Saiki looked around the empty hallway. Thank god no one was there; if someone had seen his idiotic, love-struck grin, he would have had to consider murdering the Anbu guards to protect his reputation.
It was just a kiss on the cheek, but this was different. This was the first time Tsunade had initiated physical affection while fully aware of their relationship.
The corners of his mouth refused to stay down. He felt like he could charge through a wall. For Tsunade, he would have charged into a division of ten thousand ninja without a second thought.
Inside the office, Tsunade stood by the window, watching Saiki's triumphant silhouette disappear around the corner of the street. She let out a massive, weary sigh.
The moment the kiss ended, she had regretted it. But seeing him look so dejected earlier had triggered an impulse she couldn't control.
Regret was useless now. She sighed again. Their twisted fate was far from over.
She didn't even notice that while Saiki brought her plenty of headaches, his presence had also erased the decades of crushing grief she had lived with. She had stopped mourning the dead and started worrying about the living. Her relationship with him might be scandalous, but it was the only thing that made her feel alive.
Saiki practically floated down the street. The once-oppressive atmosphere of Konoha suddenly felt vibrant and full of life.
He stopped at a marketplace to buy some snacks and daily supplies for the kids. He had to visit the orphanage before heading back to the front; if he didn't say goodbye to the Director, he knew she'd worry herself sick.
When he reached the orphanage, he was instantly swarmed. To the kids, Saiki was the ultimate "King of Children."
Nono'u Yakushi scolded him gently for wasting money on gifts again, then had the matrons lead the children away. She brought Saiki to her private room.
Once they were alone, she had him sit on the bed. Her hands began to roam over his body, performing a thorough clinical check. Her brow furrowed with a rare look of disapproval. "Saiki... you've really overdone it this time! Storming the Uchiha district alone, fighting the Nine-Tails... how do you always manage to get yourself this broken? Why won't you just listen for once?"
Even though Tsunade had suppressed the details of the Uchiha coup, the sight of a mountain-sized fox in the middle of the village was impossible to hide.
Unlike the future, where the Uchiha were pushed to the outskirts, the current clan occupied a prime piece of real estate in the village's heart. Everyone had seen the fox.
As the "Walking Maiden," Nono'u was a master of intelligence gathering. She still maintained a fragment of the Root's old spy network. She knew exactly what Saiki had done.
Saiki wanted to explain, but he held his tongue. He hadn't actually been injured in the fight; his current "broken" state was entirely due to the extreme energy drain from saving Kushina. He couldn't exactly tell Nono'u he had spent the night cultivating with two different women.
So, he played the role of the repentant child. "Sister Nono'u, I know I was wrong! But it was an emergency. I had no choice!"
Despite the "wicked" things Saiki had done to her during his supposed "chakra rampage," Nono'u still viewed him as a fundamentally good, responsible boy who had simply been pushed to the edge. She had never blamed him for taking her purity.
Seeing him so haggard made her heart bleed. She forgot that this was the same boy who had slaughtered the village elders a week ago—a feat far more terrifying than fighting a fox.
Faced with his "sincere" apology, she sighed helplessly and sat beside him. She pulled his head into her lap, letting him rest against her soft, ample chest.
"Promise me... no more reckless stunts. Okay?" she whispered, stroking his hair.
Breathing in her clean, flowery scent and feeling the warmth of her embrace, Saiki felt a strange sense of peace.
Even though their relationship was intimate, Nono'u still treated him like a child. Her love was a mix of a lover's passion and a mother's devotion.
Among his four women, the dynamics were all over the place. Tsunade viewed him as both a brat and a man; Tsume Inuzuka treated him like a talented student she occasionally indulged; Nono'u viewed him as a precious child; and Kushina... well, that was still a work in progress.
Being a shota among onee-sans was a difficult path. He knew things would get easier once he hit a growth spurt.
Under Nono'u's gentle touch, he simply nodded. "Mm. I understand."
Whether he was agreeing to be safe or just enjoying the view of her cleavage was anyone's guess.
Nono'u was a simple soul; she truly believed he was just exhausted and hurting.
For a rare moment, Saiki's wandering hands stayed still. The atmosphere was so delicate he didn't want to break it.
Then, Nono'u spoke, her voice carrying a hint of shy hesitation. "Saiki... do you... do you need to perform Dual Cultivation again?"
Saiki's heart jumped. He had come here just to say goodbye before the war. Hearing her offer made his pulse quicken.
Even though he had been squeezed dry by Tsunade and Kushina the night before, a few hours of rest had brought his fighting spirit back to life.
He looked up at her and saw the panic in her eyes. He wanted to say yes, but he stopped himself.
He realized that every time he visited her lately, it was for sex. He felt like a scumbag. Was he really just using her as a human battery?
He shook his head. "No, Sister. I'm actually heading back to the front tomorrow. I just wanted to tell you personally."
"What?!" Nono'u gasped, releasing him to stare in shock. "But you just got back! And look at you! You're a ghost! How can you go back to the war like this?"
She was so worried about his health that she completely missed the fact that he had turned down her offer of intimacy—something she had spent several minutes building the courage to ask for.
"I have to," Saiki nodded. "I caused a lot of trouble when I returned. There's a power vacuum at the top, and the enemies are taking advantage of it. If Konoha falls, the consequences for everyone here are unthinkable. I started this fire; I have to be the one to put it out. I won't let anything happen to you."
"But..." Nono'u started.
Saiki gave her a brilliant, confident smile. "It's okay. I'm tired, but I'm still the strongest person on the planet. No one can touch me. I'll be back before you know it."
Looking at his radiant smile, Nono'u realized she couldn't stop him. She wasn't a little girl; she was a woman who understood the world. She steeled her resolve.
"Then we have to perform Dual Cultivation now. We need to get you as strong as possible before tomorrow! No more playing around—we have to be serious!"
Hearing the gentle, saint-like Nono'u demand a "serious" sex session nearly made Saiki choke. But his heart warmed.
"Sister, I didn't come here just for that..."
Nono'u silenced him with a tender look. She had already thought through the ethical dilemma. "Don't be nervous. I know you're a good boy, Saiki. I know you don't just view us as objects for your desire."
Saiki felt his face heat up in genuine shame. He wasn't just a lecher, but he definitely was a lecher.