"Lady Tsunade, are you alright?"
Shizune asked with a worried face, staring at her master who was currently drenched in a cold sweat.
Noticing Shizune beside her, and recalling the erotic dream where she was nearly ravaged by Saiki again, Tsunade's face burned a violent red. She shook her head frantically. "I'm fine... it's nothing."
She checked the light outside, but the sky was overcast. She turned to Shizune. "What time is it?"
Tsunade was clearly shaken, likely from another nightmare. But Shizune was an obedient girl; if her master didn't want to talk, she wouldn't pry. "It's almost 10:00 AM."
Taking a shaky breath, Tsunade tried to get rid of Shizune. "Shizune, go buy some food. I'm starving."
It was almost lunch time, yet Tsunade was asking for breakfast. Though puzzled, Shizune nodded obediently. "Are you hungry, Lady Tsunade? I'll go right now!"
As she stood up to leave, Shizune asked, "Should I bring you some hot water to wash your face first?"
Tsunade started to refuse, then hesitated. "Actually, yes. Bring me a basin of hot water before you go."
Once Shizune had delivered the water and left the room, the Tsunade on the bed finally moved.
She threw back the quilt and scrambled out of bed, locking the door securely. She pulled a fresh set of clothes from her suitcase and crawled back under the covers.
A series of rustling sounds came from beneath the blanket. After a moment of struggling, Tsunade pulled out a pair of red panties that were both conservative and undeniably sexy.
They were conservative in style—a basic cut without lace, sheer panels, or erotic designs.
The era simply lacked modern lingerie, despite female ninja wearing fishnet undershirts and stockings.
But on a woman of Tsunade's age and build—voluptuous, meaty, and ripe—the red fabric was incredibly provocative and distinctly lewd.
Tsunade's face burned as she stared at the red fabric. A prominent patch was visibly soaked through, the moisture turning the bright red into a deep, dark crimson.
At her age, having erotic dreams was biologically normal; most women started in their teens, and as a woman in her prime, she had no reason to feel ashamed of her needs.
But what filled her with such intense shame was the identity of her partner: that little bastard Saiki.
The night before last had been an act of desperation. Since she was the one who had nearly killed him, she had been forced to use her own body to save his life. There had been no other way.
She had always viewed Saiki as a brother. Yet here she was, dreaming about that little brat pinning her down and taking her again.
A medical ninja might not be a psychologist, but she could heal the mental trauma Itachi inflicted on Kakashi. She wasn't ignorant of the mind.
She couldn't heal her own hemophobia because the deaths of Nawaki and Dan were too deep, but she knew exactly what this dream meant. No matter how much she tried to deny it, Saiki's "shape" and the pleasure he had delivered were now permanently etched into her memory.
"That little bastard!" Tsunade hissed, her cheeks flaming with shame.
But the more she cursed him, the more clearly the memories of their night together flooded back. Every image and sensation was painfully vivid.
If Tsunade had looked closely while she was waking from the nightmare, she would have noticed the heart-shaped winged mark on her lower abdomen—the one Saiki had inscribed—glowing with a faint, pulsing red light.
As her mind wandered into impure thoughts, the hidden pink mark began to flicker again.
After a moment of frustrated pacing in her mind, Tsunade forcibly suppressed her thoughts, and the pink mark vanished. Having changed into clean panties, she remained completely unaware of the rune carved into her skin.
Side Story: Later that afternoon, as Shizune was preparing to do the laundry, she was surprised to find that her master—who usually left even her underwear for Shizune to wash—had no dirty clothes. They were already washed and nearly dry. Shizune wondered when Tsunade had become so diligent.
While Tsunade was busy dreaming, Saiki was already up and practicing his Qi circulation at dawn. It was the only way to settle his spirit and purge the lingering exhaustion from the previous day's events.
Despite his recent surge in power, Saiki remained cautious. He had been an ordinary man in his past life, and he still held a healthy, rational fear of war.
After a quick, functional breakfast before the sun was even up, Saiki's unit resumed their march.
At roughly the same time, Tsume and Genhai's main force also set out to follow.
Land of Fire and Land of Hot Water Border, Cloud Front.
With the high mobility of ninja, the front line stretched for hundreds of kilometers, with several kilometers of "no-man's land" between the two main camps.
The situation was grim. The Cloud forces had pushed all the way to the perimeter of the Konoha camp. Even miles from the front, the air was thick with a heavy, suffocating aura of slaughter.
Night had fallen. The moon was stained a faint crimson by the collective killing intent of thousands. Flames flickered in the distance, followed by the rolling thunder of explosions.
"Not good. The Cloud has launched a full-scale assault on the forward camp."
This unit included members of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans. Fortunately, Shikaku Nara was not Hiruzen Sarutobi; he wasn't foolish enough to let Inoichi command the entire reinforcement unit alone.
An Uchiha and a Hyuga Jonin had been appointed as Inoichi's lieutenants, while Inoichi served as the nominal overall commander and liaison for the commoner ninja.
Trying to command members of the two Great Noble Clans was a nightmare; they wouldn't listen, and you couldn't afford the political fallout if they were slaughtered under your orders.
With their long-range vision, the Hyuga were the ultimate scouts. With veins bulging around their eyes and chakra focused, they monitored the carnage at the front with clinical precision.
Saiki's own sensory range was respectable. He had detected the battle ten miles away and had spent the approach regulating his breathing and centering his mind.
While his perception was strong, he could only sense the general flow of the battle; he lacked the crystalline visual clarity of the Byakugan.
One thing was certain: Konoha was losing. If the forward units couldn't hold their ground, throwing these reinforcements into the meat-grinder might not be enough to turn the tide.
The Hyuga scouts delivered their sitrep. After a moment of calculation, Inoichi barked his orders. "Prepare for immediate engagement! Full speed ahead!"
No one argued. Swish, swish, swish. The unit accelerated.
After clearing several small ridges, the battlefield finally erupted into view. The Konoha camp was positioned on a high plateau, while the Cloud forces were swarming up the slopes in a relentless, brutal tide.
Watching the Cloud assault, Saiki's eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable.