Support

At the coastal border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, a river flowing through the Land of Rivers made this area far less desolate than the Land of Wind itself.

Towering trees could be seen everywhere, and the ground was covered with a layer of lush green grass.

But today, these vibrant plants had been reduced to a chaotic mess.

The ground was pockmarked with craters of various sizes, some still filled with murky, bloody water.

Many lifeless ninja lay scattered across the earth. Judging by their headbands, they were from Sunagakure and Kirigakure, with Suna ninja making up the majority.

"Pakura! Fall back!"

"We're no match for them. Continuing will only lead to pointless sacrifice!" a tall, middle-aged Suna ninja shouted to his companion beside him.

"You go first! I'll hold them off!" Pakura's beautiful face showed no trace of fear. She hurled a kunai at a Mist Ninja, then formed hand seals and raised a hand. Four orange-red fireballs instantly materialized, floating at her side.

Once the four fireballs appeared, Pakura stomped the ground hard and leaped into the air, diving straight into the midst of the Mist Ninja.

"Cover Pakura!" The middle-aged ninja quickly snapped back to his senses, rallying the Suna ninja to ease the pressure on her.

"Scorch Release: Over-Evaporation Kill!"

After landing, Pakura let out a sharp cry. She held her right hand in a sword-finger seal before her chest and pointed her left hand upward. The four orange-red fireballs rapidly rose and swirled above her head.

In an instant, the four fireballs merged together. A scorching wave of heat radiated outward in a circular shape, forming an orange-red Purgatory of Flames!

"Ah!..."

Screams of agony rang out as over a dozen Mist Ninja were engulfed within the flames. The moisture in their bodies seemed to evaporate in an instant!

In the blink of an eye, they first turned into shriveled corpses, then ignited directly in the intense heat.

After the flames dissipated, a large barren patch of ground remained. The vegetation had been burned clean away, revealing the yellow earth beneath.

Such a spectacular display of power naturally drew the attention of the stronger Mist Ninja.

"Heh heh! As expected of the Scorch Release!" A slender, masked man appeared on the battlefield using the Body Flicker Technique.

His weapon was quite unusual—a long, gleaming needle sharp with a cold glint!

The newcomer was none other than Kushimaru Kuriarare of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, wielder of the Nuibari!

Facing Pakura, he let out a strange cry and pulled an almost invisible silver thread from the end of the long needle. It only showed a faint glimmer under the sunlight.

Kushimaru held the long needle in his right hand and vanished from his spot in an instant.

Seeing such ghostly speed, Pakura's heart tightened. Without time to catch her breath, she forcefully mobilized her Chakra again, summoning four more fireballs to spin around her body.

Ting!

A faint sound of a steel wire being pulled rang out. Pakura sensed the movement immediately and instinctively flipped backward.

A large expanse of her fair back seemed to reflect light. As she leaped off the ground, the spot where she had stood was now covered in a dense web of steel wires, like a spider's net.

The deadly sharpness of those wires, barely concealed beneath their surface, made their lethality obvious.

"Not bad reflexes! But how will you defend against this?" A muffled voice sounded as Kushimaru's figure appeared on the ground.

Then he swung the Nuibari in his right hand upward.

"Longsword Ninja Art: Flying Spider Web!"

The woven steel net was lifted entirely, hurtling straight toward Pakura in midair.

It wasn't hard to imagine—if that net enveloped and sliced through her, the beautiful woman would instantly be reduced to several bloody chunks of flesh.

"Pakura!"

The middle-aged ninja let out a furious roar and launched himself into the air, intending to intercept.

"Ninja Art: Senbon Needle!"

But another massive, burly man suddenly appeared in his path.

The large man carried a sword wrapped in bandages on his back. His dark red hair flared backward, then shot forward like arrows, unleashing a dense barrage of hair.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The middle-aged Suna ninja could only brace himself with his hands on the ground, twisting and dodging as he moved. The man's hair pierced the earth like steel needles.

"Suikazan Fuguki!" the middle-aged Suna ninja growled through gritted teeth.

He knew well that with his strength, there was no way to get around and support Pakura.

Suikazan Fuguki wasn't in a hurry to attack either. Instead, he turned back to watch Pakura in midair, his shark-like sharp teeth parting to reveal a crimson tongue that licked his upper lip.

He seemed to be craving a bloody spectacle.

But the next moment, the excitement in Suikazan Fuguki's eyes turned to shock and fury.

The middle-aged Suna ninja looked up and saw a stream of Gold Sand, like a flexible arm, grab Pakura midair and swiftly pull her out of the range of the steel spider web.

For a moment, the middle-aged ninja thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. When he focused again, he saw Pakura being held around the waist by a handsome young man standing on a Gold Cloud.

The young man was naturally Souya, who had arrived after hearing the commotion.

Firm, full yet soft, high-quality flesh...

That was Souya's first impression as his hands supported Pakura.

After walking a full circle through the gates of hell, Pakura was momentarily dazed, and she let Souya hold her like this for a while.

At this moment, a shy flush slowly bloomed across Pakura's delicate face.

Her attire was quite form-fitting, her waist wrapped in bandages, her top a black tank top that left her entire alluring back exposed to the air. Paired with the crimson on her cheeks, it gave off an exotic aura blending competence and sensuality.

Her full bosom pressed against Souya's arm, so every movement he made directly touched that sensitive area.

"Put me down!" Pakura felt her limbs were as soft as cotton, weak and powerless—a far cry from her usual efficiency.

The reason was naturally that she had already been fighting for some time, had just released a large-scale ninjutsu, expended a great deal of Chakra, and had barely escaped from the brink of death, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted for the moment.

"Oh... alright!" Souya smiled casually. As a young man full of vigor, he didn't mind close contact with a woman.

After setting Pakura down behind him, Souya's gaze fell on the two strong figures on the ground.

His expression couldn't help but turn serious, because in his perception, aside from these two before him, there were several powerful auras in the distance. Besides the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the Mist Ninja might have other Elite Jonin-level combatants!