Saya couldn't wrap her head around it. The one who had been speaking to her so confidently, who carried himself with such maturity, was... six years old?
"Is it normal?" she blurted out, unable to suppress her thoughts.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "What is?"
"Someone like you. In your world," she clarified, her bluntness cutting through her disbelief.
Kakashi paused, as if weighing his answer carefully. Then, with a slight shrug, he replied, "No, it's not. Neither my abilities nor my mentality are what you'd call 'normal.'" His tone was casual, almost dismissive, but there was a subtle weight to his words.
Saya narrowed her eyes, studying him closely. He's not lying. At least, not about this.
"Have you decided?" Kakashi asked, his voice steady and indifferent, yet his sharp gaze betrayed an undercurrent of curiosity.
Saya straightened her posture, fully understanding what he was asking of her. This wasn't just about leaving her world. It was about stepping into his a realm entirely unknown, where danger was likely a constant companion.
Her mind raced, calculating risks, weighing possibilities. If she stayed, she knew what awaited her: her father's plans, the suffocating politics, and a life of survival against inevitable betrayal. But if she left...
The fear of the unknown is far less suffocating than the certainty of my father's schemes, she thought.
After a moment of silence, she finally took a deep breath and answered.
"Yes."
The word left her lips with unexpected clarity, her voice unwavering.
Kakashi's visible eye moved subtly, scanning her posture, her stance, her expression. He wasn't just looking at her ,he was assessing her resolve.
Saya felt the weight of his scrutiny but refused to falter. If I'm going to do this, I'll face it head-on.
Her thoughts turned to Yuriko, her mother. This is my chance to save her. I can't let it slip away.
"Hmm," Kakashi murmured, his voice calm. "Get dressed and speak with your mother."
"O-okay," Saya muttered, momentarily caught off guard by the mention of her mom.
How do I tell Mom? she wondered, the weight of the task settling heavily on her shoulders. But little did she know, her mother was already aware of Kakashi's presence. Yuriko, too, had been a target of his proposition and had already made her choice.
Saya's eyes darted to the bathroom once more, only to find it empty.
"Ninja," she muttered under her breath, a mix of frustration and awe in her voice. She shook her head and moved to dress herself, her mind racing with thoughts of the conversation she would soon have with her mother.
Dressed in her nightclothes, Saya headed to Yuriko's room. The maids paused as she passed, exchanging glances before resuming their work. One slipped away quietly, her steps purposeful she had a report to deliver.
Saya pushed open the door to find Yuriko seated by the bed. Her mother's eyes filled with doubt, but she said nothing, allowing Saya to step inside.
"What happened, Saya?" Yuriko asked gently.
Saya hesitated, struggling to form the words. How could she tell her mother her father was planning to kill her?
Yuriko studied her expression, concern creasing her brow. "Saya?" she prompted again, her voice soft yet firm.
Then, as if struck by realization, Yuriko's lips curved into a faint smile. "You didn't have sex, did you?"
"What? WHAT?!" Saya's voice shot up an octave as her face turned crimson. "NO! Why would I..why would you even say that?!"
Yuriko tilted her head slightly, her expression a mix of curiosity and mild amusement. "Well, with the way you were hesitating and your face looking so serious, I had to wonder."
Saya groaned, covering her face with her hands. "What kind of logic is that? How does me looking serious lead you to that conclusion?"
"You'd be surprised what teenagers can get up to when they're stressed," Yuriko replied smoothly, clearly enjoying Saya's flustered state.
"Mom!" Saya nearly shouted, her embarrassment turning into frustration. "Why would I have sex?! What are you even thinking?!"
Yuriko chuckled lightly, shaking her head. "Alright, alright. I just had to check."
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Saya glared at her mother. "This isn't about anything like that, okay? I came here to talk to you about something serious. Something about… Dad."
At the mention of her father, Yuriko's smile vanished, replaced by sharp focus. "What about him?"
Saya hesitated again, her hands clutching at her nightclothes. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I overheard him. He's planning to… to kill you."
Yuriko remained silent for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, with an almost imperceptible sigh, she leaned back slightly, her gaze steady. "I see."
"You're not surprised?" Saya asked, frowning.
"No," Yuriko replied calmly. "Your father is a man of ambition. If I'm in his way, this isn't unexpected."
Saya clenched her fists, anger surging in her chest. "You're just… okay with that?!"
"Of course not," Yuriko said sharply, her eyes narrowing. "But confronting him directly would be foolish. Your father is not a man to be underestimated, and neither are the people around him."
Why did this news reach Saya? Yuriko wondered, her thoughts racing. Sōichirō wasn't the type to let crucial information slip unless it served his purpose. He wouldn't make such a mistake, not with a mind as calculating as his.
"There's more," Saya said hesitantly, breaking Yuriko's train of thought. "I met someone a boy, no, a man. He's offering to take us somewhere safe."
A flicker of recognition flashed in Yuriko's eyes. Isn't this similar to what happened to me? Her gaze sharpened. "What's his name?" she asked immediately, needing to confirm her suspicion.
"Hatake Kakashi," Saya said quietly.
Yuriko's eyes widened. Her thoughts churned, piecing together the timeline. "When did he approach you?"
"Four days ago," Saya replied.
"That's… a day after he came to me," Yuriko murmured under her breath, her suspicions solidifying.
"Is he the one who told you about your father?" Yuriko pressed, her tone now more intense.
Saya hesitated, her eyes widening. But she didn't lie. "Yes."