Pakura?
The moment Ren heard that name, his gaze sharpened.
That lucky?
According to Danzō Shimura's plan, she was his assigned target. Ren had never expected to run into her here, of all places.
Then again, thinking it over, it made sense.
At this point in time, Pakura was relentlessly hunting Kirigakure shinobi while simultaneously holding back Ōnoki's southern pressure. Her reputation was skyrocketing, her name spreading through the Land of Wind—while Kirigakure's hatred for her deepened by the day.
Eventually, they would go so far as to suspend hostilities with Sunagakure just to ensure her death.
"…The question is, how far along are we now?" Ren rubbed his chin.
Had Pakura already been elevated into a Sand hero—only for the village to later decide to 'make a sacrifice' and sell her to Kirigakure under the excuse of strategic necessity?
(Anime timeline: Episode 505.)
Frankly, intelligence from Sunagakure was sparse. Even Konoha likely hadn't anticipated that Suna would be ruthless enough to sell one of their own so decisively.
If this were Konoha—
Damn it. What a pair of idiots.
Ren cursed inwardly, then glanced at Shisui.
"Senpai," he said quietly. "That's a big fish."
"…Mm." Shisui Uchiha frowned, eyes fixed on the distant battlefield.
His expression revealed clear hesitation—Pakura's strength, possible Sand reinforcements, and sheer numbers all posed a threat.
And yet… letting a target like this slip away was unthinkable.
After a moment, he made his decision.
"We move," Shisui said firmly. "Fast and decisive. If things turn bad, we withdraw immediately. Assume they have reserve forces."
"Yes."
Ren and Yugao answered in unison.
Though their squad had never formally discussed leadership, in terms of experience, strength, and backing, Shisui was the obvious choice. An Uchiha genius, after all.
Still, his sudden insertion into the team—and his unfortunate first-day encounter with Ren—meant no one had bothered to clarify roles.
Now, at a critical moment, responsibility naturally fell to him.
If something goes wrong, Ren thought dryly, at least someone's there to take the blame.
They crept closer, using the slanted dunes for cover.
Ren lifted his head, eyes locking onto the commanding figure ahead.
Pakura stood amid the battlefield, her Scorch Release ravaging Kirigakure shinobi. The already scarce moisture in the air was being forcibly evaporated, leaving the Mist ninja desperate, disoriented, and dying.
Now Ren understood why Kirigakure wanted her dead so badly.
She was their natural predator.
And more than that—
She's terrifyingly strong.
"Shisui's here, and things look good so far," Ren murmured.
"But better safe than sorry."
He glanced at his status.
Three free points remained.
Without hesitation, Ren dumped all of them into Yin Release.
[Free Points: 0]
[Yin Release: LV3]
In an instant, knowledge flooded his mind—usage patterns, refinements, and advanced control methods eerily similar to those once demonstrated by Uchiha Madara.
Understanding crystallized.
He knew how to wield it now.
Almost simultaneously, Pakura's squad finished off the remaining Kirigakure ninja. Their formation loosened slightly—a fatal mistake.
Shisui's eyes snapped open, the Sharingan spinning to life.
"Move!"
He launched forward, hands already forming seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball roared toward the Sand squad.
"What—?!"
"Enemy attack!"
Fatigue still clung to them. Some were injured. None had expected another threat so soon.
"Stay calm," Pakura commanded, her voice steady and authoritative.
"I'm here."
Behind her, several orange-red orbs of scorching heat formed instantly, warping the air around them.
One of those orbs collided head-on with Shisui's fireball, canceling it out in a violent burst of heat.
The next second, Shisui was already upon her.
Their clash began.
"Senpai, we move too," Ren said, securing his mask and nodding to Yugao Uzuki.
He activated his Cursed Seal without hesitation and burst forward.
The desert environment limited his Water Release, and this was meant to be a decisive strike anyway.
No reason to hold back.
Power surged through him.
His speed spiked—his body blurring into a phantom.
In the blink of an eye, Ren appeared before a Sand shinobi.
"…What—?!"
The man couldn't even track Ren's movement.
No mercy.
A kunai flashed.
Blood sprayed.
The Sand ninja collapsed to his knees, clutching his throat as crimson poured through his fingers, his body twitching uncontrollably.
Ren pivoted instantly and vanished again—reappearing before another target.
"Die!"
This squad wasn't weak. A comrade's death ignited fury.
Dual kunai slashed toward Ren.
"Commendable courage," Ren said calmly,
"but you're still too slow."
He sidestepped, his elbow smashing into the man's waist mid-motion.
The Sand ninja staggered back, gritting his teeth as he hurled both kunai.
Too obvious.
Clang.
Clang.
Ren knocked them aside effortlessly—then counterthrew.
The kunai buried itself deep into the Sand ninja's body.
Ren was already moving away.
"Wind Release: Great Air Cannon!"
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
"Wind Release: Severing Gust!"
Multiple wind techniques detonated where Ren had just been, sand exploding violently into the air.
His rampage had drawn attention.
But Yugao was now engaged, and Shisui had Pakura occupied.
Ren felt no panic.
In fact, this was perfect.
Yin Release can't reinforce taijutsu directly, he analyzed calmly, but it works beautifully with ninjutsu.
And paired with my current Cursed Seal state…
He landed smoothly, hands overlapping into a seal—more for show than necessity. With his Earth Release at LV6, hand signs were barely required anymore.
Still, appearances mattered.
Natural chakra surged.
Yin chakra followed, dark and profound.
Ren smiled faintly at the approaching Sand shinobi.
"There are people in this world," he said softly,
"you should never provoke."
For example—
Someone like me.
"Sage Art: Yin Release — Earth Dragon!"
The desert trembled violently.
The sand split apart as a colossal earthen dragon erupted from beneath the ground—nearly fifty meters long.
It roared skyward, its massive body coiling through the air, pressure and sound crashing down like a natural disaster.
The battlefield froze.
Ren stared at the manifestation, momentarily stunned.
"…Wait."
He tilted his head slightly.
"So is this an earth dragon," he wondered aloud,
"or a wood dragon?"
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