Chapter 194
“Find a concealed position and wait for further orders from our superiors!”
Guy made his decision after only a brief moment of thought. He had already reported the discovery, which meant he had fulfilled his duty as a shinobi. Whatever happened next, at least in principle, was no longer something they were responsible for handling directly. Staying put and waiting for instructions was undoubtedly the most stable and safest choice.
If they were anywhere else, Guy might have considered following the tracks and investigating at some risk, gathering intelligence that could later be useful to the support forces. But the road ahead led directly toward the Land of Rain. It was a quagmire where Danzo, Hanzō of the Salamander, and even the mysterious Black Zetsu were moving pieces behind the scenes. Knowing there were tigers in the mountains and deliberately walking toward them was not bravery. It was stupidity.
And Guy wasn’t alone. Ebisu and Genma were behind him. To satisfy his own curiosity or pursue some so-called “investigation” while knowingly leading his teammates into an unknown and potentially deadly situation would be completely irresponsible.
Ebisu and Genma looked at each other, both stunned for a moment. They seemingly hadn’t expected Guy to choose to wait in place. Guy was always the first person to charge forward on the battlefield, never shrinking from danger and rarely considering retreat unless absolutely necessary. Yet this time, he had actually made such a cautious decision.
However, neither of them hesitated for long.
“Understood.”
“Okay.”
They had absolute trust in Guy. If Guy had made this decision, then he must have his reasons.
The three moved quickly and began searching for a suitable hiding position. They retreated some distance back along the road they had just traveled, deliberately putting more distance between themselves, the mummified Root corpse, and the fork leading toward the Land of Rain.
Finally, in the direction of the Land of Fire, roughly two or three hundred meters from the location where the corpse had been discovered, they found a suitable position behind a dense thicket. The field of vision there was relatively open, allowing them to observe the area around the fork in the road, while the surrounding natural vegetation provided sufficient cover and made it difficult for anyone approaching from the forest to discover them.
Guy carefully observed the surroundings and confirmed that there was nothing unusual. Genma and Ebisu then checked the nearby ground, tree trunks, and surrounding vegetation, making sure they hadn’t left any obvious traces behind.
“Let’s stay here,” Guy whispered.
The three separated with tacit understanding. Each found a position where they could both rest and observe the surrounding area while still keeping the other two within their field of vision. They formed a loose triangle, allowing them to cover one another from different directions, and then quietly settled into an ambush.
Although they had decided to wait, none of the three relaxed their vigilance in the slightest.
Who knew whether the person who had killed the Root shinobi would return?
Who knew whether another incident connected to the turmoil in the Land of Rain would spill over into this area?
The three constantly paid attention to every rustle of leaves, every movement in the grass, and every change in the flow of Chakra around them. Their vigilance soon proved to be justified.
Time passed bit by bit.
Several hours later, a faint commotion suddenly came from deep within the forest in the direction of the Land of Rain. At first, the sound was extremely distant and indistinct, but it gradually became clearer as it approached.
“Someone’s coming!”
Guy immediately lowered his voice and warned the other two.
Ebisu and Genma instantly tensed their bodies. Their fingers hooked around their Ninja tools, ready to draw them at a moment’s notice. The three simultaneously slowed their breathing and fixed their eyes on the direction from which the sound was coming.
A shinobi capable of killing a Root operative and leaving behind such a bizarre, desiccated corpse was definitely not someone they could afford to underestimate. The enemy might possess extraordinary strength, a strange Bloodline Limit, or some unknown Ninjutsu that they had never encountered before.
Guy’s heartbeat accelerated slightly, and the Chakra within his body began circulating silently. On Ebisu’s side, his hand had already wrapped around the steel wire he had prepared, ready to use the Rope Binding Seal at any moment. Several senbon had silently appeared between Genma’s fingers.
As the trees at the edge of the forest suddenly shook violently, branches and leaves were brutally shoved aside.
A figure stumbled out from the forest in the direction of the Land of Rain.
The moment they saw that figure clearly, Guy, Ebisu, and Genma were all stunned at the same time. Their pupils contracted sharply, and astonishment appeared across their faces.
Because that person…
They knew her.
They could even say that they were extremely familiar with her.
Deep green hair was gathered into a bun, with two strands of orange hair framing her forehead. She wore a simple combat outfit, and a Sunagakure forehead protector was visible on her head.
The woman appearing before them was none other than the Sunagakure elite shinobi and Bloodline Limit user, Pakura, wielder of the terrifying Scorch Release.
The same woman who had nearly killed them during the Battle of Mount Kikyo!
“Why is she here?”
The question appeared simultaneously in the minds of all three.
However, Pakura’s current condition was extremely poor.
Her skin was covered with dust and dried blood, while her clothes were torn in multiple places. Her breathing was heavy, her chest rising and falling violently with every breath. Her complexion was pale, her aura was noticeably weakened, and the Chakra fluctuations around her body were unstable.
She clearly looked as though she had severely overdrawn her Chakra and exhausted a considerable portion of her physical strength.
Yet this seemingly exhausted Pakura was not running away.
Instead, she was crouching in front of the shriveled corpse of the Root shinobi.
Her brows were tightly furrowed as she carefully examined the corpse, seemingly checking something important.
Guy, Ebisu, and Genma remained hidden behind the bushes. None of them made the slightest sound as they observed the entire scene.
A common thought flashed through their minds like lightning.
“The Root corpse… the body was shriveled, as if all its moisture had been sucked dry…”
The characteristics of the corpse suddenly felt extremely familiar.
Now that they thought about it carefully, wasn’t this precisely the effect of Pakura’s Bloodline Limit?
Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!
They had witnessed that terrifying technique with their own eyes on the battlefield of Mount Kikyo.
Pakura’s Scorch Release was an exceptionally dangerous Bloodline Limit. By creating scorching spheres of Chakra and causing them to make contact with an opponent, she could rapidly draw the moisture from the victim’s body through overwhelming heat, leaving the target severely dehydrated and potentially reduced to a mummy-like corpse.
Many of their comrades at Mount Kikyo had fallen victim to this terrifying technique.
“Was it Pakura who killed this Root shinobi?!”
That was the second thought that appeared simultaneously in the minds of the three.
Instantly, their expressions changed.
Old grievances were suddenly added to the new situation before them.
No verbal communication was necessary. Years of tacit understanding allowed the three of them to reach a decision after only a single glance.
Strike while she’s down!
Pakura’s current condition was extremely poor. This was a rare opportunity.
Back at Mount Kikyo, the three of them, together with Sarutobi Sosuke, had already fought desperately against Pakura. Even after using everything they had at the time, they had only managed to repel her by relying on the “Calamity-Crossing Blade” that Guy had comprehended.
They had never truly defeated her.
But now, the situation was completely different.
Their opponent appeared severely exhausted, while the three of them were in excellent condition. Furthermore, their strength had improved considerably compared with the time of the Battle of Mount Kikyo.
Guy’s physical ability had undergone a dramatic transformation. Ebisu had begun developing his own path through Sealing Jutsu, while Genma was steadily progressing in his study of the Flying Thunder God Technique under Minato Namikaze’s guidance.
They were no longer the same three shinobi who had struggled desperately to survive against Pakura at Mount Kikyo.
“We can take her down!”
The judgment appeared in all three of their minds almost simultaneously.
Guy silently signaled to Ebisu and Genma.
Ebisu immediately understood. His hands began forming seals without making the slightest unnecessary movement, and the steel wire in his hand was already positioned for the Rope Binding Seal.
Genma tightened his grip on his senbon, lowering his body slightly as he prepared to launch a sudden attack.
Guy took a slow, deep breath.
His expression became extremely serious.
He reached behind his waist and released the heavy training weights he had been carrying.
The weights struck the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up small clouds of dust.
Without the additional weight restricting his movements, Guy immediately felt his body become lighter.
The Chakra within his body began circulating more rapidly, flowing toward his limbs and muscles as his physical power started to rise.
His eyes remained fixed on Pakura.
The woman who had once nearly killed them at Mount Kikyo was now standing only a short distance away.
If she really was responsible for the death of the Root shinobi, then they could not allow her to leave this place without first determining the truth.
If she wasn’t responsible, they could still restrain her and force her to explain what had happened.
Either way, they couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slip away.
Guy slowly lowered his center of gravity.
Ebisu tightened his grip on the steel wire.
Genma adjusted the senbon between his fingers.
The three of them prepared themselves at the same time.
Their target was the Sunagakure elite shinobi, Pakura!
And this time, they were going to fight her together!