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Ken stood where he was, expression blank, watching the figure approaching from the distance.
She was a young woman, around eighteen. A Sunagakure forehead protector rested on her brow. Her hair was split in color—orange in the front, dark green in the back—held together with a single hairpin.
Her features were strikingly beautiful, a faint smile playing on her lips.
But what drew the eye most was her figure.
Only slightly less impressive than Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin, she was the kind of woman who seemed flawless in both looks and physique.
"So it's Pakura of the Sand…" Ken's eyes narrowed as the name surfaced in his mind.
Pakura was a jonin of Sunagakure, the sole wielder of the Scorch Release bloodline limit.
Scorch Release combined wind and fire chakra, creating a terrifying ability that could instantly evaporate all the moisture in a target's body, leaving behind nothing but a dried corpse.
She had been a hero of the Sand, dedicating her short life to the village.
And yet, in the end, she was betrayed—used as a bargaining chip between Sunagakure and Kirigakure. Tricked by the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, into a so-called "secret mission," she was sent to the Mist… only to be killed under a rain of kunai.
A thoughtful look flickered across Ken's face.
The Land of Bears bordered the Land of Water.
If Pakura was here, then her next stop had to be Kirigakure—to carry out that so-called "secret mission."
Which meant… she was walking straight to her death.
What the hell was Rasa thinking?
Such a waste of the only Scorch Release user in the series.
"You must be one of Konoha's Wood Release experiments, right?" Pakura said with a light smile.
As far as she knew, the Senju clan had long since declined, leaving only Tsunade—and Tsunade couldn't use Wood Release. So the most likely explanation was that this boy was some kind of experiment.
After all, Wood Release was far too powerful. No village would willingly give up on that kind of strength.
"You've got a sharp mind, big sis. Makes me wonder if I should kill you to keep this secret safe." Ken neither confirmed nor denied it, deliberately misleading her.
Since Pakura hadn't mentioned the Sharingan, it meant she hadn't noticed it earlier. His Uchiha identity was still safe.
Then again, he'd only used it at close range. It wasn't strange that she missed it.
"Careful, kid. Talking big like that might bite you back. You don't want big sis to spank you later, do you?" Pakura covered her mouth and laughed.
Looking at the boy—only eight or nine years old—yet already possessing jonin-level strength, she was genuinely shocked.
But she had seen him fight the Mist rogue ninja earlier. He must have used up a lot of chakra. That gave her confidence to step in now.
And besides, she had Scorch Release.
Every ninja carried their own pride.
She had no reason to fear him.
"Spank me?" Ken glanced at her hips, then muttered under his breath, "Might be the other way around…"
Pakura continued, "I'm guessing someone like you—an experiment—doesn't get much respect in Konoha. Why not come back to Sunagakure with me? We've got plenty of friendly comrades there."
Ken instantly thought of the One-Tail's jinchūriki, Gaara.
Friendly?
Yeah, right.
Seeing he wasn't moved, Pakura pressed on. "The Sand always values talent. Money, resources… whatever you want, we can provide."
"Oh?" Ken smirked. "Big sis… does that include you?"
Pakura froze for a moment—then burst into laughter, her body trembling with the motion, every curve full of allure.
But when she stopped laughing, her expression turned ice-cold.
"Watch your mouth, kid. Or big sis might just cut your tongue out."
The moment her words fell—
She pushed off the ground, her body shooting forward like a nimble night cat. A gust of air exploded behind her!
If soft tactics didn't work, then force it was.
Break his legs and drag him back!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their kunai collided in rapid succession across the clearing.
Although he had used quite a bit of backup chakra earlier against the Mist rogue ninja, he still had over 4,000 left.
Plenty to fight.
"Hm?" Ken frowned slightly.
His kunai was infused with wind chakra, making it incredibly sharp—yet it couldn't cut through hers.
Looking closer, he realized—
Her kunai was also wrapped in wind chakra.
On the battlefield, it was kill or be killed.
Ken didn't hold back just because she was a beautiful woman. He pulled away, creating two meters of distance.
In less than half a second, he completed his hand seals.
"Wood Release: Strangling Technique!"
Branches burst from the ground, lunging at Pakura in a relentless assault.
She dodged calmly, retreating to a safe distance before counterattacking without hesitation.
"Scorch Release: Extreme Steam Kill!"
More than a dozen fist-sized yellow orbs formed around her and shot toward Ken.
Every tree they brushed against instantly lost its moisture, turning into blackened charcoal.
Ken's heart tightened.
If those orbs touched him, even with his Sage Body, he wouldn't come out unscathed.
Without hesitation, he raised a defense.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
A thick wooden barrier rose, blocking the attack.
"So strong…" Pakura was stunned.
With her bloodline limit, she was rarely matched in Sunagakure.
Yet this boy in front of her—she couldn't take him down. It left her both shocked and frustrated.
The One-Tail in her village often went berserk, causing casualties.
Wood Release had a natural suppressive effect on tailed beasts.
If she could bring this boy back, the village would suffer far fewer losses.
But right now… she wasn't even sure she could defeat him.
And she still had a mission to Kirigakure.
If she wasted too much energy here and failed that mission, the consequences would be serious.
Pakura leapt high into the air, then flipped backward, creating distance. She looked at Ken with a bright smile.
"You're pretty impressive, little brother. Big sis can't tame you today, so I'll stop here."
Ken shook his head, replying innocently, "Big sis still had plenty in reserve. I couldn't match you."
"Such a smooth talker," Pakura chuckled. "If you ever change your mind, come find me in Sunagakure. Remember my name—Pakura."
Bang!
A smoke bomb exploded at her feet, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished.
Ken rolled his eyes.
You sure you'll make it out of Kirigakure alive first?
Staring in the direction she had disappeared, he fell into thought.
The relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha wasn't good.
Sooner or later, there would be a clash.
And he had a bold idea.
Recruit Pakura.
That was a deal worth making.
If she refused to submit…
Fine.
Then he'd devour all her chakra instead.
Decision made, Ken took off in the direction she had gone.
"....."