Konoha — Tobirama's residence, dining room
A rich, mouthwatering aroma filled the air.
A generous spread covered the long table. There were no rare delicacies—just simple, home-cooked dishes—but to Pakura and Maki, who had just endured the ravages of war and had been prepared to survive on coarse rations, it looked no different from a royal feast.
Yet neither of them dared to move.
Pakura stood off to the side with her hands neatly at her sides, while Maki clutched the hem of Pakura's trousers, swallowing nervously, her eyes filled with caution.
In their understanding, captives—and maids—were only allowed to eat after the master had finished, and only what remained.
Tobirama sat at the head of the table, with Tsunade and Konan seated on either side of him.
He lifted his chopsticks, glanced at Pakura standing stiffly like a statue, and frowned slightly.
"What are you standing there for?"
He tapped the rim of his bowl, producing a crisp sound.
"Sit down and eat."
Pakura stiffened and looked up in disbelief.
"Master… we are maids. This goes against the rules."
"In the Hidden Sand Village, overstepping like this is punishable."
"That's just Sunagakure's needless rigidity."
Tobirama calmly picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it into Konan's bowl, his tone flat yet unquestionable.
"Here, there's only one rule—my word is the rule."
"If I tell you to sit, you sit. If I tell you to eat, you eat. Don't make me repeat myself."
Faced with his unwavering gaze, Pakura's heart trembled.
There was no mockery, no humiliation.
And he was even letting them eat at the same table?
This man… was sometimes impossible to understand.
"…Yes. Thank you, Master."
She gently pulled Maki along and carefully sat down at the far end of the table.
The moment warm rice touched Maki's lips, tears welled up as she ate hungrily.
Pakura kept her composure, but her eyes stung slightly.
This long-lost sense of peace—she was experiencing it in the enemy's home.
The atmosphere at the table was unexpectedly calm.
Tsunade set down her bowl, wiped her mouth, and her expression grew more serious.
"Tobirama, the casualty reports from the front are in."
"Go on," Tobirama replied without looking up.
"Thanks to your timely arrival, and the pressure you exerted that forced the other great nations to withdraw."
Tsunade took a slow breath, admiration flickering in her eyes.
"The casualties were kept within acceptable limits."
Tobirama nodded indifferently.
"Not bad. Konoha wasn't disgraced."
"Double the pension payments. If funds are short, take it from the Daimyō's estate—tell them it's a loan from me."
"You really are something else," Tsunade said with a helpless smile. "You think the Daimyō is that easy to deal with?"
Off to the side, Pakura tightened her grip on her chopsticks.
Konoha's losses were light.
But Sunagakure… more than half its forces dead or injured, its backbone shattered.
This was the difference.
Before this man, numbers held no meaning at all.
---
Late at night
After dinner, Konan led Maki to a guest bedroom.
The little girl was clearly delighted to finally have someone her own age to be with. Though Maki was shy at first, she soon warmed up under Konan's cheerful persistence, and the two began playing together.
---
Second floor — hallway
Tobirama stopped outside the master bedroom and pointed to the room next door.
"Pakura, you'll stay here."
"Yes," Pakura replied quietly, relief washing over her.
At least it wasn't the same room.
"However—"
Tobirama's tone shifted slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"As my personal maid, your duties aren't finished."
"Tonight, you'll stand guard outside my door."
"If I don't sleep, you don't sleep. If I give an order, you respond immediately."
Pakura froze for a moment, then lowered her head.
"…Understood."
Standing guard wasn't difficult. As a ninja, staying awake for long periods was routine.
Still… why guard the door? This was the heart of Konoha—who would dare assassinate him?
Tobirama offered no explanation. He simply pulled a flustered Tsunade into the master bedroom.
The door closed.
Pakura was left alone in the dim hallway.
She leaned against the wall, arms folded, eyes closed as she tried to steady herself.
For Maki's sake… endure it. Just endure.
Time passed.
From inside the room came muffled sounds—quiet voices at first, then movements that made it clear Tsunade was engaged in intense training.
Pakura's eyes snapped open.
Her face burned as realization dawned.
Even without experience, she understood what was happening.
So that was why he ordered her to stand guard.
This wasn't vigilance—it was deliberate.
Her first reaction was embarrassment, followed by anger.
Yet she didn't dare leave.
The sounds continued, rising and falling, then gradually subsiding.
By the time silence finally returned, Pakura felt as though she herself had endured a long battle.
At last… it's over.
She straightened, preparing to quietly return to her room.
Then Tobirama's voice drifted out, low and unhurried.
"Pakura."
She jolted.
"Yes— I'm here!"
"Come in."
Two simple words, yet they made her heart leap.
With hesitant hands, she turned the handle and opened the door.
The room was dim, lit only by moonlight.
The signs of intense training were obvious—furniture displaced, the bed in disarray.
Tsunade lay wrapped in blankets, utterly exhausted, fast asleep.
Tobirama leaned back against the headboard, calm and composed, as though nothing could disturb him.
He glanced at Pakura and gestured toward the room.
"It's a mess."
"Clean it up. Change the sheets."
"Be quiet. Don't wake her."
Pakura stood frozen, her face burning.
So… that was all.
"…Understood."
She lowered her head and quickly got to work, moving carefully so as not to disturb Tsunade.
As she tidied the room, Pakura felt the last of her resistance quietly dissolve.
Looking at the sleeping Tsunade, then at the man who ruled this house with absolute authority, she finally understood.
From the moment she stepped into this place for Maki's sake, her fate had already been decided.
There would be no escape from Uchiha Tobirama's shadow.