Peace Through Struggle

If she hadn't been completely outmatched, Pakura would've nearly flown into a rage on the spot. Her old rival, who used to be on the same level as her, had grown so much stronger that he didn't even respect elite jonin anymore.

How frustrating.

"Enough about that. Have you used the sunscreen I gave you?" Rasa suddenly asked, launching into his flirtation.

Points +1... +1...

Pakura was mortified. She'd gone out of her way to help him, and he couldn't even appreciate it. The moment they met, he brought this up?

"No!

"Who'd want anything from a smug Red-Hair like you? Besides, covering my back with chakra works just as well to protect it from the sun."

Mystery solved. No wonder Pakura—and her future daughter, Temari—had such beautiful skin. Women really did pay attention to the details. Chakra really could do anything.

Rasa watched Pakura with an amused look and said nothing.

She'd definitely used it. He'd noticed when she deliberately turned around earlier: the skin on her back was much fairer than before, smooth and glowing.

Chakra alone couldn't do that. Pakura had never been especially dark-skinned.

But because she loved backless outfits, the skin on her back had always been a slightly different shade from her neck.

The longer Rasa stayed silent, the more suspicious his gaze became, and the more embarrassed Pakura felt. There was nothing shameful about using sunscreen; she just didn't want to lose face in front of Red-Hair.

She was about to explain herself again when Rasa suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him.

"Hey, hey! Are you trying to cop a feel?" Pakura cried, her cheeks flushing.

Rasa's expression turned grave as he looked toward the horizon. The Microwave Radar he'd spread out had picked up something again. Its frequency was similar to the echo from Pakura earlier.

But in a sense, it was far more powerful than hers.

It drew closer. This time, even Pakura sensed the disturbance coming from afar.

What a powerful chakra fluctuation. It was like a dormant volcano buried beneath a blanket of snow.

No matter how tightly it was suppressed, or how ordinary its exterior seemed, there was no hiding the fact that this dormant volcano had erupted before—and could erupt again at any moment.

"Who is it?" Pakura asked in a low voice, instinctively tense.

The chakra was as vast as the sea, far beyond that of an ordinary jonin. Even Rasa fell a little short by comparison, let alone her. The gap was enormous.

"Most likely, that 'missing' Four-Tails Jinchuriki. Get ready to fight," Rasa said solemnly. This wasn't the time to flirt.

Business came first. At the same time, he weighed the possibilities.

Perhaps Roshi really had gotten lost in the Land of Wind before. Or perhaps, after Mahiru returned to Iwagakure, Roshi had been sent to investigate the incident involving Luo Yongxin.

The latter seemed more likely. Rasa had hooked a big fish. In his mind, he set up a pair of scales and considered whether to fight, along with the possible gains and losses.

He was definitely at Kage Level. But he'd already used the Alias Luo Yongxin before, and if he didn't want to expose it, he'd have to rely on his metal-based abilities.

So far, his metal abilities were only good for crushing weaker opponents. If he could take Roshi down before he used Tailed Beast Transformation, that would be fine.

But if he gave Roshi the chance to transform, Rasa couldn't think of any new techniques that could suppress him quickly. He might even have to make a strategic retreat, fleeing as fast as the wind.

Fighting was definitely in his best interests. Whether he killed the Four-Tails Jinchuriki or held him hostage to extort Iwagakure, either outcome would change the original story and earn him a pile of points.

Not fighting would be embarrassing. A Jinchuriki from an enemy village had entered the Land of Wind. That was an outright encroachment.

As the gang's officially appointed fourth-in-command, he had to make a stand. Otherwise, his underlings would talk behind his back, and he'd lose respect for himself.

What good were the suit and tie, or the big mobile phone, if he was such a spineless boss? There was no future following someone like that.

Just then, the other party's violently erratic chakra suddenly surged, then stopped about two hundred meters away. The shifting dunes of the desert blocked them from seeing each other.

But that immense chakra, like a dormant volcano, shone through the darkness like a lighthouse in the endless night—or the pork king of a crowded market. It was vivid, exceptional, and strikingly handsome.

"The enemy seems to have stopped. What should we do?" Pakura asked tensely, her palm damp with sweat.

This was the first time in her life she'd faced a Jinchuriki other than Bunpuku.

Bunpuku was a monk at a temple in Sunagakure, and had been the One-Tail Jinchuriki for a long time. He had a good relationship with Shukaku. They understood each other, and Shukaku had said Bunpuku possessed the qualities of the Sage of Six Paths.

So Shukaku had never run wild before Bunpuku passed away.

"Take him down. We have to.

"Jinchuriki from other countries are already coming into the Land of Wind. If we don't act, they'll push their luck even further next time."

Rasa spoke with conviction. A great man had once said, "Seek peace through struggle, and peace will endure; seek peace through compromise, and peace will perish." He would always remember those words.

"Can we win?" Pakura asked again, her hand trembling slightly, perhaps from nerves, or perhaps from fear.

Jinchuriki were considered living weapons of war by the great ninja villages. Pakura had never seen one unleash their full power, but she knew that even the docile Bunpuku had been kept imprisoned in a temple.

Once released, a Jinchuriki was a beast that devoured anyone in its path.

Rasa glanced at Pakura, then reached out and took her hand. "I won't say I'm invincible, because there are still a few people in the Shinobi World stronger than me.

"But one measly Four-Tails Jinchuriki is nothing I can't handle."

If his metal manipulation couldn't take Roshi down, he'd use his lightning abilities and kill him outright. Even if it meant killing the goose that laid the golden eggs, he couldn't let this one get away today!

"Mm." Pakura nodded, seeming encouraged. She forgot to pull her hand away and added, "I'll back you up."

"No need. I'm enough on my own."

With that, Rasa squeezed every last bit of chakra out of his cells. His Kage Level chakra surged into the sky. If Roshi was paying any attention to the area, there was no way he could miss it.

It was like turning on your high beams on a street lit by lampposts at night, or a singer pointing at the audience during a concert and shouting, "How are you doing over there?"

Sure enough, Rasa sensed Roshi hesitate for a moment before darting toward them. His powerful chakra drew closer.

Roshi finally stopped at the top of a dune. He saw the Forehead Protector on Pakura's head and was momentarily taken aback. With chakra this powerful, he'd assumed it was Luo Yongxin.

He hadn't expected a strong shinobi from Sunagakure. The two of them looked young, and he quickly worked out their identities.

They were probably Rasa, the Third Kazekage's student and a Magnet Release: Gold Dust user, and Pakura, the Scorch Release user. He hadn't expected Rasa to already have Kage Level chakra. And now they were out here in the desert...

He'd miscalculated. It was like sneaking over the fence into someone else's yard to pick a cucumber, only to get caught red-handed by the owner. So awkward.

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