'Pakura?'
Hearing that name, Hidezawa's expression shifted.
'Don't tell me my luck is actually this good?'
According to Danzo's mission, she was his target. He hadn't expected to stumble across her out here in the middle of nowhere, yet here she was.
Thinking about it more, though, this was normal. Around this time, Pakura was supposed to be hunting Kirigakure shinobi while also holding back Onoki's southward advance. She'd earned herself a reputation, the kind that bred both admiration and hatred. Kirigakure wanted her gone so badly they eventually signed a truce with Sunagakure just to sell her out and kill her.
'But… how far along are things now?'
Hidezawa rubbed his chin, unsure if Pakura had already been celebrated as Sunagakure's hero, only for her own village to betray her and throw her to the wolves.
Konoha hadn't anticipated that betrayal—or maybe they just didn't want to. If it had been Konoha in her place…
'Damn it, a pair of sleeping dragons and young phoenixes!'
He cursed inwardly, then glanced sideways at Shisui.
"Senpai, that's a big fish."
"Mm."
Shisui frowned, eyes narrowing at the distant figure. His body practically leaned forward as if itching to act. He was weighing her strength, the number of Sunagakure reinforcements nearby, the mess of Kirigakure shinobi still alive. Yet his eyes gleamed—he didn't want to let this opportunity slip.
After a tense silence, he made his decision.
"Prepare to act. We finish this quickly. If anything looks wrong, we retreat immediately."
"Understood!"
Hidezawa and Yugao answered together. Their team had never really named a "captain". On paper, Shisui had the credentials—an Uchiha genius, the Hokage's favored shinobi. But thanks to some "maneuvering" on his first day and his naturally soft personality, he'd never been given full authority. Still, when moments like this came, it fell to him to decide.
'And if things go wrong, someone else can take the blame.' Hidezawa thought dryly.
From their hidden position on the sand dune, he looked down at Pakura. She stood tall, flames dancing at her fingertips, scorching the battlefield as she hunted the Kiri-nin. Her Scorch-style evaporated what little moisture existed, leaving the Kirigakure shinobi to choke and shrivel like fish tossed into a furnace.
'No wonder they hated her. This woman was their natural counter.'
'And she was terrifyingly strong.'
'Even with Shisui, things could turn ugly. Best to get some insurance…'
Hidezawa called up his status. Three free points remained. After a moment's thought, he dumped them all into [Yin Style].
…
[Free Points: 0]
[Yin Style: LV3]
…
Knowledge poured into him—principles, formulas, the very texture of Yin-style chakra. It was almost like leafing through Madara's notebook. His mind sharpened, techniques rearranging themselves into a cleaner, deadlier arsenal.
But down on the field, Pakura had nearly finished the Kiri shinobi. The battlefield was littered with charred corpses, and her squad spread out in formation. Shisui's Sharingan flared.
"Let's move!"
He rushed forward, hands already weaving hand signs.
Fire Style ∙ Great Fireball Jutsu!
*Fwoooosh!*
A blazing fireball roared across the sand, startling Pakura's squad, who were still recovering from the fight.
"Who's there?!"
Panic rippled through the exhausted Sunagakure shinobi. They hadn't even caught their breath before a new enemy appeared.
"Don't panic. Prepare for battle—I'm here."
Pakura's voice steadied them. At her command, orange-red spheres of flame bloomed around her, distorting the air with heat. One sphere drifted lazily forward and swallowed Shisui's fireball like it was nothing.
But that was all the time Shisui needed—he was already at her front, Sharingan glowing, kunai ready.
"Senpai, let's go."
Hidezawa slipped on his mask, nodded at Yugao, and triggered his Cursed Seal. Power flooded his body, raw and hot, making his muscles coil like springs. In the Land of Wind, his Water-style was useless, so there was no point holding back.
He blurred forward, a phantom streaking across the sand.
"What—?!"
The Sunagakure ninja barely had time to react before Hidezawa was upon him. His kunai flashed, cutting clean through the man's throat. Blood sprayed across the sand, and the shinobi collapsed, choking on his last breath.
Hidezawa pivoted instantly, launching at the next opponent.
"Die!"
The second shinobi roared, dual kunai in hand, charging headlong. Brave, but slow. Hidezawa sidestepped, driving an elbow into the man's ribs hard enough to crack bone. The Sunagakure ninja staggered, pain twisting his face, but still flung both kunai in desperation.
*Whoosh—whoosh!*
The blades spun through the air. Hidezawa batted them aside with casual swipes. Clang—clang! Metal hit sand. In the same motion, his kunai sank into the man's chest.
He didn't even watch the body fall.
"Wind Style ∙ Great Breakthrough!"
"Wind Style ∙ Wind Cutter!"
"Wind Style ∙ Gale Palm!"
A storm of jutsu howled after him. Wind pressure whipped the desert into chaos, sand slicing at his skin. Clearly, his rampage had drawn the others' attention.
But he wasn't worried. Yugao had already joined the fray, blade flashing like silver light, while Shisui tangled directly with Pakura. That left him room to experiment.
'Yin-style won't make my taijutsu stronger… but with my Cursed Seal amped up, it should supercharge my ninjutsu.'
He landed lightly on the sand, hands forming seals. His Earth-style was already at LV6—seals were optional—but appearances mattered.
He smirked at the shinobi charging him. Chakra flared, a swirl of Yin and Earth blending.
"There are some people in the shinobi world you should never provoke…"
His grin widened.
"…like a walking cheat code!"
Sage Art ∙ Yin Style ∙ Earth Stone Dragon!
*Rumble—rumble—CRASH!*
The desert floor buckled violently. Sand cascaded like waves as a colossal dragon of stone erupted upward, its body fifty meters long. It coiled and roared, shaking the battlefield with earth-shattering sound.
Even hardened Sunagakure shinobi froze in terror at the sight.
Hidezawa blinked, staring up at the monster he'd just summoned.
'Wait… is this supposed to be an Earth Dragon, or did I just make the budget version of a Wood Dragon?'
*****
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