Matchmaking young sweethearts was never something that could be rushed.
So Pakura had only toyed with the idea for now. She had no plans to act on it immediately.
Right now, her top priority was escorting the surviving Sunagakure shinobi back to the village safely.
Thinking about the current political mess back home, Pakura felt a headache coming on.
She thought Rasa was being childish.
She had zero interest in fighting for the Kazekage position, but Rasa clearly didn't see it that way.
Everything she did was for Sunagakure.
Sighing, Pakura pushed the annoying thoughts aside.
She led the young genin and decided to try building some rapport with the other villages' teams before leaving.
After all, they were all "losers" of the Chunin Exams. Facing a powerhouse like Konoha gave them natural common ground.
Unfortunately, the other villages' leaders weren't interested in her "overly friendly" approach.
The Amegakure jonin was furious about their candidates' poor performance and left coldly without a word.
They felt the longer they stayed in Konoha, the more face they lost.
The Kusagakure team leader was strange. From beginning to end, they hadn't taken the Chunin Exams seriously at all. It seemed like they had come to Konoha for something else entirely.
Pakura glanced at the famous "Ghost Lamp Castle" lord and shook her head.
The man gave off an uncomfortable aura, and the occasional looks he sent her way filled her with disgust.
In his eyes, she wasn't a living person, but some kind of tool to be used.
So she turned her hopes to the Takigakure team instead.
But when she suggested traveling together, their jonin leader politely declined:
"Sorry, we have other arrangements."
"Understood."
With no other choice, Pakura led her team and departed.
After the Sunagakure group left, Shibuki timidly poked half his body out from behind his escort.
"Do we… have other arrangements?"
Ever since he'd watched Shikage brutally slaughter his companions and suffered the humiliation of being stripped and searched, all of Shibuki's pre-exam ambitions had completely vanished.
He didn't even dare resent Shikage. Every time that shadow-covered figure crossed his mind, pure terror gripped him.
Water Smoke glanced at the trembling Shibuki with naked contempt and disdain in his eyes.
This coward was supposedly destined to become Takigakure's next leader?
He felt it was deeply unfair.
The leader's seat should belong to the capable!
That was the true law of the shinobi world!
Just as he was stewing in resentment, several figures passed by not far away.
Water Smoke looked up. The moment his eyes met the Kusagakure leader at the front, he silently lowered his head.
But deep within his eyes, hidden behind his hair, a restless, dangerous light flickered.
...
Hokage Building, Ninja Reception Room.
The masked shinobi wearing a deer-head Anbu mask spoke softly:
"Hello. I am the Anbu operative assigned to escort you back to your village."
"You may call me 'Deer.'"
Takigakure's leader, Zerin, nodded seriously. There wasn't a trace of the humility he had shown when meeting Danzo.
He stared at the Anbu in front of him, filled with complex emotions.
Others might not recognize him, but with his experience, Zerin could tell at a glance.
This Anbu shinobi was clearly Nara Shikage—the same one who had participated in the Chunin Exams.
If he remembered correctly, Nara Shikage was only twelve or thirteen years old.
To be this powerful at such a young age…
It was enough to glimpse just how deep Konoha's foundation truly was.
While Shikage had immense potential, Zerin was a little worried whether the boy could actually handle escort duty properly.
But in front of a village of Konoha's scale, Takigakure had no right to choose or refuse.
He let out a deep sigh. His eyes were filled only with confusion about the future.
—How did we suddenly get dragged into Konoha's internal political struggle?
He could only hope he hadn't picked the wrong side…
"Deer."
Zerin stood up and brushed off his clothes.
"When can we leave?"
Shikage calmly gestured toward the door.
"Anytime."
"Then let's depart for the village immediately."
"Please rest assured. I will eliminate any threats."
The moment the words left his mouth, Shikage's figure vanished.
Knowing Shikage was watching from the shadows, Zerin walked out of the Hokage Building and headed to Takigakure's lodging area.
"Water Smoke, where's Shibuki?"
Water Smoke subtly curled his lip.
"He's too scared to come out."
Zerin shook his head and sighed.
"Call him. It's time to go."
He didn't think his own actions were wrong.
But he did feel some regret and self-blame for the psychological trauma Shibuki had suffered.
Seeing Shibuki's shaky steps, a flash of heartache crossed Zerin's eyes. He comforted gently,
"Shibuki, don't be afraid. We're going home."
"Really?!"
Shibuki's eyes widened with excitement as he scrambled forward.
He didn't want to stay here another second.
Because even one more second meant the risk of running into that demon again!
Seeing this, Zerin pressed his lips together.
Same age, yet one had already joined Anbu while the other…
Sigh…
...
They had been traveling for nearly half a day since leaving Konoha.
Under normal circumstances, Zerin and the others should have already returned to Takigakure.
But because of Shibuki, their journey had been greatly delayed.
Fortunately, Shibuki was the only surviving Takigakure candidate, otherwise it would have taken even longer.
They found a safe spot to set up camp for the night. Zerin began preparing dinner.
Water Smoke scanned the surroundings, memorizing the terrain, then walked behind Zerin.
"Leader, I need to relieve myself."
"Go ahead."
The corner of Water Smoke's mouth curled up, a sinister glint in his eyes.
A few minutes later.
Water Smoke returned.
He walked slowly toward Zerin, one hand hidden behind his back, impossible to see clearly in the darkness.
Zerin was tending to the campfire and seemed not to notice anything unusual.
Only when Water Smoke's footsteps grew close did Zerin speak slowly,
"Is it just you?"
"No backup?"
Hearing this, Water Smoke frowned, narrowing his eyes.
"Leader, what do you mean by that?"
Zerin didn't answer. Instead, he turned and looked toward the bushes behind Water Smoke.
A cold voice came from the trees.
"Water Smoke, no need to hide anymore."
"The plan has been exposed."
"And this man isn't Zerin."
A tall, imposing figure walked out slowly—Muwei.
Dozens of Kusagakure shinobi followed closely behind him.
"Who are you?"
The towering Muwei looked down at "Zerin" and asked coldly,
"Where is the real Zerin?"
Only then did Water Smoke realize the person in front of them was someone else in disguise.
His expression changed instantly. He glared at "Zerin" through gritted teeth.
"Damn it!"
"Zerin" didn't answer their questions. Instead, he silently dispelled the transformation technique.
Under the moonlight, a shinobi wearing a deer-head mask stood sideways and spoke in a low, buzzing voice:
"Dead men don't need to know."