Pakura froze.
The searing pain inside her body was actually fading.
What was this brat doing?
Qian Ye was drenched in sweat.
He had to concentrate completely. One slip, and his Water Release Chakra would be devoured by the Fire Release Chakra inside Pakura.
"You..." Pakura's cheeks flushed red. Whether from the heat or anger, even she did not know.
In all her life, she had never been so thoroughly pinned down by a man.
Even the high-and-mighty elders of Sunagakure had to speak to her politely.
Yet now, she was being held to the ground and saved by a civilian Genin from the Hidden Leaf.
"What do you mean, 'you'?" Qian Ye panted heavily and glared at her viciously.
"Listen up!"
Qian Ye leaned close to Pakura's face, their noses nearly touching.
"I saved your life."
"Someday, you'll pay me back!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the Kong inside the barrier fell into a strange silence for two seconds.
Pakura was completely stunned.
A twelve-year-old Hidden Leaf Genin had pinned down her, a Sunagakure hero, and said something like that.
Absurd.
Ridiculous.
Yet the burning sensation inside her was being soothed away bit by bit.
She opened her mouth, wanting to curse him out, wanting to slap this brat flying, only to realize she had no strength left at all.
Seeing Pakura's frustrated expression, Qian Ye felt utterly delighted.
That's for burning my ass with fireballs!
That's for chasing me all over the battlefield!
And now you have to lie there obediently, owing me your life!
Outside the Four Violet Flame Formation.
Hidden Leaf and Sunagakure shinobi had already sealed off both ends of the canyon so tightly that not even water could pass through.
Choza Akimichi carried a massive iron rod on his shoulder and craned his neck to peer into the barrier.
"Lord Chōza, what's going on in there?" That talkative Chunin sidled over again.
"Can't see. That purple fire is too blinding." Chōza shook his head.
"I think I just saw the War God pin Pakura down," a Genin beside him muttered.
The surroundings instantly erupted.
"Pinned her down?!"
"Three minutes! What can he even do after pinning her down for three minutes?"
"The War God truly lives up to his name! Is he going to take down Sunagakure's hero right there on the battlefield?"
Qian Ye felt as though his chakra pathways were about to burn apart.
He drove his Water Release Chakra to its limit.
It flowed endlessly from his palm into Pakura's wrist, then was carried by Wind Release Chakra to forcibly complete a cooling cycle inside her body.
The dark red color on Pakura's skin finally stopped spreading.
The terrifying heat that threatened to roast her dry began to fade bit by bit.
She clenched her teeth tightly. From the agonizing pain and exhaustion, her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
"Don't shake." Qian Ye was covered in sweat, his knee pressing firmly against her leg. "Your chakra pathways just stabilized. If you move around now and your Chakra goes berserk again, even a god couldn't save you."
Pakura panted heavily, staring fixedly at Qian Ye's face.
She wanted to smash this Hidden Leaf brat into pulp.
But she did not even have the strength to lift a finger.
After the Fire Release Chakra inside her had been forcibly suppressed, an incomparably terrifying sense of Kong followed.
It was a feeling more humiliating than death.
A proud Sunagakure hero, rendered completely unable to resist before a twelve-year-old civilian Genin.
Qian Ye had no Kong to spare for what she thought.
He silently counted the seconds in his heart.
Two hundred ninety-eight.
Two hundred ninety-nine.
Three hundred.
Three minutes were up!
Qian Ye abruptly released his hand and collapsed onto the scorching sand like a puddle of mud, gasping for air.
His Chakra was completely drained.
He did not even have the strength to raise his hand.
Pakura went limp as well, lying helplessly on the ground as her chest rose and fell violently.
Just then, the four violet walls of flame around them began flickering intensely.
The Barrier Team's Chakra had reached its limit too.
With a faint hum, the Four Violet Flame Formation turned into scattered sparks and completely vanished into Kong.
The wind outside instantly rushed into the canyon.
The noisy sounds outside flooded into their ears along with it.
Shinobi on both sides craned their necks in unison, all eyes focusing on the center of the canyon.
Kong suddenly went silent.
Everyone witnessed an utterly shocking sight.
Qian Ye sat sprawled on the ground, his clothes disheveled, gasping for breath and drenched in sweat.
At his feet lay Pakura, Sunagakure's ace Scorch Release user, completely defenseless on the sand.
Her backless combat outfit was soaked through with sweat, large patches of skin flushed an unnatural red. Her whole body was limp, and she did not even have the strength to stand.
The Sand Assault Force was utterly dumbfounded.
Several Jonin in the front row rubbed their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Lady Pakura..."
"That's impossible! How could Lady Pakura..."
"What exactly did that Hidden Leaf Genin do to Lady Pakura?!"
Sunagakure's formation instantly descended into chaos.
On the Hidden Leaf side, after a brief deathly silence, earthshaking cheers erupted.
"War God!"
"The Bare-Assed War God is fucking amazing!"
"Three minutes! It really only took three minutes! He directly took down Sunagakure's Shadow Level powerhouse!"
Choza Akimichi gripped his enormous iron rod and charged out first.
His massive body slammed down before Qian Ye and Pakura with a boom, directly shielding them both behind him.
"Nicely done, brat!" Chōza turned back and gave Qian Ye a thumbs-up. "Leave the rest to us!"
A large number of Hidden Leaf shinobi charged into the canyon right after him.
On Sunagakure's side, Rasa rode a Gold Dust Disc and hurried from the rear to the front.
The moment he saw Pakura lying within the Hidden Leaf formation, Rasa's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"Lord Rasa! Lady Pakura has been captured!" A Sunagakure Jonin was so frantic that he nearly jumped in place. "Should we gather our forces and charge over to take her back?"
Rasa looked at the broken formation around him.
Then he looked at the Hidden Leaf's main force, which had already completed its encirclement.
Take her back?
With what?
Pakura had stretched the Assault Unit too far in pursuit of that Hidden Leaf Genin. Now they could not look after both front and rear.
Although the Hidden Leaf's Four Violet Flame Formation had been withdrawn, Orochimaru's main force had already pressed forward.
If they charged recklessly now, this entire Assault Unit would be wiped out.
More importantly, Pakura was Sunagakure's hero.
Chiyo and Ebizo would never allow Pakura to die here, much less let the Hidden Leaf use her as a bargaining chip.
"Retreat!" Rasa gritted his teeth and forced out those two words.
"But Lady Pakura..."
"I said retreat!" Rasa suddenly turned his head, his gaze terrifyingly cold. "Keep fighting, and every one of us will die here!"
The Sunagakure army began retreating like a receding tide.
Their originally imposing all-out assault instantly fell apart because of Pakura's capture.
The Hidden Leaf camp erupted completely.
Several Medical Team shinobi ran over carrying a stretcher. With practiced movements, they tightly bound Pakura and lifted her onto it.
Pakura did not even have the strength to struggle. She could only stare at Qian Ye with a murderous glare.
Two Hidden Leaf Chunin helped Qian Ye up from the ground.
"War God, those three minutes were too fierce. You directly forced Sunagakure to retreat!"
A Chunin leaned over with a suggestive grin and lowered his voice.
"Don't worry, War God. We'll send her to the Medical Team first. The brothers know what to do."
Another Chunin chimed in, grinning obscenely.
"Right, right! We definitely won't let our little sister-in-law suffer even the slightest grievance!"
Qian Ye nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Who the fuck is your little sister-in-law?!" Qian Ye snapped furiously. "I was saving her! Her Chakra went berserk and she nearly burned herself to death, understand?!"
The nearby shinobi exchanged looks that said, "Every man understands."
"Yeah, we understand."
"The War God is worried about her."
"Saving an enemy female shinobi on the battlefield? I've only seen that kind of plot in novels. The War God truly lives up to his name."
Qian Ye could not defend himself at all. He felt as if he would never clear his name for the rest of his life.
He could even imagine the outrageous versions that would spread through the Sunagakure and Hidden Leaf camps tomorrow.
"Enough nonsense." Chōza walked over and patted Qian Ye on the shoulder. "Lord Orochimaru wants you at the command tower immediately."
Before you continue