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"…"
Pakura opened her mouth wide, staring blankly at the scene unfolding before her, her face full of shock.
Yes, those seven guys were almost out of chakra because of her!
Yes, Kenshi was indeed very strong!
But this gap was just too huge!
She had fought fiercely until now, only managing to protect herself while depleting the chakra of those seven. She knew their strength well.
Yet these seven, who combined to kill her comrades, were so easily… so effortlessly killed by that damn brother-in-law.
That casual gesture that killed without a trace.
Too strong!
To Pakura, their strength felt like they were in completely different dimensions!
Even if the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were at their peak, facing that kind of fast, invisible slash, the outcome would be the same—no surprises.
Even she herself… wouldn't be any different.
She couldn't block that kind of slash either.
"Damn it!"
"How does that guy have such control?"
Pakura's heart burned with frustration. She could develop Scorch Release: Piercing Flash, and her control over Scorch Release chakra was already strong.
But to manipulate the high-temperature heat beam at will? She couldn't do that.
Kenshi's Wind Release clone could—and that made Pakura very depressed.
Unaware of Pakura's thoughts, Kenshi's clone waved his hand, and a wind blade formed from condensed Wind Release chakra swept over, pulling in six ninja swords.
Boom boom boom… the six swords vanished midair.
"Summoning jutsu?"
Kenshi's clone thought with a smile. He had planned to retrieve the swords for Sasori's research, but now that was impossible.
All seven swords of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had become summoning tools. Once their owners died, someone in Kirigakure would sense it and summon the swords back to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.
If he couldn't get them, so be it. Kenshi's clone turned and asked, "Do you want to go back or act with me?"
Still stunned by Kenshi's clone's power, Pakura instinctively replied, "Of course, with you."
"Then come here."
Kenshi's clone waved a hand, and a wind blade wrapped around the beautiful woman, pulling her in. Effortlessly, he lifted her in a princess carry and flew toward a Kirigakure-held base ahead.
"Y-you… what are you doing?"
"L-let go of me!"
Pakura blushed, her supple, curvy body twisting as her small hands pressed tightly against Kenshi's chest, her heart pounding wildly.
Strangely, her sister's words echoed in her mind.
"When this war ends, you should marry Lord Kenshi."
"You're so beautiful and strong; only Lord Kenshi deserves you."
"Lord Kenshi needs your support too."
Pakura's sister truly regarded Kenshi's clone as everything, thinking of nothing but him.
Seeing her sister's strength, she wanted Pakura to marry Kenshi's clone too, helping him secure the Kazekage position.
Back in the village, Pakura's sister often urged her to accept Kenshi's clone as her husband.
Now, suddenly being princess-carried so intimately by Kenshi's clone, Pakura felt weak all over and at a loss.
"Indeed, strong people are always charming."
Casting a glance at Pakura's reaction, Kenshi's clone smiled slightly.
If he weren't the Fourth Kazekage,
if he weren't overwhelmingly stronger than Pakura,
would this young girl's reaction still be this mix of resistance and acceptance?
Perhaps she was pierced by a high-temperature compressed heat beam the moment he held her.
Yet now, her small hands seemed to resist but were actually powerless.
Though she often talked back to Kenshi's clone before, now that he showed his intentions through actions, wanting to win both sisters,
Pakura instantly lost her temper.
Or rather, deep down, she secretly hoped to be with Kenshi's clone.
After all, then she wouldn't worry about her dear sister being taken away, and the two sisters could stay together forever.
Of course, all this depended on Kenshi's clone being strong enough.
Strong enough to inspire Pakura's admiration and quell any rebellious thoughts.
"Enemy attack!!!"
"Quick…"
Kirigakure's bases in the Land of Wind were either oases or mines.
Now, the enemy alert came from a Kirigakure-controlled mine in the Land of Wind. Among the Kirigakure ninja stationed there were sensory specialists who spotted Kenshi's Wind Release clone flying at high speed with Pakura in his arms.
"Hold me tight."
Kenshi's clone reminded her.
Pakura obediently wrapped her arms around his neck, clutching him tightly. Her ample chest pressed against him, visibly changing shape.
Kenshi's clone extended a hand toward the Kirigakure base below.
"Wind Release: Slash!"
Screech… the sound of spatial distortion rippled.
In an instant, the entire base fell silent.
Pakura turned to look; not a single figure was visible. Only pools of blood on the ground told the fate of the Kirigakure ninja.
Her heart trembled, and her hands holding Kenshi's clone shook.
Kenshi's clone's ruthless slaughter unsettled her.
Sensing this, Kenshi's clone said, "Why don't you go back first? I still need to clear the remaining Kirigakure bases."
"No, I'm coming with you." Pakura shook her head, her expression firm. "This is war—it's either you or me."
Though young, Pakura understood the cruelty of war.
Now was not the time for mercy.
Many Sunagakure ninja had already died in this war.
If she showed mercy to these Kirigakure ninja, it would insult her fallen comrades.
The two continued on.
Kenshi's Wind Release clone had gathered intelligence from Sunagakure ninja about Kirigakure's bases in the Land of Wind.
Combined with his soul sensing ability,
he located each Kirigakure base one by one.
Most of these bases were mines scattered across the Land of Wind.
The Land of Wind's geography resembled Saudi Arabia.
Over eighty percent of its territory was desert.
By rights, such a land shouldn't qualify as one of the Five Great Nations.
But the Land of Wind had plenty of money—literally.
Its vast deserts held countless gold mines and abundant metal ores.
This made the Land of Wind the "Saudi Arabia" of the Naruto world—rich beyond measure.
Thanks to the desert's mineral wealth, the Land of Wind's nobles were wealthy, enabling them to hire many ninja clans during the Warring States period, making the Land of Wind one of the Five Great Nations.
Sunagakure thus became one of the Five Great Hidden Villages. Even the First Kazekage was a bold figure who dared to challenge the First Hokage, Hashirama.
In short, the Land of Wind's rich mineral resources always made the Land of Water and Land of Earth envious.
This Great Ninja War began because the Land of Water and Land of Earth couldn't resist coveting the Land of Wind's metal resources and launched attacks.
Therefore, Kirigakure's invasion of the Land of Wind focused on coastal desert mines.
Of the ten Kirigakure bases Kenshi's clone eliminated along the way, eight were mines.
He showed no mercy to the Kirigakure ninja at these bases, killing them all without exception.
Soon.
One week later.
Kenshi's Wind Release clone single-handedly wiped out all Kirigakure forces remaining in the Land of Wind.
Because Kenshi's clone acted so swiftly, Kirigakure only received news of his personal massacre of their ninja when he was already deep into their coastal island bases.
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