There was no need for Hirakawa Aomizu to intervene.
A furious Pakura alone was more than enough to deal with the attackers.
One must never underestimate a Jonin who possessed a Bloodline Limit.
The scattered black-clothed corpses lying around the battlefield were proof of that fact.
They were the price paid for daring to oppose her.
Pakura's expression was cold as she stared at the remaining enemies.
"I'll ask one last time."
Her voice carried a terrifying chill.
"Who is the mastermind behind this attack?"
She refused to believe that a small group of people would dare to target both herself and Hirakawa Aomizu, a hero of Konoha.
Someone powerful must be pulling the strings from the shadows.
Possibly one of the elders of Sunagakure.
Or perhaps more than one.
As a Jonin, Pakura was well aware of the political struggles within the village.
However, she had always chosen to stay away from those conflicts.
She preferred focusing on missions rather than schemes.
Yet despite her avoidance, she had still been dragged into the chaos.
Not only had the incident embarrassed Sunagakure, but it had also allowed Aomizu to watch the entire situation like an outsider enjoying a show.
That thought irritated her.
Facing Pakura's interrogation, the leader of the black-clothed group remained silent.
He had no intention of revealing anything.
In the current situation, he understood one thing clearly.
If he wanted to survive, he and Kitada Yusuke had to gamble everything.
Kitada Yusuke, on the other hand, glared at Pakura with undisguised hatred.
His eyes were bloodshot.
"Why won't you just die?!"
His voice was filled with madness.
"If you were dead, I could rise again!"
"I could become a real executive of the village!"
Pakura frowned slightly.
"What?"
She genuinely could not understand his reasoning.
She had barely interacted with the man before.
There was no history between them.
She certainly had never interfered with his career or promotion.
But Kitada clearly had no intention of explaining.
With a sweeping motion of his arms, two puppets suddenly appeared.
One puppet resembled a massive rhinoceros.
Its body was enormous, and its armor-like surface clearly emphasized defensive capability.
The second puppet was humanoid.
It held a poison-coated ninja sword in each hand.
"Die!"
Kitada shouted.
His expression twisted in rage as he launched his attack.
The humanoid puppet sprinted forward toward Pakura.
Its twin swords spun rapidly as it closed the distance.
At the same time, the back of the rhinoceros puppet suddenly split open.
A hidden launcher appeared.
Dozens of poison-tipped senbon needles shot out.
They rained down from above, covering both Pakura and Aomizu.
"This poison has been specially prepared!"
Kitada shouted hysterically.
"Double strength!"
"Let's see how you deal with this!"
His eyes burned with desperation.
He knew that his only chance of survival was to fight recklessly.
Victory or death.
There was no third option.
Pakura's eyes grew colder.
"If you refuse to reveal your master…"
"Then you have no value alive."
Her hands instantly began forming seals.
"Wind Release: Raging Tempest Dance!"
Scorch Release was a Bloodline Limit formed from both Wind and Fire Release.
Naturally, Pakura was also skilled in Wind Release techniques.
Two powerful whirlwinds formed instantly around her.
The violent currents scattered every incoming senbon needle.
At the same time—
Pakura used the Body Flicker Technique.
Her figure vanished instantly.
The humanoid puppet's blades sliced through empty air.
In the next moment, Pakura reappeared beside the puppet.
A kunai appeared in each of her hands.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Her taijutsu skills were exceptional.
The humanoid puppet was completely suppressed.
Its attacks could barely keep up with her movements.
Then Pakura suddenly formed a fireball.
The blazing sphere shot toward Kitada Yusuke himself.
A puppeteer's puppets might be dangerous—
But the puppeteer was always the weak point.
Kitada immediately panicked.
Sweat poured down his forehead.
He frantically manipulated his chakra threads.
The rhinoceros puppet rushed forward.
It placed itself directly in front of him.
Boom!
The fireball struck the puppet.
However, the puppet remained standing.
The rhinoceros puppet had clearly been specially reinforced to resist high temperatures.
The flames splashed across its surface but failed to destroy it.
Seeing this, Aomizu understood immediately.
The enemy had carefully prepared for this battle.
They had studied Pakura's abilities beforehand.
"Need help?" Aomizu asked casually.
Pakura didn't even hesitate.
"No."
"This is an internal matter of Sunagakure."
"I'll handle it myself."
She refused his help immediately.
She had already allowed him to watch the fight.
Accepting assistance now would only deepen her humiliation.
Aomizu shrugged.
Since she insisted, he had no reason to interfere.
He simply stood nearby with his hands inside his sleeves.
Watching.
At this moment, both Kitada Yusuke and the black-clothed leader felt a glimmer of hope.
If the two of them worked together to defeat Pakura—
They might still escape.
The leader quickly began forming hand seals.
"Wind Release: Cutting Wind Technique!"
Sharp wind blades shot toward Pakura.
Sensing the attack, Pakura quickly leapt aside.
One strand of her hair was sliced off.
But her body remained unharmed.
Before she could fully stabilize herself, the two enemies launched another attack.
Under the combined pressure of their attacks, even Pakura had to retreat slightly.
"Pakura!"
Kitada shouted.
"You're going to die here tonight!"
Pakura's eyes remained calm.
"You two aren't enough to kill me."
Kitada sneered.
"How long can you hold out while we keep you pinned down?"
Pakura didn't respond.
Instead, she began gathering fireballs.
Several smaller fireballs condensed together.
Then—
They merged into a single massive sphere.
The enormous fireball illuminated the entire battlefield.
The previously dark night suddenly became bright.
An intense heat radiated from the sphere.
It felt like standing beneath the blazing sun of midsummer.
Both Kitada Yusuke and the black-clothed leader felt their faces turn pale.
Their intelligence reports had never mentioned this technique.
The same terrifying thought appeared in both of their minds.
They exchanged a quick glance.
Then immediately launched their strongest attacks.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
Compressed wind chakra formed a dense sphere.
It shot forward like a cannonball.
The destructive power of this technique was terrifying.
Piercing through a human body would be effortless.
At the same time, the humanoid puppet opened its mouth.
A torrent of flames burst out.
Pakura remained expressionless.
She calmly guided the massive fireball forward.
The moment the attacks collided—
The Vacuum Sphere shattered instantly.
Then the puppet's flames were swallowed by the fireball.
Instead of weakening, the sphere became even stronger.
Kitada's face twisted in horror.
"That's impossible!"
The fireball could absorb flames and strengthen itself.
In the next moment—
The humanoid puppet was swallowed by the blazing sphere.
Within seconds, it was burned into ashes.
Aomizu watched the scene with interest.
"That technique is quite interesting."
A ninjutsu capable of absorbing flames reminded him slightly of Kisame's Great Shark Bullet technique.
His voice wasn't lowered.
Naturally, Pakura heard him.
She instinctively glanced toward him.
Just "interesting"?
Hirakawa Aomizu…
Just how powerful had he become?
Boom!
The fireball continued moving forward.
Kitada desperately commanded the rhinoceros puppet to block it.
The puppet collided with the fireball.
For a brief moment, it held.
"Impossible!"
"This puppet was specially reinforced!"
But the defense only lasted a second.
The fireball pierced straight through the puppet.
Even so, the puppet slightly weakened the fireball's power.
However—
Even a weakened version of that technique was devastating.
Both enemies tried to escape.
But suddenly—
The black-clothed leader grabbed Kitada.
Then threw him directly into the fireball.
"You—!"
Kitada screamed.
But his voice vanished as the fireball consumed him.
The leader didn't feel any guilt.
A puppeteer without puppets is useless.
Better he serve one final purpose.
The fireball finally dissipated.
Revealing Kitada's charred corpse.
But the black-clothed leader was already attempting to escape.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Pakura roared.
Her body flickered.
She instantly appeared in front of him.
Then delivered a powerful kick.
Boom!
The leader was sent flying backward.
When he hit the ground, pain exploded through his body.
It felt like his organs had shifted.
Blood burst from his mouth.
At the same time, the black mask covering his face fell off.
His identity was revealed.
Pakura's expression immediately changed.
"It's you!"
Her voice became furious.
"Koizumi Yōya!"
"Are you trying to start a civil war within Sunagakure?!"
Like Kitada, Koizumi was a Jonin loyal to Elder Takeda.
Takeda was one of the most powerful elders in the village.
This attack clearly had his approval.
Koizumi ignored her accusation.
Instead, he quickly pulled out dozens of kunai wrapped with explosive tags.
But he didn't aim at Pakura.
Or Aomizu.
Instead—
He threw them toward nearby buildings.
His target was the Chunin Exam candidates.
If chaos erupted, Pakura and Aomizu would be forced to protect the students.
And while they were distracted—
He could escape.
The explosions erupted instantly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
But something strange happened.
The kunai stopped in midair.
Blocked by an invisible barrier.
Koizumi's eyes widened in shock.
Aomizu smiled slightly.
"Didn't you think something was strange?"
"With all the noise earlier… why did no one come to investigate?"
Koizumi's heart sank.
Only now did he realize the truth.
A barrier had already been deployed.
Aomizu continued calmly.
"Everyone traveled for three days."
"They finally got the chance to rest."
"Of course I wouldn't let you disturb them."
The barrier was Aomizu's technique.
It had two purposes.
Defense.
And sound suppression.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)