Pakura bit down gently on her lower lip as memories washed over her—
the blood, the fear, the humiliation of her captivity…
and Evan's maddeningly unpredictable behavior.
Yes, he "punished" her relentlessly.
But at other times… he treated her unexpectedly well.
Like the time she complained—offhandedly—that she couldn't get used to Konoha's food.
That same night, she somehow ended up eating authentic Sunagakure cuisine.
She had no idea whether he got it from Suna within half a day…
or whether he made it himself.
There was also her disciple, Jun.
Pakura had once mentioned worrying about the girl's safety.
Evan had casually told her to write a letter—
saying he would deliver it.
Days later, Pakura actually received Jun's reply.
And moreover—
Through Evan's constant, relentless "training,"
her strength had risen sharply.
He'd even taught her his bizarre style of swordsmanship—
techniques so unfamiliar yet powerful
that she was now far stronger than the Pakura she used to be.
If he truly wanted her dead…
would he be doing all this?
Pakura found herself lost in confusion.
"My foolish woman."
Evan finally finished laughing, then gently cupped her cheek.
"Don't panic. After a little while longer, I'll send you back to Sunagakure."
Pakura blinked.
Her breath caught, shock overtaking her expression.
"What? Can't bear to leave me now?" Evan teased.
"You… you really mean to let me go?"
Her voice trembled—along with the tears sliding down her pale face.
"You've stayed with me long enough," Evan shrugged lightly.
"It's only right you go home and show your face, isn't it?"
Home…?
Pakura's lips tightened.
That single word struck something deep inside her—something she couldn't describe.
Evan watched her with a glint of mischief in his eyes.
"Come on. Stand up. Let me take a proper look."
Pakura stiffened.
Whatever frail gratitude had sparked moments earlier
evaporated instantly into indignation.
He was doing this again.
This man—
gentle one moment, shameless the next.
Taking a deep breath, Pakura rose from the bath.
Water slid down her skin like beads of mercury, her silhouette outlined through the lingering steam.
The soft glow on her skin made her look almost ethereal.
"…Exquisite," Evan murmured, as if admiring a priceless painting.
"No matter how many times I see it, I never tire of it."
He stepped closer—
And Pakura braced herself.
A few days later.
Evan was training in the depths of the Forest of Death.
His newly upgraded Draw Blade Technique and Ethereal Sword Control flowed with even greater mastery.
"My strength has hit a bottleneck.
Just raising martial arts levels won't be enough anymore."
"To move further, I need breakthroughs in divine abilities."
"But every divine ability—Ethereal Sword, Eight-Nine Arcane Art, Law Manifestation—needs at least a million hatred points to advance."
"A million… where am I supposed to find that now?"
"There's no war. I can't harvest hatred through mass slaughter."
He knew well—
despite his current strength—
true invincibility in the ninja world was still far out of reach.
Nagato, Obito, Uchiha Madara, the Great Sages, the Sage of Six Paths' lineage, and finally Kaguya…
Then the external Ōtsutsuki beyond the world.
The path to power had only just begun.
"…Maybe I can gain hatred points through women again?"
Pakura alone had given him tens of thousands—no, far more—just from being around him.
And in his experience,
women generated far more hatred than men.
Not to mention…
Even the killing aura accumulated during the war required an outlet—
and women happened to be the perfect catharsis.
Two birds with one stone.
As Evan pondered this, a small figure appeared in the distance.
A young girl approached, her cheeks marked with soft makeup, a bandage-like hood covering her hair.
Her clothing style clearly wasn't of Konoha.
A petite frame, a doll-like face—yet with the faintest hint of maturing curves.
A cute—and deceptively promising—young beauty.
Evan wasn't surprised.
The Sunagakure delegation was still staying in Konoha for negotiations.
Naturally, Pakura's disciple, Jun, would come looking for him.
This was their agreed meeting spot.
Perfect.
He was in the mood to "tease" someone.
"Jun," Evan called out with a lazy smile.
"Long time no see."
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