Chapter 19: Departure
The two of them locked eyes through the rain, each carrying unspoken thoughts.
Chizuki's dark pupils were fixed on Pakura in the distance. A drop of rain—or perhaps cold sweat—slid down his cheek, and the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.
Seeing this, Jack slowly narrowed her emerald eyes into a dangerous curve. Without drawing attention to it, she pulled out her scalpels with both hands. Her frail-looking body stood between them now, shielding Chizuki behind her. Her rosy lips were pressed tightly together, revealing the unease in her heart.
Suddenly, a fierce aura erupted from Pakura's body, and a surging killing intent came crashing toward Chizuki and Jack.
The pressure was so intense that even the surrounding air warped slightly. Within its range, heavy raindrops evaporated into steam before they could even touch the ground.
Thinking back to Hōzuki Kōgetsu, who had borne the full brunt of this killing intent head-on, Chizuki felt more keenly than ever just how long the road was between himself and true powerhouses.
Under the weight of that aura, Chizuki couldn't resist at all. He couldn't even move his eyelids, and even the flow of chakra within his body seemed to stall slightly.
Fortunately, the pressure came quickly and vanished just as fast, as if nothing had happened at all. Yet in that brief instant, Chizuki had gained a clear understanding of just how terrifying a true expert's presence could be.
As the killing intent faded, the pressure crushing him disappeared as well. He gulped down air in great breaths, his back already soaked through with rain and sweat. When he looked at Pakura again, there was unmistakable fear in his eyes.
Pakura took in all of this, every bit of it.
A trace of amusement flickered across her calm face, but it was quickly suppressed, her expression returning to its usual indifference. After a brief pause, her lips parted, breaking the chill in the air.
"Konoha brat… why did you save me?"
The moment he heard that, Chizuki froze.
Yeah. Why, exactly?
Because of the mission the system gave him?
Or because of the sympathy he felt for Pakura from the memories he carried?
But no matter which it was, neither explanation could be spoken aloud.
Chizuki lowered his head slightly, gathered his thoughts, and replied,
"Because… compared to someone from Sunagakure like you, my real enemy should be the Mist ninja. And the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so…"
"Enough! You're really bad at lying."
Before Chizuki could finish, Pakura cut him off bluntly.
"I've killed many people. The Mist ninja and the other ninjas would love nothing more than to see me dead. That includes… Konoha's people too. I want to know why… you wanted to save me."
"…"
Chizuki took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, calming himself bit by bit. He lifted his eyes to meet Pakura's directly and said, one word at a time,
"Ever since the end of the Warring States era, when Senju Hashirama founded Konoha, the Five Great Ninja Villages have stood side by side. In just a few short years, countless other villages sprang up, and all kinds of geniuses began to emerge. At the same time, wars and friction between villages kept growing worse, and the number of dead and wounded kept rising."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Pakura frowned, clearly puzzled.
"Hashirama's title of 'God of Shinobi' drew challengers. Competition for a nation's resources caused conflict. Those two things created clashes, and clashes create disasters. Disasters, in turn, give birth to hatred."
After a pause, Chizuki continued,
"My dream is for there to be peace between villages, and for people to understand one another. My parents died on the battlefield. I don't want more and more orphans like me to keep appearing in the future."
"So as the hero of Sunagakure, if you died, there'd definitely be no shortage of people who'd want revenge for you. Saving you… was simply the first step toward realizing that dream."
After hearing those words, Pakura's expression faltered. She stared deeply at the little boy in front of her—one not even six years old—her eyes carrying an emotion too complicated to put into words.
Then she let out a cold snort.
"Peace between villages? Understanding between people? Don't make me laugh. You're just a brat from Konoha. Don't think so highly of yourself. Even the God of Shinobi couldn't accomplish something like that—and you think you can? Stop dreaming."
After saying that, she turned away, showing him her back so that neither Chizuki nor Jack could see her face. Then she pointed in one direction and said flatly,
"Head that way. That's the direction I came from. It's safe there. Once you cross that forest, you'll be inside the Land of Fire. After that, you should be able to find your way back to your village."
With that, before Chizuki could say anything else, Pakura began walking away on her own.
"Wait, Pakura—where are you going?"
Hearing him, Pakura stopped.
After a slight pause, she raised one delicate hand, removed the Sunagakure forehead protector from her head, and casually tossed it to the ground.
Then, in a quiet voice, she answered,
"I'm tired of it all. The village… the war… ever since the higher-ups treated me like a bargaining chip in a transaction, none of it has anything to do with me anymore. Right now, all I want is to find a quiet place and live out the rest of my life in peace."
"Actually, you could…"
The words reached Chizuki's lips, but he couldn't continue.
In the end, all the countless things he wanted to say turned into nothing more than a sigh.
"Could? Could what? Join your Konoha?" Pakura let out a bitter laugh and finished the sentence for him. "Heh. Do you really think that's possible?"
And she was right.
It was impossible.
Leaving aside how Sunagakure and Kirigakure would react, even the Third Hokage would be difficult to deal with. And even if the Third agreed, who could guarantee that Danzo's Root wouldn't interfere?
More importantly, Pakura was Sunagakure's hero. If she really defected, how would her friends view her?
As a deserter?
A traitor?
Wiping the rainwater from his face, Chizuki watched Pakura's gradually retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.
Then he turned around and looked at Jack, who, like him, had been drenched into a complete "soaked chicken." His eyes filled with tenderness, and he said softly,
"Forget it. If I gain something, then I'm fortunate. If I lose it, then that's my fate. let's go."
Hearing that, Jack broke into a bright smile and nodded hard.
"Mhm~ Brother."
Perhaps only when she was with Chizuki would Jack show such a sweet and adorable expression.
What Chizuki didn't know was that only two days later, a report reached both villages.
At Fallen Leaf Valley in the Land of Water, a fierce battle had taken place. The entire valley had been ravaged by Scorch Release. Hōzuki Kōgetsu of Kirigakure had died, his cause of death determined to be the complete evaporation of the water within his body.
A female corpse was also discovered in the valley, her cause of death likewise identified as the total evaporation of all bodily moisture.
Heavy rain had fallen after the battle, making it impossible to distinguish the traces left behind. Both corpses had rotted too badly to be identified directly. The male body was confirmed as Hōzuki Kōgetsu based on his blade and forehead protector.
Beside the female corpse, however, lay a Sunagakure forehead protector.
Later, Sunagakure confirmed that the forehead protector belonged to Pakura.
Thus, it was officially declared:
Sunagakure's hero, Pakura, had perished in battle within the valley, dying together with Hōzuki Kōgetsu.
The peace agreement between Sunagakure and Kirigakure officially took effect!