"That's none of your concern." Kimimaro's eyes narrowed coldly. "Submit, or I'll have no choice but to suppress you again. I'm sure you remember what it felt like to have your energy drained."
Though he had only absorbed a fraction of her vitality, Kimimaro had halted—not out of mercy, but interest. Fūka wasn't just any opponent. A Jinchūriki, capable of flight and possessing multiple nature affinities, and a rare form of body substitution technique—she had potential.
Fūka stared at him, brow Fūkarrowed. "Fine. I'll cooperate—for now. But if someone comes after me, you better keep your promise and protect me."
"No problem," Kimimaro replied, deactivating the chakra suppression technique.
Fūka stretched her limbs cautiously, but before she could say more, Karin approached and grabbed her arm. The red-haired sensor-nin was clearly unimpressed.
"Relax, I didn't seduce your boyfriend," Fūka said half-jokingly, trying to ease the tension.
Karin scoffed. "You think I care about that? If I got mad every time a girl tried that, I wouldn't have any chakra left." Her gaze sharpened. "But don't think submission to him means you get to slack off. You're not just tagging along—you'll be working for it."
Fūka raised an eyebrow. "Working how?"
"You're a Jinchūriki. That means you'll train, scout, and fight when needed. No hiding in that weird hair technique of yours," Karin said, crossing her arms.
Fūka rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I get it."
Suddenly, Fūka made a hand sign. "Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Kimimaro immediately intercepted the flaming projectiles with a swift combination of water and wind chakra, dispelling the attack effortlessly. Before Fūka could vanish into her hair, he struck several key chakra points with precision—Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Four Palms.
"You're not escaping. I figured out your tactic," he said coolly.
Karin sighed. "You're lucky he's nicer than he looks."
Fūka sat down with a defeated groan. "You guys are intense."
By morning, tensions had eased. Fūka, dressed and reenergized, stood beside Kimimaro on the deck, watching the sea.
"So… you're really not going to seal me up or chain me to something?" she asked.
Kimimaro didn't look at her. "You're free to leave—if you want. But if you stay, you'll follow my orders."
Fūka hesitated. "I'm not sure what kind of person you are, but… I guess I'll stick around for now."
"Then no more clones or hair tricks. Use your real body," Kimimaro said. "No one under my protection will be harmed."
Fūka glanced at him, her usual bravado softening. "Mui will probably come for me. He's my superior… but also, he's not the same anymore. You should be careFūkal. The 'Box of Ultimate Bliss' has changed him."
Kimimaro nodded. "I've heard of him. And I'll deal with him if he comes."
"You're strong… but Mui used to be a high-ranking figure in the Land of Fire. He hides it, but he's dangerous."
"Is he as strong as a Hokage?" Fūka asked.
"Well… probably not," she admitted after a pause. Fūka wasn't one to overestimate herself or others. None of them had truly reached Kage-level. Even if Mui had mastered powerFūkal forbidden jutsu, it didn't mean he could personally contend with Kage-tier opponents.
"If you're not at Kage level," Kimimaro said flatly, "don't talk to me about being strong."
A sudden pressure radiated from him—his presence cold, domineering, and absolute. Fūka's heart skipped a beat. The aura he emitted reminded her not only of the man who had taken her body, but of someone who truly stood above others.
"Are you really that strong?" she asked, her voice softer now.
"Didn't you see for yourself last night?" Kimimaro replied, his tone almost amused.
"Hmph, I meant in combat," Fūka said, trying to recover her poise.
"So did I," he said with a faint smirk.
"Ugh… I'm being serious. Kimimaro, if you really are Kage-level… then I don't mind submitting to you—wherever you go." Her expression turned flirtatious, her gaze smoldering.
"You'll find out soon enough, once I deal with Mui. But I doubt he'll force me to go all out. Speaking of which—why did you come to Hōzuki Castle?"
"I used to be a jōnin from the Land of Wind," Fūka began. "Because I dabbled in forbidden jutsu, I was branded a pariah and left the village. Some time ago, I encountered Mui. He persuaded me to join a large-scale plan he was orchestrating. But before that, I needed to improve myself."
"Improve? How?"
"My technique lets me absorb chakra from others and use it to manipulate nature transformations. I can't copy specific ninjutsu like the Sharingan, but I can absorb enough elemental chakra to make it easier to learn techniques of those types."
Kimimaro's expression remained neutral. "So you don't gain the jutsu directly—just the elemental affinity?"
"Exactly," she said, nodding. "I've managed to train in all five basic natures, which is rare, especially without a kekkei genkai. That's one of the reasons I was shunned. The people I absorbed chakra from weren't saints—they tried to force themselves on me, so I killed them in self-defense."
"So at first, you thought I was just like them?"
"I didn't know you then! Besides, you… you really took everything," she added, giving him a playFūkal glare. "But you're stronger than all of them put together. The chakra I've absorbed so far came from average-level ninja. While I can't steal techniques, if I absorb someone with powerFūkal or unique chakra, it boosts my own affinity and makes it easier to learn higher-level techniques of that nature."
"Sounds inefficient," Kimimaro commented.
"It's not something just anyone can do," Fūka said with a slight pout. "I didn't say it was easy—but it's effective."
He had to admit, it was impressive. For someone without a kekkei genkai or special lineage, Fūka's abilities were already well above the average jōnin.
"So you tried to absorb Mui's chakra?"
"Yes. We were operating along the eastern coast of the Land of Earth—close to here. I wanted to assess him, but I quickly realized he was troublesome. If he bound me with the Heaven Prison technique, even my mud clone bodies wouldn't be able to use chakra. That's why I backed off. I wasn't planning to stay long, and I didn't expect to run into you."
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