Chapter 12: Sai

Tsunade and I met up with Yamato, and then we headed to the hospital to visit Kakashi. My heart raced as I wondered what this was about. "We're coming in, Kakashi," Tsunade said after knocking on the door.

"Please come in," said Kakashi's voice. We entered the room to see him laying in bed with Jiraiya standing beside him.

"It's been a long time, senpai!" Yamato said. I looked between them curiously. They knew each other?

"You I see," said Kakashi. "So you're the one called Yamato, huh? I get it."

"Yes! As of today, I will be known as Yamato while I work as the substitute captain of Team Kakashi."

Kakashi appeared thoughtful. "Yamato, huh?"

"I brought him here because there are some things I'd really like him to know since he'll be working as the captain of Team Kakashi," said Tsunade. "And that is the biggest reason why he was chosen as Kakashi's replacement."

"Is this about Naruto?"

"Yes, but first I would like to talk about Katsumi."

My heart skipped a beat. "Me?"

"Katsumi has experience with the Akatsuki, and as you may run into them on this mission, I thought you should speak with her.

Yamato looked at me with an unreadable expression. "Yes, I heard about your kidnapping. I'm glad you're alright."

I smiled weakly. "Thanks."

"Go ahead and give him a brief summary of what happened," Kakashi said. "It's alright."

I took a deep breath. I did not know if I could trust Yamato, but if Kakashi thought he was fine, then I would give him a chance. I launched into the story, making sure not to give too much details, especially about my relationships with certain Akatsuki members.

"And what about your most recent mission?" Yamato said when I finished. "You ran into the Akatsuki, correct?"

I nodded. "Yes. We ran into Deidara and Sasori. I knew both of them beforehand. Lady Tsunade gave me permission to ask them to back off, so that's what I did. The encounter ended without any deaths, so it worked somewhat. And Sasori ran off, claiming he no longer wanted to be a part of the Akatsuki. I almost got through to Deidara, but I had to let him go."

"I see. You are aware that ninja are not supposed to be concerned about the enemy, correct?"

I did not flinch under his intense gaze. "I never wanted to be a ninja. It was forced on me. So, if I'm going to do this job, I'm going to do it my way. Besides, I got permission for everything I did beforehand."

"True," said Tsunade. "Katsumi has a different way of doing things that could be beneficial. I am fine with giving her some freedom as long as she does not put others in danger. I trust her."

Yamato dipped his head. "Then I do as well."

I gave him a small smile as relief flooded me. "Then I'm fine with working under you."

"Now onto Naruto," Jiraiya said.

Tsunade turned back to Yamato. "You know that Naruto has the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit sealed inside him, right?"

"Yes, I do," said Yamato.

"Sometimes the Nine-Tailed chakra leaks out from inside Naruto's body and takes the form of the Fox Spirit," Kakashi said. "We call it the 'Nine-Tail's Cloak.'"

"'The Nine-Tail's Cloak,' huh?" Yamato said with surprise. "Does it happen often?"

"It happened on our previous mission. When his emotions intensified, the Nine-Tailed chakra started to leak out it engulfed his body and became the Nine-Tail's Cloak. Just before the second tail formed, Katsumi somehow managed to suppress the chakra with the tag I received from Master Jiraiya, but who knows what would've happened if things had been left as they were."

"I see."

Jiraiya appeared grim. "So, it appeared just as I thought. Judging from the shape of the chakra, the number of tails will probably continue to grow and eventually there will be nine."

"That's about the size of it. Master Jiraiya, how many tails have you seen?"

Jiraiya removed his shirt. I held in a gasp as I saw the marks from a previous injury. "I've come close to dying twice in my lifetime. The first time, I broke six ribs and both arms, and several of my internal organs ruptured. It was when I was trying to peek into the women's bath at a hot spring and you pounded me good, Tsunade." At this, Tsunade rolled her eyes. "The other time was during Naruto's training when I saw the fourth tail of the Nine-Tailed chakra." He pointed to the scar on his torso. I swallowed hard. Naruto did that?

"It's his intense emotions that triggers it, isn't it?" I said softly.

Jiraiya looked at me and nodded. "Especially anger. You have a calming effect on him, Katsumi. I trust you can help suppress his power."

I curled my hands into fists as frustration seeped into my body. "But I couldn't do much last time. Instead of trying to suppress it, why don't you help Naruto control that power?"

Jiraiya gave me a grave look. "He is not ready."

"And when will he be ready? If it was up to all of you, he wouldn't even know about the Nine Tails! He could have died on our last mission. If you don't teach him about this chakra, he'll unintentionally release his powers. Then what do you think what will happen?"

"That is what we're trying to prevent," Tsunade said.

"Yeah, well, you're not doing a good enough. Everyone around here is too steeped in the past. This isn't working anymore. You need to figure something else out." My anger rose, so I stormed out of the hospital before I could do or say something that I would regret. Once outside, I leaned against the wall of the building, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Katsumi?"

I opened my eyes to see Jiraiya standing before me with an unreadable look. "What?" I tried not to sound too harsh.

"You know I care about Naruto, right? I am on your side."

I looked away. "Then why don't you do more to help him?"

Jiraiya's face softened ever so slightly. "It is complicated. Believe me, I am working on it. Change is never easy or quick, but I do agree that changes need to be made. I need to ask you to trust me, alright?"

I let out a heavy sigh. Perhaps I was letting my frustrations out too much. "I suppose."

Jiraiya offered me a small smile. "It is very brave of you to stand up for your friends even when others would have abandoned them. Keep following you ninja way."

I smiled slightly in return. "I will. Thanks."

Jiraiya nodded. "You better get going. Your mission will start soon."

I agreed and set off. I arrived at the gate just in time to meet up with everyone. I stood next to Naruto, who was glaring at Sai. I gently touched his arm to help calm him. Keeping him from becoming too angry might be a bit difficult. I hoped Sakura would help me.

"Okay," said Yamato. "Team Kakashi, will now set out." With that, we headed off.

It did not take long for Naruto to begin arguing with Sai. Naruto refused to accept Sai as a member of our team, stating he was only a stand in for Sasuke even though he was nothing like him. Sai seemed pleased by this and proceeded to insult Sasuke. Sakura and I both tried hard to break them apart. Or, at least, I thought Sakura was helping me. After she smiled at Sai, he let his guard down, and she then punched him in the face.

"This isn't going well," I muttered, shaking my head.

"You tricked me good with your fake smile earlier, and here you don't even know anything about Sasuke," Sakura said to Sai with anger. "Don't you ever speak ill about him! If you insult Sasuke again, I won't hold back."

Sai did not appear phased. Indeed, he continued to smile. "Fine I won't say anything like that in front of you again. So, that's another way of using a fake smile, huh? I'll remember that."

Sakura appeared confused. "How can you grin like that after getting punched?"

"A smile is the best way to get through a tough situation. Even if it's a fake smile. Surprisingly enough, everyone gets fooled. That's what it said in the book. It seems it doesn't really work if I do it, though."

"You jerk!" Naruto cried.

I narrowed my eyes at Sai. Now I had had enough as well. "You can't do that! You shouldn't lie like that. If you're not feeling it, then don't show it! Be truthful with yourself and others."

"Four-Pillar Prison Jutsu!" Yamato said.

"Huh?" I said in surprise when a wooden cage sprang up from the ground, surrounding my teammates and me. I have never seen anyone use jutsu like this. My eyes were on Yamato as he walked up to us.

"I'll really toss you guys into this cell if you keep fighting. We don't have much time until we get to the Tenchi Bridge. That being said, we've still got enough time to take a little detour. As your peacemaker, I offer you this suggestion. In order to improve your rapport, I can toss you guys into this cell for a full day, or we can stay at a hot spring inn for a night. Which would you prefer? You guys probably don't really know me all that well. I prefer the kind and gentle approach, but I'm not against controlling you by fear either."

I exchanged a look with the others. I could tell that Yamato meant business. "I'll go with the hot springs." Everyone else agreed. So, our leader released us and led the way to the inn.

Soon, we made it to the hot springs. Sakura and I entered on the women's side. I sighed in pleasure as soon as my body entered the hot water. "Wow, this is amazing," I said, sinking lower into the water. I could get used to this.

"Do they have hot springs in your world?" Sakura asked curiously.

"They do but not anywhere near where I live, so I have never been to any."

Suddenly, we heard someone shouting from the other side of the wall, "Don't be looking!"

"Naruto?" said Sakura.

"Yep, that's him," I said. I sighed. "Probably arguing with Sai."

"Shut up with all that talk about my 'equipment!'" Naruto exclaimed.

This anger Sakura, and she shouted back, "For crying out loud, Naruto, you're talking too loud! You jerk!" I snickered. "It's not funny."

I shrugged. "I think it is."

After that, Naruto calmed down, and Sakura and I enjoyed the rest of our bath. A little while later, we returned to the inn and were met with a magnificent feast. I was surprised that Yamato was going all out for us. Perhaps he was not so bad. The others agreed.

"Now then, normally after dinner, I'd want to have a meeting regarding the mission," Yamato said after we had our fill, "but the reason why we're staying here is for improvement of your rapport. Let's forget about the serious stuff for now."

"Now you're talking, Captain Yamato," Naruto said with a grin.

"Instead, we'll definitely have a meeting tomorrow!"

"Could it be we're going to stay at a hot springs inn tomorrow, too?" Sakura said hopefully.

Yamato rubbed the back of his neck. "No, cut me some slack on that one. My wallet won't make it."

"Then could it be that you're paying for this place out of your own pocket, Captain Yamato?"

"Yes."

"Awesome!" said Naruto.

"You're sure generous!" said Sakura.

"Thank you," I said. Everyone seemed in a better mood, which was probably the point. Soon, we all headed off to bed. I shared a room with Sakura. I was exhausted with the day's events, so I feel asleep right away.

I slept fairly well. When I woke up, I noticed Sakura staring out the window. "What's going on?" I said groggily.

"It's Sai," Sakura replied without looking at me. "I think we should check on him."

"Yeah, alright." Tsunade had said she did not trust Sai. We had to make sure he was not up to no good. We quickly got dressed and headed outside. We were both surprised to find that our new teammate was innocently drawing.

"Wow," said Sakura. "So, you draw."

Sai looked up at us. "Is there something you want?"

"You're foul-mouthed, but you've also got a sensitive side, huh? That's a surprise." Sakura frowned when he smiled again. "That fake smile."

"It is odd," I whispered to her.

"So, you're still not through hitting me, huh?" Sai to to Sakura with the same smile.

"Not quite," Sakura said with an angry look. Then she laughed. "I'm kidding! I just came to check out your picture. I was wondering what you were drawing."

"Yeah, we were curious," I said. Sai showed us the drawing, but there was nothing discernible in it.

"I see. At first, I thought you were drawing a landscape since you're drawing out here, but it's an abstract, huh? What's the title of this drawing?" Sai stared at her blankly. "You haven't decided on one yet?" He said nothing. "You don't know?"

"Maybe he doesn't understand."

"The name of this drawing, a title. You've got something in mind, don't you? I won't laugh, so tell me."

"I've got nothing like that," said Sai. "I've drawn tens of thousands of pictures but I've never given one a title. So, this doesn't have one, either."

Sakura appeared surprised. "Really? But you're supposed to give a title to a picture, right?" She turned to me for confirmation.

I shrugged. "I usually just name mine after the animals I draw."

Sakura nodded. "If it's a portrait, you give it the name of the person, or with other pictures, you use the situation, your feelings or emotions at the time."

"To be exact, I couldn't title one of my drawings even if I wanted to," said Sai. "Nothing comes to mind. I don't feel anything. Nothing."

I stared at him blankly. "What? You draw without feeling anything?"

"That's right."

"No wonder you can only say such callous things!" Sakura muttered.

"You're no artist," I scowled. "Art is all about expressing your emotions. Otherwise, what's the point?"

Sai looked at me. "I don't understand. Wouldn't emotions get in the way?"

I sighed. "No. Listen, art is about-"

"It's about time for us to leave!" Naruto shouted as he walked up to us. "Captain Yamato told me to come get you."

"Right," said Sakura.

Naruto looked down at Sai's drawing with a frown. "This drawing's nothing special!"

"You're right," said Sai. "Just like your 'equipment.'"

I rolled my eyes. "Cut it out, you guys." Not wanting to hear any more of that argument, I left without another word.

Once we were all together, we continued on our journey. We took a detour through a forest to avoid traps. Then Yamato created a wood house where we spent the night after formulating a plan for capturing the spy.

In the morning, we were given a mock test to see how well we worked together. Naruto was paired with Sai, and I was with Sakura. Sakura and I did well together, but Sai left Naruto after Naruto made a mistake. This made Naruto angry, of course, and I was pretty mad as well.

"It isn't ideal to fight while protecting someone who has lost his cool," Sai explained. "All I did was consider the best way to successfully complete the mission, make a judgment, and take action."

Naruto crossed his arms and glared at him. "I won't acknowledge you. I'll never acknowledge the likes of you as a comrade or as a member of Team Kakashi!"

"I guess these two just won't work as a team, huh?" Yamato said with a sigh.

"Not anytime soon," I muttered.

"I wonder what Sasuke would've done," Sai said. "Would he have fought while protecting you? He's a Team Kakashi comrade to you, right?"

"Naruto won't be able to put up with this any longer," Sakura said quietly. I nodded in agreement.

"If you call someone who betrayed his village and hurt you a comrade, that is."

"Naruto," Yamato said firmly when Naruto clenched his fists.

"This is not good," said Sakura.

After a moment, Naruto relaxed his stance. "If it's to save that comrade, then I'll do whatever it takes. I'll even team up with you."

"Naruto," Yamato said again.

Sai looked from me to Sakura. "Why does he feel so strongly about Sasuke?"

"It's because Naruto thinks of Sasuke like a brother," Sakura replied. "You've got a brother, too, don't you? You should understand a little about how he feels."

Sai's expression remained unchanged. "No, not at all. I told you about titles for my drawings, right? I have no such thing as emotions."

Sakura and I exchanged a shocked look. "What do you mean you don't feel anything or have any emotions?"

"I mean just what I said."

Sakura frowned. "Even so, if you have a brother, you should be able to imagine what it would be like to lose him, right?"

"Hm?" Sai tilted his head. "Yeah, well you could say that. My brother's dead, after all."

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. "Then all the more."

Sai glanced at Naruto. "I wonder if I should've looked like that."

Naruto glared at him. "What're you trying to say?"

"Well, I didn't know what kind of look to make when my brother died."

"Look to make?" Sakura said in confusion.

"This guy," Naruto muttered.

I studied Sai carefully. "You mean, you don't feel emotions, so you try to mimic them so people think you do?"

"That's right," said Sai.

I shook my head. "I don't get it. All humans have emotions. Did you repress them or something?"

"Yes, something like that. It was a part of my training."

My eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I see." I understood why Tsunade was suspicious of him and the organization he came from. I would have to keep an eye on him. And perhaps I could learn important information about this Anbu Root if I stayed close.