While Tsunade was busy convincing Kushina, Saiki had collapsed onto a chair in the hallway, drifting into a shallow doze.
He didn't know how much time had passed. He was fighting a losing battle against sleep; his head lolled from side to side, and his eyelids felt like they were held down by lead weights. Finally, the door clicked open.
Tsunade stepped out, letting out a long, weary breath. It was clear she had succeeded.
The hallway was dim, the only light coming from a few flickering wall lamps. The air smelled of cold disinfectant and the underlying scent of grief.
She immediately spotted Saiki slumped on the bench. Seeing him like that—haggard and vulnerable—the relief on her face was instantly replaced by a sharp pang of guilt.
She closed the door gently, shielding the girl inside who was currently weathering an internal hurricane. Tsunade walked over and sat down beside him.
Sensing a presence, the half-conscious Saiki shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs from his brain. He forced his eyes open and saw Tsunade. "Sister Tsunade?"
Looking at him now, Tsunade was suddenly struck by the reality of his age. He was just a boy. The events of the last few days had been so apocalyptic she had forgotten how young he really was. In this moment of weakness, he finally looked his age.
But then she remembered the "wicked" things he had done to her, and she didn't know whether to treat him as a mature predator or a spoiled child.
She reached out and steadied his shoulder. "Are you okay? Don't push yourself."
Saiki took a deep, agonizingly slow breath, exhaling the stale air from his lungs. The infusion of oxygen helped him clear his head. He shook his head. "I'm fine. What about Sensei Kushina?"
Tsunade felt a surge of complex emotions as she thought about what came next.
As a mature woman, even though she had already given herself to Saiki, she knew they were an impossible match. But the thought of pushing Saiki into the arms of another woman made her heart feel like it was being squeezed by a giant, cold hand.
Ultimately, she was a rationalist. And if Saiki and Kushina truly bonded, perhaps it would be a form of release for her as well. She nodded slowly. "Mm. Kushina agreed. You can go in now."
She waited for his reaction, a part of her she didn't want to acknowledge watching him for a sign of excitement. Instead, Saiki shook his head. "Not yet."
Tsunade's nerves, already frayed, snapped. "Why not?!" she barked. She was torn between a strange joy that he wasn't rushing in, and a terrified concern that delaying would kill Kushina.
Seeing her intense reaction, Saiki sighed. "Sister Tsunade, calm down. Listen to me. I've burned way too much Sage Chakra keeping her alive today. My reserves are in the red. If I try to cultivate with her now, the efficiency will be pathetic. It won't be enough to jump-start her recovery."
He looked her in the eye, his gaze heavy with intent. "I need you to help me recover first. Once I have enough energy, I can save her. As for Sensei... I just gave her a massive transfer. She'll be stable for a good few hours."
He wasn't asking to go to Kushina; he was asking to go to her first. Tsunade felt her heart start to gallop. Her skin began to radiate a feverish heat.
She took a lungful of air, trying to suppress the sudden, violent thrumming in her veins. She put on a mask of fake indifference. "Saiki... at a time like this... you aren't trying to trick me, are you?"
Normally, Saiki would have caught the shift in her tone. But he was too exhausted for games. "Tsunade. Would I lie to you about someone's life?"
"That's exactly what a brat like you would do," Tsunade blurted out. She immediately regretted the sharpness of it.
She stole a quick, guarded glance at him. Seeing him look like he was about to pass out on the floor, her heart softened again. She adopted a tone of reluctant compliance. "Fine. But listen carefully: this is ONLY for Kushina's sake. Don't get any ideas."
Without waiting for his answer, Tsunade stood up and headed for the door.
If Saiki had been thinking clearly, he would have celebrated the classic tsundere routine. But right now, he just gave a tired nod and followed her.
Inside the patient room, Kushina was anything but sleepy. Whether it was from the nap earlier or the recent influx of Saiki's energy, her cheeks were flushed a healthy pink. She looked more alive than she had in hours.
Kushina had grown up in isolation, a survivor of a dead nation. She was desperately lonely. When she first arrived in Konoha, Minato Namikaze had saved her, and she had developed a crush on the golden-haired genius.
But Minato was dense—or perhaps just too focused. Between her status as a Jinchuriki and his own rapid rise, their relationship had remained stagnant.
Without Saiki, that silence eventually would have broken. But with Saiki's team around her, Kushina had found a different kind of warmth.
And then, yesterday... he had stripped her naked to save her. He had seen every inch of her, taken her most precious secrets into his gaze. The realization had left her a mess of conflicting emotions.
When she was around Saiki, she tried to act like the teacher. But when she was alone, her mind wouldn't stop spinning. She had stayed awake all night because of him.
She was a traditional, conservative girl at heart. Having been seen like that, she felt she could never marry anyone else. The question of whether Saiki was "the one" had been torturing her.
So, when Tsunade told her that a "physical union" was the only way to save her life, Kushina had felt a strange, sudden sense of peace. Maybe this is just fate.
Remembering how broken Saiki looked while he was saving her, she felt that aside from his age, there was nothing to complain about. He was a man who would move heaven and earth for her.
But the thought of doing that before they were even married made her want to die of embarrassment. Her heart was racing. She was so hyper-alert she felt like she could jump out of her skin.
She lay in bed, twisting her sheets, a mix of anticipation and terror. When she heard the door handle turn, she panicked and squeezed her eyes shut, pretending to be asleep. She had no idea how to face him.
Tsunade walked in, her heart a tangled mess. She saw Kushina "sleeping," but the girl's rapid breathing and trembling eyelashes were a dead giveaway. Tsunade knew exactly what was going on in that red head.
She let out a soft sigh and called out, "Kushina."
It wasn't Saiki's voice. Kushina jolted, her eyes snapping open in surprise. "Lady Tsunade?" Her voice carried a distinct tremor.
Tsunade, feeling a knot of irritation in her own chest, didn't waste time. "Wait a little longer. Saiki is still recovering his chakra. He'll be in to see you in a bit."
With that, Tsunade turned and marched out, leaving a bewildered and flustered Kushina behind.
The frustrated Tsunade was in no mood for pleasantries. She stepped back into the hall and looked at Saiki. "Let's go."
The dazed Saiki blinked. "Where?"
That was the spark. Tsunade's temper exploded. (A sober Saiki would have known that a woman's moods are a minefield). She glared at him, practically snarling, "You bastard! Do you want to do it right here in the hallway?!"
Saiki jumped, his lethargy replaced by a jolt of adrenaline. He scrambled to his feet.
Seeing his panicked reaction, Tsunade huffed. She manifested a Shadow Clone to stand guard at Kushina's door, then looked at him. "Follow me."
She led the way down the hall.
Since the establishment of the Medical Department, it had become one of the most vital hubs in the village. As the premier medic in the world, Tsunade had been given a high-ranking position and a private suite within the hospital the moment she returned.
Now that Saiki had killed Hiruzen, the entire hospital was effectively Tsunade's personal domain.
Kushina was in the ICU, just a few doors down from Tsunade's private office.
Tsunade entered her office, Saiki trailing behind. She cast a furtive, guilty look down the hallway before closing the door. She locked it with a sharp click and wove a sign to activate a privacy barrier.
In that moment, Tsunade adopted a mask of absolute, clinical calm—a facade so perfect it lacked any emotion at all. She turned to the staring Saiki. "What are you standing there for?"
She issued the scold, then turned to walk toward her private rest area behind the desk. But as she turned her back, two vibrant spots of crimson—like the light of a sunset—bloomed across her elegant, pale cheeks.