Sasuke’s defection and Sai’s addition brought major shifts that could have broken ... heart. Fans connected with the emotional stakes as the team pushed past their limits to protect Tazuna ...

Sai was introduced to the Naruto series as a replacement for Sasuke after he went rogue and left the village. Before his appearance, Team 7 was unaware of who they would meet as their new teammate.

The hero can be empathetic when called upon, but the ninja doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve like Naruto. When the episode revealed that Sai kept one of Inojin’s first drawings on his ...