The lightning dissipated, leaving behind a devastated canyon.
Shattered rocks, fissures like writhing dragons, crisscrossed the ground. A massive crater, dozens of meters deep, gaped open.
Charred rocks lined the sides, a scene of utter destruction.
Pakura looked at the devastation, then at the lone figure standing before her, shrouded in a blood-red Susanoo, resembling a blood-colored Asura.
She smiled bitterly. She finally understood why Kai had said a million ryo wasn't enough. "Chunin," reversed, was Uchiha Kai, the Blood-Red Asura of Konoha, a ninja capable of shaking the shinobi world.
The power of that single lightning jutsu was terrifying. Even Mangetsu, a genius of the Hozuki clan, had been instantly killed. If that attack had hit her, she would have died too.
"Was that million ryo worth it?" Kai asked, dissipating his Susanoo. Only the Susanoo could have protected him from the Kirin.
"Worth it, but…" Pakura's expression fell. Before she could continue, she felt a warm sensation on her cheek—she'd been kissed!
"Alright, we're even. Farewell!" Kai brushed himself off and turned to leave, pausing briefly.
"You shouldn't stay. This will attract Kirigakure ninjas. And that little Mizukage isn't someone to underestimate."
With that, Kai vanished. Pakura bit her lip, glancing at the ruins before turning and leaving, still struggling to overcome Rasa's betrayal.
Minutes later, figures arrived, their movements swift and silent. Seeing the devastation, their eyes widened in shock.
"What happened here?" a Kirigakure ninja exclaimed. "Is this the power of Pakura, Sunagakure's hero, second only to the Kazekage?"
The others' faces fell. An elder beside Yagura spoke, "Mangetsu was arrogant, but a top-tier jonin. The Hozuki clan has no weaklings.
If even he was defeated… could this be a Sunagakure plot, using Pakura's supposed betrayal as a cover to ambush our elite squad?"
"Including Mangetsu's team, we've lost thirty elite ninjas…"
Thirty elite ninjas wasn't a significant loss in normal times. But with the war nearing its end and Yagura leading the Five Kage Summit to address Uchiha Kai, any loss of strength significantly impacted Kirigakure's standing.
The defeat of the Seven Swordsmen by a single person was a devastating blow.
Yagura's position as Mizukage was partly due to the need to address this loss of strength and to confront Uchiha Kai.
"Ao, can you sense anything?" Yagura asked Ao.
"Let me see!" Ao's hands clasped together, releasing the seal on his right eye, revealing the Byakugan.
The white eyes widened, revealing the Byakugan's power. Konoha would be shocked if they knew a Hyuga clan Byakugan was in the hands of an outsider.
"There's a faint chakra signature in the crater," Ao said, sweating profusely after a moment of intense observation. He quickly resealed his Byakugan.
As an outsider, he lacked the proper constitution and could only activate, not deactivate, the Byakugan, which constantly drained his chakra.
"Ao, are you alright?" Yagura frowned, concerned about the method used for the transplant.
"Thank you, Mizukage-sama. I'm still getting used to the Byakugan. But there's a powerful electrical current remaining…"
"Ao, you mean the attack wasn't Pakura's?" the elder asked urgently.
Yagura interrupted. "Summon Hozuki Mangetsu. The Hozuki can survive non-lethal attacks through liquefaction, but we need to act quickly; otherwise, he'll die without treatment."
Ao produced a scroll, performing a jutsu using a cell from Mangetsu.
"Reverse Summoning: Hozuki Seal!"
Boom! Mist swirled, gathering the water vapor in the crater. A translucent figure was pulled out—Mangetsu, severely burned, lay on the scroll.
The Hozuki's water-like bodies were resistant to physical attacks, yet here he was, near death. If not for the clan's ability to forcibly reconstitute their bodies, he'd be dead.
"It… was… Mizukage-sama…" Mangetsu gasped, his voice weak.
The Hozuki feared Lightning Release, but even Suigetsu survived the Eight-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball. Mangetsu, even stronger than Suigetsu, was a master of self-preservation.
"Mangetsu, who injured you? Who sabotaged our plan?" Yagura asked sternly.
Mangetsu's face contorted in fear. "It was him… he's here… The Five Kage Summit… the Third Hokage's prophecy… the Blood-Red Asura… he's here for revenge!"
His scream echoed through the ruins, a chilling sound that sent shivers down the spines of the Kirigakure ninjas, who nervously scanned their surroundings, searching for that terrifying figure.
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