Land of Water, a Canyon.
Amidst the swirling mist, a woman dressed in battle attire slowly approached from the distance.
"Pakura of Sunagakure?"
A low voice sounded as Yagyu slowly walked towards the woman in battle attire.
"I am! And you are Yagyu of Kirigakure?"
Pakura looked at Yagyu before her with curiosity, her eyes carrying faint vigilance and hostility.
Yagyu's strength made her wary, and his stance made her hostile.
"By the order of the Fourth Kazekage, I have come to negotiate with your Kirigakure. Please rest assured, I can fully represent Sunagakure in this discussion."
Pakura spoke naturally. The Fourth Kazekage's order was for her to secretly come to Kirigakure to negotiate.
"Negotiate? Rasa certainly came up with a clumsy excuse! And you're quite foolish. Don't you think this mission is too ridiculous?"
"Does the current Sunagakure have the qualifications to negotiate with our Kirigakure? He sent you here to die!"
Yagyu shook his head and chuckled, speaking carelessly.
"Nonsense!"
Pakura's face changed drastically, and several fireballs suddenly emerged around her.
These fireballs emitted an orange light, releasing a frightening, heart-pounding high temperature.
"Scorch Release Fireballs? Interesting."
Yagyu commented carelessly. A faint golden light emanated from his body, and he entered an elemental state, ignoring the high temperature.
Pakura did not attack. Instead, she retreated step by step. The Scorch Release fireballs danced around her, like her personal guards.
"Scared? Trying to run?"
Yagyu looked at Pakura lazily. A brilliant golden light blossomed on the index finger of his raised right hand.
"Fireball!"
Pakura's expression shifted slightly. The Scorch Release fireballs abruptly flew out, smashing towards Yagyu.
"Scorch Release – Extremely Steaming Murder!" (Shakuton – Kajō Kōka)
The Scorch Release fireballs possess a special effect: they can evaporate the moisture within a person's body. This is a unique ability of a Bloodline Limit.
However, Yagyu did not dodge. He simply stood in place, allowing the Scorch Release fireballs to stick to his body.
The Scorch Release fireballs flashed constantly on Yagyu, releasing terrifying high temperatures, yet having no effect on him.
"It's useless!"
"I am light now. Light cannot be burned."
"Likewise, light contains no moisture."
Yagyu said casually, raising his finger and shooting out a laser. The golden light struck towards Pakura.
Pakura's body moved, demonstrating extremely high Taijutsu skills, and she narrowly avoided Yagyu's laser.
Boom!
Yagyu's laser hit the cliff behind Pakura. A shower of broken rocks fell, blocking Pakura's retreat in the canyon.
"Do you really intend to kill me?"
"You spoke of negotiation but then went back on your word. Is this truly acceptable?"
"To destroy Kirigakure's credibility just to kill me, is my value really that high?"
Pakura of the Scorch Release seemed to have calmed down, asking Yagyu with indifference.
"You think I'm killing you because I went back on my word? How naive."
"Your fate was sealed the moment the negotiation between Kirigakure and Sunagakure concluded."
"Sunagakure abandoned you, sending you here to be killed by me to appease my anger. Understand?"
Yagyu spoke casually, causing Pakura's face to instantly turn gloomy.
"Are you joking?"
Pakura slowly spoke, trying her best not to let her tone waver.
"What do you think?"
Yagyu asked lazily, sizing up Pakura with interest.
Pakura remained silent.
Yagyu laughed: "It seems you already believe it. Did Rasa reveal some clue before? He really is useless."
Pakura said in a cold voice: "Whether what you say is true or not, I will find that out for myself."
"As for me right now, killing you is the most important thing."
Yagyu spoke lazily: "Killing me? How scary! The female ninja of Sunagakure are truly wild. Their speaking style is so simple and crude. I like it."
Pakura snorted coldly, pulling out a long scroll from her clothing. With a sharp swing of her hand, she unfurled it. The long scroll swept towards Yagyu like a living thing.
"This is... Sealing Jutsu?"
Yagyu thought for a moment, and quickly recalled information about this kind of scroll.
This type of scroll is considered a special ninja tool, and it should also be refined using Sealing Jutsu.
The Allied Shinobi Forces in the original work used this type of scroll to wrap up powerful Edo Tensei users, then applied red sealing tags to seal them.
"Pakura, did you seriously gather intelligence about me?"
"Sealing Jutsu is indeed effective against me, but..."
"Your slow attack speed cannot harm someone moving at the speed of light."
Yagyu sighed carelessly. His body turned into light particles and soared into the air, appearing behind Pakura in a flash. He placed one hand on her shoulder.
"Don't get excited!"
"I have no intention of killing you. I think we can talk."
Yagyu spoke slowly. The hand resting on Pakura's shoulder prevented her from acting rashly.
"What do you want?"
Pakura spoke coldly, her tone laced with a faint panic.
"You still harbor a glimmer of hope, don't you?"
"You think I'm lying to you, that Sunagakure hasn't betrayed you."
"I'll give you a chance to verify it right now. How about that?"
"You just need to hide yourself and do nothing."
"I guarantee it!"
"Before long, Sunagakure will officially announce your death!"
"Announcing your death without even seeing your corpse."
"And the confidence for that will come from a reply letter from Kirigakure."
"What do you think?"
Yagyu spoke carelessly, looking at Pakura with a teasing expression.
Pakura said gravely: "What kind of reply letter?"
Yagyu smiled: "The reply only has four words... All clear (or All went well in context)!"
"Afterward, Sunagakure will announce your death. They definitely won't say you died in the Land of Water."
"After all, you were on a confidential mission. No one knows where you went except you and the Sunagakure high-ups."
Pakura's face turned slightly pale.
A moment later, she whispered: "What you said hasn't been confirmed yet. Perhaps everything you're saying is false."
Yagyu said calmly: "Is that so? In that case, you'll just have to wait patiently for the result!"
"But before that, come back to Kirigakure with me first! Use a Transformation Jutsu. Don't use your true appearance."
"You better not try any foolish tricks, or I will kill you with my own hands. Believe me, you are no match for me in a single move!"
Yagyu warned Pakura, preventing her from doing anything reckless.
Pakura nodded silently, indicating she understood.