Shinra stirred awake, stretching his limbs as he propped himself up in bed. After a long, restful sleep, his stomach growled, a reminder that it was time to eat.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. By now, breakfast should have been delivered.

"I hope it's not those awful flatbreads again," he grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he headed towards the door. "The water here is already bitter and sour. Pairing it with those tasteless discs would be a culinary nightmare."

Yawning, he opened the door to find a shadowy figure standing just outside.

An assassin? Someone was here to kill him!

If it were the Third Kazekage, he wouldn't be standing at the door. With his busy schedule, he'd have just barged in and gotten straight to the point.

Instinctively, Shinra tried to slam the door shut, but a strong hand wedged itself in the gap, preventing its closure.

Just as he prepared to defend himself, a familiar voice spoke up. "Hey, long time no see. You're still just as paranoid, huh?"

"Huh?"

Shinra looked up and saw a familiar face. It was Pakura, his only friend in Sunagakure.

Relief washed over him, and he let out a deep breath. In the harsh shinobi world, he had become a bit jumpy over the years.

"You're back from your mission?"

"Obviously! I wouldn't be standing here if I wasn't," Pakura replied, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"I brought you something good to eat." She lifted a bag of food in her hand as she pushed past him into the house.

Without a hint of hesitation, she set the bag down on the table and plopped herself onto Shinra's bed.

Her gaze immediately fell upon the curvaceous puppet standing at the foot of the bed.

Pakura raised an eyebrow before glancing down at herself. "Seriously? Could you stop filling your head with perverted thoughts? Puppets are meant for battle, not... whatever you had in mind. You should've made it look like a guy instead."

Shinra, already sifting through the food she'd brought, scoffed. "You're the one with your mind in the gutter. What's wrong with making my puppets aesthetically pleasing? If I made them all male, people might get the wrong idea about my preferences. This puppet is easy on the eyes. It even helps me relax when I'm stressed."

His eyes lit up when he saw the food Pakura had brought.

It was sushi, and there was lots of it.

Without hesitation, Shinra grabbed a piece and popped it into his mouth.

It had been so long since he'd tasted something this delicious. He was so moved he nearly cried.

Pakura watched him devour the sushi with a smile. "Enjoy it while it lasts. I'm not staying in the village long."

Shinra looked up, his mouth half full. "You're leaving again already?"

Pakura sighed. "Even someone who stays cooped up at home like you should have heard by now. The entire shinobi world is tense. War could break out in the Land of Wind at any moment."

Shinra smirked, his lips twisting into a sharp, playful grin. "War in the Land of Wind? Other nations would have to be crazy to attack such a barren place."

Pakura, who had a strong sense of pride in Sunagakure, immediately shot back, "What do you mean 'a barren place'? The Land of Wind has plenty to offer."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Like... uh, like..."

Pakura's voice grew quieter and quieter as she struggled to come up with an example, trailing off without offering anything concrete.

Seeing Pakura at a loss, Shinra didn't tease her but sighed instead.

Pakura was six years older than him. While he was just ten years old, she was already sixteen and a fully-fledged jonin. Despite their age difference, they had grown close over the years, a bond formed by an unexpected encounter.

When Shinra was four, his home had accumulated a lot of trash, and since there were too many people around during the day, he was too scared to go outside. So, he decided to sneak out at night to throw away the garbage.

Because he was sneaking around, ten-year-old Pakura, who happened to see him, mistook him for someone up to no good and immediately rushed over, pinning him to the ground.

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, they eventually became friends.

Pakura treated Shinra like a little brother, and Shinra saw Pakura as his closest friend.

Shinra knew that Pakura's future was destined to be tragic. Seeing her now, with such a strong sense of loyalty and pride for Sunagakure, made him worry about how heartbroken she would be when she learned that the village would betray her.

"Just... be careful out there," Shinra cautioned. "Don't blindly rush into danger just because someone tells you to. Think things through and prioritize your own safety, okay?"

"You make it sound like I'm some reckless fool! Don't underestimate me, Shinra. I'll have you know I've made quite a name for myself. They call me 'Pakura of the Scorch Release.' How about that, pretty impressive, right?"

She beamed with pride, puffing out her chest as if daring him to contradict her.

Shinra merely nodded, humoring her. "Yeah, yeah. You're the best."

Oblivious to the sarcasm in his voice, Pakura grinned even wider, clearly pleased with herself.

"What about you? You're so strong, but you keep hiding it and won't even let me tell anyone. Sunagakure could really use someone like you right now. We could fight together to protect the village. You could become a hero."

Shinra waved her off, uninterested. "No thanks. I'm not cut out for that hero stuff. The thought of fighting makes my legs go numb. I'd just pass out on the battlefield. That would just make me a burden. Besides, my dream isn't to become a hero. My dream is to live a peaceful life and maybe marry one... or two wives someday. If you're willing, you could even be my second wife."

Pakura glared at him, eyes blazing with anger. "Why would I be the second wife?!"

Shinra shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Because you've got a temper. If you were my first wife, you'd never let me have a second one. My first wife has to be someone gentle."

He smiled, his expression dreamy as if picturing a perfect future.

Pakura's face turned bright red as she shouted, "You're dreaming! I would never be your second wife! No, wait! I wouldn't be your wife at all! I see you as a little brother!"

Shinra couldn't help but smirk as he glanced sideways at Pakura, whose face was now as red as a tomato. "Yeah, yeah, I was just joking. Why are you taking it so seriously?"

Pakura's fists clenched tightly, and after a moment, she couldn't hold back any longer. She sprang up from the bed, closed the distance to Shinra in two swift strides, and delivered a solid punch to his head.

Ahh... That felt good.