Ryou reminded Pakura, "Pakura, look, it's your disciple, Maki!"
"Maki?!"
Pakura looked in the direction Ryou pointed. On the distant sand-wall city, Maki was happily waving to Pakura and Ryou.
Maki was very happy to see her teacher return safely from the Demon Desert.
Ryou threatened Pakura, "Pakura, think about Maki. If you dare to commit suicide, I'll just go to Maki."
"No!"
Pakura instantly softened. Even the strongest person has a soft spot in their heart.
In the original work, Pakura, filled with hatred, was Edo Tensei'd by Yakushi Kabuto to make Sunagakure feel pain, but in the end, Maki was the one who brought Pakura back.
Maki was that soft spot in Pakura's heart. Pakura absolutely could not let her beloved disciple be harmed by this evil Ryou.
"Uchiha Ryou, don't you dare hurt Maki. As long as it doesn't harm Sunagakure's interests, you can make me do anything."
Sasori spoke Pakura's foolishness into Ryou's chest: "Stupid woman, you are Ryou's puppet now. Even if he makes you kill Maki, you can't do anything."
Pakura desperately begged, "Please, Uchiha Ryou, I can help you. I won't mess around this time. I'll eat everything."
Ryou immediately smiled: "Good, good. We'll see your performance later."
"However—"
"Pakura, are you still thinking about Sunagakure's interests? Don't you know about the Sunagakure high-ups' betrayal of you?"
"Betrayal?!"
Pakura was as bewildered as Louis XVI: "I'm the Village's hero, why would the high-ups betray me?"
Ryou was speechless.
Sasori was even more speechless: "Pakura, no wonder Ryou has you completely under his thumb."
Pakura retorted to Sasori: "Sasori, what are you pretending for? What's the difference between you and me now? At least I'm still myself, while you're neither human nor ghost!"
"If Granny Chiyo knew you'd become like this, who knows how heartbroken she would be?"
"…"
Sasori was silenced by Pakura's blunt truth.
There really wasn't much difference between it and Pakura. If there was a difference, it was that it hadn't eaten yet.
Although Sasori's gender could no longer be defined, if Ryou made it do that type of thing, it would truly break down.
Pakura then focused her attention on Ryou's words.
"Speaking of which, I've always wondered why the high-ups wanted me to go to the Land of Water alone to negotiate a truce with Kirigakure?"
"Then they urgently summoned me back to the Village. Could there be some conspiracy hidden within?"
Pakura wasn't stupid; reaching her current position proved she couldn't be stupid.
"Could it be..."
"Impossible! Rasa and the elders couldn't be that short-sighted!"
Pakura ultimately still didn't believe that her fellow villagers would betray her.
"Pakura, Pakura, I warned you and you still don't believe it? Often, it's the people you trust the most who hurt you the deepest."
Ryou shook his head, then called out to Candy in the sand below.
"Candy, go to the Kazekage Building and find a way to retrieve the files of Rasa betraying Pakura!"
"Yes!"
Pakura felt a chill. Could that damned Rasa really—
No, no, Ryou is my enemy.
An enemy's words are always meant to sow discord.
Ryou carried Pakura on his back to the sand-wall city.
The Ninja responsible for guarding the Demon Desert opened the main gate for Ryou.
"Lord Sasori!"
No one asked what Ryou and Pakura did in the Demon Desert.
Stay out of the affairs of important people!
But it couldn't have been a wild tryst! The Demon Desert is so hot; if they stripped completely, wouldn't it be a virtue?
Ryou nodded, carrying Pakura on his back and walking towards Maki.
"Lord Sasori, Sensei!"
Maki scurried over, a little confused as to why her teacher was being carried by Sasori.
Ryou explained: "Your teacher and I went into the Demon Desert to hunt wild monsters and encountered a giant poisonous scorpion. Your teacher was careless and was stung by the scorpion's tail stinger."
"She was severely injected with venom!"
Maki's small face turned pale, and her eyes were filled with worry as she looked at Pakura.
Ryou then said: "But don't worry, I vigorously sucked out the poison for her, extracting all the venom from her body."
"Her mouth is just a bit swollen now, and she can't speak, but she'll be fine in a couple of days."
Upon hearing this, Maki finally relaxed.
Pakura was furious inside; that 'giant poisonous scorpion' was the perverted wolf carrying her. How could he have such a large 'quantity'?
But on her face, controlled by Ryou's genjutsu, she smiled at Maki.
"Let's go, Maki, let's go home! Tonight I'm not going back to the old hag's house, I'm going to your teacher's house."
"Okay!"
Ryou didn't want to go to Chiyo's house anymore, also because he was afraid of being exposed.
Chiyo was a Kage-level powerhouse, and Ebizo was a shrewd old man. Neither of the old folks were easy to deceive.
Ryou didn't want to act anymore.
He was used to being himself and didn't want to play anyone else.
Midway, Ryou sent Snowy to deliver a message to Chiyo, telling Chiyo and Ebizo that he would be staying at Pakura's house tonight.
Afterward, Maki led Ryou to Pakura's house.
Pakura's house was located on the outskirts of Sunagakure, far from the Village center, hidden in the folds of gently rolling sand dunes.
Pakura had a fiery temper and a lively personality like a hot wind, which should have suited the bustling Village center.
However, her Scorch Release was too dangerous; sometimes the hot wind released during Ninjutsu training would affect nearby neighbors.
So Pakura and Maki lived on the outskirts of the Village.
The house was neither too big nor too small, just enough for Pakura and Maki to live in.
The exterior walls were the characteristic light yellow adobe of Sunagakure, and the roof was covered with several layers of coarse, wind-resistant cloth.
It appeared very simple.
In the open space in front of the house, several cacti of varying heights were planted, standing spiky in the twilight glow, exuding a tough tenacity that seemed difficult to provoke, much like Pakura herself.
Maki pushed the door open, with Ryou carrying Pakura close behind.
The interior space was unassuming, arranged very simply.
Maki said to Ryou and Pakura, "Lord Sasori, Sensei, please have a seat. I'll go make dinner now."
Ryou placed Pakura on the Tatami mat, then poured himself a cup of tea, moistening his dry throat with the tea.
Ryou looked at Maki, who was busy in the kitchen, and, releasing Pakura's ability to speak, asked her, "Has Maki always lived with you?"
Pakura didn't want to answer Ryou, but Ryou extended chakra threads, startling Pakura's body and making her reflexively recall the previous scenes of being controlled by Ryou.
She replied, "No, Maki only moved into my house two years ago. Before that, Maki lived with her parents."
"Later, war broke out, Maki's father was killed by Kirigakure Ninja, and her mother also passed away from excessive grief, leaving Maki all alone."
"…"
Ryou fell silent, and Sasori on his shoulder also fell silent.