The two of them wandered around Amegakure for a while, secretly committing its maze of streets and alleys to memory. Then they turned toward an inn to find somewhere to stay.
As they passed an alley, a small figure came laughing and darting out of it.
She ran into Tsunade, her head colliding with Tsunade's ample chest. Dazed by the impact, she instinctively stumbled back a few steps and apologized with her head bowed, without even looking.
"Sorry, miss. I didn't see you."
She looked up, revealing a pretty face beneath her rain hat.
"It's all right."
Tsunade smiled and patted her on the head. Then she took a piece of candy from her pocket and offered it to her. "Here, have some candy."
"Thank you, miss."
"Minami."
A somewhat cool voice came from the alley. "Have you forgotten what I told you? These are unusual times. Don't take things from strangers."
As the voice spoke, a boy emerged from the alley.
He wore a black raincoat, and his face was hidden beneath his rain hat. The only thing they could sense was the scorching heat that seemed to appear along with him.
"I know, Sakuya."
The girl named Minami nodded sheepishly to Tsunade, then ran back to the boy.
The boy nodded to them, then turned and left with the girl.
"That kid's giving off so much heat. Is it a Kekkei Genkai?"
Seeing Sakuya gaze thoughtfully after the boy called Sakuya, Tsunade leaned over and spoke quietly.
"Lava Release? Boil Release? Or some other Kekkei Genkai? He's so young, yet he can use his Kekkei Genkai to that extent. I didn't know Amegakure had a genius like him. I just wonder if he'll be our enemy on this mission."
"Maybe he won't be."
Sakuya watched the boy's retreating figure, brows furrowed as he pondered.
"Come to think of it, his name is Sakuya... It sounds just like your name."
Tsunade chuckled softly.
"Probably a coincidence. There are plenty of people with the same name."
Sakuya shook his head and took another look at the mouth of the alley.
Strangely, compared to the torrential rain outside, the air inside the alley was exceptionally dry.
It was as if they were in the middle of a clear summer day.
That boy...
Sakuya fell into thought. A moment later, a faint smile appeared on his face.
This simulation is really interesting.
The two of them found an inn and settled in for the time being.
Once they had put away their luggage, Tsunade dropped into a chair, picked up a teacup, and poured herself a large cup of tea. Then she gulped it down.
She had actually planned to drink straight from the teapot, but remembering that she should act a little more ladylike in front of Sakuya, she had settled for using a teacup.
It didn't really help. She was the only one who thought she looked ladylike.
Sakuya sat nearby, resting his head on his right hand as he watched Tsunade calmly.
They had probably run around Amegakure enough to make her terribly thirsty. At a glance, Sakuya could see a rather striking curve surging with every swallow. A drop of water fell from the corner of her mouth, slid down her lovely throat, and disappeared into the valley between her breasts.
Perhaps his gaze was too intense, because Tsunade's face reddened as she drank.
"W-why are you looking at me?"
"No, it's nothing."
Sakuya shook his head. "It's getting late. Let's get to bed and rest. We need to investigate Amegakure tomorrow morning."
"S-sleep in one bed?"
Tsunade's face turned red.
"...We're pretending to be married, after all. If Amegakure's ninja find us sleeping separately while they're patrolling tonight, they'll definitely get suspicious."
Sakuya brought up the Amegakure ninja who had been watching them in the square.
"Mm..."
Tsunade pouted, looking a little reluctant.
"Don't worry. I won't take advantage of you."
Sakuya picked up a chopstick and drew a straight line down the middle of the bedding. "There. Your side, my side. We won't bother each other."
That actually sounded reasonable.
Tsunade walked over hesitantly. Seeing the line on the bedding made her nervous, and her expression grew uneasy.
She looked at Sakuya, then suddenly raised a fist. "Th-then if you cross the line tonight, watch out for my fist! I'll beat you to death!"
A fist as big as a cooking pot?
That would definitely be too much for him.
Sakuya sighed and reached out to hold Tsunade's fist.
Tsunade had thought he was bold enough to start misbehaving right after she'd warned him. She was about to punch him, but then she saw him open her hand and gently write on her palm with his finger.
"We just made a round of Amegakure. Tsunade, did you notice anything?"
"?"
Tsunade froze, then copied him, tracing words on his palm with her finger. "Notice what?"
"There are two groups among Amegakure's ninja."
Sakuya wrote, "One group often carries gas masks at their waists. The other doesn't wear masks."
What did that mean?
Tsunade was puzzled.
Seeing her confusion, Sakuya continued writing. "Do you remember Kidoyun and the twenty or so jonin under him that we met in the Land of Fang?"
"Hmm... Now that you mention it, you're right."
Once Sakuya brought it up, Tsunade remembered. Many of the ninja they'd seen today were dressed much like Kidoyun's group. They either wore gas masks or carried them at their waists.
But a small number of ninja didn't carry masks. Instead, they had something else with them...
"Sealing scrolls."
Sakuya thought it over, then wrote on Tsunade's palm, "And the sealing scrolls are extremely hot."
"Sakuya, you mean..."
Tsunade looked at him.
"I suspect there are two factions inside Amegakure right now."
Sakuya pondered, then continued writing on Tsunade's hand. "Just guessing, but one faction is the hardliners, the ones who support Hanzo of the Salamander starting a war. They're the larger group and make up most of Amegakure's ninja, as well as the ninja from the other small countries. The other faction is smaller and more conservative. They don't support Hanzo of the Salamander's warmongering... No, it's even possible they have another master."
"Who knows what's going on inside Amegakure?"
Tsunade shook her head, then continued writing.
"Let's investigate Amegakure tomorrow before we decide what to do."
"Mm."
Sakuya nodded.
"That's enough of a summary of today's intelligence."
He brought over two quilts and laid them on the bed. "One quilt for you and one for me. Then we'll put another quilt over both of us. That way, it'll look like we're sleeping in the same bed."
He took off his shirt and slipped beneath his quilt. Then he patted the quilt beside him. "All right, it's late. Let's go to sleep, Tsunade."
"...Okay."
Tsunade looked at Sakuya, biting her lip. After a moment, she nervously took off her outer clothes and climbed into bed in her undergarments.
She looked at Sakuya's smiling face, her cheeks flushed. In her fluster, she turned away and pulled the quilt tightly over her head.
"Go to sleep already!"
Tsunade's embarrassed, exasperated voice came from beneath the quilt.
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