Naruto 303

Page 1:
Title: Sai's betreyal!
Text: Half a century has passed...but the DNA of the legendary hero lives on!

Page 2:
Text: Sai makes a nonchalant confession!
Naruto: ...What?

Sai: To approach Orochimaru and inform him of our plans...
That was my true mission.

Yamato: Keep going.
Tell me everything.

Naruto: Do you realize what you're talking about?!
Sai: Oh, there's more...

Page 3:
Sai: I'm to be a spy,
and pass information on Orochimaru back to Danzou-sama.

Sakura: You're joining up with Orochimaru...just to turn right back around and betray HIM?
That's incredibly dangerous.

Sai: Well, the second we destroy the Leaf, Orochimaru will betray us anyways.
We're just preparing for when that happens.

Sakura: Danzou wants to take over the LEaf village...
And you're the only one whom he sent...?

Sai: My ability made me the best candidate.

Page 4:
Sai: The ink I write with becomes a small, living animal.
I stay safe while they take the information back to Danzou-sama.

Sakura: If they attack the Leaf,
huge numbers of people will die again!

Do you realize the consequences
of what you're trying to do?

Sai: Those were my orders.
I'm just following them.

Sakura: Sai...you-
Sai: Oh yes...Sai was just my name for this mission.
I'm...no one.

Page 5:
Sai: I'm simply Danzou-sama's tool. [i'll say.]
I do not exist.
So you can say whatever you want to me; you'll just be wasting your breath.

Sakura: Then...
Why do you care about that book so much?

Page 6:
Sakura: The two boys inside...
They're you and your brother, right?

Is it because that's the one thing that proves you DO exist?
Sakura: You say that you've rid yourself of all emotion...
but even a shinobi can't become completely unfeeling.

Page 7:
Sai: You think this book...
is proof that I exist?

Sakura: I think you want to keep it...
because you can't stop being his brother.
Do you understand?

That book is the one link you have to your brother.

Page 8:
Sakura: You don't want to break that link...do you?
Sai: Link...

Yamato: We've already looked at it.
The two center pages are unfinished.

Page 9:
Yamato: If you follow the pattern,
it seems that the younger and older brother will have their final battle against each other.

Sai...
I know you're a member of the Anbu's "Root" division.
And I know you've had special training from Danzou to kill your emotions.

And to do that...
you underwent the same ritual they once had in the Hidden Village of "Blood" Mist....
And killed-

Page 10:
Sai: No!
This was a present for him.
I decided to take a little extra time to finish it....
...and my brother died from an illness.
We weren't related by blood,
but he always praised my work as being very good.

Page 11:
"Root" takes in a lot of children with no family.
He became someone whom I thought of as a brother.

The final pages were the ones I wanted to show him the most...
but since he died...
I can't remember what I wanted to draw...

Page 12: Nuttin'

Page 13:
Yamato: Tough break, Sai.
You're going to have to stay here with one of my clones.
Naruto: We've gotta go settle an old score...
and save Sasuke!

Sai: I wouldn't count on that.

Page 14:
Sai: I met Sasuke-kun earlier.
He's always with Orochimaru.
If you pursue him, you'll be ripped apart and used for their experiments.
Plus...

Page 15:
Sai: Sasuke-kun no longer cares about you.
Sakura-san has told me you think of him as a brother,
and still...

to bring him back,
you're willing to oppose Orochimaru?

Why?
No one has ordered you to do so.

Page 16:
Naruto: It's funny, back in the day I really hated him.
But the time we all spent together was the most fun I ever had.
He...
acknolwdged me more than anyone else.

He's my friend...
someone who I was finally able to form a bond with...

Sai: A bond...

Page 17:
Sai: But still...
against Orochimaru...

Naruto: If he rips my arms off, I'll kick him to death.
If he rips my legs off, I'll bite him to death!
If he rips my head off, I'll stare him to death!
and if he gouges out my eyes, I'll curse him from beyond the grave!

Even if I get ripped apart,
I'm taking Sasuke back from Orochimaru!

Side: That bond is proof enough that I exist. Resolve swirls in my heart. Now is the time to take him back!

Bottom: Naruto springs into action! Next time, with color pages, "Beyond the betrayal!"