A Forced Melon Isn't Sweet, but It Quenches the Thirst Just Fine

Only the companions who had been in the secret room knew Atsui had arrived. The companions standing guard outside did not.

They would not be on alert when they saw Kiyoshi.

That was Samodo's instruction.

Yet the younger brother who had been meant to be quietly sent to the Ninja Academy had now been discovered by Kiyoshi.

"...Fine. Come with me."

Samui set the rag on the table and headed upstairs.

Kiyoshi immediately rose and followed her.

"Big sis?"

Atsui, who was about the same age as Kiyoshi, scratched his head.

What was she going upstairs for?

Atsui had not seen the face of the child in front of his sister and merely assumed he was a guest.

He put the matter out of his mind, picked up the rag Samui had set down, stood on tiptoe, and began wiping away the greasy grime on the table.

When Samui pushed open the door to the second floor, her fingers trembled slightly. She quickly concealed her emotions and stepped aside to let Kiyoshi enter first.

There was a cramped room on the second floor that served as the staff break area. It was small and shabby, with a low table and several floor cushions arranged in the corner by the window.

Light streamed in through the window, lending the room a faint, hazy warmth.

Yet that warmth did nothing to dispel the chill surrounding Samui.

Kiyoshi casually sat down, his slender fingers tapping lightly against the tabletop as he looked at Samui. "Since we're already up here, let's not waste time. Give me a sword technique that suits me, something plain and unremarkable. If it doesn't suit me, I'll come again next time."

Kiyoshi made an outrageous demand of Samui.

If he was going to squeeze benefits out of her, he might as well squeeze her dry.

It was not as if there were no powerful Lightning Release ninjutsu.

But they all consumed a great deal of Chakra, and it was unsuitable to openly display such techniques outside.

People would immediately wonder where Kiyoshi had learned ninjutsu.

Swordsmanship was the best choice.

With a few inconspicuous moves, it would be difficult to distinguish it from basic sword techniques.

"Fine."

Samui nodded.

The ninjutsu given to Kiyoshi would naturally have to be paid for with public funds.

She told Kiyoshi to wait there. Before long, she returned with a scroll.

Besides Lightning Release, Kumogakure also excelled at swordsmanship.

In the Shinobi World, swords and blades were practically one and the same.

A sword was, in essence, a blade.

Killer B's Wrathful Mutilation Hawk Cutter allowed him to wield seven slender blades at once. He had nearly beaten Sasuke into despair, forcing him to use Mangekyo Dojutsu.

Kiyoshi accepted the scroll, but his gaze did not immediately fall upon it. Instead, it swept directly across Samui's face.

It traveled down from her delicate features, lingering on her fair, slender neck and the exaggerated curve of her ample chest.

Samui sensed his gaze. Her expression remained calm, but the chill in her eyes deepened.

She was very familiar with Kiyoshi's look.

Since she had come here to infiltrate as a spy, she had naturally encountered all sorts of people.

That look was...

Her short golden hair swayed, and Samui's ample chest trembled lightly.

Kiyoshi's gaze lingered on her face for a moment before shifting to the hem of her skirt.

His eyes swept across her long legs, and a trace of interest appeared in his calm gaze.

What expression would Samui, who appeared so indifferent and devoid of desire, wear when she was forced to do something she did not want to do?

"Miss Samui."

Kiyoshi suddenly smiled, his tone unhurried.

"Your younger brother is still young and has a bright future ahead of him. It would be such a pity if something were to happen to him, wouldn't it?"

Samui's face remained cold and impassive, but the turmoil in her eyes was already difficult to conceal completely.

Even someone as composed as her could not quite hold herself together when it involved her only younger brother.

"Don't be nervous. I only hope Miss Samui can show a little more sincerity."

Kiyoshi continued.

The air seemed to solidify. Sunlight quietly spilled across the low table, but it could not dispel the oppressive heaviness filling the room.

Samui held out for a moment before finally lowering her eyes slowly, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her skirt.

If she refused Kiyoshi, he might go straight to Samodo.

Worse still, he might directly report this hideout.

Then there was no way these spies could escape beneath Konoha's watchful eye.

What else could she do?

Even if she told Samodo, he probably would not care about this matter.

Who told her to bring trouble upon herself with her own words?

Where Kiyoshi's gaze was fixed, Samui felt as though she were being pricked by needles.

Her fingers slowly tightened, then loosened bit by bit. In the end, she lifted the hem of her skirt slightly.

She said nothing. Her cold expression concealed every emotion as her fair, slender legs were revealed beneath the sunlight, a faint chill lingering on her pretty face.

Kiyoshi's smile grew even brighter.

Samui worked for Kumogakure. That meant aiding evil. It was a crime!

His left eye changed from a black pupil to scarlet, and as though it had been squeezed out, a black tomoe emerged.

One-Tomoe Sharingan!

And his right eye, which had never shown any reaction, now carried a scarlet tint as well, as though it was about to undergo some change.

Special Chakra began forming in his brain and flowed toward Kiyoshi's right eye.

Kiyoshi vaguely sensed that only one final barrier remained before his right eye would fully awaken.

Kumogakure wanted his body, while the Uchiha wanted his loyalty.

He was trapped beneath this pressure, along with the looming Shinobi World War that was about to erupt.

And the frustration he had built up from Hazuki Uchiha today had now found some release.

A forced melon was not sweet, but it quenched the thirst just fine.

Even amid stifling training, one had to make time to balance work and rest.

"Not bad. I'm quite satisfied with this sincerity. My desire to return to Kumogakure has grown a little stronger, but..."

When she had lifted it halfway, Kiyoshi straightened up. Though he was shorter than Samui, he stopped her movement.

It looked rather absurd.

"Let's leave it at that for today. I hope Miss Samui will be more careful with her words in the future."

Kiyoshi casually tucked the scroll into his clothes and left.

Otherwise, once someone had leverage over you, they could easily hold it over you for a lifetime.

Putting too much pressure on Samui right now would not be good either. Kiyoshi still wanted to keep asking her for ninjutsu later.

That was enough. Going too far would only be counterproductive.

Samui looked to be only fifteen now.

Samodo, on the other hand, clearly looked to be in his thirties and difficult to deal with.

Naturally, one had to pick the soft persimmons to squeeze.

The door closed softly, the faint sound of wood against the frame exceptionally harsh in the quiet room.

Samui stood where she was, her shoulders trembling slightly.

After a long while, her hand finally released the hem of her skirt, and her body weakly leaned against the cabinet.

A restrained flush appeared on her usually cold and beautiful face.

"Anyway... he didn't see anything."

She let out a deep sigh, filled with regret.

If only she could go back to before she said that, before Kiyoshi had pinned that label on her.

Then perhaps Kiyoshi would have set his sights on someone else rather than her.

About two minutes later.

Light footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by Atsui's voice.

"Big sis?"

Samui immediately lifted her head, suppressing all her emotions as she turned to face her younger brother's innocent face.

Atsui looked thoroughly confused.

That guest had just left, yet his sister had been inexplicably staying in here without coming out.

Was she tired?

Samui crouched down and stroked his golden hair. Looking at Atsui's innocent face, her gentle gaze carried a trace of bitterness.

As long as she could protect her younger brother's future, she felt it was worth it.

This was for her only family... her younger brother.

On second thought, I should give the protagonist a higher bottom line than in the last book. Many female characters will not be forced; they will be won over instead.