Too late.
The cave was deep and winding. Sansan Kaoru couldn't outrun it.
Byakuya's Shadow Clone chuckled softly. "Art... is an explosion. Katsu!!"
BOOM!
BOOM!!
Explosions erupted one after another, deafeningly loud.
As the Shadow Clone dispelled, the real Byakuya, still hiding outside, couldn't help but wonder if this was dumb luck.
His plan hadn't been perfect, yet Sansan Kaoru had walked right into the trap.
As for why Sansan suddenly tried to run, Byakuya guessed it was simply because the Shadow Clone hadn't provided proof that he was a Sand ninja contact.
He had buried enough explosive tags to collapse the cave. To ensure Sansan Kaoru was dead, Byakuya sent another Shadow Clone to inspect the damage, armed with a few more tags.
His main body remained hidden in his original spot, wary that Sansan might not be the only Sand spy around.
The cave entrance was blocked by fallen rocks.
The clone outside feigned panic: "Captain Sansan? Are you in there? I heard explosions and came running!"
Faint cries for help could be heard from inside.
The clone couldn't make out the exact words, nor did he care to.
He hopped over the rubble, located the approximate source of the voice, slapped two explosive tags onto the rocks, and detonated them.
After the dust settled.
"Captain!! Captain! I killed that guy just now. Are you still alive?"
"Captain, hang in there! We'll save you! Just answer me so I can find where you are!"
"Hey, Captain Sansan? Say something!"
He waited for over twenty minutes.
There was no further movement.
Byakuya had initially worried that the Sansan Kaoru buried inside might have been a Shadow Clone. But the sheer panic Sansan displayed when he realized it was a trap had felt too real to be faked.
He dispelled the Shadow Clone.
Checking the status interface, Byakuya finally relaxed completely.
> [System: Hard Work Pays Off]
> Limited Time Mission (4 Days): Survive in the Wild for 4 Days (0/4)
> Reward: Minor increase in Vitality.
> Destiny Choice 2: Establish a foothold in the ANBU Training Division (Complete).
> Reward: Major increase in Chakra Quality.
This meant his second Root mission was a success. All that remained was to return to the village and report.
With Root's intelligence network, they would naturally confirm the kill.
The reward for Destiny Choice 2—Major Increase in Chakra Quality—had an immediate effect.
If his chakra before was enough to do one job, now the same amount could do nearly two, and do them better.
It matched Byakuya's expectations. The changes went deeper than that, but now wasn't the time for research.
"Found you. So you were hiding here."
"Scorch Style: Steam Murder."
The dark night suddenly brightened, followed by an unbearable heat that felt like it was evaporating every drop of moisture from his body.
Several glowing orange orbs of intense heat rotated around him, cutting off all escape routes before converging to explode. Everything in the vicinity, except the rocks, was scorched barren.
Standing atop a rock was a Leaf ninja. Although clearly a man, the voice was unmistakably female.
"Nice Substitution. Are you a Leaf Jonin? Oh, looking at your build... not a girl. So small... are you just a Leaf brat? Hah! To think Sansan Kaoru was stupid enough to get killed by a kid. What a joke!"
Byakuya reappeared outside the blast zone of the Steam Murder, gasping for air.
The moment those orange fireballs touched him, he had barely managed to trigger the Substitution Jutsu.
If his sensory perception and reaction speed weren't so sharp, he would be a corpse right now.
No, given the power of Scorch Style, he would have been mummified instantly.
Byakuya rasped, "Scorch Style. You're Pakura of the Sand?"
"Kid, you're well-informed. You've even heard of my name. But since you killed Sansan right under my nose, I have to kill you."
Pakura ripped off her disguise, revealing her true face.
Byakuya said, "I get it now. You hid in this surveillance unit to get intel on the Leaf."
"Oh? Interesting. What intel do you think I want?"
"Whether the Leaf's main forces are tied down on the Cloud and Rock fronts, leaving the rear undefended."
In the original story, once the Sand learned the Land of Fire's interior was empty, they launched a surprise attack.
With his "god's eye view" of the plot, guessing Pakura's true objective wasn't hard.
Although Pakura eventually died because her village betrayed her, Byakuya dared not underestimate her.
He continued, "I can tell you clearly: the Leaf still holds a significant mobile reserve. If the Sand dares to launch a surprise attack, you'll suffer heavy casualties. Even if your hero Rasa leads the team himself, it won't work!"
"Kid, trying to confuse my judgment?"
"I can also tell you that the Rock and Mist are eyeing you hungrily."
"You should be a diplomat, not ANBU. But everything you just said is common knowledge in the Sand. Alright, alright. My mercy has run out. Goodbye, kid."
She simply twitched a finger.
An orange orb of energy suddenly appeared right in front of Byakuya's face. Only now did he see it clearly—it wasn't a fireball, but a miniature sun of highly compressed heat.
Hit by the unstoppable attack, Byakuya vanished.
Pakura quickly jumped down from the rock, closed her eyes to sense, and faintly detected chakra disturbances in two opposite directions—East and West—already nearing the edge of her range.
"Shadow Clones." Pakura gritted her teeth.
After narrowly escaping with a Substitution, the brat immediately used a Shadow Clone to stall her.
To maximize his chances, he sent another Shadow Clone running in the opposite direction.
Now, she had to choose which one to chase.
Pakura sneered. "Smart little tricks."
She used the Shadow Clone Jutsu herself, sending her clone in one direction while she chased the other.
With such a massive gap in strength, the Leaf brat couldn't escape.
Byakuya was incredibly frustrated right now. He didn't know Earth Style, nor did he possess Earth nature chakra.
If he knew Earth Style, he could have used the clones as distractions while his main body hid underground. Once Pakura left, he could have used a "lure the tiger from the mountain" tactic and dug himself out.
"Kid, you can't run."
Pakura's voice came from behind him.
The distance between them was shrinking fast.
Lightning Style: Earth Flash, Water Style: Wild Water Wave, and Storm Style: Torrential Lightning were all mid-to-close range jutsu. He couldn't stall her from a distance.
He turned slightly and threw a few kunai.
Pakura dodged them effortlessly without even slowing down.
"Scorch Style: Steam Murder."
Four orange energy orbs surrounded Byakuya.
"Storm Style: Torrential Lightning."
He opened his mouth and spat a massive river of lightning. It was faster than the orbs, splitting into four streams like guided missiles that intercepted the four energy spheres perfectly.
BOOM!!!
Violent explosions erupted on all four sides. The temperature spiked, lightning flashed, and a dense cloud of steam exploded outward.
Seeing this, Byakuya immediately adjusted the Storm Style ratio, increasing the water chakra content.
He fired Torrential Lightning again!
Pakura didn't have time to be surprised by the kid's Bloodline Limit. Seeing the bright blue water surging toward her with lightning dancing on its surface, she immediately used Scorch Style to block.
Steam engulfed the area.
But they could still vaguely see each other.
They were close now. If they weren't, Byakuya wouldn't have been forced to use his Storm Style.
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave."
"Scorch Style: Incinerating Flare."
Hisss!
This time, the steam was so thick they completely lost sight of one another.