During Pakura's time in captivity, every letter she wrote to Maki was delivered by Shin himself.
The two were already acquainted.
"How is Sensei doing?"
Maki's voice trembled slightly, betraying her nervousness—even as hatred burned in her eyes.
The man before her was the Hidden Sand Village's nightmare.
These days, Hidden Sand Village was battered and broken—almost deserted. Most of its shinobi had forever remained on the battlefield… all because of him.
Shin.
A name that could make even the boldest child in the Hidden Sand fall silent in terror.
He was the enemy every Hidden Sand Village ninja dreamed of killing in their sleep.
And for someone like him, crushing a Chunin like her would be effortless. Nothing more than flicking an ant off one's sleeve.
"Relax. Your dear Sensei's eating well, sleeping better, and has even put on a few pounds," Shin said flatly, his tone laced with mocking indulgence. "Last night, she nearly broke my back—soft little thing, clinging all over me."
"You bastard!"
Rage surged to the surface in Maki's amber eyes.
[+1000 Hatred Value from Maki]
Pakura was more than just her teacher. She had stood by Maki's side for years, mentoring her in combat and ninjutsu…
For Maki, an orphan, Sensei was the closest thing to a mother she had ever known.
And now, listening to the way Pakura had been degraded…
Of course her heart was shattered with grief and fury.
"If anyone's to blame, it's your Hidden Sand. You lot sent her to die and acted like it meant nothing," said Shin, his voice calm and matter-of-fact.
"You're lying!" Maki snapped. "The Hidden Sand would never do something like that!"
"Such a naive little girl. Careful how you talk to me," Shin's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "If not, you might just die here."
He twitched his fingers.
Whoosh!
A sharp hiss cut through the air.
In the blink of an eye, several streaks of ghostly light shot out from his fingertips—before Maki even realized what happened, they had pierced into her body with terrifying precision.
Pain bloomed in her limbs.
Her breath caught. Her throat seized up, and she felt warm blood rise and spill from her lips, staining her clothes a deep red.
Her legs buckled.
She dropped to her knees.
Impossible. Just one exchange?
And I'm already…?
Maki's round face contorted in horror.
She hadn't even seen him move. No hand signs. No jutsu.
What kind of technique was this?
Shin stood from his seat and took a single step forward.
With that one step, he appeared directly in front of her.
Maki's pupils flinched violently from the sudden proximity.
So fast.
Body Flicker Technique?
"You—!"
She gasped in panic and instinctively tried to retreat, but her entire body was numb, paralyzed.
Those strange dark lights that had stabbed into her weren't ordinary projectiles—they had sealed her chakra, sapped her of strength.
Shin bent down slightly and reached out, pulling back the hood of her cloak.
Dark, silky hair spilled down like a cascade. Her lips were soft as cherry blossom petals, nose delicately high, cheeks round with youthful beauty, brows like willows, eyes glistening like spring—
A delicate young girl, pure and striking.
"Aren't you just the prettiest little thing?" Shin murmured with faint appreciation, taking in her face.
In the canon timeline, Maki didn't get much screen time.
But that didn't mean she wasn't a beauty in the making.
Who would've guessed that backwater hellhole like the Land of Wind could produce someone like her?
[+2000 Hatred Value from Maki]
Shame and fury burst forth in Maki's chest. She was seething.
He looked her over like some grown man appreciating a child, even though he was clearly around the same age.
"Why do you look at me like that? Hmm? Hate me, do you? Then go on. Bite me," he said, crouching before her with a smug little grin.
"You're not afraid I'll report you?" she fumed through clenched teeth.
"Report me for what?" he replied in a lazy drawl.
She gritted her teeth. "You're a Konoha shinobi, yet you're secretly in contact with the Hidden Sand. You pass letters for Sensei. If the Hokage finds out what you've been doing—no matter how much you've contributed—you'll still be punished."
"Oh no," Shin said with exaggerated worry. "So troublesome."
Then his tone sharpened with a smirk, "Guess I'll have to abandon the Leaf. Run away. Join your Hidden Sand instead. But with the relationship I've built with Pakura… somehow, I doubt I'll starve in there."
"You shameless snake," Maki spat. "If people in the village find out what you did to her, they'll make you pay."
"Tch tch tch…"
Shin tutted as he shook his head. "The lot of you Sand shinobi—so scary."
There wasn't a speck of fear in his tone.
His words mocked her outright.
Was he truly not afraid of word getting out? Of being exposed?
For just a moment, Maki was uncertain.
She had known him for a while now, yet she still couldn't fathom what kind of person he really was.
"You miss your teacher that much?" he suddenly asked, voice low with a hint of temptation.
"Of course. Why else would I come to this hellhole of a village?" she snapped back coldly.
"I see." He smiled slightly. "Then... I could let her go."
Maki froze where she knelt.
Had she heard that right?
After all, the Hidden Sand had formally requested Pakura's release. But Konoha's top brass had yet to respond.
"You don't want her freed?" Shin raised a brow.
"You—" Maki's breath caught. "You mean it?"
"Of course I do," he said. Then added, with a slow, deliberate lick of his lips, "But if you want that to happen… you'd better show me you're serious. Keep yelling like that, and there's no way I'll let her go."
Maki exhaled deeply and forced herself to regain composure.
Lowering her head ever so slightly, she spoke solemnly, voice clear and firm:
"If you can truly release Sensei… I'll do anything you ask of me."
Shin raised his chin slightly. "Anything?"
"Yes," she answered without hesitation.
"Alright then," he said, eyes gleaming. "Strip. Right here. Now."