Early in the morning, a ray of sunlight streamed through the window into a small pink bedroom, casting golden threads of light. The warmth filled the room, making it feel peaceful and cozy.
Sakiya was already awake, sitting at her vanity, carefully working on something.
In the mirror, her right eye glowed with a striking red pupil as she examined the small piece of metal in her hand.
It was a special chakra metal—one she had spent nearly all her savings on. Despite the cost, she gritted her teeth and made the purchase.
Why activate her red pupil for this?
Because within its enhanced vision, she could see down to the tiniest particles—an ability crucial for refining chakra erosion factors.
She was crafting a special honor badge, modeled after the ones she had made for Ino and the others.
Cutting the metal down to the size of a fingernail, she meticulously etched the Flying Thunder God technique onto it.
This was like performing nanotechnology by hand!
Even for Sakiya, the process demanded absolute precision.
After about ten minutes, the engraving was complete.
She exhaled in relief.
Next was the sealing process—embedding her own shadow clone inside the badge.
This was no simple task. Even though the metal was highly conductive to chakra, she had to carefully regulate her output.
It felt like crafting an integrated circuit by hand, except the "wiring" was chakra, and the "chip" was an impossibly tiny piece of metal.
The process was delicate, the difficulty extreme.
Once the sealing was done, she observed something curious—her shadow clones always seemed slightly different from her main body.
She didn't dwell on it.
The next step was crucial: setting up the trigger and protection mechanisms.
The protection mechanism functioned as an emergency energy burst.
It worked by using the chakra erosion factor within her seal as a power source, instantly releasing all its energy as heat and light.
At the very least, this would give the wearer a brief window of protection.
Since the chakra erosion factor could differentiate between friend and foe, the trigger mechanism would respond accordingly, activating only under specific conditions.
Time passed quickly.
Before she knew it, two hours had gone by.
Then—
Squeak.
The sudden sound startled Sakiya, breaking her deep concentration.
She immediately stilled, alert.
---
Meanwhile, outside her room, the door cracked open slightly.
Sakinoko peeked in, checking if Sakiya was awake.
She saw the lump in bed, assumed her daughter was still asleep, and quietly shut the door again.
Kitahara Kira stood beside her, speaking gently.
"Still not up?"
Sakinoko nodded, a trace of concern crossing her face.
"Even though Sakiya loves to sleep in, she's usually up by now. She must be really exhausted. Let's let her rest a little longer."
Kitahara Kira agreed.
Among them, one detail stood out the most—Sakinoko's stomach had grown slightly larger.
Inside her room, Sakiya could hear their conversation. She was also aware of the new life growing inside her mother.
Her expression turned serious.
"Perfect timing… I'll make this badge as an early gift for my little brother."
-------------
After a busy morning, Sakiya finally stumbled out of her room, rubbing her eyes in a daze.
She glanced at Kitahara Kira and Kihana Sakinoko.
"Good morning, Mom. Good morning, Dad..."
Still half-asleep, she washed up quickly and then made her way to the dining table, settling into her usual spot.
As she finally started to wake up, she picked up her chopsticks, only to realize something strange.
"Huh? Why is breakfast so... fancy today?"
Sakinoko chuckled and placed a piece of meat into her daughter's bowl.
"Sweetie, it's already noon."
Sakiya froze, her expression blank.
"Noon? Did the Beast of Time steal my entire morning?!"
Her little face scrunched up in frustration. She grabbed the piece of meat, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed aggressively.
"Mmph… Time, you thief! Just wait—I'll track you down one day!"
Watching her daughter treat the food like some kind of enemy, Sakinoko and Kitahara Kira exchanged amused smiles.
"Hahaha, alright, Sakiya, just eat up. If the Demon of Time comes back, Mommy will chase it away for you," Sakinoko said playfully.
Sakiya's eyes lit up.
"Mom, you're the best!"
Kitahara Kira suddenly smiled.
"Oh, that reminds me! Sakiya, your mother and I have a surprise for you."
Sakiya's eyes went wide with excitement.
"A surprise? What is it?"
Sakinoko's face radiated happiness.
"You're going to have a little brother."
Sakiya's entire face lit up.
"A brother?! Really?! That's amazing! I need to prepare a gift for him!"
Sakinoko and Kitahara Kira both froze.
They immediately thought about Sakiya's… unique collection of "gifts."
Kitahara Kira forced a smile.
"Haha, Sakiya, there's still some time before he arrives, so don't rush."
Sakiya nodded seriously.
"Got it! I'll make sure to prepare something really special."
Sakinoko couldn't help but feel a little worried for her unborn son.
Before the conversation could take a strange turn, she quickly changed the subject.
"Oh! Sakiya, I saved some of your favorite steamed glutinous rice meatballs."
Sakiya's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Without hesitation, she locked onto the plate, picked up a meatball, and popped it into her mouth.
"Mmm! So good!"
Watching her delighted expression, Sakinoko and Kitahara Kira smiled, sharing a quiet sigh of relief.
And just like that, the family enjoyed a warm and happy lunch together.
-------------------
In the afternoon, Sakiya and Sakuragi went to the hospital to visit their squadmates.
Kakashi and Naruto were already awake.
Kakashi was casually reading a book, while Naruto, as usual, couldn't sit still. Every time he tried to move around excitedly, he ended up aggravating his injuries, his face twisting in pain.
Still, it was clear they were both recovering well.
Sakiya didn't waste much time. She pulled out a medal Naruto had been waiting for and handed it to him.
Naruto's face lit up like a child getting a new toy.
"Thank you, Sakiya-chan! Ah... I feel like all my injuries just healed!"
He clutched the medal tightly.
Sakiya gave him a slightly annoyed look.
"Hmph! My judgment deemed you worthy based on your courage alone. That's why you're only getting a peripheral member's badge."
Naruto, of course, didn't care about the rank—he was just happy to have it.
"I see, hehe. Thanks, Sakiya-chan!"
Ignoring him, Sakiya turned to Kakashi and casually tossed a badge his way.
Kakashi caught it effortlessly and glanced at her, amused.
Though he had been reading, he'd been fully aware of her conversation with Naruto.
"I get one too?"
Sakiya smirked proudly.
"Hmph. You're someone with true conviction. I've been meaning to add you to the contract for a while now. This is a full member's badge."
Kakashi blinked in surprise, then chuckled and accepted it without hesitation.
"Alright, I'll join."
Sakiya nodded in satisfaction.
Naruto, however, wasn't as thrilled. He shot Kakashi a jealous look.
"Eh~?! How did Kakashi-sensei get one so easily?"
Kakashi simply smiled, holding up his badge and casually waving it in front of Naruto.
Naruto groaned in frustration.
"What about the Dark Knight?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"Who?"
Naruto shrugged.
"Sasuke. He went off to train again—he's always trying to get stronger."
Sakiya nodded, then turned and walked away without another word.
Naruto blinked.
"Eh? Sakiya-chan? You're leaving already?"
She acted like she hadn't heard him and left the room.
Naruto reached out slightly, his hands hovering in the air, a flicker of loneliness in his eyes.
Sakuragi suddenly clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"Give it up, Naruto. Sakiya is beyond what we mere mortals can comprehend. No matter how much you chase her, it's a lost cause."
Naruto frowned, glancing at Tsuchiya for support, but Tsuchiya just nodded in agreement.
Of course, Naruto wasn't one to give up so easily.
"No way! I'll definitely make Sakiya-chan understand my feelings!"
Kakashi shook his head, eyes still on his book.
"Tsk. What's so great about having a girlfriend? They only slow you down. I don't get young people these days. Instead of training, you're worried about romance."
He sighed dramatically.
Naruto pouted but said nothing.
And with that, the room fell into silence.
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