Chapter 56: Convincing Pakura
Splash, splash, splash—
Whoosh—
A fierce gust of wind swept past as Ryuya's figure appeared beside a river. Clear water flowed gently along the winding riverbed.
Standing by the riverbank, Ryuya bent down and washed the blood and grime from his body.
After sprinting at full speed for a long time, he had already crossed the border of the Land of Rivers and returned to the Land of Fire.
The river before him flowed from west to east, originating within the Land of Rivers.
"Huh?"
After finishing and straightening up, Ryuya suddenly let out a soft sound of surprise.
More than ten meters away, a body drifted downstream with the current.
Seeing the figure floating toward him, Ryuya leaped across the river's surface and pulled the body out of the water.
Warm to the touch—the owner of the body was none other than Pakura, the Scorch Release ninja who had been hunted down by the Sand Shinobi.
He hadn't expected that, despite being gravely injured, she had also managed to escape during the earlier chaotic battle.
However, judging from her faint chakra fluctuations and severe injuries, she was already at the end of her strength. If Ryuya didn't intervene, she likely wouldn't survive the day.
Lifting Pakura up, Ryuya didn't stop moving and soon vanished from the spot.
Half a day later, inside a cave halfway up a mountainside.
Pakura's body lay flat on the ground. Her tight combat attire failed to conceal her graceful figure, while her pale face carried a tragic beauty.
Crackle, crackle—
Inside the cave, the firewood in the campfire burned softly, adding a touch of warmth to the otherwise cold space.
"Mmm…"
With a faint groan, Pakura slowly regained consciousness.
"You're awake."
Before her mind fully cleared, a voice reached her ears.
Hearing it, Pakura immediately became alert. She forced herself upright and looked toward the cave entrance, where she saw Ryuya leaning there, dressed in the uniform of Konohagakure.
She recognized him at once. After a slight sigh of relief, she asked,
"You're that Konoha ninja. You're the one who saved me?"
Ryuya nodded.
"That's right."
"Thank you,"
Pakura said softly after glancing at the bandaged wounds on her body.
Ryuya smiled faintly but said nothing.
For a moment, neither of them spoke, and silence filled the cave.
"You're not going to ask what happened to me?"
After a while, Pakura looked up at Ryuya's young face and asked.
"What's there to ask?"
Ryuya shrugged.
"You were once a hero of Sunagakure. Even small-time ninja like me have heard of the Scorch Release ninja Pakura. Yet now you're being secretly hunted by your own village. Whatever's behind that must be something big—and I don't want to end up silenced by the Sand Shinobi just for knowing too much."
"Tsk, didn't expect a brat like you to be this perceptive,"
Pakura said with a slight smile.
"But you're no insignificant ninja. The fact that you escaped from them proves that, at your age, your strength is already enough to stand out. Even Konoha's prodigy Kakashi might not be much better than you."
She studied Ryuya seriously as she spoke.
"I have to say, Konoha really is overflowing with geniuses."
This was Pakura's genuine thought.
As one of Sunagakure's strongest shinobi, second only to the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, Pakura had once held an extremely high status in the village and was well aware of its internal affairs.
Along the way, she had already recognized the Sand Shinobi who were sent to hunt her down.
In a village that believed in elite-focused training like Sunagakure, the number of elite ninja was limited. Those dispatched to assassinate her could only be a select few.
During the earlier chaos, Pakura had personally seen Baki go after Ryuya.
And now, seeing Ryuya sitting here unharmed meant that he had either shaken Baki off or forced him to retreat.
Baki was among Sunagakure's top combatants. For Ryuya to possess such strength at his age was more than enough to earn him the title of genius.
Coupled with figures like Kakashi and Uchiha Shisui, who had already made names for themselves during the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha's younger generation far surpassed Sunagakure both in number and quality.
"Genius?"
Ryuya chuckled and shook his head.
"I'm no genius. The only reason I managed to escape their pursuit was thanks to my summoning beast—not my own personal strength."
Hearing this, Pakura merely smiled, clearly unconvinced.
She hadn't personally witnessed Ryuya's combat ability, so it was hard to judge. But the fact that her injuries had recovered to this extent in such a short time alone showed that his medical ninjutsu was extremely refined.
In that, however, she was mistaken.
The reason her wounds had healed so quickly was because Ryuya had used the Sealing Glutony Method to replenish her body with a large amount of physical energy.
"You're a shinobi of Konoha's Akimichi clan?"
Pakura asked softly after glancing at the armor on Ryuya's chest.
"Yes. My name is Akimichi Ryuya,"
Ryuya replied with a nod.
There was no reason to hide it. His identity had already been completely exposed during the earlier clashes anyway.
"Very well. I'll remember this favor,"
Pakura said in a low voice after a brief silence.
"One day, I will repay you."
"What are you planning to do next?"
Ryuya asked calmly.
"Do you still intend to take revenge on Sunagakure's higher-ups?"
Ryuya didn't press further, but Pakura's expression answered the question for him.
In the original storyline, after being revived by Kabuto using the Impure World Reincarnation during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Pakura had displayed intense hatred and thoughts of revenge.
Although it was unclear why Pakura was still alive now, judging from the Sand Shinobi's relentless pursuit and the way she looked at Maki and the others, it was obvious that a deep rift had formed between her and Sunagakure.
That hatred was so strong that even an outsider like Ryuya could clearly feel it.
To go from a hero who had earned countless merits for the village to a political sacrifice discarded by its leadership—anyone would find that impossible to accept.
"I may not know the full story,"
Ryuya said slowly,
"but I can guess part of it. I understand your hatred toward the village. Still, I advise you not to rush into revenge."
"Your Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai is powerful, but relying on one person's strength to oppose an entire hidden village is simply impossible."
"Moreover, the ones truly responsible for your situation are only Sunagakure's higher-ups. Within the village, there are still many comrades and loved ones who once fought alongside you. Are you truly certain that, when facing those innocent people again, you could bring yourself to strike them down?"
As Pakura remained silent, Ryuya continued speaking.
Faced with these questions that cut straight to her heart, Pakura's face went pale, and she found herself unable to answer.
She was not a cruel, bloodthirsty person.
Ever since she had narrowly escaped Kirigakure's ambush, this question had haunted her mind—yet she had never found an answer.
It was also the direct reason why, after recovering from her injuries, she was quickly discovered when she tried to infiltrate Sunagakure again, leading to the current manhunt.
"If you're willing to wait,"
Ryuya said, looking at her,
"I have a way for you to take revenge on Sunagakure's higher-ups in the future."
"You have a way?"
Pakura's gaze fixed on Ryuya's face as she murmured.
"Yes,"
Ryuya nodded firmly.
"What way?"
Pakura asked.
"Strength,"
Ryuya replied without hesitation.
"As long as you're willing to trust me, I can make you a true Kage-level powerhouse in a few years."
"…Alright,"
Pakura said after a long silence, finally nodding.
"I don't really have anywhere to go right now anyway. I'll trust you."
Having been abandoned by her village, she truly had no better options at the moment.
"Believe me,"
Ryuya said with a confident smile,
"you'll never regret the decision you made today."