At this moment, the mist-shrouded valley was eerily silent.
Watching their comrades, who were about to successfully ambush them but suddenly stopped, the Kirigakure ninja ambushing on both sides of the mountain were stunned.
They had been ready to act, but now that the enemy was alerted, what next…
The Kirigakure Jonin leading the team glanced around, hesitated for a moment, then made a decision, suddenly stood up, and shouted.
"Attack!"
As soon as these words were uttered, the Kirigakure ninja ambushing on both sides did not hesitate, directly stood up and threw a large number of Shuriken downwards, their attack range encompassing both Pakura and the Kirigakure ninja. In their eyes, there was only the mission; comrades could be completely sacrificed.
"Hm?!"
Pakura immediately saw the sky full of Kunai falling from above. Being alert, she quickly channeled her Chakra, condensing several basketball-sized scorching Fire Release orbs around her, protecting vital points on her body.
Her speed was also not slow; with a few leaps, she arrived next to the Kirigakure ninja, slashed across his throat, then crouched behind him, using his body to shield herself from the attacks.
But even the most meticulous plan has a flaw. Under the continuous onslaught of the surrounding Kirigakure ninja, Pakura sustained several cuts, and the Kirigakure ninja's corpse was like a porcupine, its surface covered in Kunai.
"Damn it!"
Amidst this relentless and fierce assault, Pakura could only grit her teeth and hold on. She tried to break through several times but was forced back.
Her Scorch Release was more suited for offense, lacking in defensive capabilities, which led to her current predicament.
"Hidden Mist Village!"
Looking at the Kirigakure ninja standing on both sides of the valley, continuously throwing projectiles downwards, her eyes revealed a hint of hatred and despair.
At a young age, she had mastered her Bloodline Limit and earned the title "Scorch Release Pakura" on the battlefield, even being hailed as the "Hero of Hidden Sand Village."
She never expected to meet her end in such a way.
This truly is… unwilling…
Seeing the increasing injuries on Pakura's body, the Kirigakure ninja in command continued to give orders.
"Don't let up, keep attacking! That woman can't hold on much longer!"
"Yes!"
Hearing this, the speed at which the Kirigakure ninja threw their projectiles increased. At this point, they were eager to kill this woman, the so-called "Hero of Hidden Sand Village."
But what they didn't notice was that several figures had appeared above them at some point, but due to the thick fog, they didn't detect any abnormalities.
And high above, looking at the dozen or so Kirigakure ninja focused on attacking below, the two Ren Shadow Clones in the sky simultaneously formed hand signs, but the Ninjutsu they used were distinctly different.
"Secret Art: Scale Powder Concealment Jutsu!"
"Nirvana Temple Technique!"
Dense scale powder mixed with white feathers blended into the grayish mist, silently falling downwards.
A Kirigakure Jonin had just thrown the Kunai in his hand and was taking out two more Shuriken from his ninja tool pouch. Just as he was about to throw them, a white feather suddenly drifted past his eyes.
"Hm?"
Seeing the feather, he was first startled, then a wave of drowsiness swept over him. Realizing something was wrong, he was about to form the hand sign to dispel it when his vision suddenly turned white, and his body became unable to move.
The others were the same. In a matter of a few breaths, all thirty Kirigakure ninja on both sides of the valley, including four Jonin, were affected.
Unable to form hand signs or resist, they could only fall into a deep sleep under the invasion of drowsiness.
"Hm?"
Pakura, who was originally preparing to break through at the risk of her life, suddenly noticed that the attacks from above had stopped. She looked up and saw the Kirigakure ninja on both sides continuously falling. Some fell onto nearby rocks, falling into a deep sleep, while others fell to the ground, hitting their heads and bleeding, but still with their eyes tightly shut, showing no signs of waking up.
What surprised Pakura the most was that some who were close to the cliff edge fell directly down, and after landing, they didn't even make a sound, directly losing their life.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Release Song Jutsu!"
Before Pakura could figure out what was happening, she saw several fire dragons suddenly burst out from the high sky, shrouded in mist, on both sides of the valley. Like fiery meteors, they illuminated most of the valley, and under Pakura's gaze, they directly crashed into the unconscious Kirigakure ninja on both sides.
"Boom!"
A huge roar sounded, and rocks from the collapsed sides of the valley fell down, mixed with those Kirigakure ninja who had miraculously survived the explosion. They were just startled awake by the intense pain in their bodies, but before they could do anything, they had already fallen to the ground, immediately followed by a giant rock pressing down on them. This time, they were completely dead.
"This…"
After the valley returned to calm, Pakura looked at the scene before her, momentarily in a daze. She hadn't expected that her life-threatening crisis would be resolved in just a few minutes.
"Looks like everything is resolved."
"Hm?!"
Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Pakura quickly snapped back to reality. With a wave of her hands, she summoned two fireballs into her hands, looking warily at Ren, who was slowly descending from the sky.
"You are… Uchiha Ryufeng?!"
As Pakura spoke, she suddenly saw Ryufeng behind the other person, her eyes widening in surprise as she exclaimed.
"Hmph, long time no see."
Ryufeng jumped down from Ren, then immediately reverted to his stoic expression, looking at the other person emotionlessly.
"You're really not straightforward."
Ren glanced at Ryufeng helplessly, then turned his head, directing his gaze towards Pakura, and nodded.
"Long time no see, Lady Pakura."
"Hoshimi Ren…"
She had a deep impression of these two young men who could fight her to a draw. Although she later heard that Hoshimi Ren had been transferred to other battlefields, news of him could still often be heard on the battlefield, so even after more than half a year without seeing him, she recognized him at a glance.
As for Ryufeng, the two had quite a few encounters. Ever since Ren left, this guy seemed to have picked a fight with Pakura. Whenever he saw her on the battlefield, he would attack as if he had seen an enemy, which baffled Pakura.
But every time he charged quickly, he would be beaten just as badly afterward. At that time, the cabinet in their squad tent was filled with burn medicine.
The two of them fought like this for half a year, and only recently were they both transferred away.
Pakura also hadn't expected to meet the two of them again under such circumstances.
"Why did you save me?"
Pakura dispelled the fireballs, leaned against the rock wall, and looked at the two with a puzzled expression, speaking softly.
They belonged to different factions, and no matter what, there was no need for the two of them to save her.
They should have waited for them to fight to a mutual destruction, then come out to reap the benefits. That would be the normal line of thinking.
"Before we explain, let's hear their answer first."
Ren did not directly reply but looked up into the sky, where Number One was seen carrying a Kirigakure ninja, flying towards them. Upon arriving close, he slowly landed and handed the Kirigakure ninja to Ryufeng.
Ryufeng opened his Sharingan, pried open the man's eyelids, and his spiritual energy invaded him. The other person's expression immediately became dazed, his gaze blankly fixed on Ryufeng.
Under Ryufeng's control, he slowly recounted everything to the three of them…