Pakura: I'm Already a Wandering Ghost!

In Sunagakure, Rasa glanced back at the village and the children and ninjas following behind him, then shouted, "Let's go!"

Among the children behind him was Maki, a disciple of Pakura.

Throughout the journey, Rasa remained vigilant, constantly observing the surroundings.

He figured that now that Pakura had returned to the village, he would definitely take a look at Maki.

so.

If you bring Maki, Pakura might appear.

However.

To his disappointment, he did not see Pakura even on the border of the Land of Wind.

Pakura...

Rasa sighed inwardly, filled with immense regret and remorse.

If he had been able to think of a better option back then, Sunagakure might not be in such a dilapidated state now.

At least, after I leave, someone else can take my place.

Unlike now.

In the vast Sunagakure, there was not a single elite Jonin who could temporarily assume an important position after he left the Sunagakure.

As for the elders.

Elder Naito does possess some abilities, but they aren't particularly strong, and his combat prowess is quite poor...

"Do we have to hire Konoha ninjas?"

An absurd thought flashed through Rasa's mind.

Hire Konoha Ninja!

In terms of strength, Konoha is indeed very powerful now, with Jonin and elites emerging one after another, besides Minato Namikaze and Kyohiko Yoshimine...

There was also the powerful ninja who once kicked and killed half of the ninjas of Kusagakure.

But.

Hiring a ninja of this caliber is extremely expensive.

Even after being hired, he didn't earn much money even when he went to the Land of Snow to complete the mission; in the end, he was still working for Konoha.

Rasa sighed, speechless and filled with confusion.

I walked back into the woods.

What was once a barren desert has now become much denser, lush and verdant, making it hard to believe that this place was once the edge of a desert.

He stood outside the forest, lingering for a long time.

This forest is the final resting place of many of Sunagakure's elites, causing the Sunagakure to die out and never recover.

The war that took place here forced Rasa to confront the reality that Sunagakure had to bow down and surrender, and also cost him his greatest ally—

Ebizo.

That wise and intelligent old man commanded a large number of intelligence ninjas, but with Ebizo's death, less than half of these intelligence ninjas could be awakened.

Rasa paused to reminisce, while also hoping that Pakura would come over.

After waiting for several minutes, he whispered, "Let's go, the Land of Rivers is just ahead."

He didn't tell the story of this place.

Even though they actively invaded Konoha and were ultimately defeated by the Konoha, --

If Sunagakure were strong enough, Rasa would certainly want the children not to forget Sunagakure's past here, and to remember their crushing defeat.

but.

They are too weak now.

Rasa sighed, then stepped into the Land of Rivers.

They had already informed the Feudal Lord of the Land of Rivers, so they were not afraid of causing conflict between the two countries, and continued along the same road towards Kikyo City.

but.

Just as he emerged from the forest and arrived at the site where the Third Kazekage had died, Rasa sensed a fluctuation of Chakra.

A thought struck him.

"Rest here for a bit. I'll go contact Konoha to avoid any misunderstandings."

Rasa looked at Baki, "I 'Shadow Clone here. You and Yura are responsible for guarding the surroundings and being careful."

"Lord Kazekage, how can you go yourself? Let me go!"

Baki immediately volunteered.

"No need, this distance is nothing to me, so you don't need to argue."

Rasa shook his head.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage!"

Baki's expression turned solemn.

He is now sixteen years old and has already been promoted to Jonin.

Although he is not yet proficient in some areas, he is already a rare elite in Sunagakure, and the strongest among them besides Rasa.

Rasa created a Shadow Clone, then Body Flicker Technique disappeared.

Following the scent, they arrived at a mountain hollow to the north of their location. Just as they jumped into a crater, a sound came from the treetops above.

What do you want from me?

"Pakura!"

Rasa's tone was a mix of excitement and relief upon hearing this.

He calmed himself down.

Then, Rasa said, "Pakura, come back. The past was a misunderstanding. Now, Sunagakure needs you!"

"Oh..."

A hint of mockery appeared on Pakura's face.

Then, she took out her Forehead Protector, holding one end in one hand, and let the entire Forehead Protector hang down from the treetop.

Look at my Forehead Protector.

Rasa looked up.

There was a conspicuous scratch on the Forehead Protector.

That's the mark of missing-nin.

Pakura drew a line on her Forehead Protector, signifying that she would never return to Sunagakure?

Rasa was stunned for a long time.

Then, somewhat bewildered, he asked, "Then why...?"

"I still care about Sunagakure, but I won't go back. Rasa, you wouldn't understand my current situation and feelings."

Pakura stood up and looked down at Rasa.

"Pakura, the Scorch Release user of Sunagakure, is dead. Now I am just a wandering ghost in the Shinobi World..."

She finished speaking and chuckled softly.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now, Kazekage of Sunagakure."

"Etc!"

Rasa shouted hurriedly.

However, Pakura had vanished without a trace.

Konoha, in the Anbu.

Kakashi held the piece of bark in his hand and fell into deep thought for a long time.

At least before, they used paper and bamboo tubes.

This time it turned into tree bark.

What kind of intelligence agent did Kyohiko find? Has his life as a covert investigator become so dire?

"Come to think of it, Kyohiko doesn't seem to have mentioned this person before..."

Genma Shiranui couldn't help but say.

Kakashi looked up. "Special intelligence agents should be kept as secret as possible. The more people know about them, the worse it is. You should know the rules, right?"

"Clear."

Genma Shiranui's expression turned serious.

He knew about this person because Kikyo City frequently used his channels to send intelligence to Konoha via the Flying Raijin Formation.

Otherwise, the intelligence team would be separate from them, and they wouldn't have direct contact.

"That guy Kyohiko... um, he might still be at Mount Myoboku. I'll go look for him. Could you take care of the documents on my desk? I need to go to Mount Myoboku to inform him; there might be something urgent!"

"Ah?"

Genma Shiranui was stunned for a moment.

As Kakashi spoke, he suddenly vanished in Body Flicker Technique, his speed incredibly fast. Genma Shiranui seemed to faintly hear the sounds of wind and thunder.

"I finally understand what 'lightning speed and thunder' means, but..."

Genma Shiranui stared at the table, lost in deep thought.

He always felt--

I think I've been tricked!

but.

This is the position of the Anbu Captain!

Genma Shiranui hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and picked up a notebook.

Information from the Land of Earth.

"Ōnoki has mobilized ninja, seemingly to strengthen surveillance along the border with the Land of Rain."

Pick up another one.

"The number of people traveling from the Land of Earth to the Land of Rain has increased significantly, suggesting that ninjas may have infiltrated."

Iwagakure has intensified its surveillance of Amegakure...

Is it because Amegakure is going to visit Konoha?

"It seems that Ōnoki is still up to his old tricks!"

Genma Shiranui stacked the two pieces of information together, then quickly looked through the documents, searching for various pieces of information.

He seemed to adapt to the job very quickly.

After leaving the Anbu, Kakashi summoned a Toad.

Is Kyohiko still on Mount Myoboku?

"Cuckoo, he's already back in the village."

The Toad answered.

Kakashi was stunned for a moment, then said, "When did he get back? Why didn't I know?"

"Morning?"

"Damn it! It's already afternoon!"

Kakashi roared.

Then, he took a deep breath.

There's a Toad in front of me; it's innocent, and you shouldn't be angry at Toad...

He made a great effort to maintain his composure.

Thank you, I understand.

Kakashi saw the Toad off and then quickly headed towards Orochimaru's research base.

After Kyohiko returned, he didn't go anywhere else; he must have stayed there!

Inside the forest, Kyohiko and Orochimaru gathered, with Yamato standing before them.

"Try again."

"Is this dangerous?"

"If you obey our orders, you will be safe. In fact, I have already minimized its danger; there will be a clear warning when it reaches its limit."

Orochimaru's voice was hoarser than usual.

He was really exhausted these past few days.

Orochimaru has barely rested in his research on this thing, and has now achieved some results.

but.

Whether it will work or not remains to be seen in this experiment.

Orochimaru licked his dry lips.

"Let's begin!"

"Yes!"

Yamato and put on the special arm, which was only slightly larger than his own.

This arm is different from the previous one.

Its interior is constructed of steel and features unique patterns, making it vastly different from its predecessors in terms of armor and feel.

For a moment, Yamato didn't know how to control it.

He frowned.

"Just use it the same way as last time."

Kyohiko reminded him.

Yamato nodded, then formed Hand Seals with one hand to mobilize Chakra and used a relatively simple Ninjutsu.

Wood Release: Wood Release: Silent Strangling Binding Technique!

The next second, a branch quickly grew from the special mechanical arm he was wearing, and then wrapped around the tree in front of him.

In the blink of an eye.

Crack!

The trees were snapped in two and collapsed.

Yamato stood there stunned for a long time, an expression of disbelief on his face.

this...

What powerful Ninjutsu effects!

While his own Wood Release Ninjutsu could achieve a similar ability, it was definitely not something the Wood Release: Silent Strangling Binding Technique could do, and it would likely consume far more Chakra.

Unbelievable!

"How was the effect? Compared to last time, wasn't this one better? How much Chakra saved?"

Orochimaru quickly took out a pen and notebook and began recording data.

This is important experimental data.

Yamato replied, "The amount of Chakra I used didn't change, but the power was stronger than last time, probably by about a third?"

"One-third?"

Orochimaru frowned slightly, clearly not satisfied.

This was not the result he had hoped for.

but.

That works too!

Orochimaru continued taking notes, asking, "Try using other Ninjutsu, or directly release Wood Release without hand seals."

"Muji?"

Yamato was puzzled.

Kyohiko coughed lightly. "When you use Chakra, just use a technique similar to Wood Release, and then think about how to make it move."

Is it that simple?

Yamato is doubtful.

The next second, he tried to press that hand to the ground.

Wood Release · Wood Locking Wall!

This is a very commonly used defensive Ninjutsu in Wood Release Ninjutsu, and it has more Hand Seals than the Wood Release: Silent Strangling Binding Technique.

The next second, the instant his palm touched the ground.

Bang!

The ground cracked open, and trees grew out, quickly sheltering him within them.

Incredibly, Yamato can sense the outside world through the trees, as if they were his eyes.

This was a situation he had never encountered before.

Yamato stood up, looked up, and was immediately stunned.

His Wood Locking Wall were mostly made of wood and had no vitality, while the Wood Locking Wall used now are made of growing trees.

They are living things!

The "feeling" I just had must have come from these trees.

"I used the usual amount of Chakra, but the effect was clearly stronger, and I could sense the outside world through it..."

Yamato reported back quickly.

Orochimaru's eyes lit up, and he quickly wrote it down.

Perceive!

The previous Silent Binding technique was merely an increase in power, a quantitative change, while this Wood Locking Wall represents a qualitative leap.

The extra senses allow ninjas within defensive Ninjutsu to observe the outside world more easily and safely.

"Kyohiko, can you do it?"

"Of course, my Wood-Grass Barrier was extracted using this characteristic."

Kyohiko nodded.

Orochimaru licked his lips. "In other words, this puppet arm has given his Wood Release ability a significant boost!"

"It seems so for now, Yamato. Use some Ninjutsu to deplete the Chakra as much as possible and see the limits of this puppet arm."

Kyohiko looked at Yamato.

"Yes!"

Yamato tried forming hand Hand Seals.

Although the puppet hand is difficult to use, it is not impossible to use both hands simultaneously by Hand Seals.

A moment later, he placed his hand on the ground.

Immediately--

On this not-so-large open space, trees quickly sprang up and in the blink of an eye formed a wooden tower as tall as a four- or five-story building.

Yamato held his head high, his face filled with shock.

"I just want to build a small log cabin!"

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru quickly recorded the data.

Unstable control!

Yamato raised his head, then Body Flicker Technique forward, using a Ninjutsu that created trees.

After turning an empty space into a tree, he felt his arm burning hot.

"Sir, it's so hot!"

"Take it off, take it off."

Orochimaru spoke quickly.

Yamato did as instructed, removing his arm armor. Immediately, he saw peculiar white flesh twisting and writhing as it emerged from the gaps in his arm, looking utterly terrifying.

After severing the Chakra, Orochimaru and Kyohiko approached.

Will it recover automatically?

"It's not possible right now, but we can eliminate its Chakra by absorbing Chakra."

As Orochimaru spoke, he formed hand Hand Seals and then placed one hand on the arm.

After a long time, the arm slowly returned to its original position.

Kyohiko glanced at Orochimaru.

That technique just now seemed similar to the Chakra Absorption Technique of the Yoroi Akado, but it was also somewhat different.

After a while, the arm returned to its original position.

Orochimaru looked at Yamato.

"As you unleash your Ninjutsu, this arm will reach a charging state. Once the Chakra level becomes too high, its internal mechanism will alert you to deactivate the armor. Understand?"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"

Yamato hearing this, Yamato nodded repeatedly, his face filled with barely concealed excitement.

This setting allows him to use the puppet arm more safely, without fearing the side effects of being devoured or assimilated!

"After each use, it is not allowed to be used a second time within a short period of time. It is best to take it back to the village for inspection..."

"Before actual application, have your Shadow Clone test its carrying capacity."

Orochimaru described the next steps.

If the load-bearing limit can be determined, it can be used with relative confidence within a certain number of uses; otherwise, it becomes rather useless.