Whether for identification purposes or for more practical reasons, the equipment styles of different hidden villages are distinct and immediately recognizable.
Not to mention the metal forehead protectors that every ninja wears like a ID tag.
Hagoromo's protector was hidden beneath his mask, and Asuma and Kurenai currently had their faces buried deep in the fur of the split-hiding dog, but Aoba Yamashiro's Leaf symbol was clearly visible.
It wasn't surprising that Pakura identified their affiliation at a glance.
Given Hagoromo's notoriety within the Sand, it was only a matter of time before she called out his identity as the "White Yaksha." Hagoromo went on high alert, bracing himself against this woman who could erupt into violence at any second. Scorch Style was a troublesome technique.
Since she had spoken a line of "nonsense," as per the unspoken rules of a ninja encounter, Hagoromo had to return a few lines of his own.
"The hero who repelled the Hidden Stone's assaults, Pakura of the Scorch Style... why is a prominent Sand ninja appearing in the Land of Rain at a time like this?"
It was a confrontation. As a Leaf ninja, Hagoromo was questioning a high-profile Sand operative. He was a Chunin; she was, by all accounts, an elite Jonin.
Surprisingly, Pakura actually answered. "If you must know... it's for a mission."
Anyone could judge that the woman had just spoken another line of pure nonsense. She certainly wasn't going to reveal the specifics.
"Leaf ninja, the Hidden Sand has no obligation to explain its movements to you."
"No," Hagoromo countered without hesitation. "While the Leaf and Sand aren't in a master-servant relationship, our nations have only just realized a fragile peace. Every move the Sand makes causes tension in the Leaf. When a famous ninja like yourself appears deep within an enemy nation, we have every reason to suspect the Sand is plotting something against us."
Hagoromo spoke as if his squad had specifically infiltrated the Rain just to track her.
It was a surreal scene. Deep in the territory of the Hidden Rain, with Rain ninjas holding the numerical advantage, these two "invaders" were conversing as if the surrounding enemies simply didn't exist.
The presence of Hagoromo's squad—four people and one massive, three-headed red dog—was imposing. The split-hiding dog, with its gnashing teeth and six predatory eyes scanning the surroundings, commanded respect. What was a two-way skirmish had turned into a bizarre three-way Mexican standoff.
Pakura didn't respond to his accusations. Instead, she locked her gaze onto Hagoromo's eyes.
Has she realized? Hagoromo wondered.
"You know," Pakura said, her voice dropping an octave. "Your appearance reminds me of a description in a village mission brief. During the final battle between the Leaf and Sand, an individual infiltrated the undefended Sand village and carried out large-scale, indiscriminate destruction... Leaf ninja, you are the one they call the White Yaksha, aren't you?"
Identified. The Fuma clan had relied on his seal-less lightning; Pakura, a higher-level shinobi, relied on physical profiles and historical resentment.
There was a distinct "grinding of teeth" quality to her voice. Hagoromo wondered briefly if he had accidentally blown up her husband or something.
He wasn't foolish enough to confess immediately. "The Leaf and Sand are now allies. We have signed a treaty. Any actions taken during the war were merely means to achieve the peace we now enjoy. Now that peace is here, there is no reason—right or wrong—to dwell on the specific tactics of the past. Lady Pakura, you have no right to attack us. Or do you wish to shatter the hard-won peace between our villages?"
He sounded incredibly righteous, as if the Sand deserved to be bombed for the sake of the greater good.
"You think infiltrating our village and destroying civilian infrastructure was a 'means to achieve peace'?"
Hagoromo spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "Factually speaking, it did accelerate the peace process, didn't it?"
It was a logical point. The destruction of those facilities had been a significant factor in the Sand's decision to surrender. Pakura went silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"You have a silver tongue, White Yaksha. But the grudge for the destruction you caused cannot be erased by the word 'peace.' You may be a hero to the Leaf, but you are an unmitigated enemy to the Sand."
She had clearly made up her mind about his identity. Hagoromo perhaps didn't realize his current reputation among the Sand—after the aerial invasion, he was likely ranked in the top five of their "Most Wanted to Kill" list, right alongside the White Fang.
Pakura abandoned the philosophical debate. "You said attacking you would affect the peace. But tell me... if I kill you all right here in the Land of Rain, who would ever know?"
"And even if the Leaf high command found out I was the one who did it, do you really think they would restart a world war just for a single squad?"
They wouldn't.
Hagoromo answered that internally without a second thought. Given the Third Hokage's personality, he wouldn't break a global peace treaty over the loss of one squad, even if his own son was in it. Was that cold? Was it weak? From the perspective of the sacrifice, it certainly felt that way, but a Hokage had to look at the bigger picture.
"So, you're confident you can keep us all here?" Hagoromo asked, signaling Aoba behind his back. He knew this wasn't going to end peacefully.
"Naturally."
Under the confused gazes of the surrounding Rain ninjas, the two "allies" who should have been working together to break the Rain's blockade turned on each other.
If it were any other Leaf ninja, Pakura might have stayed her hand. But Hagoromo had hit the Sand where it hurt most.
Aoba jumped onto the back of the split-hiding dog, and the beast quickly bounded away to a safe distance. He knew he couldn't help in a fight against Scorch Style; getting too close would just make him a liability.
Pakura lunged forward, charging straight for Hagoromo.
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