For some unknown reason, despite being alone, Pakura's infiltration of the Land of Rain was remarkably flashy. After encountering the Rain Ninja's encirclement, she didn't choose to retreat but fought back with stubborn ferocity.
The reason for this remained a mystery. Common sense dictated that no matter how powerful a ninja was, they shouldn't exhibit such a high desire for combat while invading a foreign nation; such behavior was usually synonymous with a death wish. And Pakura wasn't that invincible.
Unless... her mission was specifically to draw as much attention from the Rain as possible.
Regardless, her intrusion provided a massive convenience for the Ui squad. Along the way, the scattered Rain scouting teams had concentrated and were rushing toward the site of the clash. Between Pakura's invasion and the Akatsuki's activities, the border between Rain and Fire was in absolute chaos.
But that chaos no longer concerned Ui. The battlefield was far behind them. No matter how much they strained their eyes or ears, they could no longer perceive the commotion.
Under the cover of night, the Multi-Headed Hound—a massive carnivorous canine—bolted forward with the four squad members. The likelihood of running into a standard four-man enemy cell had plummeted. The Rain Ninja had shifted from a wide net to a concentrated force, effectively shrinking their control zones. This was the perfect window for escape.
Still, to prevent slamming head-first into a medium-sized battalion, Ui remained vigilant.
After several hours of full-speed running, they had completely left the core control areas of the Rain. The Land of Fire was finally within sight.
"As far as the reconnaissance mission is concerned, we have officially succeeded," Ui said, patting his chest where the intelligence map was tucked. Even if he lost the map, most of the data was burned into his memory.
"And the cost was within acceptable parameters..."
This comment earned a massive eye-roll from the "semi-disabled" Asuma—the one currently paying the price of those parameters.
Aoba and Kurenai both nodded in agreement. Initially, this infiltration was ranked as a B-rank mission. Had it been a smooth entry and exit, that would have been accurate. But considering they had faced the Fuma clan and an elite like Pakura (not even counting the Akatsuki encounter), the actual difficulty had spiked to A-rank.
To complete an A-rank mission at the cost of a few broken ribs and no fatalities? That was a bargain for a first major outing.
"As for Pakura's goal... we have no way of knowing now," Ui continued. "In the mission report, we'll simply state her location and presence at the border."
In the ninja world, one does not offer guesses without evidence. Analyzing Pakura's intent was a job for the higher-ups who held more pieces of the puzzle. Besides, Ui secretly suspected she might have already been finished off by Nagato—if she had been foolish enough to force a confrontation with that "Pacifist."
Regarding the Akatsuki, Ui knew he had to be careful. He could report the surface details, but he couldn't reveal deep-seated information like the name of the organization or the specifics of the Rinnegan. How could he explain knowing those things after a single encounter?
"I just looked at him once and saw his soul?" The Leaf Intelligence Department wouldn't find that funny during a World War. They'd probably lock him up as a double agent.
The sky was beginning to brighten. Light filtered through the canopy ahead.
"Attention, we're about to leave the forest cover. In a few minutes, we'll cross the border and return to the Land of Fi—"
Ui's sentence was cut short as the Multi-Headed Hound beneath them came to a violent, screeching halt. The creature was suddenly and uncontrollably slammed sideways!
The forest erupted with the roars of its three heads.
A silver-colored weapon—looking like a whip, yet segmented like an armored invertebrate—had ensnared the hound in a split second. The massive summon was grabbed as if by a giant hand and hurled through the air.
The four riders were tossed into the sky. With his instantaneous reflexes, Ui tucked into a ball, adjusted his posture, and landed safely. His eyes were already locked on the source of the attack.
The others took the fall hard, with Asuma likely suffering "secondary damage." The enemy's primary target had been the large summon, and the speed of the ambush was enough to bypass the hound's primal instincts.
A low, hunched figure emerged slowly from the shadows of the forest.
In that instant, Ui finally understood why an elite like Pakura would be so far from the front lines during a Great War.
She was here for a mission. And the target of that mission—the reason she was acting as a distraction—was now standing right in front of him.