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[NTU] [ARC-12] Chapter : 153
🕑 Added 2024-08-15 10:23:29 +0000 UTCAfter wiping the hot sweat from his forehead, Toshiro continued his work on Pakura's body.
"These clothes and your belt... they're getting in the way. How about I help you take them off?" He whispered in her ear, noticing how they were hindering his movements.
"Don't move... I can do it myself," Pakura muttered through gritted teeth. With a rustling sound, she reluctantly removed the clothes from her chest and unfastened her belt, accepting the situation.
"Hurry up!" she demanded, clearly frustrated that Toshiro hadn't finished yet. Closing her eyes, she bit her lower lip, enduring the moment.
However, as her face grew increasingly flushed, coupled with her delicate appearance as she endured the pain, Toshiro felt his blood surge with even more intensity. Time crawled by, with Pakura occasionally letting out stifled groans of pain while Toshiro’s movements gradually quickened. Finally, they completed the task at hand—changing her bandages.
Given that Pakura’s injury was on her back and she couldn’t use her chakra, she had no choice but to rely on Toshiro for help. As for her pained groans, they were inevitable. The process of changing the dressing often meant coming into contact with her wounds, causing some discomfort and, understandably, some bleeding.
"Alright then," Toshiro muttered, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from Pakura's nearly half-exposed body. His voice was soft, almost strained, as if he were holding back something.
Pakura dressed in silence, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Toshiro the entire time. She had no idea how to deal with this man who had saved her life. For the past few days, she had to endure this kind of intimate contact with him every morning.
Despite being a seasoned ninja capable of facing life and death with composure, she couldn't ignore the fact that she was still a woman. Back in Sunagakure, she had devoted all her energy to training and serving the village she once loved.
In the village, when her comrades saw her, they treated her with politeness and respect—even those who were interested in her. But once they witnessed her formidable strength, they became hesitant, their confidence faltering even in casual conversation.
This had shaped her somewhat aloof personality, leaving her with little experience in social interactions, especially with men.
But here? Over the past few days, every morning she had to expose nearly her entire body in front of him. How could she not feel embarrassed?
"Are you still staring?"
Having dressed as quickly as possible, Pakura seemed to reclaim her usual haughty demeanor, glaring at Toshiro with an unfriendly expression.
"Haha…"
"Don't worry, I promise there won't be any scars on your back. In fact, the final result might be even better than before!" Toshiro boasted, confident in the power of the Uchiha clan's secret healing medicines.
What he didn't realize was how her flushed face—a mix of shyness and anger—could stir something deep within him. Despite his nearly forty years of life experience, he was momentarily stunned.
"So, according to you... I should be grateful?" Pakura retorted, her anger bubbling over as she noticed the silly grin on his face.
Did he think she was oblivious to his little tricks behind her back?
A ninja's senses are sharp, and even though she couldn't use chakra at the moment, she was still very much aware. Especially when he leaned in close to whisper in her ear—his roving eyes didn't escape her notice. The way his gaze lingered on her body sent a wave of goosebumps down her spine.
He's just... a pervert!
Feeling slightly flustered by her scornful gaze, Toshiro coughed twice, trying to mask his embarrassment. "The person in front of you is Dr. Uchiha Toshiro. I was just changing your dressing, nothing more!" he insisted, though even he knew his words lacked conviction.
In a feeble attempt to justify himself, he added, "In the eyes of a doctor, there’s no difference between men and women!" Whether or not she believed it, he clung to that excuse.
However, as he recalled the sight of her during the bandaging, he felt his heart race uncontrollably. The close contact, especially when he had to reach around her from behind, inevitably led to some friction that he couldn't ignore.
"You might want to wipe your nosebleed before making such claims," she retorted, unimpressed.
"Hmph! What a pathetic excuse. Do you think I am some naïve little girl?" she scoffed internally.
"Well... I'll go prepare breakfast!" he stammered, his hand brushing against his nose, feeling something warm. Glancing down, he noticed a bright red stain on his palm.
No matter how thick-skinned Toshiro was, he couldn't muster the courage to linger any longer. He quickly found an excuse and made a hasty exit.
Time flew by, and despite Toshiro relishing the ambiguous connection with such a beauty, enjoying the solitude of the island with Pakura, her injuries were steadily improving. By the tenth day, she was finally able to use her chakra again.
Without hesitation, she took back control, depriving Toshiro of the chance to tend to her wounds any further.
There was nothing he could do about it. If anyone was to blame, it had to be the Second Hokage—why did he have to invent the Shadow Clone Jutsu?
It really did cause endless trouble!
On the eighteenth day, after dinner, Toshiro and Pakura sat quietly by the campfire on the white beach. Neither spoke. The weather wasn’t ideal either; the sky was overcast, with no stars or moon visible. The sea breeze felt colder than usual.
"Leaving tomorrow?" Toshiro asked, using a wooden stick to stir the campfire, coaxing the dying flames back to life. He didn’t look directly at Pakura as he spoke.
"Yeah," she replied softly, her tone distant, showing little interest in conversation.
"Are you sure you don’t want to consider coming to Konoha with me?" he asked, his voice calm yet tinged with a hint of reluctance.
Toshiro gazed at Pakura through the flickering orange glow of the campfire, extending his invitation once more. She was undeniably beautiful. Under the fire's warm light, Pakura seemed almost born from the flames, her fiery hair glowing with an intensity that made her appear even more vibrant and full of life.
"No," Pakura declined firmly once again.
She was proud, unwilling to become anyone's subordinate. Like a majestic flamingo, she flaunted her beauty, her presence captivating under the fire's glow. Her slender neck and graceful figure moved with an elegant poise, every gesture exuding an innate sophistication, as if she were dancing—each light step mesmerizing in its charm.
After receiving the expected answer, Toshiro could only offer a word of caution:
"Then... be careful."
He understood that, despite the ambiguous relationship they had shared for a while, Pakura was far from being a delicate woman. Someone of her caliber, was anything but fragile.
"Of course... I’ve fought hard to stay alive. I won’t go down that easily again!"
As she mentioned her survival, Toshiro couldn’t help but feel that her face seemed even more vibrant against the backdrop of the campfire. However, as he watched the flames dance more vigorously in the sea breeze, he wondered if it was just his imagination.
The next day, before dawn, Pakura left the cabin and walked along the beach, alone. She paused to glance back at the island and smiled—a smile that Toshiro had never seen before. It was like the first rays of sunrise, capable of dispelling the sky's gloom and bringing warmth and sweetness.
"Goodbye, Uchiha Toshiro," she murmured, her words drifting like a dream before she turned and headed toward the sea.
When morning arrived, Toshiro pushed open the cabin door, only to find that Pakura was gone. As he felt the cold bedding and caught the lingering scent of her presence, he couldn’t help but shake his head with a bitter smile.
"That woman... left without saying goodbye."
But perhaps it's for the best—this way, he doesn't have to endure another farewell. After finishing the breakfast for two that he had prepared, Toshiro bid farewell to Yamawashi without hesitation and left the island where he had spent nearly 20 days.
Next on the agenda was to check on the Konoha intelligence operatives that the Sandaime had entrusted to him. He could only hope that they were still alive and hadn't fallen victim to that fool, Obito.
