"Can I trust your loyalty?" His uncovered face was forever sculptured in its blank state as he spoke. One hand was resting on top of his wooden stick as he stood before the girl. The setting surrounding them looked as if it was meant to be from a haunted story. The walls danced with shadows and the floor was a smooth grey.

The wind swayed, adding a sense of superiority to the man before he spoke again.

"Would you, the only sister of my division, betray me?" The question was directed at her as she kneeled with her head bowed. She remained a statue and her eyes were stuck staring at the ground.

"No, my Lord," She forced out evenly, shutting her eyes. "My loyalty lies with you." It was the truth, although it still did not feel right coming from her mouth. For years it was what she had learned, obeyed by and practiced. How to be loyal, to carry out orders without second thoughts.

This was Root.

She did not have an identity anymore and nothing about her life was important. Root worked in the shadows, masking its victims and destroying all evidence of its existence to the public eye.

"Good...do not forget..." Danzou moved his gaze from the kneeling girl to the sky.

"I must inform you that the nine tails has returned to the village. Naruto Uzumaki."

"Naruto Uzumaki...?" The girl, known as Momo questioned, a faint flash of images entered her mind suddenly. She saw a smile, a bright, wonderful smile. But it was gone as soon as it appeared.

"Yes, he and Jiriaya were absent from the village for nearly three years." Danzou furrowed his brow, what for was unknown.

"What would you have me do?" Momo didn't understand why this information would be important to her.

"I have sent Sai to join their disbanded team 7. An anbu under the code-name of Yamato will also join. Tsunade decided to reform the team with new members. "

"Sai...?"

"Your brother will attempt Code name: Deliverance alone, the nine tails and his teammate have been very determined to find Sasuke."

Alone? Momo tried not to move as the thought unsettled her.

"Does this worry you?" His eye studied her, she seemed hesitant. Momo merely let her body relax and said as casually as she could.

"No, my Lord."

"This will not commence for a small time..."  He ignored her statement and walked slightly towards her. 

"Lord Danzou...who is this anbu named Yamato?"

"...Do you recall the wood user?" Danzou awkwardly rubbed his bound arm as he lifted his walking stick. Momo thought of all the information she knew, there was a Ninja in Konoha that had the abilities of the first Hokage. The Wood element, the only one of his kind currently alive.

"I see..." She muttered in recognition.

"Do you remember your childhood academy classes?" Danzou suddenly questioned. Momo closed her eyes, as if there was a unknown pain invading her mind. Smiling faces filled her memory...but then an unforgettable face flashed across her vision, and she bit her lip in pain.

"...Faintly...I understand I should not dwell on any attachments made." The words felt like poison in her mouth, a toxic gas choking her.

"Good...the mission I am giving to you is similar to Sai's. In fact, you will be working together." Danzou did not care as much as he seemed to.

"But my Lord, I cannot join this Team 7." This did not make sense to Momo in the slightest.

"You won't be. Sai will be completing his missions with them, whilst you are undercover in the village. Destroying this rogue Sasuke is a most important task." Momo took all this in for a moment, the encounter with Sasuke before this day filled her memory. It was reported that after Momo, Sai and Shiro returned from their mission as it was taken over, the replacements died at the hands of the Uchiha. Momo slowly let herself let out a breath as the tense atmosphere started to fade like an echo in the darkness. She spoke, emotion drained from her voice and her eyes as still as the night.

"I understand."

//

The room was silent except from the scribbling from a pencil on paper. It danced across the page directed by a talented hand, but no emotion was put into it. A second presence entered the room with a puff of smoke and stared at the boy who sat alone.

"How long have you been here?" Momo asked, removing her mask and carefully placing it against the small table. She glanced at the drawing pad he held in his hands, a beautiful sketch of her kitchen view. The lined buildings were outlined with bright colours and the sky was an unending blue. She felt like she should comment on it, but then again she didn't.

"Not long." Sai replied, stopping his drawing actions and placing the pad down onto his lap. He kept his neutral face as he made eye contact with Momo.

"When will you leave?" She questioned, pulling out a chair for herself to sit in. Sai seemed surprised for a moment. It wasn't common for him to show any other expression than a straight mouth, unwavering eyes and pale skin.

"So he did tell you." He answered, diverting his eyes from Momo and stared at his drawing pad.

"Yes..."

"I have to make an appearance to some of the young ninja."

"And I'm undercover."

"Here." He lifted his hand onto the table, in it he held two headbands.

"Leaf headbands?" Momo took one from him nevertheless.

"We are permitted to wear them."

"You mean you are...I am only if in public with any of the mission objects."

"Right." Sai nodded placing his own band across his forehead.

"Shall we leave now?"

"Yes."

And so they did, through the open window they jumped onto the roof and began their way towards the first meeting place.
"I'll meet you there." Momo ordered to Sai before splitting off and taking a different route.

//

The pink haired konoichi sighed as she patiently waited for her teammates to arrive. She waited in front of a building littered with thick stone pillars, and covered with the mark of Konoha. She started to feel irritated, as she had arrived early and now had to wait for the arrival of the unknown. But her waiting would now come to an end.

"Hey! Sakura!" Came the recognizable voice of Naruto. The two teammates greeted each and then both began to discuss who the new members could be. Why today they would begin to pursue their long lost team mate, Sasuke Uchiha.

Startled, Sakura and Naruto looked up from their conversation to see a man, he had brown sort hair and a headpiece fitted around his skull. Apart from his unusual large eyes, he looked pretty decent. They seemed fine with the new comer, but it wasn't until a second person appeared that they became more cautious.

Unknown to everyone but Sai, several pillars down leaned a hidden woman against the wall. Momo calmly and quietly stood observing the conversation.

"Hi." Came the slightly cheerful voice of Sai. This stated the start of the conversation, so Momo concentrated. There was a slight pause, but Naruto immediately became shocked and gasped as he pointed to Sai.

"It's you!" He exclaimed. "You're the guy that was on the roof earlier!"

"Umm...as of now I will be taking Kakashi's place in Team Kakashi and..." This was another male voice, one Momo had not recognized before.

Could it be...? Yamato?

Nothing but silence filled the air, the neglected voice of the newcomer came unnoticed.

"Naruto, do you know him?" Sakura skeptically asked, raising a curious eye to Naruto.

"Yeah...he's the guy who attacked me earlier when I was with Shikamaru and the others!" Sakura narrowed her eyes as Naruto announced this.

He attacked them? She thought, watching Naruto as he flung out his arm and caught a kunai in his hand. Momo tensed, placing her fingers around her sword handle as she heard Sai doing the same to his.

"Stop it, Naruto!" Yamato had suddenly ordered the boy.

"Come to think of it, who're you mister?" Naruto asked.

"I'm the replacement captain for this team while Kakashi is in hospital. Call me Yamato."

"Captain Yamato..." Sakura repeated quietly.

"You're comrades on the same team, don't you guys need to get along." Yamato said giving the ninja disapproving looks.

"C-Comrade...? This guy?" Naruto was clearly shocked.

"Sorry about before." Sai said with a small smile and released his weapon as did Naruto.

Momo had now followed and released her grip of the sword, falling into her own mind. Sai is going to have to put up with this kind of behaviour on his mission? Does Danzou expect this to work?

"You're kind of a rotten guy aren't you...?" Sakura spoke, aiming her eyes to Sai who held the same smile as earlier. He chuckled, somewhat amused by her statement.

"Is that so?" He questioned.

"People won't like you if you say stuff like that." Sakura added, crossing her arms.

"I like nice...ugly woman like you." He replied.

Ugly.

"Ugly..." Sakura repeated in confusion.
"Hey, what did you say!" She yelled, widening her eyes. Yamato sprung into action, restraining her as she attempted to run at Sai.

"Try repeating that, you twerp!"
"Hey, do you remember-"

"Don't get cocky with me, cha!"

"-what you just said to Naruto?!"
Yamato attempted to inform her.

Momo began to become disinterested in the confusing arguing being done by the group and instead resorted in leaving to wait for the group to finish addressing each other. Sai noticed she had suddenly disappeared and tried to turn the conversation so that they could leaver quicker.

She sat for a while wating for Sai to return. She waited on the roof of his apartment and only gave a sigh of relief when she heard him entering his home.

Sai's apartment was small, simple and full of paintings of all shapes and sizes. They were lined against walls whilst painting materials were scattered throughout the room.

Sai quickly began packing his ninja bag as he stood in his apartment. Only did he stop when someone appeared next to him. Momo stood, crossing her arms with a blank stare.

"I do not understand why Naruto has reacted so strangely to me." Sai said, glancing over his tools.

"...I think he felt insulted." Momo replied, closing her eyes in thought. The nine tails acts rather different than I had imagined.
Sai didn't answer as his hand found an object. The object was a book, a picture book with hand painted children on both covers. He stopped and held it in his palms, his mind seemed to distance itself from his surroundings. Until a presence alerted him and he sheathed his small sword. He and Momo both faced the intruder, blocking their weapon with their own. It was an Anbu, and he wore a familiar mask.

"Good move...listen carefully...never let your guard down." The man spoke lowering his weapon.

Sai nodded calmly unblocking his sword as did Momo who stood silently to the side of the two men.

"What is it...sir?" Sai asked patiently.

"I have a message from Lord Danzou." The Anbu said. "Failure is not an option."

"I know." Sai answered unswayed.

"Good." The man answered, inspecting Sai quietly. "You're still carrying that around with you...," He suddenly said looking to the book Sai was holding.
Sai seemed surprised by this sudden
statement.

"This is..." He didn't get a moment to explain himself.

"In The Foundation, " Sai gasped from the unforgettable words. "...you have no name and no emotions."

"You have no past, and no future." Sai finished the sentence for the man, bowing his head slightly to look at the book in his palm.

"There is only the mission." Momo said quietly finishing for them.

"Never forget the will of the foundation, which supports the giant tree known as the leaf village from underground...unseen." That was all that was left to say before the man disappeared from sight.

"I wont." Sai whispered, almost trying to convince himself.

"Sai." Momo stated from beside him now. "Come back alive." And then with those last pleading words, she also disappeared.

"I will."

Momo leaned back onto her hands as she sat a top a tall building of Konoha. Konoha she thought, was always colourful. The houses, the shops, everything. That's why she liked the view from the air.

If I am to make a progress in this mission. I should get to know of the behaviour of the comrades. Which also means...
She was deep in thought when a male voice reached her ears.

"Ino wait up!"

"What Shikamaru! Now that I'm free from missions I can finally do what I want!" A female voice yelled back.

That's right...no one should be watching me anymore. This mission is also a test to judge my loyalty to The Foundation.

Momo was zoned back into thought, but she deemed it pointless. What could she do? She knew nothing of how to escape The Foundations grasp and she had memories scattered that she could not clearly decipher.

Momo understood that it would be several days until the return of Sai. Until then she was not completely sure what was required to do since the teammates had also left with him.

Should I begin to investigate Sasuke's old classmates? She questioned, frowning her lip. These classmates also use to be mine as well if I remember correctly...why would Danzou give me this mission if he knew this information also?

Momo let out an annoyed breath as she leaned her head back and stared at the sky. The sun left small splodges of light against the clouds as they slowly drifted past her blank, green gaze.

'If tomorrow, you forgot me and denied yourself...would you still try to fight the evil that denied your heart?'

The familiar voice played in her head once again. It was a males voice, it was comforting and made Momo's skin tingle slightly.

It's no use. Momo told herself as she recited the quote in her mind. Even if I wanted to understand it, I simply cannot.

She tiredly flung her head forward again as she closed her eyes.
When she reopened them it was in the distance she picked out the figures of Sai and the rest of his new 'team', they were strangely grouped and walking slowly out of the gates.

"I guess it's time-" Momo whispered to the sky and stood up from her spot, taking a second to admire the high view before disappearing.

A genius Ninja stood staring at the spot she had originally been in. His lazy eyes wandered across the rooftops and then he frowned.

"Hey...Chouji?" He spoke, his back to his teammate.

"Yeah Shikamaru?" Came the reply from Chouji.

"Is it just me or did that girl look familiar?"

"...What girl? Chouji frowned at Shikamaru as he followed his gaze to what he was looking at. He saw nothing, grew a question mark above him and then sighed.

"Ugh, never mind. Lets just go already." Shikamaru groaned in an irritated tone, already regretting his decision to mention anything.

Meanwhile Momo once again kneeled in respect to the man who pulled the strings above her. "Has the mission begun?" Danzou asked, stroking his walking stick.

"Yes, my Lord." Momo answered keeping her presence still and composure in check.

"Good..." 

//

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QUESTION!

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