"Sorry to trouble you and Kazekage-sama."
Pakura said, "I was ambushed and had to find a place to hide and recover. But... I failed the mission."
Rasa waved his hand.
"Let's leave it at that, then. As long as you're safe, that's what matters."
"Tomorrow, I'll announce your return to the entire village so everyone can rest easy."
"By the way, you should go see your disciple. She's been very upset lately."
Although the sense of danger in his heart had slightly diminished, the wariness in his eyes remained.
"Understood. I'll submit a full mission report to you later. I'll take my leave now."
Watching Pakura's figure disappear into the distance, Rasa let out a long sigh and muttered under his breath,
"Those useless fools from Kirigakure... they couldn't even kill one person. And they dare call themselves one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages?"
Pakura posed the greatest threat to his position. It had taken great effort to send her off—essentially sell her out—but Kirigakure still managed to mess it up.
Pathetic.
Looks like he'd need to plan again from scratch.
...
"Sensei!!!"
The moment Pakura stepped out of the Kazekage Building, she was suddenly hugged tightly by a young girl, who pressed herself into her chest and burst into tears.
"Sensei, Sensei! I thought you... I thought you..."
"Maki."
Pakura gently patted her student's head with a soft smile.
"See? I'm fine. This is just what being a ninja is like."
"But..."
"Alright, stop crying now. I still have some things to take care of. Come find me later, okay?"
"Can I come with you, Sensei?"
Maki looked up at her anxiously.
Pakura hesitated for a moment.
"...Fine. Come with me."
"Mm-hmm!"
Maki clung tightly to her sensei's arm, refusing to let go, making Pakura smile warmly.
...
Back home, she told Maki to find somewhere to sit down, then took off her long robe.
On her right forearm, a snake was coiled around it.
"Sensei, what's that?"
"It's nothing. Just a gift from a friend."
"A friend?"
"Yes. A friend who saved my life."
She placed the snake in a cool, shaded spot, then looked around at the dusty house.
"Haven't been home in so long... it's gotten filthy."
"Sensei, let me help clean up!"
"Mm. Thanks."
"It's no trouble! Hehe!"
...
After tidying up for a while, Maki reluctantly left.
That night, the little snake coiled in the shade suddenly began to move, its body twitching uncontrollably.
Soon, its belly split open, and a slightly thicker snake crawled out.
Then that snake began to twitch as well, and from its belly emerged an even thicker one.
The process repeated.
Eventually, a massive snake—thicker than a person—slithered out, opened its mouth wide, and Kiyosuke crawled out from inside.
Pakura looked at him with clear disgust.
"That technique of yours is seriously revolting."
"Can't be helped. Orochimaru-sensei taught it to me. As long as it works, that's what matters."
He used a Water Release jutsu to rinse off the mucus, then evaporated the moisture. The massive snake behind him vanished.
Pakura used her Scorch Release to desiccate the remaining corpses, turning them into mummified husks, then swept them into a corner.
Peering out a small window, Kiyosuke looked out at Sunagakure at night.
"So quiet... nothing like Konoha at night."
Konoha still had night markets and was always lively. Kirigakure used to be the same, until Yagura Karatachi and Obito ruined it. Now, its nights were silent too.
But Sunagakure... was peaceful.
Pakura rolled her eyes.
"It's a desert. Nights here get freezing. Everyone's asleep at home—of course there are no night markets."
"Got it. So... how did today go?"
He pulled over a chair and sat down.
"Rasa makes me sick. Still testing whether I know the truth behind the mission. He's still suspicious."
"So what do you think? Ready to destroy the village?"
Kiyosuke grinned.
"No... I was being too extreme back then."
Pakura looked out the window.
"Everyone genuinely wanted me to come back. If you'd said yes back then... I might have regretted it."
Thinking back on her own reckless anger, she couldn't help but blush.
Kiyosuke laughed.
"That's exactly why I didn't say yes at the time. But hey, we still went on that date, didn't we?"
"Hmph! You were such a perv back then!"
"What? No way. I was just teasing you. If you weren't into it, I wouldn't have pushed."
"Hmph! You better not chicken out next time!"
"Haha, I won't. I'll be hanging around Sunagakure for the next few days, get a feel for the place."
"By the way, where am I sleeping tonight?"
"Guest room. I already tidied it up for you."
"Rasa's holding a welcome-back ceremony for me tomorrow. To calm the public."
"Then go do your thing. I'll just hang around here for a bit."
"...You really are something. Fine, do what you want."
Pakura shook her head helplessly.
Getting Kiyosuke to take anything seriously was almost impossible.
But just having him here to support her... that alone was enough.
She didn't have to fight alone anymore.
...
The next day, Pakura's return ceremony officially began.
A large crowd gathered beneath the Kazekage Building, loudly chanting her name.
Kiyosuke blended into the crowd, nodding as he observed how much the villagers valued her.
Then he slipped away.
Now was the perfect time to explore Sunagakure.
...
While wandering around, he came across a little boy—around Naruto's age—with red hair, playing with sand all alone.
Kiyosuke had a pretty good idea who it was.
He walked over.
"Hey kid, why're you playing by yourself? Everyone else is out welcoming Pakura-sama. Don't you want to join?"
The red-haired boy looked up at him briefly, then lowered his head again.
"Father won't let me go. And no one wants to play with me anyway."
"Gaara-sama."
A blond young man wearing an apron approached and smiled politely at Kiyosuke.
"Hello."
"Oh, hey. Is this your kid?"
"No, he's my sister's son."
Yashamaru gently patted Gaara's head with a touch of sorrow.
"My sister loved this child very much."
"I can tell."
Kiyosuke crouched down.
A tiny snake slithered from his sleeve.
"Here. This is for you."
"We'll meet again one day."
"When we do, I'll introduce you to my own little brat. He'd be happy to meet you."
Gaara stared at the snake, reaching out... only to stop halfway.
He withdrew his hand, murmuring with self-doubt,
"No one likes me. Not Father, not Mother... not even my brother or sister."
Kiyosuke sighed.
This was the life of most jinchūriki—feared, shunned, isolated.
If he hadn't stepped in back then, Naruto might've ended up the same way.
"That's not true. Parents always love their children."
"Then... do you love your child too, Uncle?"
Kiyosuke's expression darkened.
"My kid... his parents died protecting him, so I raised him myself."
"But yeah... that child is basically my son now."
"If one day his life is in danger, I'll protect him with my own."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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