Saiki's silhouette vanished from the cave mouth. Tsume let out a long breath, her mind a whirlpool of conflicting emotions.
She stood up slowly and began to clean herself up.
Technically, she didn't need to. Saiki's Qi had "washed" their bodies during the circulation, purging impurities and leaving their skin as smooth and clean as silk. She only had to deal with the "muddy riverbed" aftermath.
Knowing someone was coming, she performed a rushed cleanup and started dressing.
Bra, panties, undershirt—everything went on fine. But when she reached for her pants, she realized they were far too small.
Tsume stared at the fabric and let out a helpless laugh. These were clearly Saiki's pants. In his panic, he had grabbed hers and run out.
She looked at the cave mouth. She had no choice.
Tsume pulled them on. They were skin-tight, but she was only 1.59m (5'2") to Saiki's 1.4m (4'7"). Since women generally had smaller frames, she managed to squeeze into them.
She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and turned to the ruined mattress.
She began to fold the damp sheets, tidying her own internal state as she cleared the physical wreckage.
Whatever happened tonight... she'd treat it as a beautiful dream.
Outside, the winter sun did nothing to alleviate the frost. The wind had only grown more violent.
Walking into the gale was a struggle; a normal person would have been knocked flat.
The culprit was the massive black vortex still swirling overhead, looking like a demonic maw ready to swallow the Land of Iron.
"Lord Okisuke! The pressure has vanished, but the source is right ahead!" Urakaku shouted over the wind.
"I see it." Okisuke, dressed in full battle-ready samurai gear, nodded. Among the warriors of the Land of Iron, he was second only to Mifune himself. "Stay alert! Weapons ready!"
They cleared a ridge, only to find their path blocked. Standing in their way was a single boy in relatively thin clothing.
Despite the screaming wind, the boy looked entirely unbothered by the cold. He stood there, his feet leaving no tracks in the snow, his messy hair dancing in the gale. He watched them with a flat, bored expression.
Who else could it be but Saiki?
Looking at the armored samurai, Saiki broke into a wide, toothy grin. "Can I help you gentlemen with something?"
A ten-year-old boy, standing with total composure while radiating an aura of overwhelming power. The samurai felt a collective jolt of alarm.
Urakaku gripped his hilt, his eyes narrowing as he studied the child.
In a world of Ninjutsu, only a fool judged a book by its cover.
Saiki's dark eyes seemed to pierce through their armor to their very souls. His confidence made them hesitate.
To stand before an army like this required either absolute strength or absolute stupidity. Until they knew which one Saiki was, any movement was a risk.
"Greetings. We are the Samurai of the Land of Iron. Who are you, and why are you trespassing on this peak?" Urakaku demanded.
Saiki replied with total, disarming honesty, "Hi. I'm Saiki. Just passing through."
Urakaku's brow furrowed. "A traveler? Alone in a mountain blizzard? And that pressure... he's lying."
He looked at Okisuke. "Orders, Sir?"
Okisuke's eyes were like flint. "Stay sharp. Courtesy first, steel second."
He stepped forward. "Saiki-kun. This is restricted territory of the Land of Iron. Your presence here is a breach of security. Furthermore, that... phenomenon in the sky. Do you know anything about it?"
Saiki looked up at the vortex. He'd just been absorbing natural energy; he hadn't expected to trigger a meteorological event. It was a bit of a headache.
"The sky? Ah, right. That was my fault. I messed up a bit," Saiki explained casually. "I don't have any bad intentions. I just... lost control of a jutsu. It was an accident."
Okisuke's gaze sharpened. Saiki was telling the truth, but that was the problem. Saiki's aura was strong, but a child who could accidentally create a funnel-cloud of that magnitude was a threat that defied logic.
The master samurai calculated his odds before speaking. "In that case, Saiki-dono, I must ask you to accompany us back to the capital to provide a full explanation."
An explanation?
Saiki didn't have time for that.
These guys had interrupted his time with Tsume. They were lucky he hadn't killed them already.
Saiki let out a short, sharp laugh. He scanned the unit, his voice dropping an octave. "I said: I ended up here by accident, and I caused the mess by accident. I appreciate the invite, but I think I'll pass on the city tour."
As he spoke, he allowed his Spiritual Sense to flare. An invisible, crushing weight radiated from him, forcing the samurai to take an involuntary step back.
The air seemed to freeze solid. Saiki's eyes remained calm, but they held an undisputed authority.
Saiki was a cultivator who had entered the Dao; he possessed a biological advantage over these mortals. Furthermore, after the butchery of the last few days, he carried a dense, bloody "" (killing aura) that only comes from mountains of corpses.
The samurai felt the shift in the air. Their hands began to shake.
Urakaku tightened his grip on his blade, ready to fight for his life, but Okisuke raised a hand to signal a retreat.
Okisuke and Urakaku were veterans. They knew a monster when they saw one. Okisuke spoke slowly. "Saiki-dono, you misunderstand. We are not making demands. We have a duty to ensure the safety of our borders. If this was indeed a training accident, then so be it. Your strength is undeniable, but we have rules."
Saiki's gaze cooled. "I understand duty. But rules should be flexible. I've told you what happened. It's clear enough. If you keep pushing for a fight, you're going to get one. And you won't like it."
He allowed his presence to expand further. It was a silent declaration: Keep talking, and I'll bury you in this snow. The samurai traded looks of pure dread. Okisuke sighed and nodded. "If you insist, Saiki-dono, we will drop the matter for today. But I ask that you leave our territory as soon as possible. The Land of Iron is a neutral nation; we wish to avoid further misunderstandings."
Okisuke's tone had softened into a request. He signaled his men to stand down. The tension in the air evaporated as Saiki retracted his aura, allowing the samurai to finally take a full breath.