"His name is Sai. He's a former member of Root," Tsunade explained.
Sakura nodded with understanding, indicating she knew what that meant.
"Although Danzo framed you, the members of Root are still Konoha ninja. Root has been disbanded now. This young man once served under Danzo, his skills are considerable, and he comes recommended by the two elders." Tsunade's words seemed directed at Sakura, but they were actually meant for Sai.
The underlying message was clear: We all know why you're here. Sakura has a grudge against Danzo. You'd better watch your step. If you get beaten up in retaliation, don't come crying to me. I can't help you.
"Yes, I understand," Sakura said with a nod. "The matter with Danzo is in the past. I won't hold it against him. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"Alright. If you think your team is ready for missions, I'll assign you suitable ones," Tsunade said.
"I know." Sakura turned, smiled at Sai, and said, "Well then... let's go, Ugly."
"Ugly?" Sai's expression didn't change, and he maintained his smile. "Your way of greeting people is certainly unique."
"It's nothing. Just follow me," Sakura said, a hint of weariness in her voice. She walked toward the door, and Sai followed.
Hearing Sakura call Sai "Ugly," Tsunade's eyelid twitched. So much tension right from the start? She worried about what the future held for them. At the same time, a small part of her hoped that Sakura could pull Sai into her own camp.
Danzo had a good eye for talent. The average skill level of Root members was well above average. The adult members were difficult to control, but the batch of trainees Danzo had recruited a few years ago hadn't been fully indoctrinated yet.
Most of these members were orphans. Examinations had shown that they had undergone preliminary emotional suppression training, but before their loyalty to Danzo could be reinforced, he was already dead.
She had seen Sai's file when she was liquidating Danzo's assets. She had planned to properly handle the placement of these Root trainees after she got through the current busy period, but she hadn't expected the two elders to slap Sai's file on her desk first.
Tsunade decided she couldn't wait any longer. If she let it go, the elders would probably snatch up all the trainees. As for Sai, it was out of her hands. But whether he leaned left or right, he was still a Konoha ninja. Tsunade had no great desire for power; her only goal was to prevent another Danzo from emerging.
...
"Was that a nickname you just gave me?" Sai asked with a smile, following behind Sakura.
"No," Sakura said, shaking her head. "I was just stating a fact."
"Oh..." Sai frowned in thought for a moment. "Is that so? Do new members always greet each other by stating facts?"
"..." Sakura ignored him. Her comment had been a test to see if Sai had already been trained by Danzo to be emotionless.
It seemed he had. But then again, it made sense. They wouldn't wait until he was an adult to start the training.
"Ugly..." Sai said to Sakura.
"Hm? Wh-what?" Sakura's mind, which had been wandering, was pulled back by Sai's voice.
"I said," Sai repeated with a smile, "Captain Ugly, where are we going now?"
"....." Sakura stopped in her tracks. For a moment, the atmosphere grew heavy. But just as quickly, the tension vanished. She turned her head slowly, a brilliant smile on her face. "You must be so lucky, surviving after killing your own brother with your own hands."
Instantly, the temperature between them plummeted below freezing. The fake smile on Sai's face froze solid. He wanted to force a laugh, but no sound would come out. It was as if all his emotional training had been forgotten in that single moment. A twisted mask of rage and grief appeared on his face.
You don't hit a person in the face, and you don't expose their shortcomings when you curse them. Hmm, no, that wasn't right. She wasn't ugly, so it wasn't a shortcoming. But for an emotionless assassin like Sai, a physical beating would have little to no effect.
Sun Tzu said the highest form of warfare is to attack the enemy's strategy. Ma Su of the Three Kingdoms said to attack the heart. Isn't using words to strike at his weakness better than just hitting him? A beating wouldn't hurt him, but after what I just said, Sai probably won't be able to sleep for days. The ancestors really were wise.
After that, Sakura walked in front, and Sai followed behind. She could feel a constant chill coming from behind her, but she didn't care. There was no getting rid of someone like him anyway; he had no choice in the matter.
When they arrived at Training Ground 3, Sakura saw that Yakumo looked like she was about to cry. The task Sakura had assigned her shadow clones today was even more outrageous than yesterday's. Yesterday, only one or two had been causing a disturbance. Today, it was like a bustling marketplace.
"Come, Yakumo, let me introduce you to a new team member," Sakura said, waving her over.
All the shadow clones dispelled. "This is Sai," Sakura told Yakumo. "The Fifth Hokage assigned him to us. Until you complete the first stage of your training, he'll be helping you."
No point in letting free labor go to waste. The first stage didn't have any other requirements, anyway. All it needed was someone to constantly distract Yakumo.
"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you," Sai said, having recovered surprisingly quickly. The smile was back on his face.
"Hm? Speaking of which, you still haven't told me what I need to do to pass the first stage," Yakumo said, ignoring Sai. There was something about his smile that made her extremely uncomfortable.
"The first stage?" Sakura said. "It's complete when you can count without making a single mistake, no matter the distraction."
"And the second stage?" Yakumo pressed.
"The second stage requires you to dodge kunai thrown at you while still enduring distractions," Sakura explained. She thought for a moment and added, "You know what, I'll just tell you everything so you can be prepared."
"The first stage is just a warm-up. The real training begins in the second stage, where you'll have to concentrate on constructing a genjutsu image while under enemy attack."
"The third stage is when we move into actual combat. Dodging attacks is different from launching your own. By the time you reach that stage, you'll probably have the strength to fight a real ninja," Sakura explained one by one.
She added at the end, "But I won't have you counting forever. All living things develop habits. The goal of this training is to enable you to quickly focus your mind and construct the images needed for Genjutsu True Creation. Just counting will become a habit and defeat the purpose of the training. But for now, just keep counting."
"Okay, I understand," Yakumo said with a nod. She finally understood the purpose of Sakura's strange training over the past two days. She didn't know how effective it would be, but it was clear that it was forcing her to concentrate.
"Sai," Sakura said, turning to him. "You heard all that, right? From now on, you'll be training her in my place."
"I understand," Sai nodded, his face expressionless. He didn't dare flash his fake smile at her again.
Though Sai looked cold, Sakura found him much more pleasant to look at this way. She walked over, clapped him on the shoulder, and said in the patronizing tone of an elder, "I'm counting on you, then! Don't disappoint the trust I've placed in you!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Sai replied, as if by reflex.
Heh. Sakura sighed. He really is a product of brainwashing. She decided not to think about it. She was actually a little grateful to the two elders for tossing her some free labor. In its current state, the team wasn't ready for missions. By the time they were, Yakumo's genjutsu would probably be strong enough to put Sai out of commission anyway.
With that thought, the frustration of having someone forced on her vanished. Those elders really are too kind, she thought sarcastically, proactively sending someone to share my burdens.
Now she could focus on researching how to reverse the Yin Seal. Ever since she had learned Seijutsu and could use natural energy, Sakura no longer wanted to research new jutsu. The use of natural energy had allowed her to break through the limits of a ninja. The reason Naruto could dominate with a single move was his mastery of a higher level of energy.
To put it bluntly, it was a case of might makes right. No matter how skilled you were with your fists, you couldn't beat a brick. So, Sakura decided to put ninjutsu development on hold for a while and concentrate on studying natural energy.