"Besides, with such formidable strength, Sakura and the others' safety could be considered guaranteed!" Sai thought, consoling himself. Just as he had suffered countless setbacks and pains in Konoha's Root, Konoha itself had still provided orphans like them with enough shelter.
And now.
It was nothing more than changing shelters.
Sai was not as hot-blooded as Naruto. Though he had recovered quite a few emotions, those feelings were reserved only for some of his companions; he had not opened his heart to more people.
Besides.
Aside from wanting to protect Sakura and Naruto, which supported his decision to defect, Sai also harbored a few unrealistic thoughts deep within his heart. That was, if this world truly was only a parallel world rather than one where the timeline had been altered.
"Then could I also change the tragic ending that my brother and I had in this world?" Sai thought of the training in Root. Though they were brothers, only one of them could be allowed to survive; they had to fight each other to the death in order to complete Root's assessment.
Something like that.
If he had the man before him as his backer, then wouldn't that mean he had a chance to change the future?
The moment he thought of this.
Any loyalty Sai had toward Konoha naturally vanished, leaving only the desire to earn merit in exchange for rewards, improve himself, and thereby change the fate of himself and his brother in this world.
Uchiha Tenshu smiled faintly, satisfaction flashing through his heart. Although these thoughts had emerged only after his guidance, his goal had been achieved.
From now on, Sai could be considered an excellent chess piece in his hand!
Then, Uchiha Tenshu deliberately turned his gaze toward Sakura Haruno and crooked a finger before continuing,