"When the Uchiha built the Guard Force, we believed we were now truly a part of Konoha," Genzo said quietly.
"If we held authority inside the village… what was there to fear?"
He let out a short laugh.
It carried no warmth.
"We thought the villagers would eventually respect us, as we were protecting their daily lives."
He looked down.
"But instead, we began to separate from them. Rather than respecting us, they started hating us."
His fingers curled slowly.
"The more authority we had, the more distance grew between us and the others. And we didn't even see it happening."
A pause.
"We believed we were now a part of their lives, but to them we were a curse."
His voice hardened slightly.
"We were wrong."
He glanced at Pakura.
"One thing I learned from it… Doing the right thing doesn't mean everyone else will like it."
"You can give everything to a village," he continued quietly, "and still be discarded when it becomes convenient."
He studied her expression.
"We as a clan have faced the same thing every day, while you have faced it alone."
"So tell me… is being betrayed for their convenience really that surprising?"
Pakura sat on the stone, listening.
As she recalled the past.
She had been the pride of the Sand.
Respected by the whole village.
Everyone celebrated her for each successful mission she had completed for the village.
Still, because the higher-ups feared her fame, she had been offered up like tribute.
To the Mist.
A place known for devouring its own people.
Her own village had been willing to send her there for an alliance that might never even hold.
They didn't even consider her achievements or her past sacrifices for the village.
"Just because I'm giving my all for them doesn't mean I can expect others to do the same. I have to be prepared to face betrayal, deception, and the pain that others may inflict upon me, whether deliberately or unintentionally."
She exhaled slowly.
"You're right."
Her voice was steady now.
"If I keep clinging to it… I won't be able to move forward."
She lifted her head.
"The Pakura of the Sand is already gone."
A faint smile curved at her lips as she looked at the dazed Genzo.
"Now I'm Uchiha Shizuka."
She tilted her head slightly.
"That's who I am now. Right?"
Genzo blinked, caught off guard.
"Y-Yes."
She laughed softly.
"Puff."
"Then let's go," she said, rising.
Genzo cleared his throat quickly.
"Yes… We should return to camp."
Genzo and Pakura completed their routine inspection and made their way back to camp.
Pakura walked a few steps behind him, lost in thought.
"Even if that Uchiha allowed me to stay here in disguise… he's still wary of me."
Her gaze shifted to Genzo's back.
"If not for his stubbornness, I wouldn't have survived this long."
A faint smirk touched her lips.
"Simple-minded fool," she muttered under her breath.
Over the past few days, she had begun to understand him.
He was clearly drawn to her.
Terrible at hiding it.
And yet —
sincere.
That sincerity made things more complicated.
Who knew what trouble he might face for sheltering an enemy shinobi?
"I should leave."
The thought settled more heavily this time.
"It would be better for him. And for me."
By the time they reached the camp, dusk had settled in.
Uzuku stood near the perimeter with Pochita.
"Senior Genzo! Senior Shizuka!" Pochita waved enthusiastically.
Pakura gave him a small smile as she looked at the young Uchiha.
She remembered clearly —
he had been the first to step forward and help her.
Another simple-hearted fool.
"Strange," she thought.
"They call the Uchiha mad… but none of the ones I've met feel that way."
Uzuku approached them.
"How was the patrol?"
"Clear," Genzo replied.
"Nothing unusual."
Uzuku nodded, then glanced briefly at Pakura before speaking.
"Konoha's sending reinforcements. They'll arrive in about half a month."
Pochita straightened immediately.
"With supplies?"
"Some," Uzuku said.
"But the main convoy is coming with Toyoma. Raizen's squad will escort him."
His eyes flicked toward Pakura again.
She caught it.
"Is he testing me?"
"I think I should—" she began, intending to excuse herself.
"You and Shizuka will head to the meeting point," Uzuku continued smoothly.
"You'll meet Toyoma and guide them back safely."
Pakura stilled.
He knew exactly who she was.
Yet he was entrusting her with this.
Or watching her.
Perhaps both.
"Toyoma is coming here?" Pochita's eyes widened.
"Doesn't that mean the Mist won't stand a chance now?"
His excitement was unfiltered.
"He can drop elite Mist jonin straight onto explosive tags before they even realise it,"
Pochita added, grinning as he remembered Toyoma's absurd space-time technique.
Genzo chuckled.
Uzuku allowed himself a small smile.
Pakura remained quiet.
She had never heard the name Uchiha Toyoma among the Sand's intelligence reports.
Yet judging by their expressions…
This was no ordinary shinobi.
Curiosity stirred.
Who exactly was this Toyoma?
"Now it all depends on you two," Uzuku said calmly.
"Bring the supplies safely to me. You'll leave tonight and wait at the meeting point for Toyoma."
His gaze shifted briefly to Pakura.
"I've already informed him about Shizuka's situation. He'll handle the rest."
Genzo stiffened.
Toyoma.
Unlike Uzuku… Toyoma wouldn't hesitate if something felt wrong.
He wouldn't care who stood in front of him.
"Uzuku… this…" Genzo's voice lowered, troubled.
"You know how he is."
Facing Clan Head Fugaku was one thing.
Facing Toyoma —
and possibly the Grand Elder —
was another.
Uzuku looked at him for a moment.
Then he laughed lightly.
"Now you're worried?"
He tilted his head.
"Where was that worry when you dragged her into camp and said, 'If there's blame, put it all on me'?"
His eyes flicked toward Pakura as he studied her expression.
"What happened to that courage?"
Genzo fell silent.
There were no words he could use now.
Pakura watched his expression tighten.
She stepped forward slightly.
"I can leave," she said quietly.
"I don't want Genzo's situation to worsen because of me."
Her voice remained steady.
"He saved me. I'm grateful. But I don't want to ruin his future."
"No."
Genzo's response came instantly.
Too fast.
All three of them looked at him.
"And why not?" Uzuku asked, watching him closely.
Genzo exhaled slowly.
"I'll meet Toyoma," he said.
"Whatever the Grand Elder decides… I'll accept it."
Pakura looked at him.
This fool…
Uzuku stepped closer and placed a hand on Genzo's shoulder.
"Listen carefully," he said, his tone quieter now.
"Only Toyoma can settle this cleanly. That's why you're meeting him first."
He gave him a small smile.
"As for the Grand Elder… he knows nothing."
"Only Toyoma does."
Genzo looked at Uzuku and nodded in gratitude.
"Thank you, Uzuku," he said.
"I still think it would be better if I just leave," Pakura said quietly, trying to cut in.
From their exchange, she already understood enough.
If this Toyoma decided to make things difficult for Genzo because of her… There would be no shielding him from it.
'I can't let this fool's stubbornness ruin his future, she thought, a faint smile touching her lips despite the guilt beneath it.
Uzuku's gaze shifted to her.
"You know about our reinforcements now. About our supplies. You've even used Uchiha secret medicine."
His tone was steady.
"After all that… do you really think you can just walk away? How am I supposed to believe you won't report this to your village?"
Pakura fell silent.
He wasn't wrong.
She knew more than she ever should have.
If she disappeared now, suspicion alone would fall on Genzo.
"She won't tell anyone."
Genzo's voice came before she could speak.
Pakura blinked, startled again by how easily he said it.
Uzuku raised a brow.
"Oh? You've known her half your life, have you?"
Genzo flushed immediately.
He could feel Pakura's gaze on him now.
Pochita, meanwhile, was grinning shamelessly as he watched.
"I—I…"
Genzo tried to recover.
"Enough," Uzuku said calmly.
"You both leave tonight. Meet Toyoma and let him settle this properly."
He paused briefly.
"I've already asked him to be… understanding."
Then he turned and walked away.
They watched Uzuku walk away without saying anything.
Pakura looked at Genzo with a complicated expression.
Genzo noticed her gaze.
"I'll prepare the supplies for our trip," he said quickly, avoiding her eyes as he turned and headed toward the camp.
She remained standing there for a moment, with only Pochita beside her.
Then she sighed softly and followed him.
From a distance, Uzuku observed the two of them.
"I can only do this much, Genzo," he murmured to himself.
"After this… whether she betrays you or stands beside you depends on her."
He was testing Pakura.
Uzuku did not fully believe that she had abandoned her village simply because she had been betrayed.
To him, she might have been only angry — that she might return to her village once emotions settled.
If Toyoma encountered Sand shinobi during the journey, and they were prepared…
That would be his answer.
If nothing happened—
Then perhaps Genzo truly was lucky.
Inside the Uchiha clan hall—
Toyoma stood before the stacked supply crates meant for the Mist front.
Grand Elder Setsuna and Elder Kazuto stood beside him.
Toyoma stared at the provisions in silence for a long moment.
Then he clicked his tongue.
"Grandpa… I genuinely feel like blasting the Hokage's office into dust right now."
His gaze hardened.
"They can't even provide a full quarter's supplies. From the look of this, it won't last more than half."
His voice sharpened.
"Are we beggars now?"
Kazuto sighed faintly, rubbing his temple.
"According to them, the war shouldn't extend beyond half a year. So they've adjusted the distribution."
He paused.
"If the war continues, they'll send more."
Toyoma's expression did not soften.
Grand Elder Setsuna spoke next.
"I've spoken with Jiraiya and Tsunade. The Cloud border is also demanding a heavy allocation. Supplies have been split accordingly."
His tone remained calm.
"This was their compromise."
Toyoma stared at the crates again.
"Whatever."
The word was flat.
A golden ripple suddenly spread beneath the stacked supplies —
smooth, circular, almost liquid in texture.
One by one, the crates sank into it and vanished.
The hall returned to silence.
Kazuto and Setsuna watched with unconcealed fascination.
They had seen this ability before.
And yet—
Each time felt unreal.
Setsuna's lips curved slightly.
"Just how convenient this ability of yours is…"
He let out a low chuckle.
"Even the Six Paths Sage's tools were not this absurd."
The Grand Elder had once witnessed the Six Paths storage tool used by Cloud shinobi in the past.
It had been capable of sealing away entire arsenals.
Toyoma's ability reminded him of that.
"Well," Toyoma muttered, exhaling through his nose, "it's a good ability… but it's not perfect."
He raised his hand slightly.
"I can only open ten ripples at once. And at most, strike ten targets simultaneously using the weapons inside."
A faint irritation crossed his face.
He remembered when he had first awakened this so-called "Treasury."
He had expected something overwhelming.
Endless weapons.
Limitless assault.
Instead, what he received was—
Space.
Storage.
Control.
It was Useful But restrained.
"Only ten targets at a time…" he clicked his tongue softly.
"What kind of restriction is that?"
It felt less like a king's treasury—
And more like something tailored specifically to him.
Setsuna chuckled.
"Even so, it's a terrifying ability."
Elder Kazuto nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the space where the supplies had vanished.
"At least no one will be destroying our provisions now."
Toyoma did not reply.
But his eyes lingered on the golden ripple still fading from the floor.
Ten targets.
For now.
***********************************************************************************************
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