The Hidden Mist ninja realized instantly where that sphere of light came from.
They were all too familiar with it. After all, they had witnessed its power many times before.
"Shameless Mist ninja... using our own village's blade to attack us!"
"You will face retribution for this!"
Some of the Mist ninja even began to harbor resentment toward the Hiramekarei blade itself.
"To think one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist is being wielded by a Sand ninja..."
These Mist ninja were furious. It felt like a supreme violation, as if they were watching their own partners being stolen right in front of their eyes.
However, they didn't have much time to dwell on these feelings. A far more serious problem had emerged.
The moment the light sphere touched them, they felt the moisture within their bodies being extracted at a terrifying speed. It was evaporating instantly.
Their bodies shriveled up visibly, their skin tightening against their bones.
Their life force was melting away.
The Mist ninja's eyes widened, freezing in expressions of utter disbelief.
"What... what is happening?"
"Is this even Hiramekarei anymore?"
Pakura looked at the wretched state of the Mist ninja across from her, her brow twitching slightly.
"Your village's ninja sword is truly useful."
"Aside from its inherent abilities, when unleashed, the attacks it creates can actually carry the properties of my Scorch Style. It massively amplifies my attack range and distance."
"It's as if it was made for me."
"I can almost feel Hiramekarei rejoicing in my hands."
over a dozen Mist ninja died instantly under Pakura's single strike.
Using Baki as bait, she had set a small trap. The target, of course, wasn't these fodder ninja, but the member of the Hyuga Branch family. Pakura had used the blind spot of the Byakugan to approach quietly.
"Mistress."
Pakura nodded.
"Well done, Baki."
Baki smiled.
"It is all your credit, Mistress. I didn't do anything."
"There is no need for humility in front of me. Without you, I wouldn't have found the opening to kill that Hyuga ninja so easily. You are my husband's disciple, which makes you my disciple as well."
Suddenly, Pakura stopped speaking. She turned her head, looking in a specific direction.
She saw a figure rushing toward them quickly, followed by dozens of others.
The arrival was Yagura.
Pakura narrowed her eyes slightly.
After the deaths of Jinin Akebino and the others, Yagura had become the new commander.
The two had actually clashed before.
Even Pakura had to admit that Yagura's Water Mirror Jutsu was troublesome.
"Pakura!"
Yagura looked at the corpses on the ground, his gaze locking specifically on the dead Hyuga Branch member. His face instantly darkened.
This was different from losing Mist ninja. Mist ninja could be replenished.
But the Hyuga were on loan from Konoha.
Konoha would not provide Hyuga ninja to the Hidden Mist Village indefinitely. Furthermore, the recent rumors had made the Hyuga clan increasingly reluctant to support the Mist.
This meant that replacing a Hyuga ninja would be incredibly difficult.
On this battlefield, a Hyuga ninja was an asset of extreme value.
Yagura's gaze then fell involuntarily onto the Hiramekarei strapped to Pakura's back.
His expression became even more grim.
She had killed the Mist's people, stolen the Mist's sword, and was now brandishing it openly, using it to slaughter Mist ninja.
Pakura signaled to Baki.
"Baki, fall back a bit."
"Yes, Mistress."
Pakura gripped the hilt of Hiramekarei and drew it.
In an instant, the battle erupted.
"Scorch Style!"
"Water Style: Water Mirror Jutsu!"
A figure identical to Pakura appeared. It didn't just copy Pakura; it even replicated the Hiramekarei she was holding.
Identical physique.
Identical ninja sword.
Identical ninjutsu.
Even the power was exactly the same.
This was the foundation of Yagura's confidence to tell any ninja, "I can fight you to a draw."
However, while the Water Mirror Jutsu was broken, it had a flaw.
Chakra consumption.
When conducting an equal battle, Yagura's chakra consumption was inevitably much higher than his opponent's.
"As expected of Pakura!"
Yagura felt the chakra in his body draining away like a floodgate had been opened.
"My current chakra reserves... it's not enough."
"If only I could become a Jinchuriki."
"If that were the case, combined with Teacher's research results, I could become a near-perfect Jinchuriki. The chakra available to me would increase drastically."
"Then, even if the Water Mirror Jutsu consumes more chakra, the opponent wouldn't be able to outlast me."
"It's a pity..."
"For now, I'll have to rely on others to assist in the attack."
Being a ninja was never a profession solely for duels. Teamwork was the mainstream. Unless the teammates were so weak they were merely dead weight.
"Calculating the time... Juzo Biwa should be arriving soon."
"Once Juzo arrives, with our combined strength, we might have a chance to kill Pakura and reclaim Hiramekarei."
"The Mist Village used Baki as bait to trap us."
"But haven't I also used the Hyuga ninja as bait to trap the Sand Village?"
"I just didn't expect Pakura to kill so quickly."
"And to think she combined Scorch Style with Hiramekarei's abilities..."
This irritated Yagura.
Hiramekarei was clearly a Mist sword, yet Pakura had only possessed it for a few days and was already wielding it with such proficiency.
Yagura spared no chakra, attacking and pinning Pakura down with everything he had.
He was just waiting for Juzo Biwa's arrival.
But what Yagura didn't expect was that before Juzo arrived, an intelligence ninja showed up first.
"Lord Yagura! Bad news!"
The intelligence ninja approached rapidly.
"What is it?"
The ninja spoke quickly.
"The Kaguya clan has issued a declaration! They state that it was Konoha who sold out the Hyuga clan, giving a Byakugan to the Hidden Mist! They claim the death of that Hyuga Main Family member was a setup orchestrated jointly by Konoha and the Mist!"
"They say the Mist Village didn't want a ceasefire, so we proposed harsh conditions—demanding a Byakugan, just as we demanded Pakura from the Sand."
"But unexpectedly, Konoha actually agreed."
"Because the Kaguya clan has been friends with the Hyuga for generations, they knew the importance of the Byakugan to the Hyuga. They fell out with the Mist Village over this betrayal, which led to the conflict."
"They have sworn this on the honor of the Kaguya name!"
In an instant, Yagura's expression changed drastically.
Yagura knew that with the Kaguya clan's public declaration, it would inevitably cause a massive impact on Konoha.
And that impact would inevitably drag the Hidden Mist Village down with it.
For a split second, Yagura lost control of the Water Mirror Jutsu.
The false Pakura suddenly shattered.
Pakura's eyes lit up.
"Opportunity!"
Immediately, she poured a massive amount of chakra into the blade.
"Hiramekarei, Release!"