Pakura didn't understand Vegapunk's thoughts, nor did she know what the Microwave Field he mentioned was, but she understood that it was definitely a more terrifying weapon of destruction than the so-called Atomic Decomposition Beam.
In fact, her assumption was correct. If the Sand Ninjas had truly been stubborn, Vegapunk had a backup plan to use the Microwave Field to directly steam-cook half of them.
No matter how stubborn or principled a Ninja is, they can only bow before irresistible violence. If Kaguya Ōtsutsuki hadn't wanted to hang everyone on a tree but simply wanted to rule the world, the Ninjas of the Five Villages would likely have defected on the spot to become her lackeys during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
To prevent Vegapunk from continuing his attack, Pakura was the first to jump down from the aircraft. In mid-air, she casually manipulated a magnetic field, causing a large amount of metal to form a platform beneath her feet as she slowly descended.
At this moment, the Sand Ninjas, still immersed in despair, watched Pakura descending from the sky, their eyes widening one by one.
"No... way? Are we in the underworld now? Isn't that Pakura-sama, who already sacrificed herself?"
"It really seems to be Pakura-sama! What on earth is going on?! Why did Pakura-sama appear from that aircraft? Was it Pakura-sama who was attacking us just now?"
Most ordinary Ninjas were merely surprised and confused upon seeing Pakura. However, the high-ranking officials of the Hidden Sand Village and a few Jonin showed expressions of shock and terror.
These people knew very well what had actually happened regarding the "sacrifice" of Pakura, the hero of the Hidden Sand Village. Some were participants, while others were in the know. Putting themselves in her shoes, they didn't think Pakura was here to help the Hidden Sand Village this time. Moreover, the attack launched by that aircraft just now had already signaled ill intent.
"Everyone be careful! Pakura is now our enemy! Don't forget, she was the one who just manipulated the aircraft to launch those attacks!"
Several high-ranking officials felt panic and tension. One of them, his eyes darting around, gritted his teeth and stepped forward, pointing the finger directly at Pakura.
"Seize this opportunity while she has left that strange aircraft! Everyone, capture her together!"
As soon as the high-ranking official finished speaking, the expressions of many Sand Ninjas changed. It was an indisputable fact that Pakura had flown out of the aircraft that had just attacked the Hidden Sand Village. Most Ninjas' temperaments didn't involve much discernment; attacking anything that posed a threat had almost become a habit for all Ninjas.
If it were that aircraft, which possessed immense destructive power and was nearly indestructible, the Sand Ninjas might not have had any ideas. But facing Pakura, who was merely flesh and blood, a group of Sand Ninjas suddenly became restless again.
"That's right! Pakura is no longer a hero of the Hidden Sand Village! She is now the Village's greatest rogue Ninja! All Sand Ninjas, move together and make sure to capture her while she's away from the aircraft!"
The other high-ranking officials snapped out of it and immediately issued orders to all the Sand Ninjas.
The reasons preventing the ordinary Sand Ninjas from acting were nothing more than the aircraft in the sky and Pakura's former prestige. However, under the orders of those high-ranking officials, many Sand Ninjas still moved against Pakura directly.
A dozen or so Sand Ninjas joined forces to perform a combination Ninjutsu, and a giant dragon of fused wind and fire soared into the sky. Seven or eight puppet masters controlled their puppets to fly in formation, firing a large number of poison needles. Three Ninjas with the ability to control sand manipulated the sand to form a small sandstorm... Facing the various Ninjutsu unleashed by the Sand Ninjas, Pakura's expression was cold as she reached out her hand, and golden sand instantly filled the sky.
That was the very Gold Dust that Rasa himself possessed, which Pakura had collected.
Pakura's Magnet Release could control all metals. Although Gold Dust was at the bottom tier among metals in terms of combat power, its value was extremely high. Pakura naturally wouldn't waste it, and now was the perfect time to use it temporarily in battle.
Even the softest metal was much stronger in defensive power than Earth Release or Water Release of the same level. A massive amount of Gold Dust blanketed the sky, extinguishing the wind-fire dragon, crushing the poison-needle puppets, and overwhelming the small sandstorm, erupting with a dominant level of suppression.
As the ultimate inheritance of the Kazekage lineage of the Hidden Sand Village, Magnet Release naturally countered other traditional Sand Ninjutsu. Whether it was puppets, Wind Release, or Sand Control Techniques, they were either countered by it or were subordinate branches of it. With Pakura's Magnet Release ability being far stronger than Rasa's, she easily blew apart all those attacks.
Pakura then reached out, and a patch of Gold Dust in the sky transformed into a Golden Spear. Under the powerful magnetic force, it condensed into a single entity and instantly shot through a high-ranking Sand Ninja like a flash of light.
"How can this be? Since when did Pakura learn Magnet Release?!"
"So fast! How can Gold Dust controlled by Magnet Release be so fast?!"
The Sand Ninjas below were both shocked and terrified upon seeing Pakura's counterattack. Unlike the niche Scorch Release path Pakura had previously taken, Magnet Release was the exclusive secret technique of the Kazekage lineage. Almost all Sand Ninjas grew up hearing of the prestige of this Ninjutsu, and the psychological pressure it exerted on them was incomparable.
"Pakura, you actually secretly learned Magnet Release! The Village will not let you off..."
"Shut up, idiot!" Pakura barked coldly. She raised her hand, and another Golden Spear of gold shot out like a beam of light. Amidst screams, another high-ranking Sand Ninja was torn apart, turning into a pile of meat on the ground.
Looking at the remaining officials' silenced and terrified expressions, a flash of satisfaction crossed Pakura's heart. If it hadn't been for these bastards in high places, she wouldn't have almost become a breeding tool for the Sea Ninja Village.
Fortunately, she had met Vegapunk; otherwise, she probably wouldn't have been able to turn her life around.
Slowly landing on the ground, Pakura looked at all the Sand Ninjas with a cold gaze: "Among you, some may know and some may not know about the matter of me being plotted against by the high-ranking officials and sent to the Sea Ninja Village to sue for peace."
As Pakura's words spread, the Sand Ninjas below immediately began whispering and discussing, creating quite a commotion. Selling out one's own people was actually not unfamiliar to many ninjas; the profession of Ninja was destined to be unable to completely escape such things.
But such things could only ever happen in the shadows. Once brought into the light, it was a different story. Especially for a Ninja of Pakura's level, who was one of the pillars of the Hidden Sand Village. If even such a Ninja could be sold out, ordinary Ninjas would feel even less secure.
However, Pakura didn't bother with the Ninjas' discussions and continued to speak with a cold expression: "But regardless, I will not let off the high-ranking officials of the Hidden Sand Village who did such a thing!"
"Now is the time for you to choose. Will you choose to follow me, or will you die along with those high-ranking officials of the Hidden Sand Village!"
It must be said that Pakura's eloquence wasn't great. Even with the weight of her personal experience, this simple and crude approach caused resentment and dissatisfaction in the hearts of many Sand Ninjas.
But at this moment, a large group of Sand Ninjas looked at the aircraft in the sky, where the light at the very front was beginning to glow again. One by one, they became like quails, not saying a single word.
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