As a former missing-nin, Pakura was not only still alive, but had also become noticeably healthier during this time.
It was not that she had gained weight. Her figure was simply far too attractive, making certain curves appear even more prominent.
Pakura sat casually beside the campfire. Somehow, she had managed to catch and pluck a wild duck from the forest nearby.
The duck roasted slowly over the flames, sizzling with grease as its rich aroma filled the cave.
Across from her, Uchiha Fugaku remained silent.
His eyes stayed shut beneath the swirling orange mask, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"Hey, are you going to eat or not?"
Once the duck was fully roasted, Pakura held up the wooden skewer and spoke impatiently.
Fugaku merely glanced at it before closing his eyes again, showing no interest in responding.
Pakura clicked her tongue in irritation.
Ever since this masked man had saved her, the atmosphere between them had been strange.
If he were mute, she could understand it. But he clearly was not. He often whispered to that strange white creature beside him, yet deliberately ignored her whenever she tried speaking.
"How long are you planning to keep me here?!"
A sphere of scorching chakra formed in her palm before she hurled it toward him.
Fugaku casually raised one hand and dispersed the attack without effort.
His gaze remained fixed on the fire.
Just as Pakura was about to lose her temper completely, his deep voice finally echoed through the cave.
"Imprisoned? I never imprisoned you. If you want to leave, you can leave whenever you want."
Pakura tightened her grip around the skewer.
Her appetite vanished instantly.
Leave?
Where could she even go?
As a hero of Sunagakure, she had long accepted the possibility of dying for the village. She had never feared sacrifice.
But betrayal was different.
Being abandoned by the very village she devoted everything to was a pain only she could understand.
Now that she had already been discarded by Sunagakure, there was no path back for her anymore.
Returning would only lead to execution.
"I... don't have anywhere left to go."
Her voice became quiet and distant.
Although Fugaku kept his eyes closed, he could easily imagine the expression on her face.
Despair.
The same despair he himself had once experienced.
At first, he had wanted revenge against the village.
Later, after enough time had passed, even returning became something frightening.
Pakura wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye before forcing herself to regain composure. She tore into the roasted duck with large bites, venting her frustration through eating.
After finishing one of the legs, she looked toward Fugaku again.
"You saved me, so it obviously wasn't out of kindness alone."
She wiped the grease from her lips.
"What exactly do you want me to do?"
Ignoring the probing tone in her voice, Fugaku answered directly.
"Soon, an organization will contact you and invite you to join them. When they do, accept."
Pakura narrowed her eyes.
"An organization? What kind of organization?"
"One that seeks to bring peace to the shinobi world," Fugaku replied casually. "Your role will simply be helping them capture the Tailed Beasts."
Pakura let out a cold laugh.
"The Tailed Beasts are military assets protected by every major village. Do you seriously think such a thing is possible?"
A faint chuckle escaped Fugaku.
"It seems I've overestimated your intelligence."
His voice carried clear mockery.
"If I could rescue you from that situation so easily, then finding shinobi on your level is hardly difficult."
Pakura did not react angrily to the insult. Instead, she stared at the masked man more carefully.
"You really do have ridiculous ambitions."
After a brief pause, she asked quietly,
"Who exactly are you?"
A cold laugh echoed from beneath the mask.
"My name is... Madara Uchiha."
The three tomoe within his Sharingan spun slowly.
Pakura snorted.
"Madara Uchiha? Do you think I'm some gullible child?"
"Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant."
Fugaku closed his eyes again.
"Sharingan... and the Uchiha Clan..."
Pakura tore off another piece of duck meat before suddenly asking,
"You wouldn't happen to be Konoha's White Fang, would you?"
Fugaku sneered.
"Once I kill him, you'll know."
Pakura rolled her eyes.
"If you were truly capable of killing him, you wouldn't be hiding behind a mask."
She leaned back against the cave wall.
"But you're definitely not him. Sakumo isn't nearly as depressing as you are."
Fugaku gave no response.
Pakura stared at him for a moment before speaking again.
"You knew about the trap set against me, which means your intelligence network is impressive."
Her gaze sharpened.
"The disappearance of the Third Kazekage... was that your doing too?"
"No."
Fugaku's answer came immediately.
"A shinobi like him would never join my organization."
He tossed another piece of wood into the flames.
"He was killed by Sasori."
Pakura froze.
"Sasori? That's impossible."
Out of all the possibilities she had considered, Sasori had never crossed her mind.
The boy was barely fifteen years old.
"It was him," Fugaku continued calmly. "I witnessed the battle myself."
The fire crackled softly inside the cave.
"He has already turned the Third Kazekage into a human puppet by now."
Pakura's pupils shrank violently.
Fugaku continued mercilessly.
"Oh, and Chiyo and Ebizō know about it too. Ebizō even watched Sasori leave the village."
Every word felt like a blade twisting deeper into her chest.
The veins on Pakura's hands bulged.
Watching Fugaku calmly feeding more wood into the fire, an uncontrollable rage suddenly exploded within her.
With one violent kick, she scattered the campfire apart.
Burning embers flew across the cave floor.
Pakura stomped on the remaining flames repeatedly until the fire was completely extinguished. Dust and ash stained her clothes, but she paid no attention to it.
Only after the flames disappeared did she slump weakly against the cave wall.
Her entire body trembled with hatred.
"Sasori... I'll kill him."
"Ebizō... Chiyo... Rasa..."
Her voice became colder with every name.
"I'll kill all of them."
Fugaku's calm voice sounded once more.
"You can hate the others all you want, but forget about killing Sasori."
Pakura glared at him furiously.
"He modified both himself and the Third Kazekage into puppets. You're not strong enough to defeat him."
After a brief pause, Fugaku added,
"And sooner or later, he'll join the organization too."
"That's none of your business!"
Pakura's killing intent surged violently.
"One day, I'll kill you too."
Fugaku merely shook his head slightly.
"Troublesome woman."
Pakura's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What did you just say?"
"Pitying you."
A ball of scorching chakra formed in her hand again.
"I need your pity?"
She hurled the attack toward him.
The fireball lost control midway and slammed into the ground instead.
Fugaku casually tossed several logs into the remaining embers and reignited the campfire.
Pakura gritted her teeth before throwing away the unfinished duck.
Without another word, she walked toward the cave entrance.
During her recovery, she had used nearby vines and branches to weave herself a crude rattan chair.
She collapsed into it weakly.
Outside, torrential rain poured endlessly from the dark sky.
Her body swayed gently in the wind like fragile grass struggling against a storm.
Quietly, Pakura began singing an old nursery rhyme from Sunagakure.
Her hollow gaze remained fixed on the endless darkness beyond the rain.
===
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