Naruto and Sakura had already arrived at the bridgehead.
Sakura sighed. "Ugh, late again. Kakashi-sensei really has no sense of time!"
"Seriously!" Naruto complained in boredom.
Suddenly, Naruto sensed something. His gaze sharpened as he saw a broad-faced man wearing a Konoha forehead protector walking toward them. Sakura followed Naruto's gaze as well.
"Yamato-sensei..." Naruto's eyes narrowed. Damn, he still came.
Sakura said curiously, "There's another one. That guy with his midriff exposed—he looks kind of sinister..."
"Sai..." Naruto's mouth fell open in surprise. That familiar fake smile—according to Awen's memories, during the mission to find Sasuke, Sai had failed to save Sakura but had instead gained popularity as an utterly ordinary replacement character.
Yamato was his usual name. His ANBU name was Tenzo.
"Hello, Naruto, Sakura. My name is Yamato. I'm the Jonin temporarily taking over Kakashi's team in place of Kakashi-senpai."
"I'm Sai. Naruto and Sakura, right? Please take care of me." Sai wore a fake smile, making Sakura stiffen immediately.
Sai lingered over Naruto for a few extra moments. Danzo had also secretly assigned him a mission: Naruto was not to be lured away by all those flashy temptations outside.
"He walks in the sunlight. He isn't dark enough; he is different from us. That is precisely why, Sai, I am making you his teammate. Eliminate those dark influences. Do not let Naruto be led astray by them. Pay particular attention to the women Naruto encounters during missions..."
That was right. After saying so much, Danzo was simply afraid Naruto would be lured away.
Sai said to Naruto, "You're Naruto, right? I really don't understand. You're also plain-looking and seem rather foolish, so why do so many girls like you? Are they all blind?"
"What..." Naruto was instantly dumbfounded. He was picking a fight right from the