Heading downstairs, Saiki understood that Tsunade probably wouldn't want to see his face for a while. He and Shizune prepared some hangover soup, and Saiki let Shizune carry it up to her.
"How is she? Is Sister Tsunade awake? Is everything alright?" Saiki asked when she returned.
Shizune replied, "Mm, Lady Tsunade is awake. She finished the soup."
"That's good." Shizune was long since used to Tsunade getting blackout drunk.
After a moment of thought, Saiki said, "I hunted a bear the night before last. I promised to treat Sensei Kushina and the others to a barbecue today. Get things ready. If Sister Tsunade feels up to it later, we'll all go together. I'm going to head out and round everyone up."
He had already mentioned the barbecue plan yesterday when his shadow clone delivered the news about the Chunin Exams.
The reason he wanted to leave the house was twofold: first, to avoid the awkwardness with Tsunade and give her space to come downstairs; second, because if he didn't personally fetch Genhai, the boy would almost certainly forget.
Over at Genhai's house and flower shop.
"Mom, I'm heading out for a bit! If Boss Saiki and the others show up, tell them to wait for me."
Sure enough, Saiki's intuition was spot on. While Genhai wasn't a chronic latecomer like Obito or a total blockhead like Naruto, he was prone to getting sidetracked and disappearing.
Reimi, who was currently tending to the floral arrangements, gave him a gentle smile. "Alright, I understand. Just make sure you're back soon."
Watching Genhai leave, Reimi looked down at her plain, conservative home dress. Knowing Saiki would be arriving shortly, she bit her lip and made a decision.
Saiki stopped by Kushina's house first. He was immediately greeted with a "head-rub of doom" as Kushina grumbled about his lack of faith in her memory.
Next was Tsume Inuzuka's home. Saiki approached with a high degree of caution; while he wasn't afraid of ghosts, being chased by a pack of territorial dogs in his previous life had left him with a lingering trauma regarding canines.
Compared to Kushina, Tsume was just as boisterous and blunt, but she lacked Kushina's hair-trigger violence. She even gave Saiki a fresh peach to snack on.
Strolling through the streets and munching on the peach, Saiki eventually arrived at Genhai's flower shop.
Ding-ling-ling!
He pushed the door open, triggering the bell hanging above.
"Welcome!"
A soft, melodic voice answered the bell. Reimi stepped out from a corner where she had been organizing flowers.
Seeing her, Saiki froze mid-stride.
Today, she had traded her baggy home dress for a form-fitting, greyish-white bodycon dress. The fabric clung to every curve of her voluptuous, hourglass figure that had been hidden before. She wore a small white cardigan over her shoulders, and with her beautiful, gentle smile, she looked breathtakingly elegant.
If he didn't know better, Saiki would have assumed she was a wealthy socialite or a high-born noblewoman.
Recovering quickly, he offered a polite bow. "Hello, Auntie Reimi. Sorry to bother you. I'm here for Genhai."
Reimi caught Saiki's momentary daze and the look of raw appreciation in his eyes. Her voice turned even softer. "Oh, Saiki-kun! Genhai just stepped out for a moment. He asked if you could wait for him."
She added with a small, maternal huff, "Honestly, that boy has no manners."
Then, she looked at Saiki with a tender gaze. "Saiki-kun, would you like a glass of water?"
Feeling a bit shy, Saiki replied, "I don't want to trouble you, Auntie. Please, go about your business. I don't mind waiting."
As she walked toward him, Saiki couldn't help but notice her gait. Whether it was the change of clothes or the lingering mental stimulation from Tsunade this morning, he found the way she moved to be incredibly alluring.
Her smile was so warm, and her voice so soothing.
"It's no trouble at all. The shop is quiet right now. I'll go pour you a drink."
Saiki wanted to insist otherwise, but her hospitality was so earnest he didn't know how to refuse. "Then... thank you, Auntie. I appreciate it."
"Genhai told me everything. Thank you for looking after him out there. It's our family that is in your debt. Please, have a seat!"
"We're teammates; looking out for each other is just what we do," Saiki said modestly as he sat on a bench reserved for customers.
"Wait just a moment!" Reimi turned and headed toward the back of the shop.
Perhaps it was because the dress was so tight, but as she walked away, Saiki's eyes were glued to her rear. Her two large, plump "peaches" swayed and jiggled with every step she took.
Watching her back, Saiki realized she was wearing what his old world called a "stepmother dress." It outlined her provocative, mature curves perfectly. Clichés of A Friend's Mother, The Neighbor Auntie, and My Mom's Friend began playing on a loop in his brain.
Fortunately, Saiki's willpower was top-tier. He forced himself to look away, nearly wanting to slap his own face. What is wrong with me? Did that intimacy with Tsunade this morning officially kickstart my adolescent hormones?
The more he tried not to think about it, the more his memory betrayed him. Tsunade's grinding body, the widow Reimi pinning him to the floor that night, the view of Tsume's bare skin during surgery—it all came rushing back at once.
"My mind is like clear water; the sky may fall, but I remain unshaken!" He began reciting a mental mantra for inner peace, circulating his Pre-natal Qi to forcibly cool his rising blood and settle his frantic heart.
Since Reimi ran a flower shop, she often hosted neighborhood women for tea and gossip. She returned shortly with a tray of snacks and tea.
Seeing Saiki sitting there with his eyes closed, only opening them when she approached, Reimi asked with concern, "Saiki-kun? Is everything okay? Do you feel unwell?"
"I'm fine." He shook his head and looked at the tray. "Auntie Reimi, you really didn't need to go to all this trouble."
"It's fine. I feel bad making you wait while Genhai is out playing."
"It's no big deal," Saiki replied, sipping the tea and taking a bite of a sweet cake. "I'm not in a rush. I'm just here to get him for the BBQ."
"Who knows how long he'll be. Please, eat as much as you like!"
Under her relentless hospitality, Saiki continued to snack. Reimi went back to her work with a smile.
She began pruning some flowers nearby, and before Saiki could react, she squatted down just a few feet away from him. He nearly choked on his tea.
As she squatted to tend the low-hanging blooms, her tight dress stretched dangerously thin over her enormous, rounded backside.
Don't look, don't look... Even though his hands had already felt that exact weight and texture before, Saiki forced his head to turn in the opposite direction.
As Saiki sat there, trying to focus on anything other than the woman's rear, Genhai finally burst through the door.
"Where the hell have you been?" Saiki asked, his voice a mix of relief and annoyance.
Scratching his head, Genhai laughed. "I was free today, so I went to return some books I borrowed from Jiya. You didn't have to wait for me, Boss!"
"Genhai, really! You kept Saiki-kun waiting far too long," Reimi scolded, standing up.
Seeing his mother's new look, Genhai froze. "Whoa, Mom. Why did you change your clothes?"
Saiki also looked at her. Reimi's face flushed a soft pink, but she answered quickly, "I have to head out later for some errands."