Who Am I?

Chapter 25: Waiting

Sai waited inside Ino's room, quietly hoping that Naruto had managed to get word to Detective Uchiha in time. It seemed they had some contingency plan in place, which was good to know; things may have been more disastrous for them without that. This entire scenario was a mess; Sai just hoped they'd be able to figure out where the evidence had gone wrong and find a way to clear their friend's names. As he started to feel antsy, Sai stood up, leaving Ino's room and pacing outside it, trying to find a way to burn off the anxious energy he was feeling.

"What's her status?" Naruto's familiar voice sounded from behind Sai, piquing his interest. Naruto had returned, which was good.

"They... don't know yet," he replied honestly. "She's stable, but they said tonight's going to be the hardest. The next twelve to twenty-four hours are going to be crucial in determining whether she'll make it or not." Even repeating those words made Sai feel troubled. He'd grown fond of Ino over their time together, making seeing her in this state tough.

"You... gonna be okay, man?" Sai looked back at Naruto, seeing the concern in his face. Had his emotions become that obvious? "You were right there when it happened, werent'cha?" Ah, the even worse part. Him, ducking behind a car for safety while she was tossed around like a rag doll. It brought him back to why they'd been separated, and he felt the guilt rise even more.

"I... said something that I should not have," he answered, hanging his head. "I said that it was a mistake for Detective Uchiha to have allowed Hidan to escape when Dr. Haruno was injured. I didn't understand why Miss Yamanaka—why Ino was so upset by my words. Then the house exploded, and I... there I was, in the very same position he was." That had become the harsh reality for him, realizing through experience that he'd been very, very wrong in his assumption of Detective Uchiha's actions. It was easy to take emotion out of the equation when you were an outside observer; it was different when you were right there being affected by it.

"Hey, listen. Hindsight is 20/20 when it comes to words sometimes, especially for you. Look, you just aren't used to how we do things around here, ya know? It's tough sometimes and all. Ya just don't know until you're in that position." Sai felt Naruto's hand on his shoulder, drawing his gaze back up to look at the blonde. "Listen. I know... that ROOT is involved in this, but I trust ya, all right? You can help us get to the bottom of all this." That much was a relief. The fact that he was part of ROOT hadn't changed their perception of him at all; he was still a trusted comrade, though he was beginning to feel more like a pawn in whatever schemes ROOT was planning. Though, perhaps that was it... maybe he was just a pawn. But for what, exactly?

Sai took a seat and contemplated that thought for a few moments before he was interrupted by his phone ringing. Pulling it out, it was a number he recognized, but he couldn't pinpoint why. Opening the phone, he greeted whoever was on the other line and was met by a soft feminine voice speaking to him.

"Hi, i-it's Miss Hyuga," the woman said. Hinata. One person that Sai hadn't considered would want information on Ino's status. "Is Miss Yamanaka available? I had, um, tried her cell, but I assume it died since she isn't picking up." Shoot. Sai hadn't thought about that. The force of the impact had destroyed Ino's cell phone in the explosion, or if it was still functioning, it was with her belongings somewhere. It could hold vital information they might need. He would have to find it promptly, hopefully before Chief Tenshi got her hands on it.

"Miss Yamanaka is... busy at the moment," Sai lied, wishing he wasn't so on edge. He didn't want to lie to Hinata, but the fewer people involved in this scenario, the better. Getting Detective Uchiha and Dr. Haruno involved had led to them being framed; hopefully, Hinata would appreciate his attempts to keep her out of the line of fire.

"Busy?" She queried, and Sai could hear the suspicion in her tone. "Is it the Kohlrabi case?" It was a sizeable white-collar case that Ino had taken on, one they'd determined had nothing to do with anything else they were looking into.

"No, it is... something else," Sai continued. He needed to find a way to allay Hinata's suspicions. "I am not at liberty to say for the sake of her privacy." Hopefully, that would be enough to alleviate her concerns. Perhaps she'd think it was something very personal and wouldn't be bothered to continue asking questions. Ino did have a rather... exciting personal life, after all.

"...I see. Good day, then," Hinata said politely before hanging up the line. Sai felt a wash of relief over himself, glad that she seemed to have given up. Naruto's incredulous tone killed that feeling the moment the blonde spoke.

"You're not going to tell her?" He asked, clearly knowing who Sai had been talking to. The conversation had likely made it obvious; there was only one other person who would be calling to ask about Ino right now.

"I cannot," Sai said with a shake of his head. "Miss Yamanaka's condition has to be kept under wraps." The fewer people involved, the better. Sai would have to carefully and thoroughly investigate anyone they decided to bring on for their investigation, as they would have to avoid any leaks if possible. It had to be under the table, and it had to be kept away from anyone that wasn't trustworthy... including Sai's superiors if that was what it took.

Sai was surprised as Naruto suddenly grabbed him, pinning him up against the wall and staring at him. Naruto was understandably angry with the situation; Sai had learned that he was against lying to people, and he could understand why. Honesty was a virtue, something that Sai could respect.

"What the hell kind of bullshit is that?" Naruto demanded. "Hinata will find out whether ya keep it from her or not, and she damn well deserves to know! Ya can't keep these kinds of things from people, dick!" It was good that Naruto kept his voice down; they didn't need to attract more attention.

"There is more going on here than you are aware of, Detective Uzumaki," Sai replied calmly, unfazed by Naruto's anger. He'd seen much worse in his life; an angry detective wasn't frightening in the least. "This is delicate, and at the moment, finding out who is responsible for what happened is the priority. The more that we can control the flow of information and vet people who could be involved, directly or indirectly, the better." Sai saw Naruto's expression change, seeing the frustration change internal; he must have known Sai was right, even if he didn't like it. As Naruto released him, he took a moment to straighten his tie, making sure nothing was out of place.

"Ya better be right about this, or it'll be on your head," Naruto threatened. "Who so far have ya vetted, then? Hmm?"

Unfortunately for Naruto, it was a small list. "Right now, Chief Hatake," he confirmed. "We can follow up with him for information, but it will have to be a private conversation. I am... concerned about Chief Tenshi. Her appearance was too coincidental, and accusing Detective Uchiha of the crime is nonsensical from my perspective. Her statements pointed to nothing more than circumstantial assumptions that were determined to be unfounded by the remainder of your investigation."

"Yeah, I see what ya mean," Naruto replied. "I still don't like it at all. I hate keeping secrets from friends. It's not fair. They deserve to know, ya know?" Sai couldn't help but agree with him. He didn't want to investigate this, but what other choice did they have? The more people who knew, the more likely they would get caught up and framed like the other two had. Certainty was a necessity.

"I don't believe it's the most appealing course of action, either, but... if there is something I have learned from Miss Yamanaka, it's that... friendship and bonds are important." Ino had taught him many things, some of which had been in a very short time. She had an influence on him that he couldn't explain. "That does remind me... why are you so willing to trust me with knowing the details of Detective Uchiha's... situation?" He would have understood if Naruto was uncertain about him, especially now that ROOT was behind it.

"Well, that's a pretty simple one. You've proven yourself. And, well, Sakura and Ino seemed to trust ya, and I trust their judgement. Keepin' me in the loop helped." Naruto shrugged. "Besides, you also did your due diligence figurin' out whether Ino was to be trusted or not, and you went with your gut. I can respect that." Well, that was a relief. His association with ROOT wasn't going to prove a problem, at least. He could be thankful for that much.

Now all they had to do was wait and hope Ino woke up soon.

"I see," Sai replied. "Well... I'm glad to hear it. Let's take turns looking after Ino, then. I'll take the first shift; you can head home  and get some rest."

"Sure. By all means. And Sai?" Naruto added, raising a fist toward him for a fist bump. Sai seemed hesitant, slowly doing the same until their fists bumped together, prompting a bright grin on Naruto's face.  "Stay cool, okay?"