"You?"
Evan licked his lips, gaze sliding over Jun with undisguised wickedness.
"You think you can handle it?"
His tone was deliberately dismissive, dripping with contempt.
Then, ignoring her completely, he continued moving his hands over the sleeping Pakura.
Pakura was still deep in unconscious rest, utterly unaware of what was happening.
As expected—
The moment Jun saw this, she panicked.
Too panicked.
"No!"
Her voice cracked.
"If you… if you want to do something, do it to me!"
She couldn't bear to see her teacher hurt.
Pakura had raised her, taught her, saved her life more than once.
And after everything they'd just been through, Pakura had finally been rescued.
There was no way Jun could sit and watch her suffer again.
She had to protect her.
Even if it meant offering herself up to this monster.
And more than that—
Pakura was a hero of Sunagakure.
As long as she survived and returned home, she could change the village's fate for the better.
Jun, on the other hand, was just a small chunin.
Her life didn't matter much to the village.
Seeing Evan still unmoved, still calmly touching Pakura, Jun bit down hard on her lip.
Then she moved.
She pounced, pushing Evan down onto the pile of grass beside them.
It was strange—
By rights, someone like her shouldn't have been able to shove Evan at all.
Yet he let himself fall easily.
She had no time to think about why.
She had already made up her mind.
As a shinobi who had clawed her way up in the desert,
once she chose a path, even death couldn't make her retreat.
If she'd decided—
there was nothing left to hesitate about.
Evan, who had been prepared to keep teasing her a bit longer, was taken aback.
So bold, huh?
He had expected more resistance, more back and forth.
But once he let himself fall—
he waited—
And realized Jun was just lying on top of him, her body shaking, eyes tightly shut.
Her hands moved clumsily, fumbling without aim.
After a long while—
She still hadn't even managed to undo a single button on his clothes.
Evan's mouth twitched.
This girl…
His understanding of this soft, simple little loli deepened.
She really was the type who was too easy to bully.
He wondered idly if she'd cry from just one poke.
Under his deliberate "guidance,"
Jun finally, awkwardly, found her way.
Her voice trembled, barely audible.
"I… I'm still scared…"
"Don't be. I'm right here."
Her weak protest was swallowed by the crackle of the fire—
The cave glowed with wavering orange light.
The flames popped and hissed, loyal and tireless.
Pakura slept soundly beside them, completely unaware of the sounds at her ear.
[Jun hatred value +10,000]
[Jun hatred value +100,000]
Two hours later.
Evan lay on his back, hands behind his head, staring at the rocky ceiling.
Bored.
The "match" was over—
this was the post-game cooldown.
Jun lay curled against him, hair messy, breathing soft and even, fast asleep from sheer exhaustion.
Evan glanced down at her and sighed silently.
It had been a long "conversation," mostly because it was something new.
He had gotten a satisfying haul of hatred from Jun tonight.
But he also understood—
in the future, no matter how much he teased or bullied her,
he wouldn't get the same hatred spike again.
Pakura was the best example.
At first, every interaction with her brought him huge gains.
Now, the hatred trickled in slowly.
Time eroded everything—even hatred.
The deeper the entanglement, the more it turned into something… else.
"Still needs a lot of growth," Evan muttered.
One day, when Pakura was healed—
Master and disciple united, their strength could shatter iron.
And that "iron"…
was more like a golden staff in his head.
Besides, he knew very well:
For all its desolation, Sunagakure produced a surprising number of beauties.
In that sense, the Kazekage's seat was absolutely worth seizing.
If Pakura became Kazekage under his control—
wouldn't the entire village be his to enjoy?
"I'm really getting ahead of myself."
He chuckled at his own outrageous thoughts.
He gently nudged Jun aside and covered her with his clothes.
Then he slowly stood up.
Konoha had just suffered a massive attack; tensions were at their peak.
As a Konoha shinobi,
it wouldn't look good if he disappeared for too long.
Besides, he'd already wiped out Konoha's pursuit teams.
Pakura and Jun should be able to return to Sunagakure safely.
What happened next—
would depend on Pakura's own capabilities.
Back in Konoha.
Morning light crept over the rooftops.
In the small courtyard of Evan's home—
"This infuriating man, why isn't he back yet?!"
Kushina, heavily pregnant, sat on a stool with an angry pout.
Her swollen stomach bulged under her clothes.
She looked like she could deliver at any moment.
"A-Aunt Kushina, don't be mad… He might just be busy with something…"
Anko tried to gently placate her.
She was curious.
Just what did Kushina want with Evan?
Early that morning, Kushina had come knocking on her door.
Anko assumed it was for a chat to relieve boredom.
Instead, Kushina had dragged her along to find Evan.
Which was… odd.
Since when had her brother gotten so close to Kushina?
And why did Kushina insist on bringing her specifically?
Also—
Kushina looked like she could go into labor at any time.
Was it really okay for her to be running all over the village like this?
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