Pakura bit her lip, lost in memories of the blood-soaked days following her captivity.
He truly did "punish" her every day…
But at times, he could be surprisingly kind.
Once, she couldn't get used to the cuisine in the Hidden Leaf Village and casually voiced her dislike.
That very evening, she was served her favorite snacks—traditional treats of the Hidden Sand Village.
She had no idea how, in less than half a day, he had managed to procure them—or had he made them himself?
And then there was her disciple, Maki, who had remained back in the Hidden Sand. She had been worried.
To her surprise, Shin actually asked her to write a letter, saying he'd deliver it to Maki to let her know she was doing well.
And shortly after that… there really was a letter from Maki, written in her hand.
And that wasn't all.
Under Shin's relentless, day-and-night torment, Pakura's combat ability had steadily grown.
He had even passed on his strange "sword skills" to her.
Pakura now was significantly stronger than she'd ever been.
Would someone who truly wanted her dead be this good to her?
Pakura found herself lost in confusion.
"My foolish woman."
Shin cut off his chuckle and reached out to gently stroke Pakura's cheek.
"Don't worry. Just a little longer, and I'll let you return to the Hidden Sand."
Pakura's expression froze.
Then disbelief slowly spread across her face.
"What? Reluctant to leave me? Want to stay?" Shin's eyes twinkled with faint amusement.
"You… You really mean to let me go?"
Pakura's voice caught with emotion, and a tear slipped silently down her flawless, snow-white cheek.
"You've stayed with me this long. At some point, you've got to visit your family, haven't you?" Shin arched a brow.
Family?
Pakura bit down gently on her lip, a strange, indescribable twinge welling up in her chest.
Staring at her, delicate and heartbreakingly beautiful, Shin's eyes darkened with indulgent lust.
"Come. Stand up and let me get a good look at you."
A chill ran down Pakura's spine.
That one thread of gratitude in her heart evaporated instantly, replaced by a hot flash of shame and anger.
He was at it again!
The man had reverted to his wanton, lecherous ways without warning!
Clenching her fists tightly, Pakura took a deep breath and slowly stood up from the bath.
Splash...
Accompanied by the soft sounds of water, her creamy, flawless skin—like warm white jade—emerged bit by bit.
Beads of water clung to her body, shimmeringly smooth, like dew on the freshly bloomed petals of a flower kissed by rain.
"Truly exquisite… No matter how many times I look, I never get tired of this view."
Shin nodded, intoxicated, as if he were admiring a peerless work of art.
He slowly stepped closer and opened his mouth to speak—
...
Several days passed.
In a secluded part of the Forest of Death, Shin practiced his swordsmanship.
Having mastered the enhanced versions of the Sword Drawing Technique and the Spiritual Void Sword Control Technique, he moved with greater finesse and power.
"My combat strength has reached a bottleneck. Relying on martial arts breakthroughs alone won't cut it anymore."
"If I want to go further, I'll need to advance my divine powers."
"The Divine Powers I currently wield are the Spiritual Void Sword Control Technique, Eight-Nine Arcane Art, and Heaven and Earth Manifestation. But improving any of them requires at least a million Hatred Value."
"A million… Where the hell am I supposed to get that?"
"There's no major war going on right now either. No way to feed my Divine Powers through mass slaughter…"
Shin knew for certain—he wasn't yet invincible across the ninja world.
If he recklessly brought about huge wars or went toe-to-toe with heaven and earth—
He might not get himself killed, but his currently comfortable and leisurely life would definitely be over.
He leaned against an old tree stump, deep in thought about what path to take next.
With his understanding of the storyline, he was well aware—
In the shinobi world, Kage-level wasn't the pinnacle.
There was Nagato, Obito Uchiha, Madara Uchiha; the Three Great Sage Regions, the Sage of Six Paths and his descendants, and, at the very end, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Each and every one of them formidable, dangerous opponents.
And beyond the shinobi world, the Ōtsutsuki Clan still loomed in the shadows, watching and waiting.
The path to power could not stall now.
Maybe… he could collect Hatred Value through women?
The idea struck Shin suddenly.
Over the long period of Pakura's captivity alone, he'd already gained hundreds of thousands of Hatred Value from her alone.
And if his past experience had taught him anything—
It was that women yielded significantly more Hatred Value than men.
What's more, the malignant aura accumulated from slaughter during the war also needed an outlet—and using women worked well for venting that, too.
Two birds, one stone.
Just as Shin was pondering this train of thought, a dainty silhouette appeared in the distance.
That girl had vibrant face paint, a hooded headband wrapped like a bandage, and an outfit that clearly didn't belong to Konoha style. Her slim, lithe figure moved like flowing silk.
She had the most adorable doll-like face—but the curve on her chest told him that this girl was a hidden gem of potential.
She was the picture of a soft, delicate-looking little loli.
Shin wasn't the least surprised at her appearance.
After all, the Hidden Sand's diplomatic envoy had been residing in Konoha for some time.
It only made sense that Maki, Pakura's disciple, would come looking for him.
This was exactly the place they had agreed to meet.
Perfect… Time to have a little fun!
"Maki, long time no see!"