Late at night, in the secluded cavern, Uchiha Lei completely conquered and subdued Pakura with genjutsu.
The once proud, unyielding Scorch Release queen of Sunagakure, who would rather die than submit, had now changed her allegiance completely, willingly joining Uchiha Lei and becoming his most loyal fighting force.
The night was deep, and moonlight spilled over the wasteland.
Uchiha Lei slowly walked out of the cavern with the transformed, fully submissive Pakura.
The evening breeze stirred their clothes. Pakura followed close beside Uchiha Lei, her manner gentle and respectful, without a trace of her former arrogance.
She looked up at the tall, straight figure ahead of her, her eyes filled with submission and admiration.
Abandoning the heartless, faithless Sunagakure and submitting to this invincible powerhouse before her was the best choice she had ever made.
"Master, where are we going next?" Pakura asked softly, her tone utterly docile.
"Master doesn't sound good. Just call me Lei."
Uchiha Lei looked toward Konoha, a faint smile lifting the corners of his mouth:
"We'll find Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi, regroup, and continue on."
Pakura nodded and replied:
"All right, Lei!"
As his words fell, he stepped forward. Beneath the night sky, two figures raced steadily into the distance, one behind the other, crossing the moonlit yellow sand.
An hour later~
The two reached the sandy boundary area where they had parted ways with Kakashi Hatake and Kurenai Yuhi during the day.
"We're almost at the spot where we split up."
Uchiha Lei paused briefly, his low voice sounding through the silent desert as his gaze swept over the familiar dunes around them.
Just then, his brow furrowed slightly. His keen senses instantly spread out, covering several hundred meters around him.
His extraordinary perception, honed on countless battlefields, precisely caught two extremely familiar chakra