Six months had passed in the blink of an eye.
At the border of the Land of Water, in a fog-shrouded bay.
Sora's figure slowly emerged from the mist.
He still wore the clone's signature, wide black robe and the silver-white mask shaped like a gibbous moon on his face. However, the eyes beneath the mask no longer bore Uchiha Kenta's four-cornered windmill pattern.
Instead, they were two interwoven clovers, with a small, delicate prism at their center, faintly glistening with a purple-gold light in the fog.
The Eternal Mankagekyō Sharingan.
The six-month fusion had finally succeeded.
Sora flexed his wrists, feeling the surging chakra within his body. The chakra source equivalent to two-tenths of the Nine-Tails, combined with the Yin Release power of the Eternal Mankagekyō, had elevated the strength of this Yin Release clone to a whole new level.
He lifted his head and gazed toward the depths of the bay.
"The timing is about right."
According to the report from the White Snake Sage, Pakura had recently been sent by Sunagakure to Kirigakure for "peace negotiations."
Following the original story, this was the place where Pakura would be betrayed by Sunagakure's higher-ups and killed in an ambush by Kirigakure.
And now, that plot was about to unfold.
With a flicker of movement, Sora's form melted into a black shadow and merged seamlessly into the fog, silently moving deeper into the bay.
...
Deep within the bay, on a narrow, rocky shoal.
Pakura stood alone, gazing out at the sea.
She was a tall kunoichi with long hair, a beautiful face marked by a heroic spirit, and a large fan strapped to her back.
At that moment, her brow was furrowed slightly, an uneasy feeling stirring in her heart.
This mission was a bit strange.
Sunagakure's higher-ups had suddenly sent her to the Land of Water for "secret peace negotiations" with Kirigakure, yet they ordered her to go alone, without even a single guard.
Although she was confident in her abilities, as a ninja with the Shakuton (Scorch Release) Kekkei Genkai, she was well-known in the ninja world. Kirigakure couldn't possibly be unaware of who she was.
This kind of solitary meeting seemed suspicious, no matter how she looked at it.
"I hope I'm just overthinking things."
Pakura murmured to herself, trying to suppress the unease.
What she didn't know was that, behind a reef not far away, more than a dozen Kirigakure Anbu lay silently in ambush, gripping kunai and scrolls tightly, their eyes filled with killing intent.
Further off, on a high cliff, two "observers" sent by Sunagakure's higher-ups watched the scene coldly.
"That woman Pakura is always bossing us around. We can finally get rid of her this time."
"Hmph, no matter how strong her Scorch Release is, in the face of the village's interests, individuals are always expendable."
The two muttered to each other, their tone devoid of any guilt.
Sora, lurking in the fog, took in all of this.
'Just like in the original story, indeed.'
Sora thought to himself.
To reach certain agreements with Kirigakure, Sunagakure's higher-ups had offered Pakura as a sacrifice. Kirigakure, in turn, was happy to eliminate a troublesome enemy.
In the original story, Pakura died right here, killed by the simplest of shuriken, never knowing she had been abandoned by her own village.
'But today, it's time to rewrite that plot.'
Sora's gaze was calm.
Pakura's Shakuton ability was decent, and her potential was significant. She was worth saving.
Just then—
"Move out!"
At the Kirigakure Anbu Captain's command, over a dozen Anbu burst from cover simultaneously, unleashing their ninjutsu in an instant!
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!"
"Lightning Release: Earth Taser!"
Several ninjutsu attacks came from all directions, cutting off all of Pakura's escape routes!
Pakura's pupils constricted sharply, but as an experienced elite jōnin, her reactions were incredibly fast.
"Scorch Release: Steaming Murder!"
She formed hand seals, and the large fan on her back swung open. Several incandescent white fireballs flew from the fan, meeting the incoming Water Dragon Bullet.
Shhhhh—!!!
Water and fire collided, erupting in a massive cloud of steam. But Pakura's fireballs were clearly superior, directly evaporating the Water Dragon Bullet!
Indeed, it wasn't realistic that Pakura would be killed by a simple shuriken.
"You Kirigakure bastards! Are you trying to start a war?!"
Pakura shouted angrily, while quickly retreating to create distance.
But the Kirigakure Anbu were clearly well-prepared.
"A war? No, this is just eliminating a troublesome ninja."
The Captain sneered, forming hand seals.
"Hidden Mist Technique!"
The dense fog instantly grew even thicker, visibility dropping to less than five meters. Pakura's vision was completely obscured!
"Not good!"
Pakura's heart sank.
In this environment, the power of her Scorch Release was greatly diminished, while the Kirigakure ninjas could operate with ease.
Sure enough, the next moment, several figures materialized silently from the mist, kunai thrusting directly at her vital points!
Gritting her teeth, Pakura swept her fan. A wave of scorching hot air forced back two Anbu, but a third Anbu's kunai was already stabbing toward her back!
"Divine Expulsion."
A calm voice suddenly rang out.
Whoooom—!!!
With Pakura at the center, space within a fifty-meter radius trembled violently. All the attacking Kirigakure Anbu slammed into an invisible wall, as if hitting solid stone, and were sent flying back hard!
"What?!"
The Kirigakure Anbu Captain's face drastically changed.
Pakura was also stunned. She turned her head to see a black-robed figure wearing a crescent moon mask had appeared beside her at some point, his crimson Sharingan eyes glaring brightly in the mist.
"Sharingan... an Uchiha?"
The words slipped out, but then she immediately felt something was wrong.
Wasn't the Uchiha clan supposed to be in Konoha?
And the pattern in those eyes... she had never seen anything like it.
Ignoring her confusion, Sora's gaze swept over the Anbu who had been sent flying, and he spoke calmly.
"Get lost."
"Or die."
The Kirigakure Anbu Captain's face was livid. He could sense the terrifying chakra fluctuations emanating from the man—it was definitely not at the level of an ordinary jōnin.
But the mission had to be completed.
"All together! Kill him first!"
The Captain ordered through gritted teeth. Over a dozen Anbu began forming hand seals again, this time targeting Sora.
The corner of Sora's mouth curled up slightly beneath his mask.
"Stubborn fools."
The clover pattern in his right eye suddenly began to spin rapidly.
"Amaterasu!"
The next second, a vast sea of pitch-black flames erupted from nothing, instantly engulfing all the Kirigakure Anbu!
"Th-this... what kind of flames are these?!"
The Kirigakure Anbu Captain cried out in horror.
The black flames clung like bone-seeking maggots; once touched, they could not be extinguished. Over a dozen Anbu screamed as they were turned to charcoal. Even Water Release couldn't quench these flames from hell.
The battle ended in less than a minute.
Pakura watched the scene, dumbfounded.
She knew the masked man was strong, but she never imagined he was this strong—those were Kirigakure's elite Anbu, and they had been annihilated so easily?
And those black flames...
"Wh-who are you, really?"
Pakura asked warily, still gripping her fan tightly.
Sora's right eye shifted slightly, and the Amaterasu black flames slowly died out. He turned to face Pakura.
"Who I am isn't important. What's important is, do you know why those Kirigakure ninjas just now were lying in wait for you?"
Pakura was taken aback.
Sora continued.
"Because your village, the higher-ups of Sunagakure, have already sold you out."
"Impossible!"
Pakura instinctively refuted, but her voice trembled slightly.
The truth was, she had already suspected it, she just hadn't wanted to believe it.
Sora didn't explain further. He simply raised his hand and pointed toward the distant cliff.
"Those are two Sunagakure 'observers' over there. If you don't believe me, you can ask them yourself."
Following his pointing finger, Pakura could indeed make out two blurry figures on the high cliff.
She bit her lip, then vanished in a flash, charging toward the cliff.
Sora didn't follow. He knew Pakura needed time to digest this reality.