The Land of Wind stretched endlessly beneath the silver moonlight, the desert sands glowing faintly under its pale light. The night wind whispered across the dunes, carrying a faint chill that contrasted the day's scorching heat. Within a desolate, abandoned village half-buried in sand, Hidezawa and his two companions rested. Not far from them, Pakura lay unconscious, her body still after their fierce encounter.
Shisui crouched nearby, his sharp eyes narrowing as he watched their captive. His tone carried a hint of guilt.
"Senpai, you were too heavy-handed."
Hidezawa glanced at Pakura's unmoving form before shaking his head. His gaze lingered on her, then slid back to Shisui.
"She's not even awake yet. How are we supposed to interrogate her for information if she's still out cold?"
"This…"
Shisui opened his mouth to argue, but no words came. For someone usually so eloquent and quick-witted, the hesitation was unusual.
Even Yugao, who had been tending to Pakura's injuries, paused to look up. Her expression carried a touch of surprise and something else — amusement, maybe? Hidezawa's bluntness often had that effect.
The ambush earlier had gone almost too smoothly. Pakura's squad had just emerged from a battle, and Hidezawa's group had struck them from behind at the perfect moment. The chaos was decisive, almost unfair.
And then there was Hidezawa's role.
The enormous Earth Dragon he had summoned shook the very ground beneath their feet. The sheer destruction left everyone stunned — crumbled walls, splintered wooden beams, and a shockwave that seemed to swallow the cries of the Suna shinobi whole.
The violent impact and terrifying force nearly erased Pakura's squad from existence in one sweep.
That opening allowed Hidezawa and Yugao to coordinate seamlessly with Shisui, striking Pakura while she was reeling from the Earth Dragon's rampage.
Admittedly, Shisui had done the heavy lifting when it came to wearing Pakura down. Even now, her unconscious state was largely due to Shisui's genjutsu. Yet in both his and Yugao's memory, it had been Hidezawa's decisive blow that seemed to drop her hardest.
Which begged the obvious question — who really went overboard?
"Sorry." Shisui muttered at last, scratching his cheek, a sheepish look on his face. "Maybe I was too heavy-handed…"
Yugao let out a small huff, rolling her eyes as though she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing.
"You should know when to stop. How were you even trained?"
"The training I received was very, very strict, you know."
Hidezawa lifted a brow, but his smile was faint and oddly amused. Inside, he thought bitterly: 'Strict? It was life-threatening, not strict.'
Danzo was a scumbag, no question, but Hidezawa had to admit — those brutal, merciless training methods had forged him into who he was now. Without them, he wouldn't have stood here with such strength at his command.
Yugao studied him a moment, her lips pressing together before she nodded slightly.
"It must've been strict. Otherwise, you wouldn't be this strong already."
But her curiosity won out soon enough. She leaned closer, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Where were you trained before? You're about our age, but I don't remember seeing you at the Academy."
"This…"
Hidezawa blinked, his mind working frantically. How exactly was he supposed to answer that? 'Yes, I grew up under Danzo's tender care, where my idea of playtime was survival drills against Root operatives.' Not exactly conversation material.
Luckily for him, salvation came in the form of their captive.
*Cough, cough, cough…*
Pakura stirred, her body shifting as she coughed.
Hidezawa breathed an inward sigh of relief. 'Perfect timing. You saved me, you know.'
Even though the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal no longer bound him, and while the mark had once silenced him from speaking Danzo's name, Hidezawa still chose caution. The less said, the safer.
"She's awake. Let's get down to business."
"Mm."
Shisui and Yugao immediately turned their focus to Pakura, who was slowly lifting her head.
Her body screamed in protest. Her head throbbed with a splitting headache, and her limbs felt like lead. But she was a shinobi of Sunagakure — her instincts roared awake. Her eyes snapped open, scanning her surroundings in a blur.
A dilapidated house. Broken beams overhead. Cold sand seeping through cracks in the wooden floor.
And three figures — her attackers.
Her body shifted, only for agony to shoot through her hands. Her fingers had been dislocated, every twitch a knife of pain that made her breath hitch. Bound tightly, her body felt like a prisoner's shell.
'They didn't kill me… That means… information.'
Despite her injuries, Pakura's eyes hardened. She knew what they wanted. She just didn't know how far they would go.
A shadow moved. She turned her head sharply, finding herself face-to-mask with the same figure who had conjured that monstrous Earth Dragon earlier.
"You're awake?"
Hidezawa's calm voice slipped under the mask.
Pakura's lips curled in a snarl.
"Who are you, and why capture me?"
"Our purpose is simple." Hidezawa replied evenly, crouching closer. "We want to know some of Sunagakure's arrangements and deployments."
In truth, Shisui could have handled the interrogation far more efficiently with his genjutsu. But Hidezawa had insisted on leading this one. He had his reasons — questions of his own to weigh, thoughts only he could test. Shisui had agreed, willing to support him if needed.
"I beg your pardon, but your village faces Iwagakure, and must also guard against Kirigakure. If the situation worsens, it won't end well for anyone, so—"
"Are you idiots?"
Pakura cut him off coldly, disdain dripping from her voice.
"How would I know about troop deployments? I'm a front-line fighter, not a strategist. And even if I did know — why in the world would I tell you?"
Still, her gaze flickered sideways toward Shisui. She was cautious, yes, but there was no fear.
Hidezawa tilted his head, lips curling faintly.
"It seems you haven't realized the seriousness of your situation."
He knew perfectly well she likely had no useful information. After all, someone like her being set up for sacrifice told him everything about how much her own village valued her knowledge. But that wasn't the point.
The point was the game.
"Your situation is extremely dangerous. If something happens, it won't only affect you — it could affect Sunagakure itself."
"So, which village are you working for?" Pakura shot back. "Iwagakure? Kirigakure? Kumogakure? Or perhaps… Konohagakure?"
Shisui stepped forward, his Sharingan glinting faintly beneath his lashes. His tone was calm, but pointed.
"She's not very cooperative. Do you want me to handle it? Someone like her — her willpower is strong. Conventional methods won't get us far."
"I understand." Hidezawa replied, smiling faintly as he waved him off. "But I still want to try."
Shisui frowned, uncertain. Why insist? Wasn't this a waste of time?
Yugao, who had been silently watching, finally spoke up.
"What are you getting at, Hidezawa?"
He turned his gaze back to Pakura, then glanced at the others. His voice dropped lower, steady, thoughtful.
"Actually, I've been wondering something. If I were the Kazekage, facing this kind of situation… what would I do?"
Shisui tilted his head, clearly baffled. Yugao raised an eyebrow but played along.
"And?"
Hidezawa pointed at Pakura. His voice was calm, but the words dropped like stones.
"It's simple. I'd send her to Kirigakure."
The silence that followed was broken only by the desert wind whistling through broken windows.
"??!!"
*****
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