Watching the Saiki beside her vanish into a flurry of petals, Shizune happily came out and opened the door.
"Saiki, you're back?"
Having just killed someone, his mind was a bit restless, but Saiki managed a smile, flicking Shizune's forehead as he teased, "Kept you waiting. You hungry?"
Shizune gave a sweet smile at his intimate gesture and shook her head with shy obedience.
"Let's eat!"
Even though Saiki's synchronized clone had been right beside her, indistinguishable from the real thing—his Flower Clones could even eat or use the bathroom for him...
Of course, he wouldn't actually use a clone for those things.
Yet Shizune wasn't nearly as enthusiastic with the clone; the moment his true self returned, she stuck to him like glue, following him submissively. Saiki couldn't help but wonder if his real body possessed some hidden attribute that attracted girls.
"Saiki, why are you eating so little today?"
At the dinner table, Shizune looked at him with wide eyes while taking tiny bites of rice, asking curiously. Normally, Saiki was a glutton, but today he had barely touched the dishes.
"Ah, I ate too much at lunch, so I don't have much of an appetite right now."
Saiki brushed it off with a quick excuse.
Saiki admitted to himself that he was just an ordinary guy; he couldn't just snap a man's neck and then immediately start stuffing his face with meat. He wasn't a psychopath, and he hadn't yet adjusted to the lingering nausea that followed a kill.
However, Saiki successfully diverted Shizune's attention.
Her cute cheeks puffed out as she bit her chopsticks, huffing indignantly, "It's all because of those annoying girls. They ate all your food at lunch and forced their own awful cooking on you."
"What are you talking about? We're all classmates, we should be kind to one another! I just overdid it myself."
As he spoke, Saiki placed a piece of meat into Shizune's bowl. "Here, you eat it. Since Lady Tsunade is always picking on you, today's braised pork is all yours."
Saiki's mood was actually decent, and he'd had his clone and Shizune prepare a full table of delicious food, even if he couldn't stomach it at the moment.
Although Tsunade usually bullied Shizune, Saiki and Shizune never lacked for food. Still, having all the best bites to herself brought a look of pure joy to Shizune's face.
"Just as I thought!"
He found it amusing; in an era where people were sent to the battlefield by their mid-twenties, nineteen wasn't exactly young, but they were still kids in his eyes. Saiki couldn't fathom why they were so boy-crazy at such a young age.
After finishing dinner and resting briefly after the dishes, Saiki went to the outdoor hot spring in the backyard to bathe.
He didn't know where Tsunade lived in the original story, but they were currently staying in a small courtyard on the Hot Spring Street.
Saiki guessed Tsunade had lived here in the original timeline too, considering Jiraiya was nearly beaten to death for peeping on her in the bath.
One shouldn't really bathe right after eating as it's bad for the health, but having killed someone today and considering the impending trouble, he needed to relax his mind.
It was a stroke of luck that Tsunade had brought him back. Shortly after he'd killed that Stone Ninja, before he could even recover, Orochimaru and Tsunade had happened upon him. Saiki had nearly become one of Orochimaru's lab rats or ended up with a kunai through his throat—back then, he was still very much killable.
For reasons unknown, Tsunade took him in. Considering she had just lost her brother and boyfriend, Saiki wondered—though he'd never seen them—if he shared a resemblance with either Nawaki or Dan Kato.
Knowing this world was a den of conspiracies filled with tumors like Hiruzen Sarutobi, the "Scapegoat" Danzo, and Black Zetsu, Saiki's first instinct for survival was to lay low. He had to stay off their radar; without a "System" to help him, even a hundred lives wouldn't be enough to survive.
But tonight, that damned Sand Ninja had forced him to reveal himself, and Saiki didn't know if anyone would come knocking.
Usually, Shizune and Tsunade would bathe first before he took his turn. Saiki looked back, only to see Shizune standing there, wrapped tightly in a bath towel.
Seeing it was Shizune, Saiki quickly grabbed a towel to cover his lower half before asking in shock, "Wait, Shizune, what are you doing here?"
"Sai... Saiki!"
Caught in Saiki's startled gaze, Shizune flushed a deep red instantly, her hands clutching the towel over her chest in a panic.
Shizune, you have to try! Graduation is almost here, you can't let those other girls beat you to the punch. With Lady Tsunade gone these few days, this is your best chance.
She kept pumping herself up internally, but her nerves were shot, and her voice wavered unsteadily.
"U-um... Saiki, you look tired. Would you... would you like me to scrub your back?"
A nineteen-year-old girl would only be in her third or fourth year of college, but while girls in the 21st century were precocious, the girls of the Shinobi world were not to be outdone.
It couldn't be helped; in an era where the average lifespan of a ninja was in the thirties, many boys and girls were engaged by twenty-five and married almost immediately upon reaching adulthood.
Young people from the 21st century might be used to late marriage and childbirth—in his twenties, Saiki had still been in university!
Yet here, Naruto and Sasuke already had children.
Thus, Saiki found Shizune's advances a bit troubling. Nineteen was truly too young; his preference was for women in their twenties.
Looking into Shizune's timid yet expectant gaze, Saiki hadn't expected the usually shy and obedient girl to be quite this daring; after a brief thought, he finally relented.
"Alright! I'll leave it in your hands then, Shizune!" Saiki replied, flashing her a smile.
They couldn't exactly do anything explicit just yet, but Saiki still made sure to wrap the bath towel securely around his waist. His unique constitution didn't just make him taller and more physically imposing than his peers—it also ensured he was far more well-endowed than any other young man his age.
At nineteen, he was already deep into puberty; if Saiki wanted to, he could easily find an older woman to fuck right now.
However, at nineteen, his hormone production hadn't quite reached its peak, and he didn't want to prematurely damage his physical foundation.
He would wait another two years and reconsider when he was a bit older.
Having received Saiki's response, a joyful smile instantly broke out on Shizune's face.
"Plan: Success!" she cheered silently in her heart with excitement.
By the time Saiki stepped out of the water, Shizune had already hurried over with a small stool and toiletries she'd grabbed from behind the door.
Shizune was supposed to be a pure and innocent girl, but looking at her flushed, excited face, Saiki began to wonder if the ninja world he'd arrived in was actually a doujinshi, or if Konoha was just suffering from a heatwave.
Taking the small stool, Saiki sat down with his back toward Shizune, and she settled in behind him.
"Is something wrong?"
After sitting in silence for a few moments without any movement from her, Saiki asked with a hint of confusion.
"Ah! No... it's nothing, slurp, I'm starting right now."
Hearing Shizune's flustered voice and the distinct sound of her swallowing her saliva, Saiki was momentarily speechless.
"What the hell is this girl doing?" he thought to himself.
Although she had mustered her courage, seeing Saiki's back, which was broader than most boys his age, and the well-defined muscles in his arms and back, made Shizune incredibly nervous and excited.
A ladle of water was poured over his back, and soon Saiki felt a pair of slightly cold hands, coated with lubricating shower gel, touch his back.
At first, Saiki didn't think much of it, but as Shizune's small hands moved to his sides and lower back, all sorts of random thoughts began to race through his mind.
Fortunately, the former Saiki was a seasoned veteran of countless gigabytes of "training," so this level of intimacy wasn't enough to make him lose his cool.
As she touched Saiki's skin, feeling the firm, solid muscle beneath his sturdy frame, Shizune felt her heart race and her face turn a deep shade of crimson.
Luckily, it was over quickly, and Shizune couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
She took a towel, soaked it in a wooden basin of warm water, wrung it out slightly, and draped it over Saiki's back.
As the warm, damp towel pressed against his skin and Shizune began to apply firm pressure to massage him, Saiki started to truly enjoy himself.
After Saiki had demonstrated his incredible talent for learning, Tsunade's collection of Ninjutsu was made somewhat available to both of them, though Saiki wasn't actually superior to Shizune when it came to Medical Ninjutsu.
Due to her familiarity with human anatomy, Saiki could feel his back muscles being thoroughly massaged even through the towel, which greatly improved his foul mood following the kill.
"Saiki, how does it feel?" Shizune asked in a small, soft voice, her face flushed as she worked hard on the massage.
"Mm, it's very comfortable! I feel like all the exhaustion from today has vanished. Thank you, Shizune."
Hearing Saiki's gratitude made Shizune feel a surge of excitement despite her hard work; she whispered shyly, "I-if it makes you feel good, Saiki, I... I can help you with this anytime."
This girl was certainly calculating, and Saiki didn't quite know what to say, eventually only managing, "Then in the future, I might really have to trouble you!"
Saiki had already washed and his back wasn't dirty; Shizune's "scrubbing" was primarily about helping him massage and relax his muscles.
It was over soon, and Shizune gave Saiki a quiet prompt.
"All done!"
"Mm!"
Saiki stretched his arms comfortably; under Shizune's massage, the slight heaviness in his back had completely disappeared.
Turning around to look at Shizune, whose face was bright red, Saiki smiled and thanked her. "Thanks, Shizune! I feel much lighter."
For some reason, Shizune looked down shyly, not daring to meet his eyes as she murmured, "It's nothing!"
Watching Shizune with her head bowed—don't blame him—even after three years together, Saiki still had the soul of a "straight man"; he didn't quite grasp what was going on in her head.
Saiki thought about it some more, recalling certain bathhouse customs where scrubbing was supposed to be mutual.
Looking at Shizune, Saiki asked tentatively, "Do you want me to give you a scrub too?"
At his words, Shizune's head snapped up instantly; seeing the expectant look in her eyes, Saiki was left speechless.
"Forgive me, Shizune. Maybe next time!"
As he spoke, Saiki poked Shizune's forehead again, making her face turn even redder.
Standing up, Saiki walked straight back into the house.
Seeing Saiki leave, Shizune felt a bit disappointed, but remembering his words, she quickly cheered up; she believed that as long as she worked hard, she would definitely stay ahead of the others.
Saiki didn't truly understand a young girl's heart, but he didn't dislike the feeling; perhaps because his body had become younger, he felt like his spirit had rejuvenated as well.
After his bath, Saiki's mood improved enough for him to eat another meal. Once Shizune had fallen asleep, Saiki sensed the arrival of trackers and overheard their conversation.
"Tch, those annoying dogs!"
The Inuzuka clan—even if Saiki hadn't left a single trace at the scene, they could still track him down using their sensitive canine noses.
Having hidden his strength for three years, the nineteen-year-old Saiki, relying on his fruit powers, was fully capable of being a Special Jonin; he realized he might not be able to stay hidden much longer.