Clash with Pakura

Tamura Hiroshi had no idea what had happened in the Raikage Office. He went back and enjoyed a good night's sleep, then arrived at Entertainment City as promised the next day. However, the person he met was not Karura, but Pakura.

Pakura had come alone. Neither Rasa nor Karura was with her.

"Where are Miss Karura and Rasa? Didn't they come with you?"

Tamura Hiroshi took the scroll Pakura handed him and casually asked.

"They went to purchase some things to bring back."

Pakura replied, her beautiful eyes carefully studying the brat before her.

"Is there something Miss Pakura wants to ask?"

Tamura Hiroshi put away the scroll, noticing that Pakura had something to say.

"It seems you held something back when you spoke to us last night."

Pakura was not entirely sure. It was only a feeling, but she had also seen pity in this brat's eyes at the time—pity for her.

That look made her very uncomfortable.

"You could tell?"

Tamura Hiroshi was surprised. He had indeed held something back, but he had not expected her to see through it.

With eyesight this sharp, how could this woman still get herself killed by a scheme?

"I get the feeling you're thinking something rude."

Pakura grew even more displeased. This brat had definitely hidden something.

"Here's some advice: don't stand out too much in the future. Once you reach a certain level, you can't look at things solely with a ninja's mindset."

After offering that pointed reminder, Tamura Hiroshi turned to leave without waiting for Pakura to speak.

That remark was a seed he had planted. If an opportunity arose in the future, he could go and bring her under his control. She would make a fine tool.

But he would have to wait until she had formed bonds. Only then could he firmly grasp her in his palm. This was Lord Danzo's most commonly used method, and as Lord Danzo's finest lackey, he naturally had to inherit Lord Danzo's way of controlling subordinates.

It seemed Pakura would have a Disciple in the original story. What was that person's name again?

And Karura's younger brother, Yashamaru, would also make excellent bonds and leverage.

"Hey, brat, let's spar!"

Pakura suddenly proposed a spar. Although Rasa had rejected the idea of probing this brat for information through contact, a fight was still possible. She could see what his true strength was like.

"You said last night that my taijutsu wasn't particularly strong. Your taijutsu should be pretty good, so let's compare."

She knew that most ninjas from Kumogakure excelled at taijutsu, especially Nintaijutsu. They were extremely strong in close combat.

This brat's ninja talent might be average, but judging from the lines of his muscles, his taijutsu training definitely was not lacking.

"If it's just taijutsu, no problem."

Tamura Hiroshi turned around and accepted the challenge. He also wanted to see the style of taijutsu used in Sunagakure.

Moreover, Pakura was a standard ninjutsu-type ninja. She trained taijutsu only to support her ninjutsu in battle, so she would not lose her fighting ability if an enemy got close.

Therefore, her taijutsu was not particularly strong—at least, nowhere near that of ninjas like Fukai and Yozuki A, who specialized in Nintaijutsu.

This was a fight he could take!

"Taijutsu only!"

Pakura was very confident in her taijutsu. She had put in plenty of hard work in that area, and she was definitely no slouch.

"Follow me!"

After saying that, Tamura Hiroshi headed toward the Training Ground where he had first sparred with Fukai. That Training Ground was relatively secluded, and few people usually trained there. It should still be empty now.

Pakura followed after him, and the Anbu Ninja monitoring them in secret had no choice but to follow as well.

The two arrived at the old Training Ground, and as expected, no one was there.

As Tamura Hiroshi took out his shoulder armor and fastened it onto his shoulders, he said, "We agreed this is only a taijutsu fight. Basic ninja tools like kunai, Shuriken, and senbon can be used, but no Explosive Tags."

He had always worn that set of light armor. Only the shoulder armor was too conspicuous, so he had sealed it inside the Sealing Object Spell on an armor plate. Before a fight, he needed to take it out and secure it.

"You're such a cheat!"

Pakura was very dissatisfied as she looked at the Youth whose vital areas were all protected by light armor.

From its sheen alone, she could tell that the light armor was not made of ordinary steel. Its defensive power was certainly considerable.

And those two absurdly long Ninja Swords were even more shameless.

"My strength isn't enough, so I can only rely on external tools for support. Besides, you're a jonin. Neither of us has the advantage in this taijutsu spar."

Tamura Hiroshi did not think he was being unfair. After all, That Person was a jonin.

"You're right. I am a jonin!"

Pakura suddenly smiled. She then took out two kunai and imbued them with two different Chakra nature transformations, forming an invisible wind blade and a blazing flame blade.

This was not ninjutsu, merely a simple Chakra application technique—specifically, a nature transformation technique. It could be attached to kunai to increase their destructive power and attack range.

"She'd become a magic swordswoman!"

After muttering a complaint, Tamura Hiroshi took the initiative. Big Meow Small Meow slashed and thrust in his hands as he launched a relentless assault, opening with his strongest move—the Monster Strength Combo.

He did not dare let his guard down against a jōnin, even one who did not specialize in taijutsu.

Real ninja battles were far more complicated than those shown in manga and anime, with far greater bursts of speed and a wider range of combat methods.

For instance, Pakura's footwork was incredibly nimble and swift. She truly seemed as weightless as the wind, deftly evading Tamura Hiroshi's successive blade strikes.

At the same time, the fire blades and wind blades extending from her kunai shifted flexibly, forcing Tamura Hiroshi to repeatedly twist aside. The rhythm of his combo was interrupted several times.

If he had not spent this period sparring with Fukai in actual combat and building up his battle experience, he truly would have struggled to hold on under Pakura's offensive.

Pakura was quite surprised by the boy's swordsmanship and explosive strength. She had initially thought he was merely a decent genin. After all, he was only a little over ten years old, the sort of tender new recruit who had just graduated from Ninja School.

Moreover, Raikage's Son had said that his ninja aptitude was average, so his combat strength should naturally have been at genin level.

But once they exchanged blows, she realized that he was far stronger than she had imagined. In particular, his explosive power and swordsmanship combined to give him combat strength comparable to that of a standard chūnin.

Although ninja ranks were primarily ratings of ability and status rather than direct representations of strength, they still had a minimum strength requirement.

A chūnin was inevitably stronger than a genin.

For a ten-year-old to possess strength comparable to a chūnin, this child could be considered a genius.

Of course, he still had major flaws. Among the three major ninja systems of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, taijutsu was the easiest to counter. Both ninjutsu and genjutsu could suppress taijutsu completely.

So relying solely on taijutsu and swordsmanship was not enough to advance to chūnin. This brat still needed to keep growing.

As she considered these matters, Pakura observed and memorized Tamura Hiroshi's swordsmanship and fighting style during their clash.

Kumogakure excelled most at taijutsu, especially Nintaijutsu and ninja swordsmanship. Seeing more of it would benefit her.

If she truly became enemies with Kumogakure in the future, she would at least have some foundation to draw upon.

Likewise, Tamura Hiroshi was observing and memorizing Pakura's taijutsu techniques and style.

Sunagakure's taijutsu also emphasized speed and ferocity, much like the wind.

As a woman, Pakura had developed this nimbleness even further. Her fighting style differed greatly from Fukai's, and it gave Tamura Hiroshi considerable inspiration.

After fighting like this for two minutes, Tamura Hiroshi sensed that his Chakra was nearly exhausted and prepared to withdraw from the battle.

Chakra was the core of a ninja. Without its enhancement, the body's explosive power would decrease sharply, and combat strength would decline as well.

But while he wanted to retreat, Pakura was unwilling to let him. The corners of her lips even curled into a smug smile.

A draw was not what she wanted. No matter what, she was a jōnin—ending in a tie against a brat would be far too embarrassing.