Central Tower, Second Floor Great Hall.
Saiki's performance had given the Leaf's morale a massive boost. Hiruzen Sarutobi was waiting for them with a wide, beaming smile.
Shinku Yuhi gave a respectful nod and stepped aside. Led by Saiki, the group stood before the Hokage. Saiki offered a standard bow. "Lord Hokage."
Shizune, Genhai, Rin, and Kurenai followed suit, offering their greetings.
Scanning the group with a kind smile, Hiruzen's eyes lingered on the three girls crowding around Saiki. He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. "The boy is quite the heartbreaker. Good. That means he has roots in this village."
If Saiki was failing his ideology classes, having "bonds" in the village was the next best way for Hiruzen to ensure his loyalty. He could use those girls to turn Saiki into the perfect blade for Konoha.
As Hiruzen studied them, Saiki felt a sharp, predatory gaze from the side. He looked over to see Fuguki Suikazan, his mouth full of shark teeth, carrying his massive sword.
Their eyes met. Saiki allowed a slow, mocking smirk to play on his lips before casually scanning the other foreign Jonin and returning his focus to Hiruzen.
That bored, arrogant gaze and the confident smirk made Fuguki's face darken with rage. But he was powerless.
Hiruzen was at his peak, and he was surrounded by clan heads like Inoichi and Shikaku. Fuguki was one of the Seven Swordsmen, sure—an elite Jonin—but he wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight here.
He could only glare at Saiki, not even daring to release his killing intent.
The minor exchange didn't go unnoticed by Hiruzen or Shinku. They were both extremely pleased with Saiki's defiance.
Hiruzen's smile remained "grandfatherly," as if he hadn't noticed the tension. "Congratulations on passing the second stage. You have all performed admirably. Go home and rest; wait for further instructions."
Wait for instructions?
Instead of a date for the third stage? Saiki deduced that the one-on-one matches were being scrapped.
Saiki grumbled internally: "Fucking hell. You risked our lives for this exam, and then you summon me just to show me off like a trophy in front of these foreign goons? Give me a break."
Saiki possessed zero "village spirit." He viewed Hiruzen's attempt to use him as a deterrent as petty and a waste of his time.
In Saiki's mind, war was about profit. If a simple exam could stop a World War, the wars never would have started in the first place.
Hiruzen was far too cautious—too much of a "woman" in his politics. Sometimes, Danzo's bluntness was more honest.
Despite his annoyance, Saiki and the others answered with a respectful "Yes, Sir!"
Leaving the tower, guided by a Chunin proctor, the group finally stepped out of the Forest of Death.
"YES! We're out!" Genhai screamed at the top of his lungs the moment they cleared the gates.
Between the sunlight being blotted out, the toxic insects, and the literal piles of apex predators like tigers and bears, the forest was a nightmare.
And it wasn't just the wildlife. Since the village's founding, dozens had died in that forest every year during the exams.
Hundreds of corpses were buried in a ten-kilometer radius. Combined with the oppressive darkness, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Saiki laughed at Genhai's outburst, then turned to Rin and Kurenai. "Are you heading home, or somewhere else?"
Rin looked troubled. "I need to find Sensei Minato first, then look for Obito and the others."
Knowing how much she worried, Saiki could only offer a small comfort. "Don't worry. Maeda and Obito are tough. They'll be fine."
"Mm." Rin gave a weak smile. She was a kind soul; she couldn't just shrug off her teammates' safety like Saiki did.
He turned to Kurenai. "And you?"
Having learned of her teammates' deaths from her father, Kurenai was in a daze. She whispered, "Home. I need to go home. What about you, Saiki?"
"Us? We've been busy for two days. We're going to get some real sleep," Saiki replied.
The group eventually split up, everyone heading toward their respective homes. But when Saiki and Shizune reached the estate, the "Legendary Sucker" was nowhere to be found.
Saiki had used up a lot of chakra and didn't feel like cooking. He sent two clones to tell Kushina and Tsume they had passed, then took Shizune out to a street stall for a quick dinner.
He had killed three squads, an elite Jonin, guarded against the Anbu, and fought Kisame and Mei—all in forty-eight hours without proper rest. He was exhausted.
Saiki believed in a healthy balance. He wasn't a fanatic like Might Guy. For him, a scientific approach with proper recovery was the only way to train.
The sun hadn't even set before Saiki had crawled into bed. Meanwhile, in a game center on Konoha's commercial street...
Clatter!
Clatter!
Tsunade fed a few more coins into the slot machine, pressed a random sequence of buttons, and pulled the lever.
Predictably, she hit the jackpot.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Coins erupted from the machine like a silver fountain. The surrounding crowd cheered with excitement, but the owner looked like he was about to have a heart attack.
Tsunade hadn't just won a little; there were already several massive overflow buckets filled with coins sitting at her feet.
But instead of a smile, Tsunade's face was a mask of absolute, crushing dread.
After winning that money with Saiki the other night, she had assumed it was just the boy's luck. But things had taken a terrifying turn.
Driven by her addiction, she had gone back to the casinos. At first, she had some normal losses, but then... she had started winning. Every. Single. Time. Unless the dealer cheated, she was physically incapable of losing.
Tsunade knew her luck. She was the "Legendary Big Fat Sheep" for a reason.
In her entire life, she had only had two periods of incredible luck. Both times, someone she loved had died—first Nawaki, then Dan Kato. Her "Luck" was a herald of sacrifice. Her current winning streak was so massive it felt like it was powerful enough to blow Konoha off the map.
Leaving the coins where they lay, Tsunade stood up and walked out of the game center, heading straight for a tavern.
Only alcohol could numb the primal fear clawing at her heart. She didn't know what nightmare was about to descend upon her this time.