As Yōsuke ventured deeper into the Land of Water, he realized that this sense of peace was extremely limited.
Although Kirigakure had not joined the war, the entire village had already entered a state of wartime alert.
When Yōsuke attempted to enter Kirigakure, the guards turned him away, citing the village's current policy of refusing all outsiders.
Originally hoping to see what Kirigakure was like, Yōsuke had no choice but to give up and detour around the village, leaving the Land of Water.
He arrived at the mouth of a mountain valley and noticed, not far ahead, a woman walking into the valley—wearing a backless outfit despite the cold climate typical of Kirigakure.
What stood out even more was the Sunagakure forehead protector she wore.
Just as Yōsuke was about to follow her into the valley, he sensed numerous presences hidden in the shadows, closely tailing the woman.
Concealing himself, Yōsuke discovered that the pursuers were all Kirigakure ninja. And not far from them, two Sunagakure ninja were also secretly following.
Yōsuke frowned in confusion.
"Isn't Sunagakure fighting Konoha on the front lines? Why would they be here in Kirigakure, which hasn't joined the war? Are they seeking cooperation…? But those Kirigakure ninja don't look welcoming at all—they look more like they're preparing to assassinate her…"
The scene completely piqued Yōsuke's curiosity. He silently followed them.
When they reached the middle of the valley, a Kirigakure ninja emerged from the dense mist.
"Lady Pakura of Scorch Release, I've come to welcome you. It's truly an honor to meet you."
He walked up to Pakura with apparent warmth.
"The mist is quite thick. You'll probably need someone to guide you."
Pakura replied calmly,
"Thank you for the trouble, but it's just a valley. I won't get lost."
The Kirigakure ninja scratched his head awkwardly.
"Ah… you're right. Please, go ahead."
Pakura leapt past him and took the lead.
Suddenly—
A kunai pierced into Pakura's back.
She turned around in disbelief, staring at the Kirigakure ninja.
"You… what are you doing…?"
Hatred twisted the ninja's face.
"I'm letting you taste the pain our comrades felt when they were slaughtered by Sunagakure!"
He retreated instantly, and in the next moment, countless shuriken were hurled from the shadows by the hidden Kirigakure ninja.
Caught completely off guard, Pakura hurriedly raised her kunai to deflect them.
But there were far too many.
A large number of shuriken struck her body.
Seeing Pakura gravely wounded, the Kirigakure ninja gradually closed in, surrounding her.
The ninja who had initially guided her reappeared, gazing coldly at the barely conscious Pakura.
"Don't misunderstand. The hatred between our villages can never be erased. We would never allow you to meet the Mizukage. Your death is nothing more than a small consolation for us."
Only now did Pakura realize the truth.
She had been used as bait by Rasa.
That was why his behavior that day had been so abnormal.
Just as Yōsuke wondered why the two Sunagakure ninja hiding nearby weren't stepping in to save her, he overheard their conversation.
"This mission went unexpectedly smoothly. Once we leaked Pakura's whereabouts to Kirigakure, they really did come to assassinate her. Just as the Kazekage-sama planned."
"Heh, Sunagakure's hero? Our village doesn't need a second voice. She slaughtered so many ninja from other villages during the Third War and still thought she could coexist peacefully with them—how ridiculous. The moment she disobeyed the Kazekage's orders, her fate was sealed."
"Scorch Release Pakura is history now. Let's report back to Kazekage-sama. Kirigakure has taken the bait. The real war is about to begin. Sunagakure will rise again and become the number one village in the shinobi world!"
The two Sunagakure ninja left the valley.
From their words, Yōsuke understood the situation.
Sunagakure wanted to force Kirigakure into the war against Konoha. To do so, they sacrificed a single ninja, dragging an unwilling Kirigakure into the chaos.
After the Sunagakure ninja departed, the Kirigakure ninja prepared to deliver the final blow—to completely end Pakura's life.
Yet Pakura, dragging her heavily wounded body, staggered to her feet, sorrow etched across her face.
"I gave everything for Sunagakure… and in the end, all I received was betrayal. How truly tragic…"
Several fireballs began to orbit her body.
The Kirigakure ninja paled in shock.
"Scatter! It's Scorch Release Pakura's signature technique! If you're hit, all the moisture in your body will be evaporated!"
Hearing this, the Kirigakure ninja hastily retreated.
Pakura lifted her sorrowful gaze to the sky.
"This world… is truly disappointing…"
She directed the fireballs outward, attacking in all directions.
A violent explosion tore through the entire valley.
Any Kirigakure ninja who failed to escape in time had their body moisture instantly evaporated upon contact with the flames, leaving behind desiccated corpses resembling mummies.
In an instant, smoke and dust filled the valley, merging with the thick mist and completely obscuring all vision.
When the smoke finally dissipated and the Kirigakure ninja regained their sight, they discovered—terrified—that the severely wounded Pakura had vanished without a trace.
Within a fog-shrouded forest in the Land of Water.
Pakura weakly opened her eyes.
She realized she was still alive.
Before her was a campfire—and an unfamiliar man.
She tried to rise and guard herself, but the moment she moved, the wounds across her body were pulled open, sending waves of pain through her.
"Best not to move," the man said calmly. "If your wounds split open again, I'll have to rebandage them."
Pakura asked warily,
"Who are you?"
"Ubuyashiki Yōsuke. Just call me Yōsuke."
The one who had rescued Pakura from the valley was none other than Yōsuke.
Originally, he had not intended to interfere in the affairs between two shinobi villages. But at the final moment, the grief on Pakura's face moved him, compelling him to save her instinctively.
"Ubuyashiki Yōsuke… I don't know you," Pakura said after searching her memory.
Yōsuke stirred the campfire, causing the flames to burn brighter, and replied,
"Of course you don't. In the shinobi world, I'm nowhere near as famous as you."
"Why did you save me?"
A shinobi's instinctive caution made it impossible for Pakura to trust him easily. After all, someone capable of rescuing her from a group of Kirigakure ninja was clearly no ordinary man.
"I saved you because I wanted to. There's no reason."
Pakura looked at Yōsuke's profile illuminated by the firelight and let out a bitter smile.
"That's a very willful answer… But I've already been abandoned. Who you are, or what you want, no longer matters."
PS: Access the complete/finished chapters/series at Patreon: NanamiTL
Please drop some power stones support me at my Patreon