Land of Iron, Furuki Town!
Furuki was a settlement located not far from the nation's capital.
The winters here were defined by heavy snows that sealed the mountain passes, but the locals were long since acclimated to the biting frost.
This morning was no different from any other winter day—freezing, with a fresh, thick layer of snow having blanketed the streets overnight.
Fortunately, if there was no urgent business, the townspeople were allowed to sleep in.
Inside a grand samurai estate, the master of the house—a high-ranking official—had also taken the liberty of rising late to avoid the morning chill.
After his morning ablutions, a servant delivered a hot breakfast. Just as the official sat down for his morning tea, a messenger arrived.
"Urakaku? What brings you here so early?"
The official looked up, surprised by the sudden visit.
"Good morning, Lord Okisuke. There appears to be a situation at Nara Mountain." The samurai spoke while clutching his gas-mask helmet, his silver-plated armor glinting in the dim light. A katana hung prominently at his hip.
"A situation?" The official's casual smile vanished, replaced by a look of stern gravity.
"Please follow me to the rear courtyard, Lord Okisuke. You can see it from there," Urakaku replied.
Okisuke didn't wait for an explanation. He stood up, grabbed his prized tachi from its ceremonial stand on the table, and marched toward the courtyard with a steady, disciplined gait.
One look upward told him everything he needed to know.
Nara Mountain was a massive, imposing peak. From the courtyard, one could normally see the full majesty of its snow-capped summit.
Okisuke had seen the mountain a thousand times, but the current state of the sky above it left him breathless.
In the distance, the white peaks pierced the heavens, but a gargantuan, dense layer of black clouds had gathered directly over the summit, looking as though it were heavy enough to crush the mountain into the earth.
But the clouds weren't just sitting there. They had formed a massive, swirling funnel—a literal "hole" in the sky—through which an immense energy seemed to be funneling directly into the mountain itself.
"What kind of omen is this?" Okisuke muttered, his brow furrowed. He could sense a faint, unnatural pressure even from this distance.
"The shape and the movement... it doesn't look natural, Sir." Urakaku stood behind him, his eyes filled with professional concern.
Anyone with basic experience knew that while mountains often had mist, they didn't create localized, spiraling super-storms that touched the summit like a physical umbilical cord.
"Obviously," Okisuke said, turning back toward the house. "We need to investigate. Notify the Peacekeeping Unit. Prepare to move out immediately."
He barked the order, and the samurai nodded before vanishing.
"Yes, Sir!"
As Urakaku disappeared around the corner, Okisuke headed for his dressing room to change into gear suitable for the blizzard.
He tied his sash with practiced ease and threw on a heavy black cloak, ensuring his equipment was perfectly secured.
The view from the town was shocking, but the scene inside a cave halfway up the mountain was even more staggering.
Saiki and Tsume were currently in a valley on the side of the peak, facing away from the town. In the pitch-black struggle of the previous night, Tsume hadn't possessed the strength to carry Saiki to the side with a view of civilization.
Inside the cave, the "treatment" hadn't stopped; it had only intensified.
The roles of Saiki and Tsume had been in constant flux. First, she had been the reluctant doctor; then Saiki had become the passionate aggressor. As the second round began, Saiki maintained his initial fervor before Tsume eventually took the lead again.
The cave was thick with the scent of stone-flowers, the silence broken by the rhythmic smack-smack of skin and the wet squelch of a hard-working pump.
On the mattress, Saiki sat cross-legged. Had his hands not been busy with other things, he would have looked like a monk in deep meditation.
Tsume was straddled over him, her arms wrapped around his neck. To make her "cultivation" easier, Saiki's hands were braced under her two massive, fleshy peaches, lifting and guiding her movements. They were locked in the Joyous Union posture, a Tantric pose of absolute emotional and physical surrender.
Tsume's breath was a series of frantic gasps, while beads of sweat rolled down Saiki's forehead. Their movements were a desperate battle of endurance; both were gritting their teeth to hold the peak.
A white cloud drifted over their heads, and a shimmering "lake" of energy appeared beneath them. The Yin and Yang forces manifested as the Golden Crow and Jade Rabbit, the sun and moon rising and setting in an artificial ocean as they harmonized their internal energies. The natural energy of the heavens was being sucked into the Auspicious Cloud, filtered, and pumped into their bodies to nourish their cells.
Hours seemed to pass. Tsume, despite her ripeness and her Inuzuka vitality, was not the architect of this ritual. She was the first to break.
The rhythm of the "clapping" accelerated to a frantic tempo. Their breathing became a single, shared roar. The cycle of the sun and moon hit a fever pitch.
"Nngh! Ahhh! Yes!" Tsume clung to Saiki, her voice breaking into a sob of pure ecstasy. Saiki used his final reserves to hoist her peaches high before letting them slam down one last time. They both seized up, clinging to each other as they shuddered through a violent, terminal eruption. They stayed that way for a long time, simply trying to remember how to breathe.
Eventually, Tsume released her grip. Nourished by the Pre-natal Qi Saiki had channeled through her, she didn't feel the same crushing fatigue as before. She felt invigorated, her spirit bright.
They had enjoyed themselves, but Saiki was unaware of the "side effects." His massive intake of natural energy had disturbed the atmosphere so violently that it had created the spiraling vortex of clouds Okisuke had seen.
The Land of Iron peacekeepers were already closing in.
Looking at the handsome, peaceful face of the boy before her, Tsume felt no regret. She only felt a pang of melancholy—if only they had met when she was younger.
She reached out to gently caress Saiki's cheek. Seeing her look so lost in thought, Saiki caught her hand. "Sensei Tsume? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she replied with a small, weary smile.
She snapped back to reality, realizing she was being foolish. She was a married woman; he was a child with a brilliant future. She couldn't let her own selfish feelings ruin him. This had to remain a beautiful, isolated memory.
Saiki's perception was elite, but it tracked "Malice" and "Intent." He couldn't read a woman's silent, self-sacrificing vows.
"So... how are you feeling, Sensei?" Saiki asked. His previous sessions had been too chaotic to actually measure the results. He was genuinely curious.
Tsume couldn't put it into words immediately. The "sword" Saiki had been tempering inside her was finally empty of its "Qi," but it was already showing signs of a renewed fighting spirit. She felt it clearly.
She knew they had to stop. If they didn't, Saiki would burn himself out. "I feel... fine. I need to get up first."
Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she slowly stood up.
With a wet POP, the seal was broken. Squelch!
The "floodwaters" that had been trapped in the muddy riverbed, along with the "seeds" that hadn't found their mark, suddenly cascaded out.
Her legs were still like jelly. Tsume took a step back, lost her balance, and fell back onto the mattress with a heavy thud.
Looking at the sheets now drenched in clear fluids and his own creamy essence, Saiki stared at Tsume—specifically at the source of the spill. The "radish hole" was still gaped open, struggling to close.
Noticing his stare, Tsume clamped her knees together. "What are you looking at, you brat?! Turn around!"
"Right! Sorry!" Saiki nodded quickly. He wasn't bothered—he'd seen it all—but the sheer "mess" they'd made was impressive even to him.
He centered his mind and expanded his perception toward the cave mouth. His brow instantly furrowed. People were approaching.
"Sensei, stay here. I need to handle something!" Saiki scrambled for his clothes, dressed in a blur of motion, and sprinted out of the cave.