A moment later, above the same valley.
By now, the Mist Village Ninja lay scattered in pools of blood. Only their captain was still barely holding on.
"Y-you... who are you?"
In their brief clash, the abilities this man who called himself The Fool had used had completely shattered the captain's understanding. Even with his experience as an elite ninja, those strange abilities seemed impossible.
Just who was this man called The Fool?
When had anyone like him appeared in the Ninja World?
He was going to such lengths to conceal his identity. Did that mean there was something seriously wrong with who he really was?
Unfortunately, the Mist Village Ninja was never going to get answers to those questions. When he saw The Fool reach out toward him again, he was too weak to dodge and could only cry out inwardly, Oh no!
In an instant, an invisible force seized him and pulled him toward The Fool.
Damn it, that strange technique again! What kind of ninjutsu was this?
With no way to push off in midair, he could only watch as he drew closer and closer to The Fool's palm...
Smack!
The Fool dragged the Mist Village Ninja over and grabbed him by the throat. He squeezed hard, and the already gravely wounded man nearly rolled his eyes back and passed out.
"Take a deep breath. It's normal to feel dizzy."
Hearing The Fool's taunt, the Mist Village Ninja knew he wasn't getting out of this alive. Gritting his teeth, he said,
"Y-you'll never get any information out of me... I... I won't say a word..."
Seeing that his opponent was still holding out, The Fool gave a mocking laugh beneath his mask.
"Heh..."
"If I really want to know something, I don't need the other person's permission."
As The Fool spoke, golden light welled up in his free hand. He plunged it straight into the Mist Village Ninja he was holding.
Before the man's eyes, The Fool pulled his arm back out, revealing a Memory Orb filled with shifting images and flickering shadows.
Watching the familiar scenes inside the orb, the Mist Village Ninja felt a surge of surreal disbelief.
The orb pulled from his body actually contained his memories. Realizing that his secrets had been exposed, his already wide eyes filled with bloodshot fury.
He had tried to prepare for the worst, but he'd never imagined his enemy had such a bizarre way of probing for information. As he faced death, the thought that someone like this bore hostility toward the Kirigakure filled him with dread for the village's dark future.
Once the Mist Village Ninja had breathed his last, The Fool tossed his body aside like a dead fish.
"Plop."
The Fool snapped his fingers. Some of the puppets that the Mist Village Ninja had beaten and left sprawled on the ground stood up again. Nearly all of them were missing an arm or a leg, but they could still manage simple tasks.
The puppets began methodically cleaning up the Mist Village Ninja's corpses and covering the traces of the battle by various means.
While they worked, The Fool examined the Memory Orb on his own, searching through it for the information he wanted.
Before long, he found what he was looking for. He gave a slight nod, as if everything had gone just as he expected.
Back in the same valley, two figures were making their way through it.
They were a man and a woman. One wore a Kirigakure Forehead Protector, while the other wore a Sunagakure Forehead Protector. Though they belonged to opposing sides, the two were walking together in peace.
The female ninja wearing the Sunagakure Forehead Protector was dressed provocatively, leaving nearly her entire smooth back bare.
She was none other than Scorch Style Pakura, a hero of Sunagakure during the Third Shinobi World War. She had been sent to the Land of Water on a mission to negotiate peace between Sunagakure and the Kirigakure.
What she could never have imagined was that one of the Kirigakure's conditions for peace was her own death.
Pakura had reached the ambush site, still unaware of the danger, when the Mist Village Ninja secretly drew a Kunai and viciously stabbed her in the back. Gravely wounded, she collapsed to the ground.
"W-why?"
Even as she lay on the ground, Pakura couldn't understand why the Mist Village Ninja had attacked her. Wasn't he afraid that sabotaging the peace talks would bring the two countries back to war?
Seeing Pakura down, the Mist Village Ninja seemed certain of victory. He told her about the underhanded deal between the Sunagakure leadership and the Kirigakure, apparently so she wouldn't die without knowing why.
Pakura's eyes filled with resentment when she learned the truth. She hadn't died on the battlefield, only to be killed by her leaders' betrayal and an enemy's ambush. Was this really how her life would end?
Unwilling to accept it, Pakura struggled to get back to her feet, trying to put up a fight to the death.
But the Mist Village Ninja realized what she was planning and had no intention of facing her alone. He sent a signal, hoping to summon his companions lying in ambush above so they could all execute the enemy who had stained her hands with the blood of their fellow villagers.
At the signal, footsteps sounded from above the valley. Soon, a group of black-robed figures appeared, all looking down at Pakura and the Mist Village Ninja.
Seeing the dozen or so newcomers, Pakura, already pale, sank into despair. It seemed the heavens really did want her dead today.
But when she glanced at the Mist Village Ninja nearby, he looked even more panicked than she did. His eyes were bulging, and he seemed to have seen a ghost.
W-what was going on?
Had the plan gone wrong?
Could those black-robed figures be from Sunagakure?
Was Sunagakure hiding some other scheme behind these peace talks?
And where were the others lying in ambush?
Sensing something was wrong, the Mist Village Ninja hurriedly fired off several more signals. Still, none of his companions appeared.
"Don't bother calling for them. I've already taken care of your people.
"Now it's your turn to die."
A voice suddenly rang out. Already on edge, the Mist Village Ninja felt a chill creep down his back. The voice had come from behind him—or, more precisely, from the air behind him.
A black-robed figure wearing a mask descended from the sky like a god and landed at the rear of the valley, blocking the way out.
As soon as he landed, he ignored the Mist Village Ninja, who had been stunned by his dramatic entrance, and fixed his gaze on Pakura, whose back was still bleeding heavily.
Pakura noticed everything too. When the newcomer clicked his tongue and shook his head at her, clearly mocking the powerful ninja for falling to some nobody, she felt both annoyed and helpless. At the same time, a glimmer of hope stirred within her.
Given the situation, he was clearly not from the Kirigakure. Could she rely on his help to survive this crisis?
The Mist Village Ninja saw that his companions still hadn't appeared, even now. He realized the newcomer was probably telling the truth: his men were already dead.
With enemies blocking both paths, the grim situation sent the Mist Village Ninja's heart plummeting.
His enemies outnumbered him and were far stronger. He couldn't win this fight. Realizing that, he abandoned any thought of avenging his fallen comrades and decided to find a way to escape and get the information back to his leader, leaving him to decide what to do next.
As he desperately searched for a way out, the corner of his eye caught sight of the gravely wounded Pakura nearby. His eyes suddenly lit up...