"Monster… you're a monster!!!"
After a brief, deathly silence, Aria finally snapped out of her terror.
A man who had swallowed a specially prepared anesthetic, yet woke without the slightest reaction—who had even freed himself and calmly sat watching everything unfold—was no ordinary captive.
He was a nightmare.
Run. I have to run.
Aria spun around, lifting the hem of her heavy dress as she scrambled toward the iron door.
"Someone! Help!"
"There's an assassin—!"
Her fingers had just brushed the cold handle when—
Hum!
A violet barrier burst forth from the walls, sealing the exit completely.
"Szz—!"
"Ahhh!!"
The moment her hands touched it, scorching pain shot through her arms. She was hurled backward, crashing onto the foul stone floor and rolling several times before stopping.
"What… what is this?!"
Clutching her hands, Aria stared in despair at the glowing barrier.
No escape. No sound carried beyond it.
From behind her came a soft, mocking chuckle.
Tobirama sat casually in the chair, tapping his fingers against the armrest.
"Run. Why did you stop?"
"If a barrier I set up could be broken by someone like you, I'd be ashamed of myself."
Aria's body shook uncontrollably.
Only now did she truly understand.
She had never been in control—not for a single moment.
From the beginning, she had been nothing more than prey.
With a dull thud, Aria dropped to her knees and began bowing frantically.
"Mr. Uchiha! I was wrong—truly wrong!"
Tears streamed down her face as her voice broke.
"It was my parents! I was forced! I didn't dare disobey them!"
"I'll do anything—be your servant! Take all my family's wealth—please spare me!"
When Tobirama showed no reaction, Aria suddenly crawled toward Sayo and grabbed her leg.
"Sister Sayo! Please—help me!"
"We talked so happily today, didn't we? I even invited you for tea!"
"You're kind—you wouldn't really let me die, right?!"
Sayo looked down at her.
Then she looked past her—to the broken figures in the depths of the chamber, to the countless remains piled in iron cages.
A wave of revulsion surged through her.
"Get away from me!"
Bang!
Summoning strength she didn't know she had, Sayo kicked Aria squarely in the face, sending her sprawling.
"Kind?"
Sayo's eyes were red, filled with fury and contempt.
"A person who treats lives like toys and enjoys hurting others dares talk about kindness?"
"Didn't you threaten me just now?"
"Didn't you call me filth?!"
She laughed—a bitter, hollow sound.
"So when someone stronger appears, you beg like this?"
"Disgusting."
Humiliated beyond endurance, Aria's false tears vanished.
"Bitch!!!"
She staggered to her feet, hair disheveled, face twisted with madness.
"How dare you hit me?!"
"You lowly trash—every one of you deserves to die!"
She screamed toward Tobirama.
"My father is a great noble! The Military Police are guests of my family!"
"If I die, you'll never leave this city alive!"
Tobirama didn't even bother responding.
He stood and walked to the rack of instruments.
"Your mouth is still quite tough," he said calmly.
"You claimed to enjoy hearing others scream."
He turned back to her, his gaze cold.
"Then let's see how much you enjoy it yourself."
With a single motion, he cleared the chamber of the other captives, leaving only the three of them.
Hum.
He raised his hand.
"Banshō Ten'in."
Aria was yanked forward, her body flying helplessly through the air. In the next instant, chains snapped tight around her wrists, hoisting her up exactly as she used to bind others.
"Let me go!!" she shrieked.
"I was wrong—please—!"
Tobirama stepped closer, not striking her.
Instead, he tapped a finger lightly against her forehead.
"Pain alone is too crude for someone like you."
A faint pulse of chakra sank into her body.
"What… what did you do?" Aria asked in panic.
"Nothing complicated," Tobirama replied coldly.
"Just rewired your senses."
Aria froze.
Moments passed. No agony came—only confusion.
Her face flushed violently as realization dawned.
"No… that's impossible…"
"This isn't right!"
Tobirama watched her reaction with undisguised disdain.
"So this is what lies underneath all that arrogance," he said.
"A noble lady on the surface—something far uglier beneath."
"No! That's not me!" Aria cried, her voice cracking.
"You did this to me! This isn't real!"
"Still trying to deny it?" Tobirama said flatly.
The sound of the whip cracked through the chamber.
Aria's screams followed—no longer defiant, no longer proud—only broken.
Sayo watched from the side, her expression icy.
"Disgusting," she spat.
"High and mighty on the outside, rotten to the core."
Her words were the final blow.
"No… don't look at me…"
"I'm not like this… I'm not…"
Aria shook helplessly, her eyes unfocused, her spirit shattered.
What destroyed her wasn't pain.
It was exposure.
The proud noble lady was gone—
left behind was nothing but a broken shell, crushed by her own reflection.
——————Author——————
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