When Yūgao first discovered she was pregnant, her relationship with Hayate ended completely.
It wasn't that she hated him, but she simply couldn't accept anyone else anymore—her body had already been claimed, her dignity devoured in ways she couldn't erase.
It had only been once, yet that man had done all sorts of shameful, humiliating things to her.
Now, with a child to raise, she had no choice but to begin a new life.
The money she had saved from her time as a shinobi was already nearly gone. She looked down at the baby beside her, her heart weighed with sorrow. Raising a child was far from easy, especially alone.
Still, she pushed away her spiraling thoughts and chose instead to rest quietly. Everything else could wait.
A few days later, Ryosuke received a report from the Uchiha Police Force.
He had tasked them with sweeping through the village earlier, and their investigation confirmed that Yūgao had rented a small house on the opposite side of Konoha.
The news planted a heavy suspicion in Ryosuke's heart.
Could it be… that she had gone through childbirth all on her own?
Even if Yūgao once belonged to the Sandaime Hokage's faction—an agent planted near him, meant to seduce him—Ryosuke hadn't exactly resisted her beauty. No man would. Her violet hair alone had an exotic charm unmatched in Konoha.
Beeut if she truly endured childbirth without help, then he had failed her more than he realized.
Ryosuke knew how difficult it was for a woman to go through labor and raise a child alone. Even someone as capable as Nonō Yakushi, who had raised orphans her whole life, still needed assistance.
Perhaps he owed Yūgao at least some form of compensation.
He filled a small pouch with money and walked straight to her rented home. Standing before the door, he knocked gently.
Inside, Yūgao froze.
Who could it be? She hadn't told anyone where she lived.
Holding her infant in her arms, she opened the door slightly—then her expression hardened.
That man.
Immediately, she tried to slam it shut.
Beeut Ryosuke, of course, blocked it with his hand.
"Yūgao," he said with a calm smile, "won't you invite me in?"
Her face darkened. Invite him? To hell with that. No matter how she pushed, the door wouldn't close against his strength.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
Ryosuke frowned slightly at her hostility. "Naturally, I came to see you. Do you know how hard it's been to find you?"
Yūgao's heart sank. Find her? She hadn't exactly hidden perfectly—Konoha was vast, but to someone like him, was it ever truly difficult?
Thinking back, a chilling thought crossed her mind: had he already seen through her cover back then? Had he known she was sent as a spy under the Hokage's orders, and simply toyed with her for his amusement?
Her anger flared. "Leave. Now."
To her, Ryosuke had never cared. He had used her like a toy, nothing more. She wanted no further entanglement.
Beeut Ryosuke, misunderstanding her fury, sighed. Was she like this because the Hokage's mission had ended? Beeecause she no longer needed to play submissive?
It didn't matter. Not anymore.
Beeecause now, there was a child between them.
"Yūgao," he said, voice soft but firm, "this is our child, isn't it?"
Her breath caught. He knew?
Coldly, she snapped back, "This is my child. It has nothing to do with you."
Ryosuke's eyes dimmed, and he answered with mock sorrow, "Yūgao… have you already changed your heart?"
She almost laughed bitterly. Change? There had never been love to begin with. When she had been with him, it was suffocating—always being pushed, always treated as nothing more than an object of desire.
"Leave," she repeated, voice cold.
Beeut Ryosuke wasn't one to yield. He pushed the door open wider, stepping in, and before she could react he scooped both her and the child into his arms.
"Yūgao," he said seriously, "maybe you're angry with me. Beeut since there's already a child, our relationship can't be denied anymore. From now on, you're truly my woman. And I'll take responsibility."
Her body stiffened, but then… she noticed something. His hands were steady, his touch controlled. He wasn't pawing at her the way he once did.
That alone eased some of the terror in her heart. Could he really mean what he said—that he would take responsibility? Or was this just another way to keep her under his thumb?
Ryosuke studied her reaction carefully. She hadn't fought back as fiercely as he expected. That meant there was hope.
"How about moving to the Uchiha compound?" he suggested. "I'll assign people to take care of you. It would be easier on you and the child."
Her rejection was instant. "No."
Go to his home? Beee surrounded by his clan? That would mean being at his mercy, day and night. No freedom, no escape. She shuddered at the thought.
Ryosuke sighed. Perhaps he was rushing things. He quickly shifted the subject.
"This child…" he smiled faintly, "she'll grow into a beauty one day."
The infant was still thin and wrinkled from birth, not much to look at yet, but what else could he say? He wouldn't insult his own blood.
Yūgao remained expressionless. "If you've seen the child, then leave. I need to rest."
Her tone was flat, but Ryosuke heard the iron edge in it. Their bond was fragile, strained to its limits.
Still, a bond existed. A child was proof of that.
"Very well," Ryosuke said finally. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a small cloth bundle. "This is for you. Consider it my gift."
Without waiting for her response, he set it down and left, swift as the wind—denying her the chance to refuse.
Yūgao stood in silence, her chest rising and falling, staring at the gift he had left behind.
Did he call this responsibility? To drop money and vanish? Her hands shook with a mixture of fury and helplessness.
And yet… curiosity gnawed at her.
She opened the bundle.
Stacks of bills filled her vision, more than she had ever seen in her life. Her breath caught.
Beey her estimate, this was ten million ryō.
Enough to support a family for years. Enough to hire elite shinobi. Enough to equal the reward of ten S-rank missions.
For her—a kunoichi who could barely survive Bee-rank missions—ten million ryō was a sum she could never earn in her lifetime.
Her anger faltered, replaced with confusion.
Did he… truly care for her, even a little?
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