The night wind howled. The night sky above Sunagakure was covered by heavy clouds, and the starlight was dim.
Chiya wore a Sunagakure ANBU uniform. The corners of his mouth curved up beneath his mask.
He looked down and checked his equipment.
Kunai, shuriken, explosive tags. Everything was ready.
Tonight, he would deliver a "great gift" to Sunagakure in the guise of a Kirigakure Ice Style ninja.
Chiya stood on a tall sand dune and looked down at the Kazekage Building not far away.
"Let's start with the Kazekage Building."
Chiya murmured, and his figure vanished from the spot like a ghost.
"High-Speed Body Flicker!"
In the blink of an eye, Chiya arrived at the very top of the Kazekage Building.
He brought both hands together.
A bone-piercing cold began to radiate outward from Chiya's body.
Starting from the top, the Kazekage Building was rapidly encased in a layer of ice.
The Suna guards were instantly on alert, snapping their gaze upward.
"It is Ice Style. A ninja from Kirigakure!!"
"Enemy attack! All guards, alert!"
"..."
The corner of Chiya's mouth curved up.
'Noticed now?'
'A little too late, unfortunately.'
"Ice Style, Ice Explosion Technique!"
He slammed his palm against the surface. The thick ice that had formed split into cracks spreading like a spider's web, and then.
BOOM!!
A violent explosion swept across the entire Kazekage Building. Ice shards and stone fragments scattered in every direction. The structure collapsed with a thunderous crash under the terrifying force.
"The Kazekage Building... was blown up?!"
The Suna-nin stared wide-eyed at the bare ruins of the Kazekage Building.
Chiya wasted no time and used the chaos to withdraw swiftly.
Watching Chiya's retreating figure, the ANBU moved quickly to give chase.
"Kiri-nin... you are looking for death!!"
The furious Suna-nin roared, but Chiya's figure had already disappeared into the night.
On the outer perimeter of Sunagakure, a five-man patrol squad was slowly making their way along the wall.
The lead ninja suddenly raised a hand to signal the squad to stop and looked around with wariness.
"What is it?"
One of the squad members asked quietly.
"There is a strange sound in the wind..."
The lead ninja frowned, his fingers quietly reaching for the kunai at his waist.
Before he finished speaking, a flash of cold light cut through the air.
The lead ninja's pupils contracted sharply. A bone-chilling cold hit his throat.
He tried to call out, but found his throat was frozen.
The next moment, his body began to ice over rapidly from the neck down and in an instant he was a frozen sculpture.
"Enemy attack!"
The remaining four quickly moved back to back into a defensive formation. But before they could even make out the enemy's shape, the ground beneath their feet suddenly froze over.
Ice crept upward along their legs and in the blink of an eye turned all four of them into pillars of ice.
Chiya's figure emerged from the shadows. Faint frost still clung to his fingertips.
He scanned the frozen patrol squad and flickered away.
Without any hesitation.
Over the next half hour, the patrol squads on Sunagakure's outer perimeter suffered one attack after another from the "Kiri-nin."
Wherever the ice passed, Suna-nin were turned into frozen sculptures. Chiya deliberately avoided the civilian districts and targeted only ninjas.
Before long, alarm bells rang out across Sunagakure.
"All ANBU ninja, assemble! There is an intruder!"
The shouts of the ANBU echoed through the streets.
Chiya stood at the top of a tall tower, watching the chaos below in Sunagakure with cold eyes.
His plan was proceeding smoothly.
Create chaos, draw out Sunagakure's elite fighters, especially the Scorch Style ninja Pakura.
"Time to add something stronger to the mix."
Chiya's hands moved quickly through seals. Chakra raged and surged inside him.
"Ice Style, Blizzard!"
In an instant, a violent snowstorm exploded outward from Chiya as the center.
The temperature in Sunagakure dropped sharply. Streets, houses, trees, everything was coated in a thick layer of frost.
The villagers fled in terror into their homes, while the ninjas rushed toward the center of the storm.
"Over there!"
A Suna Jonin pointed at the tower and shouted sharply.
Chiya deliberately let his position be seen. He flickered and dashed toward a nearby plaza.
That place was right near where Pakura lived.
Behind him, dozens of Suna-nin gave chase.
"Block him! Do not let him get away!"
Chiya's speed rose sharply.
His figure left a trail of afterimages in the moonlight and reached the center of the plaza in an instant.
The open sightlines here made it an ideal battlefield.
"Ice Style, One Thousand Needles!"
Chiya swung both hands. Countless ice crystals condensed into sharp needles and shot toward the pursuers.
The several Suna-nin at the front had no time to dodge. They were instantly pinned like pincushions. Blood stained the ice red.
"Damn you!"
A Suna-nin roared and formed seals.
"Wind Style, Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gust of wind pressure swept in, trying to scatter Chiya's Ice Style.
But Chiya only raised a hand lightly. An ice wall condensed in midair and blocked every bit of the Wind Style attack.
"Too weak."
Chiya gave a cold laugh. His voice carried across the whole area through his chakra.
"Is this all Sunagakure has to offer?"
"Arrogant!"
A cool, clear female voice rang out suddenly.
Chiya's eyes sharpened. 'She is finally here.'
Pakura leaped out from the crowd. The two strands of hair at her temples were striking in the moonlight.
Fury burned in her eyes. Both her hands had already completed the seals.
"Scorch Style, Extremely Steaming Murder!"
A blazing orb of light flew out from Pakura's palms. Frost evaporated instantly wherever it passed, and even the air distorted from the heat.
Chiya put on a look of strain and pulled back quickly, forming seals at the same time.
"Ice Style, Frozen Rock Dome!"
A massive ice wall rose from the ground and stood before the Scorch Style orb.
Two completely opposing forces collided and erupted in a deafening roar.
The ice wall was vaporized into steam, and the Scorch Style orb spent itself at last.
"Not bad."
Chiya said in a deliberately hoarse voice.
"Worthy of Sunagakure's Scorch Style ninja."
Pakura gave a cold snort.
"Kiri trash. You dare to cause trouble in Sunagakure. I will take your life today."
She gave Chiya no chance to breathe. Her hands formed seals again.
More Scorch Style orbs gathered around her body, dazzling like small suns.
Chiya nodded to himself inwardly. Pakura's strength truly was impressive.
He deliberately left an opening and let his footwork become slightly unsteady as he retreated.
"Trying to run?"
Pakura called out sharply. The orbs all shot forward at once.
Chiya "hurriedly" formed seals. Ice Style and Scorch Style collided again.
This time, his defense was completely broken through. The blast wave from the explosion sent him flying and he slammed hard onto the ground.
"It is over."
Pakura said coldly. The kunai in her hand went straight for Chiya's throat.
Chiya "struggled" to roll aside and dodge. But the mask cracked in half during the motion, revealing the Kirigakure forehead protector and pale skin he had deliberately fabricated underneath.
He "said through gritted teeth."
"Sunagakure... will not come to a good end."
Before the words finished, Pakura's kunai drove into his chest.
Blood gushed out. Chiya "painfully" opened his eyes wide and his body slowly fell.
The Suna-nin around them saw this and burst into excited cheers.
"Lady Pakura is incredible!"
"She is the one the Third Kazekage trusted most, Lady Pakura!"
"Worthy of the Scorch Style ninja Lady Pakura. She already dealt with the intruder in no time at all!"
"..."
The eyes of the ninjas around her grew bright with admiration.
If Pakura had not arrived here, they would probably have been killed by that Ice Style ninja...
Pakura caught her breath slightly and looked at the "dead" enemy on the ground. Her brow furrowed faintly.
She kept feeling something was off, but could not quite place it.
'Did this ninja seem too weak?'
"Lady Pakura, shall we examine the body?"
An ANBU stepped forward and asked.
Pakura shook her head.
"No need. Just confirm it is a Kirigakure ninja. Dispose of the body, tighten the village perimeter, and watch for any accomplices."
"Yes!"
The ANBU, nothing like their earlier arrogance, nodded rapidly.
They accepted the order and moved quickly.
Chiya's "body" was carried away, and Pakura was surrounded by the crowd as she departed.
After tonight, her prestige in Sunagakure would rise to an even greater height.
From a distance, Chiya's real body was hidden in the shadows, watching everything unfold.
His shadow clone had completed its mission perfectly.
Gift a battle record, and stoke conflict between Sunagakure and Kirigakure. Two gains with one move.
Gifting the battle record was naturally to raise Pakura's prestige.
Only by becoming a hero of the village would she no longer need to worry at every moment that someone might quietly have her eliminated through underhanded means.
Even those who wanted to move against Pakura would have to find legitimate and justifiable methods, plan carefully, and only then act against her.
Either way, it would greatly increase Pakura's safety within Sunagakure.
"Now, all that is left is to watch Sunagakure and Kirigakure bite each other."
'Cooperation?'
'Where is there any sincere cooperation in the shinobi world? It is all driven by interest.'
Chiya let out a light laugh. His figure gradually faded and finally disappeared into the night.
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