They're both smiling...
Yeah... He smiled for real for the first time when he drew that.
Smiled from the bottom of his heart.
Wh-What's this...?!
Reunion
It was in Sai's bag...
This is an assassination list that has...
an Anbu Black Ops member's own targets recorded...
It's called a Bingo Book.
An assassination list...?
What are these "X" marks?
In all likelihood,
they're marks indicating targets that have already been eliminated.
Why does Sai have such a thing?
Look at this...
Th-This is...!
Sasuke... Why does Sai...!
Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll.
There's no "X" mark on this yet...
I get it... So that's what this is about?
What do you mean?!
Sai...
His mission wasn't to be a go-between for Orochimaru and Danzo.
Sai's true classified mission...
was to assassinate Sasuke.
That could never be!
After all, he said earlier that he was going to save Sasuke...
And he really smiled from the bottom of his heart...
This is what I wanted to show him.
The picture of our dreams...
Unlike before, he's now...
What if that was all...
an act in order to forestall you, Naruto?
I'm a tool for Lord Danzo. I don't exist.
So no matter what you say to me, it's pointless...
The owner of this Bingo Book...
could indeed be capable of something like that.
Look at this...
This man in the book next to Sasuke...
He's a Jonin from the Hidden Mist...
and the man who expressed a hard-line stance against the Leaf.
Sai...defeated him, huh...?
He couldn't have been an easy opponent to defeat...
The fact that he eliminated him means that in all likelihood,
he must have resorted to every possible means.
An act in order to forestall someone...
was probably all in a day's work for him.
A smile is used to carry out a goal...
You tricked me with your fake smile earlier.
So that's how you use a fake smile, huh...?
I'll remember that.
How can you grin like that after getting punched?!
A smile is the best way to get through a tough situation.
Even if it's a fake smile.
Surprisingly enough, everyone gets fooled...
It said that in a book...
It's quite clear by looking at each of the people listed...
in this Bingo Book...
Sai was assigned to the disposal of people dangerous to the Leaf...
And Sasuke is also one such dangerous person.
Danzo's goal...
was to bury Orochimaru's new flesh... to bury Sasuke...
In order to do that,
Sai attempted to approach Orochimaru...
He didn't betray the Leaf. It was for the sake of the Leaf.
That's exactly what one from a hard-line military faction would think up.
There's no point in going on about that here...
It doesn't matter what Sai was ordered to do...
or what that Danzo guy's thinking about.
Meeting up with Sai as quickly as possible...
and saving Sasuke is what's important!
It's indeed as Naruto says.
I felt Sai's Chakra earlier. We need to go quickly.
Right! Got it!
If Sai is after Sasuke...
then I'll stop him, no matter what!
Who's there?
You found me out, huh...?
But...I've already made the first move.
What is your objective?
Lord Danzo's objective is to bury you...
I'm going to...
Sai!
...take you back to the Leaf!
Although at the beginning,
I came here with the intention of killing you...
He's the person who acknowledged me more than anyone else.
Naruto...thinks of Sasuke like a brother.
I'll do whatever it takes to save him.
I'll even team up with you.
Even if I get chopped up into pieces,
I'll take Sasuke back from Orochimaru!
Sasuke is my friend.
It's a special bond I was finally able to make...
I want to protect his bond with you,
the one he's desperately trying to draw closer to.
Bond...
You interrupted my sleep for something like that...?
What was that?!
It's Sai's Chakra.
That way, right?
What was that...?
Sasuke, huh...?
That kid wakes up in a bad mood, you see...
Impressive...
To think he'd break free from my Jutsu by force...
I found him!
Sakura!
You! What're you really after?!
How many times do you have to betray us until you're satisfied...?
Sakura, huh?
That voice...
Sa...su...ke...
Sasuke...
Naruto, huh...?
So even you were here, huh?
Then is Kakashi also with you?
Sorry, it's not Kakashi... I'm his substitute.
Team Kakashi will now be taking you back to the Leaf.
Team Kakashi, huh?
Sai! I knew it!
So he's my replacement, huh...?
Some soft one has once again joined up.
He said he wanted to protect the bond...
between Naruto and me, but...
Sai... I thought your mission was to kill Sasuke.
My classified mission was indeed the assassination of Sasuke...
But I've had enough of orders...
I now want to act on my own beliefs.
I think Naruto will get me to remember...
my past emotions.
I kind of get the feeling...
it's something very important to me.
I don't know you very well.
But there must be some kind of reason why Naruto and Sakura...
have pursued you so desperately.
They don't want to sever their bonds with you...
They're giving it their all to secure those bonds.
I still don't understand it all that clearly...
But Sasuke... you should understand.
Yeah... I did understand.
That's why I severed the bonds.
Knock it off!
That's just what I want!
Why?
I haven't narrowed the gap at all since back then.
What's up with this difference?
You're weak.
You're weak...
because you don't have enough...
hatred.
I have different bonds...
Bonds of hatred... with my older brother.
You've severed our bonds?
If that's what you say,
then why didn't you kill me back then?!
You think that would sever it, Sasuke?!
It's not that I couldn't sever the bond shared with you.
It's just that your life was spared back then...
because of my passing whim.
And because of my passing whim, you will now lose your life.
Next Time: "The Power of Uchiha"