Chapter 25: Pakura
"B-rank missions may require direct combat."
Recalling what she knew about B-rank missions, Yūgao Uzuki's expression darkened, and her heart tightened.
Even though they were still inside Konoha...
She didn't lower her guard in the slightest.
They weren't in the center of the village, so reinforcements would take time to arrive.
And anyone bold enough to infiltrate one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages was, at the very least, a chūnin.
Two genin facing a chūnin—or someone even stronger...
The odds weren't in their favor.
Gulp.
Yūgao swallowed quietly.
Staring at the enemy as though facing a powerful foe, she immediately dropped her kunai and drew the sword at her waist.
"Sigh..."
The Sunagakure ninja sighed inwardly.
Slowly drawing his own kunai, he paid almost no attention to the children before him.
Instead...
He mentally reviewed the streets of Konoha, planning the fastest escape route.
He'd have to be insane to continue fighting after his identity had already been exposed.
Bang!
Yūgao struck first.
The instant she disappeared from sight...
A crater appeared where she'd been standing.
"...Annoying."
With a kick, she sent the mission target—who had only just gotten to her feet—flying aside.
Her gleaming blade swept diagonally toward the Sand ninja's shoulder.
Clang!
He thrust his left arm forward.
The sword struck the edge of his kunai, scattering sparks.
Immediately afterward...
Yūgao twisted her wrist.
Her blade slid along the kunai before sweeping horizontally toward his neck.
"Not bad, brat."
The Sand ninja stepped backward.
His kunai shifted to intercept the slash before he lifted his leg and kicked toward Yūgao's face.
At that very moment...
Hyūga Hanahana lowered her stance.
The veins around her eyes bulged as her Byakugan activated.
Watching the incoming kick, chakra surged into her right hand.
Her fingers came together.
She aimed directly at the chakra point in the Sand ninja's abdomen.
Then thrust forward.
Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!
An invisible shockwave burst from her palm, racing toward its target.
Sensing the disturbance in the air...
The Sand ninja immediately withdrew his kick.
His figure blurred.
In an instant, he appeared behind Hanahana, raising his kunai with a vicious expression.
He'd forgotten there was a Hyūga present.
If he didn't eliminate her...
His chances of escaping today would drop from one percent...
To practically zero.
"Ahhh!"
Hearing a shout from behind him...
The Sand ninja paused.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw a boy in gray charging toward him with his eyes tightly shut.
Iruka gripped a kunai in one hand while the other clutched his own wrist.
Has Konoha's next generation really fallen this far?
Grinning...
The Sand ninja ignored him.
He pulled an explosive tag from his vest and slapped it onto Hanahana's back.
Then he kicked her toward Yūgao before turning completely to face Iruka.
"Idiot."
He casually sidestepped Iruka's clumsy stab.
Then chopped downward with the edge of his hand.
Pfft!
Iruka's face instantly went numb.
A sharp pain shot from his forehead to his chin.
He dropped the kunai immediately, clutching his face with both hands as a miserable scream escaped him.
"Time to leave."
Muttering to himself...
The Sand ninja glanced at the explosive tag, now hissing as it burned down.
Still unwilling to take any chances...
He drew several more kunai and threw them toward the two girls.
Meanwhile...
Yūgao lay on the floor while shielding Hanahana.
The two of them heard the unmistakable hiss of the burning explosive tag.
Frantically...
All four hands searched Hanahana's back, trying to tear it off.
But no matter how desperately they searched...
They couldn't find it.
Panic gradually gave way to despair.
We just became ninja...
Accepted a D-rank mission...
And now we're about to die inside Konoha...
Would something like this even end up in the textbooks?
How frustrating...
"Hey."
"Are you two glued together?"
Hearing a familiar voice nearby...
Yūgao hurriedly turned her head.
"Sensei!"
"There's an explosive tag!"
Boom!!
The adjacent bathhouse exploded violently.
Yūgao instinctively shut her eyes.
Did I just get Sensei killed too?
I haven't gone on any high-rank missions...
I've never fallen in love...
I've never even kissed anyone...
As that thought crossed her mind...
She suddenly felt something soft press against her lips.
"...Hmm?"
Opening her eyes...
She found Hyūga Hanahana kissing her.
Her eyes widened in complete confusion.
Why are you kissing me?
"Tsk."
"Tsk."
"You two really are glued together."
After shielding them from the blast...
Asuka slowly stood up.
Rubbing his sore back, he complained,
"The shockwave really hurts."
After speaking...
He glanced once at Iruka rolling on the floor.
Then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
There was no point looking any longer.
That scar was going to be permanent.
"Ah... ah..."
Iruka's cries of pain shattered the awkward silence.
Hanahana hurriedly wiped her lips.
A blush spread all the way from her cheeks to her forehead.
After several deep breaths...
She finally managed to suppress the tremor in her voice.
"Just now..."
"You said you'd never kissed anyone."
"Then..."
"I felt someone push my head forward."
"...So that's what happened."
"Oh..."
"Oh..."
Yūgao answered awkwardly.
Turning her face away, she mumbled,
"We're both girls..."
"So..."
"It's... nothing."
Suddenly remembering the escaping Sand ninja...
She hurriedly stood up.
"The Sand ninja..."
"Don't worry."
Hanahana gritted her teeth as she pulled a kunai from her backside.
Her body trembled violently before she forced herself to speak calmly.
"Sensei will handle him."
"What about..."
"The wound on your back..."
"We were lucky."
"Sensei dragged us forward at the last moment."
"Those kunai were originally aimed at our hearts..."
"And the backs of our heads."
"Now they're only lodged in the thickest muscles."
"That's already the best possible outcome."
Seeing the concern on Yūgao's face...
A warm feeling rose inside Hanahana.
But her voice remained as cool as ever.
"As a branch family member of the Hyūga..."
"I accepted the possibility of dying the day I received the Caged Bird Seal."
"Hanahana."
"Stop sticking together."
"Iruka's about to bleed out."
Asuka walked back into the bathhouse...
Dragging the unconscious Sand ninja by the neck.
Looking first at the two girls embracing each other...
Then at Iruka's pale face...
He stepped over.
A green glow enveloped his palm as it pressed against Iruka's face.
"One of you..."
"Go notify the Barrier Team."
"Sensei's going to get you some compensation."
"I'm already here."
A man whose head was wrapped in bandages suddenly appeared behind Asuka.
His eyes landed on the Uchiha crest on Asuka's back.
His tone immediately softened.
"This incident was the Barrier Team's failure."
"We failed to detect his suspicious chakra."
Seeing Iruka's bleeding stop...
Asuka stood up and sighed.
"Has your Barrier Team gotten lazy?"
"My apologies."
The bandaged ninja bowed apologetically toward the three children.
"Now that the Third Shinobi World War has ended..."
"Delegations from every nation are constantly arriving in Konoha to sign treaties."
"Our manpower is stretched thin."
"Some oversights are inevitable."
"Fine."
Asuka waved dismissively.
Handing the captured Sand ninja over, he leaned close and whispered,
"When you submit your report..."
"Say the Barrier Team noticed something suspicious about him from the start."
"But because you lacked manpower..."
"You couldn't confirm it immediately."
"So you secretly followed him."
"When you were about to arrest him..."
"You happened to run into me while I was escorting my students on a mission."
"You informed me of your suspicions..."
"And requested my assistance."
"I deliberately allowed my students to continue the mission as normal..."
"So the infiltrator wouldn't become suspicious."
"And to prevent innocent civilians from getting caught in the crossfire."
"If you report it that way..."
"Given the Fourth Hokage's personality..."
"Your Barrier Team shouldn't be punished too severely."
"Understood."
The bandaged ninja discreetly looked around.
After confirming no one was watching...
He immediately pulled a thick stack of banknotes from his pouch and handed them to Asuka.
"This was our negligence."
"Buy the children some fruit."
Ultimately...
The responsibility really did lie with the Barrier Team.
And Asuka's proposal caused them no real harm.
Besides...
Although the students' injuries had mostly been healed...
Compensation was still appropriate.
Accepting the money...
Asuka treated the wound on Hanahana's back while saying,
"We'll escort him to the Torture and Interrogation Force."
"Just in case he escapes along the way."
"Thank you."
"Sensei?"
Counting the banknotes in her hands...
Hanahana tugged lightly on Asuka's sleeve.
"Is it really okay..."
"For us to accept this money?"
Hearing that...
Asuka lowered his gaze.
Looking at Hanahana's embarrassed expression, he comforted her.
"Think about the scar on your butt."
"Then think about Iruka's face."
"We're accepting this with a clear conscience."
"This wasn't our mistake."
"It was the Barrier Team's."
"Teacher already minimized their responsibility as much as possible."
"We're all from the same village."
"We'll keep seeing each other."
"If they don't thank us now..."
"They'll have to avoid us every time we meet."
Walking ahead...
The Barrier Team captain escorting the prisoner couldn't help twitching at the conversation behind him.
Fortunately...
This foreign ninja hadn't caused major damage.
Otherwise...
No amount of excuses would save them.
"People of Konoha."
Just then...
An elderly man stepped into their path.
His eyebrows hung all the way to his chin.
His head was wrapped in bandages.
He wore a long robe.
Looking first at the captured ninja...
Then toward Asuka and the others...
He smiled kindly.
"Thank you."
"You've helped this old man find my missing Daisuke."
"He has caused you all considerable trouble."
Hanahana poked her head out from behind Asuka.
Frowning, she said,
"He's a Sand ninja."
"A Sand ninja who infiltrated Konoha."
"No."
The old man slowly shook his head.
"He accompanied this old man to Konoha as an escort for the negotiations."
"He did not infiltrate the village."
"He came with you?"
Hanahana narrowed her eyes.
"Old man..."
"Who exactly are you?"
"Me?"
The old man glanced toward a rooftop in the east before sweeping his gaze across the group.
Finally...
His eyes settled on Asuka.
Chuckling softly, he said,
"Outside Konoha..."
"People call this old man Ebizō."
"But inside Konoha..."
"I am the Land of Wind's special representative."
"Chief negotiator between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire."
"One of Sunagakure's founding elders."
"A lifelong senior advisor."
"A leading member of the peace faction."
"The mastermind behind the Third Shinobi World War."
"Shimura Danzo's kindred spirit."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi's confidant beyond the village."
"Konoha's steadfast ally."
"Sunagakure's second teacher."
"Sunagakure's second puppet master."
"Sunagakure's second medical instructor."
"Sunagakure's all-knowing scholar."
"The village's guardian."
"The great protector of peace."
"Ebizō."
"..."
Hanahana stared blankly.
After that absurdly long list of titles...
She gently poked Asuka.
"Sensei..."
"Who exactly is this old man?"
"He's Ebizō."
"Lady Chiyo's younger brother."
"He mainly oversees Sunagakure's intelligence and espionage operations."
"..."
Then just say your name is Ebizō.
Why waste so much time listing titles?
Stepping past everyone...
Asuka came to the front.
Looking calmly at the old man, he said,
"You know what's going on."
"And so do I."
"Ebizō."
"Go negotiate."
"If negotiations succeed..."
"Fine."
"If not..."
"We'll settle it with war."
"Two days ago..."
"During the jōnin meeting..."
"Elder Danzo, Konoha's strongest advocate for war, repeatedly opposed the Fourth Hokage's decisions."
"He was on the verge of restarting another shinobi war single-handedly."
"At that critical moment..."
"The Third Hokage suddenly appeared behind him with the Body Flicker Technique..."
"And slammed his head onto the conference table."
"Elder Danzo's bloodshot eyes turned toward Sunagakure."
"And he growled..."
"'Hiruzen.'
"'Keep holding me down.'
"'Otherwise...'"
"'I'm afraid I'll wipe Sunagakure off the map.'"
"The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly reached the breaking point."
"War was only a single decision away."
Thud!
On a nearby rooftop...
Shimura Danzo nearly slipped.
Quickly channeling chakra into his feet...
He steadied himself as though nothing had happened.
This brat...
He's exaggerating a little too much.
After glancing at Asuka...
Then the Sand delegation...
Danzo casually waved a hand.
"No need to interfere yet."
"Lord Ebizō."
"Why waste your breath with them?"
A female ninja wearing a backless outfit suddenly landed in front of Ebizō.
Her yellow-green hair framed the Sunagakure forehead protector on her brow.
A fireball slowly formed in her palm.
She looked coldly at Asuka.
"Is this Konoha's idea of negotiation?"
"You arrest one of our people..."
"And now plan to use him as leverage?"
Pakura?
Looking at her appearance...
And the flames dancing in her palm...
Asuka immediately guessed her identity.
The Hero of Sunagakure.
A simple D-rank mission...
Sure has become troublesome.
Whoosh!
Seeing the fireball fly toward the Barrier Team member...
Asuka frowned.
He instantly stepped in front of him.
With a casual flick of his hand...
He redirected the fireball into the sky.
Boom!!
The fireball exploded overhead.
The intense heat instantly evaporated the sweat from everyone's faces.
Seeing ninja fighting openly in the streets...
Nearby civilians fled in panic.
"Not bad."
Pakura licked the edge of her kunai before disappearing.
She instantly reappeared before Asuka.
Both kunai stabbed directly toward his eyes.
Glancing briefly at Ebizō behind her...
Seeing the old man make no move to stop her...
Asuka flashed upward.
Drawing his sword...
He brought it crashing down.
Have the desert winds blown away every last brain cell in Sunagakure?
Did you come here to negotiate...
Or to fight?
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two exchanged blows repeatedly.
The members of the Sand delegation stared in stunned silence.
That was Pakura.
Sunagakure's Hero.
Yet a random Konoha ninja had appeared...
And was matching her blow for blow.
Should they admire Konoha's strength...
Or question Pakura's?
Meanwhile...
Hanahana and the others stared just as blankly.
They'd never heard of Ebizō.
But everyone had heard of Pakura.
One of Sunagakure's greatest ninja...
Doesn't seem all that overwhelming.
...No.
She hadn't even used Scorch Release yet.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Leaping high into the air...
Asuka rapidly formed hand seals.
Drawing a deep breath...
He expelled a massive fireball.
Although they were near the outskirts of the village...
Large-scale ninjutsu still caused enormous collateral damage.
And he wasn't about to pay for it.
Watching the incoming flames...
Pakura raised both palms.
Two fireballs emerged.
They circled through the air before merging into one gigantic sphere of blazing fire.
She hurled it upward.
Boom!!
The two fireballs collided.
The resulting explosion blasted away every trace of moisture in the surrounding air.
The heatwave swept across everyone's faces...
Like holding a red-hot iron inches from their skin.
It dried every drop of moisture.
Commonly known as...
Peeling.
"Not bad."
Pakura clapped lightly.
Looking at Asuka approvingly, she praised,
"You're strong."
Asuka merely twitched the corner of his mouth.
Out of the corner of his eye...
He noticed Danzo still watching from the rooftop.
He quickly considered how to end this pointless fight...
Without revealing his full strength under Danzo's gaze.
The Sand delegation is only fighting because one of their people was captured.
If I threaten their lives...
The prisoner won't matter anymore.
Clan Head...
Sorry.
Prepare to pay compensation.
With that thought...
Asuka sheathed his sword.
Then leapt high into the sky...
Both arms raised overhead.
"...Hmm?"
Pakura frowned.
Although Asuka looked serious during their exchange...
She could tell...
He still hadn't fought with everything he had.
As a Scorch Release user...
She was especially sensitive to heat.
The moment he raised both hands...
She felt all the surrounding heat rapidly gathering toward his palms.
Blazing Sun!
In the next instant...
Pakura's pupils shrank violently.
Above Asuka...
A gigantic sphere of spiraling flames condensed.
It resembled a miniature sun.
Blinding light radiated in every direction.
The fire chakra contained within it...
Was terrifying.
Gulp.
Pakura swallowed.
Her expression immediately became grave.
This lunatic...
He's using a technique like this inside Konoha?
Madman!
Dozens of blazing orbs floated above Pakura's head.
They fused into a single massive sphere.
Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!
The moment both blazing spheres appeared...
Half the sky above Konoha seemed to ignite.
Thermometers across the village might as well have boarded a train.
The mercury shot upward before the glass burst one after another.
"Is..."
"Is this that Uchiha's true strength?"
A masked ninja swallowed nervously.
Watching Asuka suspended in midair...
Holding a blazing sun overhead...
He looked like a deity.
Danzo shook his head regretfully.
Although the spectacle before him was astonishing...
It still didn't match the intelligence in his possession.
Asuka still hadn't used the mysterious markings that covered his body.
According to previous reports...
They doubled his combat power.
That technique was also the origin of his codename—
Blackened.
Unfortunately...
Since Asuka's promotion to jōnin...
No further combat intelligence had been gathered.
Keeping the Uchiha away from the battlefield reduced the number who awakened the Sharingan...
But it also greatly reduced the amount of intelligence available on their combat abilities.
Especially that of Uchiha jōnin.
Boom!
Hearing the roar of air splitting...
Danzo instinctively turned toward the battlefield.
His pupils contracted sharply.
These two idiots actually threw them?!
This is inside the village!
The instant Asuka hurled his blazing sphere...
Pakura shouted a warning to her companions.
Then threw her own attack...
And immediately began retreating.
She wasn't immune to explosions.
Nor to extreme heat.
"...Hmm?"
After retreating several steps...
The expected explosion never came.
Confused...
She looked back.
A blond-haired, blue-eyed man wearing the white robes of the Fourth Hokage stood calmly between the two attacks.
Minato Namikaze.
Sigh...
Minato sighed inwardly.
Looking down at the blisters covering one of his palms...
He turned toward Danzo, who had been calmly watching from the rooftop.
He felt utterly speechless.
He never should have agreed to let Danzo handle the reception of the Kazekage's delegation.
At least...
Ebizō still showed him some respect.
"Hokage-sama!"
Asuka landed behind Minato and immediately explained everything that had happened.
Those without strength relied on reason.
Those with strength didn't need to.
But when someone possessed both strength...
And powerful backing...
Reason itself became intimidating.
The smile had disappeared from Asuka's face.
Looking coldly at the Sand delegation, he said,
"Just kill them."
"Why keep them around until New Year's?"
"If they're bold enough to behave like this inside Konoha..."
"Outside..."
"They'd probably even dig up the Daimyō's ancestral graves."
"Minato."
"You arrived just in time."
Danzo also leapt down from the rooftop.
Leaning on his cane...
He stopped beside Asuka.
Looking at Ebizō, he spoke calmly.
"Long time no see."
"...Indeed."
Ebizō nodded with the same gentle smile.
"It's been over a month since we last met."
"Ebizō."
"Sunagakure's espionage has become rather amateurish."
"Even genin are exposing your spies now."
"The feeling is mutual."
"Recently..."
"Students from Sunagakure's Ninja Academy uncovered one of Konoha's spies."
"Perhaps we should exchange them."
"And while we're at it..."
"Exchange the prisoners from the war as well."
"Tch."
Pakura suddenly stepped in front of Asuka.
Seeing the Uchiha crest on his back, she sneered.
"So that's it."
"An Uchiha lunatic."
"No wonder you'd dare unleash an S-rank ninjutsu inside your own village."
"You idiot from Sunagakure."
"The desert winds must have blown your brains away."
"Half the reason it never rains in the Land of Wind is probably because of you."
"Take my advice."
"Marry into the Land of Rain."
"If you launch a few fireballs into the sky every day..."
"Within ten years..."
"You'll become the Rain Country's Bodhisattva."
"The civilians will worship you."
"Enough talking."
"Come somewhere open."
"We'll settle this properly."
"Heh..."
"Heh..."
Asuka smiled coldly.
Idiot.
Moron.
Battle maniac.
She really collected every negative trait possible.
No wonder she died at Kirigakure's hands.
Poor thing.
After a brief pause...
Asuka turned toward his three students.
"Teacher will teach you another important lesson."
"Stay away from idiots."
"'Idiots have idiot luck' is just survivor's bias."
"Most idiots die young."
"They live miserable lives."
"And their lives are filled with darkness."
"The closer you get to idiots..."
"The more trouble you'll attract."
"So the Uchiha really do insult people right to their faces?"
Pakura's icy voice came from behind him.
Without even turning around...
Asuka answered,
"Before Hokage-sama arrived..."
"You were arrogant."
"After Hokage-sama arrived..."
"You're still arrogant."
"So did the Hokage come here for nothing?"
Pakura turned toward Minato.
Looking at his warm smile...
She silently said,
"Hokage-sama..."
"This is a personal grudge."
"It has nothing to do with our villages."
"...Huh?"
Minato scratched his head.
Just as he was about to mediate...
Danzo firmly grabbed his right arm.
"Minato."
"Some sacrifices are unavoidable."
"But..."
Glancing at Pakura's raised leg...
Which had clearly been preparing to kick Asuka in the back...
Minato hesitated.
"I feel..."
"This sacrifice can probably be avoided."
"She is Pakura."
"Sunagakure's Hero."
"And he is Uchiha Asuka."
"This is a rare opportunity to gather intelligence."
"Let the Uchiha suffer a little."
"We'll learn more about Pakura."
"It will be invaluable for Konoha's future."
"Ninja..."
"Must learn to sacrifice themselves."