Chapter 52: Pakura of the Sand
One week later, at the gates of Konohagakure, Ryuya and the others set out on their journey.
This time, Shinnō was preparing to travel to the Land of Wind. The escort team consisted not only of Ryuya, but also a squad of chūnin.
That chūnin squad had taken on the escort mission through the Mission Hall via normal channels, while Ryuya had joined temporarily at Shinnō's personal invitation.
Judging by its classification, this was a B-rank mission, which ordinarily should have been led by at least one jōnin.
However, several days earlier, news had reached Konoha that Kumogakure had launched a surprise attack along the Land of Fire's border. Upon receiving the report, the village immediately mobilized a large number of shinobi, with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, two of the Three Legendary Sannin, personally leading the reinforcements.
At the same time, to prepare for any sudden emergencies, the village leadership froze a large portion of ongoing commissions, keeping most elite shinobi of chūnin rank and above inside the village.
Because of these circumstances, the commission Shinnō issued was accepted by a team led only by a chūnin—and even that was the result of Shinnō leveraging years of accumulated connections and merit.
As for the chūnin squad itself, whose overall strength was nothing remarkable, they had no objections to Ryuya's temporary inclusion.
Among Konoha's younger generation, Akimichi Ryuya's reputation had already risen to nearly the same level as Asuma and Anko, second only to Kakashi.
After all, possessing a summoning beast with strength comparable to a jōnin was combat power no one dared to ignore.
That said, this also sparked dissatisfaction among many young shinobi in the village. Quite a few believed Ryuya had simply relied on luck to reach his current standing.
Two days earlier, Green Serpent's injuries had fully healed.
Once Green Serpent recovered, Ryuya did not dare leave it with Orochimaru any longer and immediately sealed it away and took it with him.
Orochimaru, having apparently already obtained sufficient experimental data, did not attempt to stop him.
After leaving Konoha, the group headed straight west. It took more than half a month before they reached the western border of the Land of Fire. Beyond that lay the territory of the Land of Rivers.
The Land of Rivers lay between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, serving as a buffer zone between the two great nations.
Its geography was quite similar to that of the Land of Wind, with vast stretches of barren desert and virtually no human habitation.
On the day they entered the Land of Rivers, after traveling all day, Ryuya and the others stopped at the edge of the approaching sea of sand.
This area was a jagged stone forest. Along its outskirts grew sparse patches of yellowish vegetation, and the group decided to use it as a temporary campsite.
After setting traps around a massive stone pillar, the five of them each chose a relatively clean spot and quietly sat down to eat.
The atmosphere during the meal was heavy. Disguised as an ordinary civilian, Shinnō had long since leaned against a boulder, pretending to be utterly exhausted, and quickly fell asleep. Ryuya and the three members of the chūnin squad also rested with their backs against the stone pillars, eyes closed in light dozes.
The wounds left by the Nine-Tails' Attack had yet to fully heal, and the news of Kumogakure's surprise assault hung like a dark cloud over every Konoha shinobi.
Along the journey, the three chūnin had been closely following any information they could gather about the situation on the front lines.
To deal with Kumogakure's attack, Konoha had directly deployed both Jiraiya and Orochimaru to the battlefield.
While this move helped stabilize morale, the overall situation was still far from optimistic.
Based on currently known intelligence, Kumogakure had sent out two jinchūriki in this surprise attack—Killer B and Yugito Nii. Even in a one-on-one fight, neither Jiraiya nor Orochimaru could be certain of suppressing them.
And in large-scale shinobi warfare, the power of jinchūriki was even more capable of tipping the balance of an entire battlefield.
It would not be easy for Konoha to gain the upper hand.
What was even more worrying was that, with Jiraiya and Orochimaru both deployed, the only remaining Kage-level fighter in Konoha was the Third Hokage.
Although Uchiha Fugaku, who had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, also possessed Kage-level strength, this fact was kept hidden. Given the strained relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village leadership, it was unlikely he would step forward to assist the Third Hokage.
As for Shisui, although he too had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at a young age, his body was still too immature to sustain a true Kage-level battle—unless he resorted to his ultimate genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami.
Under such circumstances, if another village were to launch an attack on Konoha, the situation would truly become dire.
Faced with this reality, even Ryuya could not help but sigh inwardly at Konoha's ill-fated destiny.
Its exceptionally advantageous geography had drawn in vast talent and resources to the Land of Fire—but it also left Konoha exposed to threats on all sides.
Boom—
Boom—
Boom—
Just as the group drifted into light rest, several explosions echoed through the air, shattering the silence of the stone forest.
Ryuya was the first to rise, leaping onto the stone pillar behind him and looking toward the source of the sound.
On another stone pillar a few meters away, the chūnin squad's captain followed suit and jumped up as well.
From their elevated vantage point, they saw several plumes of smoke erupt in the sea of sand one or two kilometers away, curtains of sand raining down from the sky.
Beneath the falling sand, several figures burst forth in succession, sprinting straight toward the stone forest where Ryuya and the others were positioned.
Before long, those figures had closed to within less than a hundred meters of the forest's edge.
Looking down from above, Ryuya quickly noticed that the one fleeing at the front was a voluptuous, strikingly beautiful female shinobi.
Judging by her clothing, she appeared to be from Sunagakure, yet she was not wearing a Sand forehead protector.
She was clearly gravely injured. As she ran, blood continuously spilled from the corner of her mouth, while several highly condensed fire orbs circled around her body.
"Pakura of the Sand—Scorch Release user from Sunagakure!"
The chūnin squad leader on the other pillar cried out in shock.
He had recognized the woman instantly.
Pakura of the Sand!
Hearing the exclamation, Ryuya's heart stirred.
This was a powerful kekkei genkai shinobi of Sunagakure.
Behind Pakura, the pursuers soon entered Ryuya's field of vision.
Sand shinobi.
Why were Sunagakure ninja chasing Pakura here?
Seeing their attire, Ryuya's body tensed slightly, confusion surfacing on his face.
In his memories from his previous life, Pakura was one of Sunagakure's most renowned shinobi, second only to the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa—a true hero who had rendered countless services to her village.
Later, near the end of the Third Great Ninja War, Rasa personally ordered Pakura to act as an envoy to Kirigakure.
Because it was a covert mission, she left the village in secret.
Yet upon entering the Land of Water, she was ambushed by Mist shinobi and died at the hands of her enemies, becoming nothing more than a political sacrifice.
This had been a prearranged ceasefire condition between Sunagakure and Kirigakure—Pakura's death in exchange for easing the Mist's hatred.
But now, more than a year after the end of the Third Great Ninja War, Pakura was still alive.
And here she was, being hunted down by shinobi from her own village.
Could this be the butterfly effect caused by his arrival?
For a moment, countless thoughts raced through Ryuya's mind.
And just as Ryuya crouched atop the stone pillar, lost in thought, the fleeing Pakura noticed him as well.
This area was an open stone forest at the edge of a vast desert; Ryuya's figure atop the pillar was impossible to miss.
Upon seeing him, the severely wounded Pakura did not hesitate for even a second—she leapt and ran straight toward Ryuya's position.
For 60 advanced chapters,you can go to my Patreon: Patreon.com/Keiondir