Scorch Release: Pakura

Several kilometers away from Kyosuke and Lin, a figure whistled through a forest at tremendous speed.

The figure had long, flowing hair, and the magatama earrings hanging from his ears swayed constantly as he ran.

That person was Orochimaru, rushing over to rescue them.

After receiving Kyosuke's plea for help, he made a few simple arrangements and immediately set out to meet up with him.

After all, the Sand Shinobi had not come to harass them these past few days, so he did not need to remain stationed at the main camp at all times.

Not to mention that Kyosuke's presence was still quite important to him.

Whether out of sentiment or reason, public interest or private concern, he did not want Kyosuke to die here.

Bang. In a short span of time, Lin had no idea how many times Pakura had kicked her away.

In terms of raw strength, Lin had already reached the level of a Jonin, so she should not have been so helpless.

But the problem was that, to unleash the full power of Gentle Fist, she had to engage at close range.

Pakura's Scorch Release, meanwhile, perfectly countered the vast majority of taijutsu.

That was plainly evident from Lin's already shriveled right arm.

She had suffered it when she struck Pakura with a palm during a high-speed exchange.

Although Pakura had not come away unscathed either, Lin's injuries were far more severe.

As Pakura watched her enemy struggle to rise, she was growing impatient and prepared to step forward to finish her off. Then, a pair of black arms suddenly burst from the ground and grabbed her ankles.

Earth Release: Headhunter Technique.

Kyosuke, who had been lying in ambush for a long time, had finally waited for the moment his enemy let her guard down and immediately unleashed his Ninjutsu without hesitation.

Unfortunately, this move was not particularly effective against Pakura, whose strength was already close to that of an Elite Jonin.

Annoying little brat. Pakura cursed inwardly, then raised her right hand and smashed it down into the ground.

Scorching Release: Distillation Fist.

Even the hard, dry earth sizzled beneath the heat generated by her Scorch Release Ninjutsu.

Hm?! Not good. Just as Pakura prepared to admire the sight of her enemy's death, she discovered that Kyosuke was nowhere among the shattered dirt.

Startled, she looked up, only to see the masked Lin. Kyosuke was nowhere in sight.

"There~ over there." Lin subtly tilted her head to one side, and Pakura naturally followed her gaze.

But there was no one there. Clearly, Lin had tricked her.

"You damned little girl." Pakura tried to break free from Kyosuke's grip as she glared angrily at Lin.

Yet what entered her sight was Kyosuke, who had unexpectedly appeared there, while Lin herself charged at her once more at high speed.

"You arrogant little—" Just as Pakura was about to say something, she abruptly stopped again.

Because she discovered that her body could not move.

Damn it, what's going on?! Pakura quickly replayed what had just happened in her mind, finally settling on those pair of eerie eyes.

"Genjutsu, huh? Hmph, do you think something like this can control me?" Pakura snorted. After recalling how to break Sharingan Genjutsu, she began attempting it herself.

Her method was simple: she used scorching air infused with Chakra to violently batter her own meridians from within, thereby breaking the Genjutsu.

Wasn't Sharingan Genjutsu supposed to be impossible to break on your own? Why can everyone break free from it now? Kyosuke grumbled inwardly.

Although Pakura successfully broke his Genjutsu, his goal had been achieved.

Because Lin had already assumed her stance in front of Pakura.

Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

Lin did not shout the line the Hyuga Clan particularly loved—"You have entered my domain." Instead, she launched her attack directly.

Although Pakura immediately mobilized her Chakra to counterattack after breaking free of the Genjutsu, she was still one step too slow.

"Two Palms." As Lin struck Pakura's chakra points, Pakura's Chakra flow abruptly halted.

"Four Palms." This time, Lin struck Pakura's limbs, preventing her from escaping the range of attack through a burst of Chakra.

"Eight Palms, Sixteen Palms, Thirty-Two Palms."

Pakura suffered such a fierce barrage of blows in such a short time that she involuntarily coughed up blood and staggered backward.

But Lin's attack was not over.

"Sixty-Four Palms!!!"

In less than a breath, Lin delivered thirty-two consecutive palm strikes, successfully sealing all the Chakra in Pakura's body and knocking her unconscious.

At this point, the victor had been decided.

Seeing this, Kyosuke felt a stir in his heart even as he rejoiced.

He had the urge to steal her kill again.

But after thinking it over, he abandoned the idea.

The reason was simple. That previous Sand Shinobi had merely been a weak little minion, so it had not mattered if Lin gave him the kill.

But Pakura was different. Regardless of her current strength, she was still a notable figure in Sunagakure.

Even if Lin were extremely generous, she could not possibly hand over such a level of achievement after it had already fallen into her hands.

So Kyosuke could only watch silently from the side.

Just as both of them believed the battle was over, the heavily injured and unconscious Pakura suddenly stood up, then lunged at Kyosuke even faster than before.

Kyosuke's pupils constricted sharply. With one hand hidden in his sleeve, he swiftly formed several hand seals, while raising his other arm toward the rapidly approaching Pakura.

Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.

With time running out, only this Ninjutsu, which required no hand seals, could slightly hinder Pakura's advance.

Yes, only slightly.

The moment the poisonous snakes flew from Kyosuke's sleeve, they were incinerated by the scorching Chakra.

But Kyosuke had never expected them to defeat the enemy.

This move was merely a Ninjutsu he used to buy time while preparing the Substitution Technique.

However, Kyosuke, who had successfully used the Substitution Technique to escape some distance away, felt no joy at all.

Because after seeing him flee, Pakura did not pursue him. Instead, she rushed toward the wooden barrel holding the hostage.

"Even if I die today, I will complete my mission!" Pakura shouted as she gathered Scorch Release in her hands.

Kyosuke watched helplessly, a faint doubt rising in his heart. Was Pakura in the original story... really this kind of person?

Just as Pakura's hands were about to touch the wooden barrel, a hoarse voice suddenly rang in everyone's ears.

At the same time, a brilliant smile appeared on Kyosuke's face, though it was hidden behind his mask.

"Complete the mission even in death? I greatly admire your resolve."