Restoration: Book 1/3

Chapter 17

Once the last person had left the vicinity and we heard the door close at the end of the hall, Madara addressed me coldly, "What did I say would happen if you let anyone find out about us?" The way he said it made it sound like something it definitely wasn't.

Masumi wasn't around when we all reemerged from our training rooms, so just us two were in the large open area. He'd backed me against the wall but thankfully didn't touch me.

I shook my head in denial, "I didn't tell anyone anything."

There was a sharp sting across my face when he slapped me. My head turned to the side with the force he'd put into it, and I reached up to cup my cheek with a shaky hand.

"Then why would Naruto Uzumaki suspect you fear blindfolds?"

I tried to reason with him, "I don't know how he found out about that; I-I swear! I've been trying as hard as I can to keep things to myself."

His hand reared up as though he was about to hit me again, and I squeezed my eyes shut, "P-Please! It's impossible to hide everything when he's literally reading my mind; you must know that!"

The second hit didn't come, and I peeked to see him glaring down at me with a frown, "How much does he know?"

I explained he'd only seen glimpses of him and Masumi but didn't know how they were connected to me. He brought his hand up to his chin in thought as I tried to hide my cowardice, "Perhaps I should speak with him one-on-one."

My fear temporarily dissipated as I panicked, "No, don't!"

His eyes widened as he looked at me. "Be careful how you speak to me, Hinata. You know how short my patience can be."

My hands curled into fists at my sides. This man thoroughly enjoyed flaunting his power over me. Even if it's true that I couldn't do anything, I desperately pleaded with him, "I... I'll do whatever you want, but please don't hurt him. He hasn't done anything wrong!"

The professor looked taken aback by my words, "You like him, don't you?"

My face warmed, but I shook my head, "I don't want to see a good person get hurt because of me, so please-"

"You sound just like your mother."

My mouth clamped shut as tears welled up in my eyes. Every time Madara talked about her, it hurt more. His hand rose to gently cup my red cheek, pushing mine out of the way, "That's something she'd say; I'm sure of it."

My face heated further, but only because it took all my effort to not cringe away from his touch. Unlike the last time he'd gotten this close, if I offended him right now, he might take his anger out on another target, like Naruto. So, to protect the person I'd already hurt, I made myself bear with it.

"D-Do you know if Masumi's baby is my dad's or yours yet?" I made an attempt to change the subject from my dead mother. He didn't have the right to tarnish her name like he had been.

The gentle hand against my face swiftly grasped my jaw, and he leaned in so close that our noses nearly touched. My breath got caught in my throat.

"It's mine, just like you."

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I trembled. Madara is maniacal. He may be incredibly intelligent, but something was imbalanced within him. No sane person would do the things he's done.

"I-I'm not-"

"You're mine until I decide otherwise."

As though nothing had happened, he dismissed me after letting go of my face, "I suggest you have a talk with your partner, so I don't have to."