The basic first aid for Shinku Yuhi's wound was finished quickly. Shortly after, Tsume Inuzuka finally arrived on the scene.
"Sensei Tsume!" Kurenai and Genhai cried out in relief upon seeing her.
Tsume scanned the clearing. The enemies were dead, and it was obvious from the cuts that Saiki was the one who had killed them; he had made it back just in time.
She had no idea why Minato Namikaze was here. However, seeing that Genhai and Kurenai were safe after Saiki had told her they were being hunted, she let out a long breath of relief. She smiled and nodded at them. "I'm glad you're all okay."
"Boss got here right on time. We're fine," Genhai grinned.
"Mm." Tsume glanced at Saiki and gave him a subtle nod before turning to greet Minato. "Minato-san. What brings you out here?"
Minato offered a warm smile. "Our mission was actually to find you, Tsume-senpai. I'm glad to see you're both safe."
"Is that so? Thank you for your trouble," Tsume replied graciously.
"Sensei!" The voices of Obito Uchiha and the rest of the squad echoed from the trees. A moment later, Kakashi, Rin, and Obito dropped into the clearing.
Seeing Saiki standing there, Obito immediately blurted out, "Oh, Saiki! You're not dead yet?!"
Ever since they learned Saiki was missing, Rin had been acting like a ghost—barely eating, constantly distracted, and staring off into space. Seeing her like that had caused Obito to curse Saiki's name a thousand times in his head over the past few days.
Rin, whose face had instantly lit up with overwhelming joy and relief upon seeing Saiki, whipped her head around at Obito's comment. Before Saiki could even react, she scolded him sharply, "Obito! How can you say something so awful to Saiki?!"
Being scolded by his crush instantly deflated Obito. Still fundamentally a naive, good-hearted kid, he realized he was out of line and meekly apologized.
Even Kakashi muttered, "Idiot," under his breath. This instantly caused Obito to flare up again. "Who are you calling an idiot, Kakashi?!"
The two rivals looked ready to start brawling again. Kakashi merely shot him a dead-fish stare before his visible eye drifted toward the corpses littering the ground. He then glanced at Minato, and finally at Saiki and the new sword at his waist.
Before graduation, Saiki hadn't displayed any overwhelming talent, and Kakashi had only interacted with him a few times; his impression of the boy was minimal. But based on the intel they had received for this mission, combined with the grisly aftermath he was looking at right now, Kakashi had a drastically revised assessment of Saiki's combat power.
More importantly, Kakashi was starting to feel a flicker of genuine irritation toward Saiki. It was one thing for the boy to use a sword, but to earn the moniker "Thunder Fang of the Leaf"—a title uncomfortably similar to his father's "White Fang of the Leaf"—rubbed Kakashi the wrong way.
Saiki wasn't close with Kakashi or Obito, but seeing Rin's visible excitement, he smiled and greeted her. "It's been a while, Rin!"
"Yes! It's been so long. Saiki, are you hurt?" Rin asked, her voice trembling slightly with concern.
Even though it was obvious Saiki had just effortlessly slaughtered several Cloud ninja, Rin was still fixated on the reports of his disappearance a few days ago, terrified that he was hiding some grievous injury.
"Ah, I'm fine! Never better!" Saiki replied with a bright, reassuring laugh.
Rin had immediately started chatting with Saiki the moment she arrived. Kurenai, who was currently supporting her wounded father, hadn't even had the chance to say a proper word to him yet!
A flash of distinct displeasure crossed Kurenai's pretty face.
Saiki naturally noticed the dynamic between Kurenai and Rin. At that exact moment, he felt Tsume's gaze land on him. Caught in a three-way crossfire, he could only offer a helpless, awkward, yet polite smile.
Tsume's gaze swept over him quickly, making sure not to linger lest Shinku or Minato notice anything unusual.
Even though she had already crossed the ultimate line with Saiki, Tsume constantly reminded herself that a real future between them was impossible. Seeing the young girls harboring obvious crushes on him didn't bother her—it was natural for a boy his age—but she couldn't deny the faint, bitter sting of sourness in her heart.
Shinku's wound had only received field dressing, and it wasn't safe to linger. After disposing of the bodies, the combined group began the trek back to the Leaf command camp.
"Saiki, what kind of Sword Style was that back there?" With her father being supported by Minato, Kurenai finally couldn't hold back and inserted herself into the conversation alongside Rin.
Looking at the excited young girl, Saiki didn't want to burst her bubble, but he answered honestly. "I just swung the sword as fast as I possibly could. It wasn't any specific 'Sword Style'."
Kurenai had wanted to start a conversation, but Saiki's blunt honesty instantly killed the topic. She didn't know what to do with the intense admiration she felt for how he had instantly executed all those Cloud ninja.
But then Saiki continued, "What people call 'Sword Style' is really just a collection of basic slashes and thrusts. True masters don't rely on rigid forms. If you have a set form, your opponent can find a way to break it."
Using the philosophical logic of Dugu Jiujian (a legendary, formless sword art from wuxia lore) which sounded incredibly profound—and was, in fact, quite practical—Saiki bluffed his way through.
However, those who were actually paying attention took his words to heart. Kakashi, for instance, looked thoughtful, as if he had just gained a new perspective, while Obito forgot the words the moment he heard them.
As for the two girls, although they didn't really understand the martial philosophy, it didn't stop them from looking at Saiki as if he had just revealed the secrets of the universe.
Minato, while seemingly engrossed in conversation with Shinku and Tsume, was also listening closely to Saiki. After all, the wind-slash Saiki had launched at him wasn't something just anyone could casually deflect.
Having discussed his combat performance, Rin asked curiously, "Saiki, where have you been these past few days?"
An hour later, Saiki, Tsume, and Minato's squad arrived at the Leaf command camp on the Cloud front. They headed straight for the command center to report the Cloud scout infiltration and the safe return of the missing duo.
News of their arrival had reached the command tent before they did. Just as Saiki and the others reached the entrance, the tent flap was thrown open by a figure wearing a green haori with the kanji for "Gamble" on the back. She strode out with heroic, imposing momentum.
Her eyes locked onto Saiki instantly. Seeing her, Saiki beamed, fully intending to offer a cheerful greeting.
But Tsunade didn't say a word. She closed the distance in three massive strides and yanked Saiki into a bone-crushing hug. Saiki's face was slammed directly into the deep, pale cleavage between her massive breasts.
Jiraiya, who had followed her out of the tent, witnessed the scene and nearly underwent cellular mitosis from pure, unfiltered jealousy.
Kurenai, Rin, and Shizune (who was standing behind Tsunade) watched Tsunade smother Saiki in her majestic, awe-inspiring cleavage. They then subconsciously glanced down at their own flat, un-developed chests. All three girls blushed furiously, but their eyes were filled with burning envy. When will we get that big? How does one even get that big?!
Obito (the naive romantic) and Kakashi (the closeted pervert who read erotic novels) both saw Saiki receiving the ultimate "face wash." Both boys blushed and awkwardly averted their eyes, pretending not to look—though they were definitely sneaking glances from the corners of their eyes.
Seeing Saiki being cared for made Tsume feel relieved, yet an inexplicable pang of sorrow tightened her chest. Despite constantly telling herself that being with Saiki was wrong, her body and her heart had quietly, irrevocably molded themselves to fit him.
The more traditional adults, Minato and Shinku, could only turn their heads away politely. It was supposed to be a heartwarming reunion between an older sister and her adopted brother, but Tsunade's sheer volume made it impossible not to have impure thoughts.
Saiki was slightly confused. Tsunade had occasionally given him the "face wash" treatment in the past, but ever since she started suspecting he wasn't just an innocent kid, she had stopped. Furthermore, after their night of dual cultivation, she had literally run away the next morning.
Being hugged by her again, feeling the smooth, soft warmth enveloping his face, and inhaling the faint, intoxicating fragrance nestled deep in her cleavage... Saiki was in absolute heaven.
If time permitted, Saiki would have happily stayed buried there forever.