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Of course Sasuke wouldn't tell her in advance, "I'll tell you after you lose!"
"Snort!"
Hatred had completely blinded Tsubaki's mind.
She didn't even stop to consider that no matter how young Sasuke was, he had killed Mizuki. How could someone capable of that come here personally, propose a fair duel, and then allow her to kill him?
Surely not!
But of course, there were fools like that in Konoha Village too.
For example, Kakashi Hatake's father, the "White Fang of Konoha," no less famous than the "Legendary Sannin." He had once saved his comrades during a mission, choosing to abandon the mission itself, only to be driven to suicide by the shame of it.
In Tsubaki's eyes, perhaps Sasuke was just too young. Maybe he had killed Mizuki in a moment of recklessness. Mizuki had been a traitor, but he had still been a teacher at the Ninja Academy. Maybe Sasuke's guilt had driven him here, to propose a "fair" duel, hoping to lessen his remorse.
But of course, this absurd reasoning was just Tsubaki's wishful thinking.
She didn't know the real Sasuke.
Nor did she know how brutally Sasuke had killed her fiancé, Mizuki. All she could do was make flawed assumptions based on the current situation.
Tsubaki sought revenge for her fiancé, but at the same time, she also wanted to relieve Sasuke's supposed guilt.
So, she nodded in agreement.
"You're asking for death. Don't blame me." Tsubaki said, but in her heart, she had no real intention of killing Sasuke.
Even though Sasuke had killed her fiancé, it wasn't entirely Sasuke's fault.
The one at fault had been Mizuki.
But still, Sasuke had been the one who took Mizuki's life. So Tsubaki decided that in the upcoming fight, she would aim to wound Sasuke—not fatally, but enough to claim she had avenged her fiancé.
At the same time, this would, in her mind, lessen Sasuke's supposed guilt.
If Sasuke had known what Tsubaki was thinking, he would have laughed out loud.
He had killed Mizuki without a shred of remorse.
His only reason for seeking Tsubaki out was to psmiled, her. Sasuke wasn't the type to be patient with female ninjas like Tsubaki or even Hinata.
He preferred to take what he wanted immediately.
Sasuke smiled, "Go ahead! Otherwise, you won't even get a chance to show off your ninjutsu!"
Tsubaki was instantly irritated by Sasuke's arrogance.
"When you're lying on the ground at my feet, I hope you'll still be this cocky!"
Sasuke smibored, "Oh, I'm not just hard with my words."
The simple-minded Tsubaki didn't understand the hidden meaning behind Sasuke's words.
No longer willing to wait, she drew her ninja sword and charged, attacking with taijutsu.
There were many kinds of ninja weapons, and most offensive-type ninjas like her preferred kunai—short, handy, and effective in various special environments.
But a combat ninja would use a longer ninja sword, like a samurai, as Tsubaki did, because of its greater lethality.
Tsubaki was confident in her skills.
However, as she rushed toward Sasuke, she froze for a split second.
"He's so fast!"
Indeed, Sasuke's taijutsu was clearly superior.
After easily dodging several of Tsubaki's attacks, Sasuke yawned theatrically, holding his ear as if bored, "Tsubaki, is this all you've got? Your taijutsu is so weak!"
"Damn it!" Tsubaki was furious and quickly switched to ninjutsu.
But even her ninjutsu was ineffective. She couldn't even touch Sasuke's clothes.
..
It was only then that Tsubaki fully realized just how strong Sasuke was.
His strength was far beyond hers.
From the beginning, Sasuke hadn't come to Mizuki's fiancée out of any guilt or desire for atonement.
He had come for another reason entirely.
"Uchiha Sasuke, did you come here just to humiliate me?"
Completely outmatched, Tsubaki was gasping for breath, and she finally stopped her attacks.
Sasuke smiled.
"Congratulations, you've guessed correctly."
"If I wasn't worried about harming your delicate, snow-white skin, I would have knocked you down a long time ago."
"Tsubaki, do you remember the agreement we made before the fight?"
"If you lost, you'd agree to one of my conditions."
A sudden wave of realization hit Tsubaki. She'd been tricked.
"Damn it, Sasuke, what do you want from me?!"
Tsubaki finally saw Sasuke for who he truly was. He wasn't as innocent or harmless as his appearance suggested.
'Damn Sasuke!'
'How could he do this to me?'
"Mizuki is dead, and as his fiancée, you're so pitiful. Of course, I have to take care of you on his behalf." Sasuke said shamelessly.
"Sasuke, you shameless bastard, what are you doing?" Tsubaki finally showed fear.
"I have to honor the deal, Tsubaki. You promised me that if you lost, you'd agree to one condition of mine." Sasuke reminded her calmly.
"Tsubaki, you lost. How can you blame me for upholding the agreement?" He continued.
Realizing Sasuke still had some kind of boundary, Tsubaki quickly responded, "Let me go! Perhaps I can still forgive you…"
Sasuke shook his head, "No, you're too beautiful. And now, with your fiancé Mizuki gone—killed by me—you're alone. I feel responsible to take care of you."
Tsubaki's face flushed with anger, "Uchiha Sasuke, you clearly want to possess me! How can you be so shameless?"
Sasukeslightly, "Tsubaki, think about it. I'm more handsome than Mizuki, I'm stronger than him, and don't forget that Mizuki was a traitor to Konoha Village. Killing him was the right thing to do."
He softened his tone slightly, "I might have been a bit impatient earlier, and I apologize for hurting you, but I can't just let you go."
Tsubaki, gathering her courage, declared, "Then I will die! I can't possibly let you…"
Sasuke sighed, clearly frustrated, "I'm really stuck when you say things like that. First of all, you agreed to the terms of our deal. Tsubaki, whether or not I deceived you, a ninja must keep your word."
"Kill me then! I won't be controlled!" She spat back defiantly.
Sasuke, unfazed, continued, "And don't forget, my Uchiha clan specializes in illusions. I could use one to make you willingly fall into my arms if I wanted. But I haven't done that yet. Even though the 'fair duel' was a bit of a trick on my part, Tsubaki, if you weren't so gullible, how could you have been fooled so easily?"
Sasuke's clever mixture of threats and reasoning left her in turmoil.
Tsubaki gritted her teeth, "Even if you didn't use the most vicious methods against me, your ways are still not honorable."
Sasuke scoffed, "Tsubaki, I'm a genius, a rare talent among men. It's your blessing that I even like you."
His domineering tone was undeniable.
What an arrogant man! Despite her anger, Tsubaki had to admit that someone like Sasuke truly was exceptional. As a ninja, she wasn't anything remarkable. If this had been a normal relationship, Sasuke probably wouldn't have given her a second thought.
But Sasuke's patience was running thin.
"Now, I give you two choices." He stated, his voice sharp, "One: I use an illusion to turn you into a puppet.
"From now on, I won't care whether you live or die."
"Two: You should put aside your ridiculous dignity and submit to me. I'll give you some time to adjust... At the same time, let you get to know me better. Being my woman, Tsubaki, will be a thousand times better than being Mizuki's wife."
Although Sasuke gave two choices, in reality, there was no choice at all. If Tsubaki didn't cooperate, she would be controlled by an illusion and turned into a puppet, living a life worse than death.
Suppressing her emotions born out of anger, Tsubaki finally spoke.
"Sasuke! If you want me willingly, give me some time."
Sasuke smiled, pleased with her response, "Sure."
It was dawn.
Under the warm sunshine, Sasuke appeared unexpectedly gentle. Tsubaki, however, felt uncomfortable and asked warily, "What else do you want from me?"
"Don't think I've forgiven you just because you're being kind now." She added.
Sasuke smiled soft "Tsubaki, you're free to live with your hatred for me."
"From now on, I'll take care of your needs—food, clothing, shelter, everything. I'll even take you shopping for clothes and furniture. Your life will be better than it was before, not worse."
Despite his seemingly considerate words, Sasuke feared Tsubaki might try to end her life. To prevent that, he secretly placed an advanced illusion in her mind. Whenever she felt extreme distress, the illusion would hypnotize her, keeping her from harming herself.
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Konoha Village was bustling with life. Stores lined the streets—furniture shops, clothing stores, jewelry stores, and even markets selling fresh vegetables. Sasuke took Tsubaki to visit them all, buying her new outfits and other items.
Tsubaki stayed quiet through the ordeal, unsure of how to react. She had no choice but to go along with it.
Sasuke, ever observant, grinned at her silence, "Even if you're my slave now, I'll fulfill my responsibilities as your master."
He then added, "Follow me, Tsubaki. I promise your life will only improve."
"You devil!" Tsubaki spat in anger, but the hopelessness in her voice was clear. She had no way to resist him. Sasuke gave her both cruelty and kindness, leaving her confused and conflicted. She knew she could never have a normal life like Sakura, Ino, or Hinata, but, as Sasuke said, her existence now revolved entirely around him. Mizuki, her former fiancé, had completely faded from her mind.
"Tsubaki, rest for now. I'll come see you this evening." Sasuke said, leaving her in her new room.
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The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had come to see Sasuke personally.
Sasuke felt a flash of panic—after all, this was the Hokage of Konoha, 'Did Tsubaki report me?' He wondered.
If the female ninja had told the Hokage what had happened, Sasuke would have no way to escape punishment. But when the Hokage spoke, his voice was calm, without any sign of anger.
"Sasuke, do you have a moment? Let's talk."
Sasuke hesitated but then agreed, "Okay."
They stood on a rooftop, with the Third Hokage gazing out over the village. Despite his old age, he was still a powerful figure, having dedicated his life to Konoha. Sasuke, though taller, couldn't help but feel the weight of the man's presence.
"Sasuke." The Hokage began, "What do you think of the title of Hokage?"
Sasuke knew this was a test, perhaps prompted by his actions last night, where he had shown his strength by killing the Chuunin Mizuki. He answered honestly, "The Hokage is like the village chief, someone who leads the village to prosperity."
The Hokage nodded thoughtfully, "An interesting perspective. Do you have any aspirations of becoming Hokage yourself?"