Twenty minutes later,
Mikami Yuu slowed his steps as a cold night wind blew toward him, carrying the dampness of the river and the raw scent of wild grass.
Better safe than sorry.
Although he figured Pakura probably would not try anything, Yuu still used the Summoning Technique first and summoned his lizard, Little Green. He ordered it to wander around and scout the area. Only after confirming there was no ambush did he relax, reveal himself, and walk toward the large, conspicuous round boulder by the riverbank.
The bright moon hung high overhead.
Cold moonlight outlined a figure sitting on the rock with her knees drawn up.
At this moment, Pakura was no longer dressed in the Sunagakure flak jacket she had worn during the day. Instead, she wore a dark sleeveless combat outfit that exposed her smooth, fair back. Her orange-red hair fell loose over her shoulders, and under the moonlight, her pale profile carried a quietness different from her usual self.
Hearing footsteps,
Pakura turned her head. When she saw that it was Yuu, the corner of her mouth curved slightly. Then she patted the rock beside her.
"Pretty punctual, little white-hair."
"Sit. I saved you a spot."
Yuu did not stand on ceremony. He leapt onto the large rock in a few steps and sat down beside Pakura.
The stone was cold.
There was only about a fist's width between them. Their shoulders almost touched, and each could clearly feel the warmth coming from the other's body. The river flowed below their feet with a soft rushing sound, making the surroundings seem even quieter.
"Say it. Where is the Weasel clan?"
Yuu got straight to the point.
"…Aside from that, don't you have anything else you want to say to me?"
Pakura lightly pressed her lips together.
"Such as?"
"It's been so long since we last met. Shouldn't you at least exchange a few pleasantries?"
"Didn't we already do that at the watchtower during the day? We're enemies right now. If this meeting is discovered by our villages, I'll probably be fine, but you'll most likely have the suspicion of 'colluding with Konoha' confirmed, right?"
Yuu said.
"…You really are the same as before. You always love saying things that ruin the mood."
Pakura sighed, then put away her smile and spoke calmly.
"In the Death Desert on the western border of the Land of Wind, there is a place called Wailing Canyon. The temperature difference between day and night there is extreme. Violent winds blow all year round, and the environment is so harsh that even the most drought-resistant sandworms can barely survive.
"The Weasel clan lives inside that canyon, in stone caves eroded hollow by the wind."
"Many years ago, several Sunagakure seniors went there. After enduring great hardship, they gained the Weasel clan's recognition and signed contracts with them. Those contract scrolls are secretly kept by the village council of elders. Ordinary people, including me, can't access them at all.
"So if you want to get the contract through normal channels, it's basically impossible. You can only go to that canyon yourself and 'negotiate' with them. But let me warn you. Those creatures have tempers just as urgent and strange as the winds in that canyon. Gaining their recognition will not be easy."
"…"
Yuu said nothing. While Pakura spoke, he quickly searched through his knowledge of the Land of Wind's geography.
The Ninja Academy had not taught this, but Konoha's library had records, and Orochimaru also had related materials. He had deliberately looked through them while at Mount Kikyo some time ago.
If he remembered correctly…
this Wailing Canyon should be in the northwestern interior of the Land of Wind, quite far from the border.
If anything unexpected happened there, it would probably be hard to withdraw quickly.
Beside him,
Pakura turned her head. Her amber eyes looked directly at Yuu.
"What? Scared?"
"Funny. What can a mere Death Desert do to me?"
Yuu smiled. "But your information is too vague. Even if you don't provide a guide, you should at least give me a map, right? Otherwise, the desert is so huge. How am I supposed to know which direction to go?"
Pakura did not answer. She simply held out her hand, palm open.
"?"
"Where is my Scorch Release insight?"
"…Here."
Yuu took out the small scroll he had prepared in advance from his ninja pouch and handed it over.
"It's all inside. I suggest focusing mainly on instant chakra compression, explosive release techniques, and temperature control. Although it's still only a theoretical result for now, with your talent, you should be able to reproduce it in reality."
Pakura accepted the scroll but did not immediately open it to check. She merely ran her fingers over the sealing formula on the outside, then carefully tucked it into her clothes.
"The information is all in my head. I'll go with you."
"Hm?"
Yuu frowned.
"First, I'm also a Wind Release ninja, and I still don't have a contracted summoning beast. The Weasel clan fits my ninjutsu system very well.
"Second, the Death Desert lies deep within the Land of Wind, and its terrain is complicated. Without someone to lead the way, even with a map, it's easy to get lost.
"Are those two reasons sufficient?"
Pakura looked at Yuu and spoke.
"…"
Fine.
Both of Pakura's reasons were true.
As for whether this woman had ulterior motives, Yuu did not care much. After all, Pakura had already lost to him. She also did not carry Ōtsutsuki blood. Unless she obtained some heaven-defying opportunity, even if she intended to plot against him, she would not pose too great a threat.
What he needed to consider was mainly time. From Wildfire City to the Death Desert would take roughly two days. A round trip would be four days. Add in the time needed to "negotiate" with the Weasel clan, and they would probably need to reserve five to seven days.
With the situation between Konoha and Sunagakure still unclear, if two of each side's main fighters suddenly disappeared together, it could very well become the fuse for another round of fighting.
"Then let's wait until this round of negotiations is over."
Yuu thought for a moment.
"According to the agreement, Sunagakure and Konoha will negotiate again in four days. Once we confirm that fighting won't break out again, we'll leave."
"Alright."
Pakura nodded.
After confirming the departure time,
Yuu and Pakura jumped down from the round boulder. They looked at each other for a while, then each turned to leave.
Nothing major happened over the next few days.
There were two minor matters, though.
First, after a period of tireless effort, Yuu finally raised the last ninjutsu that had not yet unlocked a trait to the "Friendly" stage.
[Summoning Technique current affection: 25/100 (Friendly)]
[Trait · All-Spirit Perception: You possess a certain talent in summoning. With yourself or a summoned beast as the center, you can form a "perception field" with a radius of approximately 500 meters. Within this range, you can share the senses of your contracted summoned beasts and gain a vague awareness of the presence of other lifeforms inside the field.]