The irritable Saiki spared them one last look before returning to his rice balls and ham.
Only the physical satisfaction of a full stomach could suppress the jagged edges of his mood.
Shinku wore a look of deep apology, while Jiraiya merely smiled and shook his head.
They walked away in silence. Once they were clear of the trees, Shinku whispered, "I am truly sorry, Lord Jiraiya. Saiki is usually very well-behaved, but he's far too young to be dealing with this level of slaughter."
"Don't worry about it. He performed better than anyone could have asked," Jiraiya replied with uncharacteristic gravity.
Had Danzo been the one Saiki snapped at, blood would have been spilled.
Jiraiya added a final instruction. "He's in a volatile state. Let him be. Don't provoke him. Keep an eye on him tomorrow, and if he's still acting out, we'll need to provide some counseling."
It was a standard procedure for new recruits.
Jiraiya was concerned as a leader, but also because of the sheer, crushing pressure Saiki had emitted—if a kid that strong went rogue from a mental break, it would be a catastrophe.
And of course, there was the Tsunade factor.
Tsunade was Jiraiya's teammate and his lifelong crush. Her brother and lover were already buried in the graveyard; Jiraiya didn't want to see her "brother" follow them.
Relieved that Jiraiya wasn't offended, Shinku bowed. "Thank you for your understanding, Lord Jiraiya."
In reality, Shinku's relief was misplaced. Since Saiki had already claimed Tsunade for himself, he and Jiraiya were never going to be friends. Saiki was more likely to challenge him to a duel than seek his counsel.
Jiraiya was a busy man. He had a war to run.
He had only come to see the boy because of the "hundred-man slaughter" and the connection to Tsunade.
A rookie who breaks an entire offensive on his first night is a variable every commander needs to understand.
After a few more words, Jiraiya returned to the command tent.
When Shinku returned to the clearing, he saw that Saiki had devoured a spread of food that could have fed fifteen grown men.
He marveled silently. Power has a price. No wonder he eats like that.
Saiki clearly wasn't in the mood for talk, so Shinku quietly guided him to a bunk in the camp.
The sun eventually rose, and the night of blood was over.
Saiki didn't crawl out of his bunk until noon.
The camp was too loud, and with the tension of the front lines, he hadn't slept well.
His overdeveloped sensory skills were a curse in a place like this. Every set of footsteps or shouted order nearby jolted him awake.
He looked worse than he had last night.
Since the war began, the Leaf had been in a state of constant retreat. The entire unit was physically and mentally spent.
Fortunately, the camp was organized. Most combat personnel were given the morning to rest and train unless they were on perimeter duty.
Because of his achievement last night, Saiki was left entirely alone. No one dared to disturb the "Thunder Fang."
Listening to the bustling camp, Saiki sat cross-legged on his cot.
He began to circulate his Qi, harmonizing his internal "Dragon and Tiger."
As the Pre-natal Qi absorbed the natural energy of the air, his pallor improved and his eyes regained their clarity.
"I really shouldn't slack off on my meditation," Saiki noted.
Proper cultivation was infinitely more effective at restoring his body than a simple nap.
The camp grew even louder outside. Just as Saiki finished his session, Shinku Yuhi entered the tent.
Seeing Saiki looking refreshed, Shinku let out a long sigh of relief.
He delivered the news: the rest of the reinforcement unit had arrived.
While Saiki's elite group of 300 had sprinted ahead, the remaining 700—including Genhai and Tsume—had finally caught up.
A thousand fresh troops and a massive shipment of supplies were a godsend for the bedraggled front line.
While Jiraiya and Shikaku Nara handled the logistics and command hand-off, Saiki used his perception to find his original team.
"Saiki! BOSS!"
Genhai and Kurenai's voices rang out the moment they spotted him. They had been worried sick since he'd been taken by the elite vanguard.
"Ah, you guys finally made it. Faster than I expected," Saiki greeted them with a genuine smile.
Shinku Yuhi stood nearby, watching his "little princess" run to Saiki first without even looking at her father.
He sighed inwardly. She's really growing up.
Saiki didn't share Shinku's complex emotions. Rejoining his friends had finished the job of settling his mood.
He turned to Tsume Inuzuka, who was watching him with a wide grin. "Safe trip, Sensei?"
"Smooth as silk. What about you?"
As their instructor, Tsume had been anxious the whole way. Seeing him unharmed, she let out a massive breath.
"It went well. The Cloud pulled back last night," Saiki said, choosing to leave out the part where he turned a field into a slaughterhouse.
War was a heavy topic, and the relief on their faces was palpable.
They had been marching under the shadow of an immediate, bloody engagement the moment they arrived. Hearing they had a reprieve was a massive weight off their shoulders.
"Dad! Are you okay?" Kurenai finally remembered to greet her father.
Shinku wanted to roll his eyes and complain that Saiki had taken all her attention, but he was a total "daughter-fool." He just smiled and said, "I'm fine, sweetie."
Shinku was genuinely worried she was exhausted, but he just gestured for them to follow. "Come on. You've all had a long march."
After Tsume handled the administrative check-in, the squad gathered in the same clearing where Saiki had eaten his "PTSD meal" the night before.
Ninja organization was relatively fluid, centered around three-man cells. In a massive battle, commanders issued general orders, but the survival of the squad depended entirely on the skill and experience of the captain.
Saiki realized after last night's brawl why they didn't use rigid military formations.
Ninja were too mobile and possessed too much destructive output; standing in a line was just begging to be wiped out by a single high-level Ninjutsu.
With the main force here, Saiki was officially returned to Team Tsume.
It was a decision made by Shinku and approved by Jiraiya.
Saiki had the power, but he lacked the desire to lead. Tsume filled that gap. With Saiki in the squad, their survival rate was essentially guaranteed.
And Shinku wanted his daughter near the strongest protector available.
Jiraiya had originally planned to move Saiki to a specialized elite strike team, but Shinku had convinced him that rejoining his original friends would be the best way to stabilize the boy's "fragile" emotions. Jiraiya had agreed.