oml.. had to regurgitate this beautifully written piece.. and replenish myself with a good dosage of kitten and puppies pictures.. *phew...
to criticize the writing? im not worthy.. but. the feels.. ah man..

the writer is absolutely right. it's sad that theres not much depth shown into Sai's resolve from breaking away the clutches of his Root's life.. (i think theres that 1 sai-centric ep.. but thats just recap of his bonds in team7)

Even with his newfound bonds with team7 and konoha11.. it's sad that theres no one he could confide with about his nightmares and guilt. he faces them alone and lets himself be tortured by the pain to ease his concious (ah! such a deppresing thought!) ...so badly that he could only sleep after exhausting his chakra reserve..

the ending part.. in its brevity speaks volume as well.. his unreached smile mirrors the broken mechanism necessary to grasping his freedom.

Your note by the end of the story is spot on. His character is all sorts of awkward and silly especially when he tries to blend in with people. What they forget is that he's had a long way to turn out as the person they know now, not thinking about just how much it took for him to be a seemingly perfect soldier- emotionless and without identity. An unnamed pawn, but still terrifying because that meant underneath the awkward smile and cringe moments is a trained killer who's seen and heard more than most people, and who will continue to see and hear them in the next years especially in the moments when he has nothing left to do otherwise. It's not alright, but it's there. And instead fans take his character lightly, seeing he's overshadowed by people with larger than life personalities anyway.

Ah, well. I've always found myself drawn to minor characters than the main protagonists, so I'm not surprised I'm a biased for Sai. But still. Guy deserves something better than playing the role of the replacement/comic relief/fifth wheel to the original team seven.

That was interesting. I have seriously thought about the fact that Sai was an assassin, but yet, I have never written about it. But you're right. Those are the emotions that are hidden by that fact smile. And until he can work out those emotions, he can never find true happiness.

Wow - deep! But well done. Can't wait to read your next story!

honestly i feel im missing something as i read this... iv read it 3 times and i still feel im not getting it all lol. perhaps watching mice run in circles is sai's equivalent of counting sheep? AND! is that last line somewhat of a double meaning? working on his smile is initially understood, but sai's ability to take everything at face also makes me believe he is working on driving naruto nuts lmao. interesting read, provoked more thinking time than i spent reading the whole thing _

WOW! I had never thought of this in regards to Sai and his new found/resurected emotions and how they have affected his outlook on what he has done in the past as a Root ANBU compared to the present. Very Dark. Love it! As always! :)

"He's free to say anything, free to talk about everything"

I thought that was pretty wording. and I liked the part where you talk about how freedom of speech also includes freedom to keep silent.

heheh I find it funny that you and I both posted darkish Sai one shots at around the same time. Guess I was just in the mood. :)

I liked this fic a lot, it was certainly darker then you normally write. You've got some good undertones here.

I also like how you have made the 'good guys' the 'bad guys' I mean I know he needs to tell the Hokage and them about Danzo but. . . Poor Sai! I felt so bad for him here.
I thought the ending with the smile was wonderful. While Naruto and Sakura were cleaning ponds, catching lost pets and trying to get bells from their sensei, Sai was doing assassin work all along. They just don't get it.

well done.

I like the theme - the connection between freedom and responsibility. How conscience jumps on people on their off-days, when they are supposed to relax. Using ink mice as a sleeping pill is a great detail, and I've only read three of your stories so far, but I hope that strong ending sentences that make an impact are your trademark. :)
Also it's nice to see people experiment with writing techniques in fanfiction. :)

Nice story. I liked the reveals at the end – the mouse's purpose and the effects of Sai's thoughts.

Seriously? You were working on a crack fic when the idea for this came up? Well, that just bumps you up a few notches in my "Awesome Authors" list. I really like how you wrote this oneshot. There's just something about it that intrigues me. Not bad for your first angst-themed story. I absolutely adore it.