Less than five kilometers from the town, deep in the dense forest, Pakura dispelled her Transformation Jutsu. She gripped a kunai in each hand, crouching with bent knees, her expression filled with killing intent as she stared down over a dozen Kiri ninjas.
Two fireballs from her Extremely Steaming Murder floated at her sides, their searing heat rendering the Kiri ninjas' Hiding in Mist Technique nearly ineffective. At her feet lay a Kiri ninja, his body shriveled like a dried corpse, completely devoid of life.
There was no exchange of words, no taunts. Fuguki let out a sinister laugh and signaled his subordinates.
The plan hadn't gone perfectly—not all of Suna's forces had been lured out as intended. There was even a high possibility that some of them were hidden in the shadows, waiting to counterattack. But as the core of Suna's squad, Pakura was their linchpin. If they could take her down quickly, the remaining Suna ninjas would be nothing more than a scattered, broken force.
"Water Release: Linked Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Under Fuguki's command, fifteen Kiri ninjas unleashed the Exploding Water Colliding Wave simultaneously. Torrents of water erupted from their mouths, merging into an overwhelming wave capable of swallowing everything in its path.
Pakura's eyes flickered as she leaped swiftly, maneuvering to evade the crashing waves surging in from all directions. Before she could shift the battlefield and break the Kiri encirclement, the elite Kiri ninjas behind Fuguki had already completed their hand seals.
Chakra smoke shrouded the area, and within the haze, massive creatures loomed, their presence pressing down on Pakura. The moment the smoke began to dissipate, the summoned beasts and their summoners launched a coordinated attack.
Massive water spheres, over two meters in diameter and packed with dense chakra, rained down like cannonballs, bombarding Pakura from every angle. Meanwhile, the fifteen Kiri ninjas who had launched the collaborative Water Release continued their assault.
Eight of them stood in a formation, hands forming seals as they maintained their chakra output, preventing the summoned water from dispersing. The remaining seven dove into the water, using it as cover to launch a surprise attack from below.
The relentless water attacks overwhelmed Pakura, rapidly extinguishing the scorching fireballs spinning at her sides. From beneath the water, the seven Kiri ninjas surged upward, striking in rapid succession.
"Guhahaha! Let's see where you run this time!"
Fuguki unsheathed his massive sword, Samehada, watching with sadistic delight as Pakura, her body already marred with fresh wounds, struggled to defend herself, barely able to do anything beyond dodging.
The thrill of imminent victory surged through him.
With a burst of speed, he charged forward, gripping Samehada tightly, riding the waves straight toward Pakura.
As Fuguki closed in, she kicked away two Kiri ninjas lunging at her from below, swiftly forming seals before slamming her hands onto the water's surface.
Heat erupted from her palms, spreading rapidly. In mere moments, the surging water beneath her transformed into a boiling inferno.
The Kiri ninjas lurking beneath the water hastily tried to retreat, but two of them were a fraction too slow. Scalding steam engulfed them, their agonized screams piercing the air as their skin blistered and burned.
Even the massive summoned beasts weren't spared—one, unable to dodge in time, vanished in a puff of chakra smoke, while the remaining two were forced to retreat.
"Using such a large-scale attack… how much chakra do you even have left?"
Fuguki's grin grew even more twisted. He leaped over the boiling water, bringing Samehada down in a vicious arc toward Pakura.
"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
Pakura's hands moved in a blur, forming seals as she unleashed her signature technique. Twin fireballs shot forth, colliding with Samehada.
A shriek of pain erupted from the sentient sword. Samehada's gray-blue scales turned red-hot, its body writhing and its spiked surface standing on end.
"Don't worry, soon you'll taste the most delicious chakra yet."
Fuguki soothed Samehada with a few words, showing no concern for the burns on his arm as he continued his relentless assault.
With his immense strength, it took only a few strikes to knock the kunai from Pakura's hands. Her arms, already battered from the close-quarters clash with Samehada's serrated scales, were now torn and bleeding. Worse still, her chakra was being steadily drained away.
Facing Fuguki's overpowering attacks while being entangled by several other Kiri ninjas, she knew she couldn't hold out in a direct confrontation. Silently, she prayed that her teammates would arrive soon.
A sudden cry echoed through the battlefield.
Just as Fuguki was pressing his attack, shouts of alarm erupted among the Kiri ninjas. The eight Kiri ninja who had been maintaining the water jutsu's containment field were suddenly ambushed. Though they had been prepared, one of them was instantly decapitated, while the remaining seven managed to evade fatal wounds, suffering only minor injuries.
But the controlled water jutsu, no longer sustained by chakra, quickly dispersed, flooding outward and washing away the advantageous battlefield conditions that had taken so much effort to create.
As Fuguki momentarily lost focus, Pakura seized the opportunity, sending a fireball straight at Samehada.
The living blade shrieked in pain, its surface sizzling under the intense heat. The scorching temperature transferred through the hilt, forcing Fuguki to release his grip, even if only for a moment.
Twelve Suna ninjas clashed with the remaining Kiri ninja in close-quarters combat, breaking the encirclement. A brutal melee ensued.
Now free from her entrapment, Pakura's killing intent surged. Facing Fuguki without his sword, she immediately shifted from defense to offense.
Meanwhile, within the town, Kei and Minato had been waiting for their moment. Through sensory ninjutsu and a murder of crows circling above to provide a clear aerial view, they had been watching in silence, awaiting the perfect opportunity.
As the Suna ninjas deliberately maneuvered the battlefield, drawing the Kiri forces away from the water-covered forest, a few heavily injured Kiri ninjas and one nearly incapacitated Suna ninja were left behind.
Noticing this opening, Kei and Minato moved immediately.
A formation of three crows, each carrying a Flying Thunder God mark, dove down from the sky under Kei's command. One headed directly for the fallen Suna ninjas, another aimed at the injured Kiri ninja, and the last streaked toward the spot where Samehada had fallen.
"Minato! The sword—Samehada!"
Samehada—one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist, and by far the most unique. Unlike ordinary weapons, it was alive, capable of absorbing an opponent's chakra and transferring the stolen energy to its wielder.
It could even use its stored chakra to enhance cellular regeneration. In extreme cases, it allowed its user to fuse with it, transforming into a fish-like humanoid perfectly suited for aquatic combat.
Although in the original timeline, Samehada eventually betrayed its owner, Kisame, and defected to Killer B, there was no denying how useful the weapon was under normal circumstances.
Minato, seeing the childlike gleam in his friend's eyes, found himself unable to refuse. With a helpless smile, he vanished in a flash, activating the Flying Thunder God.