Kiyohara waved a hand toward her.
"You should understand what I mean, Pakura."
Kiyohara spoke in a calm, indifferent tone.
Pakura froze for a moment before realizing what he meant.
Of course, she knew exactly what Kiyohara was referring to.
However, things had already reached this point, and success was now extremely close.
Naturally, Pakura did not want anything to go wrong at this critical moment.
Right now, she desperately wanted to go straight to Rasa and take her revenge.
But for the moment, it was better to deal with Kiyohara's matter first.
Pakura's ears turned slightly red as she crouched down beside the bed.
Sometime later, Pakura rose from the floor.
(TN: I'm skipping some stuff; it's just too scum baggy and uncomfortable to read these parts.)
"Lord Kiyohara, then I will be going."
Kiyohara nodded.
Pakura turned and walked toward the door, but after taking two steps, she suddenly stopped.
"If... if I can't make it back tonight..."
"You'll make it back."
Kiyohara answered without hesitation.
The chakra he had given her was more than enough for Pakura to use.
The chakra was temporary, meaning that every bit she spent would be gone for good.
However, Kiyohara had already calculated exactly how much chakra she would need and had deliberately given her a little extra.
Even after defeating Rasa, Pakura should still have some chakra left.
Pakura froze for a moment before a smile appeared at the corners of her lips.
"Okay."
She pushed open the door. Her figure flashed past the doorway and disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.
The door slowly closed again.
The room fell silent for a moment. The only sound was the steady breathing of Kurenai.
Then, from the shadows beside the window, a blue-clad figure silently emerged.
Konan leaned against the window frame with her arms folded across her chest, her lips pressed together slightly.
"You really do have a twisted sense of fun."
Konan looked at Kiyohara.
She could not help feeling that Kiyohara was becoming less and less interested in hiding his true nature.
Kiyohara leaned against the headboard and gently tucked the loose curls from Kurenai's forehead behind her ear.
Kurenai was far too exhausted. She was already fast asleep while clutching the blanket.
"I was merely helping her become stronger."
"Helping her become stronger?"
Konan gave a cold snort.
"You know exactly what you're thinking."
"What am I thinking?"
Kiyohara turned his head and looked at her.
Konan did not answer. Instead, she simply stared out the window.
"Suna is going to undergo a major change tomorrow. Aren't you worried that this might cause some kind of trouble?"
Konan asked.
"Pakura has every right to do this."
Kiyohara's voice remained calm.
"Rasa betrayed his own village hero back then and secretly colluded with Kiri to stab her in the back. Although that matter was suppressed by the higher-ups of Suna, how many of them truly know nothing about it?"
"Besides, the things he has done to Gaara over the past few years have already caused many people in the village to become dissatisfied with him."
"A Kazekage who treats his own son as an experimental subject, treats a hero as a disposable pawn, and treats his loyal subordinates as pieces on a chessboard. Do you really think his subordinates feel no fear?"
Konan remained silent for a moment.
Then she straightened from the window and walked toward the door.
"Just be careful not to go too far."
She pushed open the door. The hem of her blue robe flashed past the doorway, and her footsteps gradually disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Kiyohara withdrew his gaze and lowered his head.
Kurenai was sleeping soundly with her head resting on his lap.
At this moment, Kiyohara felt as though the entire shinobi world was already within the palm of his hand.
If Kiyohara were more aggressive, he could have conquered the entire shinobi world long ago.
However, the price would have been becoming the target of everyone, perhaps even forcing Isshiki to appear ahead of schedule, and possibly drawing out Momoshiki, Urashiki, and the others as well.
This sword hanging over his head also needed to be removed as soon as possible.
Kiyohara thought silently.
So what if they were Ōtsutsuki?
With the countless abilities inherited through his Last Will system, even the Ōtsutsuki would have to kneel when they came before him.
...
Suna.
Pakura paused in the shadows outside her residence.
She closed her eyes and spread out her chakra perception.
She discovered that while borrowing the chakra Kiyohara had given her, her sensory abilities had also become extraordinarily powerful.
Although it had been a very, very long time since she had returned to Suna, Pakura was still extremely familiar with the place.
After all, she had grown up here.
Even after being away for so many years, she could still locate every target with ease.
Once she had finished sensing the surrounding area, Pakura opened her eyes.
Her figure flashed several times before quickly blending into the darkness of the night.
Suna was very quiet at night.
There were no pedestrians on the streets. Only a few ANBU shinobi could be seen patrolling the rooftops in the distance.
Pakura knew their patrol routes like the back of her hand, so she easily avoided them with a few swift movements.
She found Maki at the training ground on the eastern side of the village.
Maki was her only disciple.
The clumsy little girl from years ago had grown into a jonin of Suna.
At this moment, she was training her shuriken techniques alone.
Kunai struck the wooden training posts one after another, producing dull thuds that echoed throughout the otherwise quiet training ground.
When she heard footsteps behind her, Maki turned around.
The kunai in her hand nearly slipped from her grasp.
"M... Master?"
Maki's voice changed completely because of her shock.
She had heard rumors that her master was still alive, but she had never dared to believe them.
Yet now, Pakura was standing directly in front of her.
She still possessed the same heroic and imposing appearance as before, almost as though the years had left no mark on her at all.
"Maki, you've grown up."
Pakura raised her hand and gently patted her disciple on the shoulder.
"Master, where have you been all this time? Do you know that people said you died back then? I didn't believe them. I never believed them..."
"I didn't die."
Pakura interrupted her.
"Rasa colluded with Kiri and ambushed me in the desert. He used negotiations as an excuse and had them attack me from behind. But my fate had not yet run out. I received help from someone important and survived."
The benefactor Pakura was referring to was naturally Kiyohara.
The shock on Maki's face immediately turned into anger.
"Rasa... Kazekage-sama, he..."
"He is not the Kazekage."
Pakura's voice turned cold.
"He is nothing more than a traitor who betrayed his own village and comrades. All these years, he has used Gaara as an experimental subject. How many innocent people have died because of his experiments? His hands are stained with the blood of his own people."
"Tonight, I am going to settle this debt with him."
Maki's lips trembled slightly.
Scene after scene from the past flashed rapidly through her mind.
Soon, her eyes became resolute.
"I'll go with you, Master."
"No. Go and find several people."
Pakura shook her head.
"Anyone who benefited from our squad during the Third Shinobi War and is still in the village, bring them here. Tell them that I am alive. Tell them that I, Pakura, have returned and that I intend to demand justice from Rasa."
Maki nodded.
She placed the kunai back into her shinobi tool pouch, then turned around and disappeared into the night.
Pakura did not wait where she was.
She followed a small path along the edge of the training ground and headed toward the old residential district on the western side of the village.
Several retired shinobi who had once carried out missions alongside her lived there.
They had been injured during the Third Shinobi War and forced to retire. Because of their disabilities, they had gradually been pushed to the margins by the higher-ups of Suna.
Rasa had never paid much attention to these people.
Even their allowances were repeatedly delayed.
After all, Rasa was already busy enough refining gold dust with his Magnet Release. How could he possibly be willing to hand over the village's hard-earned money to these retired shinobi who could no longer provide any practical value?
As someone who prioritized benefits above everything else, Rasa naturally believed that every bit of funding had to be put toward something useful.
In reality, the situation was also related to Suna's poor performance during the Second Shinobi War, which had caused the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to lose confidence in the village.
Rasa did not dare show too much defiance in front of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind.
All he could do was watch helplessly as the village's funding was reduced again and again.
Even the number of missions being commissioned had decreased.
With expenses exceeding income, he had no choice but to run around constantly, using Magnet Release to refine gold dust in order to earn money.
Pakura knocked on their doors one after another.
Back then, these people had been willing to entrust their lives to her on the battlefield.
Now that she had returned, they were still willing to entrust their lives to her.
In just a little over an hour, several dozen shinobi had gathered behind her.
Although their strength was far weaker than it had been in their prime, under the strength of their convictions, they were still capable of displaying considerable combat ability.
After all, their loyalty to Pakura was only one reason.
They also carried their own resentment toward Rasa and the village's current leadership.
With both sides sharing the same goal, they naturally reached an agreement without difficulty and were willing to take action.
By the time the night had reached its deepest point, the gathering was nearing its conclusion.
Some of the shinobi continued to remain hidden in the darkness.
Others could no longer restrain themselves.
They stepped forward and openly stood behind Pakura, accompanying her toward the Kazekage Building.
When they pulled down their hoods and followed Pakura onto the main street of Suna, the sensory shinobi responsible for guarding the village noticed the movement from the top of a distant tower.
"Who goes there?"
The sensory shinobi's voice came from the top of the tower, filled with caution.
Pakura raised her head.
Moonlight fell across her face.
The sensory shinobi's pupils suddenly contracted.
For a moment, he nearly thought he was seeing a ghost.
It was Pakura!
Pakura was still alive?
This realization left the sensory shinobi completely stunned.
Yet during those brief one or two breaths when he stood there in disbelief, Pakura and her followers had already crossed the main street and were rapidly approaching the Kazekage Building.
This was an open strategy.
She was not launching a sneak attack.
She was not infiltrating the village.
Instead, she was openly bringing her people onto Suna's main street.
Because she knew that Rasa, who was currently sitting inside the Kazekage Building handling administrative affairs, would certainly sense her chakra.
He would definitely know that she had returned.
…
Kazekage Building, Top-Floor Office
Rasa was sitting behind his desk, a pen in his hand as he reviewed Suna's latest budget report.
The numbers on the report were giving him an enormous headache.
Suna's finances had already been in the red for three consecutive years.
The Daimyo's funding had been reduced again and again.
Part of the mining rights had been reclaimed by the new administration in Kiri.
The number of things the village could turn into money was becoming smaller and smaller.
Rasa rubbed his temples.
He picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip of tea that had already gone completely cold before lowering his head and continuing to read the report.
Suddenly, his fingers stopped moving.
Several veins bulged on the back of the hand holding the pen.
A familiar chakra fluctuation was approaching the Kazekage Building from within the village.
Pakura was not concealing her chakra in the slightest now.
As a result, the full intensity of her chakra was leaking outward.
Within Rasa's perception, that chakra was like a blazing ball of fire, carrying the distinctive nature of Scorch Release.
Rasa's pupils contracted.
He stood up abruptly.
The chair slid backward and struck the wall with a dull thud.
Pakura.
He had sensed Pakura's chakra.
How was this possible?
The Kiri assassination squad had clearly confirmed Pakura's death back then.
To make absolutely certain, he had even sent one of his own trusted subordinates to investigate the matter.
The final conclusion had been that she had died without leaving a complete corpse.
At first, Rasa had also suspected that Pakura might have survived.
But so many years had passed.
He had long since abandoned that possibility.
Yet now, that chakra fluctuation was so clear.
It was exactly the same as the one in his memories.
No.
It was even stronger than he remembered.
Rasa frowned.
Had Pakura actually become stronger than she had been in the past?
He walked over to the window and pushed it open.
The night wind blew into the room, ruffling his short, dark red hair.
He stared at the figure in the distance that was steadily approaching the Kazekage Building along the main street. A trace of gloom flashed through his eyes.
With just one glance, his heart sank to the bottom.
Pakura really was still alive.
For an instant, Rasa felt an intense uneasiness, as though the situation had suddenly slipped beyond his control.
He turned around and strode toward the door. Looking at the ANBU waiting outside, he ordered coldly, "Pass down the order. The Kazekage Building is to be placed under lockdown. Notify every jonin currently in the village and have them report to the Kazekage Building immediately."
The ANBU received the order and hurried away.
Rasa returned to the window and watched the approaching figure.
A moment later, he turned around, took the Kazekage hat from the coat rack, and placed it on his head. He pushed open the office door and headed downstairs.
In the plaza in front of the Kazekage Building, torches were lit one after another. Their orange-red flames swayed in the night wind, illuminating the entire plaza as brightly as daylight.
Pakura stood at one end of the plaza with the people who had gathered behind her.
Rasa slowly descended the steps from the main entrance of the Kazekage Building, with the Suna ANBU and the jonin who had rushed over after receiving the summons following behind him.
The two groups faced each other in front of the Kazekage Building.
The light from the torches illuminated Pakura's face, making her features clearly visible.
"Pakura."
Rasa spoke first.
"You... you're not dead?"
Rasa's voice was filled with disbelief.
"Heh. If you can still be alive, how could I possibly have died?"
Pakura smiled faintly.
"Why did you come back?"
"To take your life."
Pakura stepped forward.
She raised her right hand and undid the cloak around her body.
The cloak slipped from her shoulders, revealing the dark, close-fitting shinobi uniform underneath.
"Rasa, back then, when you sent me to negotiate with Kiri, you had already secretly colluded with them. You had them stab me in the back at the negotiating table. I had made outstanding contributions to the village. I used Scorch Release to burn one bloody path after another across the battlefield."
"In the end, you and several of the village's higher-ups treated me as a disposable pawn. You used me as the price of admission for your betrayal of Suna and your attempt to curry favor with Kiri."
"Tonight, I am going to make you repay every single debt."
More and more shinobi of Suna gathered around them.
Some of them already knew what was going to happen tonight.
But even more had rushed over from their homes after hearing the commotion. When they saw the scene before them, their faces were filled with shock.
Pakura was alive.
And Pakura intended to kill the Kazekage.
The news exploded through the crowd like a bomb.
Rasa's expression remained emotionless.
He raised a hand, signaling the restless ANBU behind him not to move yet.
Then he removed the Kazekage hat from his head and casually tossed it onto the ground.
The hat rolled twice across the stone pavement before coming to a stop between the two of them.
"I am the Fourth Kazekage."
Rasa's voice remained calm.
Pakura had indeed revealed the truth from back then, and that was extremely disadvantageous to him.
Therefore, Rasa intended to settle the matter as quickly as possible.
He would immediately brand Pakura as a missing-nin and rebel against the village, putting an end to the matter before it could grow any larger.
Otherwise, if this affair continued to spread, the higher-ups of Suna might even turn around and place all the blame on him.
"If you intend to kill me, then you are declaring yourself an enemy of the village. From this moment onward, there will be no place for you in Suna. The military achievements you earned back then will also be erased from the history of the village. No one will remember you."
"You think I care?"
Pakura let out a mocking laugh.
There was not the slightest hesitation in her brown eyes.
"The living need a village. The dead do not."
"Tonight, I only want an explanation. If you cannot give me one, then do not blame me for what happens next."
"Then there is nothing more to discuss."
Rasa raised his right hand.
"Magnet Release!"
Rumble!
The ground began to tremble.
Countless streams of golden placer gold surged up from beneath the earth, shooting into the air like enormous fountains.
Under the light of the torches, the gold dust reflected dazzling golden rays. It gathered around Rasa and formed a vast golden tide.
Pakura attacked at the same time.
"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
Two orange-red spheres of scorching heat condensed in the palm of her right hand before she hurled them violently toward Rasa.
The blazing fireballs streaked across the night sky, leaving two dazzling orange-red trails behind them.
Before the fireballs even reached their target, the surrounding air had already begun to distort from the intense heat.
Rasa swept one hand outward.
The gold dust rose before him and formed a thick shield.
Golden streams of sand flowed constantly across its surface.
The fireballs slammed into the golden shield with a piercing hiss.
The gold dust was burned until it glowed red-hot, but the shield held firm and was never penetrated.
Pakura pushed off the ground.
Her entire body shot into the air.
At the same time, scorching fireballs began condensing in both of her hands as she dove down from above Rasa.
"Scorch Release: Multiple Extremely Steaming Murder!"
Four fireballs simultaneously descended upon Rasa.
With the chakra Kiyohara had given her reinforcing her body, the fireballs appeared enormous.
Rasa's brows furrowed slightly.
Pakura was far stronger than he had expected.
He pushed both hands upward.
A tremendous amount of gold dust surged from the ground and formed a golden barrier above his head.
The four fireballs struck the barrier simultaneously.
The resulting explosion sent waves of scorching heat sweeping outward.
The ground became searing hot, while several of the surrounding torches were extinguished by the force of the blast.
The nearby shinobi hurriedly retreated.
The gold-dust barrier had been burned bright red by the fireballs, but it remained intact.
Rasa withdrew the golden dome.
Then he swung his hand backward.
Countless streams of gold dust condensed into sharp, bamboo-shoot-like spikes that shot toward Pakura.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust World Method!"
The gold dust moved at incredible speed, while its attack covered a wide area.
In an instant, Pakura had very little room left to dodge.
Pakura took a deep breath.
The deep red chakra inside her body began to surge.
A dark red Tailed Beast cloak appeared around her forearms.
Chakra rolled across the surface of her skin, radiating an intense heat.
"Scorch Release: Steam-Killing Whirlwind!"
Pakura's body began spinning rapidly in midair.
Scorch Release chakra gathered around her and formed a blazing tornado.
The incoming gold dust was completely melted.
The golden placer gold turned into pools of red-hot liquid under the extreme temperature and dripped onto the ground, scorching black craters into the stone pavement.
Rasa's pupils contracted slightly.
A Tailed Beast?
Was Pakura a Jinchūriki now?
Rasa carefully sensed her chakra.
"No. You're not a Jinchūriki. Then why do you possess Tailed Beast chakra?"
Rasa's eyes widened.
Pakura's strength had increased far beyond what he remembered.
Back then, although the power of Pakura's Scorch Release had been astonishing, her chakra reserves had always been her greatest weakness.
Every time she used Scorch Release, she could only launch several waves of attacks before she had to stop and recover.
But now, not only had her chakra reserves shown no sign of weakening, her chakra was becoming increasingly violent.
That deep red chakra was clearly not ordinary Scorch Release chakra.
"Where exactly did you get that Tailed Beast chakra?"
"You don't need to know."
Pakura brought both hands together in front of her chest.
All the Scorch Release chakra and Tailed Beast chakra within her body were simultaneously drawn out.
The two powers fused together within her chakra pathways, erupting into a dazzling white light.
"Scorch Release: Scorching Sun!"
A gigantic fireball more than two meters in diameter condensed above her head.
At its center was a brilliant white core.
The outer layer was orange-red.
At the edges was a deep violet.
The three colors violently churned across the surface of the sphere.
The fireball radiated a temperature hot enough to melt steel.
The stone pavement beneath it began to crack.
Pakura thrust both arms forward.
The enormous fireball came crashing down toward Rasa.
Rasa slammed both hands against the ground.
"Gold Dust: Golden Sand Shield!"
All of the gold dust surged out at once.
It gathered before Rasa and formed an enormous golden statue.
The statue stood more than ten meters tall.
Its arms were crossed before its chest, completely shielding Rasa behind it.
The enormous fireball slammed into the golden statue.
BOOM!
The resulting white light illuminated the entire plaza as brightly as daylight.
A shockwave swept outward.
The windows of the surrounding buildings shattered one after another.
Several Suna ANBU who were too close were thrown through the air by the blast and crashed into distant walls.
When the white light finally faded, a gigantic hole had been blasted through the chest of the golden statue.
Golden placer gold continuously crumbled from the edges of the hole.
Behind the statue, Rasa was down on one knee.
Several large blackened holes had been burned through his Kazekage robes.
The sleeve covering his right arm had been completely burned away, exposing an arm covered in bright red burns.
Cold sweat trickled down Rasa's body.
Pakura, meanwhile, landed steadily on the ground.
The "Tailed Beast cloak" surrounding her body was still burning fiercely.
The victor had already been decided.
Rasa knelt on one knee and used the little strength he had left to support himself with the gold dust, desperately trying to continue the battle.
But his chakra had already been completely exhausted by that last attack.
The gold dust lost its control and scattered across the ground, returning to ordinary placer gold.
Pakura walked over to him and looked down.
"Wait..."
Rasa's voice was hoarse.
"I can explain."
"It's too late."
Pakura raised her right hand.
A Scorch Release fireball condensed in her palm, aimed directly at Rasa's chest.
Just then, an aged voice rang out.
"Enough."
Chiyo slowly walked out from the crowd, leaning on her cane.
Her face was covered with wrinkles, but the eyes beneath her deeply sunken sockets remained clear and sharp.
Ebizo followed behind her.
His thin, withered hand rested on the shinobi tools at his waist.
However, Chiyo gave him a slight shake of her head, signaling that he did not need to interfere.
"Lady Chiyo."
Pakura stopped her attack and looked toward the former elder who had once held great authority within Suna.
Chiyo walked between Pakura and Rasa.
She lowered her eyes and glanced at Rasa before raising her gaze toward Pakura.
"I know everything about what happened back then."
Chiyo spoke slowly.
"What Rasa did, the higher-ups present here all know to some extent. They simply did not want to be the first ones to step forward and expose him."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"So tonight, I will not stop you."
Rasa looked up at Chiyo in disbelief.
Chiyo did not look at him.
"But I have one condition."
Chiyo's gaze returned to Pakura.
"Spare his life. Suna needs an explanation, but that explanation does not have to be paid for with blood. Lock him in the village prison and have the Council of Elders publicly judge his crimes from back then."
"Give him a proper trial, and give Suna a proper conclusion to this matter."
"If the verdict is death, I will not stop you."
Pakura remained silent for a moment.
Then she withdrew the fireball from her hand.
"Fine."
She bent down and tore off Rasa's Kazekage robe.
Using the fabric, she bound his hands behind his back.
Then she waved toward Maki.
Maki hurried over and immediately used the "Cloth Binding Technique" on Rasa.
"Take him away."
Maki and several other shinobi stepped forward and pulled Rasa up from the ground.
Rasa lowered his head.
His dark red hair covered his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression as he was escorted toward the prison beneath the Kazekage Building.
"Hmph. So you're merely locking me up."
Rasa sneered, appearing completely unafraid.
Chiyo watched his retreating figure and slowly closed her eyes.
Ebizo stepped forward and supported his sister's arm.
"Sister, you..."
"Let's go."
Chiyo interrupted him.
"This is an internal matter. Let it come to an end on its own."
Leaning on her cane and supported by Ebizo, she turned around and slowly walked toward her residence.
The night wind gradually died down.
The Sand shinobi remained standing in the plaza for a long time without dispersing.
After all, everything had happened far too quickly.
In the span of a single night, such a dramatic change had taken place.
Many shinobi had not even managed to understand what had happened.
They hurriedly questioned the people around them, asking for explanations.
However, those who already knew the truth understood one thing.
After this night, Suna was going to undergo a complete transformation.
…
The Next Day
Morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell across Kiyohara's face.
Kiyohara opened his eyes.
Kurenai was curled up in his arms, her eyes still closed.
Her breathing was steady, and the warm air from her lips brushed gently against his neck whenever she exhaled.
She seemed to have dreamed of something.
Her brows furrowed slightly, but soon relaxed again.
(End of Chapter)