"I don't want you to just think by yourself. I want everyone to think!"
Yoruha shrugged casually, cutting Sai off mid-explanation.
"If you really want to bond with your teammates, then stop faking it and just be yourself."
Sai was still rooted in the shadows—still bound to Danzo and Root. But that wouldn't last long.
Sooner or later, Naruto would break through his walls.
And then Sai would become that deadpan, awkwardly blunt guy with the weird one-liners.
Actually a pretty likable dude.
But…
Did Yoruha really want to let Ino marry this guy?
Something inside him just said nope.
"I... I understand, Captain Yoruha," Sai finally said with a soft exhale, his expression relaxing back to its usual blank state.
Yoruha nodded.
Sai was a tragic case, really.
Raised by Danzo. Indoctrinated into Root. Turned into a weapon.
Danzo had modeled Root after the Hidden Mist's brutal assassination training—forcing young ninjas to kill those closest to them to eliminate emotion.
That's how Sai and Shin formed their bond.
Shin wasn't his real brother, but he was like a brother.
And in the end, when Root forced them to fight to the death, Shin chose to end his own life so Sai could live.
So now?
Sai wasn't emotionless. His emotions were just buried so deep, he didn't even know how to access them anymore.
That's why he eventually bonded with Naruto—because he could feel. He just didn't know how.
But all that didn't change the fact that Yoruha still didn't want Ino ending up with him.
"Alright, I'll leave Sai's situation in your hands," Tsunade said with a glance toward Yoruha.
"But Yoruha—stay behind for a moment. The rest of you, head to the village gates."
"Got it, Lady Tsunade!" Sakura said brightly.
She, Naruto, and Sai quickly filed out of the office.
Now only Tsunade, Shizune, and Yoruha remained.
"Oh? You're keeping me behind?" Yoruha smirked.
"What's this? A little secret favor just for me?"
"Stop talking nonsense," Tsunade snapped, instinctively tugging her collar tighter—though that only made certain… assets more obvious.
"Sai is one of Danzo's men. I don't believe he was placed on Team 7 just to monitor Naruto. I think there's something deeper going on. I'm worried he may be a threat to the village."
Yoruha chuckled.
"Sounds about right. If Danzo wasn't stirring up trouble, he wouldn't be Danzo."
"But look," he continued, "as dark as he is, Danzo genuinely believes he's acting in the best interest of the village. So no—I don't think he wants to hurt Konoha itself. But I do think he might sacrifice you or Naruto without blinking."
Danzo had done a lot of awful things.
But in his twisted way, he did love the village.
He was just narrow-minded, power-hungry, and way too obsessed with control.
"W-Wait a second, Yoruha..." Shizune frowned.
"Lady Tsunade is the Hokage. If Danzo acts against her, isn't that the same as turning against the village? You really need to be more careful with your words!"
Yoruha smiled faintly.
"Relax. What I really think is that Danzo's trying to use Sai to kill Sasuke."
"Kill Sasuke?" Tsunade blinked.
"Why would Danzo go through all this trouble just to eliminate him?"
Putting Sai on Team 7 wasn't exactly easy.
If Danzo just wanted Sasuke dead, he could've ordered a Root assassin to do it quietly. He didn't need this elaborate plan.
"It's actually simple," Yoruha said, walking over to the window.
He glanced out in the direction of the old Uchiha district.
"If Orochimaru succeeds in taking Sasuke's body, there's no way Uchiha Itachi will sit back and do nothing. And Danzo doesn't want Orochimaru to die—not yet, at least."
Orochimaru was dangerous, sure.
But he was also useful.
Danzo didn't want to strengthen him—but he didn't want him gone, either.
Maintaining the current balance was ideal.
And the only way to do that?
Take Sasuke off the board.
"So he needs Sasuke dead. But if he does it himself, Itachi will retaliate. That's why he's trying to get Sai to do it—through Team 7."
Tsunade's brows furrowed.
"But what does Sai have to do with that?"
"Everything," Yoruha replied, pulling the cork from a wine gourd and taking a sip.
"Danzo wants to get rid of Sasuke. But he doesn't want the blame. So he pushes Sai forward—puts him in Team 7—and hopes that we kill Sasuke during the mission."
He gave a dry laugh.
"But really, he's underestimating Sasuke by a mile. What, does he think Sai can take him out? Cute."
He shook his head, amused.
Danzo could be terrifyingly manipulative.
But sometimes, he was also so clueless it was almost adorable.
"Anyway," Yoruha continued, "if Danzo tried to kill Sasuke directly, Itachi would definitely go after him. But if Sasuke dies on a mission with his friends—Naruto, Sakura, and me—then it just looks like fate. Even Itachi would see it as tragic, not political."
"Hell, Itachi might even come after you, Tsunade."
"So now do you get it?"
Yoruha sipped his wine again.
Everything he just said was, technically, speculation…
…but if Danzo were here, he'd be sweating.
Because Yoruha had nailed it.
Tsunade and Shizune stared at each other in stunned silence.
"Yoruha… you mean all this is hiding behind Sai joining Team 7?" Shizune muttered, cold sweat forming on her brow.
Naruto might be an emotional, straightforward kind of story.
But this?
This was some deep political maneuvering.
And when had Yoruha become so sharp? So cunning?
It was honestly a little scary.
"Hmph. You make it sound like I should be afraid of Uchiha Itachi," Tsunade said, her eyes narrowing and a wicked grin spreading across her face.
"Let him come. I'd love to see if he can survive one of my punches."
That was the thing about Tsunade.
To her, the Uchiha clan's ultimate techniques—genjutsu and Susanoo—weren't some insurmountable force.
She had unparalleled chakra control and iron confidence.
Genjutsu? She wasn't impressed.
And Susanoo?
Just one good punch, and boom—problem solved.