Fractured

Deception

High above the village, perched atop the back of a giant hawk composed of chakra-infused ink, Sai surveyed the various streets and buildings below. From above, the village appeared mostly calm. There were handfuls of people out and about—groups moseying in and out of popular izakayas, lone figures walking towards their homes after late shifts, shop keeps closing up for the night. But mostly the village was filled with the soft glow of lights peeking through windows as the citizens of Konoha settled in for the night.

Sai's expression was even as he monitored the varying scenes below. The calm... the norm... this was not what he was meant to look for. No, the calmness of the village was a fabrication. A falsehood betrayed by the pandemonium of Headquarters right now. Code's appearance had sent them into high alert. The village sensory unit had been working in overdrive to facilitate communications and surveillance simultaneously. And not long ago, Sai himself had dispatched a few Bear Division ANBU cells to various parts of the village as a precaution to protect citizens in case Code or his accomplice decided to wreak havoc. Shikamaru had dispatched jonin cells throughout the village, as well, but unfortunately the attack by Isshiki had put several prominent jonin like Lee and Tenten out of commission for now. It was a shame, but there was nothing they could do about it. While technically retired, Kakashi was also notified by Shikamaru of Code's presence outside the village. Kakashi was not part of any team, but being a former Hokage, he was more than capable of aiding the village, so he was also currently out patrolling. Aside from that, Sai had dispatched a Falcon ANBU unit to rendezvous with Sasuke outside the village, if possible.

No, the calm suspended below him was fake. Phony. Deceptive, like the smile he used to wear so long ago.

Sai frowned. Not long before, he had been meeting with members of his intel corps about several leads on some of Code's claw marks, namely in remote locations and possible former Kara hideouts. They were holed up in a windowless room in a secure underground bunker when Shikamaru had interrupted via their direct phone line to inform him of Code's appearance outside the village walls. Sai was now tasked with aerial surveillance. As one of Konoha's finest surveillance and recon ninja, Sai put his seasoned observational skills to use for the sake and safety of every one of the oblivious people below him. There was no need to disrupt the peace, as of yet. It was understood by the higher ups that mass evacuation could often times cause more chaos, so doing so was avoided unless absolutely necessary, such as with the invasion of the village by Isshiki. Naruto, Shikamaru, Sasuke and himself were all well aware of extent of the threat Isshiki had been to Konoha. He was beyond capable of wiping out the entire village. That much was obvious, and Konoha didn't need another Pain episode.

Sai maneuvered his Hawk south to inspect another area of the village. He glanced down at the many homes beneath him, all of them were relatively new. In fact, not a single home—not a single building in Konoha was more than 16 years old. A new village, rebuilt on the backs of the survivors of profound loss. No, he clenched his jaw. Never again did he want to experience such defeat, such failure again. Not for himself, his family, or any one of the citizens within the village. The fact that the village was spared when Isshiki appeared was close to miraculous enough. After learning the details about how Boruto transported Isshiki away in the heat of the moment, Sai knew with certainty that Konoha would have been obliterated if Boruto hadn't unexpectedly pulled off that move. And while Code wasn't as powerful as Isshiki, his goals of targeting the two strongest ninja in the village, two karma users, and their Kara intel pipeline Amado was equally as dangerous.

Sai's hawk maneuvered to the side again. Just then, in the corner of his eye, he noticed a blue and red blur atop a building in the distance—two figures moving at rapid speed towards the western wall. He was too far away to make them out, but it was obvious from their movements that they were ninja. He wasted no time, and flew swiftly in their direction.