Mutsuki's caution was correct. It was proven that Obito and the others were indeed unlucky, or rather, the Land of Rain was truly chaotic.
Just as Mutsuki and the others were about to deliver their client to their destination, a team of Hidden Sand ninjas saw them and immediately surrounded them.
Since Sand had not yet gone to war with Konoha, Kakashi did not act immediately and instead used his gaze to stop Obito.
"What do you Konoha ninjas want?" The female ninja at the front of the Sand team asked with an unfriendly tone.
"Are you crazy? You guys suddenly came over and surrounded us, and now you're asking what we want?" Obito replied in annoyance.
Although there were twelve Sand ninjas, Obito wasn't worried at all, because Mutsuki was right there with him.
"Kid, didn't your parents teach you how to speak properly? Little kids shouldn't interrupt. Pakura-sama wasn't talking to you," one of the Hidden Sand ninjas beside Pakura scolded.
Pakura was a ninja he greatly admired, and he couldn't tolerate Obito's disrespect toward her.
But Obito wasn't easily intimidated. He immediately shot back, "Who do you think you're talking to? What are you even doing here?"
The Hidden Sand ninja instantly drew his long sword, causing the atmosphere to turn tense.
Kakashi quietly unsheathed the White Fang Tanto. Although Sand and Konoha weren't at war, the enemy had shown hostility, so they couldn't just wait around.
Shisui and the others also focused their breathing, ready to act at any moment.
Clang!
At that moment, a transparent burst of air struck the Hidden Sand ninja's sword, shattering it in an instant.
"Didn't your sensei teach you not to point weapons at people?" Mutsuki said with a smile, slowly putting away his hand.
Mutsuki didn't like people who were arrogant without having the strength to back it up.
The Hidden Sand ninja stared at his broken sword, his expression turning to one of shock.
This wasn't a wooden sword, but a steel blade. Even without the support of Chakra, it was both sharp and sturdy.
The destructive power that had shattered the sword—if it had struck his body instead, how severe would the injury have been?
The Sand ninjas were filled with fear, while Obito felt incredibly pleased.
"I've got Mutsuki-sensei on my side, what do you have over there?" Obito couldn't help but grin.
He finally understood why the descendants of those big villains in ninja novels were so arrogant—if you had a strong backing, it really felt great.
Pakura looked at Mutsuki with some surprise, not expecting that a random Konoha ninja would have such strength.
But Pakura remained calm; after all, she was a hero of the Sand, and this was just a small matter for her.
She signaled the Hidden Sand ninja with the broken sword to step back, then looked at Mutsuki. "Yesterday, a four-man team from the Sand went missing, and nearby villagers only saw Konoha ninjas moving around the area that day."
Pakura certainly wouldn't cause trouble for no reason, especially since Hidden Sand Village had just experienced internal strife and was at war with Hidden Cloud. The overall situation wasn't good.
Mutsuki could easily guess who was behind it without even thinking—either Hidden Rock or Hidden Cloud. These two troublemakers loved to stir things up.
Anyone with a bit of understanding of the ninja world's situation wouldn't think this was the work of Konoha ninjas. Konoha was already at war with three major villages; only someone desperate would try to provoke Sand.
"As a ninja, you should know how easy it is to deceive ordinary people. I think you should investigate Hidden Cloud or Hidden Rock," Mutsuki replied.
Ordinary people don't have the ability to see through Transformation Jutsu, and even a normal ninja could easily fool them with it.
If some real Konoha headbands and uniforms were added, it would be even harder for ordinary people to recognize the deception.
"Whether it's true or not, after you cooperate with the investigation, the truth will come to light." Pakura acknowledged that Mutsuki had a point, but she also considered that he might just be defending his fellow villagers.
Normally, in this situation, Konoha should not provoke Sand, but every ninja has their own perspective. Pakura thought it was possible that other reasons led to the Sand team's confrontation with Konoha ninjas, which ultimately resulted in their deaths.
[Name: Pakura]
[Chakra: 56,000]
[Skills: Scorch Release (Mastery level: 2800/15000), Fire Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery level), Wind Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery level), Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder (Mastery level)]
As a ninja, Pakura indeed had more confidence than the Hidden Sand ninja holding a long sword earlier. With her proficiency in Scorch Release and dual Mastery in Nature Transformation, her strength surpassed over ninety percent of ninjas in the ninja world.
But unfortunately, she encountered Mutsuki, a ninja who mastered hundreds of ninjutsu and seven Chakra nature transformations at the Mastery level.
"What if I say no?" Mutsuki said lightly, standing in front of his disciples.
The destructive power of Scorch Release is considered strong among the various Kekkei Genkai. With Pakura's level of Scorch Release, even a Jonin would be instantly killed if hit by it. To be safe, Mutsuki decided to keep his disciples at a secure distance from Pakura.
"Then I'll have to defeat you all and investigate afterward," Pakura said, taking a battle stance while commanding her subordinates to block the area.
Several Hidden Sand ninjas quickly appeared behind Mutsuki and the others.
However, Pakura underestimated the strength of Kakashi, Obito, and the others.
Obito focused his breathing to enhance his physical abilities through Nature Transformation and activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan. With just Taijutsu, he swiftly knocked two Sand Chunin to the ground.
Shisui also activated his Sharingan.
"Phantom Body Flicker Jutsu!"
In the eyes of the Hidden Sand ninjas, dozens of Shisui clones appeared on the battlefield.
Just when they thought it was an illusion, the real Shisui's fists landed solidly on them.
The two Sand Chunin were knocked down so quickly by Shisui that they couldn't even find his real body.
Kakashi focused his breathing to the extreme, entering the Transparent World state.
The Sand Village Jonin initially planned to take care of Kakashi first and then deal with Obito and the others, but he quickly abandoned that idea as he felt immense pressure from Kakashi.
All of his attacks were easily seen through by Kakashi, and he couldn't defend against Kakashi's strikes.
In just over a minute, five Hidden Sand ninjas were rendered unconscious and lost their fighting ability.
The remaining Hidden Sand ninjas were all stopped by Mutsuki. Every time one tried to pass him to attack Kakashi and the others, Mutsuki would dodge and knock them out, leaving them on the ground.
Pakura's expression grew serious. This Konoha team was far more powerful than she had imagined.
"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
After witnessing Mutsuki's Taijutsu, Pakura decided not to engage in close combat with him. She immediately activated her Kekkei Genkai, Scorch Release.
Pakura released a large amount of Chakra, forming six fireballs the size of human heads that rapidly flew toward Mutsuki.
Mutsuki didn't underestimate the technique just because of the size of the fireballs. Scorch Release was very different from ordinary Fire Release.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
Mutsuki gathered a large amount of Chakra and released a terrifying waterfall of water toward the Hidden Sand ninjas.
"Water Release ninjutsu? A bit troublesome, but not a big deal." Pakura's expression remained unchanged as she looked at the incoming water.
Scorch Release, a Kekkei Genkai that combined Wind and Fire Chakra Nature Transformation, was very different from ordinary flames. Water Release couldn't effectively counter Scorch Release.
Under Pakura's control, the fireballs took on a straight-line formation, charging through the Great Waterfall Jutsu's water flow toward Mutsuki.
The water rapidly evaporated, and Pakura's fireballs slowly shrank, but they didn't dissipate like normal flames would.
"Freeze Ray!"
Mutsuki lightly leaped onto the water's surface, then raised his hand and released a beam of cold air into the flowing water, instantly freezing it. Pakura's Scorch Release flames dissipated as they struggled against the ice.
"Ice Release?" Pakura looked at Mutsuki in surprise. Konoha actually had such a powerful Ice Release ninja.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Mutsuki threw a large number of Flying Thunder God Kunai, targeting all the Hidden Sand ninjas, including Pakura.
Pakura naturally wouldn't be hit by such ordinary kunai. She swiftly dodged with a side-step.
"Scorch Release: Flame Wave!"
Pakura decided to change her tactics, opting for a larger area attack.
A massive wave of Scorch Release flames was expelled from Pakura's throat, forming a small sea of fire that surged toward Mutsuki.
Although her opponent also mastered a Kekkei Genkai, Pakura still had confidence in her victory.
Strictly speaking, Kekkei Genkai abilities didn't have the same kind of elemental counterbalance like single-natured techniques, but Pakura felt that her Scorch Release had the advantage over Ice Release. It was common for flames to melt ice, but ice could never freeze flames.
Facing Pakura's Scorch Release ninjutsu, Mutsuki didn't release any ninjutsu or dodge. He simply gathered Chakra in place.
"What's he doing?"
Mutsuki's actions triggered alarm bells in Pakura's mind.
Given the strength Mutsuki had shown, it was clear that he wouldn't be intimidated by her ninjutsu and fail to move; he must have some technique she wasn't aware of.
Pakura cautiously scanned her surroundings with her peripheral vision but saw nothing unusual. The other Konoha ninjas also remained still.
Just as Pakura was filled with confusion, Mutsuki moved.
Whoosh!
Pakura felt a blur in front of her, and instinctively kicked forward.
But how could Pakura's reaction speed and strike be faster than Mutsuki's?
Bang!
A dull thud sounded as Pakura's face and body made intimate contact with the ground, creating a crater on the surface.
"Pakura-sama!" A Hidden Sand ninja behind her looked on in disbelief at Mutsuki.
Pakura was a hero in Hidden Sand Village, with many ninjas in the village admiring her. During the time when the Third Kazekage had gone missing, Pakura was also a strong candidate for the Fourth Kazekage position.
"It's the Yellow Flash!" A Hidden Sand ninja remembered the Yellow Flash, who had recently gained great fame on the battlefields of the Land of Grass and the Land of Hot Water.
"He shouldn't be here, why is he in the Land of Rain?" The Hidden Sand ninjas were extremely confused.
Mutsuki, being a kind-hearted person, noticed how concerned the Hidden Sand ninjas were about Pakura and immediately helped them join her in the ground.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Mutsuki once again activated Flying Thunder God, appearing beside the Hidden Sand ninjas, and quickly took down all of them in a very short period of time.
"This group of Sand ninjas is weak. Besides that green-and-orange-haired female ninja, did any of the others even last ten seconds?" Obito commented.
Since Mutsuki had ordered them to fall back, even though Obito and the others had dealt with the Sand ninjas behind them, they didn't move forward to assist Mutsuki.
Obito wanted to fight alongside Mutsuki, but he didn't want to cause any trouble. Mutsuki had his reasons for ordering them to retreat.
"It's not that the Hidden Sand ninjas are weak, it's that Mutsuki-sensei is too strong," Kakashi corrected.
Kakashi looked at Obito. "Do you know who that female ninja is?"
Obito scratched his head and shook it. "Is she a famous ninja? She doesn't seem that strong."
Strictly speaking, Mutsuki had only used three Ninjutsu to defeat Pakura, making it look effortless and simple.
"That's why you should catch up on the basics of the ninja world," Kakashi sighed.
"Her name is Pakura, a ninja known as the 'Hero of the Sand.' She possesses the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai. Anyone touched by her Scorch Release flames will instantly turn to dry corpses. She is a renowned powerhouse in the ninja world," Kakashi explained to Obito.
Although Pakura was defeated by Mutsuki in just a few moves, Kakashi knew that this was due to several factors. The biggest one being the intelligence, as Kakashi didn't think Mutsuki, unlike Obito, wouldn't know about a well-known ninja like Pakura. Mutsuki clearly had the information about her.
But Pakura could not have known Mutsuki's information because Mutsuki was too low-key.
Pakura didn't know that Mutsuki had mastered Flying Thunder God, so it was perfectly normal for her to be taken out by it.
Mutsuki defeating Pakura seemed easy, but if Kakashi and the others went up, Kakashi felt that even all four of them together might not be able to beat Pakura.
The power of Scorch Release was too strong. If Rin had been hit by it, her Medical Ninjutsu might not have been able to heal her in time.
"Is this really common knowledge? Kakashi, where did you learn this?" Obito couldn't help but ask.
Obito felt like this wasn't common knowledge at all.
"This isn't just common knowledge; it's basic for ninjas. Don't you know how important intelligence is for ninjas?" Kakashi looked at Obito, exasperated.
"Pay attention, listen more, and keep an eye on major events in the ninja world," Kakashi advised.
Then Kakashi stopped talking to Obito and walked toward Mutsuki, as Shisui had already gone over there while they were discussing Pakura.
"What's so great about the Sand hero? She was still defeated by us and Mutsuki-sensei together," Obito mumbled as he walked over.
"Is this considered investigating the matter? If Konoha really wanted to take on Sand, do you think you'd still be alive right now?" Mutsuki said, watching Pakura slowly get back up.
Rasa definitely didn't like Pakura, if Rasa knew Mutsuki had killed her, he might even pop open a bottle of champagne to celebrate.
But Pakura's position in Sand was not simple, and killing her could easily escalate into a diplomatic incident. Mutsuki didn't want Konoha to end up surrounded and beaten by the four major ninja villages. That wouldn't be a good thing.
"You should focus more on Hidden Cloud or Hidden Rock."
"Yellow Flash truly lives up to his name. This was my mistake. I'll investigate again after I return," Pakura apologized and accepted Mutsuki's advice.
"My name is Mutsuki Yumi. Don't get it wrong next time." With that parting line, Mutsuki led the somewhat shaken client to their destination.
Pakura and the group of Sand Ninjas stood frozen in place, all with expressions of confusion.
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