The quarrel between Konan's group and Pakura's subordinates had long since faded into background noise.
For the two people standing at the center of the battlefield, only each other existed.
Rain fell relentlessly, yet the ground beneath Pakura's feet was cracked and steaming, scorched by the lingering heat of her chakra. The four blazing orbs of Scorch Release rotated slowly around her body, their intense heat warping the air.
Her breathing had grown heavier.
Pakura had already realized it.
This fight was no longer unfolding the way she had planned.
From the very beginning, her strategy had been clear—close the distance instantly, suppress Aosui with overwhelming taijutsu, and deny him the chance to form hand seals. Against a ninjutsu-focused opponent, that tactic was nearly flawless.
But Aosui was different.
Too different.
He dodged with calm precision, blocked without panic, and read her movements with unsettling clarity. More importantly, he never looked pressured.
That was what disturbed her most.
This should have ended by now…
Pakura clenched her teeth.
Her quick-victory approach had failed.
And for the first time since gaining her Scorch Release, she felt something unfamiliar creeping into her heart.
Impatience.
She still had one more technique.
A new one.
A Scorch Release variation she had only recently begun developing.
Its power was undeniable—but so was its instability.
She hadn't fully mastered it yet.
If she misjudged the timing, the distance, or the chakra output, the consequences wouldn't just be failure. She could injure herself… or worse, endanger her subordinates standing nearby.
For a brief moment, Pakura hesitated.
And in a battle between elites—
A single moment was more than enough.
Across from her, Aosui noticed it instantly.
The shift in breathing.
The subtle pause in movement.
The flicker of uncertainty.
So that's your limit, he thought calmly.
He had no intention of dragging this fight on any longer.
Aosui stepped back, widening the distance between them. His sword was held horizontally before his chest, the blade angled slightly downward.
Pakura's eyes narrowed.
What is he doing?
She expected another Water Release technique.
Another attempt to extinguish her flames.
But instead, Aosui moved his blade.
It swayed lightly.
Like a willow branch in the wind.
"Leaf Style—Willow."
The world changed.
Leaves filled Pakura's vision.
Green, gold, countless silhouettes swirling in an endless dance, carried by an invisible wind. The rain vanished. The battlefield dissolved.
Aosui's presence disappeared.
Genjutsu?!
Pakura reacted instantly.
Her chakra surged violently as she attempted to dispel the illusion by force.
But the moment her consciousness snapped back into reality—
It was already too late.
A sharp pain tore across her body.
Steel flashed.
Blood splashed onto the rain-soaked ground.
Pakura's body was sent flying backward, crashing hard into the mud before rolling several times and coming to a stop.
The battle was over.
Silence reigned.
Rain continued to fall, tapping softly against stone and steel.
For a few heartbeats, no one moved.
Then—
"Teacher Pakura!"
Her three subordinates rushed forward in panic, kneeling beside her fallen form. Their faces were pale, disbelief written clearly in their eyes.
She had lost.
Defeated.
By an unknown Konoha ninja.
A genin—no, worse—a medical genin.
Their world felt upside down.
On the other side of the battlefield, Konan jumped excitedly.
"I knew it! Big Brother Aosui wouldn't lose!"
Yahiko pumped his fist enthusiastically. "Big Brother Aosui is amazing!"
Even Nagato, usually reserved, allowed a faint smile to appear on his face.
But Pakura's condition was far from cheerful.
She lay on the ground, blood seeping from the wound across her torso, her breathing shallow and uneven.
"I… I'm fine…"
Her voice was weak, unconvincing.
"I lost," she admitted after a brief pause, her tone calm despite the pain. "I underestimated you. We will abandon this mission."
True to her pride, Pakura accepted defeat without excuses.
At those words, Aosui relaxed slightly and stepped forward.
Immediately, Pakura's three subordinates blocked his path, weapons raised.
"We've already abandoned the mission," one of them said warily. "What more do you want?"
Aosui raised an eyebrow, then smiled faintly.
"There's no need to be so tense," he said calmly. "I'm a medical genin. I can treat your teacher."
The words hit them harder than any jutsu.
"A medical… genin?"
All four of them stared at Aosui as if he had just said the most absurd thing imaginable.
Medical ninja already defied common sense.
They required terrifying chakra control, precise techniques, and years of training—yet most of them were weak in combat and needed constant protection.
But this man?
Someone who had just defeated a kekkei genkai jōnin?
"Are you joking?" one subordinate blurted out.
"This isn't funny," another said stiffly.
Aosui didn't argue.
He simply nodded, knelt beside Pakura, and placed his glowing hand over her wound.
Green chakra spread gently.
Pakura stiffened at first—but soon, warmth replaced the pain.
The torn flesh knitted together.
Bleeding stopped.
Her breathing stabilized.
She stared at Aosui, stunned.
So it's true…
He really was a medical ninja.
And not just any medical ninja.
The world suddenly felt very strange.
When Aosui finished, Pakura sat up slowly, fully healed.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Aosui withdrew his hand and stood.
"Don't misunderstand," he added. "I didn't intend to kill you. This is a time of peace, and you're an important shinobi of Sunagakure."
That wasn't the full truth—but it was close enough.
The real reason was simpler.
Healing Pakura benefited him far more than killing her ever could.
The system notification echoed in his mind.
> [Successfully healed Pakura]
[Reward obtained: Golden Orb]
[Acquired: Scorch Release – Incinerating Steam Might]
A flood of information poured into his consciousness.
Chakra circulation patterns.
Thermal compression theory.
High-temperature vaporization techniques.
A powerful jutsu.
A terrifying one.
And completely unusable.
Because Aosui didn't possess Scorch Release.
A kekkei genkai wasn't something that could be brute-forced like elemental ninjutsu.
Shame, he thought calmly.
If she were Kage-level, I might have gotten the bloodline itself.
Pakura, of course, had no idea she was being mentally evaluated like loot from a dungeon boss.
She looked up at Aosui, her expression conflicted.
"…Are you really just a genin?"
Aosui met her gaze evenly.
"I have no reason to lie," he said simply. "I really am just a medical genin."
Pakura fell silent.
Rain washed the blood from the battlefield.
And for the first time in her life—
She wondered whether the world was far larger than she had ever imagined.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)