This question was also of concern to Dodai, who led the Kumo Ninja to wait for the masked man's answer.
The masked man deliberately moved closer to Pakura, looking left and right in a comical manner, even scratching the back of his head.
His voice also became lighter.
"Maybe it's because seeing you make big spheres explode reminded me of an old acquaintance."
"He was a very remarkable senior, someone who pursued art to the point of blowing himself up."
"Ah, senior, your death was so tragic! Boohoohoo!", The masked man covered his face and started crying.
Immediately, everyone at the scene exchanged glances, 'Who is this clown?'
'Is this really the same guy who has been dark and dangerous just a moment ago?'
In the distance, Kakashi couldn't help but complain to Rin, "Rin, why has Obito become so silly?"
Rin couldn't suppress her laughter, covering her mouth as she giggled, "Actually, this is part of Obito's personality. Maybe now that he's wearing a mask, he feels free to be himself?"
Kakashi recalled the Obito from their childhood, 'It does seem to fit.'
'Obito has always been a fool...'
Back to the masked man, his clownish behavior left everyone dumbfounded.
Even Pakura couldn't help but feel a black line forming on her forehead.
The masked man suddenly jumped onto a tree, then hung upside down from it.
"Anyway, for the sake of my senior who died so tragically, you guys should stop fighting. I'm taking this person."
Dodai immediately wanted to punch him, but considering that the masked man might be a formidable opponent, he held back.
"You think you can just say a few words and we'll let you take her, and also forget about you killing the Kumo Hidden squad? Don't you think you're overestimating yourself?"
Still hanging upside down, the masked man scratched his head again, "Ah? Did you guys misunderstand something?"
Suddenly, he jumped down from the tree and walked towards the Kumo Hidden squad.
All the Kumo Ninjas were startled and instinctively took a step back.
Dodai made a calming gesture, and only then did everyone stop their agitation.
The masked man hopped his way into the Kumo Ninja encirclement and arrived in front of Dodai.
Then, pointing at the Kumo Ninjas, he circled around them.
"I'm the one who spared your lives, not the other way around. Got it?"
"I want to take this person. Do you really think you can stop me?"
Dodai said solemnly, "Aren't you being a little too confident in your own skills?"
The masked man glanced at Dodai, "You don't believe me?"
Then, he simply sat cross-legged on the ground inside the Kumo Ninja encirclement.
"If you don't believe me, then hit me. If you manage to land a single hit, I lose."
For a moment, Dodai's expression wavered between surprise and uncertainty.
The man in front of him had clearly let down all defenses and was sitting on the ground in a completely relaxed posture. If they attacked him now...
However, the more the masked man acted like this, the greater the pressure Dodai felt, making him hesitant to act.
Just as he was struggling with his decision, one of the Kumo Ninjas couldn't hold back anymore.
With such immense pressure and such a great opportunity, if he didn't take a shot, he'd be letting himself down.
Immediately, he pulled out a shuriken and threw it at the masked man.
"Stop fooling around! Let me see your real skills!"
The masked man still didn't move, as if he hadn't even noticed the incoming shuriken.
As the shuriken got closer, the Kumo Ninja's eyes showed a glimmer of expectation.
'Could it be... he is really just a clown?'
But in the next second, the shuriken passed right through the masked man's body and embedded itself into the ground behind him.
The masked man turned his head and looked at the shuriken on the ground, as if he had just noticed it. He suddenly jumped up in shock.
He patted his chest and put on a frightened expression, exclaiming, "Ah! You actually dared to ambush me! Just now, I was this close to being killed by you!"
He raised his thumb and index finger, indicating a tiny gap.
"Do you understand? Just this little bit, just this tiny bit more, and my butt would have been split open!"
"You guys must take responsibility for this!"
At that moment, all the Kumo Ninjas felt a chill run down their spines.
The masked man's ridiculous behavior was in stark contrast to his eerie abilities.
Dodai's hands trembled, and he lost the courage to continue testing him.
He gave the Kumo Ninjas around him a meaningful look.
"We're retreating," As soon as he said that, everyone seemed to move at the fastest speed possible, disappearing in an instant.
As if they were afraid that if they ran any slower, the masked man would really attack them.
Seeing this, the masked man curiously walked up to Pakura, looking left and right.
"Ah? They ran away. Do you know where they went?"
"I wasn't done playing yet."
Pakura had a speechless expression, but since the masked man was both strong and bizarre, she didn't dare to speak recklessly. Instead, she carefully asked, "Senior, what do you plan to do with me?"
The masked man thought for a moment, his voice turning old again, "I do have plans for you, but not now. Even if I told you now, you wouldn't agree."
Pakura became curious, "Senior, what do you want me to do? As long as it doesn't harm Sunagakure, I can consider it."
The masked man said, "I want you to leave Sunagakure and join an organization."
Pakura immediately shook her head, her eyes firm, "Senior, that's something I absolutely cannot do. Even if you kill me, I won't betray my village."
"The village is something I have sworn to protect for my entire life. No matter what, I will never betray it."
The masked man sighed, "You're still too young and can't see the true nature of things. So, let's discuss this after some time."
Pakura was puzzled, "Senior, what do you mean by that? Do you think that one day I'll betray my village?"
The masked man said, "Maybe it won't be you betraying the village, but the village betraying you. When that time comes, even if you still care for the village, you might have nowhere to return to."
Pakura immediately got angry, "Senior, you're speaking nonsense! The village gave birth to me, raised me, and trained me as a ninja. How could it possibly betray me?"
The masked man looked up at the sky.
"The future... who can say for sure?"
"That's enough for today. You're free to leave."
"Just remember, if Sunagakure ever sends you alone to sign some kind of peace agreement, be careful. Don't let yourself get stabbed in the back and lose your life."
Pakura sighed in relief. She hadn't expected this senior to actually let her go.
She didn't believe her village would ever harm her.
But out of gratitude for being saved, she still said, "Since it's your advice, and it doesn't go against my beliefs, I'll be careful."
The masked man said, "If one day you find yourself with no home to return to, no place to belong, you can come find me."
Pakura didn't believe such a day would come, but she still asked, "How do I find you, Senior?"
The masked man said, "Turn around, with your back to me."
Pakura turned around in confusion, revealing her smooth, delicate back.
The masked man reached out and pressed his hand on her back.
"Done. I've left a mark on your back."
"If you want to find me, just come to this exact spot and pour all your chakra into the mark on your back. When that time comes, I'll sense it and appear."
"Of course, if you wait three days and I don't show up, it means I'm either dead or something happened to me."
"In that case, just leave on your own."
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