Chapter 300: Clash with Pakura
Five kilometers west of Konoha's mid-mountain outpost—
After passing through a forest and entering a clearing, Pakura and her team suddenly came to a halt.
Staring at the man standing alone in the distance, clad in Konoha's uniform and watching them with a faint smile, everyone felt a strange pressure descend.
Though he stood there calmly, with no other Konoha ninja in sight, cold sweat began to trickle down their faces.
"Sakumo of the Yuzu !"
One of the Suna-nin, a survivor of the last Great Ninja War, spoke up. He had never seen Sakumo in person, but that man's image had long been etched into his heart.
The signature white hair—
That impossibly handsome and elegant face—Sakumo 's aura set him apart from other Kage-level shinobi.
Even without the famed short white blade on his back, the Suna-nin was sure: the man ahead could be no one else.
There was no mistaking it. That gentle yet terrifying aura.
A veteran Suna-nin once said:
"When you truly encounter Sakumo , even if you've never seen him before, you'll know—deep down—you've met him."
That's exactly what this ninja felt right now.
"What?!"
"That's really Sakumo ?!"
Gasps and tension filled the air. Their bodies went stiff, sweat pouring down their faces.
His reputation preceded him. Already a famous Kage-level powerhouse, Sakumo had now returned with the added glory of defeating Sasori of the Red Sand.
The fear in their minds and bodies was impossible to suppress.
Only Pakura remained composed.
She narrowed her eyes at the man before her, exuding an oppressive force even while standing still.
"Is that really Sakumo ?"
"Yes," the ninja who first recognized him answered with certainty.
Pakura 's frown deepened. "That means Sasori lost even faster than we expected… In other words—this guy is even stronger than we imagined."
To beat Sasori that quickly and still make it here to intercept them? That meant none of their allies on the way could even slow him down.
He had come straight here.
"You're that Scorch Release user—Pakura ."
Sakumo spoke calmly, but his chakra suddenly exploded like a tidal wave.
The Suna-nin behind her instinctively staggered backward, legs trembling, nearly collapsing. They looked at Sakumo as if he were a walking Tailed Beast.
"As expected—very powerful."
Even Pakura could feel it. His silent pressure was immense—like crashing waves in the middle of a stormy sea.
A true monster of a shinobi.
Even when she once faced the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, she hadn't felt this kind of oppressive dread.
Maybe… only her brother-in-law had ever made her feel this level of pressure. But he would never do that—after all, they weren't enemies.
"You all fall back and take a different route. I'll hold him here."
Pakura stepped forward and spoke seriously.
The intel in the letter had been vague, but she had gleaned enough:
His attack range must be immense—he wouldn't have hit Sasori in the air otherwise.He specialized in Lightning Release, so his attacks were likely extremely fast.And he was infamous for terrifying speed.
Everyone here would be killed in a single move. They couldn't help her—only slow her down.
"Be careful, Lady Pakura . We'll go get reinforcements!"
The others understood and quickly withdrew. Six went to fetch help, while four remained at a distance—close enough to potentially support her if needed.
They couldn't help much, but they couldn't just abandon her either.
If both sides were wounded in the battle, they could at least ensure Pakura didn't die from her injuries.
"Come, let's see how strong the famed Scorch Release of Pakura really is."
Sakumo looked at her the way one might admire a finely crafted work of art—curious to see how his "creation" would perform.
That was his reason for intercepting her here.
Clap!
Pakura 's hands flew into motion. She pressed her palms together, and Scorch chakra surged between them.
"Scorch Release – Flash Pierce!"
Without hesitation, she launched her fastest and most penetrating heat beam attack.
"Not bad."
Sakumo calmly sidestepped.
To others, the attack was unbelievably fast—but to him, whose neural reaction speed and consciousness were in sync with Li Yao's clone and Hatake Sakumo's refined body, it was nothing.
By watching where Pakura 's palms met, he could predict the attack trajectory and dodge preemptively.
As long as he avoided the initial beam, the sweeping motion that followed was easy to evade.
No matter how Pakura twisted or swept her hands, Sakumo ducked, turned, and dodged with ease.
"You really are fast."
Pakura stopped. This was the first time anyone had so easily evaded her Flash Pierce, all while keeping the perfect distance—just inside her optimal range.
Clearly, he was extremely confident in both his speed and reaction time.
"But… if that's all your speed is, then this will be difficult."
Pakura frowned.
Sakumo was slightly faster than her in normal state. At that level, he couldn't have forced Sasori to flee.
Unless his offense was far more dangerous than she knew—perhaps a long-range technique, like her brother-in-law's Wind Slash.
With that thought, Pakura immediately activated Crimson Heat Mode, boosting her neural and movement speed to the next tier.
She could only dodge his true attacks if she were at full power.
"And that intel guy didn't even mention what kind of jutsu Sakumo used? Damn it!"
She cursed silently. The message only said Sasori had lost and fled—it didn't mention how or what technique had been used.
That left her in the dark—should she test the waters first or go all out?
Before she could decide, her thermal perception picked up her allies still hiding in the forest.
She was furious.
She told them to retreat. Why were they still nearby?
If they had truly left, she could fight freely—and if she lost, she'd have no guilt about fleeing.
But now? They were hiding, thinking they were being helpful.
Did they really think Sakumo couldn't sense them?
From the moment she met him, she knew—he definitely had long-range sensory capabilities.
And yet those fools… sigh. Forget it.
(END CHAPTER)
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