If those black-robed figures really were from Sunagakure, then taking Pakura hostage might give him a chance to escape by forcing them to hesitate.
With that thought, the Kirigakure Ninja charged at Pakura. One hand reached for a Kunai at his waist while the other lunged to grab her, hoping to threaten them the instant he seized her.
Just as he was about to reach Pakura, he even saw his own reflection in her panicked eyes...
Closer. Just a little closer!
Got her...
Thud!
An invisible force acted on the Kirigakure Ninja, bringing his sprint to an abrupt halt. Then it began slowly dragging him backward.
As he sensed something wrong with his body, the Kirigakure Ninja desperately poured chakra into his legs to strengthen his connection to the ground, trying to resist the pull. At the same time, he strained to turn and look toward its source.
To his horror, the force came from the hand the masked figure behind him had reached out.
Damn it, he hadn't seen the other man make any Hand Seals!
Could he use such a bizarre ability without Hand Seals, just by raising his hand?
Who was this man?
Creak, creak...
The Kirigakure Ninja's feet carved two deep furrows in the ground, but he still couldn't resist the force. He was ripped off the ground and pulled straight toward the masked figure.
With no way to brace himself in midair, he steeled himself to use a suicidal technique the instant the other man caught him.
But just as he came within a meter of the masked figure, the pulling force shifted. A tremendous repulsive force suddenly struck him, sending him flying backward as if he'd been hit by a speeding locomotive.
"Argh!"
The Kirigakure Ninja screamed, then slammed into the rocky wall of the ravine with such force that his body was left mangled beyond recognition.
Seeing his gruesome state, Pakura shuddered inwardly.
What kind of technique was this? He hadn't made a single Hand Seal, yet with just a raise of his hand he'd left a man mangled beyond recognition. It was terrifying.
Then, realizing the Kirigakure Ninja was still alive, Pakura gathered what little chakra she had left and summoned an orange-red fireball, hurling it at him.
Sss!
The fireball struck the Kirigakure Ninja like a red-hot branding iron plunged into water, raising a thick cloud of white steam.
When the steam cleared, the Kirigakure Ninja had become a desiccated corpse, so gruesome that it was hard to look at.
So this was the power of Scorch Release, a Kekkei Genkai?
Those struck by this technique must have suffered unimaginable agony. No wonder the people of Kirigakure had insisted on making her life the price of a peace agreement.
The masked figure, who had realized as much, turned his gaze back to Pakura, now on the brink of death.
She was already out of strength, yet for the sake of revenge she'd still pushed her body past its limits to use Scorch Release. What a vengeful woman.
Tap,
tap,
Watching the black-robed figure approach, Pakura wanted to retreat, even though he had helped her get revenge. His strange techniques and unknown identity still made her wary. But her numb body wouldn't obey.
"Who are you?"
Pakura struggled to lift her head and question the masked figure.
"My purpose is to give those abandoned by fate a chance to turn their lives around. You may call me The Fool!"
This mysterious man who called himself The Fool was none other than Hyuga Lan in disguise. Beneath his mask, he looked down at the weakened Pakura, his expression complicated. He couldn't help recalling how, during the Third Shinobi World War, she had relied on Scorch Release to wreak havoc on the battlefield.
Sunagakure and Konoha had been allies during the Third Shinobi World War, and the two of them had briefly crossed paths while fighting Kirigakure.
Even then, he'd been impressed by this Scorch Release Ninja, whose future death would be so unjust. But at the time, he'd been a mere member of the Hyuga Branch Family, and she probably hadn't even noticed him.
Now, less than a year later, their circumstances had changed dramatically. Pakura's fate had made him realize even more clearly that shinobi, for all their high offensive power and low defense, could possess the destructive power of a god and still die from one careless mistake—a mere Kunai could be enough.
So, until he possessed overwhelming power, he had to keep his own information hidden and minimize the risks of exposing himself in public.
The Fool?
Just a codename?
Pakura searched her memory for a long time but couldn't connect Lan to anyone she knew. Neither his abilities nor his codename had ever appeared in the Ninja World before.
If someone with such astonishing strength was still being so careful to conceal himself, he must have some grand scheme in mind.
Seeing Pakura regard him with such wariness, Lan felt helpless. Their silence made the moment awkward.
His plan wasn't to witness her die an unjust death. So when Pakura stayed silent, for reasons he couldn't fathom, Lan broke the silence first.
"To have made a name for yourself at such a young age, you must be one of the most talented shinobi in all of Sunagakure. It would be a pity for you to fade into obscurity just like this."
Though he said that, Lan made no move. It seemed that if she didn't speak up, he truly would stand by and watch her die.
Unable to read Lan's expression through the mask, and driven by her instinct to survive, Pakura could only say,
"Save... save me. I'm willing to pay whatever price will satisfy you."
At last, Pakura had lowered her head. Beneath the mask, Lan's lips curled into a smile.
He channeled his chakra, gathering the power of the Tenseigan into his palm. Soon, a chakra orb radiating a gentle aura appeared in his hand.
Lan held the glowing chakra orb in front of Pakura and said,
"Every exchange has a price written into fate. The chance to live is right before you.
"Tell me, are you willing to sell your soul to me to keep living?"
As Lan spoke, the mysterious chakra orb before Pakura seemed like an evil thing that could seize her soul.
If she agreed and merged with the orb, she feared she would no longer control her own will—or even her life.
But if she refused, her injuries would probably kill her before long.
At this difficult crossroads, the Kirigakure Ninja's words came back to her.
The Sunagakure leadership, headed by Fourth Kazekage Rasa, had discarded her like a pawn. They had even tried to trick her into letting Kirigakure Ninja execute the village's hero in exchange for peace talks between the two villages. The thought filled Pakura with rage.
Her fury turned to hatred for Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and even the entire Ninja World. She resented the source of it all: this accursed world.
Driven by that hatred, Pakura's outlook changed. It no longer mattered whether she turned her fate around or was toyed with by fate and controlled like a puppet. All she wanted now was to keep living, because only by surviving could she see the day she got revenge.
Even if she was destined for hell, she would have to drag certain people down there with her.
With that thought, Pakura made her decision.
"I... am willing!"