第36章 哭泣的叶仓!

Hiruko lightly pinched her waist with his fingertips, neither too hard nor too soft, yet enough to send a faint tremor through her skin.

He gave a low laugh, his voice laced with teasing and dangerously gentle warmth:

"After all these days, you're still this feisty?"

His breath suddenly drew close, hot exhalations brushing over her ear before slowly traveling down the curve of her neck like a flickering flame, burning her skin hot.

"Since you don't appreciate it..." He deliberately drew out the last syllable, his fingertips vaguely caressing the line of her waist. "Why not try my new formula instead?"

Pakura's pupils abruptly contracted. Before she could speak, he suddenly coughed softly, his tone shifting with a teasing sort of interest:

"...But now, I've changed my mind."

His fingers slowly moved up along her spine, like a snake slithering across her, carrying an irresistible aggression while leaving an unbearably lingering warmth with every touch.

His voice was low, carrying a slightly hoarse chuckle:

"I can't bear to kill you anymore, my favorite toy."

Pakura lay on her back on the ground, her limbs weak from the drug, but her gaze remained as sharp as a blade.

Through the tears in her clothing.

Pale white skin flickered in and out of view.

Hiruko's gaze lingered over her body, and his Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly.

He coughed softly, an unreadable smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"What are you trying to do?" Pakura asked coldly. Though her body was restrained, her tone remained sharp.

Hiruko's fingertips paused, then he let out a low laugh. His voice held a dangerous implication. "Trying to..."

The air abruptly froze, until even the sound of breathing became distinctly audible.

The tips of Pakura's ears reddened slightly, her heartbeat uncontrollably quickening—she was a woman first, and only then a ninja.

Certain instinctive fears surged forth like a flood.

But she quickly forced them back down.

She secretly gathered chakra, her knuckles tightening.

Crimson killing intent churned in her eyes.

"If you dare do that..." She spoke each word slowly, her voice icy, yet made even more dangerous by its faint tremble.

But before she could finish, she suddenly froze. Then a mocking curve rose at the corner of her lips.

"Heh..."

She cast him a contemptuous glance, her gaze seemingly brushing past his waist and abdomen as a trace of ridicule flashed in her eyes. "Never mind whether you even have the guts..."

She slightly raised her head, red lips parting as words sharp as knives slipped out. "Even if you do, would a greedy bastard like you really be willing to just devour me outright?"

"What foolishness! Woman, you're courting death!"

His voice was low and dangerous, carrying a hint of barely restrained agitation.

Before his words had faded, his right hand shot up, his palm pressing heavily against Pakura's waist.

"Bzzzt—"

The drug's power surged again, shooting through all four of her limbs like an electric current and utterly crushing the sliver of strength and chakra she had painstakingly gathered.

"Mmph...!"

Pakura shuddered all over as though struck by lightning, sharply drawing in a cold breath. Her face went pale in an instant, her pupils contracted, and unconcealable terror surfaced in her eyes.

She struggled backward, her voice faintly trembling with panic:

"You... scum! What are you trying to do?! Don't, don't mess around...!"

Hiruko stroked the bridge of his nose with his left hand, his Adam's apple shifting as an obscure smile flashed in his eyes.

He secretly licked his canine tooth, thinking, Tch, I really do want to... but it isn't time yet. The sweetest fruit should be eaten only when it has ripened to perfection.

Hiruko suddenly wondered if he was being a little too twisted.

But seeing her so flustered and helpless, Hiruko suddenly found it amusing.

Unable to resist curling his lips wickedly, he deliberately lowered his voice and said in an almost coaxing tone:

"Oh, don't be so nervous... It won't hurt."

His fingertips faintly rubbed her waist, as if comforting her, yet also as if testing her in some veiled way.

"Don't worry, I'll be very 'gentle'... I guarantee I won't make you 'uncomfortable.'"

He lingered over the last few words with agonizing slowness, his voice hoarse and carrying an indescribable implication.

Pakura's breathing abruptly caught.

"Not, not uncomfortable...?"

Her voice was practically squeezed through clenched teeth, but the tips of her ears uncontrollably reddened, the flush spreading all the way down her neck.

"Then, then wouldn't that mean... it would feel... good...?"

The thought flashed through her mind, and she was instantly mortified with shame and fury. Her heart pounded wildly, nearly bursting from her chest.

"You—!"

She bit down hard on her lower lip, her eyes filled with both rage and an indescribable panic.

Her body was clearly powerless from the drug, yet her senses were a hundred times sharper than usual. Every touch from him was like a spark, igniting every inch of her skin.

"Damn it... Why did it have to be at a time like this...!"

The more she suppressed it, the more violently that strange sensation surged, wave after wave washing over her reason like a tide.

Finally—

"Nngh...!"

Her back abruptly tensed, her toes curling involuntarily as her entire body went rigid like a fully drawn bowstring.

Hiruko raised an eyebrow, surprise flashing in his eyes before understanding dawned on him.

"...Tch, you're actually this sensitive?"

The air instantly congealed, leaving only Pakura's rapid breathing.

Her eyes were red-rimmed as tears silently slid down her cheeks, dripping onto the bedsheet and spreading into dark stains.

Like a young girl encountering something like this for the first time—and in front of the person she hated most.

"Hey, you..."

He opened his mouth, yet had no idea what to say.

They were clearly enemies, yet the atmosphere at that moment was extraordinarily delicate.

It was as if some invisible thread had wound itself around them, tugging at emotions neither of them could explain.

In the end, he irritably scratched his hair and turned toward the bathroom.

Cold water poured down. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, allowing the icy stream to extinguish the inexplicable heat inside him.

"...What the hell."

After scrubbing himself down harshly and suppressing the heat, he happened to see Rin Nohara walk in.

The flush had not yet faded from Rin Nohara's face. She had clearly noticed that something was wrong with Pakura, after all, Hiruko had never concealed Pakura's situation from her.

Rin Nohara had come this time because she wanted to ask Hiruko for something, but she felt embarrassed about it.

As soon as Hiruko came in, she gathered her courage and took the initiative to say, "Lord Hiruko, there's something I'd like to ask you to help me with."

Hiruko looked at Rin Nohara and asked, "What is it?"

Rin Nohara said somewhat nervously, "I heard that Lord Hiruko has a way to rapidly increase one's strength.

"I... I want to become stronger, so could I ask Lord Hiruko to give me some guidance?"

After saying that, she bowed deeply.

She knew her request was very abrupt. After all, ninja clans valued their ninjutsu and secret techniques greatly and would never casually pass them on to outsiders.

Even with so many ninja techniques in the ninja world, extraordinary power was still extraordinary power—not something ordinary people could easily obtain, especially...