This was a jutsu she knew all too well!
"Maki?!"
Through the swirling smoke, a young girl dressed in a black-and-white maid outfit rapidly wove hand signs. A wall of fire erupted from the ground, momentarily cutting off Hiruko's path.
She turned her head, revealing a familiar face—it was indeed Pakura's former disciple, Maki.
"Master... run, quickly!"
Pakura's breath hitched in her throat. "You're still alive?!"
Yugito kept a wary eye on Maki, her Tailed Beast chakra still simmering. "Who is she...?"
Maki didn't answer, instead grabbing Pakura's wrist with frantic urgency. "There's no time to explain! The underground drainage system leads straight out of the village!"
Doubt flickered in Pakura's eyes, but she regained her composure instantly. She gripped Maki's hand back, her voice low and stern. "Why are you here? And why are you dressed like that?!"
"The Sand Village gave me to Hiruko as a gift... I've been kept by his side ever since," Maki said, biting her lip.
Pakura's fingertips trembled slightly. "So... you've been waiting for an opportunity this whole time?"
Maki nodded, her eyes glistening with tears even as she smiled. "I knew you would come... Just like back in the Sand when you saved me from those rogue ninjas."
"This time, it's my turn to help you get away!"
The trio moved swiftly through the drainage tunnels, with Maki expertly dismantling the sealing formulas along the way. Suddenly, Yugito stopped, her ears twitching.
"We have pursuers!"
Maki's expression paled as she performed a sensory jutsu. Pakura let out a cold scoff, Scorch Release chakra beginning to coalesce in her palms. "Then we kill our way out."
Maki suddenly blocked her path. "No! If we engage, the Konoha ANBU will be alerted too!" She pulled a map from her bosom. "There's a fork ahead. I'll lead them away!"
Pakura grabbed her shoulder, her grip hard enough to bruise. "Don't do anything stupid! I won't leave you behind again!"
Warmth flickered in Maki's eyes, but she shook her head firmly. "Master... you taught me that a ninja must trade the smallest sacrifice for the greatest victory." She gently pried Pakura's hand away. "Now, it's my turn to put that into practice."
Before another word could be said, she bit her finger and smeared blood across the floor in a runic pattern.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof! A cloud of white smoke erupted, and countless explosive tags appeared on the ground.
But before they could detonate—
Pakura and Yugito had barely bolted a few paces down the tunnel when a figure materialized before them.
"Thinking of leaving?"
Hiruko appeared like a ghost, a frigid smile playing on his lips. At his feet lay Maki, already neutralized by a sealing jutsu. In his hand, he held a jet-black whip, its length coiled with faint chakra spikes—clearly no ordinary tool of discipline.
"It seems I've been far too lenient with you."
Crack!
The whip tore through the air, lashing across Pakura's back with a sickening thud! She let out a muffled grunt. Her Scorch Release chakra surged instinctively, but Hiruko's sealing formulas suppressed her resistance instantly.
"Ngh...!"
"Pakura!" Yugito tried to lung forward, only to be forced back by another snap of the whip.
Hiruko walked closer at a leisurely pace, tapping the whip against his palm. "Two-Tails Jinchuriki, your chakra certainly recovers quickly," he mused, narrowing his eyes. "Pity that in your current state, you can't even manage a partial transformation."
Yugito gritted her teeth, humiliation flashing in her eyes, but she forced her rage down. She knew that a direct confrontation now would only make things worse.
Satisfied by their forced submission, Hiruko raised the whip again—
Crack! Crack!
The lashes struck their legs—not lethal, but enough to cause muscle spasms and hinder their movement.
"Consider this a small reminder," he said, leaning down, his voice low and dangerous. "If the thought of escaping ever crosses your minds again... I will show you the true meaning of a fate worse than death."
Pakura looked up coldly, a trail of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, but her gaze remained sharp. "Heh... is this all you've got?"
Hiruko raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by her defiance. He reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "The Scorch Release user of the Sand... you certainly are stubborn." He chuckled lowly. "But I wonder just how long you can hold out."
He released her abruptly and turned to leave. "Rest well. Tomorrow... we have training."
Night. Hiruko's villa.
Maki's fingernails dug deep into her palms, blood seeping through her fingers and dripping onto the cold floor. She stared ahead with a fixed gaze. Pakura was suspended in mid-air by chains that bit into her pale skin.
Hiruko walked out slowly, his oversized white kimono draped loosely over his frame. His fingers brushed against Pakura's cheek; she jerked her head away, but he forced it back.
"Your master... is even more stubborn than I imagined." He chuckled, his thumb tracing Pakura's dry lips. "Pity. No matter how stubborn the prey, they are eventually tamed."
Maki's breathing grew ragged, her throat burning as if scorched by fire. "Let her go, Lord Hiruko," she said, her voice raspy but unwavering.
Hiruko finally turned his attention to her, his dark pupils narrowing as if he'd found an intriguing new toy. "Oh? And why should I?" He let go of Pakura and walked toward Maki, every footstep echoing like a heartbeat.
"I can take her place," Maki gritted out.
"Take her place?" Hiruko laughed. He caught her chin and forced her to look up.
"Maki! Get out of here—!" Pakura suddenly screamed, her chains rattling violently as she struggled.
Maki's eyes were rimmed with red, but she didn't back down. "I'm sorry, Master... this time, I can't listen to you."
Hiruko's fingers slid down Maki's jaw, tracing the line of her neck before resting on her collarbone. "I might consider pausing her torments..." he whispered, his breath ghosting over her ear. "If you... voluntarily become my property."
Maki's body trembled, but she stood her ground. "If I agree... will you guarantee my Master's freedom?"
"Don't listen to him! Maki—!" Pakura's voice nearly cracked, but in the next second, Hiruko waved his hand, and the chains snapped tight.
She let out a pained grunt, blood leaking from her lips. Hiruko's fingertip tilted Maki's chin up, forcing her to watch Pakura's agony.
"For every session you spend with me... I'll give her one day of peace." His voice was gentle, yet carried a crushing weight. "A fair trade, isn't it?"
Maki's nails dug deeper into her palms. Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Fine! You'd better keep your word!"
Nearby, Rin Nohara watched Maki—who looked strikingly similar to herself—with an unreadable expression.
In front of her master, Maki let out a strange, choked sound. She kept her eyes shut tight, not daring to look at Pakura.
"Ma... Master, don't look at me! I'm so ashamed!" Maki cried out as Hiruko hoisted her into the air, putting her through a "wild goose" flight maneuver.
"Maki!" The fire in Pakura's eyes looked ready to combust.
"This is the punishment for your rebellion!" Hiruko said with a smile, beginning the night's "torment."
Maki, the little thing, settled into her role as a maid-toy quite obediently.
Hiruko didn't spend too much energy on these trivial distractions. To him, dealing with these "unruly kittens" was mostly a waste of time. He knew that outsiders operated differently than Konoha shinobi, making them a bit more troublesome to manage.
Eventually, he left them be and threw himself back into his research, muttering, "Women from other villages really are a hassle."
Still, he had to admit, Maki was surprisingly resilient in front of her master. Hiruko quite cherished this little girl who looked so much like Rin; after teasing her in front of Pakura for an hour, he brought her back to his bedroom.
Rin Nohara helped Maki clean up afterward. Looking at Maki's face—so identical to her own—Rin's face flushed a deep crimson, her head feeling like it was overheating. Who knew what she was thinking?
Time flew by, stopping for no one, and the date of the Five Kage Summit arrived.
For the newly established permanent Five Kage conference mechanism, this summit was their grand debut. The difficulty was self-evident. The Five Great Nations had spent years in constant conflict; getting them to sit together and discuss matters peacefully was harder than climbing to the heavens.
Fortunately, the summit was held in Konoha. With the Hidden Leaf acting as the mediator and the Daimyos of the Five Great Nations personally attending despite their health, the situation remained stable enough to prevent things from spiraling out of control.
Outside the conference hall, however, it was a different story. It was as crowded as the morning rush on a futuristic subway line—shoulder to shoulder, with barely any room to move. Even though the Daimyos had sent soldiers to keep the various shinobi factions separated, these ninjas—used to the life-and-death stakes of the battlefield—couldn't stand the stifling atmosphere.
Across the lines of soldiers, they hurled insults at one another.
"You Konoha 'pretty boys' think you can do whatever you want just because you have money? I could take ten of you myself!" a ninja from the Land of Earth shouted, his face flushed red as he gesticulated wildly.
"Oh? With that attitude, you actually have the nerve to yell? You act like you're actually capable!" a Konoha ninja shot back, his face full of mockery.
"A bunch of losers... why are you barking? The louder you yell, the more it shows how insecure you are!" another Konoha shinobi chimed in with a piercing voice.
"What do you know?! That was a strategic temporary setback! Once we catch our breath, you'll see!" The Iwa ninja roared, veins popping on his neck.
The scene was pure chaos, a melting pot of dialects and profanity. Insults flew thick and fast; some called the others "beaten dogs" who only knew how to bark, while the counter-insults labeled them "primitive hicks."
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