At the same time, a Sunagakure intelligence shinobi rushed to the front lines at top speed.
"Lady Pakura."
"What is it?"
"This is a secret letter from Kazekage-sama for you."
Pakura took it and opened it.
The moment she read the contents, her eyes widened.
"Jinin Akebino, Black Hoe Raiga, Hozuki Kumo, and Kushimaru are all dead?"
"My husband's strength has already reached this level?"
One on one, Pakura feared none of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
But she also could not deny their strength.
If she had to face several of them at once, the one who would fall into trouble would undoubtedly be her.
And killing all of them in a one-against-many battle would be even harder.
"Facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen is not the same as facing the Hongshan Clan."
"Yatagarasu's role would be much smaller."
But Pakura did not dwell on it for long.
Because this was good news.
Rasa had won.
Akebino and the others were dead.
For Sunagakure, this was a tremendous victory.
And on top of that, it gave the front-line Sunagakure army a perfect opportunity.
With Akebino and the others gone, Kirigakure's army was not only greatly weakened in strength, but had also become leaderless. And even if Kirigakure tried to send a new commander, there was no way one could arrive immediately.
That time gap was Sunagakure's chance.
"Pass down my order. The whole army advances!"
Pakura gathered the officers.
"Yes, Lady Pakura."
At Pakura's command, the entire assembled Sunagakure army moved at once, surging rapidly toward the Kirigakure forces.
"Kill!"
…
Pakura herself stood at the front.
Thinking of all the recent changes in Kirigakure, she could not help showing a strange expression.
Originally, Sunagakure's overall strength had been significantly inferior to Kirigakure's.
The sudden disappearance of the Third Kazekage.
The disappearance of the genius Sasori of the Red Sand.
Then, at the very start of the war, Iwagakure had hit Sunagakure hard. Konoha had raided and harassed them. Even Kusagakure and other minor villages had come to pick at the borders like scavengers, dragging Sunagakure to the absolute bottom.
When the rumors began spreading that Sunagakure's higher-ups intended to sell her out, Pakura had even thought that perhaps accepting Kirigakure's conditions and forcing a withdrawal might have been one option for the village.
But who would have thought—
Before Sunagakure had truly done anything, Kirigakure had already hacked itself apart several times.
Fuguki Suikazan's defection.
The Kaguya Clan's rebellion.
And now this.
Instead of properly remaining within the Kirigakure army and commanding the front lines, Akebino and three other members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had run off to kill an isolated Maki.
Only to end up as the truly isolated ones.
They had not even managed to kill Maki before Rasa arrived in support and killed all four of them.
"Now Kirigakure only has two Seven Ninja Swordsmen left."
"One against two, I fear nothing."
"In terms of ordinary shinobi, Kirigakure no longer has the advantage."
"And now, even in elite shinobi, Kirigakure no longer has the advantage."
"From today onward… the advantage belongs to Sunagakure."
A smile appeared on Pakura's lips.
For years, the atmosphere in Sunagakure had been unbearably oppressive.
And for Pakura, even more so.
The stronger one was, the heavier the burden.
At every moment, she had felt as though a great weight were pressing down on her shoulders, making it hard to breathe.
But now—
That weight had suddenly vanished.
"Those fools—Akebino and the others."
"They took four people to kill Maki and still couldn't manage it."
"If even a couple fewer had gone, Kirigakure's situation would not have become this terrible."
After securing his position as commander, Yagura immediately ordered the Kirigakure army to retreat.
But Sunagakure's response was just as swift.
The Kirigakure army withdrew—
Yet not fast enough.
Some Kirigakure shinobi were caught by the pursuing Sunagakure forces.
"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
Pakura flashed past one Kirigakure ninja and took his life in an instant.
In the next breath, the man shriveled into a dried corpse, eyes bulging, before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
The Sunagakure shinobi grew excited, and even their strength seemed to rise by thirty percent.
Seeing that, Yagura clenched his teeth.
"I'll hold them off. The rest of you, go!"
Then Yagura turned back.
"Water Release: Water Mirror Technique!"
A mirror formed from water appeared, and within it emerged the reflections of multiple Sunagakure shinobi.
By forcing himself without regard for chakra consumption, Yagura managed to slow the pursuing Sunagakure army somewhat.
Only when the Kirigakure forces finally crossed into the Land of Fire—
Into an area where Konoha shinobi were already known to be active—
Did Pakura order the Sunagakure army to reduce its speed.
There were several reasons.
First, they were unfamiliar with the terrain here. It would be easy to fall into a trap laid by the Kirigakure army.
Second, this was already the Land of Fire. And recently, the relationship between Sunagakure and Konoha could not be called good by any stretch. Under the Third Kazekage, Sunagakure and Konoha had long been enemies.
And not long ago, Konoha had clearly harbored intentions toward Sunagakure as well.
Third, the desert environment favored Sunagakure shinobi.
The terrain of the Land of Fire did not.
Seeing that the Sunagakure forces had stopped pressing so fiercely, Yagura finally let out a small breath.
"If only we could ally with Konoha…"
"If only we could form an actual alliance…"
"But right now, Konoha would probably only agree if I offered that thing."
"That thing would greatly increase Konoha's strength."
Hesitation flickered in Yagura's eyes.
"For Kirigakure, what would be better?"
"To order the Kirigakure army to retreat directly back to the village…"
"Or to trade that thing to Konoha, form an alliance with them, and let Konoha's strength increase?"
"If I were the Mizukage… what would I choose?"
Yagura sank into thought.
After a long while, he gritted his teeth and looked toward the Sunagakure army, a harsh light rising in his eyes.
"Kirigakure has already suffered such a huge loss at Sunagakure's hands. If we simply retreat back to the village like this, we'll become the laughingstock of the entire shinobi world—and gain nothing."
"In that case, we might as well gamble."
"If Konoha grows stronger, Iwagakure will naturally be the one to deal with them."
"That strength won't immediately threaten Kirigakure."
"As long as Sunagakure is crushed, then the Kirigakure army can withdraw back to the village. And by then, even if Konoha's ambitions expand and they want to threaten Kirigakure, it won't be easy."
"After all, there's still a vast sea between us."
"And on the soil of the Land of Water, Kirigakure's Water Release shinobi can perform at their absolute peak."
"No one wants to fight Kirigakure shinobi on their home ground."
"Mizukage-sama should agree with that… right?"
This time, Yagura did not make the decision himself.
He handed the choice back to the Third Mizukage.
Very soon, the Third Mizukage received news from the front line.
He read a single glance—
And coughed up blood in fury.
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