Chapter 134: Pakura of the Scorch Release
Just as the Konoha Hundred secured the city gates, a dense fog enveloped the Daimyō's residence, shrouding the surrounding streets.
"Oh no! Our plan has been discovered! The Konoha ninja have beaten us to it!" Akira Kawakawa's face darkened. Realizing something was wrong, he rushed into the Daimyō's residence, hoping to seize him first and use him as leverage. But before he could reach the Daimyō, he was intercepted by Kagami Momoyo and Chagakure Ryusuke.
"Momoyo, are you conspiring with the Konoha ninja and betraying the Daimyō?" Akira demanded, before urging, "Ryusuke, join me in capturing her and serving the Daimyō."
Ryusuke just shook his head and chuckled. "Akira, stop arguing and surrender."
Seeing no way out, Akira attempted to retreat and regroup with the other Sand Village guardian ninja, but he was cut off.
Sasuke, seeing Akira's inevitable defeat, dispatched his shadow clones along with Shun, Yeshan, Hyōzō, and the fearsome duo of Fūjin and Raijin to encircle the three remaining guardian ninja. He himself went to deal with the Sand's logistics detachment.
It was a small force: one jōnin, two special jōnin, and six lower-ranked ninja. Using his usual tactics, Sasuke unleashed the Hidden Mist Technique, then sent in his ten mecha puppets. As the Sand jōnin dodged the mechanical onslaught, the real Sasuke struck from the mist.
"Breath of Wind, Second Form: Water Blade Cut!"
A flash of cold sword energy, and the Sand jōnin was decapitated on the spot.
Sasuke was about to continue his sneak attack when he noticed the mist had been evaporated by several high-temperature fireballs.
Scorch Release… Pakura? Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
Not far away stood a beautiful kunoichi with a striking hairstyle that left her back exposed. He recognized her from the intelligence reports. It was Pakura, the Hero of the Sand, and her legendary Kekkei Genkai: the Scorch Release. At this point in the timeline, she was only a special jōnin of fourteen or fifteen, but with her powerful ability, she was as strong as a regular jōnin.
His mecha puppets immediately surrounded her. The clone's infrasonic shock, while unable to completely interrupt her Scorch Release, could disrupt the chakra balance within her fireballs, preventing her from maintaining them.
At that moment, a Sand special jōnin, seeing that defeat was inevitable, turned and ran into the warehouse. "You damned Konoha thieves," he shouted, "even if I die, I won't let you have an easy time!"
"Fukimaru, no!" Pakura cried out, horrified. She unleashed a volley of Scorch Release orbs, forcing the mecha puppets back, and rushed into the warehouse after him.
"Fukimaru, what are you doing?" she shouted.
"Pakura, we have no escape," he said, his face a mask of fury. "Since we can't defeat these Konoha ninja, then I'll smash these poison gas bombs and we'll die together!"
"How could you?" Pakura was stunned. "If those bombs leak, tens of thousands of civilians in the entire Prefecture will be poisoned to death!"
"They are just untouchables," Fukimaru spat with some jealousy. "It is an honor for them to be buried with us. And it's great for you, isn't it, Pakura? With your Scorch Release, you'll be the only one who survives." He saw the mecha puppet and Sasuke chasing after him and quickly formed hand seals.
"Fukimaru, this is absolutely forbidden!" Pakura instinctively unleashed a scorching fireball, interrupting his frenzied actions. He cursed her stupidity and pulled out an exploding tag. Pakura finally gave up holding back. She flickered forward and struck his neck, knocking him unconscious. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the tag had not detonated.
Just then, Sasuke struck. He abandoned his water-style hand seals and, with his fish-slicing knife, slashed at her smooth, beautiful back. It wasn't a choice; in the dimly lit warehouse, her exposed back was simply the most conspicuous target.
"Konoha jōnin, please stop! Be careful not to break the gas bombs!" Pakura dodged in a panic, not daring to counterattack effectively, fearing a mistake would detonate the entire warehouse.
Sasuke, however, did not relent. He feigned a frenzy, attacking with even greater ferocity, completely indifferent to the possibility of the bombs leaking, his only apparent goal to capture her. Besieged by Sasuke and several mecha puppets, Pakura's escape routes dwindled, and she was finally pushed back against the wall of gas bombs.
With the bombs at her back, there was no escape. The mecha puppet raised its three-meter sword and swung.
Pakura did not try to break the gas bombs or escape. Instead, she closed her eyes, spread her arms, and waited for death. She only hoped that when Sasuke killed her, he would not strike with too much force and rupture the bombs behind her, turning the Daimyō's Prefecture into a hell and killing tens of thousands of civilians.
However, the three-meter sword did not strike her. It stopped inches from her neck, clamping her in place.
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