The Spy from Akatsuki!!

Hoping to explain why Naruto refuses to abandon the idea of recovering Sasuke, Sakura draws a parallel to the bond Sai once shared with his own sibling. Sai answers flatly, revealing that his brother is gone and that the death stirred no feeling in him whatsoever. Seeing that she cannot pry open any real understanding, Sakura lowers her expectations and simply accepts whatever cooperation Sai is willing to lend toward locating their lost teammate.

The following morning, Yamato keeps a scheduled meeting while disguised as the puppet master Sasori. The person waiting for him is Kabuto, the informant who has been leaking secrets to the organization. As Yamato steers the conversation toward Orochimaru, he remains unaware that the Sannin himself is quietly watching the entire exchange unfold.

Sakura gives up on making Sai empathize with Naruto's devotion, learning instead that Sai felt nothing when his brother died. Yamato, impersonating Sasori, meets the spy Kabuto and probes for information about Orochimaru. Unseen by Yamato, Orochimaru observes the meeting from concealment.

The installment sits inside the Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission and was collected in volume 32. Viz Media published it under the title The Akatsuki Spy!! It first appeared in the combined issues 4 and 5 of Weekly Shonen Jump for 2006, carrying a release date of January 20, 2006.