Inside the cave, Sakura observed Mei Terumi's terrified expression with genuine puzzlement. Am I really that scary? she wondered. You're destined to become the Mizukage someday, for crying out loud. Do you really need to be this frightened?
Regardless, Sakura was genuinely hungry herself. Turning her attention to the piece of steak she'd grilled, she began eating heartily. After finishing her own bowl of congee, she glanced over at Mei, noticing her face was still pale, though her eyes darted nervously around the cave.
"No need to look. It's just you and me here," Sakura said, then picked up Mei's untouched bowl. "Are you sure you don't want this? If you don't eat it, I will."
Mei bit her lip. At that inconvenient moment, her stomach let out two loud growls. A faint blush crept onto her pale cheeks, but her gaze towards Sakura remained a mixture of resentment and fear.
"Fine, have it your way. Just don't blame me if you die!" Sakura shrugged, lifted the bowl intended for Mei, and began slurping down the congee noisily.
Hearing the glug-glug sounds as Sakura drank, Mei felt a chill seep into her bones, as if plunged into an icy abyss. How can she consume human flesh so calmly, without batting an eyelid? She truly was a monster. Mei could barely move without pain, let alone mold chakra. If she couldn't figure out a way to escape soon, she could only watch helplessly as this creature devoured her piece by piece.
After finishing two bowls of congee and the steak, Sakura licked her lips, still not feeling quite full. Oh well, this'll do for now. Her eyes flickered towards Mei. She couldn't just let her starve to death. Guess I should give her some glucose via IV. She's not ready for real food anyway.
With this thought, Sakura started walking towards Mei. Seeing Sakura approach, Mei instantly tensed.
"Wh-what do you want now?!" Mei demanded, trying to sound forceful, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her attempt to feign calm.
"What do I want? To give you some glucose so you don't die," Sakura replied, rolling her eyes.
"Hmph. Afraid the meat won't be fresh if I die? You monster," Mei sneered, watching Sakura prepare the IV needle.
Hearing Mei's words, Sakura paused her actions. She looked up at Mei. "You've been calling me a monster since you woke up. If anyone's the monster here, it's you, isn't it? I just asked for directions to Kirigakure, and you tried to capture me! Your entire village must be full of monsters!"
"Kirigakure doesn't eat human flesh," Mei retorted disdainfully.
"What? Human flesh?" Sakura listened, dumbfounded, her mouth falling open. "Are you talking about… me???"
"If not you, then who? Me?" Mei glared sharply, spitting the words out. "That piece of flesh missing from my thigh – that's what you were just eating, wasn't it!"
Although still terrified, Mei seemed slightly less panicked than when she first awoke, perhaps fueled now by indignation.
Sakura, hearing Mei's explanation, felt her nose practically twist with fury. Damn it all! she raged internally. I worked myself ragged like a dog performing surgery on you, and this is the thanks I get? You suspect me of eating your flesh? What do you think you are, premium Ise beef? I wouldn't eat your meat even if you offered it to me!
With a frustrated noise, Sakura abruptly let go of Mei's arm, stalked over to her own stone ledge sleeping spot, flopped down, and turned her back. Fine! Sleep! See if I care! Starve to death, you turtle bastard!
Mei watched in surprise as Sakura stormed off after just tossing her arm aside. That's strange, she thought. Shouldn't she be threatening me more? Her stomach cramped painfully; she was genuinely starving now. Whether Sakura intended to raise her like livestock for meat or not, the most important thing right now was survival.
"Hey, Mikoto!" Mei gathered her strength and shouted towards Sakura's back. "Aren't you afraid I'll die?"
Though furious, Sakura still felt a flicker of concern. Mei had just undergone major surgery; she needed nutrients.
"If I die, the meat won't be fresh anymore, you know!" Mei tried, hoping to bait her.
The words only choked Sakura with more anger. She resolutely kept her back turned. You want food? Just you wait!
Seeing Sakura ignore her completely, Mei called out again, her voice weaker now, "Hey… I really can't hold on much longer…"
She felt dizzy, stars swimming before her eyes. Over a day without food, combined with the surgery – a normal person would have long since succumbed. Even for a ninja, the effort of those last two shouts had drained her considerably.
Before Mei could try calling out again, her strength finally gave out. Her vision went black, and she fainted once more.
Faint snoring sounds echoed softly in the cave. Perhaps the past two days had truly been exhausting, as Sakura had fallen asleep almost immediately after lying down. The cave entrance was thoroughly trapped, and Mei was too weak to even get off the bed. There was nothing to worry about.
Sunset painted the cave entrance in orange hues. Mei vaguely heard the cawing of crows in her sleep. The gnawing pangs of hunger slowly pulled her back to consciousness. It was still the same cave, and she was still on the operating table, the only thing resembling a bed. Though awake, she felt utterly drained, lacking even the strength to speak.
Once again, a fragrant aroma drifted in from the cave entrance. Mei's stomach protested loudly, growling shamelessly. Footsteps approached, growing closer. Mei lifted her eyes. It was the monster, carrying another steaming bowl.
Heh, made from my meat again, I suppose, Mei thought, yet strangely, in her extreme hunger, the terror felt less sharp. Staring at the steaming bowl in Sakura's hands, she unconsciously swallowed. Though she wanted to resist, her eyes remained fixed on the bowl.
Sakura observed Mei's practically drooling expression and walked up to her, smiling sweetly. "Want some?"
Mei hesitated for a fraction of a second, then nodded.
"Same as lunch. Century Egg and Lean Pork Congee," Sakura said amiably. She picked up a spoon, scooped some, and gently blew on it to cool it down.
Hearing Sakura's words, Mei's expression turned complicated. Before she could react, Sakura spoke again.
"This meat was just freshly taken from you," Sakura stated casually, as if discussing the weather. "Super fresh. Female ninja meat really is tastier, after all. So tender and delicious."
So it's true. Mei watched Sakura stir the congee with the spoon, a whirlwind of emotions inside her – terror, humiliation, yet also an undeniable, desperate craving. The conflict left her silent.
"Want to eat?" Sakura scooped another spoonful, blew on it, and held it right in front of Mei's mouth, her face wreathed in that same unnerving smile.
Right, Sakura thought maliciously. You called me a cannibal? Let's see if I can mess with your head until you're paranoid beyond repair.
Staring at the spoonful of white porridge right before her lips, noticing the visible strips of meat within, smelling the enticing aroma… Mei's stomach growled even louder. Eat or not eat? The idea of consuming her own flesh was profoundly repulsive. Yet, if she didn't eat something soon to regain strength, she'd have absolutely no chance. She could only lie here and wait for this monster to finish her off.
Her lips trembled. Mei glared fiercely at Sakura, as if trying to burn her image into her memory forever. Just as she was about to force her mouth open, Sakura suddenly withdrew the spoon.
"Why the scary look? I'm kindly offering you some yummy meat, and you glare at me!" Sakura deliberately emphasized the word "meat." "Do you want to eat or not? Say something! If you don't speak up, I'll just eat it myself."
Mei glared hatefully at Sakura, then with immense difficulty, forced out a single, weak word: "…Want."
"Ah, that's better! How would I know you wanted it if you didn't say so?" Sakura promptly popped the spoonful of congee into her own mouth, chewed thoughtfully for a moment, smacking her lips. "You know, your meat really is quite tasty."
She scooped another spoonful, blew on it, and extended it towards Mei's mouth again. "Go on, eat. You should try it too. You've probably never eaten your own flesh before, right? It's delicious."
If Mei had the strength to move right now, she would have torn Sakura apart with her bare teeth. This wasn't a person; it was a demon. But survival dictated submission. Humiliated, Mei forced her mouth open and accepted the spoonful of congee containing what she believed was her own flesh. She swallowed it whole, unable to bear the thought of chewing.
Sakura frowned, watching Mei swallow without chewing. "That won't do. You need to chew slowly and carefully. At least thirty seconds per mouthful. Otherwise, you don't get any more."
(To further torment her, Sakura had deliberately not chopped the pork very finely when making the congee this time. She knew Mei's intestines were injured and she should be on liquids; swallowing chunks like that directly could cause complications.)
Hearing Sakura's demand, Mei's mind instantly blanked, overwhelmed. A volatile mix of fury and profound humiliation surged through her. Unconsciously, two lines of tears began to stream down her face from the corners of her eyes.
Summoning strength from some unknown reserve, Mei managed to choke out a single, hoarse sentence: "What… do you want?!"
The effort clearly drained her, leaving her slumped and listless.
"I don't want anything," Sakura shrugged nonchalantly. "If you can't do as I say, then just starve to death. It makes no difference to me. Worst case scenario, I'll just turn you into cured meat."
Mei broke completely. In her current state, she had no choice but to compromise. Survival offered hope. Sakura fed her another spoonful. "Remember," she warned, "chew for thirty seconds. If you're short by even one second, you can just wait to starve."
Glaring hatefully at Sakura, Mei felt a wave of humiliation unlike anything she had ever experienced in her twenty-odd years, not even during the darkest days of the Bloody Mist. The thought brought fresh tears welling up. She forced herself to chew the "meat" in her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Oh?" Sakura leaned closer, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Is it so delicious it brought you to tears? It seems your meat truly is exquisite."
Like a demon, Sakura relentlessly plucked at Mei Terumi's already fraying nerves, pushing her closer and closer to the breaking point.