yet. Her battle with Sasori was never supposed to have happened. Plus none of them knew about the seal…if they did, they'd see it as even more reason to have her stay back and be well guarded. Sai would probably add 'useless' into his nicknames for her. She could fight, and she wanted to help…but she wasn't supposed to, and arguing would only get her closer to exposing her seal, which was top secret. On paper, she was a medic, and that was it. There were no special exceptions or caveats next to that.

"Damnit! This sucks! I wanna help fight, Shannaro! I'm tired of being protected in the background!"

Unaware of Sakura's turmoil, Naruto glared at Sai, who gave him his empty smile in return. "Partner."

"Oh c'mon Captain! Team me up with anyone, just not him!" Naruto shouted pointing.

Yamato gave Naruto his looming, scary look. "And yet you continue to complain…"

That shut Naruto up.

"In light of what I just told you, this isn't standard procedure, but half of tomorrow will be focused on pair simulation exercises. Everything I know about you three comes from your files. I need to assess firsthand your battle style and skills, the makeup of your jutsu, et cetera."

"That explains a lot. My file's not all that impressive. Other than my status as a medical nin, there's not too much to go on in there, especially since I was off the mission roster for so long. It's not even included in there that I'm Tsunade-sama's apprentice because that could put both of us at risk if there was a breech…though he probably knows that from word of mouth. I know for a fact that Shishou didn't include my kekkei genkai in there…she decided that should be on a need to know basis, not public record."

"Clearly, it's the only way I'm ever going to forge this team into the cohesive fighting unit it needs to be. Kakashi-senpai may have favored a more lax approach, but I'm not like him."

Sakura shifted a little, wondering how this would play out…and more than a little worried, but she'd discover in the morning, she supposed.

---

It wasn't going well. It seemed to start ok, but then Naruto ended up getting caught with a Yamato substitution, tied up by an ink snake from Sai's jutsu, and shouting at Sai to let him go, thus revealing Sai's location. Not that it mattered cause Sai had figured out where Yamato was hiding and successfully apprehended him, putting an end to the unsuccessful exercise.

"Nice catch, Sai…we'll end the simulations here." Yamato sighed.

"Well that could hardly be considered working together…"

Naruto stomped up to Sai and grabbed him by his shirt, aggressively.

"Problem?" Sai asked flatly.

"You know what the word comrade means?" Naruto demanded angrily.

Sai pulled out a scroll and jotted something down before turning to reveal the word comrade written on it to Naruto.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

Naruto's jaw clenched tightly, looking seconds away from attacking.

"Naruto, wait." Sakrua cut in, trying to keep her voice soothing.

"Seriously, don't go blaming others for your own short comings. If you hadn't fallen for the commander's obvious bait, he wouldn't have known that I was hiding elsewhere. Even if you had used your own jutsu and transformed into me, he still would have known it was only a shadow clone." Sai explained, voice ever flat and bland. "It's impractical to fight while covering for someone who can't maintain his cool, not to mention, dangerous. I simply considered what would best ensure mission success and acted accordingly."

Naruto shoved away from him gruffly. "I…will never accept you as a comrade or as a member of this team!"

"This is so not going to work…" Yamato huffed, a hand covering his eyes in frustration.

"…I wonder what Sasuke would have done in this scenario? Would he have fought while covering you? Somehow I doubt it." Sai said with his placid smile.

Naruto froze, glaring at Sai over his shoulder, while Sakura stiffened.

"Oh he so better not go there! I warned him not to fucking go there Shannaro! Does he want to get his ass beaten in?! Cause I'll do it!"

"He betrayed our village and tried to kill you. And you still consider him a comrade?"

"Yes. And I would still do anything to save him. Even team up with you." Naruto declared fiercely, fire dancing through his sky blue eyes, before he whirled around and stomped away.

"This obsession with Sasuke…it's absurd…"

Sai was suddenly tugged back harshly, his back hitting a tree, as Sakura's arm was poised at his throat, her glare an icy burn.

"I warned you didn't I? Not to pretend you know anything about Sasuke-kun! For your information, he would have fought while covering Naruto—he always fought to protect us, it was like his instinct, even if we were actively in the way or endangering him. You don't know the half of what Sasuke-kun was contending with when he chose to leave the village, nor do you understand all the factors at play, so stop writing him off as a traitor who gave no thought to his village or team when he left. You don't know the first thing about the night he left. You weren't there, I was. So shut the fuck up before I do it for you." Sakura growled, her forearm pressing down hard on Sai's collar bone. It would definitely leave a bruise. Medics weren't supposed to do harm to their comrades…they were supposed to heal them. Her rage was still bubbling over, but Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath, bringing her temper back under her control. She lessened the pressure she was applying to his upper chest until she was simply holding him in place. "Naruto…thinks of Sasuke-kun as a brother. You have an older bother, so you must know what that's like."

"No. Remember our conversation about the picture titles? I don't have feelings." Sai answered with his fake smile.

"What do you mean you don't have feelings? He's your brother. Surely you must feel something…"

"I mean exactly what I said."

"He's sounds so…dead. Did I get it wrong? Does he really have no feelings? But he has to have feelings…or else why would he be so protective of that book…?"

"If you didn't have feelings, you wouldn't have held onto that picture book of your brothers, and you wouldn't have cared if I looked at it…you wouldn't be able to make the pictures you do, whether you can name them or not. You have feelings, you've just conditioned yourself not to feel them." Sai's fake smile dropped at her calm words. "But even if you can't empathize, you should at least make an effort to try and understand logically. Sasuke-kun holds a high level of emotional importance to Naruto…it's only logical that he would fight so hard to get Sasuke-kun back, and hate hearing anyone doubt his brother…surely you can imagine a little what it would be like to lose your brother."

"Ah, well you see, my brother is dead." Sai said with that empty smile.

Sakura's eyes widened, her heart going out to the blank boy.

"Is that why you're so insistent on not feeling? Are you scared of what you'll feel when you let yourself?" She asked softly.

"…What face would I make to show that I felt something? One like that?" Sai asked absently, watching Naruto's tense back. "When my brother died, I didn't know what kind of expression I was supposed to be making." Was this what he should have done back then? But what was the point of it? Neither his brother nor Sasuke was around to witness the pain he was supposed to have felt and Naruto clearly was feeling. So what good did it do to have and express those emotions?

"I didn't cry for five days after my mother died. It was Sasuke-kun who made me cry, and made me remember that I was still alive."

"Sounds like emotional abuse."

A flash of rage shot through her at the implications of that, but before her fist could act on it, Yamato stepped in. "Alright, that's enough chit chat. We need to go."

"Lucky you Sai. I was about to deck you for that." She pushed away from him and stormed off to grab her pack.

"Hag." Sai called.

"What?" She snapped.

"You said Naruto connects to Sasuke as a brother. From what I've come to understand the two have some similar backgrounds, so I suppose they could connect with one another. But how do you and Sasuke connect?"

"…We're in love. Or are we? Was it only ever just me? We didn't grow up the same way, though we both had to mature faster than we should have…Is it just that we're teammates? Is that all there is? Is that enough? Should I be trying this hard?"

Sakura…thank you…for everything…

Don't die while I'm gone, Sakura. Please.

"No. It's more than 's something there. Something between us. I know there is. We're connected…but how?"

Lost in her own spiraling thoughts, she didn't answer, brushing past Sai, and taking to the trees.

"She's in love with him, you moron." Naruto growled coldly, before taking to the trees after Sakura. Sai was quick to follow, Yamato bringing up the rear.

"But why? What was there for her to love? Surely it wasn't reciprocated, so why bother?" Sai really didn't understand love. It was something totally lost on him. Sakura was kind and caring, patient, albeit violent and quick to anger. All that was clear from his interactions with her so far. If he could feel, he had no doubt he'd probably like her as a comrade and teammate. But from the fact that Sasuke left to join up with Orochimaru, he couldn't imagine the boy having any characteristics worth loving, nor being capable of love himself. So why was she like this? She was so protective of Sasuke, and Naruto both. And so quick to try and make him attempt to understand Naruto's care for their former teammate, but never even brought up her own. It was confusing and he was curious.

Naruto's fist clenched tightly. It was a good thing they were moving, or he would have turned and fought Sai then and there. He'd made the mistake once of underestimating Sakura's love and connection to Sasuke, and it had come with the price of Sasuke leaving, and causing Sakura huge emotional pain. He never wanted her to hurt like that again. He'd never take her love so lightly again. He'd keep his promise and bring Sasuke back to her no matter what! And hearing someone else dismiss her love the same way he had back then was infuriating.

"It's just like Sakura-chan said. You weren't there and you didn't know him. You didn't see the way he was with her. I know Sasuke, and he…I don't know if he was in love with her, but…He was different with Sakura-chan than he was with anyone else. She's precious to him."

Sai didn't see how that could be true. Even if it somehow was back then, if Sakura were truly precious to him still, he didn't see how Sasuke could have left, or why he hadn't returned. Her feelings made no sense to him. Sakura was right, he couldn't empathize with Naruto, but he at least had a base level of understanding what it was to have and lose a brother. He didn't get Naruto, but maybe if he tried a bit more to connect, and maybe if Sakura was right and he secretly did have feelings, he could. But Sakura…she was a total enigma, one he may never be able to understand and thus one he may never be able to fully connect to.

---

Sakura felt wired as she knelt behind some rocks, just in view of the Tenchi bridge, sandwiched between Naruto and Sai. Her body thrummed with kinetic energy. She understood why they had to wait patiently, but Sakura's patience had already been stretched thin during her dealings with Sai and Naruto. She had her own mission to carry out with connecting to Sai, or getting him to connect with Naruto, but neither of them were making her life particularly easy on that front. Being forced to play the mediator, especially when she wanted nothing more than to rage at him as Naruto did, had taxed her temperance to its limits.

Yamato, using his wood jutsu to disguise himself as Sasori's puppet Hiruko, and with Sakura's aid in nailing the details of his voice and mannerisms, would try and surprise attack the spy and capture them. They were only to jump in should Yamato give the signal. If everything went according to plan, the three wouldn't be needed at all.

"But how often does my luck work out like that? Nothing ever goes that smoothly for me."

That thought only served to make her more tense. She may have largely gotten over the "Walking Jinx" nickname, but there was still a small piece of her that couldn't help believing it, given her family curse and everything that happened to her team.

"Good luck captain Yamato…"

They watched as a figure cloaked in a white robe approached and pulled down his hood. Sakura felt her Naruto stiffen next to her, and she fully understood why. The rock they were hiding behind, cracked a little where her fingers clenched against it.

The spy was Kabuto.

"Him again!" Naruto growled.

"So the akatsuki spy is Kabuto…guess he really has no concept of loyalty."

They both fell silent, leaning a modicum closer in a vain attempt to hear, though Sakura knew it would do no good. She still couldn't help her body from trying.

"Damn! The wind's so strong, I can't hear a thing!" Naruto complained, cupping his ears in an attempt to help direct the sound.

"The wind is exactly what's keeping Kabuto from hearing us too!" Sakura hissed. "And being upwind blows our scent in the opposite direction, so he won't detect our approach."

Time felt like it was moving too slowly. The three watched Yamato converse with Kabuto in disguise for what dragged like several minutes, when in reality it couldn't have been more than three.

"What's Captain Yamato waiting for? He should just grab him already!" Naruto snarled, his impatience mounting.

"And risk the mission if he fails? This is Kabuto we're talking about. Better safe than sorry." Since seeing him, Sakura felt a pit in her stomach. She'd never trusted Kabuto, but he had successfully tricked Jonin into thinking he was a leaf genin for years. He was wily and illusive, and even now, since he'd revealed himself to be the spy, her instincts told her not to trust him. If Kabuto was involved, this had to be some sort of trap…she just wasn't sure who for.

"Maybe…but Yamato doesn't want Kabuto to become suspicious either. If he does…this mission's already failed." Sai added calmly, siding with Naruto on this one, though contrastingly unbothered.

"Why are men always like this, damnit! Would it hurt them to consider acting with at least a bit of caution for once?! Shannaro! Well…at least they're agreeing with each other for once…" She should have expected it. Sasuke was the one who was always aware of and validating her suspicions. Naruto, whether blinded by his desire to see the best in people, or impatience, never really factored her suspicions into his actions. Even if he heard and understood them, they rarely changed the way he charged head long into things.

They turned their attention back to the scene taking place on the bridge, when Orochimaru suddenly appeared behind Kabuto. Sakura immediately felt her blood run cold while pounding through her too hard too be good for her. The rock she leaned against began cracking under her hands, as her fist tightened against it, terror and anger surging through her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, doing her best to try and reign in her emotions.

"Orochimaru!" Naruto hissed in shock.

Sai stared at the proceedings blankly…so that was the man…it was nearly time, but…He glanced at the cracks forming along the rocks under Sakura's fists, and Naruto's clenched jaw and widened eyes. These two cared so much for a teammate who betrayed them…what would they feel this time?

"What do we do?!" Naruto demanded, turning to Sakura. She was always the one he turned to when it came to mission decisions.

Sakura felt her nails bite into her palms so deeply they drew blood. "Nothing. We sit tight till captain Yamato gives us the signal."

"I'd rather charge in and punch that rotten snake in the face, Shannaro!"

Suddenly Kabuto rounded on Yamato, slashing through the wood disguising him as Sasori's puppet.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "That technique…that was a chakra scalpel that he used…Naruto, Tsunade-sama, and Shizune-senpai all said Kabuto was a medical ninja…guess now I've got my confirmation." Her teeth clenched tightly. It only made her angrier. Kabuto was defiling the field she dedicated her whole life too—even before she officially was trained in it.

They watched as Yamato dodged Kabuto and Orochimaru's attack, landing a few meters away from them on the bridge. For a minute nothing happened as the three seemed to be exchanging some words, then Yamato gave the hand signal calling Sakura, Naruto, and Sai to action.

The three jumped into action immediately, joining Yamato on the bridge.

"You again…" Kabuto sneered, his eyes skimming over Naruto and Sakura.

"Well now, isn't this a pleasant reunion…and I see you've brought the nine tails child. Excellent. I've been waiting for such an opportunity to see which one is stronger now. Naruto, or Sasuke." Orochimaru hissed, before his cold amber eyes alighted on Sakura with interest. "So you're still alive and going on such dangerous missions? Konoha really couldn't care less about your life, could they? So willing to get rid of you…"

"How dare…you speak to Sakura-chan…like that…give…Sasuke back!" Naruto growled, a strange, red energy beginning to bubble up around him. Drawing the attention of both Sai and Sakura, though Sai watched flatly while Sakura grew concerned.

"Is this…related to the nine tails? His chakra wasn't doing this three seconds ago, what's going on? Is it like with me? Is the nine tails responding to the emotional intensity of the situation—to Naruto's anger…but…can Naruto control it?"

"Give Sasuke back? You're getting off track. Sasuke came to us of his own accord because he wanted to. Why can't you just accept the truth?"

"Shut it four eyes!" Sakura snapped, glaring at Kabuto. "You don't understand one damn thing about how people feel, you only know cold logic, and what's worse, you don't even make an effort to try and understand." Kabuto wasn't like Sai. Whatever training had stripped Sai of his emotions, he was still attempting to understand, through his art, through his awkward, frequently inappropriate questions…Kabuto didn't care. Just like Orochimaru, he only saw people as tools to be manipulated and achieve an end. "I bet you never even really asked Sasuke-kun why he left."

Sai cast Sakura a quick glance. At first, he thought her statement was an attack on him as much as it was Kabuto, but then she added that part about trying. It didn't matter to her that Sai couldn't understand the feelings she and Naruto had, what mattered to her was that he tried in the first place.

Kabuto snickered. He used to think Sakura was too smart—clearly time had made her dummer. It was obvious why Sasuke left Konoha: for power.

Orochimaru smirked. This was really too perfect. The fox child and the cursed Haruno right there, both emotionally tense…what a time to test out how far they could be pushed.

"If you want to know about Sasuke, you'll have to force me to tell you…if you can that is!" Orochimaru taunted. It was so obviously both of their trigger points.

Sure enough, the ground around Naruto exploded, a dust cloud obscuring the view of him.

"Hey! What—" Sai gasped, unsure of what was happening.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried in concern.

"This chakra…I felt it before in the Land of Waves, when Naruto thought Haku killed Sasuke-kun…This must be the nine-tails…so then, is it really like my curse? When Naruto gets too angry, the nine-tails triggers?!"

Naruto moved too quick for either of them to see. One moment he was shrouded in a dust cloud, the next he was in front of Orochimaru, shrouded in hateful, bubbling, red energy, surrounding him in a fox-like cloak, his hand rearing back, covering in an energy claw. He swiped at the snake man, sending him flying back off the bridge and breaking several meters into the forest, dust and tree shrapnel in his wake.

Naruto turned his enraged, fox-like gaze, on Kabuto, who stood glaring in shock.

Sakura stared wide eyed. "Naruto…this power—he's so strong but it's so…uncontrolled. He might lose himself at this rate! This could get really dangerous!" Sakura felt her heart rate accellerate in fear and concern for Naruto, and quickly forced a deep breath of air into her lungs. "Stay calm, Sakura. You can't have a reaction right now, Naruto needs you."

Sai watched the proceedings, blank faced and serious. What on earth was all this?

Orochimaru hobbled back onto the bridge, his face peeling off in a way reminiscent of the forest of death, and Sakura once again had to remind herself to breathe when the flashes of nightmarish memories assaulted her mind.

"You're getting quite jinchuriki like, little fox." He hissed darkly. "So that's why he was chosen to be your watchdog, eh? Seems some of my experiments came in handy after all." He mocked, locking eyes with Yamato. "Konoha really ought to be more grateful to me, don't you think, my cute little experiment…?"

"Shut. Up." Sakura growled, much to Yamato and Orochimaru's surprise. "How dare you call him that after what you did!"

"Oh? And what exactly did you do?" Kabuto turned over his shoulder and asked Orochimaru, who was regarding Sakura with interest.

"There was a time I sought the power if the shin obi who was not only the ultimate wood style ninjutsu master, but also the one person who had total control over tailed beasts. Namely, the first Hokage…So I extracted his DNA and inserted it into the cells of 60 children. Unfortunately, their inferior bodies rejected the superior genetic material. They died in rapid succession, one after another. I thought they all perished but apparently there was one survivor."

"You really don't see a problem with that at all, do you? It's all just hard science to you!" Sakura growled passionately. "You used defenseless children, unable to consent, as test subjects. And you killed almost all of them, you disgusting creep!"

Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "Careful Sakura-chan, we wouldn't want you to get too emotional now, would we?" He taunted with a sinister smile that indicated that was exactly what he wanted.

"I hate him. I hate him so damn much. I HATE HIM SHANNARO—" Sakura's fists tightened. "Which is why I can't give him the satisfaction. I can't fall for his bait."

Sakura's hand shot to her hair, giving it a quick ruffle, as she closed her eyes and centered herself, missing the confused look Yamato was giving her.

Yamato was surprised, to say the least. She'd known the whole time about what he was? But how had she found out? His file was classified. And he didn't like the way Orochimaru was taunting her. It was almost like he wanted to get her upset, but why? He was a cruel sadist to begin with, but he wouldn't be wasting his time picking at Sakura mentally if he didn't want something from her. He had a reactive jinchuriki right in front of him. If there wasn't a reason for it, he would have just ignored Sakura in favor of Naruto. And if Orochimaru was interested in something, it was probably a bad sign.

Kabuto, on the other hand, seemed uninterested in what Sakura had to say. "Well, Orochimaru-sama, if one experiment was a success, we could obtain a sample."

"I HATE HIM TOO DAMNIT—calm down."

"Yesssssss…" Orochimaru chuckled, his gaze lingering on Sakura a second longer before dragging to Naruto, who looked positively feral. "Time to pit Sasuke against Naruto and see once and for all who is strongest…"

"You don't own Sasuke…" Naruto said, his voice dangerous. The fox shaped aura around him bubbled, a third tail sprouting. "Don't talk about Sasuke like you own him! Especially not in front of me!"

A huge burst of energy erupted from Naruto, shaking the bridge and cracking the wooden planks.

Sakura felt the chakra emanating from him viscerally. It pierced her skin like a thousand poison needles, giving the air a heavy, almost toxic quality.

"So this is the power of a jinchuriki…its charka is…repulsive. There's no way Naruto can control this—this isn't like it is with me. Even racing and out of control, it's still my chakra and I know the feel of it and how to manipulate it. But this…this isn't even Naruto's chakra. It's not even close!"

Sai's eyes narrowed. So this was Naruto's nine-tails power.

Kabuto's hand became encased in blue as his chakra shaped itself into a scalpel. He charged at Naruto, who turned to face him and roared. A huge explosion of energy exploded in a radius around Naruto, destroying the section of bridge it touched and squarely hitting both Kabuto and Sakura, sending them flying. Sakura's head smacked hard against the wood, and for a second, everything went dark. The section of bridge she was on crumbled, and Sakura fell towards the water.

---

Sakura was falling, Sasuke in her arms, a cliffside racing past her. She'd seen this before in the Land of Tea, except this time, Sasuke was awake, holding her as well.

"Wake up!" He ordered firmly, a faint trace of panic in her eyes.

Sakura blinked a few times, confused, everything around her feeling hazy. "I am awake."

"Sai! Catch Sakura!" The voice sounded far away, but she recognized it as Yamato's.

Her head gave a painful throb. She was falling, and there was no Sasuke, or cliffside, just open water getting closer, and an inky bird carrying Sai flying right passed her.

"Damnit Sai! What the hell are you up too?!" Lady Tsunade had warned her he'd likely been put on this team for an ulterior motive. It seemed it was now coming into play…that or Sai had somehow gotten worse at teamwork than he'd been an hour ago.

"Well, it's all on you, then!"

Sakura raised a hand to the back of her head, healing as much of her concussion as she could within three seconds, it wasn't fully better, but she'd definitely downgraded its severity.

She pulled her legs in, shifting her weight so she was falling feet first instead of head first, while she reached into her weapons pouch and withdrew an exploding tag.

"Gods I hope this works…" Sakura threw the exploding tag straight down into the water, detonating it on impact.

The water rose toward Sakura in a giant geyser, and Sakura sent chakra racing toward her feet. When the geyser reached her, Sakura pushed off the surface as hard as she could, landing back on the bridge before stumbling a little, gracefully sinking to her knees as her head rang.

Yamato ran to check on her, kneeling beside her. "Sakura! You okay?"

---

Sakura raised her hand to her head, giving it another three seconds of healing. The short bursts of healing weren't enough to treat something as delicate as the brain fully, but she had to be careful with her chakra rationing, and didn't have time for much else.

"No, sir, but I will be."

"That was a clever move you pulled down there…" Yamato praised. He doubted many would have been able to come up with it and save themselves at all—most would have relied on a teammate or called it quits there, and that was if they'd even be able to wake themselves up in the first place.

"You never did get the chance to gauge my abilities…" Sakura trailed off as she took in her surroundings, having been able to gauge anything going on while she was focused on her own survival. The bridge was in ruin, as was much of the forest on the opposite side. Sai was nowhere to be seen, nor were Naruto and Orochimaru. Several meters into the forest, there was a trail of what appeared to be dark purple energy raising and curling into the air.

"That can't be good…"

Yamato was apparently of the same mindset, because he quickly sent a wood clone off to check it out.

"Naruto…did all this…" Sakura murmured.

"Yes. He's losing control."

"When I lose control, my chakra doesn't really attack anyone, unless you're really close to me when it triggers. Aside from giving away our location to anyone within a fifteen kilometer radius, the only person it hurts is me. But with Naruto…it's destructive."

"That's where he is, right?" Sakura asked, nodding at the rising wisp of dark energy.

"Yeah…with Orochimaru."

Sakura watched as the thin wisp of energy suddenly exploded, a loud roar echoing through the woods. She immediately stood, ready to run to Naruto and do…something. But a hand held her back.

"I can't let you go over there. It's too dangerous. You're our medic, and you need to stay back."

"That's my teammate!" Sakura growled, pulling her hand away from him, but Yamato caught her shoulder firmly instead.

"Right now, he's not himself and there is nothing you can do for him."

Sakura fixed him with an unnerving green stare. "Captain Yamato, what's happening to Naruto…can you stabilize him?"

"Rest assured I was chosen as Captain for a reason."

"Well now, guess the real Sasori won't be showing up anytime soon…" Sakura turned sharply, glaring at Kabuto as he strode towards them. "The fact that he revealed the location of this bridge makes me think he was hoping you would take down Orochimaru-sama for him. The Akatsuki is still reeling from Orochimaru-sama's defection, you know. So for him to divulge such sensitive intelligence means Sasori sees your power." Kabuto pushed up his glasses in that condescending way he had that made Sakura want to shatter those glasses right into his eyes. "One: he's using you to do his dirty work while planning to stab you in the back after the deed is done. Two: he's been incapacitated and needs you to fulfill this task on his behalf. Or three: He's dead, and this is merely some desperate gambit on your part to remove a superior player from the game."

Sakura glared at him. "Four: Sasori had a change of heart and gifted this information in his final moments, and we're here for information on Sasuke-kun."

Kabuto smirked. "So Sasori is dead. Glad to hear it." He regarded Sakura with cold interest as she rose to her feet, squaring off against him, ready for a fight. Back during the chunin exams, she'd easily been the weakest, most useless member. Her information card had been wholly unimpressive, and the only thing she seemed to have going for her was keen intelligence and a distrusting nature…and even with all that, she still failed at steering her teammates clear of him. But the situation must have changed since then, because based on how she presented it, she'd been there during Sasori's last moments and this location and meeting time had been gifted to her. That meant she was the one to kill him—a very powerful Akatsuki member. One Orochimaru wasn't confident he could beat single handedly. Little useless Sakura must have grown.

Sakura's eyes narrowed sharply. "Things may have gone to shit, but we've still got a mission, capture and interrogate the Akatsuki spy…so let's do that!"

In a swift move that neither Yamato nor Kabuto predicted, Sakura had darted forward her palm flying towards Kabuto's forehead. In one rapid strike, her palm tapped against Kabuto's forehead, sending a small, quick burst of chakra into his neural pathways.

"Sakura!" Yamato shouted. She was supposed to stay back! She was their only medic and shouldn't be running into danger like that—she was supposed to be the smart one, for gods sakes! She should know better! Was every member of Kakashi's team a handful and a half?!

Kabuto stumbled backwards into one of the trees, before attempting to standup…only his muscles weren't moving the way they should be. When he attempted to move his right thigh, it was his left pinky toe that moved. Attempting to move his left shoulder made his abdominals jump.

"Well this is familiar…" He muttered. So Sakura had learned Tsunade's move? That meant she likely learned other things from the Fifth as well…healing, and that insane strength at the very least.

"Your mentor should have warned you. This move only works if you don't pick up on the pattern and rewrite your brainwaves." Kabuto said, mentally starting to catalogue which parts of his body moved when.

"Bold of you to assume it's the same move." Sakura said sharply. She'd been practicing, and she discovered that being a water type really did have benefits when it came to this move…for example, depending on the way and amount of chakra she applied to the move, by targeting the chemical components of the electro-chemical response, she could make the scrambling effect more continuous and longer lasting.

Kabuto finished cataloging what should allow him to stand up, but to his shock, none of the muscles matched to what he initially tracked. "I see…so you've put your own spin on it…" How annoying.

A sudden whooshing drew Sakura's attention sharply to her left, just in time for the ground some meters away from her and the bridge to erupt into a cloud of dust with a large boom.

Kabuto smirked, despite his precarious situation. Things were going well for Lord Orochimaru. "The nine tails…he's almost there…"

"Naruto…" Sakura murmured, her temporarily shelved worry over her friend returning to her in spades.

He didn't even look like himself, he looked more fox than human—his human features were almost completely erased, like when Gaara had given himself over to the Shukaku. He clutched a long sword, tapping against his abdomen in one claw-like hand, the other end extended over the river to the other side of the bridge where Orochimaru stood, hilt of the sword in his grotesque, snake-like mouth.

"This is not so much a battle between ninja…" Kabuto muttered, watching as his finger moved when he attempted to move his leg, as he thought it would—the continuous scramble effect of Sakura's take on the Body derangement jutsu was beginning to subside, so he could start rewriting his brain waves again. "This is more a battle between monsters." He chuckled.

"Naruto…" Sakura bit at her lip, her hand clenching tightly.

"Don't…Don't you dare call Naruto a monster! Don't you dare put him on the same level as that skeezbag you call your master!" She shouted viciously.

Yamato didn't share her viewpoint. "Naruto's on our side of the bridge…" That was bad news. The boy might not be a monster under normal circumstances, but at this moment in time, he wasn't himself, he was the nine-tails. And the nine-tails was definitely a monster.

The fox-possessed Naruto threw the ridiculously long sword to the side, unaware and uncaring of his two teammates in its path.

Sakura grabbed Kabuto and leapt away in the knick of time, Yamato doing the same. Less than a second later the sword destroyed the bridge and section of ground the three had been occupying. Naruto let out a monstrous roar.

"Amazing. So that's how far Naruto would go to rescue Sasuke."

Sakura's breath caught in her lungs.

I'll bring Sasuke back for sure! That's my promise of a lifetime!

Sakura-chan! I…I will keep my promise!

I never go back on my word. That's my shinobi way!

Her eyes stung with tears, her heart rate speeding up dangerously.

"The boy is gone. Only the monster remains…what a pitiful child…"

Sakura's breathing grew uneven, her tears burning down her cheeks. Her teammate was so in pain, so lost…willing to fully lose himself to bring back Sasuke…Naruto was her family—some of the only family she had left. And he was losing himself and there was no way she'd just sit back and watch and let that happen. The longer she stood there staring, the closer she came to triggering a reaction.

Before she knew it her legs were carrying her towards him, as fast as she could go.

"Sakura, wait! You must stay away from Naruto!" Yamato shouted. Seriously, what was it with these kids?! All of them were impulsive nightmares!

"Naruto! Please…Don't do this!" She shouted desperately, sprinting at him full speed. She had no plan. She didn't know what she would do once she reached him. All she knew was that her teammate was in pain, and doing nothing at all would set off her curse. "You don't have to go this far! We're in this together, remember?! We're going to bring him back together! Or—hell, I'll rescue him myself, just please—don't do this to yourself! Please I need my teammate back!"

Naruto's fox-like form turned to her blankly, before lashing at her with one of its four tails. Sakura attempted to leap out of the way, but the strike came so fast she could barely even see it let alone get away in time. It was all she could do to twist herself in midair so the tail only viciously whipped her arm. The hit sent her thudding painfully hard into the ground, once again hitting her head and undoing all the work she'd done on healing her concussion…more than that though, it felt like her arm was on fire. The palpable, stinging chakra Naruto was emitting now ate away at her skin where the chakra tail had made contact, and was burning through her chakra network.

"Ugh…damnit! Is this what my dancer's barrage feels like? I'm almost sorry I ever used it! This sucks!"

"Uh oh…" She heard Kabuto chuckle sadistically.

Sakura squeezed her arm tightly, to apply pressure to the wound, but she suddenly grew lightheaded when she tried to use her chakra. For a scary moment, she thought her grip on her seal maintenance might fluctuate, but with more conscious focus than she'd poured into it in a long while, she was able to keep the flow of rationed chakra stable.

"This is bad…if it's taking this much focus just to maintain the seal now, using my chakra for healing is gonna be tricky…"

She glanced up at Naruto's fox obscured form, as thick beams of wood wrapped around him, binding his arms to his torso, and each of his four tails. Yamato was doing something…she just hoped it would bring Naruto back. Sakura pushed herself into a kneeling position, sweat beading at her brow. She released her arm and reached into her pack, determined to fix herself the old fashioned way, back before she knew medical ninjutsu.

She didn't get far passed cleaning the wound when Kabuto drew close to her, his arm extended.

Wood suddenly wrapped around his outstretched arm and one of his legs, holding him in place. "I won't let you hurt them." Yamato growled.

"You misunderstand…I no longer have any intention of hurting any of you. In fact, it's quite the opposite."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she regarded him warily. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him—which was pretty damn far. But if his words were to be believed, he was about to heal her. As much as she hated the idea of accepting anything from Kabuto, she had to be logical about this. She was injured, and her chakra was saturated with the nine tails, interfering with her ability to use it. She was already low on chakra to begin with and now had to consciously focus on funneling most of her chakra into her seal. She had to save what energy and focus she had for healing Naruto, because if her chakra reactions were anything to go by, whatever was happening to him would wreak havoc on his body. She really couldn't afford to not accept whatever help he was offering.

"What do you mean?" Yamato asked, equally as wary as Sakura.

Kabuto's outstretched hand glowed green with healing chakra, as did Sakura's wounded arm. Her eyes widened in response as she watched Kabuto heal her arm at a distance.

"How are you doing that?!"

Kabuto opted to answer Yamato rather than her. "We share a common enemy. The Akatsuki are a nuisance." Kabuto fixed his gaze directly on Sakura. "If we let you live I'm hoping perhaps you can get rid of at least one other member of the Akatsuki member for us. After all, it was you who killed Sasori, wasn't it?"

Sakura said nothing, continuing to glare heatedly at the silver haired ninja, , until Naruto roared in rage, some of the wood beams holding his fox-coated body starting to snap. Her attention shifted to her teammate, flooding with concern.

Kabuto's attention had also shifted to Naruto. "Then again, he's one of yours. Seems only appropriate you all should clean up after him." He needed to check on Lord Orochimaru. He was probably nearing his limit. There was a puff of smoke, and Kabuto was gone.

Yamato grunted in annoyance at having lost him, but this was his chance to seal Naruto, which he needed to do quickly before Sakura did something impulsively dumb again.

He ran through a series of hand signs, before thrusting his palm out. "Hokage style: elder jutsu! Kakuan's tenth edict on enlightenment!" Yamato rushed forward, thrusting his palm against Naruto's torso, before leaping back a safe distance and shoving his other hand into the ground.

Ten wood beams sprung from the ground, surrounding Naruto, each with a set of painful looking wood spikes. There was a cord of energy connecting the spot Yamato touched on Naruto's torso, to his hand.

Sakura watched as the red coating of chakra began to recede, Naruto's face emerging as if breaking the surface of a lake, her eyes watering as his roars became less monstrous roars, and more agonized screams. Finally, he was just Naruto again, unconscious, breathing his skin looking abnormally red, like it had been burned by the chakra he'd been encased in.

Sakura immediately shifted so she was kneeling next to him, placing his pack under his head to give it some elevation. She placed her hands on Naruto's chest and began spreading her chakra through him to heal whatever damage the fox chakra had done to him. It didn't take long before she was sweating profusely. She had to focus ten times harder, and burn through more energy than usual because the nine-tales chakra was still interfering with her network—Kabuto may have healed the flesh wound, but he hadn't repaired her chakra network or removed the nine-tales chakra from her system. On top of that she was running low to begin with, and still had to worry about maintaining her seal. Her arms were going numb and her head was pounding.

What was really frustrating, was that the burns were hardly receding at all. "In the past, the nine-tail's chakra always rapidly accelerated the healing process, so why isn't it now?"

Sakura bit her lip, pushing more chakra out through her arms, her energy spreading even wider across his chest, wincing in pain as she did so. It finally seemed to make a difference, the chakra burns fading back to Naruto's natural skin tone, though the process was more slow going than she'd like.

"This is what I'm supposed to be good at…this is what I'm supposed to be able to do to help him, but earlier…" The memory of Naruto's out of control fox form flashed through her mind. "Earlier I was useless. When my chakra reacts, Naruto can give me a sedative, stroke my hair, remind me to calm down…but I couldn't do anything for him. We're supposed to be in this together, damnit! I'm supposed to be able to help him! If only there was someway I could help him control it—but this isn't like my chakra reactions. It's not his own chakra going haywire, it's a whole other entity's…I don't even know how to begin going about controlling something like that…But Captain Yamato was able to…"

"Captain Yamato…that jutsu you just used to pacify Naruto…can you teach it to me? Please?"

Yamato studied Sakura's worried, desperate face. She may have been reckless, but the girl had an incredibly kind heart…not many would be so concerned over a jinchuriki. But what Naruto was, what she'd just witnessed—the monster inside Naruto taking over—meant only one thing to her: Her friend and teammate was in pain and needed help. It didn't matter that Naruto had injured her. She didn't hold it against him in the slightest. She wasn't afraid of him, she was afraid for him. It was a shame he didn't have better news for her.

"I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. I am the only one in Kenosha who can use that jutsu, and only because I carry Lord First's DNA within me."

"Because of that awful experiment Orochimaru did."

"Yes. All I am is an experiment…a pale copy of the original Lord First. Yes, I have power, but nowhere near enough to forcibly suppress the nine-tail's chakra."

"That's not all you are." Sakura cut in sharply. "You're Captain Yamato, not a pale copy of the first Hokage. I never met the first Hokage. To me, you're more real than the first Hokage ever was or will be. You're the first and only wood style user I've ever met. I don't care whether Lord First was the one who discovered it or invented it or whatever. That comparison's a useless one, so stop making it."

Yamato blinked at her quietly for a long moment before fixing his gaze back on Naruto. This kid got lucky when he was placed on a team with her. Others were not nearly as forgiving or open minded as she was.

"You touched his chest when you suppressed his chakra…that part of it, it wasn't actually wood style, was it?"

"No, in that regard it wasn't, which is why I can't teach it to you. You see that necklace around Naruto's neck?" Yamato asked, nodding at the blue crystal Naruto had gotten all those years ago as a gift/reward from Tsunade.

Sakura gave a small hum of affirmation. Tsunade had told her the story of that necklace and how it had ended up in Naruto's custody, drunkenly one night.

"It used to belong to the first Hokage. It's a chakra crystal that responds to his chakra alone. I used it to bring the jinchuriki host's power under control. It is said the lord first qualified to be hokage partly because of this power. It is also why I was chosen to be your Captain."

"Damn." Sakura muttered, watching the slow progress of Naruto's healing, a deep feeling of helplessness sinking into her.

"It's just like with mom all over again! All I'm ever going to be able to do is treat symptoms and watch as this eats away at him! I became a medical ninja so it wouldn't be like this! So why…"

Yamato glanced at her worriedly. Was her arm bothering her again? He hadn't missed her wincing earlier. The fact that she was healing him this efficiently, given how the nine tails chakra was corrupting her network, was astonishing.

"It's always like this. The only things I can ever do for Naruto and Sasuke-kun are these little things…I can never really help them…" Sakura growled, tears of frustration and concern burning at her eyes.

Yamato couldn't help the incredulous look he shot her. She really didn't see it? Just how much her care and kindness meant to—well he couldn't account for Sasuke, having never met the kid—but she couldn't see how much it meant to Naruto? This was a girl who was pushing her chakra despite direct interference with her network, all for a jinchuriki. A girl who defeated an Akatsuki member and got him to reveal information about Orochimaru, all to save a lonely orphan boy who turned his back on her love. She really didn't see how big those gestures were to people like Naruto and Sasuke, who had practically nothing by way of support?

"Now you're the one underselling yourself. But it doesn't matter whether the things you do for him are large or small, what matters is how much you care about Naruto. Sasuke too. Though really, I wouldn't consider anything you've done for them as small…" He couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped his lips. She really didn't see just how big her love for them both was. "I've seen it Sakura. I know just how much you…!" He trailed off when Naruto stirred and pushed himself up.

"S-Sakura-chan?" Naruto sat up and immediately winced. "Oww…"

"Naruto!" Sakura cried in relief, tears spilling down her face. She'd been more worried than she'd let on with how unusually slow his recovery was.

"Huh? What happened? Why am I…? Huh?" Naruto blinked up at Sakura, his brow furrowing. "Whoa. Why are you crying, Sakura-chan?" Naruto suddenly leapt up, when it occurred to him the only reason Sakura might be crying was because of Sai. "I swear, if that asshole Sai said something hurtful to you again, like ugly, or hag, or monster strength, I will personally kick his—"

Sakura grabbed his jacket and yanked him to the ground forcefully. "You're the one adding monster strength to the list." She muttered irritably. "And I doubt you'd consider that a negative if I was a guy."

"Oww…" Naruto muttered, running at his behind, before looking up and noticing the decimated bridge. How had it gotten like that?

"Speaking of which, where is Sai, Captain Yamato?" She'd seen him fly off and not help her while she was falling, but lost track of him after that between healing herself, worrying about Naruto, and fighting with Kabuto.

"Sai? He's on the move with Orochimaru right now."

Both Naruto and Sakura looked at him in shock.

"Do you mean he was taken by Orochimaru? Or he willingly joined him?" Sakura questioned slowly, trying to put the pieces together.

"He doesn't strike me as the type to have a personal ulterior motive given that he doesn't fully know how to feel in the first place. And with the way he put down Sasuke-kun for joining Orochimaru…in which case he's doing it for someone else…Danzo, maybe? Sai may have had his own mission given to him by Danzo…but what's the mission?"

"The two of you, come with me." Yamato ordered seriously. They needed to investigate further.

---

They stood at the center of giant crater in the forest on the opposite side of the ruined bridge, examining the damage.

"The soil's real soft here." Naruto noted, tapping his toe against the squishy dirt. That meant this wasn't here before, this crater was recently made, the soil having just been churned about. "The bridge is is wrecked, and all this…what in the world happened?"

"You don't remember anything?" Yamato questioned. It was just as Jiraya had said, Naruto had no memories of when the Fox took over.

"Wait—does this have something to do with why I was unconscious?"

"He doesn't remember…"

You promise you won't hate me?

Just because we have monsters sealed inside us, they see us as monsters too!

"He's always worries about being seen as a monster…it's probably because on some level, he thinks he actually is one. If he knows what happened, that he did all this…it'll only make that negative view of himself more true…I'm not gonna let him see himself that way! He's not a monster, shannaro!"

Yamato glanced as Sakura, watching her face go from sad to resolute, when she finally looked back up at her teammate. "You got attacked and knocked out by Orochimaru…because of how the fight was playing out, I couldn't get to you fast enough to heal you…sorry Naruto."

"No way! Seriously?! I was knocked out by that creep!" How embarrassing! He needed to be able to take on Orochimaru if he was gonna get to Sasuke. "Oh! But that's not your fault, Sakura-chan! Don't worry about it!" He quickly waved off. The last thing he wanted was to make Sakura feel guilty about it when he knew she already carried so much of that unnecessarily. Plus she had to contend with her kekkei genkai as well. There was no way he blamed her for this.

Yamato eyed her seriously. She was a damn good liar, he had to hand it to her. And her intentions were beautiful, but lying to a teammate was never a great practice. As far as he was concerned, this was another show of love for Naruto from her, but he wasn't sure he agreed with her choice. Naruto had a right to know what happened. He needed to know that he actually had physically hurt Sakura. He needed to know how dangerous it was to let himself lose control.

Sakura gave her teammate a sad smile, before turning her attention to the ink puddle on the ground. One of Sai's ink animals, or maybe even a clone had been destroyed there…her eyes traveled to the partially open scroll next to it, a book corner visible just under the open flap. She picked up the book, a bad feeling churning in her stomach. This was the book that belonged to Sai's brother…the one he always carried with him, despite his claims of not having emotions.

"Sai's stuff's all over the place…I can't believe he left without this."

"For him to have left his prized possessions behind, even he must have been pretty rattled by Orochimaru." Yamato agreed.

"So…you know?" Sakura asked, looking up at Yamato.

"Until just now, I was in communication with my wood clone who was here, via our wireless implants."

"What happened to Sai?" Sakura demanded, her concern for their teammate growing—no matter how much of an ass he was.

"Well…after exchanging words with Orochimaru here, Sai left with him and Kabuto."

"Exchanging words? Left with? This does sound like voluntarily going with them, rather than them taking him—so at least he's probably uninjured. But that leads to the why question…This really does seem like a mission, but what is it? Intelligence? Assassination? But what intel is he trying to gather? Or if it's assassination, who's the target?"

"What do you mean by left with?" Naruto asked. To him, it was sounding more and more like Yamato was hinting at Sai betraying them.

"Was your clone close enough to hear their conversation?" Sakura asked carefully.

"Unfortunately, no."

"Hmm…I wonder what they talked about?" Naruto murmured, his fingers cupping his chin in thought.

"Maybe he was threatened or intimidated into going with them?" Sakura asked, studying the book in her hands, concern for Sai flooding through her. For him to leave his book behind like this seemed like a pretty big deal to her, and she wanted to cover all the bases before giving into her own suspicions of Sai having a hidden agenda.

"No…it didn't see like that. He approached Orochimaru of his own accord and handed him something, as if he was trying to curry favor with Orochimaru."

"Whoa! Hold on! I don't like the guy either, but there's no way he'd betray us!"

"Actually, Naruto…there may be." Sakura murmured, thinking back on what Tsunade said about Danzo, and how much he disapproved the Third's peaceful ways, and hated that she'd been named the Fifth Hokage. "Commander Yamato, are you familiar with a man called Danzo?"

"I do know of him. He's a member of the hawk faction that once opposed the Third Hokage." Yamato answered, a little confused about how Sakura knew of him.

"Wait, who's this guy? What's this have to do with Sai?" Naruto asked confused.

"Danzo's a geezer who runs a militant faction, which Sai's a part of—in other words, he's Sai's superior. And he doesn't think highly of the Third Hokage's legacy." Sakura explained, making no attempt to hide her distaste for the man she only met once.

"Danzo may be plotting something using Sai…" Yamato allowed, considering Sakura's words. Now wasn't the time to question how she knew things, he already knew to be true. "It's possible Sai received orders from Danzo to carry out some top-secret mission separate from ours."

"You mean all this time, Sai's been a double agent just waiting for a chance to carry out some totally different mission?" Naruto clarified.

"That's right." Sakura agreed.

"This is a wild guess, but since it's not completely out of the question, listen closely." Yamato said seriously, drawing both of their attention. "Danzo may be planning to destroy Konoha."

"What?!" Naruto shouted.

"He may be trying to conspire with Orochimaru to get him to attack Konoha once more, in order to overthrow Lady Tsunade."

"After the current regime has fallen, he would rebuild the village as he envisions and install himself as the hokage!" Sakura continued, drawing Yamato's line of thought to it's logical conclusion, her fists going white at her sides.

"How dare he plot against Shishou! There's no way I'm letting him get away with it! If he wants to get through her, he's gotta go through me first, Shannaro!"

"Danzo's probably making his move now because having seen Orochimaru fail during his previous invasion, he feels he's in a superior position to negotiate."

"N-No way…you mean Sai's top secret mission…" Naruto couldn't comprehend it. He didn't like Sai, but he never thought he'd be capable of something like this! And after giving Sasuke such a hard time about being a traitor by joining Orochimaru…he was no different in the end. This was the second time he'd lost a teammate to that damned Orochimaru, and he was starting to take it personally.

"Sai's mission may be to join Orochimaru's ranks and become the conduit between him and Danzo." Sakura clarified, putting it all out there in the open.

"Depending on the situation, we may have to do something about Sai. Right now, my clone is pursuing them, but I don't know what might happen, so we need to get moving immediately."

"All right! Let's…" The world suddenly tilted for Naruto, before he fell to the ground, having passed out.

"Naruto!" Sakura knelt next to him, flipping him over and supporting his head. She winced as she mustered her focus to do a chakra scan—the nine tails chakra still wrecking her chakra network.

"He hasn't fully recovered from all the damage…"

"I know time is of the essence, but with Naruto in this state…"

"Then we'll have to leave him behind. He should at least have enough strength to get back to the village on his own."

Sakura glared at Yamato over her shoulder. "You said Kakashi-sensei was your senpai, right? Didn't you learn anything from him?! Those who abandon their friends are scum!"

"S'okay Sakura-chan, I'm fine, I swear…I can keep up!" Naruto murmured weakly, having slightly regained consciousness. They had to catch up with Sai and stop Orochimaru no matter what! It didn't matter what state he was in! There was no way he'd let them destroy Konoha!

"The hell you can! Listen to your medic, damnit!" Sakura snapped, turning back to him. If he pushed too hard too soon, he'd only be making the damage done to his body worse!

"Look, I've been teamed up with Kakshi-senpai before in the Anbu. I know what he's like…I may be his substitute but I'm not him. I'm not the type to laugh and say I would never let you guys get hurt. You two are no longer apprentice shinobi that need to be protected. You're full-fledged shinobi that must one day surpass Kakashi-senpai and bear Konoha on your shoulders. There is a difference between compassion and coddling. If we don't chase after them now, we'll never catch Orochimaru. If we falter here, it's all over. There are no second chances when it comes to Orochimaru."

"This sounds oddly like Ibiki-san's speech during the first round of the chunin exams, after we took the tenth question. But I'm not leaving my teammate behind, and as a medic, I can't let him push himself just yet."

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto implored, his voice still weak. They had to stop Orochimaru!

"I know." She said flatly. There was no choice here. They had to keep moving forward, but she'd be damned if she were to be an irresponsible medic. "I'll carry you until you've recovered a bit more. Come on."

Sakura slid Naruto onto her back, despite his protests, and rose, taking him off the ground with her, in a piggy back. Despite being taller than her, Sakura was still quite strong, and had no trouble carrying his weight—at least not yet. She had a feeling this would get a lot harder once she started moving, given that she still had to maintain her seal and her chakra network was still damaged.

Yamato's brow furrowed. "Are you sure you can—"

"I'm a medic. We have a mission. And I'm not leaving my teammate behind. This is the only course of action. Let's go."

Yamato had to hand it to her, she was tough, and took her job very seriously. He supposed training with the Fifth Hokage, and world renowned medical ninja, would do that to you.

"Right." Without any more debate, he took off into the trees, followed by Sakura, with Naruto still weakly protesting on her back.

---

Sakura did her best to keep up with Yamato, but with Naruto on her back, her low chakra which she was struggling to control, and the nine tails chakra still messing with her, it didn't take long for her to make a careless mistake and completely miss the branch she was about to land on.

"Shit!"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted in concern, letting go of Sakura so he could attempt to catch her. He felt better anyway—not 100% but good enough to at least travel on his own, without continuing to burden her.

He landed safely on the ground first, catching her a half second later. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?! What happened?!"

Yamato dropped down next to them, examining Sakura's sweaty face, and the way she held her arm where the nine tails had slashed her.

"I'm fine." She hissed, despite the fact that she obviously didn't look fine. Her face was pale and sweaty, and her breathing was labored. Naruto set her down and leaned her up against a tree.

"Sakura-chan…you should have said something if you were hurt!" His eyes lingering on the bicep of her left arm.

Yamato examined her arm carefully. The marks weren't too visible, but the real damage was the chakra that had seeped into her system. The nine-tail's chakra had behaved like a poison and entered her body through her wounds. Even with her medical ninjutsu, repairing the chakra network was a much harder task that she couldn't do under these conditions. It only made Naruto's seeming immunity to the chakra's effects all the more astonishing.

"That's…these are…" Sakura looked at the wound on her arm.

"I can't tell Naruto that he gave me these! It'll hurt him so much!"

"…wounds Orochimaru inflicted earlier, but they only hurt a little now, they're really no big deal. Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Sakura-chan…" She was always worrying about others instead of herself. She really hadn't changed at all since they were twelve. But that was all the more reason he needed to look out for her more and be more aware of when she was hurting. "You should have said something before! You shouldn't overdo it…"

"Let's take a break." Yamato decided, rising to his feet. "Sakura is our one and only medic ninja, we need her hale and hearty for our mission to succeed."

"I said I'm fine! We have to get moving again! You said it yourself, Captain! If we falter here it's all over!" Sakura protested.

"I'm getting in the way again…slowing them down…damnit! I'm not twelve anymore! I'm not the same weak needy girl! I can push through!"

"I know what I said, Sakura…but it's also said that haste makes waste." Yamato said consolingly. "Charging in right now might get the job done. But being rash and reckless most certainly will not."

"Besides, you're our one and only monster strength medic ninja! We need you hale and hearty, like the Captain said!" Naruto parroted.

"Will you quite adding in the monster strength thing!" Sakura barked, before adding in more of a grumble, "do you even know what hale and hearty means?"

"Now that Sai's gone, you'll be my wingman in battle, Naruto. And since we have a moment, let's work out our attack patterns. Come with me."

"Yes sir!" Naruto quickly followed after Yamato, until they were a distance away from Sakura.

Sakura sighed, and leaned her head back against the tree, closing her eyes. Since she had a moment, she had to focus on repairing her chakra network. She needed to unblock the chakra points that they kyubi chakra interfered with. It was times like this that she wished she had the byakugan or sharingan, so she could see the chakra points. But she couldn't, so she'd need to get creative. She focused on her breathing, letting her mind empty, focusing only on the feel of her chakra flowing smoothly through her, and where it got less smooth and more rough and burning through her left arm. She pulled her chakra into her core, holding it there for the length of her inhale, and releasing it into her left arm on her exhale. She felt where the chakra clogged and burned at her left arm, and when she pulled her chakra back, and released it again, she jabbed hard at the area where the chakra clogged, releasing a quick burst of energy into it. She let out a gasp of pain, but continued the process down her arm, each time, her chakra began to flow easier and smoother. There was still a little damage by the time she was done, but at least she had full control of her chakra again.

She blinked her eyes open, breathing a little easier now that the majority of the damage had been undone. She wasn't 100% but at least maintaining her seal was only causing her the usual amount of strain instead of requiring all her focus. Still, she felt tired—more so than usual. She used a lot of chakra up at the bridge, and then even more throughout this procedure.

She glanced over at Yamato and Naruto, who were still planning their attack strategy, which meant she had some time. She turned her attention to her pouch, remembering Sai's book that he'd left behind.

"He didn't let me look at it before, but maybe this'll be enough of a sample to actually learn something about him."

She studied the front cover, of a boy with black hair, and then flipped it over to the back cover, featuring a boy with white hair. They were both drawn with somewhat neutral, blank expressions.

"The boy with the black hair looks like it's supposed to be Sai, but who's this other boy?"

It's not finished yet. Plus I don't really show it to others, because it belongs to my older brother.

"Maybe this is Sai's older brother than?"

Sakura flipped open the book, taking in the more cartoonish drawing style than what she'd seen of Sai's more recent work.

"He made this when he was younger…"

Each page depicted the dark haired boy facing some sort of enemy, and on the following page, his character wore and wielded the armor and weapons of the previous enemy. She paged through Sai's side of the the book for a few seconds, but didn't see a trace of the character she figured to be Sai's brother, so she flipped the book over to his side of the cover and began paging through it from there. This half of the book mirrored the front half, but instead of the dark haired boy facing enemies, it was the white haired one.

"The narrative is easy enough to follow, but…what happens when you reach the middle?"

She flipped to the center of the book, and her eyes widened.

"That can't be good.."

Sai's half was drawn more close, from the chest up, but his face was unfinished, lacking any expression of facial features, and the other half of the page, the would have belonged to his brother was…blank.

"You'll both want to see this! Now!" Sakura called, drawing Naruto and Yamato's attention.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?!" Naruto cried worriedly, somehow sounding even more concerned than he had before, rushing to her side within half a second. "Are you hurt?! Are you feeling ok?!"

"I'm fine. Look at this." Sakura nodded to the book.

"That's Sai!" Naruto stared at the creepy, picture. It didn't look like something anyone sane would draw. "If he drew that, we're in serious trouble."

Yamato joined them, examining the pictures.

"The strangest thing about Sai's picture book? The centerfold seems really out of place. From what I can tell, it doesn't quite track with the rest of the narrative."

"And it's really creepy." Naruto muttered in agreement.

"I wonder why he left it blank…" Sakura muttered.

"Was it intentional, or…Sai said it wasn't finished, but if it's blank because it's unfinished, what was supposed to go on that page?"

"Artists reveal much about themselves through their art. Perhaps Sai's work will tell us what we need to know about him." Yamato said.

"That's what I thought too." Sakura agreed. "It's more concrete than the abstract I saw him working on at the hot spring. It seems to be fairly narrative—a tale following the two boys on the covers, one of whom I suspect to be Sai, the other, Sai's brother. Each boy's journey begins separately, starting with the cover at either end, then going inward. What's more, the two narratives mirror each other, both boys facing a variety of enemies on each page, and seemingly conquering them." Sakura explained, showing them examples in the book.

"But there's no words or dialogue. What kind of story is this?" Naruto questioned in confusion.

"The fact that there aren't words tells us a lot actually. At the time when Sai made this, he couldn't verbalize his thoughts well. He may not have been exposed to many traditional forms of stories, and only knew how to tell things visually, the way he saw them."

"And what do you make of the two separate stories going from end to end and meeting in the middle?" Yamato asked, impressed so far with Sakura's analysis.

"It could have just been a small child figuring out how to tell two stories with one book…or it could have been something deeper…if each boy is only how you see them on the cover, they both look blank and unimpressive. As you go through each of their journeys, they're getting stronger with every turn of the page, represented by how they always take on their previous enemies garb and weapons, but at the same time, there's not much to them other than that. They have no expression, no item that denotes any identity. Until, you get to the core of the book where they should meet each other." Sakura flipped back to the center fold of the book, with the blank page and faceless black haired boy. "The thing is, depending on what was supposed to go here changes everything. It's the center of the book. The core. Sai's core. He said it wasn't finished…"

My brother is dead.

When my brother died, I didn't know what kind of expression I was supposed to be making.

"I'm guessing he stopped drawing because of his brother's death…a trauma response maybe? If this was Sai's core, it could be a reflection of the numbness, or lost feeling he had after finding out about his brother's death. He did say he wasn't sure what expression he was supposed to be making." Sakura gently touched Sai's featureless rendering of his own face.

"So what do you think was supposed to go there, Skaura-chan?"

"My guess is it's one of two things: either it was supposed to follow the narrative that's been shown, and they face each other in combat, or they join together as comrades and family. But I'm not even sure what that would look like to Sai…"

Yamato suddenly jolted. "Let's head out. My clone's tracked down Orochimaru's hideout. How're you feeling, Sakura?"

"I'm fine now." She answered, rising gracefully to her feet and wincing slightly. She wasn't completely better, and running lower on her chakra than felt safe, but she could make use of her chakra network effectively, and right now, that was all she needed. Because if they were going to Orochimaru's hide out, that meant there was a good chance she'd see Sasuke again.

---

"You're late. You said you were going to help me hone a new jutsu this afternoon, Orochimaru." Sasuke hissed, beyond pissed. He needed to get stronger, or his recent string of nightmares might become a reality. His sleep the past week had been more fitful than usual, which was saying a lot, because he rarely had dreams that weren't nightmares. His exhaustion had made him edgier then usual.

"If I were you, boy, I'd take a more respectful tone." Kabuto admonished.

"Enough Kabuto. Our efforts today have been rewarded with a little gift. Someone for our friend here to reminisce with…a shinobi from his dear Konoha."

"Hn." Sasuke's sharingan activated on reflex. He knew the game Orochimaru was playing, baiting him as a test to see where his loyalties were. If the snake thought Sasuke didn't know what he was up to, he was severely underestimating him.

"So you're the legendary Uchiha Sasuke. I'm Sai, nice to meet—"

"Get lost." Sasuke didn't care in the slightest for the abnormally pale boy with a clearly fake smile.

"No matter how much I smile, every one seems to dislike me right away, even Sakura and Naruto."

Sasuke said nothing, continuing to glare Sai down. So he knew Naruto and Sakura? Then what the hell was he doing here? Those two were too good to leave behind under any normal circumstances. If his own brother hadn't been an active threat to their safety, he would have stayed with them. Anyone who left them without a reason that was for their own personal safety was purely an idiot that didn't deserve his respect. So Naruto and Sakura didn't like this guy either, eh? Naruto wasn't a surprise, given that he could be abrasive towards people from the jump before warming up to them. But Sakura? She was always paitent, kind, caring, empathetic…and smart. If she didn't like him, it was for a damn good reason, after all, look where this guy was standing.

"But, I can already tell you're nothing like Naruto, so I have a feeling that you and I will get along much better."

Big mistake there. If they didn't like him, Sasuke certainly didn't, and he wasn't about to let this weird boy bait him with his teammates any longer. The fool already made the mistake of making eye contact with his sharingan.

Sai suddenly stumbled back, falling to the ground, wide eyed and shaking. He'd miscalculated, being caught by a sharingan enhanced genjutsu…a terrifying one no less. He'd been surrounded by sharingan, monstrously joined together, as if they were going to devour him, the blood lust they radiated was palpable…

"Sasuke!" Kabuto admonished, yet again.

Sai reached up wiping at his face. He was sweating? But he had no emotions, he felt nothing, yet…just by meeting Sasuke's eyes, he somehow came to fear Sasuke from the bottom of the heart he thought he didn't have…maybe there was some truth to what Sakura had been saying, about him having emotions but not knowing how to process them.

"You shouldn't bait Sasuke-kun too much. He's more difficult than I am." Orochimaru warned.

"I don't care about him." Sasuke dismiss, rising. "Come on Orochimaru, let's go." Sasuke just wanted to get stronger.

"Naruto and Sakura have told me a lot about you." Sai said, rising as well.

Sasuke looked up again, annoyance churning through him.

"They've been looking for you this whole time, you know. The last three years…"

"Hn…" Sasuke attempted to brush off, but Sai was really starting to get to him. "Let's go Orochimaru."

"Naruto…he thinks of you as a brother, or so Sakura says. I suppose I could understand that."

"The only brother I have, I want to kill." Sasuke answered coldly. Naruto was his best friend. He was not his brother. That title belonged only to Itachi, and Itachi, his brother, was a murderer who was now targeting his best friend and could easily kill his—Sakura.

He turned to leave, but Sai's words stopped him again.

"Sakura…she doesn't talk about what her connection to you is, but she's very protective of you, and very forgiving…Naruto says it's because she's in love with you, but I don't understand it."

A small voice in the back of his head started manically whispering that Sakura still loved him, she'd accept him back if he just turned around and went to her now. He could be there to make sure his nightmares never happened…

But then Itachi stabbing her in the stomach replayed through his mind torturously. His muscles tightened, his temperature rising, his forehead beginning to sweat. It was bad enough seeing it when he closed his eyes at night, now he was seeing them during the day, no thanks to Sai. He needed to get stronger, so he could kill Itachi for what he had done, and what he might do…so that he never had to worry about his nightmare becoming a reality—never had to hold Sakura as she lay bleeding to death, stabbed in the abdomen by his own brother. He'd wasted enough time today. He needed to get stronger, right now.

Sasuke left, whisking down the hall to the training ground, eager to start, and equally eager to get out of Sai's presence before he said one more word about his old teammates. He needed more power, now, so he could finally put an end to all this and go home.

---

Author's note: Ok so the major changes in this one are in Sakura's conversations with Sai, the fact that she doesn't get fully knocked out during the Tenchi Bridge battle, and actually has a small fight with Kabuto, and that she analyzes Sai's book faster. I've always been kind of annoyed that Sai singles Naruto out as the one he bonded with, and the one who taught him about bonds, because Naruto does, but it was Sakura who tried reaching out to him first. She was the one trying to understand him, canonically in the manga. She's the one who sits with him and talks to him about his art, and wants to see the book he illustrated first. She's the one who explains that Naruto and Sasuke are like brothers, and tries to offer Sai an ability to empathize by connecting it to his connection with his brother. Naruto's the one to teach him about bonds but it was canonically Sakura who was the one explaining everything to him from the get go. So in this, she gets angry at Sai (rightfully) but she also really tires her hardest to be patient with him and meet him where he's at, which doesn't always go well and she can't always handle because she's not a therapist (yet) and isn't trained in how to properly have those sorts of conversations-but I'm trying to slowly build the foundation for her wanting to start the children's mental health clinic. I also wanted to highlight that Ino understands the brain better because I feel like for the sort of jutsu the Yamanaka clan uses, you have to have a very strong grasp on how the human mind works-which I feel like is thrown out there somewhere in canon but I'm not positive, and if not it should be. Anyway, Sakura is trying to use art therapy to understand Sai, but she doesn't have the training to fully implement it, only the theory. That being said, she is highly analytical and has a good memory so I do think she'd be able to put together what was happening with Sai's book. In the manga there's a lot more speculation and observation from Naruto and Yamato, but the observations they make feel like ones Sakura would have already picked up on if they were writing her making full use of her intelligence. I also wanted her to have her own fight with Kabuto. I kind of view them as opposites of each other, or like the dark side and light side of medicine. Kabuto uses his skill for inhumane research, and Sakura uses hers for healing and protection, in any way she can provide it. I also like the idea of Sakura actually using body derangment on Kabuto, and that being the clue in that she's a medical ninja trained by Tsunade, and how skilled she is, because I don't know how he would know otherwise. I want her to use her medical ninjutsu to fight more. She does it in the light novels in her battle with Kido, but I want her to start implementing that earlier.

Like I said before, part of what I'm trying to do is lay a stronger foundation for all the canon ships, so when Naruto goes around hunting for teammates, in the manga, when he meets Hinata, she just faints and that's that. In this, he actually cares and takes her to the hospital and waits with her until she wakes up. Sai's reason's for thinking Sakura's "ugly" and preferring a softer version of Naruto's coloring is a reference to Ino and setting up the foundations for why he later calls her beautiful. I know in the manga that parts kinda played for laughs and it's a little unclear if that's how he actually thinks of Ino right away, but I want to play that as genuine from the get-go.

So Sasuke...He's been having nightmares of Sakura being stabbed since her battle with Sasori. At this point, Sasuke's only exposure to the akatsuki has been Itachi and Kisame. Their emotions are connected, so he doesn't realize it, but he knows Sakura got stabbed, knows she was protecting someone, knows she almost died, and knows it was the akatsuki, but he doesn't know the details. He doesn't know who it was, or how it was, or why. So his brain filled in the details-itachi stabbing her, her running in to protect him, her dying in his arms...and it's scary for him because it's fresher than the murder of his clan, he's had time to sit with that...Sakura though, he can't lose her. Part of why he left was his belief that his proximity was an active danger to his teammates, and once the threat's eliminated, he can go home. He does care about team 7. Naruto's his best friend, and he loves Sakura, whether he actively acknowledges it or not. But because of the environment he's in, and also his belief that anyone he cares about is in danger, he can't give any reaction or show any real emotion. Orochimaru would pounce on that and maybe go after his teammates, or if Itachi somehow found out he'd kill them, since in Sasuke's view, that's what Itachi does. And when Sai baits him, it's safer for him to respond to the comments about Naruto because Naruto's always come with feelings of rivalry and hostility, but he can't risk responding when it's about Sakura, because she's only ever been a source of comfort for him, and it would reveal too much about how he's actually feeling.

Anyway, thank you so much for waiting and reading! Next time will be the reunion, I promise! Thanks for reading this far :)