Five kilometers outside the town—
Six Kirigakure shinobi, led by Fuguki Suikazan, had barely managed to repel the Sunagakure forces under Pakura's command. Now, they had returned to the site of their original ambush.
"Captain, there are no signs of a prolonged battle. Every kill was executed in a single strike. Judging by the wounds on their necks, the attacker was likely a master of Wind Release."
A Kirigakure shinobi, skilled in battlefield analysis, reported his findings to Fuguki.
"Which direction did the enemy flee?"
"The traces of our previous battle were too chaotic... I-I couldn't determine it."
"No other clues?"
"...N-No."
The oppressive killing intent radiating from Fuguki made the shinobi break into a cold sweat.
Fuguki let out a dissatisfied snort as he watched his subordinate cower. Without another word, he reached into his robe and retrieved the summoning scroll for Samehada. Dragging a bloodied finger across the contract seal, he performed the necessary hand signs before slamming his palm onto the scroll.
A large puff of chakra-infused smoke billowed into the air.
However, the massive blade that should have appeared remained absent.
Fuguki's heart sank. A terrible premonition crept up his spine. Refusing to believe it, he repeated the summoning process.
Still, nothing happened.
BAM!
Fuguki's massive hand clamped around the head of a nearby subordinate and slammed him into the ground. His frustration boiled over, and for a moment, he nearly crushed the man's skull outright.
Losing to Pakura had already made the higher-ups in the village question his abilities. If the prized blade, Samehada, had truly been stolen...
He would face the wrath of the entire village.
"This is your last chance," he growled. "Find the bastard who took Samehada... or I'll crush every bone in your body. One. By. One."
"Y-Yes! Understood!"
The shinobi, his face covered in blood from a shattered nose, nodded frantically, utterly terrified.
The rest of the Kirigakure shinobi sprang into action, combing the battlefield for any trace of their unknown adversary. At the same time, they all hoped—prayed—that they would find something before Fuguki's rage turned on them instead.
...
Inside the town, in an unassuming residence—
A dimly lit oil lamp flickered atop a wooden table, casting a faint glow across the modest room.
A Sunagakure shinobi, disguised as an ordinary civilian, busied himself with preparing dinner. He carefully concealed his chakra signature, blending into his surroundings seamlessly.
Beneath the house, in a hidden basement—
Pakura and six of her remaining subordinates tended to their wounds with the help of a medical-nin. They had successfully escaped from the Kirigakure forces, but it had cost them dearly.
Pakura's reckless charge into the enemy's trap had disrupted their strategy and drawn most of their fire, allowing her comrades to counterattack. But even so, five of their own had perished in the battle.
Those who survived were all wounded and in no condition to travel far.
In such a state, hiding within a town—where the civilian presence would obscure their movements—was far safer than being exposed in the wilderness.
Knock, knock—knock-knock-knock-knock—knock.
A series of rhythmic knocks echoed against the basement door.
The guard standing watch exhaled in relief upon recognizing the code and quickly unlatched the door.
"Lady Pakura, something's not right."
The returning scout wasted no time delivering his report.
After the battle had ended and both sides had withdrawn, he had returned to the Kirigakure ambush site to investigate, following Pakura's orders.
But instead of finding their fallen comrades, he had stumbled upon something far more disturbing.
Four headless Kirigakure corpses.
There were no signs of powerful jutsu, no collateral destruction, not even the usual scuffle marks from close-quarters combat.
Every kill had been a single, precise execution.
He knew full well that even at his peak, Akasaburo—the wounded ally they had left behind—could never achieve such a feat.
"A third party?" Pakura's eyes narrowed.
Her battle-honed instincts screamed at her that something was wrong.
Without hesitation, she pushed herself up from the ground and issued an urgent command.
"This place is no longer safe. We're leaving. Now."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Her team swiftly gathered their weapons and supplies, using the Transformation Jutsu to alter their appearances before slipping out of the basement.
Just as they were about to merge into the busy streets, a peculiar sound reached their ears.
It was an eerie, yet unmistakably familiar noise—the sound of flowing water, but with an unnatural rhythm.
Pakura snapped her gaze toward the source.
A school of small sharks, encased in swirling currents, was swimming toward them through the air!
Damn it!
Someone hadn't masked their scent properly!
Pakura cursed internally but knew it was pointless to reprimand anyone now.
She swiftly signaled her team with a hand gesture—stay alert.
She had no idea why the Kirigakure shinobi had pursued them so relentlessly, especially after the battle had already ended.
For a long time, both sides had an unspoken rule—not to fight within the town. Any large-scale destruction would provoke the daimyo of the Land of Tea, forcing both the Land of Water and the Land of Wind into an uncomfortable diplomatic situation.
Under normal circumstances, the Kirigakure shinobi would have retreated after being discovered, perhaps leaving behind a few threats but nothing more.
But now...
Suikazan Fuguki had clearly abandoned all reason.
The moment he spotted them, his fury exploded.
"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"
Spinning torrents of water materialized around him, forming deadly spears that shot toward Pakura and her team!
Even the other Kirigakure shinobi, though hesitant, understood what was at stake.
If they didn't retrieve Samehada...
Fuguki would slaughter them himself.
Shuriken and kunai whistled through the air, followed closely by an onslaught of Water Release jutsu.
Pakura's pupils shrank.
They had completely misjudged the Kirigakure shinobi's intentions.
Forced into an immediate retreat, her team scrambled to evade the incoming attacks, throwing up defensive jutsu in response.
BOOM! BOOM—BOOM!
The clash of ninjutsu erupted within the town, shattering the peace of the evening.
Screams and cries filled the air as civilians fled in terror.
Not far away, Yamanaka Shinno and Namikaze Minato watched the chaos unfold, both frowning.
It didn't take them long to piece together the situation.
They had underestimated just how important Samehada was.
If not for its sudden disappearance, neither side would have been reckless enough to start a battle in the middle of town.
"Should we return the blade?" Minato asked.
"Or just kill them all?" Shinno offered.
The two fell silent for a moment.
Then they exchanged looks—one exasperated, the other smug.
In the end, the Yellow Flash sighed in defeat.
They would go with Shinno's plan.
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