S-Rank Female Ninja, Pakura

Watching the Konoha ninjas below busy transporting supplies, it was clear that thoroughly stripping this town bare would still take some time.

Xuandou simply found a quiet corner, closed his eyes, and focused, sinking his consciousness into his mind.

"Draw."

[D-rank reward 40%, C-rank reward 50%, B-rank reward 10%]

The wheel spun and slowly came to a halt.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining a D-rank reward: Slight increase to chakra limit.]

Immediately following, a gentle surge of life energy welled up from deep within his body.

Xuandou sensed it briefly and discovered that his total chakra volume had indeed increased.

However, this slight boost was probably only enough to cast two or three more C-rank ninjutsu.

"The first time I've pulled a D-rank reward; the gap compared to before is just too large."

Xuandou couldn't help but frown.

He pondered to himself.

It seemed that after returning, he must strive for the position of clan head as soon as possible and find a way to increase the clan's prosperity level.

Otherwise, with these odds, it was truly a waste of the hard-earned draw opportunities.

He couldn't help but miss the S-rank luxury chest he obtained during his first dual cultivation with Kurenai Yuhi.

"Perhaps it is time to scout for another female ninja to take in."

Just as he was thinking this, the system notification sounded in his mind once more:

[Ding! Main quest triggered.]

[Main quest issued: Unequal Treaty]

[Quest description: You have already obtained massive benefits from this war. Please negotiate peace with Sunagakure and sign a treaty, demanding that Sunagakure pay reparations of no less than five billion ryo.]

[Quest reward: Draw count ×1.]

"Peace negotiations, huh... it is about time."

Xuandou understood clearly.

With only a few hundred ninjas at his disposal, it was simply unrealistic to think about conquering Sunagakure.

But how to force them to the negotiating table?

It was simple: keep hitting them until they couldn't take it anymore.

He stood up, looked down at the troops who had basically finished their looting, and ordered in a loud voice:

"Form up! Move out to the next target!"

For the next five days, Xuandou led his troops, constantly maneuvering within the Land of Wind, successively ransacking twelve small towns and three cities.

This was achieved even though the Land of Wind was vast and sparsely populated, forcing the ninjas to rely on the Inuzuka clan's ninja hounds to track targets in the desert.

On the other side, in Sunagakure.

Inside the high-level conference room.

At the head of the long table sat the two advisors: Chiyo and Ebizo.

Seated below them were Rasa, Baki, Fuyi, Pakura, and a group of other jonin.

Shatie kept his head down, reporting the ins and outs of this battle in a heavy tone.

Beside him lay the messenger whose legs had been crippled and hands destroyed by Xuandou; his miserable state caused many present to furrow their brows.

"...In short, for some reason, Konoha had prior knowledge of our attack route and had buried a massive amount of explosive tags. Otherwise, we would never have suffered such a crushing defeat!"

After hearing this, Chiyo turned to her brother beside her:

"You were responsible for intelligence security; why was it leaked?"

Ebizo sighed:

"It is too late to pursue that now."

"The Konoha ninjas are currently wreaking havoc within our borders, and the Daimyo has already sent people to pressure us repeatedly. This must be resolved as soon as possible."

Shatie slammed the table in agitation:

"Give me another batch of ninjas! I will definitely be able to crush them!"

The red-haired youth Rasa, sitting to the side, spoke in a deep voice:

"The Daimyo has been cutting our funding for years, and the number of ninjas the village can mobilize is already limited. At this point, we really cannot squeeze out any more troops to commit to this war."

Anyone could see that Rasa, who possessed Magnet Release, was the strongest contender for the next Kazekage, so his words carried significant weight.

Finally, Chiyo said slowly:

"Then we shall pull another five hundred men from various posts, and I will lead the team myself to negotiate with Konoha."

Her gaze swept across them:

"Rasa, Pakura, you two will accompany me."

The matter was settled just like that.

When Chiyo led the Sunagakure forces to locate Uchiha Gento, the Konoha ninja were in the midst of pillaging yet another small town.

Amidst the broken walls and ruined remains, faint cries could be heard. Several Sunagakure ninja felt their eyes burning with rage at the sight, but Chiyo raised a hand to stop them.

She walked forward with Rasa and Pakura, speaking calmly toward the Konoha ninja:

"I request Uchiha Gento to come forth for a meeting. Chiyo of Sunagakure has come to pay a visit."

A stir ran through the Konoha ranks, and soon, Uchiha Gento emerged, accompanied by Shisui, Hizashi Hyuga, and Shinku Yuhi.

Gento's gaze was immediately drawn to the female ninja beside Chiyo.

She wore a backless, tight-fitting combat suit that accentuated her slender waist and long legs, the expanse of skin on her back as fair as jade.

Her long, dark brown hair was tied into a sharp, high ponytail, with stray locks brushing against her heroic brows and eyes.

Most striking of all were her proud, curvaceous proportions, undulating gracefully beneath the wrap of her combat suit, a mix of maturity and dashing wildness.

It was none other than the wielder of the Scorch Release, Pakura.

[Ding! Suitable dual cultivation target detected.]

[Name: Pakura]

[Kekkei Genkai: Scorch Release]

[Strength: Jonin]

[Comprehensive Rating: S-rank]

To think she was actually S-rank!

Did this not mean that if Uchiha Gento engaged in dual cultivation with her, he could obtain another luxurious S-rank treasure chest?

Since the system had rated her as S-rank, then this person... he was determined to have her.

As thoughts raced through his mind, Uchiha Gento's face broke into a smile as he greeted Chiyo:

"What wind has blown the consultant elder of Sunagakure all the way here?"

Chiyo's expression was cold and stern, her voice heavy with suppressed anger:

"I would like to ask, what is the intention behind Konoha's actions? The ink on the ceasefire agreement has barely dried, yet your village is openly invading the Land of Wind to burn, kill, and pillage."

"Uchiha Gento, is Konoha intending to ignite a full-scale war once again?"

Uchiha Gento laughed as if he had heard a joke:

"Old hag Chiyo, if you are senile, you should retire early and let someone with a clear head come to negotiate."

His smile vanished, his eyes turning sharp:

"Was it not Sunagakure that first trespassed into the Land of Fire, forcing us to retaliate? What, are you only allowed to attack us, but we aren't allowed to strike back?"

"Besides, even if Konoha wanted to ignite a full-scale war, would your Sunagakure even be able to handle it?"

Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law had both died at the hands of Konoha, and she already harbored deep resentment; being mocked to her face now, her fingers tightened slightly.

However, she knew that Uchiha Gento spoke the truth.

Even if Konoha were to initiate a full-scale war now, Sunagakure likely lacked the capacity to respond.

The loss of nearly a thousand ninja was a devastating blow to a major village like Sunagakure.

To cultivate that many ninja again would require Sunagakure to recuperate for many years.

Rasa stepped forward half a pace, taking over the conversation:

"Even if Sunagakure struck first, we only pillaged a few border towns. But Konoha has ransacked nearly twenty towns in these past five days; is this not overly cruel?"

Uchiha Gento sized up this future Fourth Kazekage and sneered:

"How laughable. If you hadn't been unable to defeat Konoha, would your Sunagakure ninja have stopped after pillaging only a few towns?"

"Now that you've been beaten by Konoha like stray dogs, you come to accuse us of cruelty?"

"Pah! Disgusting!"

Rasa's expression turned ugly at once.

Chiyo was about to speak again, but Uchiha Gento waved his hand impatiently:

"Enough nonsense. You came all this way—what exactly do you want?"

"Speak your piece; my time is very precious. Every extra town I plunder is another bit of profit."

Anger surged in Chiyo's chest, but she forced it down and said in a low voice:

"I have come to conclude a peace treaty."

"As long as Konoha withdraws its troops immediately, everything you have done in the Land of Wind... Sunagakure can choose not to pursue it."