The Way Through Stone Village (Naruto)

30: Smoothing Over

["Caesar"--The Oh Hellos]

"Hmm." Sai was searching for any notes about this situation and didn't think he'd found any. Maybe some on the Todoroki versus Sasuke deal might help. They'd compared their situations before...

"Oh, hey, Sai." Ino was just about to exit the same door with a clipboard and rubber gloves.

Sai, forgetting that he was not supposed to walk and read at the same time anymore, looked up too late and crashed into her before she had time to dodge.

He dropped his notebook, and Ino dropped the clipboard.

"Oh..." Sai said. "That wasn't very attentive of me."

"Yeah," Ino said, but she was smiling instead of frowning. "But at least it wasn't breakable..." She picked up her clipboard and the notebook also before Sai could, though she nearly hit him in the head since he started to bend over to do so.

"You really should be more careful with your stuff." She handed it to him. "You wouldn't want to leave this around here...especially with that guy around." Glancing at Suzushi.

"Oh...I didn't think of that." Sai realized his mistake. "I should have hidden this away somewhere. Too many of my notes could be taken out of context."

"I guess we should have thought of that before." Ino pursed her lips. "I feel like he's watching us."

"That's his job." Sai glanced back at Suzushi, who was staring at them with a blank look. "Of course, I can't tell what he really thinks... This is a strange situation."

"I'm sure it is." Ino shook her head. "It must be weird. Isn't he from the Foundation?"

"Yes," Sai said. "But why would that be weird?"

"I...well, does he know how you feel about it now?"

"How I feel about it...oh... No, I don't think so."

"That would be weird," Ino said. "What if he didn't like it?"

"Well, he doesn't really like or dislike anything right now." Sai didn't quite get her meaning. "But he probably would think it was foolish to abandon the teachings of it. "

"That's what I meant," Ino explained. "I can just imagine how it would be for me if I did something like that and my family knew about it. Not that the Foundation was like family...but...uh..."

"Yes..." Sai thought out loud. "Not like my real family... I suppose if he graduated he must have completed that ritual...to kill his emotions. It's possible that it can't be reversed now."

"That's horrible," Ino muttered. "That must make you feel sorry for him, huh?"

"I don't really know what that means," Sai said.

"It's not a nice feeling," Ino said. "But it's not that bad. It's kind of just like...right here." She put a hand on her chest. "Feels a little hollow, because you feel bad that someone else is suffering. You pity them."

"Oh...oh, that is what I was feeling then," Sai said, brightening. "I wasn't sure... I suppose I do then."

"It's too bad," Ino said. "But I don't think...even if there was a way, that if we said anything about it, that would be smart right now. That doesn't seem like it should matter, but we don't want to act unusual."

"I don't know if I can help that..." Sai's spirits sank.

Ino had to giggle slightly at that. "I...uh, I mean more of...in a suspicious way."

"Oh..." Sai realized he should have known that from context... That was an oversight.

"Do you mind getting out of my way?" Sakura had come up behind Ino unnoticed by them. And she was still in a bad mood.