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Inside the Puppet Research and Development Department laboratory of Sunagakure, the air carried the faint scents of machine oil, fresh timber, and a special chakra-infused metal. Shaye was fully focused on engraving Sealing Formulae onto a complex semi-finished component, a crucial step in upgrading Mirage's energy transmission system. The Pocket Body Refining Furnace on his wrist continuously emitted gentle energy, allowing him to maintain an exceptionally high level of concentration.
Suddenly, the laboratory door was violently shoved open, shattering the atmosphere of concentration. A Chunin researcher from the department stood there, pale-faced and breathing heavily, his eyes filled with disbelief and indignation.
"Lord Shaye! Something terrible has happened!" The researcher's voice cracked with agitation.
Shaye frowned slightly and set down his tools. "What happened? Speak slowly."
"It... it's news Jonin Baki sent back... about the negotiations with the Hidden Mist Village..." The researcher swallowed hard before forcing out the words. "Those Hidden Mist bastards... they... they proposed compensation terms..."
"What terms?" Shaye's heart sank slightly, seized by a sense of foreboding. The very fact that the Hidden Mist Village was willing to discuss compensation was highly abnormal.
The researcher's voice trembled with rage. "They... they said... unless Sunagakure... abandons Lady Pakura and hands her over to the Hidden Mist Village for disposal... there will be no negotiations!"
"What?!"
Shaye abruptly straightened, unconsciously snapping the delicate engraving knife in his hand with a crack! A frigid fury surged up from the deepest part of his heart in an instant, like the rumbling of the earth before a volcanic eruption, sweeping through his entire body!
The air in the laboratory seemed to freeze, and the temperature plummeted. Chakra spilled uncontrollably from Shaye's body, forming an invisible pressure that made the Chunin researcher turn even paler and stagger back a step.
"Abandon Pakura...