After hearing Obito's words, Pakura didn't respond right away. Her face went red, and she silently grabbed the quilt, pulling it up to cover her large chest.

Then she froze.

The pain that had racked her body before… was gone. Completely.

Her eyes widened slightly.

"…My body…?"

"I healed it," Obito replied calmly, still flipping a page of Make Out Paradise. "Treatment was perfect. No scars. Your body is as flawless as ever."

Pakura lowered her head, silent for a moment, then whispered, "…Thank you…"

"It's too early to thank me," Obito replied with a faint smirk.

If Konan had been there, she would've rolled her eyes. Déjà vu. Classic Obito.

Pakura hesitated, then asked, "Then… who are you?"

"Madara Uchiha," Obito said without a hint of shame, sliding right back into the Madara cosplay.

"Madara Uchiha?!"

Her eyes widened in shock, but after a moment, her gaze drifted to the book in his hand. A slow smirk curled her lips.

"…The legendary Madara Uchiha reads this kind of book?"

Obito's hand paused mid-page.

This girl… She knows Jiraiya's work… Fellow degenerate detected.

"Ahem…"

He coughed lightly and tossed the book aside. "Would you believe me if I said this book just… appeared, and I happened to be holding it?"

Pakura gave him a side-eye that said, That's the best you can do?

"…Tch."

"Grrrrr~"

A low growl suddenly echoed in the room.

Obito's Sharingan slowly drifted to Pakura's lower abdomen.

"…"

The room went quiet again, awkward enough to choke a Hyūga.

"…Guess I should get you something to eat first."

Obito stood, grabbed his book (priorities), and left the room.

Pakura sat quietly on the bed, holding the quilt to her chest with one hand and her stomach with the other, her head lowered.

Meanwhile, in the fortress kitchen, warm light flickered off the pots and pans. Yugao and Chihori were busy preparing food when Obito strolled in.

"Sorry to trouble you suddenly," Obito said, his voice polite but casual.

Chihori shook her head. "No, for Madara-sama, it's as it should be. This isn't trouble at all."

Yugao, slicing vegetables with the expression of a tired babysitter, snorted.

"Again? Where did you even kidnap a girl from this time?"

Obito hesitated. For once, he didn't even try to defend himself. Too many charges on the record. He needed a lawyer… preferably Mahoraga.

"…Sand Village," he finally said.

Hearing this, Yugao's hands paused slightly over the cutting board.

"Well… you should've heard her name," Obito said casually, leaning against the counter.

"Pakura. The Scorch Release kunoichi of Sand Village."

Then he told them what happened.

Chihori sighed softly. "That's… pathetic."

Yugao's face was cold. "Hmph." Her hands sped up as she chopped, like she was venting for Pakura.

The next morning

Pakura, now dressed in the clothes Obito had provided, stood on the balcony outside her room.

Her eyes drifted to the Snow Hidden Village below, children playing in the streets, villagers bustling, laughter carried by the wind.

Obito appeared beside her, arms crossed. "What do you think of this village?"

Pakura thought for a moment, watching the lively streets. "…Peaceful. Full of life."

"Good review," Obito said lightly. "But a month ago, it was lifeless. Dilapidated. A grave with lights."

Under Doto's rule, the Land of Snow had been neglected. Villagers had lived like hollow shells. It wasn't until Obito's arrival and the Terumi clan's takeover that the country revived.

Pakura stayed silent, thinking about his words. Her mind wandered back to last night's conversation over dinner.

He had told her where she was, and she had learned that this masked man was the true ruler of the Land of Snow.

Perhaps… serving him wouldn't be so bad.

Two days later — Sand Village

A grand funeral was held in the village cemetery.

"Our hero is dead!"

In front of Pakura's tombstone, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa spoke loudly, his voice thick with manufactured grief.

"She fought bravely to the very end against Iwagakure! She will never be forgotten!"

He raised his voice, full of righteous fire.

"We will inherit her will… and crush Iwagakure!"

The crowd roared with emotion. "OHHH!!"

The funeral ended with thunderous morale.

Then, one by one, the mourners left leaving only a young girl kneeling and crying bitterly in front of the tombstone.

Meanwhile, on the cliff above the cemetery, two cloaked figures quietly observed the spectacle.

Obito chuckled under his mask. "What a joke."

The so-called 'Will of Fire' or 'Loyalty to the Village'… in the end, it was all the same.

People who gave their lives to their village died as pawns, while the village milked their deaths for morale.

When he first reincarnated as Obito Uchiha, he'd felt cheated. But after seeing the ugliness of the ninja world… maybe he was lucky.

If I'd been reborn as an ordinary guy… I would've ended up like her.

"It's ridiculous indeed," Pakura said softly, bringing him back.

"From the day I became a ninja… I was loyal. I completed every mission. I gave the village everything… and in the end, I died like this."

Under the hood, her mature, beautiful face twisted with a bitter smile. "How ridiculous."

Obito didn't answer immediately. He just let the wind carry the funeral chants up to the cliff.

Then he spoke, voice casual, almost amused.

"If you look at it from the Kazekage's perspective… don't you think it was worth it?"

Pakura's face twisted in fury.

"First he praises me to the heavens as a hero. Then he spins my 'death' into a tool to stir hatred against Iwagakure. And yet he sold me out to Mist for the village's benefit. Betrayed me without hesitation!"

She clenched her fists. "Such a village… is not worth it."

After a moment, she breathed deeply and steadied her voice.

Obito glanced at her. "This isn't your village anymore."

"…No," she said, her voice firm now. Then she turned to him, her gaze sharp and resolute.

"You saved my life. I will work for you. But I will never let the higher-ups of Sand escape my revenge."

Obito's lips curled beneath his mask.

Perfect. Another tool, freshly sharpened.

Though in his heart, he knew… she still needed a little more molding to truly become his.

--------------------------------------

Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and Exclusive R-18 Content!

--------------------------------------

Update schedule: 7 chapters/week

Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter

By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.