Chapter 578 Reality

There can be no more mistakes this time.

On the way back to Konoha Hospital, Sai told himself this more than once in his heart.

Failed two consecutive missions, and his evaluation has dropped by a level in the hearts of his superiors.

If the mission of tracking Asami Masumi failed, it can be regarded as excusable. He is a very strong medical ninja, at least a master of the captain level of the dark part, with very keen anti-reconnaissance ability.

But this time is different, Naruto was taken away by a group of lawbreakers. This kind of mistake is far more serious than the failure of the task of tracking Asami Masumi.

Jinchuriki is an important military force of the village, and has nothing to do with Naruto's own will. From the moment he became Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he is a war weapon that the village must control.

His existence is indispensable to Konoha, just like Hokage is to Konoha.

Especially in this day and age, tailed beasts are even more valuable military resources.

If something really happened to Naruto and he was taken away by outsiders, even if he died ten times, he would not be able to make up for such a mistake.

I am but a shadow in the dark.

Thinking of Naruto's contagious smile on his face from time to time, that warm chakra like spring, he feels like the shining sun in winter, dispelling the cold. Sai could not help but fall silent.

Such an existence is quite unfamiliar to me.

In the future, maybe we will have less contact with Naruto to avoid being infected by the Chakra breath on his body.

Abandoning feelings, names, and life is the meaning of his existence.

If you can't even do this, there is no value in existence at all.

While thinking this way, Sai put his palm into the ninja bag, rummaged through the contents, and suddenly his face froze.

The picture book is gone!

"Hey, isn't Sai here?"

In a single ward on the third floor of Konoha Hospital, Naruto, Sakura, and Tianzang came here. After seeing that the single ward was empty, they couldn't help showing surprised expressions.

But compared to Naruto and Sakura's confusion, Tianzang became thoughtful.

Did you go to meet Danzo? Tianzang can only guess so.

Sai is not an ordinary ninja, even in Konoha's ninja file, there is no record, just like those orphan ninjas who were secretly cultivated by the root, except for the records in the root, the village knows nothing about their past.

Even the name Sai is false.

It shows the degree of Danzo's control over the roots.

Such a major event happened, and Saii was sure that the first thing he did was not to heal his wounds, but to plead guilty to Danzo.

Tianzang sighed helplessly. Although he knew that the root organization was not small, but with his strength, he was really powerless to contend with such a behemoth.

Even Tsunade, who looks extremely tough at this time, can only overwhelm the roots on the surface, but if he secretly wants to attack the roots, it will definitely cause disaster.

The current root is not only the root itself, but also the strength of the martial arts faction. From the perspective of power, it will not be much weaker than the Hokage faction.

It is impossible to change Sai's situation.

The root is not a charity organization, and the dark side of their Konoha, what they do has nothing to do with love.

Bloody, cruel, and unscrupulous are their pronouns.

It's like choosing more than 20 babies with excellent aptitude to be the experimental subjects, and conducting experiments with Orochimaru on wood escape.

There is really no lower limit for their rules and human ethics.

What they want is the end result, not the process.

As long as they are strong, Hokage may be sacrificed and betrayed in their eyes.

"Could it be that he went out for a walk, is he in good health?"

Here, Naruto guessed again, and put the fruit basket in his hand on the cabinet next to the hospital bed.

"However, his injury does not allow him to move freely for too long..."

As a medical ninja, Sakura naturally knows how serious Sai's injuries are. Although she can act, for the sake of health, it is still not recommended for her to get out of bed so quickly.

Therefore, Sakura frowned, with a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry, you two, there might be something wrong with Sai, I believe he will be back soon."

Tianzang comforted at the side.

In fact, he didn't have the confidence in his heart, because the crime of causing Inchuriki to disappear was very serious, and he was fine. Although Tsunade's punishment for him was serious, it was also a punishment within the rules.

But what is implemented at the root is not the rules of the village, but a set of regulations that are run by themselves.

Whether Sai can come back safely depends on his own value.

If his own value is not high in the eyes of his superiors, and he commits such a major mistake, it is absolutely impossible to forgive him easily, and even let the rest of his peers in the root replace him and re-enter the seventh class.

"Really? What a nuisance, doesn't he know we're coming to see him?"

Naruto went to the window and opened it to ventilate the room.

"Also, if it wasn't for you, Sai wouldn't have suffered such a serious injury. You have to thank him very much."

Sakura blamed Naruto for a glance.

"I, I know, I feel a little bit sorry now."

Naruto stiffened his mouth.

"I can't see it at all. Moreover, your previous performance in the mission was too poor. According to Captain Yamato, the strength of those few people should not exceed your own by much. They can be entangled for a period of time, but in the end they were saped by someone."

"Damn it, who would have known that they would be so insidious, they didn't give me a chance to fight in full suit, and they didn't follow the rules! I almost peed in my pants at that time!"

Naruto got angry when he thought of this. He was urinating at the time, but he was suddenly attacked at that time. If he didn't react quickly enough, he almost peed on his pants.

"Hey, don't say such embarrassing things! Besides, this is not a Chunin exam. It requires a one-on-one fair confrontation, and you need to say hello before the battle. Are you thinking too much?"

Sakura became speechless.

Is Naruto very strong? To a certain extent, he is so strong that even ordinary Junin can't easily hold him.

But the other side is weak.

His nerves are too thick, and his vigilance for encounters is too low. It is almost the same as a normal ninja, and his performance is even worse.

But there is no way, the actual battle is different from the exam.

The exam is an actual combat assessment for candidates, but there are still many differences from real combat.

In encounters in the wild, it is quite normal for the two sides to attack each other secretly.

A real battle will not be a one-on-one duel, and there is no rule that you are not allowed to kill your opponent, and there is no referee standing by, reaching out to stop the candidate when he is in danger, so as to ensure the life of the candidate.

Being taught by Sakura, Naruto shrugged and did not refute.

Sakura took out something from the ninja bag at this time, which attracted the attention of Naruto and Tenzo.

"What is this? Why is it so familiar, it seems to belong to Sai..."

Naruto saw clearly what was in Sakura's hand, it was a palm-sized drawing book.

The cover and bottom of the picture book are two cute Q-version characters.

One of them is very similar to Sai, and the other is unknown, but the hairstyle is very similar to Sai, except that the hair color is white.

"This is Sai's drawing book. I remember that Sai accidentally dropped it when he was chasing the Four Celestial Elephants."

Tianzang thought of the source of this picture book, and said.

"Well, I think this picture book should be very important to Sai. I asked him not to let us watch it, so I brought it."

Sakura nodded, she was still very curious about this picture book.

Sai's ninjutsu form appears in the form of ink painting, and creates physical objects, which can attack or restrain the enemy, and the effect is remarkable.

In addition to this, it also has extremely strong detection and intelligence transmission capabilities.

In actual combat, the functions are very comprehensive, and it can be said that it is a secret technique with almost no weaknesses.

"What's in it? That guy was mysterious before, holding this drawing book in a daze, and didn't know what's interesting in it."

Naruto asked very curiously.

"I don't know either, I haven't read this picture book yet."

"Then quickly open it and take a look. I want to see what that guy drew inside."

Naruto took the picture book from Sakura's hand, and flipped through it by himself.

"It's immoral to look through other people's things like this without their permission?"

Although he said so, Tianzang leaned forward very honestly, just like Naruto and Sakura, focusing on the drawing book.

He thought, it would be great if he could learn something about Sai through this picture book.

At least it can benefit the team spirit of the seventh class.

After all, if he doesn't know the bottom line of Sai, it will be difficult for him to entrust his back to Sai.

"Strange, what kind of composition is this?"

Afterwards, Naruto, who briefly flipped through the content of the picture book, showed a strange look on his face.

Although the painting style is very cute, from the perspective of outsiders, there is basically no problem, but for some reason, it always gives people a very strong sense of disobedience.

Sakura pointed to the content in the picture book and pointed out the interesting places she found:

"This should be recording the growth history of the two teenagers. For example, the picture on the right page starting from both sides is the boy on the front cover and the bottom page respectively, but the picture on the left page keeps changing enemies, and every time they change, the two teenagers will take away the opponent's equipment and weapons from the picture on the left page for the next battle."

After Sakura's analysis, Tianzang also nodded in approval.

"Indeed, from this point of view, they are two different teenagers, but they have very similar growth histories. They both grew up by defeating enemies... But if this continues, the two people in the story will meet sooner or later. Sakura, turn to the middle and have a look."

"good."

Sakura turned to the middle part, and the expressions of the three of them were stunned.

The picture on the right page is a black-haired boy without a face, while the picture on the left page is blank without any figures.

It stands to reason that the two people who kept defeating the enemy would eventually meet on the blueprint in the middle, but only one person appeared, and it was still a faceless person, and the left was a blank picture.

There is no doubt that this black-haired boy with no face drawn is Saii.

The white-haired boy did not appear on the picture on the left page.

"What's going on here? Why does this boy who looks like Sai have no face? And where is the boy with white hair?"

Naruto blinked, bewildered by this.

Sakura and Tianzang fell silent for a while, perhaps thinking of something.

Faceless means no expression, think of the false smile that Sai put on his face from time to time, strictly speaking, isn't it just a face that doesn't need expression?

Faceless.

The expressionless person.

Loss of name, loss of affection.

There is no past and no future.

This is the root.

"Is it because I can't think of the final ending, that's why I haven't started painting?"

Sakura closed the picture book and let out a long breath.

The white-haired boy who appeared above must be a very important person to Sai.

"It seems that the relationship inside is more complicated than we imagined."

Tianzang scratched his head and sighed.

He has some guesses of his own, but some things are not yet certain.

But there is only one thing that is very clear, Saii did not completely cut off his past like the people at the root.

In his heart, there is a memory that he can't let go of anyway.

"Captain Yamato, what kind of organization is the root?"

This is the first time Sakura asked this question.

She found that she didn't know as much as she imagined about this organization hidden in the dark of Konoha.

I can only get a general idea from some words and phrases of othersthat is, the power of the root is very huge, so huge that when Hokage deals with them, they have to restrain themselves.

And such a description is enough to prove that Root is terrible.

A huge force that can challenge Hokage, it can be regarded as Konoha's second largest political body.

And their leader might not be weaker than Hokage in power, he belongs to the darkness, Konoha is the second "Hokage"!

Tianzang was about to answer when a sentence came from the door of the ward:

"The root is Danzo-sama's personal organization. Joining this organization means giving everything, dignity and even life for Danzo-sama. For the members of the organization, Danzo-sama's orders come from the will of God."

The three of Naruto turned their heads to look at the door of the ward, and found that Sai had quietly appeared there at some point, with a usual smile on his pale face.

"Sai? When did you come?"

"Well... I just came back from a walk, thank you very much for visiting me."

Sai walked in with a smile.

And Sakura took a step forward, handing the picture book in her hand to Sai.

"Here, this is your precious thing."

Sai lowered his head, only then did he notice that the drawing book in Sakura's hand was the one he had lost.

For a moment, the smile on his face became much more real.

The joy of regaining what was lost, although not expressed on his face, did fill his chest and made him feel at ease.

"Thanks."

"Actually, there is no need... Sorry, I read the above without your permission."

Sakura smiled awkwardly.

Regarding this, Saii did not express any opinion.

Compared to the joy of regaining what was lost, he doesn't need to dwell on this little mistake.

Besides, even if the above things are known, it's nothing. At most, they will think the stories he painted are very boring.

"Speaking of which, the person on one side is you, right? Who is the person on the other side?"

Naruto asked.

Regarding Naruto's question, Sai was silent for a moment, and replied: "It's my brother."

"elder brother?"

His answer surprised the three of Naruto.

They didn't expect Sai to have an older brother.

"However, it's not the brother who is related by blood, but the brother I grew up with in the root. He and I are both orphans. In order to survive better in the root, we chose to depend on each other and rely on each other for warmth."

A trace of sadness appeared in Sai's eyes.

One cannot know the suffocating darkness without staying in the roots.

The Danzo he is loyal to is a ninja who will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.

The root is not a charity that adopts orphans. Only strong orphans can escape the fate of being abandoned and treated as experimental subjects.

The strong survive the weak, it is an extremely dark primitive jungle.

"Really? It can be seen that you have a good relationship with your brother."

Sakura didn't know how to respond, so she could only say this.

"Of course, he taught me how to survive in the roots, and I have great respect for him."

Sai nodded, not denying this.

"So, where is he now?"

"Dead, the cause of death is illness."

Sai narrowed his eyes and smiled.

This kind of smile made Naruto and Sakura feel a little uncomfortable.

"Well, having said that, I really want to thank you this time, if it wasn't for you..."

In order to ease the tense atmosphere, Naruto began to thank Sai.

"You're welcome, I just received the task of protecting you."

Sai looked at Naruto with a smile, and said these words calmly.

"Sai, you..."

Naruto frowned.

He felt that Sai in front of him was like a cold machine working non-stop, without the slightest taste of being a stranger.

"Sai is just a fictitious name to integrate into the seventh class. It can also be said to be a code name. I don't have a name. I am Danzo-sama's limbs and root's minions. I... don't exist in this world. Naruto, whether you admit it or not, there are things in this village that you can't destroy. So, don't try to change me. As a root ninja, you don't need feelings and fetters."

Sai faced Naruto and interrupted what Naruto was about to say.

Even Sakura and Tianzang, who are bystanders, can feel the tension between the two parties.

"Hey, how can you say such a thing? Ninjas are also human, how can you give up your feelings?"

"That's why... your former teacher Hatake Kakashi betrayed Konoha."

When Sai finished speaking, Naruto and Sakura shrank their pupils and clenched their fists.

As if he didn't notice the ugly look of the two of them at the moment, Sai continued to smile and said, Kakashi Hatake's father, Shirato Konoha, committed suicide under the accusations of the villagers because of this bondage. If that Shirato Konoha had chosen to prioritize the mission instead of saving his companions, this kind of thing wouldn't have happened. Even your teacher, Kakashi Hatake, would not have betrayed Konoha and eventually became the murderer of the Third Hokage. The tragedy that will happen if you forget what the mission is."

"...Shut up! Mr. Kakashi, he is not what you said..."

Naruto's tone sounded like he was gnashing his teeth, trying to suppress his inner anger.

"But Konoha Baiga committed suicide, and Hatake Kakashi killed Hokage and defected. This is ironclad evidence. So, please give me your advice in the future, Uzumaki Naruto. Don't worry, this incident will not happen again, because I will do my best to protect your safety! This is my life and my mission!"

Sai smiled and extended his hand friendly, as if wanting to get to know Naruto again.

"Don't you think about it for yourself? Such a task..."

The anger on Naruto's face was obvious, he stepped forward and grabbed Sai by the collar, as if he wanted to teach him a lesson.

However, Saii did not panic at all.

"There is no need to retort so heartbreakingly. In this world, there is no equality between people. In the eyes of the upper class in the village, your life is more valuable than mine. Whether it is the past, present, or future, this fact cannot be changed. Life is priceless, and the initial cost is very low. The ultimate goal of everyone's hard work is to increase the price of their own life, so that they will not be easily abandoned in the end."

Then, Sai looked at Tenzo, and said with a smile: "I think the captain has also received a similar order to mine. For example, Hokage ordered to protect Naruto's safety with all his might."

Hearing this, Naruto looked at Tenzo in disbelief.

Tianzang was a little silent about this. Although Tsunade did not issue such an order, as a middle and senior cadre of the Anbu, he must actively do a good job in this regard.

"Naruto, don't blame Sai too much. Although his words are harsh, but for this era, his words are not a problem. For the village, your existence is unique. If that time really comes, I will make the same choice as Sai."

Tianzang couldn't bear to deceive Naruto, this is the case in this era.

Out of Konoha, it is a completely disordered world.

If people want to survive better, they can only rely on the most primitive violence to protect themselves and plunder the wealth of others.

Because in places where order cannot be restrained, violence is the most powerful solution, not one of them.

"how come"

Naruto took a step back in a daze.

Sakura stood aside and wanted to say something, but she refrained from saying anything because of some considerations.

"However, Sai, it's better not to say such things in the future. Naruto and Sakura are in a different environment from yours. Don't judge others by your standards."

Tianzang turned his head and looked at Sai's fake smiling face, and solemnly warned him about this sentence.

"Don't worry, I will pay attention to it in the future, Captain."

Sai nodded with a smile.

(end of this chapter)