Konoha had never truly been an envoy of justice; it was only that Naruto and Sasuke later rose as saviors that the village appeared righteous.
The so-called "Will of Fire" promoted the idea of protecting the village—not the entire ninja world.
And as for peace across the ninja nations? As long as the village itself was safe, that was enough.
Once Asuma Sarutobi wrapped up his bandages, Kiyoshi suggested they take a brief rest by the riverbank.
...
Under the giant tree where Kiyoshi had battled Pakura,
Bang!
Pakura struck the tree with full force, relying solely on her physical strength rather than molding chakra.
The impact deepened the dent she had already made, the tree now teetering as if about to collapse.
As she stood, a small damp puddle formed at her feet, rippling slightly.
Pakura knew that Kiyoshi was humiliating her deliberately.
Biting her lip, she adjusted her shinobi outfit and leaned against the swaying tree to rise.
Thinking of Kiyoshi's casual flick of the hand, Pakura could not suppress her indignation.
Who did he think she was?
Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from nearby.
Looking up, Pakura saw Maki bounding through the forest, using trees for support.
His arm was nearly broken, blood soaking the cloth wrapping it.
The cloth was meant to minimize the blood trail left behind.
"Pakura, glad you're safe,"
Maki said, relieved that she had survived.
Kiyoshi must have been in a hurry and hadn't lingered with Pakura.
She was a rare bloodline limit of Sunagakure—a genius. Losing her would have been a significant blow.
"Did Uchiha do this?"
Pakura asked, pointing at Maki's arm.
"Yes, him!"
A voice responded from afar.
It was Hōki Tarou catching up.
"Let's go."
Pakura fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
Staying here was dangerous—Kiyoshi's team might attempt a counterattack, and other teams could appear.
They were not in a condition to fight.
Pakura led the way, Maki enduring the pain in his arm as he trudged along.
Hōki Tarou, lightly injured, helped Maki along.
Then he noticed something: a scratch running across Pakura's smooth back, even affecting the folds of her skirt.
He didn't think much of it, assuming it was from the harsh battle with Kiyoshi.
...
"It's Kirigakure,"
Pakura suddenly raised her hand, signaling Maki and Hōki to stop.
"You are Pakura of Sunagakure,"
From afar, Terumi Mei's group had spotted her, the evidence of recent battle evident.
"Are you Kirigakure trying to stop us?"
Pakura asked coldly, forming a hand sign behind her back.
Maki and Hōki silently molded chakra, ready to respond.
"Stop? I don't think that's necessary,"
Terumi Mei shook her head.
According to the intel from their village, Pakura was a Sunagakure genius with the "Burning" Kekkei Genkai. But it was not a priority target.
Kirigakure had similar bloodline abilities—Mei herself being a prime example, possessing a dual Kekkei Genkai: "Melt" and "Boil," a power only bloodline limits could wield.
Terumi Mei had no intention of fighting Pakura. She merely wanted another scroll and could instead target weaker teams.
She was more curious about who had left Pakura in such a battered state.
"Who did you encounter? Was it a Yumin ninja?"
Seeing Mei had no intention of attacking, Pakura subtly canceled her hand sign. The tension between the teams immediately eased.
"No, it was Konoha's Uchiha—the one with the Sharingan,"
Pakura realized she didn't even know the name of the ninja who had just attacked her.
Her suppressed anger flared once more. She would seek revenge, sooner or later.
"Uchiha… Kiyoshi,"
Kiyoshi's name was spoken by Kōzuki Reigetsu, standing beside Terumi Mei. They had defeated a team of Konoha ninja earlier and obtained intel on Kiyoshi.
Unfortunately, the scroll they had was the same type their team already possessed—they would have to search for it again.
"Kiyoshi… Kiyoshi…"
Pakura muttered the name repeatedly, embedding it in her memory as a reminder of her humiliation.
"In that case, let's just stay out of each other's way,"
Kaguya Shouya, with short, oval-shaped eyebrows, said lightly.
There was no need to do meaningless things. This way, at least they would capture one bloodline limit for their village, and perhaps also obtain either a Sharingan or Byakugan.
The Sharingan enhanced individual combat ability, while the Byakugan was invaluable for strategy and intelligence gathering.
"Fine,"
Maki said, his voice muffled, still concealing the pain in his arm.
Such injuries were serious—an arm was crucial for a ninja. Losing its functionality would drastically reduce hand sign speed and overall combat effectiveness. Immediate treatment was necessary.
The two teams parted ways here.
Pakura's team went off to rest, while Terumi Mei's team continued scouting for suitable bloodline limits.
...
The next day.
"Hand over the scroll,"
Yozuki Kei said, leading a team. Two teammates, one black-clad and one white-clad, flanked him, both robust in build.
"Impossible!"
Hyuga Tetsu immediately responded. Their clan elder had high expectations; failure was not an option.
"We Hyuga are Konoha's premier clan. Be careful yourselves, Yumin."
"Ah Tetsu,"
Hyuga Natsu frowned slightly. Three Yumin ninja did not seem friendly.
No time for talk—Yozuki Kei drew his ninja blade and charged alongside his teammates.
Hyuga Tetsu, Natsu, and Himura prepared the Gentle Fist stance, wary of the incoming assault.
Eight Trigrams Air Palm!
Lightning Release: Fang Path!
The classical Gentle Fist clashed with the dazzling lightning jutsu.
Five hundred meters away, Kiyoshi sensed the commotion.
"Lightning Release," he noted.
A ninja skilled in Lightning Release was almost certainly from Yumin.
"Shall we check it out?"
"Sure," Kiyoshi nodded.
They had spent the previous night resting near the riverbank, Yuuhi sleeping under the bushes, while Kiyoshi and Asuma took turns keeping watch.
Genjutsu drained the mind more than the body; letting Yuuhi stand guard risked her falling asleep.
After resting overnight, they had just woken up and were about to survey the surroundings when they noticed the disturbance.
Within moments, the 500-meter gap closed, and Kiyoshi and the others arrived.
"Kiyoshi!"
Hyuga Natsu, in the middle of a hard-fought battle, caught sight of him and felt a sudden surge of relief.
(End of Chapter)