Sora's home was very large.
After all, he was originally an Elite Jonin of the village, and later his meteoric rise to become the Supreme Commander of the Kirigakure's Expeditionary Force made his status within the clan second to none.
Because of this,
With Sora's tacit approval, during his absence from the village, the Yuki Clan had expanded his residence and carried out a complete renovation.
With the compound's area increased, the number of maids naturally grew as well.
Sora didn't like men, so all the servants in the compound were young, beautiful maids. Even if he didn't do anything with them, it was pleasing to the eye every day.
And with more maids, one more unfamiliar face among them naturally didn't attract much attention.
Sora calmly enjoyed the service of the little Konoha maid. His expression was subtle, and he was somewhat curious inside. He wondered what kind of marvelous expression Obito, who was willing to destroy the world just to create a world with Rin, would make upon seeing this scene.
This matter seemed quite something to look forward to!
Under the lazy sunlight, Sora did not get up. He reclined on the lounge chair, took the hot tea handed to him by Rin with both hands, and then, under her bewildered and stunned gaze, poured the entire cup of hot tea onto Rin's fair hands.
The scalding tea fell, leaving a visibly red mark on Rin's tender little hands.
It was hot.
It was painful.
After a brief moment of shock, Rin gritted her teeth and endured it, allowing the scalding tea to pour onto her hands without the slightest intention to resist.
"Why didn't you dodge?"
Sora raised his hand, drank the last of the tea from the cup, and then asked with a light laugh.
"Without your order, I will not dodge."
Rin lowered her head, her clear voice devoid of any inflection.
Since being captured by Kirigakure, she had long grown accustomed to such a high-pressure, mentally manipulative environment. Initially, when first imprisoned, Rin had never considered giving up resistance. Even if it meant death, she hadn't planned to bow to the Ninjas of the Village of the Bloody Mist.
But when this man before her, like a devil, had that ruthless woman cut off Kakashi's fingers one by one, Rin Nohara completely broke.
Obito was dead...
She couldn't watch her dear friend Kakashi follow in Obito's footsteps!
Live!
Even if she herself remained in hell forever, she had to ensure Kakashi survived!
This was her resolve as a Konoha's Ninja!
Therefore, after the intense mental strain in the dungeon, Rin's boundaries gradually gave way step by step, until she became the obedient, maid-like figure now kneeling beside Sora.
The Konoha's Medical-Nin Nohara Rin had disappeared.
In her place was a Yuki Clan's little maid who sacrificed herself for righteousness, offering her body to the tiger. This was the price Rin was willingly paying for her dear friend's life.
Regarding this, she had long accepted it.
As long as Kakashi could live, no matter what torment she suffered, it didn't matter.
However,
Just when Rin had mentally prepared herself for incredibly cruel torture and punishment, she was astonished to find that life didn't seem as bad as she had imagined.
Apart from cleaning the rooms daily, she didn't have much extra work, nor did she suffer any inhuman abuse. This Kirigakure demon seemed unexpectedly merciful towards her, not at all like the various cruelties she had envisioned.
This maid's life was even more stable, even a bit happier, than the precarious Ninja Life in Konoha.
Because Rin had much more private space. She no longer had to experience daily scheming, bloodshed, and killing. Gradually, the resentment in her heart dissipated considerably.
"What's wrong with me?"
Rin often questioned herself inwardly. She seemed to be feeling more and more that staying with this Kirigakure demon wasn't such a bad thing.
'Now that I think about it carefully...'
Rin's little hands were red. She looked up, secretly glancing at Sora's extremely handsome profile, and whispered in her heart: 'Between him and me, there isn't any incredible deep-seated hatred. He didn't kill Obito, Kakashi is still alive, and he even spared my life..."
The corner of Rin's mouth curved inexplicably. She always felt she should harbor sky-high hatred for Sora in her heart. But now, when she really weighed it, that hatred didn't seem as heavy as thousands upon thousands of pounds.
"Good, it's fine as long as you're obedient."
Sora said with a light laugh: "Before you possess enough power for revenge, focus on surviving first. If one day you truly can't wait any longer, I still hope you try to delay killing me a bit longer. Life only comes once. I won't always be so soft-hearted, understand?"
After speaking, Sora gently brushed his hand over Rin Nohara's cheek, then lazily closed his eyes again, not looking at her.
'Won't be soft-hearted again?'
Rin fell silent. Her originally expressionless face suddenly showed a rather complex expression.
Bitter, unwilling, surprised, doubtful, and even a trace of joy that she tried hard to conceal but was incredibly obvious.
'Now that I think about it...'
'This demon-like man before me seems to have saved me twice. If it weren't for him, I would have probably long become the Three-Tails' vessel and died somewhere, right?'
After coming to Kirigakure, Rin had already learned many details she hadn't known before from that black-haired girl.
Three-Tails, seal, Jinchuriki, surprise attack, Konoha...
If it weren't for Sora, she should have died long ago in this war.
Thinking carefully, Sora had never harmed her from the very beginning. Even during those painful memories in the dungeon, he never let that black-haired girl injure her body.
'Was it because he couldn't bear to?'
Her body stiffened.
Rin's expression suddenly froze.
A strange thought…
But it burned in her heart like a wildfire.
In that instant, Rin's emotions surged, as if she had thought of an impossible possibility.
Soon.
A troubling mix of panic, shyness, helplessness, astonishment, pain, and other emotions flashed continuously in her eyes.
'Was all that indulgence and favoritism because...'
'He liked her?'
…
In the following days, Sora returned to a busy work schedule.
He stayed home every day, yet no one saw his shadow. No one knew exactly what he was busy with.
However,
One powerful Reiatsu barrier after another rose above the compound, blocking all perception methods, enveloping the entire residence airtight.
Coupled with various lethal mechanisms not worth mentioning to outsiders, Sora's home had become an extremely formidable war fortress.
Never mind Jonin, even an ordinary Kage-level Ninja would likely not return if they forced their way in.
Finally, the undercurrent reached his doorstep.
One day, at dawn.
A masked Anbu's member appeared at the entrance of the compound.
"Yuki Sora..."
"Mizukage-sama requests your presence!"
The voice from behind the mask was cold and devoid of emotion, as if stating the most ordinary matter.