Even though Saiki had surrendered, Tsunade's fury did not dissipate easily.
"A metaphor?!" Tsunade hissed, her voice vibrating with suppressed rage. "You're making jokes at a time like this?! You..."
She took a sharp breath, her fist clenching as if she were seconds away from punching him. The vein in her temple throbbed, but she forced herself to stay her hand. "Stop being so slick! Tell me everything you know about this... this 'collection game' and how likely it is. Speak clearly!"
She glared at Saiki with a look that promised absolute pain if he wasted another second of her time.
Saiki knew the truth, but it wasn't time to reveal the full scope of the Eye of the Moon plan yet. He played it off with a casual shrug. "Ah, Sister Tsunade, that's as far as my intuition goes. But don't worry, I'll find the Nine-Tails and bring it back to you. For now, tell me—how is the front line?"
He intentionally provoked her a little to draw her mind away from her internal stress. When he had walked in, her brow was knitted so tight it looked like it was tied in a knot.
The mention of the front line caused the flush of anger on Tsunade's face to fade into a somber mask. She reached out and handed him the top-most scroll on her desk. "See for yourself."
Despite her verbal resistance to their relationship, her heart already viewed him as her primary support. She didn't hesitate to give him a highly classified war report.
As Saiki unrolled the scroll, Tsunade's pent-up frustration began to pour out. "Two nights ago! The joint forces of the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Rain launched a sneak attack on our camp in the Land of Grass. Onoki and Hanzo of the Salamander are leading the charge personally. Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze managed to hold them back, but our losses are staggering..."
Saiki stared at the document in silence. The Rain Village is supposed to be neutral... how did they hook up with the Stone? And why did the Stone deploy both the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki at once?
He finally understood why Tsunade looked like she was drowning in despair.
The scroll contained an urgent plea for reinforcements. However, Saiki had just personally purged Hiruzen Sarutobi and the three other Elders, along with the elites of their clans. The Uchiha had just attempted a coup. Konoha's internal strength was hollowed out. There was no one left to send.
Looking at Tsunade's weary face, Saiki offered a gentle smile. "Ah, Sister Tsunade, you've really been carrying the weight of the world. But don't worry. I'll head to the front tomorrow. Everything will be fine."
Tsunade didn't even stop to think before snapping back, "No! Your body hasn't recovered yet!"
Saiki's lips curved into a confident smirk. "Are you worrying about me, Sister? That makes me so happy! But you can relax. Thanks to your 'strenuous efforts' helping me last night, I'm almost back to 100%. If you're still worried, we can just 'work harder' together tonight."
Faced with his teasing, the memory of her and Kushina serving this little bastard together last night flooded her mind. Her face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. She crushed the erotic thought instantly. "No. You aren't going. I'll find another way."
She remembered how close Saiki had come to dying the night before. The trauma of seeing him that weak was still fresh. She couldn't bear to let him go back into the meat grinder.
Saiki sighed. It was a headache. He hadn't fully recovered his Sage Chakra, but as long as he wasn't facing a peak Madara or Hashirama, there was no one in the current era who could stand against him when he went all out.
"Another way? Look at yourself, Tsunade. You're at your wits' end. I said I'm going, and I have a plan. Perhaps consuming some Tailed Beast chakra will actually speed up my recovery."
It was true. After pinning the Nine-Tails and thrashing the Eight-Tails, Saiki had gained a faint understanding of his ability to devour and refine their energy.
However, he preferred natural energy and celestial essence. He was always a bit wary that absorbing too much Tailed Beast chakra might lead to Kaguya Otsutsuki attempting a revival through his body.
But to convince Tsunade, he had to play that card.
"What did you say?" Tsunade looked at him with pure skepticism. "Tailed Beast chakra? Are you insane?! Do you think that's something you can just use whenever you want? You saw what it did to Kushina! Do you think Tailed Beasts just hand their power out for free?"
"Sister, don't change the subject," Saiki said with absolute confidence. "Just say yes. As for whether the chakra is hard to get... ask the Nine-Tails or the Eight-Tails. They were both howling for mercy by the time I was done with them."
Tsunade choked on her rebuttal.
He was right. This brat... actually had the capital to be arrogant.
He had humiliated the Nine-Tails twice and the Eight-Tails once. His strength wasn't a boast; it was a proven, bloody fact.
"You..." She opened her mouth to argue, but the words failed her.
She knew the state of the village better than anyone. Jiraiya was tied down elsewhere. Her best combatants had been purged by Saiki himself. The Uchiha were traitors. The village was an empty shell.
The front line was collapsing. No matter how strong Orochimaru and Minato were, they couldn't stand alone against Onoki's Particle Style, Hanzo's poison, and two Jinchuriki.
Saiki was quite literally the only card she had left that could flip the board.
But her worry was like a vine wrapping around her heart, squeezing her until she couldn't breathe. She remembered how pale he was last night—how he looked like a glass doll that would shatter if she touched him. She had lost so much already; she couldn't lose Saiki.
"But..." Tsunade's voice was low, carrying a faint, uncontrollable tremor. She wanted to refuse, but she didn't know how. She couldn't bring herself to say she was terrified of losing him.
In a rare moment of vulnerability, the legendary Sannin looked weak and helpless.
Seeing her hesitation, Saiki stepped closer. "But what?"
His tone took on a dominant, protective edge. "The front line can't wait. Every second we delay, Konoha's blood is spilled. Sister, you aren't the Hokage yet, but you are Hashirama's granddaughter. You love this village more than anyone. You know this isn't the time for doubt."
His words hit her like a hammer to the chest. Yes. She was a Senju. Her grandfather and brother had died for this soil. Her personal terror had to surrender to the survival of the village.
Her clenched fists slowly relaxed. Her knuckles, previously white from the strain, regained their color, leaving deep red indentations in her palms.
Silence reclaimed the office.
The sunlight shifted, casting long shadows across Tsunade's exquisite profile. The internal struggle was etched into every line of her face.
She looked at the boy before her. He was still physically weak from his injuries, yet his smile was so tender and his eyes were as sharp as drawn blades. His confidence was infectious. She knew he was lazy at heart, but for her, he was willing to go to hell and back. It made her heart ache and soar simultaneously.
"Promise me," Tsunade said, her voice heavy with a weight she had never used before. It was almost a plea. "Do not push yourself. If things look bad, retreat immediately. Your life is more important than a single battle."
"Of course," Saiki replied, his familiar, rogue-like grin returning. "I'm not ready to leave your tender embrace yet, Sister. I won't die until you've officially accepted me as your man."
Unwittingly, Saiki had planted a classic "death flag." But to him, unless an Otsutsuki descended from the moon tonight, there was nothing in this world that truly threatened his life.
The flirtatious confession acted like a warm current, instantly evaporating the somber gloom of the office.
Tsunade froze, then a deep blush crawled up her cheeks. Her worry was momentarily drowned out by a wave of bashful irritation.
She gave him a murderous look, wanting to scold him, but the words turned into a soft, nasal huff.
"Hmph! You smooth-talking little bastard!" She turned her head away, but her shoulders finally slumped in relaxation. The silence was her consent.