ᗰOᑎᔕTEᖇ [🧡 ᑎᗩᖇᑌᕼIᑎᗩ 💜] [Ɱҽէąʍօɾքհօʂìʂ] Bσσƙ Oɳҽ

Child

Chapter Fifty-One

Child

May 24, 2010

He was shaking, and try as he might, he couldn't find his mask, his barren unemotional calm he'd honed during his time with Root. Raw emotion thrummed through his veins, his chest and throat felt painfully tight, his heart was pounding harder than he had ever believed possible. Cold sweat slid down his spine as the messenger toad hoped away. Gripping the scroll tightly, dark eyes staring blankly at Naruto's sloppy hand writing, Sai willed his lungs to expand, to draw in the oxygen he so desperately needed to function.

He shouldn't have left her.

He should have stayed with her.

Konoha, Hi no Kuni, they needed him, his assignment was invaluable to the world at large...

But his lover needed him too.

Ino needed him.

He had no doubt in his mind that Naruto had not minced words, that his earnest friend had leveled with him even while knowing the news would be hard to swallow. He was grateful for it. Grateful he'd been upfront and honest rather than sugarcoating the severity of her condition.

Shaking his head, the Anbu captain waded through the chaos inside his head, striving for the organization befitting an elite shinobi.

He had to focus.

He had to see this mission through, at the very least fulfilling the instructions given to him before being dispatch to Suna.

They'd journeyed to one of the locations indicated but not specified within site 9's database.

They'd found evidence that a small portion of its population had met a grizzly end here.

He had to write his report about this...butcher shop before he could make any moves; but the moment he did, the very second was done, he was returning to Konoha.

Immediately.

Waiting here while the Hokage issued new orders after reviewing his report was an exercise in self control he no longer possessed. His ability to continue this mission was already compromised, pursuing it further, gritting his teeth and forcing himself to remain would result in nothing but poor concentration, missed details, insufficient delegation of duties and degradation of the high standards befitting this covert operation. He was a risk to himself and those assigned beneath his leadership; under the circumstances, he was pulling himself from the mission.

The guilt burning in his chest was clouding him judgment.

The fear turning him inside out was slowly chipping away at his reserve and competency.

This pain in his heart, far greater than any he had ever experienced, too great to be borne.

He had to go.

"It's clear, sir."

Jaw tight, Sai turned burning eyes to the man before him. Botan's brow furrowed at the fierce expression, but made no comment on it.

"Except for the body parts of course," the wenge eyed man add, "and rats."

"I'm returning to Konoha immediately after the messenger hawk has been sent," he replied, his tone steely and resolute, "you and Fuyuko will remain here and maintain surveillance until new orders are issued."

Looking as though he wanted to question the order, Botan nodded hesitantly.

Sai stood, walking silently passed the man and into the filthy bunker they'd unearthed.