"The reward we agreed upon?"
His tone was direct and domineering, like a commander demanding his spoils of war. It wasn't a question. It was a command. The burning masculine aura surged around her, pressing down like a tidal wave.
Kushina trembled. Reward. That word struck her heart like a red-hot stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly turning into thick steam. She could still remember the moment she had blurted it out earlier that day, eyes shining with excitement, making that impulsive promise.
She instinctively turned slightly away, her lips parting and closing as if to speak. Maybe she wanted to say, "The house is the reward," or maybe snap back with her usual "Who owes you anything?" But the words got stuck in her throat and only a soft, helpless whimper escaped.
Before she could react, Ryo's hand on her shoulder delivered a powerful force. It wasn't rough. It was gentle but absolutely irresistible. She felt like a powerless feather caught in a storm.
Her vision blurred as the world flipped. When her eyes focused again, his face was right in front of hers.
Those eyes, trained to find the vital point in the chaos of battle, were now focused entirely on her. Reflected in the dark pupils were two small, panic-stricken versions of herself and the overhead light. But deeper inside, something else burned. A slow, consuming fire that belonged not to a hunter on the battlefield, but to someone who had finally cornered his only prey.
Time lost all meaning.
Kushina's mind went blank. Blood rushed to her face, burning with heat. She forgot to breathe, forgot to think, forgot the rebuilt house and the dinner that had just ended. All she saw was that face closing in, the fire in his eyes, and the overwhelming pressure threatening to melt her on the spot.
Ryo leaned in. His movement was fast, precise, and full of silent control. Kushina instinctively shut her eyes, too shy to resist.
The next second, a surge of heat branded her lips. It was like an "exclusive ownership" protocol being activated.
"Wuh—"
Kushina froze in place, like being shocked by static electricity. Not painful, just enough to jolt her system. Her protest died in her throat like a rejected form in the medical department.
Her nerves triggered an alert. Unfamiliar contact. A firm declaration of territory. The way he kissed wasn't soft or romantic. It was as if someone was slamming a cheap battering ram into a locked door. No subtlety, no grace. Just full-force occupation.
She tried to resist. Her voice cracked. Her hands pushed against his chest, but her strength evaporated. Her fingers curled into his shirt. It was like trying to fight a virus with a right-click.
Shame, panic, and dizziness flooded her mind. Her body stopped responding.
Her face flushed red, hotter than her normal chakra surge. Her breathing tangled with his, chaotic and fiery, like two programmers debugging bad code in a server room full of smoke.
At the edge of a system crash, the pressure suddenly lifted.
Finally, a pause. A system reset.
A faint thread of warmth lingered between their lips, like a snapped data cable too short to reuse.
Kushina's chest rose and fell violently, like the aftermath of a staged explosion. Her trembling eyelids refused to open. Her flushed skin spread from her face down to her collarbone. Her system was in overload.
First kiss, hijacked. Success?
Ryo's eyes narrowed. His finger gently traced her heated skin. His voice came out in a low murmur.
"Not up to standard."
His tone scratched at her nerves like sandpaper.
Without sparing her another look, he turned toward the bathroom. His tall back looked like armor heading into the next battlefield. The faint pressure in the room didn't fade. If anything, it left behind a message. This night was just getting started.
"Wash up and sleep."
Kushina stood still. A full thirty seconds passed before she felt her limbs again. His scent still clung to the air, mingling with the residual heat. She raised her hand to her lips, which still tingled from the contact.
"That bastard..." she muttered, her voice low and shaky. It didn't sound like anger. It sounded more like a soft complaint. Her heart was pounding like it had just run a marathon. He said... wash up and sleep?
The warmth she had barely calmed flared up again.
She stomped hard and walked quickly toward the other bathroom. Her thoughts were spinning from the kiss. Just taking a shower felt like running a mission. Thinking about what came after was enough to make her head smoke.
Soon, the sound of running water echoed from both bathrooms. Hot water eased the tension in her body, temporarily cooling the invisible heat in the air.
When she came out in her pajamas, the scent of shampoo clinging to her skin, she opened her door quietly.
There was a new scent inside.
It wasn't hers.
It was Ryo's. Clean, masculine, mixed with a faint hint of battlefield steel and dried pine.
And on her pink bed, full of her own scent...
Ryo was lying there.
He hadn't even bothered to cover himself. Just laying on top of the bed with only dark pajama pants, his upper body bare under the warm yellow light. His muscles looked like sculpted bronze, hardened by countless battles.
His hands rested behind his head. Eyes closed. Breathing calm.
But she knew he wasn't asleep.
She could feel the pressure in the air. And the slight curve of his lips.
The heat she'd just suppressed flared up again. Kushina stood in the doorway, frozen, fingers twisting the hem of her pajamas. Her face was red enough to drip blood.
The battlefield terror, the red-haired witch of Konoha, now stood frozen in her own home.
"Standing there to guard the door?" Ryo's voice broke the silence. "Get in bed. Sleep."
Kushina bit her lower lip.
She took a deep breath and walked over. Each step felt like she was walking a tightrope. Her palms were sweating.
"Ryo..." she said softly, her voice trembling.
He opened his eyes at last.
Under the soft light, there was no battlefield sharpness in them. Just slow, burning heat, like lava under still water. He patted the inner side of the bed.
The message was clear.
Get in.
Kushina closed her eyes and pulled the blanket back. She slipped under the covers like a rabbit hiding in a hole. Her body curled tightly to the edge, back to him, holding her breath.
"Turn over."
The low command came again. Slightly impatient.
She didn't move. Her spine stiffened. She tried to inch even closer to the edge.
A sudden force pulled her back.
"Ah!"
She cried out, startled. He flipped her over like she weighed nothing and pulled her into his chest.
His arm wrapped around her waist, firm and inescapable. She was crushed against him, his heat seeping into every inch of her skin.
"You—" Kushina looked up, flustered, her voice caught between anger and embarrassment.
He didn't stop.
The next second, his grip tightened around her waist.
Kushina felt like she'd touched a live wire. Her unspoken protest was deleted before it even finished loading.
Her voice glitched. Her hands, meant to push him away, tapped his chest once before giving up. She sagged into him.
All her resistance protocols failed. Her system overheated. Her breathing tangled with his.
Right as her brain screamed low oxygen warning and her joints gave out with a creak, the pressure finally released.
A faint shimmer of heat remained on her waist, like leftover coolant on metal.
Kushina gasped for breath. Her chest rose and fell irregularly. Her eyes blurred from the heat. Her face was so red it looked like an emergency light. Her body went still, entering a state of temporary energy-saving mode.
Ryo's gaze scanned her calmly. His finger lightly touched the hot skin on her waist. His voice was low.
"Hmm, quality needs improvement."
(To be continued.)