All of the wounds on Pakura's body had been caused by shuriken. None of them were fatal on their own, but there were simply too many of them. The excessive blood loss was what truly put her life in danger.
Before leaving the Village Hidden in the Scorching Sun, Karin had given Yosuke some ointment specifically for treating external injuries. Although Yosuke's body would heal itself quickly whenever he was wounded, this was still Karin's goodwill, so he had taken it with him. He had originally thought he would never need to use it—but unexpectedly, now it had come in handy.
Karin's specially made ointment had remarkable healing effects. All of Pakura's shallow wounds had completely healed without leaving even a scar, while the deeper wounds had already scabbed over.
Some time passed, and the firewood in the campfire had burned out completely. Seeing that Pakura's complexion had improved considerably, Yosuke asked her,
"So… where are you planning to go next?"
Pakura murmured in confusion,
"I don't know either… My village betrayed me. I already have… nowhere to go…"
Yosuke extended an invitation to her.
"I see… I can't stay here for long. I still need to head to the Land of Lightning. If you really don't know where to go, you can come with me. Maybe changing your surroundings, seeing the scenery along the way, will help you figure out where you truly want to go."
After some thought, Pakura knew she didn't want to return to the Sand Village that had betrayed her, yet she had no destination in mind. In the end, she accepted Yosuke's invitation, and the two of them set off together toward the Land of Lightning.
Meanwhile, back in the Sand Village, the shinobi who had been tracking Pakura returned and reported to Rasa that Pakura was dead.
Rasa immediately summoned all the shinobi to gather at the Kazekage Building and announced on the spot:
"Our hero of the Sand Village, Pakura, went to the Hidden Mist Village in an attempt to sign a peace treaty—but was murdered by Mist shinobi! This is a provocation by the Hidden Mist Village against us!
In the name of the Fourth Kazekage, I declare that if the Mizukage does not give us a reasonable explanation, the Sand Village will declare war on the Hidden Mist Village!"
After making the announcement, Rasa simultaneously sent the news to the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Stone Village.
Within the Hidden Mist Village, Mizukage Mei Terumī also received word that Yagura of the Sand Village had been killed in the Land of Water.
Furious, she demanded of the shinobi below her,
"Why wasn't I informed when the Sand Village's envoy entered the Land of Water?! Why did you act on your own and kill Pakura?! Don't you understand that this is an extremely critical time?! The Hidden Mist Village has only just ended the era of the Bloody Mist—we cannot withstand the devastation of war right now!"
Under Mei's interrogation, the Mist shinobi stood silent, not daring to speak.
The shinobi who had launched the initial ambush against Yagura retorted,
"That woman Pakura killed so many of our Hidden Mist shinobi. Are we just supposed to let her go?!"
Mei roared angrily,
"I know you harbor deep hatred toward the Sand Village, but have you ever considered the consequences of killing Pakura under the current circumstances?!"
Suppressing her fury, Mei questioned them sharply,
"Tell me—who informed you of Yagura's movements in the Land of Water?!"
"Two rogue shinobi…"
Mei continued,
"Then where is Pakura's body?!"
"At the time, Pakura was already severely injured. But after she released her Scorch Release, she disappeared into the valley. Still… she probably didn't survive."
Mei frowned deeply, instantly realizing that this was a conspiracy—a plot orchestrated by the Sand Village specifically targeting the Hidden Mist Village.
She immediately issued an order:
"Dispatch shinobi at once to search for Pakura! I want her alive if she's alive, and her body if she's dead!"
At the same time, a Mist shinobi stepped forward and handed Mei a letter.
She opened it—it was a declaration from the Sand Village.
The letter demanded that Mei hand over the culprit responsible for killing Pakura, or else the Sand Village would declare war on the Hidden Mist Village.
As Mei was considering her response, letters from the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Stone Village arrived simultaneously.
Their contents were largely the same: condemning the Hidden Mist Village for acting dishonorably—claiming neutrality while secretly assisting Konoha, slaughtering Sand Village shinobi. They also threatened Mei, stating that if a satisfactory explanation was not given to the Sand Village, they would join forces with it and declare war on the Hidden Mist Village.
Veins bulged on Mei's forehead as she crumpled the letters in her hand, roaring in anger,
"This is absolutely outrageous!"
After venting her fury, Mei forced herself to calm down. It was now clear that the Sand, Cloud, and Stone villages had colluded together, forcing the Hidden Mist Village to choose a side in this war.
It seemed the Hidden Mist Village could no longer remain uninvolved.
Mei let out a deep sigh.
"Announce this immediately: Pakura was killed by Konoha shinobi disguised as Mist ninja, in an attempt to provoke conflict between the Hidden Mist and the Sand Village. The Hidden Mist Village despises Konoha's actions. From this moment on, the Hidden Mist Village enters a state of war and declares war on Konoha!"
With the Hidden Mist Village joining the war, the balance was instantly shattered.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that the Hidden Mist Village had declared war on Konoha, he seemed to age ten years in an instant—his hair turning noticeably grayer.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were once again discussing countermeasures.
"Despicable! I never imagined the Sand Village would do something like this—abandoning Pakura, who once rendered great service to their village, just to force the Hidden Mist Village into joining the invasion against Konoha!" Homura said angrily.
Danzō, however, found Rasa's actions quite understandable. If it were him, he believed he could have acted even more ruthlessly.
Hiruzen waved his hand weakly.
"Now is not the time for that. The Hidden Mist Village invading Konoha is already a done deal. Shikaku's plan to launch a surprise attack on the Sand shinobi forces has failed. What ideas do you have for the next step?"
Koharu Utatane said,
"Konoha has hired the Akatsuki, and they have already accepted the commission. They are heading to the Land of Lightning to attack the Hidden Cloud Village. If we can force the Cloud Village's forces within the Land of Fire to retreat back to the Land of Lightning, then we can attempt to ally with the Hidden Mist Village. After all, the Mist has clearly been set up by the Sand Village and must be furious as well. With inside and outside coordination, we may be able to repel the Stone and Sand villages—and perhaps bring this war to an end."
Hiruzen let out a deep sigh.
"To think that the once-prosperous Konoha now has to rely on a mercenary organization to change the tide of battle… how ironic."
Seizing the opportunity, Danzō proposed,
"Hiruzen, you should also prepare a backup plan. If the Akatsuki fails to draw the Hidden Cloud Village's forces back to the Land of Lightning, we'll be forced into a war of annihilation. You must seriously consider deploying the Nine-Tails onto the battlefield. I suggest that Naruto Uzumaki be handed over to me starting now, so that I can train him and ensure he won't lose control once he's deployed."
This time, Hiruzen did not argue.
If the Akatsuki failed, the Nine-Tails—as a weapon of war—would be Konoha's last hope.
"…So be it."
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