"So, uh... now that the five of us are going to be deployed immediately, maybe we should... Oh, man." Captain Yamato sighs. "What a time to throw you in a cage to get acquainted with one another... Let's go! Introduce ourselves."

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Sakura Haruno."

"Kari Yamada."

"And you can call me Sai."

"All right, well, that takes care of that," Captain Yamato mutters. "Let me give you a breakdown of Team Kakashi's new mission. The five of us will head to Tenshi Bridge and capture the Akatsuki spy who has infiltrated Orochimaru's organization, and bring him back. This is our best shot at gaining intelligence on Orochimaru and Uchiha."

Both Naruto and Sakura gasp. Over the past two years, I've gained my own intelligence on Sasuke. It wasn't easy, of course, and there were several casualties among the untrained Yamada I'd asked to accompany me. But at this moment in time, I know more about Sasuke than even Orochimaru. Things I can't divulge to even my teammates, let alone the village.

"This intelligence will be used to eventually orchestrate Orochimaru's assassination, and if we're lucky, Sasuke Uchiha's retrieval. So, keep that in mind."

"Okay," Naruto says with a nod.

"Right," says Sakura. I nod, as well.

"As soon as your gear is packed and you're ready to go, rendezvous at the main gate in exactly one hour."

•

"Man, that jerk, Sai," Naruto grumbles. "I already can't stand him. How come he's replacing Sasuke? Team Kakashi would be fine with just the four of us."

"He is rude, and he's got a foul mouth," Sakura says, "but there's something familiar about him, like his face or his voice... They kind of remind me of Sasuke."

Naruto scoffs. "That guy is nothing like Sasuke! Sasuke's way cooler than he is!"

"What was that?" I say, placing my hand to my ear. "I think your inferiority complex is showing again."

"I-I meant—""But maybe this is why it'll be difficult to forgive and forget?" I reason. "Because Sai reminds you of Sasuke?"

"No way, nuh uh!" I roll my eyes at him. "Sasuke's better!"

"Yeah, you're right," Sakura agrees. "I still think there's something familiar about him, though, but Sasuke is a little cooler."

"A little?" Naruto repeats, incredulous. "Oh, come on! Sasuke's a bazillion times better than him. Man..."

"Considering "bazillion" isn't a word, let's leave it at that," I say with a laugh. Without warranting it, it dies quickly, and abruptly. Why, I wonder. Why do I feel so uneasy about this mission?

-

I return back home, for the second time since returning to the village two weeks ago, and what I come home to is enough to rid my unease left within me, and replace it with rage.

"S... Sen!" I scream, having sensed for his chakra throughout the house, and discovered him in the upstairs bathroom. I hear heavy footsteps after the running water is turned off, and moments later, Sen appears at the top steps, wide-eyed.

"Y-Yes?" he stammers.

"What the hell have you done to my house?" I demand. "Why is there... garbage, everywhere? And... and—" I go over to the couch, bend over, and sniff the dark stain on the middle cushion "—what did you spill here?"

"Do you... not have a maid to clean your home?" he has the gall to ask me. "It's been nearly two weeks since I've arrived here and I've yet to see any improvements."

I don't try to contain my scowl. "Does it look like I can afford a maid?" I snap. "Listen, Sen. I don't expect you to pay rent while you stay here, but until you get your own place, you are not staying here for free, you freeloader."

"Y-You don't mean—" he rushes down the stairs, nearly tripping over his own feet "—that I have to—"

"I'm going on another mission, and I want this house spotless before I get back."

"The whole house?" he says. I feel my lip quiver with frustration, but instead of dignifying him with what would have been an obvious answer, I cross over to the wardrobe standing in the corner of the living room, and restock my supplies.

Before leaving, I glare back at him. "Spotless."

-

The hour passes quickly. I'd been the first to arrive at the gates, and with a half hour to kill, I decide to take a nap over on the side. Short-lived but enjoyable all the same, I'm stirred awake by Naruto, who is, unsurprisingly, the first to arrive after me. Anything to do with Sasuke, of course, I think.

He drops his bag on the ground and sits beside me. The silence between us is peaceful. It's rare. For a while, we just sit. Eventually, the silence begins to exhaust me, so I give up keeping my head up, and lean on Naruto's shoulder. I feel him stiffen, and hear a small breath escape his lips, but he doesn't move.

"Can I... ask you something?"

"Of course, you can," I say quietly.

"Then... what are you gonna do when we bring Sasuke back?"

I glance up at him, surprised by his question. This whole ordeal with Sai has definitely gotten him excited.

"Well, for starters..." I think for a moment. "... I'd probably smack him one," I finally say, "For everything he's put us through. You know... when I'm on my own, I always think about what I could've done that day, instead of what didn't do. I let him go, Naruto. I'm the reason he's not here with us. Me."

"Kari, it's not—"But it is," I insist. "You weakened him; he was barely even able to walk, let alone fight back. I could've... I could've done something. It is my fault. It's all my fault."

"It's Orochimaru's fault," he says, meaning to correct me. "He did this, not you. And we're gonna make him pay."

My eyes begin to burn. I blink quickly to try and not cry, but then a broken sigh slips through before I can stop it.

"H-Hey, why are you crying?" Naruto asks, giving me a slight shake of my shoulder. "What's wrong?" I turn to him, my lip bitten down on to refrain from saying anything other than what I mean to.

"I just... despite everything that's happened... Naruto... I--"

"Hey, you two." I jump away from Naruto the moment Captain Yamato turns the corner. "Oh, did I... interrupt something?"

"... n-no," I say.

Sai and Sakura both arrive within minutes of each other, and as I'd expected it to be, the air around us is heavy.

"Okay, people," Captain Yamato says, "this is it. Team Kakashi, we're moving out."

-

I'm a strong advocate for the phrase "silence is golden". Not in this case. The longer the silence grows between us all, the farther away any possibility of the three of us working together with Sai is. And it sucks. This mission is detrimental to our cause. We can't afford to have such poor camaraderie between us.

"Well? What is it?" Sai suddenly asks. Or, perhaps not so suddenly. We had all been staring at him. "If you keep on staring at me like that, I'll hit you."

Okay, I'll admit—that's pretty Sasuke-ish. Kind of.

"Where did that come from?" Naruto snaps, his fist clenched. "Where do you get off saying things like that?! Listen, you!"

"I really have nothing personal against you," Sai replies.

"Yeah? Then why'd you say it?!"

"You don't understand; I was simply trying out a different personality type, that's all."

"Personality type?" Sakura repeats.

"Huh? If you were trying to do it, that means you meant it! We don't need someone like you on this team!" It's as I'd feared. Hostility between the two of them has gotten so immense, we're forced to stop walking. Naruto just put the cherry on top of the cake with this one. "You really rub me the wrong way," Naruto then says.

"Hey, that's enough," Captain Yamato says. "That's no way to talk, especially not in front of me, your team captain! Naruto, mutual trust and respect are essential elements of teamwork. Wasn't it Kakashi who taught you that? You were a part of a team led by the great Kakashi. Lose the attitude."

"He's not a part of Team Kakashi!" Naruto shouts, pointing another finger at him. "Not now, not ever! The fifth member of our team is and always will be Sasuke Uchiha. This guy... he's just a fill in for Sasuke. That's all he is; he will never be a real member of our team!"

"Naruto, cut it out," I say hastily, grabbing onto him. "This isn't the time for this."

"Well," I glance over at Sai, who's taken on a new expression. "I'm glad that's how you feel. Sasuke is a traitor. He betrayed the Leaf, and joined Orochimaru. Yes, you're right. I'm not him at all. I'm not a traitorous cockroach." The muscles in Naruto's shoulder tighten. "I can't fill in for someone like that."

"I've had it with you, Sai!" Naruto tears himself out of my grip and charges at him, but Sakura stops him before he can get too close.

"Remember what's important, Naruto," she says. "It's teamwork. Calm down. Sai... Naruto was out of line, but it's just because he doesn't know you well enough." Sakura puts the arm keeping Naruto back, down. "I'm sorry. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive him."

"But, Sakura..."

"Listen to her, Naruto," I insist. "Cool your head."

"Glad this this teams' got a couple of level heads," I hear Captain Yamato sigh in relief.

"Oh, don't worry; he doesn't bother me at all," Sai says.

"Good," Sakura says. "That's a relief." And the next thing I know, Sakura's punched Sai over to the other side of the road. "I don't care if you forgive me."

I grab at my hair, my heart beating out of my chest.

"The whole point was to mediate this situation, not aggravate it!" I cry. Sai wipes his mouth on the back of his hand.

"You fooled me quite well," he says. "That smile of yours looked so sincere."

"Sai, you don't know a thing about Sasuke," Sakura growls at him. "I won't stand for you talking as if you do."

Regardless, you shouldn't just punch your way through the problem!!

"Just keep badmouthing him, and next time, I won't hold back."

"Hm. Fine, then. I'll keep my mouth shut in front of you. Well, it would appear I've just learned another useful fake smile. I'll remember that."

"How can you just sit there grinning after she just knocked you into next week?" Naruto demands.

"... the best way to diffuse a troublesome situation is by smiling," Sai tells him. He stands. "Even if it's only a fake smile. It will fool more people that you think. At least, that's what it said in the book. However, it appears I haven't yet mastered the technique yet!"

"Okay, you jerk!" Having correctly expected Naruto to become physical again, I interrupt him by grabbing his outstretched fist and forcing it down at his side again.

"Ugh, enough already!" I groan, in the same second it takes for me to realize Captain Yamato had just created a giant, crate-like box behind us from the ground up.

"I'm warning you," he says, "I will toss you all into the cage if you insist on fighting with each other!"

"Eh? Why me?!" I cry.

"Collateral!! Look, we don't have much time if we're going to make it to the Tenchi Bridge," he reminds us. "That being said, I think we have just enough time to sort the out once and for all. As the peacemaker here, I'm offering you two choices: spend the rest of the day crammed inside a wooden box, reacquainting yourselves with the meaning of teamwork, or enjoy a night in a comfortable inn with a relaxing hot spring. Which do you choose?"

He glares at us, long and hard.

"You don't know me very well, either," he points out. "I prefer the kind a gentle approach, but believe me—" and his expression becomes scarily dark "—I'll use more draconian methods when it's necessary."

"Hot springs!" I exclaim, before anyone has a chance to make a fuss or an under-their-breath comment. "Definitely hot springs."

-

I hadn't noticed how stiff and worn out I'd been until Sakura and I had gotten settled and into the women's side of the hot springs. Being in here completely washes away the stress from the incident earlier.

"Mind your own business!" I hear Naruto shout from the opposite side of the bathhouse wall. "Damn it! You're always "balls this, balls that"! You're so annoying!"

"Well, that didn't last long," I mumble into the water, making bubbles as the rest of the patrons around us laugh. Sakura groans, her face more flushed than normal, and sinks into the water, head and all. "I think I've had enough for one day: I'm already pruning."

As it'd gotten quiet once more on the men's side, I decide to use my scope to see if they are still in the water. Captain Yamato had gotten out already, which left Sai, whose chakra is stagnant, and Naruto, who is steadily creeping closer to the wall. Lips pursed, I climb out, towel over my shoulder, and cup my hands around my mouth.

"If you want to know how it feels to have no chakra in your body, I'm happy to oblige!"

­-

"Ah, that felt good," Sakura says, stretching her arms out above her.

"You can say that again," I agree. "It's been so long since I've been in a real hot spring!"

"Huh? Don't they have hot springs in the Hidden Snow?" she says.

"They always freeze over too quick in the mountains," I explain. "Ever since they changed the name of the Land of Snow to the Land of Spring, there aren't many hot springs that work anymore, so a lot of artificial ones are being made to replace them."

"That... can't be good for business," she says.

"It's not! Oh." I stop outside one of the patron rooms. "This one's ours.

"A nap before dinner sounds great right now," Sakura says. "All that hot water's made me sleepy."

"Ditto." I slide open the door, letting Sakura enter first, and shutting it behind us upon my own entry. "Ooh, there's a little tea room," I say, point over at the other end. I immediately rush to the folded-up piles of bedding and grab onto one. "Mm, so soft!"

"Ooh, it is!" Sakura says, doing the same. A thought suddenly pops into my head, for whatever reason it'd been triggered to, having stemmed from earlier this afternoon.

"Hey... Sakura, can I... ask you a question?"

She turns to me, surprised. "What is it?"

"Well..." I take a deep breath. "... it's not that I don't understand it, it's just that... I don't know if I'm going about it the right way? Minako said that patience is key for this kind of thing. When I was younger, my grandmother said I shouldn't worry about it until I'm much older, and I've tried both of their suggestions. Am I... doing something wrong?"

Sakura smiles. "This is about Naruto, isn't it," she says.

"... yes." Taking my hands in hers, she leads me over to the tea room.

"Love is complicated," she starts off saying. "Boys are, too—Naruto, especially. And even though he's older now, he's still just a kid."

"But... aren't we technically still kids, too?" I ask, confused.

"Yeah, but we're women, so it doesn't apply to us."

"O-Oh. Okay."

"You have to keep in mind, too, that Naruto doesn't know the difference between the types of love," she says.

"Types of love?" I repeat.

"Like... how should I explain it... Like the way you love your family— that's obligatory love. And the way you love pork dumplings, or how Naruto loves ramen—that's novelty love; it doesn't last forever. Although in Naruto's case, he's probably an exception. But loving a person is a whole other sensation. So far, Naruto has only experienced novelty love."

I frown at this. She's right. He's never known love from his family, because they weren't alive to raise him. The closest thing to family Naruto has just might be Iruka-sensei. I swallow.

"Maybe that's why," I say, voicing my thoughts.

"Maybe that's why what?" Sakura asks.

"Maybe it's not working because he sees me as someone close to him, like a family member," I murmur. The more I think about it, the more depressed I feel myself become.

"I doubt that," she says. I look to her, frowning. "Even though there are different types of love, it doesn't mean someone is capable of feeling all of them."

"So... you're saying... there's a good chance he doesn't see me like that?" I conclude hopefully.

"Mhm. I think Lady Minako's right," she adds. "I know it's not the easiest thing, but you just have to be patient. One day, he'll get it."

I reach across the table, and take her hands.

"Kari?"

"I... I'm no good," I blurt. "At a lot of things. I can't read people. I can't comfort them. I'm all over the place and I don't know a thing or two about romance or relationships... But you're great, Sakura. Smart and strong... kind and beautiful... One day, Sasuke will see this, too."

"Kari..." Tears brimming on her eyelids and both her cheeks reddened like mad, Sakura beams at me. "Thank you."

-

"You're kidding!" Sakura exclaims.

"Wow, what a spread," I say, awestruck.

"It's amazing," Naruto says, having wiped the drool from his mouth away. He teeters over to the table, sitting between Sakura and myself, at the head of the table. "Hey, Captain Yamato?"

"What is it, Naruto?"

"What's the deal here? Is all of this really for us?"

"Don't question it," I murmur, waving him down. Captain Yamato chuckles.

"Yep. Go right ahead and dig in."

"Yes!" Naruto breaks apart his chopsticks with his teeth. "Thanks a lot!"

"Thanks so much!" Sakura says.

"Yes, thank you!" I say, nodding to him.

"I-I don't know where to start!" Naruto says, eventually taking one of the items from the dish directly in front of him and popping it in his mouth. "Delicious!"

"Mm, tasty," Sakura agrees.

Sai also digs in, but continues to remain silent. I stare down at my own plates, and decide upon a bowl full of miniature pork buns.

"Hm, novelty love," I find myself saying out-loud.

"Did you say something, Kari?" Captain Yamato asks.

"N-Nothing important," I quickly answer, realizing my blunder. From the other end of the table, Sakura snickers at me, and I flush, turning my attention hard onto my pork buns. Thankfully, Naruto had been too preoccupied with his meal to catch it.

"If we get treated to a feast like this on every mission, then I say you can lead our squad forever, Captain Yamato!" Naruto says.

"I second that!" Sakura pipes. "Let's hope Kakashi-sensei doesn't get out of the hospital too soon!"

I find myself laughing. Novelty love, indeed, I think, sighing internally.

-

"I can't eat... another bite," I groan, my hands making a weak attempt at covering my bloated stomach. "I think I might explode if I try."

"I'm stuffed," Naruto says, patting his own. "Oh, yeah."

"Thank you for the meal," Sakura says, having placed her chopsticks down.

"Yes, indeed; thank you," says Sai.

"Well, then," Captain Yamato says. "Normally, I'd say this was the perfect time to discuss our mission, now that we're all fed and rested. But, since the reason we're here is to improve our team morale, we'll save the heavy stuff for later."

"Now you're talkin', Captain Yamato; great idea!"

"All right, then. We'll discuss the mission specifics tomorrow."

"So, we'll be staying at the hot springs another day, then?" Sakura inquires, sounding hopeful.

"Whoa, let's not get carried away," our Captain says. "I'm not made out of money, you know."

"You're not saying you paid for this out of your own pocket?" I ask worriedly.

"Mhm."

"All right!" Naruto cheers. "That's so cool!"

"More like expensive," I breathe, holding my hand over my heart.

"Okay, it's settled! Captain Yamato is now officially the new leader of Team Kakashi!"

"I second the motion!" Sakura says.

"Wahoo!"

-

Morning comes quickly. When we'd returned to our room last night, I didn't realize just how tired I'd been until after I'd lied down. Sakura says I was out like a light—I don't doubt it.

"Huh?" Sakura, who'd gotten up to look out the window, squints her eyes. "Sai?"

"Sai?" I repeat, finishing folding our bedding. "What about him?"

"He's outside," she says. "But why?"

I make a gesture for her to get out of sight, and we both duck behind the two windows. Sai kneels down, setting his bag down with him, and starts pulling out—"A-Art supplies!"

I'd sneezed, rather noisily. Sakura laughs at me.

"They say if you sneeze and don't have a cold, someone's thinking about you," she teases. "Come on; this is a good opportunity for us to get a two-on-one with him."

I nod. "Good idea."

-

"Looks like you were right, Kari," Sakura says, walking up behind him. "So, you're an artist."

Sai glances back at us. "Is there something the two of you wanted?" he says.

"It's funny; for someone so hard up, you're actually quite the softie, huh?" I look down at his piece. "You're really talented."

"What do you know," Sakura says.

"There's that fake smile," Sai says, giving her one of his own. "I really hope you're not thinking of punching me again, are you?"

"Haven't decided," Sakura replies cheekily. I give her a look of exasperation. "I'm only playing with you. We were only curious about your art work; thought we'd take a peek."

"I see."

"I half-expected you might draw something based on the landscape," I say, kneeling down beside him. "Those colours really work well together. Do you have a name for it yet?"

"... don't know," he says smiling at me. But I can tell that he's annoyed.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asks. "You gotta have a name for it. Come on, now; I'm sure you have something in mind. You can tell us; we won't laugh."

"That's right," I say.

"... it wouldn't even occur to me," Sai admits. "I've drawn tens of thousands of pictures, but I've never titled one of them. Why should this one be any different?" He adds more blue to the painting, darkening the one swirl. I exchange a look of concern with Sakura.

"But... that's what you do with pictures, isn't it?" she says. "Like, if it's a portrait, you name it after the subject, or with other pictures, you title it to convey the thoughts, feelings, and emotions you had while making the piece."

"... the truth is, I couldn't title any of my art work, even if I wanted to," he explains. "Nothing comes to mind. I've never really felt anything. Anything at all."

"Well that figures." I jump at Naruto's arrival, and glance back at him. "I wouldn't expect such a heartless bastard to have feelings. Captain Yamato sent me to round you guys up. We're movin' out!"

"'kay," I say. Naruto stalks over to us, his nose turned up, and scoffs at Sai's art work.

"Whatever," he says. "That picture's nothing special."

"Naruto," I say warningly, ready to push him back.

"Yes, you're right," Sen says. "Just like what's between your legs, right?"

Naruto's face instantly reddens; I can't hold back my laughter, and end up doubling over from it.

"T-That's it, I've had it! I hate you!" Naruto shouts. "And if you've got a problem with me, pal, then drop the stupid fake smile and tell me straight to my face! Any time you want a fight, I'm ready!"

Sai shuts his artbook.

"Oh, you wanna go?"

"... problem?" Sai ends up repeating. "I have no problem with you."

"Huh?"

"I don't feel anything toward you. Good, or bad. You can go on ahead without me," Sai tells us. "I'll catch up as soon as I've packed."

"Here, let me help," Sakura says, bending over to help collect his supplies, starting with a book with a silver-haired boy drawn on the cover. "This isn't a printed copy, is it?" She hands it to Sai. "Did you draw this, too?"

"Yes," he says.

"Wow, your own picture book! That's so cool! Oh, hey—would you mind if I take a look at it while we're on the road?"

"I do, actually... It's just that I haven't finished it yet. Anyway, I'm sorry. I don't show it to other people."

"Oh," Sakura breathes, sounding slightly crestfallen.

"It belongs to my older brother," Sai says.

-

"Well, gang? How're we doing? Everyone get along?"

Sakura laughs nervously, Sai smiles, and I shrug, all in response to the same questions.

"I'm so sick of this guy," Naruto mumbles next to me. Captain Yamato levels his face before his, and gives his signature "piss your pants" look. Naruto grimaces, and stumbles backward.

"Maybe you'd like me to resort to more draconian methods?" he offers. "Huh?"

Screaming, Naruto flies back even further, slamming into one of the bathhouse walls.

"D-Don't worry, Captain!" he cries. "We're really starting to build up the whole rapport, know what I mean?!"

"Well you're certainly in a better mood now, aren't you?" Sai remarks.

"You're not serious, are you?" Sakura asks. "He's obviously faking it."

"Really?"

"Funny how the imminent fear for one's life can change one's mind," I muse. Naruto huffs at me.

"'The best way out of a tough situation is with a smile'," Sakura recites. "You said so yourself, remember?"

"Oh, yes, that's right."

Now both of them are laughing, I think irritably. Jeez.

-

"Well, I guess it's about time." Captain Yamato stops in the middle of the road. Wary, I activate my Sensory scope. Nothing.

"Is there something wrong, Captain?" I ask. Suddenly, he starts walking off into the forest surrounding us. "Captain Yamato?"

"This way," he calls. I glance back at the others and shrug. "Hurry up."

"O-Okay, we're coming!" Naruto says, taking the lead after him.

The farther we travelled through the trees, the darker the woods seem to get, and the creepier the insects seem to become. Sakura shrieks in my ear, and a chain reaction of screams between the two of us begins. Something soft and light touches my bare shoulder; I end up spasming on the spot, only to trip over the large tree trunk I'd meant to scale, and land on my face.

"Captain Yamato, what's the plan here?" Sakura demands over my sobs. "The path we were on was fine! Where are we going? Captain?"

"Lady Tsunade told you, I'm sure," he says loudly. "The information Sakura got could be a trap. That's the possibility that the Akatsuki are just playing us. Tenchi Bridge could be nothing but an ambush." As I'd feared, he looks between Naruto and I. "They could be after you two, here."

I frown at this, not even having thought about it. He's right. It's a good possibility.

"I don't think it's really all that likely," he goes on to say," but still, you can never be too careful. We'll keep hidden as much as much as possible, until we reach Tenchi Bridge."

"Right, you got it."

-

Night comes quickly, as well—much quicker that I'd expected. Captain Yamato stops us in the middle of a clearing. Looking all around him, he then nods at me. I return the gesture, and activate my Sensory Scope.

"The clearing's, er, clear," I say.

"Good. Then this should do," he says. "Let's pack it in here tonight."

"Say what?!" Naruto exclaims. "If you really want to set up camp, then you should backtrack to that cave we passed, instead of lying out in the open here!"

"Okay, everyone, step back." Captain Yamato quickly weaves a set of hand signs. "Wood Style: Four Pillar House Jutsu."

As soon as the ground beneath me begins to rumble, I jump away, in the same moment that several pillars of wood rise from the ground, all to form a large, two-story house. My lips part, only squeaking coming out.

"We'll camp out here tonight," he calls down to us from the roof.

"Boy, I dunno," Sakura says, "can you really call this camping?"

"Whoa," Naruto breathes, and with a laugh, he is the first to enter the house. I quickly follow after him, not wanting to spend another second longer out in the woods.

And, as expected, the inside is even more impressive than the outside. Complete with wooden furniture and even a full-out staircase leading to the second floor; it's even used a type of Earth-Style Ninjutsu to reinforce the place.

"This is amazing!" I exclaim. We all take our shoes off, leaving them at the entrance, to head upstairs.

"Look at this place, will ya?" Naruto says, leading the line.

"It's so spacious," Sakura adds.

"I wonder what the other rooms are like?" I say. "Huh?"

When we reach the top, we're met with a white sign with quick scrawl inscribed on it.

"Welcome Team Kakashi?" Naruto reads. He then proceeds to slide the door next to it open, revealing a completely empty room.

"I didn't think it would be so bare, though," Sakura says, squinting through the dark.

"Well, hey, it's better than sleeping outside," Naruto reasons.

"You got that right," I say with a shudder. Naruto throws down his bag, immediately using it as a pillow.

"Time to kick back," he says. "Now, if only we had a bath..."

"So dark in here," I say. Holding my hand up, I quickly activate my Single Finger Flame Jutsu, lighting up the room.

"Is there something you want?" Sai says from the opposite side of the room, glancing over at Naruto. I share an exasperated look with Sakura when Naruto huffs at him.

"Not from you, pal!" he says, and crosses to the other end, taking his bag with him. I groan.

"Jeez." The door of the room slides open again, and Captain Yamato enters, holding some kind of dish. "You can put that flame of yours here, Kari," he says, gesturing to it. I quickly move to him, and ignite the wick sticking out from the wax. "Great." He sets it down in the middle of the floor. "All right, gather round, everyone. Sakura, there are a few things I need to know."

"What about?" she says.

"Everything regarding the Akatsuki member, Sasori," he answers. "I wanted to bring it up sooner, but I'd promised we wouldn't talk about that stuff yesterday. I need you to tell me everything, now. You're the only one who's ever seen him, and lived to tell the tale."

"Yes, sir," she says. We all sit down around the candle.

"I received his file from the Hidden Sand Village, but it would help if you would fill in the blanks, like his personality or speech pattern; even mannerisms, or quirks."

"Why do you need to know all that?" Naruto asks him.

"The spy hidden in Orochimaru's ranks expects a rendezvous with Sasori," Captain Yamato explains, and he holds up a pile of photos, all seemingly to be of Sasori, himself. "They might catch me right away, but I'm going to try and approach them in disguise."

"But, if Sasori is a no-show at the bridge," Sakura starts, "the spy might not reveal himself."

"Absolutely. That's a distinct possibly."

Naruto gasps. "Then this'll all have been for nothing," he realizes.

"Working as a spy always entails a certain risk or danger," Sai says. "I think our target will definitely have their guard up."

"Here's to hoping they haven't heard that he's bit the dust yet," I add.

"All right; so, you're gonna be the one to transform into Sasori?" Naruto reiterates.

"That's the plan, yeah," Captain Yamato replies. "He would always hide within his Hiruko puppet, so it really should be me. Remember, I'm a master of the Wood Style Ninjutsu."

"You're right," Sakura agrees.

"Oh, and one more thing—since there's a slight chance this is a trap, I'll approach on my own at first."

I raise my hand to avoid interrupting him.

"I'm able to conceal both my chakra and my physical presence," I tell him, "so please allow me to accompany you onto the bridge."

"Can you guarantee it won't jeopardize the mission?" Captain Yamato asks. I nod.

"Yes, sir."

"All right," he says.

"... the way he was talking at the end," Sakura says, her eyes trained on the candle's flame, "I don't really believe he was lying to me. And besides, the Akatsuki had a spy named Yura in the Sand Village, as well."

"I just want to play it safe, is all," Captain Yamato says. "You three will hang back. Kari, you are to stay no less and no more than five feet away from me. All of you will wait for my signal."

"Either way you look at it, one thing is certain," says Sai. "The spy is likely to be strong and quite accomplished."

"Maybe," Naruto says. "But so are we."

"Now, then," Captain Yamato says. "Let's get to it, shall we? The devil's in the details, so here's the mission from A to Z. Our one and only goal is a live capture. The target must not be killed or injured, no matter what. If they are, we lose our only source for intelligence. This will be more difficult than simply taking down the enemy.

"The mission is a delicate one. That's why I'm taking the lead. But you guys are to be ready as backup. The strategy is simple—I move in, and restrain the target. If that should fail, and I enter a combat situation, we move to plan b. That's your cue to enter into combat mode. You'll enter on my signal alone. Should that second scenario come to pass, we'll be using the buddy system."

"Sorry—the buddy system?" I repeat. "What is that?"

"Every warrior's action will be covered by their partner," he explains. "The watchword, people, is "teamwork". Got it?"

"Sure. No problem."

"So. Here's how we'll be pairing up. Since we're an odd number, Sakura, you and I will be one team, and of course, Naruto, Kari and Sai will make up the other."

As I'd feared, the two's eyes meet, and not on good terms.

"You expect me... to work with him?" Naruto growls. To his annoyance, Sai smiles at him.

"I can't wait," he says, and Sai being Sai, I can't tell if he's being honest and sincere or not. Probably not.

"Captain Yamato?"

"Yes, Naruto? What is it?"

"It's just that... why'd you put me with that guy?!" he demands, and as if he were expecting it, Captain Yamato puts on the same face he did back at the hot springs, causing Naruto to audibly cringe.

"Got a problem?" Captain Yamato asks.

"U-Uh... no," he murmurs. "No problem."

"Excellent."

"Excuse me, Captain Yamato?"

"I-I think maybe Naruto would be better off with me or Kari alone, as a team," she says. "We've been together for a long time; we know each other's moves, inside and out."

"Mhm, mhm!" Naruto smiles hopefully. "You tell 'em, Sakura."

After a brief silence between the five of us, Captain Yamato speaks.

"You are the only Medical Ninja on this team," he says to her. "Because we can't afford to have anything happen to you, you stay with me."

"But..."

"Do you understand me?"