28: One, Sleeping in the Same Bed!?

The two wandered through Amegakure for a while, committing every alley and street to memory before turning to find a place to stay at an inn.

As they passed an alleyway, they saw a small, thin figure dart out while giggling.

She collided with Tsunade, her head striking Tsunade's massive chest; dazed, she stumbled back a few steps, bowing her head to apologize without even looking up.

"Sorry, big sister, I didn't see you."

She looked up, revealing a pretty face from beneath her rain hood.

"It's alright."

Tsunade smiled and patted her head, pulling a piece of candy from her pocket to hand to her: "Big sister will treat you to some candy."

"Thank you, big sister."

"Minami."

A rather cold voice drifted from the alley: "Have you forgotten what I told you? These are extraordinary times; don't just eat things from strangers."

Following that voice, a young boy stepped out from the alley.

He wore a black raincoat, his face hidden beneath a hood, making his features impossible to discern; the only thing one could sense was the scorching heat that accompanied him.

"I know, Sakuya."

The girl named Minami nodded apologetically toward Tsunade and ran back to the boy's side.

The boy nodded at them, then turned and led the girl away.

"The temperature around that kid is so high—is it a Kekkei Genkai?"

Seeing Sakuya staring thoughtfully at the boy named Sakuya, Tsunade leaned in and whispered.

"Lava Release? Boil Release? Or some other Kekkei Genkai? To be able to control his Kekkei Genkai to this extent at such a young age—I didn't expect Amegakure to have such a genius. I just wonder if he'll be an enemy during our mission."

"Perhaps not an enemy."

Sakuya watched the boy's retreating back, his brow furrowed in contemplation.

"But come to think of it, his name is Sakuya... it sounds just like yours."

Tsunade chuckled softly.

"A coincidence, I'm sure. There are plenty of people in the world with the same name."

Sakuya shook his head and took another look at the alley entrance.

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, bright summer day.

That boy...

Sakuya fell into deep thought, and a moment later, a faint smile appeared on his face.

How interesting, this simulation.

The two found an inn and checked in for the time being.

Once their luggage was settled, Tsunade flopped onto a chair, grabbed a teacup, poured herself a large serving, and gulped it down.

In truth, she had intended to drink straight from the teapot, but she decided to use a cup to maintain a semblance of ladylike behavior in front of Sakuya.

Though it was futile; she was the only one who thought she looked ladylike.

Sakuya sat to the side, resting his head on his right hand, watching Tsunade with a calm expression.

She must have been parched from running around Amegakure; as Sakuya looked on, he saw a rather fierce curve rising and falling with her swallowing. A single droplet escaped the corner of her mouth, tracing a path down her beautiful throat before vanishing into the cleavage below.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense, as Tsunade's face flushed red while she drank.

"Wh-what are you looking at?"

"No, it's nothing."

Sakuya shook his head: "It's getting late. Let's get to bed early; we need to scout for information in Amegakure tomorrow morning."

"Sleep... in the same bed?"

Tsunade's face turned crimson.

"...After all, our current identities are a married couple. If any Amegakure ninja patrolling tonight discover us sleeping separately, they will inevitably grow suspicious."

Sakuya gestured toward the Amegakure ninja who were still casting prying gazes from the plaza.

"Ugh..."

Tsunade pouted, looking quite reluctant.

"Rest assured, I won't take advantage of you."

Sakuya picked up a chopstick and drew a straight vertical line down the middle of the bedding: "Like this, you stay on your side and I'll stay on mine. We won't interfere with each other."

That sounded reasonable enough.

Tsunade walked over skeptically, but upon seeing the line on the bedding, she felt incredibly nervous, her expression becoming visibly uneasy.

Looking at Sakuya, she suddenly raised her fist: "If... if you cross the line tonight, watch out for my fist! I'll beat you to death!"

A fist the size of a sand pot?

That would indeed be a bit hard to handle.

Sakuya sighed and reached out to press down on Tsunade's fist.

Tsunade had assumed he was bold enough to act recklessly the moment she finished speaking and was just about to throw a punch, but she saw Sakuya flatten her palm and use his finger to gently write on it.

"We just patrolled a circle around Amegakure, Tsunade. Did you notice anything?"

"?"

Tsunade was stunned, then followed Sakuya's lead, using her finger to write on his palm: "Notice what?"

"Those Amegakure ninja are divided into two factions."

Sakuya wrote: "One faction consists of ninja who often carry gas masks at their waists, while the other faction consists of ninja who do not wear masks at all."

What does that mean?

Tsunade was taken aback.

Seeing her confusion, Sakuya continued writing: "Do you remember when we were in the Land of Fang and ran into Kidoyun and those twenty or so jonin under him?"

"Hmm... now that you mention it, yes."

Once Sakuya brought it up, Tsunade recalled that many of the ninja she saw today were dressed similarly to Kidoyun's group, either wearing gas masks on their faces or carrying them at their waists.

And a very small group of ninja did not wear masks, but instead carried...

"Sealing scrolls."

Sakuya recalled the details and wrote on Tsunade's palm: "And they were sealing scrolls that radiated high heat."

"Sakuya, you mean..."

Tsunade looked at him.

"I suspect there are two factions within Amegakure right now."

Sakuya looked thoughtful and continued writing on Tsunade's hand: "My guess is that one is the radical faction, which supports Hanzo of the Salamander in launching wars. This faction is numerous and makes up the majority of ninja in Amegakure, including those from other small nations. Then there is a small portion that is the conservative faction; they do not support Hanzo of the Salamander's warmongering... no, perhaps they might even have other masters."

"Who knows what's going on inside Amegakure."

Tsunade shook her head and continued writing.

"Shall we make a decision after we investigate further inside Amegakure tomorrow?"

"Mm."

Sakuya nodded.

"Let's end today's intelligence summary here."

He fetched two quilts and spread them out on the bed: "One quilt for you, one for me, and we'll lay another quilt over the top. That way, it will look like we're sleeping in the same bed."

He took off his shirt, slid into his own bedding, and then patted the quilt to his right: "Alright, it's getting late. Let's sleep, Tsunade."

"...Oh."

Looking at Sakuya, Tsunade bit her lip. A moment later, she tremblingly removed her outer garment and slid into the bedding while still in her undergarments.

She looked at the smiling Sakuya, her cheeks flushed with shame. In a panic, she turned to her side and pulled the quilt tightly over her head.

"Go to sleep already!"

From inside the quilt, Tsunade's embarrassed and annoyed voice rang out.