At those words, Pakura's tense shoulders finally relaxed.
She let out a long, heavy breath.
Her chest heaved.
Much of the unease that had weighed on her over the past few days dissipated in that moment.
The village had not abandoned her.
Rasa and Elder Chiyo still cared about her, Sunagakure's hero, after all.
All those conspiracies Qian Ye had spoken of back at camp were nothing but attempts to drive a wedge between her and the village.
Pakura started toward Rasa and Chiyo.
Her pace quickened noticeably.
Just as she took her third step, something happened.
Powerful chakra fluctuations suddenly erupted from the reddish-brown cliffs on either side of the canyon.
Four pillars of dark purple light shot up from the ground.
They soared into the sky and converged overhead.
An enormous dark purple barrier descended like an upturned bowl, sealing off the entire center of the canyon.
"Four-Sided Sealing Formation."
Minato's expression changed drastically.
He immediately channeled his chakra, reaching for the Flying Thunder God coordinates he had left outside the canyon.
The spatial anchors, normally crystal clear, now seemed mired in a swamp, their responses flickering in and out.
The Flying Thunder God Formula outside the barrier stopped responding.
"It's an ambush!" Minato shouted sharply.
Pakura stopped in her tracks.
She stared in disbelief at the pillars of light rising around her.
Her mind went blank.
A hoarse, grating sneer reached her ears.
Elder Chiyo sat cross-legged on a circular platform of sand, the wrinkles on her face bunching together.
Her smile held undisguised mockery.
"Hidden Leaf's Yellow Flash, did you really think I would simply hand over the gold mine?"
Pakura immediately turned toward "Rasa," who stood in the middle of the clearing.
"Lord Kazekage, what is going on?"
"Rasa" did not answer.
The skin on