The Ruined Uzumaki Shrine

Long Ye could not agree to her plea.

Even if he did, the others would object, whether they said so or not.

They had all seen what this woman could do. Her strength was nowhere near good enough. She had been utterly helpless against Kakashi. How could the organization accept someone like her?

Only after the group had left did the woman rise from the ground.

She looked in the direction Long Ye had gone and sighed softly.

She had made the request in a last-ditch hope. Unsurprisingly, she had been turned down.

Her slender fingers clenched tight.

"Strength... If I had that woman's strength, he'd accept me!"

She thought back to how she had failed to defeat even one of Konoha's Elite Jonin, and her heart sank.

The Hannya Group had been wiped out, and the Land of Woods would soon suffer for it. She had never felt any loyalty to the country. Without so much as a glance in its direction, she began her life on the run...

"You want the Death God Mask?"

As the five hurried along, Pakura turned to Long Ye and asked him. His refusal had come as a relief to her, but it had also given her a strange little thrill she could not explain.

"I have no use for it. I'm not about to sell my life and soul to the Death God for power!"

Pakura understood. "You don't want Akatsuki to get hold of something so evil?"

Long Ye nodded. "Akatsuki is hard enough to deal with already. If that man gets the Death God Mask and creates some terrifying new human weapon, that's bad news for us."

Anyone who wore the Death God Mask would most likely lose their life, but nothing was certain. More importantly, Nagato possessed the