"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
Pakura condensed her Wind chakra and exhaled a fierce gale from her mouth.
But the density of the steam exceeded her expectations. It only dispersed slightly.
It was enough.
She could faintly see the black silhouette of the Leaf brat.
Moonlight spilled into the forest.
Pakura leaped high into the air, commanding her orange energy orbs to encircle him.
"Storm Style: Torrential Lightning!!"
"Let's see how much chakra you have left, kid!"
Scorch Style was a kekkei genkai formed by combining Wind and Fire natures. Storm Style was Lightning and Water. Theoretically, they could cancel each other out.
But the reality was that Byakuya was at a disadvantage.
If his chakra quality hadn't luckily and significantly increased just in time, he would have already perished under Pakura's Scorch Style.
Facing Pakura, who possessed near-Kage level strength, Byakuya had to rely on the cover of darkness just to escape!
Damn it, am I going to die here? he thought furiously. Think of something! Think!
The Shadow Clone that fled in the other direction was killed. The memories flooded back.
"The one chasing me is Pakura's clone?"
Judging from the power displayed by the two Pakuras, the one in this direction was significantly weaker.
This was the opportunity he had created by stalling.
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave."
"Storm Style: Torrential Lightning."
Once again, he blocked the Scorch Style energy orbs, creating another massive cloud of steam.
Byakuya estimated the chakra remaining in his body...
"Kid, getting distracted in battle is dangerous."
Even if it was just a clone, her strength was absurd!
There was zero margin for error. Byakuya wove hand seals with blinding speed. Just before her kunai could slash him—
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju's version.
The significant increase in chakra quality meant that, from another perspective, Byakuya had more effective chakra to burn.
A waterfall-like torrent of water erupted, spiraling around him to form a barrier with zero blind spots.
Pakura's kunai struck the water and was repelled by the immense force.
She paled in shock. "That's the defensive Water Style, Water Formation Wall? No, that's not right... Wait. Yes. I remember now. The Leaf has a special version of the Water Formation Wall developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. How does a kid know that jutsu?"
Byakuya couldn't maintain it for long. The moment Pakura was forced back, he immediately canceled the jutsu and fled toward the Land of Fire.
Pakura's face was grim. She hesitated for a split second on whether to continue the pursuit.
The internal situation in the Sand Village was still unstable. Rasa hadn't yet purged all the power-hungry schemers. If killing this Leaf brat provoked retaliation from the Leaf, the situation would turn dire.
The reason she was probing the Leaf's defenses now was to prepare for an invasion after the Sand stabilized, to divert their explosive internal conflicts outward.
But that was for the future, not now!
"No. I must kill him. If this kid is allowed to grow up, the Sand will face even greater pressure from the Leaf. I cannot allow that to happen by my own hand."
A ninja sent by the Leaf to root out spies in the Land of Rivers died. Who killed him? The answer was self-evident. Even if he died by friendly fire, the Leaf would claim he was killed by Sand ninja.
"Chase!"
Pakura cast aside her doubts and blurred toward Byakuya.
---
Several minutes passed. The thick steam in the area dissipated slightly.
The real Byakuya, holding his breath behind a tree, finally dared to move.
His chakra was nearly depleted. He had maybe ten percent left.
The massive chakra consumption had taken a heavy toll on his body and mind.
Thanks to the system boosting his stamina, vitality, chakra capacity, and quality, he could still keep going even at this point of exhaustion.
He chose not to burn his remaining chakra on high-speed travel.
Instead, relying on the complex forest environment, he moved cautiously on foot—heading in the opposite direction of the Land of Fire.
Pakura would assume he was desperate to return to the Leaf and would intercept him on that route. Therefore, heading toward the Land of Wind offered a sliver of hope.
He walked through the forest for an unknown amount of time.
Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig made him tense up like he was facing a great enemy.
It wasn't until the dark, canopy-covered forest floor began to lighten slightly with the coming dawn that he stopped.
Byakuya crawled into the hollow trunk of a long-dead tree.
He curled up inside.
He really couldn't go on anymore.
Every part of his body ached. His mind was utterly exhausted.
---
When Byakuya opened his eyes again.
He popped a soldier pill into his mouth and chewed.
His stamina had recovered somewhat. His chakra was back to about forty percent.
"Not enough. Wait a little longer. Who knows if Pakura went crazy searching the forest after she realized that was also a Shadow Clone."
"Lay low. Laying low means living. I'm no match for her right now. No need to take risks."
After eating a dozen soldier pills, Byakuya drifted back into a heavy sleep.
---
When he woke up again.
"Stamina at eighty percent. Chakra at sixty."
He took out the remaining soldier pills and ate them one by one.
This wasn't the time to ration food. The faster he returned to peak condition, the better his chances of escaping Pakura.
After a fight like that, Byakuya knew she was out for blood.
Although he wasn't sleepy and his mind was clear, he forced himself to close his eyes and rest.
Sleep was the best way to recover the body.
"If I had the Akimichi clan's Three Colored Pills, I wouldn't be running like a dog right now."
It seemed to be night again.
Listening to the insects chirping and the distant roars of beasts outside the tree hollow, Byakuya felt his stamina, spirit, and chakra fully restored. He leaped out of the hollow and sprinted toward the Land of Wind.
He planned to take a very long detour.
---
Byakuya didn't know just how furious Pakura was.
She had caught up to that Shadow Clone and unleashed a barrage of chakra regardless of the cost, determined to obliterate the Leaf brat quickly and avoid any more surprises...
But the surprise came anyway.
After the explosion, it looked like Byakuya had been blown to bits, but Pakura sensed it clearly—it was another Shadow Clone.
That damn Leaf brat uses Shadow Clones with perfection!
Just how afraid of death is he?!
She searched for his main body again, but couldn't find him.
Pakura dispelled her own Shadow Clone.
Her main body received the memories and smashed a nearby rock to dust with a single punch.
It wasn't enough to quell her rage.
She unleashed Scorch Style: Steam Murder, destroying a swath of the forest in a frenzy.
She didn't know if she was venting or hoping to get lucky and kill the brat in the chaos.
At that exact moment, Byakuya was sleeping like a log inside his tree hollow.
Next, Pakura faced three choices.
First, wipe out every Leaf ninja in the Land of Rivers. But that wouldn't help the bigger picture.
Second, return to the Sand Village, report the intelligence to the higher-ups, and send new spies to infiltrate the Leaf.
Third, stay in the forest or block the road to the Land of Fire to intercept the brat.
Viewing the situation from the perspective of a Kazekage, she reluctantly chose the second option.
Return to the Sand, report everything, and continue planting spies.
"I hope that Leaf brat doesn't grow up smoothly. Otherwise, it will be the worst news for the other ninja villages."