Saro watched the two Pains disappear into the house, then found her gaze drifting toward Nagato's room.
She didn't know whether those two were even alive. But one thing she knew for certain: Lord Nagato was a living person, and he hadn't come out of that room in days.
Could someone really go that long without food or water and be all right?
With that thought, Saro made a simple meal and headed to Nagato's room.
Nagato had sensed her approach. He just couldn't stop thinking about how much her smile resembled Yahiko's.
Seeing it stirred painful memories, yet he craved the sight like a poison. Even when it cut him to the heart, he still wanted to look, as though drinking poison to quench his thirst.
Saro had expected to be stopped at the door. She hesitated when she reached it, but drew a deep breath and pushed it open.
Amegakure was overcast and rainy year-round, so the room was already dim. Nagato had pulled the curtains shut as well, leaving it almost pitch-black.
Saro stood in the doorway for a while before her eyes adjusted to the light.
She carefully felt her way over to Nagato and set down the food. "Lord Nagato, please eat something."
Nagato's shirt hung loose around his upper body, exposing his lean torso. The two black rods in his back were a disturbing sight no matter how she looked at them.
Saro knew the Pains had been pierced with the rods after they died, so they could hardly have felt the pain.
But she had seen Lord Nagato drive those black rods into his own back. Blood had flowed, and he hadn't so much as frowned.
"Lord Nagato," Saro said softly, careful not to press him too hard, "you haven't eaten in days.