Perhaps it was the weight of what she'd just agreed to, or perhaps some belated awareness finally pierced through her emotional fog, or perhaps she simply felt the unmistakable hardness pressing against her hip.
Whatever it was, Sakura suddenly jumped up from my lap like she'd been burned.
Her face went scarlet as she stumbled back, nearly tripping over her own feet.
"I—that was—we shouldn't—" she stammered, wrapping her arms around herself. "I mean, sitting like that was totally inappropriate! What if someone saw? They'd get the wrong idea and—"
Oh, getting self-conscious?
I made no effort to hide my arousal, leaning back casually and letting her see exactly what effect she'd had on me. Her eyes kept darting down despite herself, stealing glances before snapping back to my face.
When she caught me watching her look, she coughed delicately into her hand, trying to regain some ladylike composure.
"B-besides," she said, voice pitched higher as she attempted authority, "you're already—I mean, you and Mom are—this is so messed up!"
I stood slowly, and in the cramped space, my height became overwhelming. She had to crane her neck back to meet my eyes, and that carefully constructed composure crumbled instantly.
"Not that I'm….!" she backpedaled quickly. "I mean, what you two do is... it's none of my… not that. I shouldn't have said—"
I smiled, genuinely amused.
Look at that. All the progress I'd made—from defiant brat to confused girl seeking approval to this flustered genin trying to navigate something far beyond her experience. She'd called me sensei and meant it, had accepted my authority over her.
Hopefully, when the dust settled and she had time to process all this, she wouldn't regress too much back to her old bratty self.
And if she did, I'd just have to discipline her more thoroughly. Her ass was already well-acquainted with my hand—what was a few more lessons in obedience?
Or perhaps I'd explore other methods to push her boundaries further.
Sakura took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to center herself. "This is just... a lot to process right now. I need to calm down."
"Well, since you're officially my student now," I said, "I should mention I've already prepared something for your training. It will help you calm down."
She looked at me. "Prepared?" she repeated, those green eyes going wide and doe-like.
I slipped a bit there, huh. I smiled. She really could be sharp when she wanted to be—when her emotions and hormones weren't scrambling her thoughts.
"Wait," she said slowly, "you... You had this planned?"
"You weren't exactly subtle with all your questions," I said with gentle mockery. "Made your intentions pretty obvious."
Her face went red again, and she started batting at my chest with her small fists. "That's not fair! You mean I went through all of that for nothing? When were you already planning to teach me anyway? You're the worst!"
Could she be any cuter?
I caught her wrists mid-swing, halting the playful assault. She tried to pull away, a half-hearted protest more instinct than intent—but I didn't let go. Conditioning her to my touch was an ongoing process—keeping her close, making contact feel natural.
"By 'all of that,'" I said teasingly, "do you mean getting your pretty little ass spanked?"
"Don't—don't say it like that!" she stammered, looking away. "It sounds so... when you put it that way..."
I laughed, genuinely entertained.
"You're…." she muttered, trying to muster the courage to hold my gaze, only to fail. Adorable. "Horrible."
"Sorry, sorry" I said, though my tone suggested otherwise. "But even as my student, you'd still face consequences for mistakes. Especially as my student, I take responsibility for discipline very seriously."
My thumbs worked into her clenched palms as I spoke, slipping into the heat of her palm, kneading the tension there. It wasn't the softness of her thighs—not even close. But it would do, for now.
"I... I understand," she said quietly, half hesitant. "If I mess up, you'll... you'll correct me. That's what sensei do, right?"
The way she said it. That fragile honesty in her voice, as if she was offering something small but sacred, almost seeking reassurance, made something primal stir in my chest. Her hands had gone pliant in mine, no longer trying to pull away.
I was about to say something—something about how good students always need guidance, how even the most dedicated ones slip up sometimes—when that familiar fire I'd been trying to tame suddenly blazed back to life.
Sakura lifted her chin, those emerald eyes meeting mine directly despite the flush still painting her cheeks. "You won't have to worry about that, though," she said with a borrowed determination. "I'm not going to make any mistakes. Not anymore. I'll be…. t-the perfect student."
….. perfect student, huh?
I was half amused, half genuinely surprised by that. The cute little stutter only my me breathe heavily. She was trying to tell me something, her subconscious was, and I was neither dense nor deaf to ignore it.
To think that moments ago this girl had been sobbing from the humiliation of having her ass spanked for the first time—tears streaming down that pretty face, completely broken down. Then she'd gone soft and meek, accepting my authority... and now here she was, chin up and defiant again, that stubborn Sakura spirit burning bright once more despite everything.
A foolish little bird with the blush of spring and the temper of a storm.
Young kunoichi pride, hormones, and misplaced certainty. Too smart for her own good, too emotional to do anything meaningful. One moment she'd crack under pressure, the next she'd pretend it never happened, as if shame could be outrun by sheer will.
That was the trouble with girls like her—resilient on the surface, but too quick to bounce back, too quick to forget.
She thought she could sharpen herself into perfection without enduring the slow grind of obedience. Thought she could think her way into control.
But a girl like that didn't learn until her body did.
But a body like hers doesn't learn through reason. It learns through repetition. Through correction. Through touch.
I so wanted to bend her back over my knee right then—spank that cheekiness right out of her until she remembered exactly how helpless she'd felt just minutes ago. The urge was strong, watching her try to reclaim control with that proud tilt of her fair neck.
But that would be counterproductive.
You don't follow punishment with more punishment, not if you want lasting change.
Her mind was already flooded with cortisol from the humiliation, defenses raised, fight-or-flight activated. Another correction now would only reinforce her resistance, make her associate me purely with pain and shame.
What she needed was relief. The gentle hand after the firm one. Let her feel safe in my approval when she showed the behavior I wanted, even if it was wrapped in that transparent bravado.
The pattern had to be clear: defiance brought consequences, but compliance—even stubborn compliance—brought warmth.
Her body was still processing the first lesson, stress hormones making her simultaneously vulnerable and reactive. This was when you offered the reward. When you became the source of comfort after being the source of correction.
"I'm glad to hear that," I said instead, my voice gentle and approving.
I released one wrist. She didn't pull away. Instead, her free hand drifted over to the other, brushing against it with a kind of soft, distracted care, like she was cradling the ghost of my grip. Not to soothe, not to resist. Just to feel.
She flinched when I raised my hand, green eyes slamming shut, chin turning slightly away, but her body staying perfectly in place. Those long lashes trembled against flushed cheeks, her breath catching as she waited for the slap that didn't come.
Amusing little thing. Even expecting to be struck, she held her ground or….
When Sakura finally cracked her eyes open, there was a card between my fingers instead.
She blinked at it, then looked up at me with that questioning gaze, half relief, half confusion painting her features.
I smiled. "What do you think about medical jutsu, Sakura?"
Her brow furrowed slightly as she refocused, that sharp mind of hers switching tracks. "Medical jutsu? It's... advanced healing techniques, right? We learned the basics at the Academy—how to treat minor cuts, apply bandages, and use natural herbs." She straightened, falling back into student mode. "As for the jutsu…. it requires precise chakra control and extensive anatomical knowledge."
There she was. Even with her ass still tender and her wrists marked, mention academic excellence and she bloomed like her namesake.
"Very good. But that's just the surface." I let my voice take on that teacher's cadence to which she responded well. "True medical jutsu requires not just precision, but intuitive understanding of life force itself. To be accepted into the medical department, you need extensive theoretical knowledge in anatomy, toxicology, and chakra pathways—plus above-average chakra control."
"Your theoretical knowledge has always been exceptional," I said, letting warmth color my praise. "Natural talent combined with diligent practice. It's no wonder you mastered the tree-climbing exercise so quickly."
She lit up instantly, straightening her spine, preening under the warmth of it. All I'd done was acknowledge her grasp of a theory most adults butchered, but you'd think I'd crowned her valedictorian.
Smart girls were easy. Just recognize the thing no one else bothered to, and they bloomed for you.
And she did—glowing, basking, not at all the girl who once glared at me from the hallway, lips trembling after catching me balls-deep in her mother. That girl had fire in her. This one just wanted more gold stars.
The praise was like a drug to her, washing away everything else.
Hungry for approval, desperate to be seen as special. A few kind words, and she's forgotten why she hated me.
Encouraged, she leaned forward slightly, eager now. "So... the card," she asked, like a fledgling tilting her head, chirping for the next treat, unaware that the hand feeding her liked to keep its grip firm. "How does it work, exactly?"
I held the card between us, noting how her eyes tracked every detail. "This, mu dear student, is a jutsu shiki card—a training tool I developed specifically for medical applications. It contains a chakra-responsive formulae that simulates responses for the use of iryonin."
Her eyebrows rose, genuine fascination replacing any lingering tension.
"When you channel your chakra into it, the card will respond as if you're working on actual injured flesh. You'll feel resistance, feedback, even simulated bleeding response if you make an error." I kept my voice measured, professional. "It lets you practice iryonin techniques without the... messiness of live subjects. And it's calibrated to help refine your chakra manipulation at the same time."
It didn't simulate flesh, I didn't think that was possible, not with my current expertise, but it was a bit of a hassle to explain to her the intricacies of the jutsu shiki.
"Is this the same as the one you gave Naruto?" she asked, tilting her head.
My lips twitched. That card had lasted less than I hoped before Naruto's enormous chakra reserves had overloaded the matrix and turned it to ash. I'd underestimated just how much raw power that idiot possessed.
It was a good prototype, though.
"This one is an improved version," I said, nodding, handing it over to her. "Specialized just for you, my student."
The way she lit up at those words was almost too easy. That sense of being chosen, being special—it was exactly what she craved.
She marveled at the card, as she accepted it in her hand with reverent care. "How is something like this even possible? The chakra theory alone must be incredibly complex..."
The silence stretched as she studied it, completely absorbed. Then, after a while, she seemed to remember herself, a blush creeping up her neck as she realized how long she'd been quiet.
"Thank you," she said softly, her voice taking on that sweet, almost childlike quality as she tried to hide behind the card. "This is... this is amazing."
She peeked over the edge of the card, clutching it like a shield. That made her daring enough to meet my eyes. "Even though you're a complete pervert and what you did with Mom was totally gross... this is really incredible."
How delightfully conflicted. Thanking me in one breath, insulting me in the next.
I studied her for a moment, weighing my options.
Should I let that slide? Laugh it off like the harmless complaint of a girl who doesn't know better? Or remind her exactly what happens when little birds forget their manners?
The way she clutched that card while challenging me—so perfectly torn between gratitude and budding defiance. Almost like she was testing how far she could push before I decided to clip those wings.
Decisions, decisions.