"This is so annoying. Dealing with the Hidden Sand Village for the Chunin Exams has been troublesome enough recently, why are there still so many other issues!"
Tsunade clenched her fists in irritation.
She hoped it was just her overthinking.
But years of battle had honed her intuition, telling her that things were never that simple.
As the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade knew that the past Daimyo of the Land of Fire had always wanted to possess their own armed forces.
This was an unspoken understanding between the Hokage and the Daimyo.
Otherwise, the Daimyo wouldn't have established the 'Twelve Guardian Ninja' back then… But due to various considerations, the Hokage would absolutely not allow the Daimyo to have their own armed forces.
Otherwise, what would be the point of Konoha Village?
This was an irreconcilable contradiction.
Konoha had always maintained a firm grip on the situation.
But now, Tsunade had an inexplicable premonition that the Emperor named Di Yan seemed to be plotting something… This made her feel uneasy.
Tsunade sighed, "I hope it's just my imagination!"
...34 Warm Pool Ambiance; Inuzuka Hana: I'll Do It Myself
Deep within the Imperial Palace of the Land of Fire, the Royal Warm Pool.
The misty heat permeated the air like a light veil, blurring the luxurious carved beams and painted rafters, yet it couldn't obscure the suffocating sense of oppression in the air.
Di Yan leaned languidly against the edge of the warm pool.
His bare upper body was exposed to the warm, humid air.
His well-proportioned and firm muscles were clearly defined; not exaggeratedly bulging, but containing a restrained yet powerful sense of strength.
Water droplets slid down his skin, adding a touch of wicked charm.
He leisurely observed the woman standing by the pool, her body tense, her face filled with stubbornness and indignation… Inuzuka Hana.
Inuzuka Hana's heart felt like it was being fried in a pan.
Shame, hatred, fear, worry… all kinds of emotions violently clashed within her.
Just a short while ago, she had been taken to the dungeon.
She had seen her younger brother, Inuzuka Kiba, with her own eyes.
Although Kiba was still alive, his face was pale and his spirit was weak.
His left hand was heavily bandaged (where his fingers had been severed).
When he saw her, his eyes were filled with terror and dependence.
That gaze was like a knife, sharply piercing through all of Inuzuka Hana's pretense of strength.
Di Yan didn't say another word, but his meaning was already clear.
If you want your brother to live, and to live a little better, then show your greatest "sincerity".
Inuzuka Hana had grown up under the protection of her family.
Although her personality was fiery and straightforward, when had she ever truly experienced such a crude and cruel choice, where the lives of her loved ones were threatened?
Inuzuka Hana felt an unprecedented fear and bewilderment.
The pride of her clan, her personal dignity, seemed so heavy and yet so fragile in the face of her closest kin's life.
At this moment, the ambiguously intimate warm pool contained only her and him.
Inuzuka Hana knew what she was about to face.
She stood rooted to the spot, her feet feeling as if they were filled with lead, unable to move.
Inuzuka Hana struggled intensely internally, only able to offer her last futile resistance through silence and a rigid posture.
Di Yan watched her conflicted, struggling, yet helpless expression, and the sneer at the corner of his mouth became even more pronounced.
He slowly opened his mouth, his voice sounding somewhat ethereal in the steam of the hot spring, yet carrying a cold penetrative power:
"What? Are you waiting for Us to personally undress you?"
Inuzuka Hana bit her lower lip, still unmoving, attempting to maintain her last shred of decency through this silence.
Di Yan seemed to have anticipated this.
He chuckled softly, but that laugh sent a chill through Inuzuka Hana's body.
He spoke as if merely stating a trivial matter:
"Speaking of which, last time We were in a bad mood, and accidentally cut off three of your brother's fingers."
"We heard… finger wounds are troublesome to heal and prone to infection?"
"We wonder if, by accident, a few more are cut off… whether that hand of his can still be saved?"
His light words were like the most vicious curse, instantly shattering all of Inuzuka Hana's psychological defenses!
"No!"
She cried out in alarm, her face instantly turning ashen white!
Kiba's bandaged hand flashed in her mind.
If it happened again… She couldn't even imagine!
A tremendous fear washed over her like ice water, making her body cold, even her teeth began to chatter.
She looked up, meeting Di Yan's eyes, which seemed to smile yet not smile, as if they could see through everything.
There was no hint of jest in that gaze; only absolute control and cold cruelty.
She knew that this man, if he said it, he would definitely do it!
A huge, irresistible sense of powerlessness instantly engulfed her.
All her pride, all her stubbornness, in the face of her brother's potential further harm, became utterly vulnerable.
"I… I…"
Inuzuka Hana was so angry her teeth ached, and her chest heaved violently.
In the end, she could only force out words of extreme humiliation through gritted teeth:
"I… I'll do it myself."
Every word felt like a knife cutting her own heart.
She tremblingly reached out, her fingers stiffly resting on the buttons of her clothes.
Those fingers, once agile and nimble, capable of skillfully forming hand seals and controlling ninja dogs, were now clumsy as if they weren't her own.
One, two… her clothes slowly parted, revealing the healthy, wheat-colored skin and taut waistline beneath.
Her movements were extremely slow, filled with reluctance.
Every subtle rustle of fabric seemed to be a slow torture of her dignity.
She dared not look up, only staring fixedly at the ground, as if her lifeline lay there.
Di Yan did not rush her, merely appreciating the scene with interest, watching how this wild horse was bridled, how it slowly shed its proud shell, revealing its most vulnerable inner self.
This process of controlling everything and destroying will brought him a nearly pathological pleasure.
Finally, all restraints were removed, revealing a female body full of wild strength and healthy beauty.