Lure the Tiger Out of the Mountain

Shiba Seika's parting words were naturally spoken in a lowered voice, heard only by Pakura in front of him, while the other two Sunagakure ninjas noticed nothing.

Seizing the moment of Pakura's distraction, he decisively leaped backward, springing into the air, catching one of Konan's dangling paper strips with a single hand, and was swiftly carried away by the Paper Angel.

The Sunagakure Captain chased to the spot where Shiba Seika had just fought, his face dark as he looked down at the Puppet Master who had long since stopped breathing, his jaw twitching uncontrollably in fury.

Their pride as ninjas of a great village had been thoroughly trampled into the dirt.

"Pakura!"

The captain's impotent rage could only vent as he spun around and glared viciously at Pakura, "Why didn't you chase just now? You deliberately let that Rain brat escape!"

He didn't even use a question, but a statement.

Pakura ignored him.

Her heart, already stirred, was stabbed again by Shiba Seika's parting words—"tragic hero"!

Why did that brat say that?

Did he really know something?

The moment curiosity was piqued, Pakura's mind was already in turmoil.

To make matters worse, the captain's incessant nagging beside her only deepened her irritation.

She had originally planned to throw away the Paper Shuriken that Shiba Seika had tossed to her.

But with the captain's relentless scolding, she couldn't help but snap, "Shut up!"

In that instant, she abruptly clenched her fist at her side, and in her palm, a paper-folded shuriken was instantly crushed into a crumpled ball.

Yet, as a Scorch Release specialist, she never burned that wad of waste paper to ashes.

For the rest of the day, neither side was idle.

One battle's end did not mean the matter was settled.

Sunagakure was still trying to locate the Akatsuki's base, plotting to seize the batch of resources that made their eyes gleam with envy.

Meanwhile, Shiba Seika, Konan, and the others steadily leveraged their home-field advantage, setting traps around the area, harassing Sunagakure's movements, and disrupting their reconnaissance.

At the same time, the Paper Butterfly carrying their plea for reinforcements had already been sent back.

The tug-of-war between the two teams of ninjas in this stretch of forest continued, with both sides having reasons they couldn't abandon!

Though Pakura didn't cross blades face-to-face with Shiba Seika again afterward, her heart never settled.

That crumpled ball of waste paper remained unburned.

It wasn't until evening, after a day of being worn down by endless traps and relentless harassment, that the Sunagakure team finally stopped, setting aside their lofty pride.

"Those Rain ninjas are tenacious; we can't handle them alone!"

"Then what? Call for reinforcements from the village? But that means our mission has failed."

Ninjas valued their missions highly and were reluctant to give up easily.

But they had been dragged through the mud all day, and now they were at their wit's end.

The Sunagakure Captain snorted, turning a malicious glare toward Pakura.

"Call for reinforcements. As for the reason this mission failed, I'll explain it thoroughly to the Kazekage-sama."

Pakura said nothing, quietly leaning against a tree branch, starting her rest early.

But the crumpled paper in her palm was finally smoothed out bit by bit.

A seed had sprouted!

Pakura secretly glanced at the center of the paper.

Though she was prepared, she still couldn't help but narrow her eyes when she actually saw it.

Written there was—

"Want to know the true cause of your previous Kazekage's death? This secret has been sealed away by your village's higher-ups. Only I can give you the answer.

Come alone to coordinates xxx, xxx after sunset, and I'll give you the answer you seek."

Pakura had guessed that Shiba Seika would leave behind some words to sway her, but she never imagined he would bring up the secret of the Third Kazekage's death!

Was this true? Could a brat from Rain really know the hidden truth behind the Kazekage's death?

Pakura found it hard to believe, but she had to admit: this secret had tugged at her heart!

In fact, many within Sunagakure suspected that the Third Kazekage's death was suspicious.

Blaming Konoha was just a lie to fool the Chunin and Genin; almost all Jonin knew it was an excuse.

But for most, the truth no longer mattered: the village now had a new Kage, and invading Konoha aligned with their wishes and needs.

Only for Pakura did this truth matter!

Because she was at odds with the current Kazekage, Rasa—they were practically irreconcilable!

But now Rasa had been chosen by the elders, while she was shut out from the truth!

In the original story, she never had a chance to resist, only repaying kindness with resentment, trying to win back the village's trust with doubled effort, only to be abandoned in the end, becoming a sacrifice sent to Kirigakure.

But in this timeline, Shiba Seika had personally handed a chance that never existed to Pakura!

"Is this... the final path to survival you spoke of?"

Pakura murmured to herself, turning her gaze toward the setting sun on the horizon, her eyes clouded with obscure emotion.

The sun sank bit by bit below the horizon.

Just like Pakura's heart, slipping inch by inch into darkness.

She knew this was a demon's temptation, yet before the sun fully set, she quietly formed the hand seal for a Shadow Clone.

The clone stayed behind to deceive her teammates, while the real body departed for the coordinates written on that paper.

Before long, she met the Rain Ninja youth she'd parted with a day ago in the forest.

He was indeed waiting for her.

Seeing Pakura arrive, Shiba Seika revealed a relieved smile, but to Pakura's eyes, that smile was destined to be filled with sinister allure and seduction.

Pakura didn't trust him completely. The moment she arrived, she launched into an aggressive interrogation.

"Kid, where did you learn the secret of the Third Kazekage's death? Spill your information source, or I'll never believe you!"

She's fishing, Shiba Seika thought with a smile, certainly not about to bite on such a straight hook.

"I have no obligation to prove my intel, nor can I hand over my channels to you, Miss Pakura. Verifying the secret I've told you is something you should do yourself.

Or, are you planning to hire me to verify it for you? That's not impossible, as long as Miss Pakura is willing to pay."

Pakura hadn't expected Shiba Seika not only to avoid the self-proof trap but to counter so sharply. She was left speechless for a moment.

After a long pause, she could only threaten angrily, "Stop showing off your silver tongue, you brat. Spill your secret, or I'm leaving!"

Shiba Seika wasn't angry either. He spoke slowly and deliberately, dropping a heavy information bomb on her.

"The Third Kazekage was actually killed by your village's genius Puppet Master, Sasori of the Red Sands, and his body was turned into a Human Puppet."

"What?!"

The moment she heard this, Pakura was already seventy percent convinced.

Because he hadn't blindly framed Rasa based on her current ostracized situation.

Moreover, after the Third Kazekage's death, the reactions of the two elders, Chiyo and Ebizo, in the village had been full of irregularities.

Now connecting the dots, Pakura naturally spotted many flaws and figured out a lot of things.

After the shock, she was also a bit surprised that this kid had so easily revealed the secret without holding it over her.

Hah, naive kid, thinking this would make me bow to your threats? Childish! I can just take your secret for free and go confront the elders!

Pakura even felt a little smug inside, thinking she was clever.

She quickly composed her expression, then greedily pressed on, "And what about your Kenjutsu? What's the deal with that?"

Shiba Seika looked unhurried, still speaking slowly, answering every question.

"As you can see, Miss Pakura, that's the Kenjutsu of Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo."

"Why do you know White Fang's Kenjutsu?"

"A bit of fate, nothing worth mentioning."

"Hah, kid, are you a rogue ninja from Konoha? Why insist on staying in the Land of Rain? Ever considered coming to Sunagakure?"

This woman actually wants to poach me, Shiba Seika thought with a smile, still calm on the surface, unhurried, replying with a Buddha-like composure.

"The Land of Rain is fine. I'm not well-suited to a desert climate either. I appreciate Miss Pakura's goodwill."

They went back and forth for a few more rounds.

Pakura tried to pry more intel out of him.

Until suddenly, Pakura's expression shifted drastically!

The clone she'd left with her teammates—had shattered!

In that instant, Shiba Seika activated the Body Flicker Technique, retreating without hesitation!

Pakura went from dazed, to stunned, to gnashing her teeth, and finally to blazing fury.

"You!! You did this on purpose!! You were stalling me to create an opportunity over there!"

And then Shiba Seika finally dropped that slow, Buddha-like demeanor, revealing his demonic true intent.

"Miss Pakura, the fact that you've defected from your village is now irreversible. Why insist on staying in Sunagakure? Ever considered joining the Akatsuki Organization?"

Shiba Seika returned Pakura's earlier recruitment pitch to her verbatim, instantly plunging her into an icy abyss!