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At the coastal border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, a river flowed through the Land of Rivers, so this area wasn't as desolate as the Land of Wind.

Tall trees stood everywhere, and a lush carpet of grass covered the ground.

But today, all that vibrant vegetation had been reduced to a wreck.

Pits and holes of all sizes riddled the area, some filled with murky, bloodied water.

Many lifeless ninja already lay on the ground. Judging by their Forehead Protectors, they were from Sunagakure and Kirigakure, with Sunagakure Ninja making up the majority.

"Pakura! Fall back!"

"We're no match for them. If we keep this up, we'll only die for nothing!" A tall, middle-aged Sunagakure Ninja shouted to his comrade beside him.

"You all go! I'll hold them off!" Pakura's lovely face showed no fear. She threw the Kunai in her hand at a Kirigakure Ninja, then formed Hand Seals. Raising a hand, she summoned four orange-red fireballs that appeared and hovered beside her.

As soon as the four fireballs appeared, Pakura stamped down hard and leaped into the air, landing right in the middle of the Kirigakure Ninja.

"Cover Pakura!" The middle-aged ninja quickly came to his senses and called on the Sunagakure Ninja to ease the pressure on her.

"Scorch Release: Over-Evaporation Kill!"

After landing, Pakura gave a sharp shout. She held her right hand before her chest with two fingers extended, then pointed her left hand skyward. The four orange-red fireballs shot up and began circling rapidly above her head.

In an instant, they merged, and searing heat spread outward in a circle, creating a blazing Purgatory of Flames!

"Argh!..."

Terrible screams rang out. More than a dozen Kirigakure Ninja were caught in the flames, and the moisture in their bodies seemed to evaporate in an instant!

In the blink of an eye, they shriveled into corpses, then burst into flames in the scorching heat.

When the flames died away, they left a vast, empty patch of ground. All the vegetation had been burned away, exposing the yellow soil beneath.

Such a powerful display from Pakura naturally drew the attention of a Kirigakure powerhouse.

"Heh heh! As expected of Scorch Release!" A lean, masked man in the distance used the Body Flicker Technique and swiftly appeared on the battlefield.

His weapon was quite unusual: a long, razor-sharp needle that gleamed coldly!

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

Facing Pakura, he let out a strange cry and pulled a barely visible silver thread from the end of his needle. It only glimmered faintly in the sunlight.

Kushimaru gripped the needle in his right hand, and in an instant, his figure vanished.

Seeing his ghostly speed, Pakura's heart tightened. She had no time to catch her breath, so she once again forced her Chakra into action and summoned four fireballs, setting them spinning around her.

A faint sound of wire being pulled rang out. Pakura noticed it at once and instinctively flipped backward.

Her broad, fair back seemed to reflect the light as she sprang from the ground. Countless Steel Wires had appeared where she'd been standing, spread out like a spiderweb.

The menacing glint along the wires made their lethality clear.

"Nice reflexes! But how will you defend against this?" A muffled voice rang out, and Kushimaru appeared on the ground.

Then he abruptly swung his right hand upward, Nuibari in his grip.

"Long Sword Ninja Art: Flying Spider Web!"

A woven Steel Wire net was ripped up in one piece and flung straight down over Pakura in midair.

It was easy to imagine what would happen if that net enveloped and sliced through Pakura: the lovely woman would be reduced to several bloody chunks in an instant.

"Pakura!"

The middle-aged ninja from earlier let out an angry roar and leaped into the air, trying to reach her.

"Ninja Art: Senbon Needle!"

But another, enormous man suddenly appeared in his path.

A bandage-wrapped greatsword was strapped to the man's back. His dark red hair fanned out behind him, then shot forth like arrows in a dense barrage.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The middle-aged Sunagakure Ninja could only brace himself against the ground and twist and weave to dodge. The man's hair was like iron, stabbing straight into the earth.

"Suikazan Fuguki!" the middle-aged Sunagakure Ninja snarled through clenched teeth.

He knew there was no way he could get past Fuguki to reach Pakura.

Suikazan Fuguki didn't hurry to attack. Instead, he turned to look at Pakura in midair. His sharp, sharklike teeth showed as he flicked his scarlet tongue over his upper lip.

He seemed eager to witness the bloody scene about to unfold.

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

The middle-aged Sunagakure Ninja looked up and saw a mass of Gold Dust, as nimble as an arm, seize Pakura in midair and swiftly pull her out of the Steel Wire web's reach.

For a moment, the middle-aged Sunagakure Ninja thought his eyes were deceiving him. When he looked again, he saw that a handsome young man on a cloud of Gold Dust had caught Pakura around the waist.

The young man was Souya, who had rushed to the scene after hearing what was happening.

Full, firm, yet soft. What a perfect handful...

That was Souya's first thought as he held Pakura.

Having narrowly escaped death, Pakura was still dazed, and let Souya hold her like that for a while.

A shy flush slowly spread across her lovely face.

Her clothes were very form-fitting, with bandages wrapped around her waist. She wore a black halter top, leaving her entire alluring back bare. Together with the blush on her face, it gave her a striking blend of competence and sensuality.

Her full chest pressed against Souya's arm, so even the slightest movement brushed against a sensitive spot.

"Put me down!" Pakura felt as if her arms and legs had turned to cotton. They were limp and weak, nothing like her usual capable self.

The reason was clear: she'd been fighting for some time, then had just used a large-scale ninjutsu that consumed a great deal of Chakra. On top of that, she'd escaped certain death, leaving her both physically and mentally exhausted.

"Oh... all right!" Souya smiled casually. As a young man full of vigor, he didn't mind being so close to a woman.

After setting Pakura down behind him, Souya turned his gaze toward the two powerhouses on the ground.

His expression grew grave. He could sense several powerful presences in the distance besides the two in front of him. In addition to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Kirigakure might have other fighters on the Elite Jonin level!