"Boom, boom, boom..."
The sonic booms rang out one after another, even drowning out the clatter of the irregular metal objects falling into the desert.
Every piece of metal perfectly avoided Pakura's body, while the master of outlining people with bullets completely sealed off a wide area around her.
If Pakura dared move even one step, she would be turned into a sieve. That was all there was to being a ninja. Few in the entire Shinobi World had high physical resistance; you could count them on one hand.
Pakura slumped dejectedly in the desert, her eyes vacant, lips trembling slightly, and delicate little nose twitching. She was on the verge of crying after getting beaten by Rasa.
She hadn't suffered so much as a scratch, but that was precisely what demonstrated Rasa's perfect control.
If she'd been defeated in an instant at first, it was because she'd let her guard down, and because Rasa's abilities were so bizarre. But this time, she couldn't find any excuse for her defeat.
The gap in their strength was apparent in every way. She was absolutely no match for that obnoxious Red-Hair. At this point, he was probably as powerful as the Kazekage.
Pakura was shocked by Rasa's strength, while Rasa reflected on his own shortcomings, hoping to improve further.
First, there was chakra and mental energy. He still didn't have enough energy to drive the Electromagnetic Force. That final rain of metal had used up a full thirty percent of his chakra.
Second, as the number and mass of the metal objects he controlled increased, the energy consumption grew exponentially.
So although it looked as if all the metal had fallen at once to surround and attack Pakura, it had actually been magnetized in batches, accelerated, and then used its inertia to close in on her.
In other words, apart from initially using the Electromagnetic Force to give all the metal a repulsive force and accelerate it, he had already lost control of it during the remaining stages.
It was Rasa and inertia that had surrounded Pakura. His goal was to eliminate inertia and still handle everything with ease.
Only by striving for perfection could he improve.
Having something to compare himself against had given Rasa a clearer idea of his strength. Facing Kage Level opponents was another matter, but at least he was thoroughly reliable when beating up weaker foes.
Below Kage Level, they were as insignificant as weeds, ripe for the picking.
Putting those thoughts aside, Rasa manipulated the mass of metal before him and removed the softer materials, such as gold, silver, and copper.
He twisted what remained into the shape of a long sword, then used the Electromagnetic Force to suppress the movement of its atoms as much as possible, cooling it rapidly.
He had Pakura to thank for helping him out. Without her, he couldn't have managed such a precise operation by himself.
Just like that, he had a long sword sharp enough to slice through hair. He used the impurities he'd removed to make a scabbard, sheathed the sword, and hung it at his waist.
Rasa finally moved, walking toward Pakura through the blowing sand. Behind him, the blazing sun shone in all its splendor.
Pakura lifted her head. Even looking somewhat haggard, her lovely face belonged to a beauty among thousands.
She gazed up at Rasa's tall figure, momentarily dazzled by the blazing sun behind him. How radiant.
Perhaps it was the man, perhaps it was the sun. In Pakura's eyes, the two seemed to merge into one.
Pakura's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "You win.
"So, did you come here to mock me, the loser?"
Her heart was a jumble of emotions. They were known as the twin stars of Sunagakure, two equally brilliant talents. After enduring the pain of losing his teacher, Rasa had taken a huge step forward, while she had made no progress at all.
"We're both ninja of Sunagakure. Why say something so foolish?"
Rasa crouched down to look Pakura in the eye. Their gazes met. After a few seconds, Pakura's heart suddenly began to race, like a startled fawn.
Rasa smiled and raised a finger. Two Iron Butterflies landed on it. "Your Shuriken. Here you go."
He placed the Iron Butterflies in Pakura's hair as ornaments. The already beautiful Pakura looked even more charming with them.
Rasa studied Pakura's face from both sides and smiled. "Actually, now that I look closely, you're quite pretty."
Baka!
You only noticed how pretty I was now?
Pakura's heart beat even faster. She didn't dare meet Rasa's eyes and lowered her head, fiddling with the sand.
Karura's eyelid twitched. Was she being NTR'd right in front of her? Unfortunately, they were too far away for her to hear anything beyond the fact that the two of them were talking.
"She's already trying to seduce her brother-in-law. What a hussy!"
Yashamaru muttered, then cursed under his breath. "So that's why she kept picking on brother-in-law. She's had her eye on him all along. What a schemer.
"Big sister, don't let her get her way! At the very least, at the very least, you can't be the other woman!"
Ninja generally practiced monogamy. It was only the nobles in the capital of the Land of Wind who tended to have many wives, so Yashamaru was already used to it.
"What are you talking about? Your brother-in-law isn't that kind of person."
Karura scolded Yashamaru, then hurried toward her boyfriend. Her unsteady steps gave away one fact: she was nervous.
When Karura approached, Rasa and Pakura quickly got to their feet, pretending nothing had happened.
Karura wrapped both arms around Rasa's arm and smiled brightly at Pakura. "You're not hurt, are you, Sister Pakura?"
Did getting crushed and hurt inside count?
"N-no," Pakura stammered.
"That's good."
Karura nodded, then leaned against Rasa's shoulder and said tenderly, "We haven't seen each other for days. Yashamaru said you had something very important to do, so I didn't dare bother you.
"If you're not busy now, would you come for a walk with me? We could talk and stroll together."
A declaration of ownership!
Though Pakura wasn't usually quick on the uptake, she surprisingly understood the meaning behind Karura's actions. Her heart gave a faint twinge.
As if I'd want your Red-Hair boyfriend!
Rasa laughed. Karura, usually so gentle and refined, was actually capable of playing little tricks like this. That only made her more adorable.
He patted Karura's shoulder and murmured, "I happen to be free. Let's find a place and sit together for a while."
"Mm."
Karura nodded and led Rasa away from Pakura, a woman who was dangerous in every sense of the word.
As if I'd want your Red-Hair! You're guarding me like I'm some kind of wolf!
Pakura watched the two of them walk away, gently touching the Iron Butterflies in her hair. She tidied up the area before leaving as well.
As Karura clung to his arm, Rasa turned his thoughts to the Starry Sky Vortex in his mind.
[Points: 169]
He'd originally had 143. After spending 100 points, he'd been left with 43. Over the past few days, the various preparations Sunagakure had made for the war had raised that to 78 through the butterfly effect.
Just by defeating Pakura and flirting with her a little, he'd gained a whopping 91 points. What a rush.
In the original story, Pakura and Rasa had a terrible relationship. They were both useless, squabbling losers, and as fellow candidates for Fourth Kazekage, they had been at each other's throats.
Then, because Rasa betrayed her, Pakura died at the hands of Kirigakure ninja, cut down in her prime. That was precisely what allowed Rasa to rise to power without a hitch.
Now he was doing the opposite. First, he'd temporarily won Pakura over with his strength, then he'd flirted with her a little. That was bound to change the course of the world.
Pakura was an excellent source of points. He could get more out of her in the future. Rasa made up his mind:
For Sunagakure's rise, he'd flirt with girls and trade on his good looks.
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