Several days later, Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
Pakura of the Scorch Release walked heavily down the corridor leading to the Kazekage's office.
Having just returned from a border patrol, she had not even had time to shake off the sand and dust covering her before being urgently summoned.
An indescribable oppression hung in the air.
Inside the office were Rasa, along with the advisers Chiyo and Ebizo. Rasa wore his usual composed expression, but on closer inspection, there seemed to be a faint, almost imperceptible strangeness between his brows.
"Pakura, you're back." Rasa's voice broke the silence. "You've worked hard."
"For the village." Pakura gave a concise salute. "Why was I summoned? Did the Five Kage Summit reach a result?" A trace of hope rose within her.
Rasa exchanged an extremely brief glance with Chiyo and Ebizo. He sighed, the sound heavy and convincing. "The negotiations... have broken down."
Pakura's pupils contracted sharply. "What?!"
"Uchiha Ling was relentlessly aggressive, and his terms were excessively harsh..." Rasa's tone carried just the right amount of anger and humiliation. "We cannot accept such disgraceful conditions!"
Granny Chiyo opened her eyes, her gaze sharp. "Konoha has gone too far! Pakura, you are the village's hero. Now, the village needs you to step forward once more."
Pakura straightened her back. "What do you need me to do? Please give the order!"
Ebizo continued, "We received top-secret intelligence. An elite Konoha jonin squad has secretly infiltrated our country... Their route happens to pass through a canyon northeast of Kikyo Mountain Fortress."
Rasa rose to his feet and walked up to Pakura. Placing both hands on her shoulders, he looked at her "earnestly." "Pakura, you need to lead an elite squad out immediately and ambush this Konoha squad in that canyon. You must wipe them out completely!