After a beautiful, exhausting night, the morning sun finally pierced the window.
Opening his eyes, Saiki, still steeped in the lingering sweetness of the previous night, suddenly bolted upright. The woman who had been tangled with him all night was gone.
He reached out and patted the space beside him; the bedsheets were completely cold.
"No way..." If it weren't for the lingering scent of her perfume on the blankets and in the air, Saiki would have thought the entire night was a dream.
In a mild panic, Saiki expanded his sensory net. He instantly locked onto her familiar chakra signature; she was nearby and moving toward his room. Saiki let out a massive sigh of relief.
His extreme reaction was entirely due to Tsunade's previous unannounced disappearance. The trauma of that event had clearly left him with a bit of PTSD.
A moment later, the door was pushed open. Nono'u walked in, holding a thermos of hot water in one hand and a tray with bread and milk in the other.
(Don't ask why breakfast is bread and milk. Saiki could only assume that while the Shinobi World shared many customs with a certain island nation, it had also aggressively integrated Western dietary habits.)
Opening the door, she saw Saiki sitting rigidly on the bed, staring blankly into space. Nono'u looked surprised.
"Saiki, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick?" Nono'u set the items down and asked with deep concern.
Saiki finally snapped out of his daze and shook his head. "I'm fine. Just woke up, head's a little foggy."
He said he was fine, but Nono'u sensed something was off. She walked to the bed and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. "You don't have a fever. Did you not sleep well?"
As she said it, a blush crept up her own cheeks. She had been thoroughly "tossed around" by Saiki last night. Yet, after being nourished by his unique energy, she looked radiant, her skin glowing with an alluring, healthy vitality.
Seeing Nono'u's shy expression and the genuine worry in her eyes, a warm current flowed through Saiki's chest.
He caught her hand. The real, soft, warm touch of her skin grounded him completely. He smiled, his voice incredibly tender. "I'm fine, Sister Director. I just woke up and saw you weren't here. I thought you had run away!"
Nono'u knew about Tsunade leaving him, though she hadn't connected the dots to his current panic.
She simply assumed her constant rejections had made him insecure. She felt a sharp pang of guilt and heartache.
Nono'u smiled gently and pulled Saiki into a warm embrace. "Why would I run away? Didn't I promise last night that I would stay by your side?"
Despite possessing an adult soul, living in a child's body definitely had a psychological impact. Being held by Nono'u gave him an immense sense of security.
He buried his face in her chest, taking a deep breath. Inhaling her unique fragrance and feeling the steady rhythm of her heartbeat filled him with an indescribable sense of peace.
"You're the best, Sister Director," Saiki mumbled into her embrace, sounding exactly like a boy his physical age.
Seeing this obedient, clingy version of Saiki—a stark contrast to the calm, calculated boy he usually was, or the violently irritable version from the past few days—Nono'u felt this was how a child should act.
But then she remembered how incredibly dominant and mature he had been while "bullying" her in bed last night. Nono'u felt she didn't understand him at all.
They didn't speak for a few minutes, just holding each other tightly.
Finally, she patted his back gently. "Alright, Saiki. Let's eat breakfast. There's a lot to do today."
Hearing this, Saiki remembered Tsunade. After dumping the apocalyptic mess of the village's leadership in her lap yesterday morning, he had slept all day and hadn't gone back last night. He had no idea what the situation at the Hokage Building looked like.
He pulled back from Nono'u's embrace and nodded. "Okay."
After finishing breakfast, Nono'u had to attend to the orphanage. Running the facility was a full-time job. Saiki needed to return to the compound to check on Tsunade, so they said their goodbyes.
"When you go back, be a good boy. Do not cause any more trouble for Lady Tsunade," Nono'u warned him. Even though Saiki's actions had largely been to protect her and the orphanage, his methods were terrifying.
"Uh, I know," Saiki nodded helplessly.
Killing Hiruzen, Danzo, and the other two fossils hadn't exactly been his Plan A.
If they hadn't constantly backed him into a corner... once he killed Danzo, there was no turning back. He had to finish the job. He wouldn't have slaughtered the entire High Command otherwise.
Seeing his helpless expression, Nono'u sighed. Saiki was obedient in many ways, like a good kid.
But he had his own strong convictions. When he decided he was in the right, no amount of lecturing would change his mind.
She reached out and ruffled his hair, her tone apologetic. "Go on. Give my regards to Lady Tsunade. I won't go over and add to her stress."
Saiki nodded and grabbed Nono'u's hand. "Sister Director, you take care of yourself too. If anything happens, send me a signal immediately. In Konoha, I can get to you in seconds."
Nono'u smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. I know."
Saiki hugged her one last time before turning toward the door.
Stepping out of the orphanage, Saiki looked back. Nono'u was standing at the entrance, smiling warmly at him. That lingering sense of insecurity made him ask one last time, "Sister Director... you really won't sneak off, right?"
Nono'u found the question strange but maintained her gentle smile. "I won't."
Receiving her confirmation, Saiki waved goodbye.
"See you later, Sister Director." With a Body Flicker, he vanished from her sight.
Nono'u stared at the empty space where he had stood. After a long moment, she turned and closed the orphanage gates.
Returning to her office, Nono'u sat at her desk, staring blankly ahead as a wave of complex emotions washed over her.
Her intimacy with Saiki last night... she didn't want to admit it, and she knew society would deem it wrong, but she had experienced a level of happiness and fulfillment she had never known.
Given their respective identities and pasts, she knew a public, "normal" future for them was impossible. But she couldn't control her feelings, and she couldn't reject Saiki's overwhelming tenderness.
Right now, she just hoped she could stay by his side a little longer, to feel his warmth for as long as it lasted. Even if there was no "fairy-tale ending," she was already completely satisfied.
With a complex heart, Nono'u began tackling the mountain of paperwork required to run the orphanage.
Meanwhile, Saiki was back on the streets of Konoha—or rather, on the rooftops, moving rapidly while observing the political climate of the village in the wake of his assassination of the Hokage.
The daily lives of the civilians seemed completely unaffected. The patrol squads were making their regular rounds. On the surface, it looked as though nothing had happened.
However, the deaths of the Hokage, his Advisor, and the two Elders had created a colossal power vacuum. There was no way the waters were as calm as they appeared; a massive, invisible undertow was already churning.
Thinking about the inevitable scheming, backstabbing, and political maneuvering for power gave Saiki a headache.
Saiki understood the primary contradiction of the Shinobi World, and he could easily articulate how to solve it in theory. But practical implementation? He had zero political experience. He had no idea how to actually run a government!
Right now, Saiki deeply empathized with Tsunade. Distributing the "bread and milk" of a village economy was a logistical nightmare.
Compared to playing political chess with these clan heads, Saiki would much rather just draw his sword and start killing.