The entire house was dark, no lamps lit, only silence pressing down on the air.
Uchiha Hayashi walked toward his room, hand reaching for the door. Suddenly, his senses sharpened.
"Hmm? Someone's inside."
He crouched low immediately, kunai drawn from the pouch at his waist. The steel blade gleamed faintly in the moonlight.
[Hmph, it must be that troublesome Tsunade again.]
Tomorrow marked the last day of this grueling week of training. And yet, she was sneaking into his room now, probably to stage another ambush.
As for Nawaki? Impossible. Hayashi remembered clearly how Jiraiya had recently dragged Nawaki away to "secretly research" girls in short skirts. Tsunade had overheard the two—disguised as a blade of grass, of all things—and ever since then Nawaki avoided coming home whenever he could.
Hayashi narrowed his eyes, forming a quick seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
A puff of smoke, and an identical copy of him appeared beside him. Shadow Clones—true physical doubles—distributed chakra evenly. Thanks to Tsunade, he had gotten his hands on the scroll, and thanks to his control, he had mastered it in a single attempt.
He and the clone exchanged a glance, then nodded.
The clone twisted the doorknob deliberately, letting the metal rattle. At the same time, Hayashi slipped through the window silently, rolling inside.
But what he found made him hesitate.
Tsunade, lying on the bed, hadn't reacted at all. She hadn't struck the clone or even moved.
[Still pretending? Playing dead again? Trying to lure me into a trap? Not happening.]
Hayashi smirked. He pulled out a handful of miniature exploding tags from his pouch. He'd confiscated them from Nawaki. At first glance, they looked normal, complete with the terrifying hiss of paper igniting—but their actual power was no more dangerous than a firecracker.
The first time Tsunade had used one on him, tossing it onto his bed, he'd nearly died of fright. His hair had stood on end, his body frozen in terror, and worst of all… he had panicked so badly that he left a humiliating stain on the futon. That memory still burned.
[This time, Tsunade, it's your turn.]
He flicked the tags onto the bed. They landed with a faint rustle. The figure stirred, blinking groggily, then froze at the sight of sparks in the dark.
"E-Exploding tag?! H-help!"
Hayashi paused. The voice was high-pitched, trembling—not Tsunade's. He frowned.
[Her acting's too good this time. She even changed her voice to sound like a child. Honestly, she should give up being a shinobi and go be a movie star.]
The tags popped harmlessly with a crackling spark. The figure on the bed didn't dodge.
[That's… odd.]
Frowning, Hayashi crept closer and flicked on the lamp. His eyes widened.
It wasn't Tsunade.
Instead, a little girl, no older than five or six, sat there with long red hair spilling across her shoulders. She wore soft pink pajamas and stared at him with vacant eyes.
"…Uzumaki Kushina."
Hayashi froze, his blood running cold.
[Damn it, this is a disaster. Why is this brat in my room? If something happens to her, Konoha will never forgive me. She's the village's strategic treasure.]
[Should I defect immediately?] The devil in his mind hissed.
[Don't be an idiot. All your friends are here in Konoha.] The angel protested.
[Shut up, fool. You just made Konoha's precious asset cry like a fool. They'll never let you live.]
[She's under Anbu protection. Where exactly do you think you can run?]
[Who cares! Run to the Land of Wind and eat sand, or to the Land of Earth and eat dirt—anywhere is better than this mess! Leave tonight! Die free!]
The devil's words grew louder.
[You… actually make sense.] the angel admitted meekly.
Hayashi clenched his teeth. [Great, even my angel's useless.]
Just as he prepared to slip away, a sharp voice stopped him.
"I want to duel you!"
Kushina had snapped out of her daze. Her crimson hair seemed to bristle as if alive, and her killing intent surged so strongly it made Hayashi's skin crawl.
"I'm going to kill you! I'll break your arms and legs one by one!"
Hayashi raised his hands instinctively. [So scary…!]
Kushina's small hand darted under her pillow and pulled out a kunai.
[Why the hell is she keeping a weapon under her pillow?! How paranoid can you get?!]
Hayashi braced himself to dodge, but then froze. Kushina's shoulders trembled.
"…I hate ninjas," she whispered, her voice quivering. "Whether it's Konoha or anywhere else… I just want to go home…"
Hayashi blinked.
Her kunai slipped from her hand and clattered onto the futon. Tears welled in her eyes, sliding down her pale cheeks. She covered her face, her small frame shaking as sobs broke free.
"W-what the—hey, what's wrong?!" Hayashi blurted, panic flooding him.
Kushina didn't answer, only cried harder, muffling her sobs behind her hands. The sound of her weeping filled the room, heavy and raw.
For once, Hayashi had no words. He stood frozen, staring at the helpless girl before him, as the air grew thick with her sorrow.