Rescued

"It's impossible. The higher-ups have no reason to harm me!"

Memories of the villagers' admiration for her and the village higher-ups' regard for her echoed through Pakura's mind. Yet she also recalled Kazekage Rasa's strange behavior when handing over the mission. Suspicion, fear, regret, resentment... all kinds of emotions tangled together in her heart.

"Die!"

Pakura was lost in inner turmoil, but the Kirigakure Shinobi beside her remained perfectly calm. Following the original plan, he kicked the already defenseless Pakura to the ground, then leaped out of the canyon.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Amid the hazy mist at both ends of the canyon, countless Kunai and Shuriken shot out, pinning the area where Pakura lay into a sieve. Countless streams of blood dyed the rocks and earth red.

Pakura's mind began to grow confused, her thoughts becoming indistinct. Her final consciousness was filled with despair and negativity, along with hatred for everything that had happened.

The Bloodline Limit genius of Sunagakure, Pakura of the Scorch Style—the hero betrayed by her own village—had been ambushed by the enemy without the slightest preparation and fallen beneath a rain of countless Shuriken. Her beautiful face trembled continuously in the pool of blood, her mind filled with regret and despair.

At the very end of her consciousness, she seemed to see two pairs of women's boots, one large and one small. It seemed that two female Shinobi had arrived, accompanied by the frightened shouts of the Kirigakure Shinobi.

"What is this...?"

When Pakura regained consciousness, she found herself in an extremely unfamiliar room. Lying prone on a soft blanket atop a Japanese tatami floor, she felt a slight chill and realized that her back, facing upward, was completely bare.

Years of life as a Shinobi allowed Pakura to regain her composure quickly. The dull