Shapo Port.
Yōkō stood on the shore, looking at the distant sea. He had left a Flying Thunder God Formula on Pakura. If he wanted, he could easily resolve all the troubles she faced—the Kiri-nin ambush, the severe injuries, and so on.
But Yōkō did not intervene. He let Pakura experience the betrayal herself, experience the slow healing of her wounds. If she went through a pilgrimage on top of that, she would become a true believer in the Three Gods Religion.
Hidan was a born fanatic; there was no need to worry about the strength of his faith. Pakura was different. Pakura needed to be nurtured.
A ship docked. All the piers at Shapo Port were destroyed, so a temporary, narrow pier had been built.
Pakura, her face pale, slowly walked down the pier. Before her eyes was Shapo Port, reduced to ruins.
She sidestepped many dockworkers carrying cargo and stepped onto the shore. She let out a long sigh of relief. She was finally back... but then it occurred to her, was this truly the Land of Wind she had once loved? Did it deserve her love?
After walking a few steps, Pakura felt something was off. She suddenly remembered that her forehead protector was in her ninja tool pouch. The Sunagakure forehead protector disgusted her, so she wasn't wearing it. The looks the dockworkers gave her were not the admiring gazes reserved for Suna ninja, but rather the glances given to an ordinary, pretty woman. Such looks felt so unfamiliar.
Setting aside thoughts of Sunagakure, Pakura found a secluded spot and silently recited the names of the Three Gods. Soon, she received guidance.
Leaving the port, Pakura came to a hidden spot behind some reefs. Behind the reef was a triangular stone with a square niche carved into it. Inside the niche were three humanoid figures. If she didn't know what the Three Gods looked like, she would never associate these crude stone statues with the terrifying deities.
This was the altar, the altar of the Three Gods Religion.
As she prayed before the altar, a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
On the Divine Hall, Kōji had said that returning to Shapo Port would allow her to meet him. She had so many things she wanted to say to Kōji, so many things she needed to confirm with him.
"Damn those Kiri-nin! What did they do to you? Such a beautiful back, now with so many scars! Pakura, I will search the entire shinobi world to find a miracle cure to remove these scars for you!"
Pakura usually wore backless outfits, so she didn't know what her back looked like, and right now she didn't care. On her back were many pale pink marks, scars left by kunai. She didn't know when they would fully heal.
Pakura's eyes were dazed, looking at the man before her in disbelief. "Kōji... Thunder? Are you really the leader of the Calamity Organization?"
"It's me."
Pakura threw herself into Yōkō's arms.
Yōkō stroked Pakura's back and sighed. Poor Pakura, betrayed by her own village. Unlike Yōkō, who constantly danced on the edge of betraying Konoha, never giving the village a chance to betray him. A ninja's maturity begins with questioning the village. Yōkō was practically overripe; he had never believed in Konoha.
Half an hour later.
Regardless of whether Shapo Port belonged to Sunagakure or Kirigakure, regardless of how many had died here, none of it could stop the waves from crashing onto the beach one after another, making a rushing sound.
Amidst the rush of the waves, Pakura's long, slender spine accentuated an extreme waist-to-hip ratio as she moved rhythmically above Yōkō.
Finally, Pakura went limp against Yōkō, panting softly. "No one will find us, right?"
"No, the Kiri-nin were so ruthless; they almost emptied Shapo Port of people. No one would come here."
Pakura rested for over ten minutes before getting up to tidy herself.
"Thunder, I must return to Sunagakure. In the Divine Hall, you told me to stop Sunagakure from joining the shinobi alliance?"
"Yes, Sunagakure is the weakest of the five great villages. Stay out of this mess," Yōkō said. "I hope you gain more power within Sunagakure, rise to a high position, and then, together with Pestilence, spread the faith of the Three Gods Religion within the Land of Wind."
"Alright, I understand."
Leaving Shapo Port, Pakura returned to Sunagakure.
Rasa stood on the balcony of the Kazekage Building, looking down at Pakura walking slowly down the central avenue with a gaze full of confusion and regret. He had clearly delivered Pakura to Kirigakure, yet those incompetent fools hadn't managed to kill her.
From a great distance, Pakura looked up. Seeing the look in her eyes, Rasa's heart suddenly sank. She was different. The look in Pakura's eyes was different.
Before, Pakura had been naive and passionate. Naive because the Third Kazekage had valued her highly and protected her well. Passionate because she was eager to dedicate herself to the village and the Land of Wind, a standard ninja in the truest sense.
Rasa turned and left the balcony, heading downstairs. He personally went down to greet her. Who wouldn't say he was magnanimous?
However, Rasa found Chiyo already waiting downstairs, having beaten him to it.
Beating Chiyo to the punch, Rasa stepped forward to meet Pakura, saying, "That despicable Kirigakure actually deceived us! They agreed to exchange a peace agreement but dared to attack our envoy. Pakura, are you alright? Were you injured?"
Chiyo sneered coldly. After the Third's disappearance, Rasa had become a seasoned politician remarkably fast. Casually sending someone he disliked to their death was one thing, but lying through his teeth like this...
Pakura's pupils contracted slightly, but she did not expose him. "Advisor Rasa, those Kiri-nin were very weak. Even with a sneak attack, it was useless. I killed them all."
Rasa thought to himself that Genji had been too arrogant. Wanting to take out Pakura but sending some trash to do it.
Chiyo stepped forward and said, "It's not that the Kiri-nin were weak; it's that you, Pakura, are strong enough to handle their ambush. A great shinobi war is imminent, and Sunagakure is in dire need of capable individuals. I suggest you join the high council. Let's convene a high-level meeting immediately."
Rasa wanted to refuse on the grounds of Pakura's youth, but Ebizō, standing beside Chiyo, immediately voiced his agreement with his sister's proposal. The siblings, Chiyo and Ebizō, were both Sunagakure advisors with many followers and significant influence.
Rasa thought to himself, Sensei really left me a mess.
He glanced towards the southwest corner of Sunagakure, where the Jinchūriki of Shukaku was imprisoned. He needed to find a way to obtain Shukaku's power to increase his own strength as soon as possible.
Outside the high council meeting room, Pakura stood with Chiyo by the window at the end of the corridor, waiting for the other high-level members to arrive.
"Lady Chiyo, during my trip to the Land of Water, I heard some rumors."
Chiyo turned to look at Pakura, unsure what she wanted to say.
Pakura said, "I heard that several villages are planning to form an Anti-Konoha Alliance, a combined shinobi force to deal with Konoha."
Chiyo had also heard something about this. But something so important, and she didn't know the details. Someone in the village didn't want her to know. That person was Rasa.
Chiyo said, "Rasa guards against us like we're thieves. Pakura, you seem to know more about this. What's your take?"
Pakura said, "Lady Chiyo, Shapo Port was almost completely massacred by the Kiri-nin. Cooperating with other villages is like making a pact with a tiger. And attacking Konoha is full of variables. Who knows if our Sunagakure would be the bait to lure the enemy in or the rear-guard cannon fodder? My opinion is that we should not participate in such a war."
Chiyo said, "Rasa is using the mission to find the Third Kazekage to gather followers. Ebizō and I may not be weak, but we are old after all. Many are more willing to follow the young Rasa. Rasa becoming the Fourth Kazekage is already a foregone conclusion. However, Iwagakure and Kirigakure both have enmity with us, especially Iwagakure, which has oppressed us for so many years. I cannot accept cooperating with them. I also deeply resent Konoha, but let's wait until the Iwa-nin and Konoha have fought until they're completely exhausted before we join the war."
Pakura breathed a sigh of relief. At least Advisor Chiyo was on her side for now.
***
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(End of Chapter)