Unrestrained

In a valley to the south, filled with jagged, grotesque rocks.

Pakura knelt on one knee, her ragged breathing tugging at her severe wounds, making every breath feel like being cut by a blade.

Her signature brown hair was a complete mess, covered in dust and clotted blood.

Her distinctive purple halter top, bare-backed in design, was now soaked with blood and grime. Across her originally exposed, smooth, beautifully contoured back—

were several horrifying wounds that crisscrossed one another, deep enough to reveal bone, with flesh curled outward.

Even the tightly wrapped portion over her chest had not been spared. A vicious slash had nearly torn through the protection, faintly corresponding to the wound on her back. It was clearly an injury caused by some kind of penetrating attack.

She had barely managed to cauterize her wounds with the heat of Scorch Release to stop the bleeding, but that brutal method only worsened her exhaustion and pain.

Seven or eight Cipher Division ninja corpses lay around her, their deaths gruesome. They had been melted by the high temperatures of her desperate Scorch Release counterattack.

Yet outside the encirclement, more than a dozen Cipher Division elites were still slowly closing in, their eyes cold as they looked upon prey trapped in a jar.

"Pakura of the Scorch Release. As expected, you're troublesome."

The captain looked at the corpses of his subordinates, his voice merciless.

"But your Chakra and stamina have both reached their limits, haven't they? For Lord Suikazan's great cause, please rest here forever!"

Pakura coughed repeatedly, trying to squeeze out the last shred of Chakra within her.

"Cough, cough..."

But her vision kept darkening, and all that answered her was deeper weakness and dizziness.

"Hah..."

She collapsed unwillingly onto the ground. It wasn't that she feared death—she simply couldn't accept being betrayed like this by the village and Kazekage she had trusted!

Damn you, Rasa. Even as a ghost, I won't let you go!

Just as the Cipher Division ninja were about to launch their fatal assault—

"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

A cool, sharp shout rang out from above, followed by a raging sea of scorching flames that swept down like an overwhelming tidal wave!

Its range was so vast that it nearly covered the entire valley entrance. The blazing heat twisted the air itself, forcing every Cipher Division ninja to retreat in horror as their formation instantly fell into chaos.

"Who is that?!"

"What a terrifying Fire Release!"

"Retreat! This place is filled with Fire Release!"

Shien, Akabane, and Ao appeared like ghosts atop a high cliff to the side.

But Akabane and Ao were staring in utter terror.

How could Shien's Chakra be so immense!?

He had completely sealed off such a huge valley!

Shien's gaze swept over Pakura below, grievously wounded and on the verge of death yet still unyielding. A faint, almost imperceptible hint of admiration flashed through his eyes.

Pakura really is one tough woman.

He then coldly looked toward the Cipher Division ninja, who had yet to recover from their fright.

"Akabane, Ao, just hold the line here."

Before he had even finished speaking, his figure flickered. Like a bolt of black lightning, he shot into the enemy ranks, already drawing the gleaming katana in his hand.

"Shien Uchiha will send you all on your way!"

These people were perfect for tempering the swordsmanship he had just fully integrated and for adapting to the immense Chakra surging through his body!

"Courting death! So what if he's Uchiha?! Kill him!"

The Cipher Division captain was shocked and enraged as he directed his men to surround Shien.

However, what happened next left the watching Akabane stunned once again.

Shien's figure darted through the crowd, his footwork strange and unpredictable. Every movement precisely evaded all attacks, as if he had foreseen them long ago.

His katana traced simple yet deadly arcs through the air. There were no unnecessary flourishes; every strike went straight for a vital point—

—the throat, heart, or Chakra pathway nodes!

Whenever the blade flashed, a Cipher Division ninja would fall, clutching a gushing wound.

His movements carried the ruthless efficiency of Hidden Mist Swordsmanship, yet were fused with a higher form of anticipation and rhythm, as though he could see through everything.

The clan head's swordsmanship... how did it suddenly improve so much? And this oppressive Chakra...

After using such a large-scale Fire Release, he doesn't feel exhausted at all!?

A storm raged in Akabane's heart. The current Shien felt like a completely different person from before.

Ao, beside him, was even more shaken. He stared fixedly at the pattern in Shien's eyes.

Could that be... the Uchiha Clan's Mangekyō Sharingan?

After acquiring the Byakugan, Ao had naturally looked into the Sharingan, which was even more famous than the Byakugan.

The pattern in Shien's eyes was clearly the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan.

He had initially thought Shien was merely an important figure within the Uchiha Clan. Only now did he understand that Shien was an ultimate powerhouse possessing decisive strength!

In his heart, he instantly elevated Shien's status to the same level as his own Mizukage.

The battle ended very quickly. Under Shien's artistic slaughtering swordsmanship and the Mangekyō Sharingan's insight—

the dozen or so Cipher Division elites were all executed before they could even mount a decent resistance.

Shien lightly flicked the blood from his blade, then sheathed it and stood there. His breathing was steady, as if he had merely finished warming up.

Overwhelming battles really are satisfying!

From now on, I'll just scour the battlefield with large-scale Fire Release. Having lots of Chakra means I can be this reckless!!

He then walked over to Pakura and crouched down to inspect her injuries.

By then, Pakura's consciousness was blurred from excessive blood loss and exhaustion. She was holding on through sheer willpower alone.

Ao also stepped closer to examine her, then shook his head gravely.

"Her injuries are too severe. The penetrating wound damaged her internal organs, she's lost too much blood, and her Chakra is depleted..."

"Unless a top-tier medical ninja treats her immediately, otherwise..."

He didn't finish, but the meaning was obvious—there was little hope.

Shien frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Find somewhere safe. I'll give it a try."

He quickly found a concealed cave nearby. After carefully carrying the unconscious Pakura inside—

he instructed Akabane and Ao, "I'm going to perform emergency surgery on her. I can't be disturbed. The outside is up to you two."

Inside the cave, the lighting was dim, with only the rechargeable lamp Shien had set up beforehand providing illumination.

He carefully laid Pakura face down on a spread-out blanket, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

He took a well-sealed medical kit from his ninja tool pouch. It contained scalpels, forceps, suturing needles, disinfectant, and bandages—everything he needed.

He had prepared it before leaving Konoha in case of emergencies. Though he had gained medical abilities, he had never put them into practice before. Now, he was using them on Pakura.

He gently cut open Pakura's black halter top, which had stuck to her wounds and flesh.

As the fabric peeled away, even though Shien had prepared himself, he couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.

Pakura's injuries were even more severe than they appeared:

The deepest wound on her back had nearly pierced through her shoulder blade. Its edges had turned pale, and it was deep enough to expose bone;

There was also a savage gash in the corresponding spot on her chest. A fraction of an inch closer, and it would have injured her heart.

Beyond that, there were numerous cuts of varying depths, as well as internal bleeding caused by Chakra impacts.

The excessive blood loss had left her skin an unhealthy pallor, and her breathing was so weak that it seemed as though it might stop at any moment.

"They were really ruthless..." Shien muttered, but his gaze became increasingly focused.

He recalled the medical knowledge he had learned from Izumi Uchiha. Though his theoretical foundation was solid, this was still his first time personally performing such a complex surgery.