Twenty-Nine: The Akatsuki Chamber of Commerce in Amegakure, Azure Dragon · Sakuya Yamanashi

The patter of rain outside the window woke Tsunade from her deep sleep.

She didn't open her eyes. Her consciousness still hovered on the edge between dreaming and waking. She sniffed unconsciously, and caught a warmth that seemed to seep into her bones, like a blanket warmed through in the sun or the gentle midday light of a winter's day, softly enveloping her.

She shifted without thinking, seeking a more comfortable position, and rubbed her cheek gently against something, like a lazy cat.

But before long, Tsunade realized something was wrong.

She was in Amegakure, and it was pouring outside. How could the blankets be so warm!?

She opened her eyes in confusion, only to find a familiar, handsome face right in front of her.

Though a trace of boyishness still lingered in his features, his contours had begun to sharpen, making him so good-looking that it was hard to look away.

As expected of the most handsome guy of this generation in the Uchiha Clan.

Tsunade unconsciously raised a hand and pinched his cheek.

Even his skin felt smooth and delicate, softer than a girl's.

She was a little jealous of the guy.

Thinking that if she married him one day, she'd get to wake up and look at that face every morning, Tsunade felt better.

Beauty was a feast for the eyes, and a handsome man was beauty too.

No matter how good-looking that face was, wouldn't she be the only one who got to enjoy it in the future?

The only thing that troubled her was that he never took the initiative to say anything.

After everything he'd done for her, shouldn't he have made their relationship official by now?

Was she really going to have to make the first move, you jerk!

Were Uchiha Clan members really so awkward when it came to romance?

Tsunade pinched Sakuya's ear in annoyance.

Perhaps because his ear had been attacked, Sakuya frowned slightly in his sleep and smacked his lips. Then he tightened his right arm and pulled Tsunade closer.

!

Tsunade's heart leaped. Only then did she realize that she was sleeping in Sakuya's arms.

No wonder she'd felt so warm. It was the warmth of the Fire Release chakra radiating from Sakuya.

She quietly slipped out of his arms and sat at the head of the bed, her face bright red.

Hadn't she slept in his arms all night?

The thought of spending the entire night sleeping in Sakuya's arms made Tsunade cover her face. She felt as though his scent was all over her.

What happened? What happened?

Tsunade's thoughts slowly came back to her.

How had she ended up in his arms last night?

They'd clearly laid out two separate blankets.

She tried hard to remember.

After they turned off the lights last night, Sakuya had fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, his breathing quickly growing steady. But because this was her first time sharing a room with a man, she'd been as tense as a bowstring, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Later... the rain outside grew heavier. Damp air seeped in through the cracks in the window, leaving the room cold and clammy. Curled up in her own blanket, she'd shivered slightly. Half asleep, she seemed to have...

Seemed to have snuggled toward somewhere warmer.

And then...

Tsunade froze.

Had she... had she crawled into his blanket herself?

She stared stiffly at the face so close to hers, the tips of her ears turning red at a visible speed.

"Mm..."

Perhaps she'd moved too much. The boy's brows slowly furrowed, and his breathing grew a little heavier, as if he were about to wake.

Tsunade's face stiffened. She was just about to get out of bed when she saw Sakuya's eyes open.

"G-good morning!"

Startled, she hurriedly moved toward the edge of the bed.

"?"

What was going on?

Sakuya blinked and tried to sit up, but his right arm was aching terribly.

"Ugh..."

He managed to sit up, rubbing his arm and frowning as he asked, "What happened? You're making a lot of noise this morning. Are there enemies?"

"N-no, nothing!"

Tsunade shook her head repeatedly. "It's getting late. Let's get up. We still have to investigate Amegakure today."

"...Sure."

Though Tsunade seemed a little suspicious, the mission was important, so Sakuya didn't bother asking about it.

Judging by Tsunade's expression, he felt a little uneasy.

Maybe he'd been a restless sleeper.

His right arm was so sore that he figured he must've done something in his sleep.

But it wasn't something he could bring up to her face.

He didn't want to experience the taste of Tsunade's Monster Strength Fist Technique.

At 5:40 in the afternoon, Sakuya and Tsunade met up again at the inn.

"I did a quick investigation of Amegakure."

Seeing the puzzled smile on Sakuya's face, Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "What, did you find out something?"

"Some interesting information, certainly."

Sakuya told Tsunade what he'd learned.

"There are currently two main factions in Amegakure."

He dipped a finger in some water and drew a circle on the table. Then he drew a much smaller circle in one corner of the first.

"Hanzo leads Amegakure, and most of the village's ninja recognize him, the Rain Shadow, as their leader. But there are exceptions."

"Exceptions?"

Tsunade looked surprised.

"Besides the ninja forces directly commanded by a village's Kage, there's a special unit that doesn't obey him? How is that possible?"

Why wouldn't it be? Aren't Danzo's Anbu under his command?

Sakuya made a quiet quip to himself.

"But that's what I found out, and in Amegakure, it seems to be common knowledge."

He continued, "This small group of people in Amegakure aren't ninja, but... merchants."

"Merchants?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"That's right. Apparently, they belong to a chamber of commerce called Akatsuki, led by a boy of about fourteen."

Sakuya said, "He was a top student who graduated from the Ninja Academy in Amegakure. His grades were excellent, and Hanzo once treated him like a disciple. But strangely, after graduating from the academy, he didn't choose to become a ninja. Instead, he gave up his ninja status and became an ordinary traveling merchant."

"Huh?"

Tsunade looked utterly confused. "He didn't become a ninja, but went off to be a merchant?"

"Mm. And Hanzo thought very highly of his genius. Even after he gave up being a ninja, Hanzo kept his status and granted him a great many privileges, letting him do business throughout Amegakure. After years of development, their chamber of commerce has become one of the biggest in the Land of Rain."

"I've never heard of anything like that."

Tsunade looked as if she'd learned something new.

"What's his name?"

"His name is Sakuya Yamanashi, and his nickname is Azure Dragon."

Sakuya revealed the man's name. "If nothing unexpected happened, he was the boy we saw yesterday at the alley entrance—the one whose name sounds like mine."

"Sakuya Yamanashi... The surname Yamanashi sounds rather spiritual. It's not a common surname."

Tsunade fell into thought, rubbing her chin with a finger. "But I feel like... Grandma may have mentioned a surname like that before. Hmm, I can't remember."