Chapter 29: Tsubaki, the Kunoichi
'Damn that Sasuke!'
'How could he treat her like this?'
"Mizuki is dead, and as his fiancée, you must feel so pitiful."
"Of course, I have to take care of you in his place!"
Sasuke shamelessly declared.
"Sasuke, you despicable bastard, what do you want?"
Tsubaki was finally afraid!
"A bet is a bet, Tsubaki. Just now, you agreed—if you lost, you'd fulfill one condition for me."
…
"Tsubaki, you lost. How can you blame me for that?"
Seeing that Sasuke still had some boundaries, Tsubaki immediately pleaded, "Let me go!"
"Maybe, just maybe, I could forgive you…"
Sasuke shook his head. "No, you're too beautiful. And now, your fiancé Mizuki—he was killed by me."
"From now on, you have no one to rely on. I want to take care of you!"
Tsubaki's face turned red, but it was from anger.
"Uchiha Sasuke, you clearly just want to take me for yourself! How can you be so shameless?"
Sasuke chuckled. "Tsubaki, take a good look."
"I'm more handsome than Mizuki, stronger than him, and besides, you know well—Mizuki was a traitor to Konoha. Killing him was only natural."
"I admit, I was a little impatient just now and hurt you. I apologize."
"But that doesn't mean I'm letting you go!"
Tsubaki actually had quite a backbone.
She declared, "Then I'll just die!"
"I will never let you—"
Sasuke sighed. "If you say that, then I'm truly left with no choice."
"First of all, you made a promise, and now you're breaking it."
"Tsubaki, whether or not I tricked you..."
Sasuke spoke smoothly, weaving his words cleverly. "As a kunoichi, shouldn't you at least keep your word?"
"I can't do it! Just kill me already!"
"Besides, don't forget—my Uchiha clan is most skilled in genjutsu. With just a single illusion, I could make you willingly throw yourself into my arms."
"But I haven't used such underhanded tricks."
"Although this so-called 'fair duel' had a bit of trickery on my part."
Sasuke tapped Tsubaki's forehead with his finger. "If you weren't so foolish, how could you have been deceived so easily?"
He used both intimidation and persuasion!
Tsubaki hadn't even considered that Sasuke might have even more despicable methods.
Like controlling her completely through genjutsu and turning her into a puppet!
"Sasuke, even if you haven't used worse means against me, your methods are still dishonorable."
"I, Sasuke, am a genius, an exceptional individual, a dragon among men."
"The fact that I'm even interested in you is your blessing."
So domineering!
So arrogant!
Even though Tsubaki wanted to curse him, she had to admit—such a man was truly outstanding.
And she herself was not that remarkable as a kunoichi. If this were a normal relationship, Sasuke wouldn't even consider her.
…
Sasuke seemed to lose his patience.
"Now, I'll give you two choices."
"1. Be controlled by my genjutsu and become a puppet."
"From then on, whether you live or die, I won't care."
"2. Set aside your ridiculous pride and submit to me."
"I'll give you some time to adjust... and also allow you to get to know me, Sasuke."
"Becoming my woman is at least ten thousand times better than being Mizuki's wife."
Though he gave two options, in reality, there was no choice at all.
If Tsubaki refused to cooperate, she would be put under genjutsu and turned into a puppet.
Then, she would live a life worse than death.
Just now, she had suppressed her emotions with anger.
"Sasuke!"
"If you truly want to have me while I'm still conscious, give me some time."
Sasuke smiled. "Alright!"
---
Morning arrived.
Under the sunlight, Sasuke, for once, showed a rare gentleness.
Tsubaki felt uneasy. "What else do you want?"
"Sasuke, don't think that just because you treat me like this, I won't hate you."
Sasuke chuckled. "Tsubaki, carry that hatred and live well."
"From now on, I'll take care of all your needs—food, clothing, shelter, and more."
"I'll take you to get some new clothes and furniture."
But he was also worried that, as a kunoichi, Tsubaki might not be able to cope with it all.
Right now, she was fragile.
As long as her future life was better than before, Sasuke wouldn't feel guilty.
…
To prevent her from committing suicide, Sasuke even implanted a high-level genjutsu in her mind.
If she ever had thoughts of ending her life, the genjutsu would automatically hypnotize her.
In short, Tsubaki couldn't die because of him.
…
They visited various shops in Konoha—furniture stores, clothing stores, even jewelry shops, vegetable markets, and more.
Sasuke took Tsubaki shopping, dressing her up in a completely new way.
"…"
Sasuke smirked. "Even if you're my slave, I will still fulfill my duty as your master."
"Relax, Tsubaki. Following me will only make your life better, not worse."
…
"You devil!"
…
But Tsubaki had no way to resist.
Whether he was overbearing or gentle, Sasuke had already taken everything from her.
She might never experience a normal romance like Sakura, Ino, or Hinata.
But at least, just as Sasuke had said—her reason for living from now on would be him.
As for her fiancé, Mizuki, who was killed by Sasuke, he had completely disappeared from her mind.
…
"Tsubaki, get some rest."
"I'll come find you tonight…"