Chapter 13: Chizuki Makes His Move
Watching the Mist ninja slowly walk out from the white mist—his clothes showing barely any damage—shock spread across Pakura's face. She stared fixedly at the smiling man, disbelief surging within her.
"How is this possible?!"
The Mist ninja stopped in his tracks. After a brief pause, the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a twisted, ferocious expression.
"There's nothing impossible about it. I've already thoroughly studied your Scorch Release kekkei genkai. I know your weaknesses very well. Even so… I didn't expect your attack to be this terrifying."
"Even knowing how your techniques work, I still almost died here. Truly, your reputation is well deserved."
The Mist ninja shook his head as if in helplessness, then his expression turned cold.
"I'm going to make you taste the pain that my comrades—slaughtered by Sunagakure—once endured."
His eyes narrowed with hatred as he looked at Pakura, who was heavily injured and completely unable to resist. The sight brought back memories of the conversation he had with the higher-ups when he accepted this mission.
At that time, Sunagakure and Kirigakure were negotiating the terms of a ceasefire. After a long silence, one of the Mist elders had spoken to him in a grave tone:
"The war between Sunagakure and Iwagakure is about to reach its decisive stage. They will definitely agree to a ceasefire—no matter how harsh our conditions are. Our war with Konoha is also nearing its end, so a ceasefire is the best choice."
"However, if we can weaken Sunagakure's combat strength, that would be even better. It would also eliminate a powerful enemy for our village in the future."
Recalling the elder's solemn words, the Mist ninja's expression grew increasingly vicious. Killing intent surged from his eyes as if it could devour Pakura whole.
Without a trace, he drew a kunai into his hand and spoke in a low, grim voice:
"Do you know? My friends… my family… all died at your hands. Do you even realize how much blood from our village your so-called 'hero' title is built upon?"
"I once swore before their graves that I would avenge them. So today… I'll use your life to honor their spirits."
"Don't misunderstand. Your death won't erase our village's hatred. It's just a small consolation. At least, for now, the two villages can cease hostilities. I imagine the people from Sunagakure who handed you over… thought the same way."
Hearing this, Pakura's body trembled.
Then, as if all strength had drained from her, she collapsed to the ground. Her eyes grew vacant as she muttered softly:
"So… it really is like this… I've become a bargaining chip in a deal with Kirigakure…"
"For the sake of the village's interests, they would abandon a hero who gave everything for it so easily… A 'hero'? So it was nothing more than a tool to win people's hearts…"
Taking in her broken state, the Mist ninja curled his lips into a cold smile. A trace of sorrow flickered in his eyes—only to be quickly replaced by hatred.
"It seems you understand now. A ninja… is nothing more than a tool. For the sake of the village, for the sake of the clan, they can be discarded at any time."
"As for me… I live only for my hatred toward you. Enough. It's time to send you on your way."
With that, he flicked his arm.
The kunai in his hand shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, tearing through the air toward Pakura's head.
Facing the incoming blade, Pakura made no attempt to dodge. Perhaps she no longer had the strength to do so.
As the sharp wind from the flying kunai brushed across her face, she closed her eyes in pain.
Just as her blood was about to be spilled—
"Enough!"
A thunderous shout exploded through the valley.
When the kunai was less than a meter away from Pakura, the roar rang out like a bolt of thunder.
A black shadow streaked across the air, appearing in front of her in an instant—intercepting the fatal blow.
It was Chizuki, who had been watching from the sidelines all this time.
At this moment, Chizuki's face was grim. In his hand was a kunai that shimmered with an eerie light as he stood firmly before Pakura.
Although the Mist ninja had thrown his weapon seemingly casually, the force behind it was immense. When Chizuki blocked it head-on, he could feel a sharp sting in the web between his thumb and index finger.
Clang!
The two weapons collided, sparks flying as a crisp metallic sound rang out. The Mist ninja's kunai spun through the air before embedding itself into the ground nearby—half its blade sinking into the earth.
"So even with this kunai enhanced into a D-rank weapon by the Noble Phantasm Knight of Owner, casually blocking a jōnin-level attack is still too difficult…"
The pain in his hand made Chizuki tighten his grip on the weapon, his small face growing serious as he thought to himself.
After all, no matter how powerful a weapon was, without a strong enough body to wield it, its full potential couldn't be realized. Just like in Fate/Zero, when Lancelot caught and used Gilgamesh's thrown weapons—an ordinary person wouldn't even be able to catch them, let alone counterattack.
At this moment, Chizuki truly understood the importance of strengthening his own body.
The sudden appearance of Chizuki caused both people present to freeze.
"What?!"
The Mist ninja's pupils shrank sharply. The sudden emergence of a child left him momentarily at a loss.
This was the territory of the Land of Water—not to mention it was an active battlefield. Why would there be a child here? More importantly, he had already scouted this area beforehand. There should have been no one else nearby.
While he was still stunned, Chizuki had no intention of wasting such an opportunity.
Knowing full well that villains often died from talking too much, he had no interest in exchanging words about life and ideals before engaging in a fair fight.
He immediately shouted:
"Jack, now—kill him!"
"Got it, Brother!"
The moment Chizuki finished speaking, a sharp voice rang out from beside the Mist ninja.
"What?!"
Sensing the danger from behind, the Mist ninja's expression finally changed drastically. This was already the second time he had been shocked today.
But he had no time to think. He hastily raised his arms to block the attack coming from behind.
Jack lightly tapped the ground with her delicate foot. Her figure moved like a gentle breeze, instantly appearing above the Mist ninja's head.
A faint smile lingered on her lovely face—but the scalpel in her hand carried ruthless killing intent as it stabbed toward him.
Slash!