After returning to the Land of Snow, Obito continued living as usual.
But no matter how well secrets are hidden, sooner or later, they come out.
That morning, Yugao froze in place the moment she saw Terumi Mei stepping out of Obito's room, stretching lazily as if nothing had happened.
Terumi Mei paused for a second at the sight of Yugao, then smiled and greeted her calmly.
"Yo, good morning."
"You… you…" Yugao's eyes widened in shock, her voice trembling as she pointed at Mei, unable to form a complete sentence.
Mei covered her cheek with one hand, tilting her head with a teasing smile.
"That's right. It's exactly what you're thinking."
As if worried Yugao wouldn't fully understand, she even made a circle with one hand and slid her finger from the other hand in and out of it, the gesture unmistakably obscene.
"I… you…"
Yugao's hands shook. A rush of heat and fury hit her all at once, her heart clenching.
In that instant, she felt firsthand the same despair those poor side characters in NTR hentai always suffered.
And then Mei twisted the knife even deeper.
"Also… Pakura-san is the same."
Her words were like a cruel hammer to the chest.
"You…" Yugao gasped, her chest heaving, face burning red with rage as she panted.
(PS: Imagine finding out the girl you love is getting a double treatment from your friends.)
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
Yugao screamed and lunged straight at Mei.
But Mei only smirked. At the last instant, her body blurred and vanished.
"Bang!"
"Smack!"
"Bang!"
Soon, outside the snowy fortress, the sounds of fists meeting flesh echoed through the cold air, mixed with Yugao's furious roars and Mei's playful laughter.
The two finally separated, boots skidding across the snow as the clash broke apart. Their breaths fogged in the cold air, eyes locked, neither willing to back down.
Yugao's chest rose and fell, her rage only burning hotter. She reached behind her and drew her beloved blade, Murasaki, the violet sheen of the sword glinting under the pale light of the snowy sky.
"This time," she hissed, "I'm going all out."
Terumi Mei brushed a strand of hair from her face, her expression calm and devastatingly confident. She raised her hands into a flowing combat stance, her smile never wavering.
"Oh? Do you really think you can win against me?"
Yugao gritted her teeth, her lips curling into an angry grin. The fury in her eyes only deepened her resolve.
"Yeah. I'll win" she leveled her blade at Mei, her knuckles white around the hilt
"...and I'll beat you up until you regret every word."
Snowflakes drifted between them as the air grew tense once more, the fortress walls echoing with the promise of an equal battle.
Or that's what Yugao thought atleast.
---
At noon, the restaurant was quiet except for the clinking of chopsticks.
In the corner sat Yugao, her gaze unfocused, her movements mechanical. She kept poking at the rice in her bowl, stirring it aimlessly, as though her soul had been yanked out of her body.
"What's wrong with her?"
Pakura, stepping into the restaurant, froze for a moment when she caught sight of Yugao's… autistic state.
"It's nothing," Terumi Mei replied lazily, already seated at the table with a cup of tea in hand. "When I came out of his room this morning, she saw me. Got upset, attacked me…"
Mei paused, then smirked, shrugging her shoulders.
"…And then she found out she couldn't win."
Pakura's lips twitched. "I see."
"What about him?" she asked.
"He left early. Looked like he had something to do." Mei sighed as if helpless, though her smile betrayed zero guilt.
Pakura exhaled softly. She had hoped that with Obito around, messy drama like this could just be dumped on him to resolve. But apparently, she and Mei had to handle the fallout themselves.
Out of curiosity, Pakura leaned closer, tilting her head toward Yugao to hear what she was mumbling.
Her expression stiffened the moment the words reached her ears.
"It's me… it's me first… I was the first one to be kidnapped… the first one to follow him… it's clear I was the first to come…"
"..."
Pakura's scalp tingled. A shiver ran down her spine, goosebumps crawling up her arms.
What a terrifying grudge! she thought, staring at Yugao. The woman's aura had turned pitch-black, like she was being consumed by some cursed obsession.
Without another word, Pakura spun on her heel and bolted out of the restaurant.
--
At the same time, deep within the tower of the Rain Village
"…In other words, Sunagakure entrusted Akatsuki to move against the Land of Snow? They want us to hunt down the traitor shinobi Pakura and sabotage along the way?"
Obito touched his chin, his Sharingan glimmering faintly beneath the mask.
Interesting…
"But you," he continued with a hint of amusement, "want to subdue Pakura instead, and make her one of us?"
"That's right."
Pain's voice was calm, his eyes unblinking as the ripple pattern of the Rinnegan reflected in the dim light.
"Although the Land of Snow is a small country, its strength shouldn't be underestimated."
"They've already inflicted heavy casualties on Kumogakure. Pakura herself, as an S-class traitor of the Sand, was one of the shinobi who dealt those blows. Her combat power is proven. That's why I'm discussing this with you."
Obito's lips curved faintly behind the mask.
Nagato… poor, naïve Nagato. He didn't realize the Land of Snow was already Obito's home turf.
Obito let the silence stretch before answering, his tone suddenly serious.
"…You're right. Refuse Sunagakure's request."
He leaned back slightly, voice steady. "As for Pakura, leave her to me. I'll make sure she joins us."
"Oh?"
Pain's brows lifted slightly. A flicker of surprise passed across his face, but he didn't object. He nodded once.
"In that case, Pakura will be entrusted to you. Bring her into Akatsuki."
Obito's faint chuckle lingered in the chamber. "Well then… leave it to me."
His gaze slid briefly to the side, to Konan's seat empty.
He already knew from Pain that she had gone out on a mission, one tied to securing the organization's funds.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.