Creak—
Shin pushed open the door and stepped into the bedroom.
At once, a haze of steam met his gaze.
Pakura was sitting in a wooden bath barrel, mist swirling around the room. Her flawless, porcelain skin shimmered through the steam—soft, delicate, and barely concealed. An intoxicating sight.
She had her back turned to him, soaked hair clinging to her nape and shoulders, exuding a quiet, vulnerable beauty.
At the sound of the door opening, Pakura instinctively grabbed a towel to cover herself. She turned and shot Shin a glare, her eyes smoldering with a captivating fire.
"Such a shame to waste a back like yours without some cupping therapy," Shin said as he made himself comfortable at the table, sipping tea with leisurely interest. "We've seen each other bare a hundred times over. There's not a single inch of you I haven't seen—or touched. What's the point of covering up now?"
"Hmph!"
Pakura bit her lip and huffed coldly, trying to change the subject. "Is your Hidden Leaf going to release me or not?"
"What do you think?" Shin replied lazily, sipping his tea.
"You—!" Pakura raised her voice. That bastard was doing it on purpose.
"What's the matter? After becoming my woman, you're still set on leaving me? That's heartless, you know." Shin's tone was teasing, but there was something darker beneath it. "Is there someone back in the Hidden Sand worth all this eagerness?"
He gave a half-smile, eyes gleaming with amusement.
Pakura clenched her teeth, ignoring the taunt. Her voice was low and firm. "What about Rasa? When are you going to kill him?"
"Hidden Sand's too far," Shin said with a shrug. "I don't feel like walking all that way."
"You're lying."
Pakura's eyes reddened instantly. "You promised you'd kill Rasa for me."
"Lying? Did I ever say I wouldn't kill him?" Shin set down his cup and rose, walking over to the bath.
Pakura flinched.
Her pale back pressed tightly against the edge of the barrel, towel clutched around her chest.
Shin rolled his eyes and smirked, "Come on. Take it off."
Pakura hesitated, biting down on her lip.
After a moment, she slowly removed the towel…
"That's my good girl," Shin murmured, reaching out to gently stroke her damp hair.
"I'm not your woman," Pakura said stubbornly, lifting her chin.
"You certainly weren't protesting when you threw yourself at me," Shin said with a mocking grin, lifting her chin with one finger.
Pakura's eyes flared with fury. "You forced me!"
"I never laid a finger on you… not really. I didn't make you do anything," Shin said, his voice soft with amusement. "What now? Regret it already?"
"You…"
Pakura took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.
"In the Land of Water," she said suddenly, "you killed those Mist ninja… it wasn't for a mission, was it? You did it to save me."
That caught Shin off guard.
"Oh? And what makes you think that?" he asked with a curious smile.
"Back then, your Hidden Leaf was still at war with the Hidden Mist. Unless your leadership is full of idiots, there's no way they'd send someone of your caliber that deep into enemy territory for just any mission," Pakura said coolly.
"Heh. Smart girl." Shin nodded. "You're right. If it weren't for you, I'd never have gone to that gods-forsaken place."
"But why?" she asked.
"Why what?"
"Why save me… only to torment me afterward?" Her eyes shimmered with tears.
"Because I pitied you… and because I like you," Shin said, gently caressing her cheek, his voice tender as if speaking to a beloved pet.
"Like me?" Pakura froze, stunned by the answer.
He likes me?
But if he does, why force me into those humiliating things?
Why treat me like that?
What kind of twisted "like" is this?
Shin chuckled softly and leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers.
"If I hadn't stepped in back then, your smooth little back would've been full of kunai by now."
Pakura's thoughts drifted to that day…
Her comrades' sudden betrayal.
The ambush by Mist ninja.
Even for a Kage-level shinobi, that kind of ambush would've been fatal.
And then Shin appeared—like a phantom—slaughtering the Mist-nin to the last man.
As she remembered, a strange warmth stirred in her chest.
No matter what followed… he had saved her.
"Don't tell me… you're falling for me?" Shin suddenly leaned back, laughing out loud.
"Hahaha… What a fool! You really believed me?"
His laughter echoed throughout the room—wild, mocking, cruel.
Pakura looked up at him, her pupils trembling.
She didn't know why… but it felt like he could see straight through her.
Like her every thought, every flicker of emotion… was laid bare before him.
And his laughter—it wasn't just ridicule. It was a slap in the face to her fragile hope.
What kind of man is this?
Mercurial, unpredictable, gentle one moment, sinister the next.
Sometimes noble and refined, sometimes cunning and venomous.