Pakura walked through the Rock Forest shrouded in thick mist. This place was a canyon formed entirely of towering stone pillars.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from ahead:
"Lady Pakura of Scorch Release! I'm here to escort you!"
A Kirigakure shinobi wearing a Mist forehead protector emerged from the fog. He smiled warmly and said,
"It's truly an honor to meet you."
Pakura stopped and looked at him. A trace of vigilance flashed through her eyes, but when she clearly saw the Mist forehead protector, she relaxed slightly.
After all, Rasa had told her from the beginning that this was a peace negotiation, so she hadn't been overly guarded against Kirigakure.
"No matter what, in weather like this, it's impossible to proceed without a guide," she said calmly.
"Thank you for your trouble," Pakura continued, neither humble nor arrogant. "But once we pass through this canyon, there shouldn't be any risk of getting lost."
The Mist shinobi scratched his head sheepishly.
"You're right about that."
As he spoke, he stepped aside and gestured politely.
"Then please, go ahead."
"Mm."
Pakura didn't suspect anything and moved forward.
Suddenly—
A kunai tore through the air from behind her!
Pakura's pupils contracted. She realized what was happening, but it was already too late to dodge.
Clang!
A long blade appeared out of nowhere, striking the kunai and knocking it sharply off course!
Pakura instantly leapt sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"Tsk, tsk. Sunagakure really doesn't have many shinobi with a kekkei genkai, let alone jōnin."
A mocking voice slowly sounded from behind the rocks.
"I really didn't expect the Sand's upper echelon to be so brainless—actually willing to sacrifice a jōnin."
Both Pakura and the Mist shinobi turned sharply toward the source of the voice.
On top of a rock stood a five-year-old boy, arms crossed, a cold smile on his face. His long black hair fluttered lightly in the wind, and his deep eyes stared directly at Pakura.
The Mist shinobi staggered back in shock, muttering,
"When did he appear…?"
Pakura's gaze hardened. She immediately noticed the forehead protector on Wen Lan's left arm and entered a combat stance.
"You're a Konoha ninja!"
"Idiot woman," Wen Lan said lazily, plopping down on the rock and tossing a small stone in his hand.
"Didn't you notice? I'm the one who just saved you."
Only then did Pakura notice—
The Mist shinobi was holding a kunai, now broken cleanly in half. A ninja blade was embedded in the rock wall nearby, while the sword at Wen Lan's waist had only its sheath remaining.
"Damn it!"
The Mist shinobi gritted his teeth and shouted, "Enough hiding—move in!"
"Are you talking about them?"
A woman's voice came from above the canyon.
Two black silhouettes dropped from the cliffs overhead and slammed into the ground—two Kirigakure shinobi corpses.
"Seriously, shouldn't you leave something as easy as showing off to me?"
Behind Wen Lan, Genma Shiranui emerged, senbon in his mouth, dragging a Mist shinobi's corpse. A single senbon was embedded in the man's neck, his eyes wide and lifeless.
Wen Lan turned his head, speechless.
"Genma, you're from the Shiranui clan, not the Nara clan. Stop thinking about taking the easy route all the time.
"You're one step away from shouting 'what a drag' every day."
"Ah, you caught me," Genma said, scratching his head with a helpless grin.
"Damn it—Kurenai, you said you'd leave one for me!" Might Guy's loud voice echoed from above the canyon.
"You were too slow," Yūhi Kurenai replied calmly.
"I didn't expect them to be just genin. One genjutsu was enough."
Pakura's expression darkened.
She wasn't stupid.
There were Kirigakure shinobi lying in ambush here—and Kirigakure had no idea Konoha shinobi would appear.
Which meant the ambush had been prepared for her.
She had devoted herself to the village with everything she had, only to end up as a disposable sacrifice.
Her gaze grew colder, her chest filling with anger and grief.
Was everything she had done… only meant to end like this?
She clenched her fists and stared at the Mist shinobi, her voice low and icy.
"What exactly do you plan to make me into?"
The Mist shinobi didn't answer. He merely took a step back, his expression complicated.
Wen Lan sighed softly and stood up.
"Looks like they treated you as nothing more than a tool, Pakura.
"But you still have a choice."
The air was thick with tension. Pakura's eyes shifted between Wen Lan and the Mist shinobi as she weighed her fate.
She could feel the pressure emanating from Wen Lan—she was keenly aware that she likely wasn't his opponent.
"Pakura," Wen Lan said, extending his hand toward her.
"Come to us—the Uchiha.
"As a Scorch Release kekkei genkai user, your future shouldn't rot here forever.
"If your village treats you like trash, then the Uchiha will welcome you sincerely."
Pakura's pupils shrank slightly. Her heart struggled violently.
She had once believed loyalty was the only path—but now, betrayal's chill crept up from the depths of her soul.
She looked at the hand Wen Lan offered.
A completely new road.
Unknown… but full of possibility.
Her heartbeat seemed to synchronize with the wind. Each second stretched endlessly.
Finally—
She slowly reached out.
The moment her fingers touched Wen Lan's palm, it felt as though she had crossed an immeasurable abyss.
In truth, both Wen Lan and Pakura knew—
She had no real choice.
Wen Lan appeared to give her one, but if Pakura refused, he would absolutely make a move.
Since her village had already abandoned her, changing allegiance left them with nothing to accuse her of.
"You made the right choice," Wen Lan said, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
At that moment, heavy footsteps sounded in the distance—clearly a large unit of shinobi rapidly approaching.
The Mist shinobi's face lit up. He turned toward Wen Lan and sneered.
"It's our Kirigakure forces!
"You dragged this out too long. If I didn't return on time, the unit would come looking for me!
"You won't escape now!"
Kurenai and Guy ran down along the rock walls. Kurenai's expression was grim as she reported:
"One jōnin, eighteen chūnin, and more than thirty genin are closing in!"
Pakura's expression shifted slightly. She immediately pulled a kunai from her ninja pouch.
"Looks like I'll still be staying here today," she said coldly.
"But I won't just wait to die."
Wen Lan let out a cold laugh. He reached toward the blade embedded in the rock wall and drew it back with a pull of chakra, gripping it firmly.
"Oh right, Pakura—almost forgot to introduce myself."
He looked at her and spoke slowly:
"I'm from the Uchiha clan. My name is Uchiha Wen Lan."
As he finished speaking, his black pupils instantly transformed—
Three-tomoe Sharingan!
Pakura's face changed dramatically.
Uchiha Wen Lan.
The five-year-old with Kage-level strength.
"Next," Wen Lan said, grinning fiercely, "comes my performance."
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