Conquest (Part 1)

"Hmph, so confident, are you? I refuse to believe I won't find a chance to defeat you. Once you fail, I'll make you pay back the humiliation you inflicted on me first, then kill you," Pakura thought bitterly.

"No need to rest. Let's go outside the city. If I weren't worried about hurting innocent people, I'd have burned you into a dried corpse long ago," Pakura said defiantly, her face full of stubbornness.

"Hehe, fine. I'll go outside the city and play with you." Beichen Haotian left the meal money in the private room, jumped out the window, and headed out of the city.

Pakura led the four uneasy Sunagakure Chunin and jumped out the window as well. "You four take Lord Kawaki and leave first. I'll hold off the Konoha man. I'm his target, so he probably won't make things difficult for you."

Captain Pakura, that man looks incredibly strong. Should we come help you?

No need. That Beichen Haotian has at least the strength of an Elite Jonin. You'd only get in my way and make me hold back.

Uh... all right. Captain Pakura, be careful. If you can't beat him, run.

Mm. You go first.

Yes.

The six Sunagakure Chunin and the Land of Wind official left first. Beichen Haotian, who had already headed toward the outskirts, suddenly appeared atop a roof and said with a smile, "You've got guts. I thought you'd leave with those Sunagakure lackeys."

Hmph, there's no need for that. My Scorch Release will definitely defeat you.

Hahaha, I like confident women. Very good. You made the right decision. If you'd dared to leave with them, they would all have died.

"You dare kill an official of the Land of Wind?" Pakura asked in surprise.

"Why wouldn't I dare? What does a mere official count for? This is a world where strength reigns supreme. If the daimyo of the great nations block my path, they'll die too." Beichen Haotian's expression was calm, as if it were only natural, as ordinary as slaughtering chickens and monkeys.

"Madman," Pakura muttered softly.

All right, stop dragging this out. Let's fight already, then come back to Konoha with me. The conditions out here are still far worse than in Konoha.

Outside Oasis City, on a somewhat barren stretch of grassland, Beichen Haotian and Pakura stood more than twenty meters apart. The young Pakura watched Beichen Haotian solemnly.

All right, you can make your move.

Hmph, since you're so arrogant, don't blame me if you turn into a dried corpse.

Scorch Release: Over-Evaporation Kill!

As Pakura finished her Hand Seals, two orange-red fireballs the size of washbasins appeared in midair. The air became dry and hot, the temperature two or three times greater than that of ordinary Fire Style ninjutsu.

Under Pakura's control, the two fireballs flew toward Beichen Haotian from the left and right. A normal ninja would be directly evaporated into a dried corpse after being touched even once by that terrifying heat.

"The temperature's decent. The scale is just too small." As Beichen Haotian gave his assessment, he had already finished his own Hand Seals.

Secret Sealing Technique: Flame Sealing Law Seal!

Beichen Haotian spread both hands, and dense black formulas burst from his palms. A unique pulling force erupted from the centers of his palms, gradually drawing in the two orange-red fireballs. In the end, they turned into two tiny orange-red spheres, each inscribed with the character for seal.

Pakura lightly bit her lip, alarmed. In her usual battles, when enemies faced her Scorch Release, they either dodged or met it head-on. No one had ever used Fuinjutsu to counter it. Fuinjutsu originated from the Uzumaki Clan. After the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, the great nations had acquired some sealing techniques as well. However, those techniques were not something ordinary ninjas could learn. Those who could learn them were important figures in their villages. It seemed this enemy's background was far from simple.

Scorch Release: Great Flame Ball!

An orange-red fireball two meters in diameter appeared above Pakura's head. The terrifying heat distorted the air as waves of heat spread outward, and it came crashing down toward Beichen Haotian from above.

Same trick, different form. Still useless.

Flame Sealing Law Seal!

Following the same method, Beichen Haotian prepared to use one of the few high-level sealing techniques he had obtained from Root to turn the massive fireball into a small bead once more.

Just as the fireball was forcibly shrunk by the power of the sealing technique, six Kunai with Explosive Tags attached suddenly appeared and shot toward Beichen Haotian, who was in the middle of using Fuinjutsu.

"Interesting." Beichen Haotian's expression did not change. Chakra gathered in his right leg, while Armament Haki wrapped around it. The first three of the Eight Inner Gates opened in an instant, and he unleashed a lightning-fast kick. Before the air could disperse, it was compressed into an air cannon that slammed into the incoming Kunai.

Boom! The six Kunai were blasted into the air and exploded together. Six brilliant bursts of fireworks bloomed overhead, while the orange-red fireball was also reduced to a tiny bead.

"How could his Taijutsu cultivation be so terrifying? He can actually create air cannons with his fists and kicks?" Pakura was dumbfounded. After being a ninja for so many years, she had never seen anything like it.

"All right, you've attacked twice. Now it's my turn, isn't it? Be careful." Beichen Haotian smiled as he warned her.

Shave!

Beichen Haotian closed the Eight Inner Gates. Though he no longer had their enhancement, his speed was still terrifying. He crossed the distance of over twenty meters in an instant and arrived before Pakura.

His right finger flicked toward Pakura's brow. Her eyes narrowed, and she instinctively tilted her head aside while throwing a punch at Beichen Haotian's chest. Unfortunately, Beichen Haotian was faster. Before her fist could hit him, his finger had already flicked her forehead.

"Ow!" Pakura cried out in pain and staggered back several steps. Her face then flushed red—not from shyness, but anger. With a set of Hand Seals, seven or eight orange-red fireballs the size of fists appeared and streaked toward Beichen Haotian.

Crackling electricity sounded. With a sweep of his left hand, a Kunai appeared, crackling with lightning as large amounts of electricity coiled around it. Swish, swish, swish... Blue light flashed, and the small fireballs were cut in half, dissolving into energy.

Do you have any ultimate moves left? If not, this little game should end. Come back to Konoha obediently. After playing around for so long, Beichen Haotian felt it was time to finish this.

Although Pakura was a Jonin, she had not been promoted for long. Among Jonin, her current strength could only be considered average, and there was an enormous gap between her and the Kage-level Beichen Haotian.

Pakura did not answer. She simply used her actions to tell Beichen Haotian.

Scorch Release: Heavenly Fire Evaporation Kill!

Boom! Dozens of orange-red fireballs the size of bathtubs suddenly appeared in the air. Massive fireballs filled the sky above, below, before, behind, left, and right, vaguely surrounding Beichen Haotian. The temperature within dozens of meters surged drastically. The air became unbearably dry and hot, and the sparse grass on the ground began to wither and turn yellow before finally igniting. Beichen Haotian stood within a sea of flames.

Is this your ultimate move? Not bad. An ordinary Jonin would have a hard time escaping. But for me, your future man, it's still not enough to hurt me.

Upon hearing the words "future man," Pakura's face flushed crimson with both anger and embarrassment. With a wave of her hand, the densely packed fireballs bombarded Beichen Haotian from every direction, as if determined to reduce him to ashes.

The dense fireballs shot forward and completely swallowed Beichen Haotian's figure, making it impossible to see what was happening inside. Suddenly, bloody light flashed within the orange-red fireballs. Dozens of blood-red blade lights burst forth, crisscrossing through the air and cutting every fireball apart, leaving only the grass beneath still faintly burning.

All right, the game is over. Beichen Haotian's figure flashed, and he instantly closed in on Pakura again, chopping a hand blade toward her smooth, fair neck.

Having used her ultimate move, Pakura had expended a tremendous amount of Chakra. After fighting for so long, her physical strength had also been greatly depleted. Coupled with the gap in their strength, she could not evade Beichen Haotian's lightning-fast strike at all. Her vision went dark, and she fell unconscious.

When Pakura woke up, she found herself buffeted by fierce winds. Looking around, she saw white clouds seemingly within reach. When she looked down, she saw golden feathers.

"You're awake." A detestable face appeared before Pakura, smiling at her.

Bastard, where are you taking me?

Of course, back to Konoha. Haven't I said so several times already?

"I'm from Sunagakure!" Pakura said angrily.

You were. Soon, you won't be.

"If you take me back to Konoha, it'll definitely cause a conflict. Sunagakure won't let you off," Pakura said through clenched teeth.

Sunagakure? You think I'm afraid? You think Konoha is afraid? Without the other ninja villages holding it back, Konoha could hang Sunagakure up and whip it like a father beating his son. There's no future in staying in Sunagakure.

"You... you're talking nonsense!" Pakura pointed a pale, slender finger at Beichen Haotian, too angry to speak properly.

Hmph, can you represent Konoha? You sure talk big.

I can't, but I know Konoha won't do anything to me just because I brought a female ninja from Sunagakure home to be my maid—possibly my future wife. That would be far too unprofitable. Sunagakure won't go to war with Konoha over one female ninja either, and they wouldn't dare start a war so lightly. At most, they'll condemn us and trade insults. It'll be useless.

"To put it more seriously, even if they send ninjas to assassinate me, I won't fear them in the slightest. Send one, I'll kill one. Send two, I'll kill two. Even if your Third Kazekage comes personally, what can he do to me? It's not certain who would win or lose, hahaha!" By the end, Beichen Haotian threw back his head and laughed. His voice carried for hundreds of meters, his bearing imposing.

Pakura was intimidated by Beichen Haotian's words and presence—or perhaps his confidence, or arrogance—and could not speak.

After a while, Pakura came to her senses. Embarrassed and angered by her own reaction, she snapped, "Even if I can't beat you, I'll die with you! We'll fall to our deaths together!"

Hahaha, you want to attack Hawk Eyes? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?

Then kill me. I refuse to go to Konoha and suffer your humiliation.

Good, you've got spirit. But you probably can't make me fall to my death.

"Ah!" Pakura suddenly screamed, then frantically pounded Beichen Haotian's chest as she shouted, "Put me down! Put me down! You pervert, what are you doing?!"

Beichen Haotian had bent down and swept Pakura into a princess carry.

Ignoring Pakura's panicked blows, he lowered his head slightly and gazed into her beautiful eyes. "Today, I'm taking you to play an exciting game called dying together!"

Then Beichen Haotian leaped forward and actually jumped off Hawk Eyes. Their bodies plummeted from the sky, while piercing winds howled in their ears.

"Bastard, what are you doing?!" Pakura screamed in terror. She stopped hitting Beichen Haotian and tightly wrapped her arms around his neck. After all, she was only a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl, and she was still terrified in the face of death.

Didn't you want to die with me? I'm granting your wish. Let's go to another world and torment each other for a lifetime.

"I only said that in anger! I'm still young. There are so many things I haven't done yet. Even if I die, I can't die such a meaningless death by falling!" Pakura shouted, clinging tightly to Beichen Haotian's neck.

Thanks to Yamabuki Flowers Bloom Seven or Eightfold for the recommendation vote!