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Byakuya couldn't exactly tell her that he had a "god's eye view," could he? Because I do, I know your Third Kazekage wasn't just missing—he was murdered by Chiyo's grandson, Sasori, and turned into a one-of-a-kind human puppet...
Since their interests were about to be tied together, he had to give Pakura an explanation.
Byakuya regretted blurting it out so quickly; he had just made trouble for himself.
"I could even find the Sand ninja you had stationed in the Land of Rivers. Is it so hard to deduce this much?"
Pakura asked, "Did Root gather concrete intelligence?"
"How is that possible? No one even knows where Sasori is right now."
"So you really are just guessing?"
The Third Kazekage had been missing for so long without a trace that most people in the village assumed he was dead.
This created a power vacuum, leading Rasa and others to compete hysterically for the title of Kazekage.
"Yes. I'm a Leaf ninja. I look at things from a different angle than you do."
Pakura sighed faintly.
Her voice was scattered by the wind.
Next, the two discussed the situations in their respective villages.
She asked in surprise, "Is the Leaf's rear really empty?"
"Yes and no. The Leaf's reserves are beyond the imagination of other villages. Leaving aside the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki remaining in the village, the ANBU alone is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Moreover, Root, led by Danzo Shimura, appears subordinate to the ANBU but has long since become a separate organization.
If the Sand Village loses its mind and attacks the Leaf, you'll only break your heads against a wall. Best case scenario, Rasa stays behind to cover the retreat, preserving a few survivors to return to the Land of Wind."
Pakura sighed. "Even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is sitting in the village instead of taking the field. It shows that the Leaf's strength is not something the Sand can challenge."
"There's also Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Torifu Akimichi. They are all disciples of Tobirama Senju, staying behind in the Leaf just in case."
They arrived at the outskirts of the blue-black snake Tagorihime's territory.
Byakuya didn't rush in.
He sat on a dry rock, chewing on a soldier pill to rest.
Only when his stamina, spirit, and chakra were restored to their peak would he have a chance to subdue it.
Pakura crossed her arms and waited leisurely, as if watching a show.
"Does it snow in the Sand Village during winter?"
"Occasionally. Even when it does, it's very little. It melts into the sand as soon as it touches the ground, leaving no trace. The village is perpetually short on water; we can only grow drought-resistant crops."
"What about water storage facilities?"
"Every household has them. It's okay during the rainy season; we can store quite a bit. But once the dry season hits, everyone relies on the fresh water distributed daily by the village."
Byakuya asked curiously, "Groundwater?"
"Yes, groundwater. I worry that in a few generations, even the groundwater will run dry.
The First Kazekage once rejected the First Hokage's plan to distribute Tailed Beasts, wanting to exchange that for fertile land and resources instead. But ultimately, he failed."
"That was then, this is now. The current Leaf is your Sand Village's best military ally."
"I only agreed because I trust you. And there's a huge probability of failure," Pakura said unconfidently.
Byakuya smiled. "You know the Sand's current reserves better than anyone. You know my plan is the most feasible one, and the best for the Sand. Even with his Magnet Style, Rasa will only fail."
He paused.
Stretching his muscles and sensing the Flying Thunder God formula he left nearby, he walked carefully up to Pakura. "Someone like Rasa who loves risks is destined to fail. It would be better for you, who loves peace, to lead the Sand."
Pakura shook her head. "You're wrong. I love peace for the Sand Village. For the sake of the village's development, I can sacrifice the interests of other small nations."
"That is reality. To survive in this cruel ninja world, you have to seize benefits from others. As for those who wave the banner of bringing true peace to the ninja world—count them one by one—they are all evil, cunning schemers."
"How much longer do you need to rest?"
"Almost done. I originally planned to subdue Tagorihime later, but since I need to prove I'm qualified to cooperate with you, I'll force myself to do it now."
Pakura stared straight at him. "Can't you take off the mask?"
"Later."
"I don't even know who you are. How do I contact you?"
"Best not to contact me. Danzo has countless spies in the Leaf, and the Sand isn't a monolith either. Our current cooperation model is fine. You just need to make your choice at the critical moment, and I just need to put in a good word for you with Danzo."
Pakura said, "Makes sense."
She represented the faction in the Sand that hoped for peace. But right now, that faction wasn't gaining momentum; it was weak. Only when the Sand suffered a defeat could they stand up.
That was why Pakura could compete for the Fourth Kazekage position after the failed invasion of the Leaf's interior.
After resting for nearly two hours.
Byakuya organized his ninja tools, adjusted his mask, and asked, "Are you really just going to watch and not help me?"
"..."
Seeing Pakura remain silent, he laughed. "If you run into trouble in the Sand Village in the future, I won't stand by and watch."
With that, he leaped into the forest.
Tagorihime from Ryuchi Cave was in there.
This forest had existed for who knew how many years; miasma permeated some areas.
The moment Byakuya set foot inside, it was as if he triggered the forest's nervous system. It instantly became fraught with danger.
Various poisonous creatures emerged endlessly, attacking him from unexpected angles.
He had encountered this last time. Byakuya wielded his katana with ease.
The improvement in his Kenjutsu talent gave him the ability to wield the blade as if it were an extension of his arm.
Byakuya deliberately made a lot of noise to attract the blue-black snake, Tagorihime.
At the same time, he monitored the natural energy nearby. If the natural energy fluctuated violently, it meant Tagorihime was close.
He jumped onto the canopy of a large tree, slashing several poisonous snakes that lunged at him mid-air.
He didn't know the names of the snakes, but that didn't stop him from analyzing that they were definitely venomous.
"Storm Style: Thousand Blades."
Standing on the shoulders of Tobirama Senju to develop jutsu had the massive benefit of simplified hand seals.
He didn't need 44 complicated hand seals like the standard Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet. Of course, Tobirama's version of the Water Dragon Bullet also had simplified seals.
In Byakuya's view, Tobirama Senju was a greater genius in ninjutsu than Hashirama Senju.
It was just that Hashirama had brute force that defied logic, plus the bug-tier Wood Style Kekkei Genkai.
Even Madara Uchiha, with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and control over the full Nine-Tails, wasn't his match.
He opened his mouth and spat a laser beam about fifty centimeters long and as thick as an index finger.
Thousand Blades bombarded the tree trunks and the ground. First came a blinding flash of lightning, followed by an explosion and sweeping flames.
Storm Style chakra soothed all of Byakuya's muscles, keeping him in a state ready for life-or-death combat at any moment.
Watching from afar, Pakura murmured to herself, "Shuten-doji's growth rate rivals that of Minato Namikaze back in the day."
She filtered through the young ninja of the Sand Village and found not a single one who could compare to Shuten-doji.
In a flash, Pakura mocked herself secretly. Isn't his future in the Leaf exactly why I decided to cooperate with him?