As Pakura spoke, her hands once again flashed through seals. Two more orange spheres of light appeared, joining the three already spinning before her, forming a blazing, high-temperature defense.
"Stay behind me and finish off the enemies who are still breathing. But don't get too close—unless you want to end up as mummies yourselves."
Hearing Pakura's command, the Sunagakure shinobi at her side answered loudly and firmly. Their voices stood in stark contrast to the distant comrades who still slumped with the same listlessness as before.
Under Pakura's lead, this squad began to carve out a reputation. With her Scorch Release blazing the path ahead, no enemy could withstand even a single clash. Her movements were so fast and fluid that even those who managed to narrowly escape her scorching attacks couldn't land a blow on her.
At that moment, the Sunagakure shinobi behind her would swarm forward, tearing the survivors apart. After several rounds of such assaults, the squad's confidence began to grow.
They repeatedly struck at the outskirts of Kumogakure's forces, inflicting heavy casualties. Their bold actions even inspired many demoralized Sunagakure shinobi to rejoin the fight.
For a time, Sunagakure's crumbling morale actually began to rise again.
———
On another part of the battlefield, the Third Raikage was locked in combat with Rasa and Bunpuku. But the aging Bunpuku and the barely-Kage-level Rasa were far from his match. At best, they could only restrain him slightly and keep him from rampaging unchecked.
Boom!
The Third Raikage's fist shattered a massive sand wall conjured jointly by Rasa and Bunpuku. As the wall collapsed, he sneered mockingly:
"You Sunagakure cowards… From top to bottom, all of you are gutless! Even your so-called Kazekage and your Jinchūriki don't dare face me head-on. No wonder your subordinates can only cower and get beaten down!"
Rasa merely gave a cold laugh in return.
"Save your useless words. I'll tell you this—you'll never harm a single hair of Sunagakure's people unless you wear us down first."
Just as the Third Raikage was about to continue his taunts, he heard the suddenly intensified roars of the Suna shinobi in the distance. He casually punched aside a Gold Dust spear formed by Rasa and turned to look, vaguely making out five orange spheres swirling in the air.
"Orange spheres of light… Is that the 'Scorch Release' girl mentioned in the intel? Pakura, was it? Hah, what an interesting kekkei genkai.
Hey, Kazekage—take a look at that girl. She's got way more guts than you.
Honestly, you should step aside and let her take your place. At least then, I might finally get a fight worth my time."
Rasa's brow furrowed deeply. If the Raikage's earlier words could be ignored as mere trash talk, these ones struck directly at his heart.
Everyone knew how much effort Rasa had put into claiming the title of Kazekage. But ever since he took the position, opposition had only grown.
Many blamed him for Sunagakure's current plight. After all, it was at his insistence that they pursued Ryūnosuke, leaving their defenses thin and allowing Kumogakure's invasion to succeed.
And around the same time, the previously unknown Pakura had suddenly risen to prominence. Her devastating Scorch Release had turned the tide of battle multiple times in the past year, earning her the title of Sunagakure's hero.
Rumors even circulated that Pakura would make a better Kazekage than Rasa. Such whispers gnawed bitterly at his pride.
Fueled by that frustration, Rasa's fighting lost its composure. Almost as if to refute the Raikage's words, he slammed his hands together and shouted:
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!"
The gold dust he had been using to contain the Raikage suddenly contracted, then expanded violently, attempting to entrap him.
Bunpuku's pupils shrank in alarm as he cried out:
"Rasa, you fool! Stop! Don't let his words provoke you! His goal is to trick you into pulling your gold dust in!"
But Bunpuku's warning came too late. Before Rasa could even realize he had fallen for the trick, the Third Raikage had already exploded forward at his top speed, shattering Bunpuku's sand wall and charging straight toward Pakura.
Only his final words lingered in the air:
"Youngsters will always be youngsters… Just a few words and you lose your composure. At this rate, you're still far from being a true Kage."
Bunpuku wanted to intercept him, but age had long slowed his body. How could he possibly match the Raikage's speed? All he could do was sigh deeply and say to the grim-faced Rasa:
"Regret is useless now. Remember this lesson—don't judge a man by appearances. Don't let the Raikage's rough looks fool you. He's sharper than a monkey.
For now, we can only do as he does—strike at Kumogakure's ordinary shinobi and reduce our losses as much as possible."
Coming to his senses belatedly, Rasa clenched his fists and redirected his Gold Dust, lashing out at other Kumogakure shinobi:
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Wave!"
The Third Raikage's speed was unrivaled in the shinobi world. In just a few breaths, he had closed the distance and stood directly before Pakura.
"Impressive… To dehydrate a human body completely through extreme heat. Truly a terrifying way to kill. Now—let me see the power of your Scorch Release!"
Seeing the lightning-clad figure of the Raikage in front of her, Pakura's heart skipped a beat. How could he be here? Where were Lord Rasa and Lord Bunpuku? Why hadn't they stopped him?
But now wasn't the time to ask questions. Escape was impossible. To try and outrun the Raikage was suicide.
Her only option was to fight.
Her Scorch Release could directly absorb the water from the human body—perhaps it could affect even him.
Damn it… I'll risk everything. If I can just break through his Lightning Release Armor and land my Extremely Steaming Murder on his flesh—just once—maybe I can turn the entire battle around.
Resolving herself, Pakura shouted:
"Since you want to test it—then I'll grant your wish!"
With a sweep of her arms, she fused her five spheres into a single massive sphere of light. Lifting it high in both hands, she hurled it at the Raikage with everything she had.
But the Third Raikage didn't dodge. He met the blazing sphere head-on, slamming his fist directly into her Extremely Steaming Murderl.
Pakura's eyes flashed with hope.
He isn't avoiding it… Then maybe I really do have a chance!
But in the next instant, her confidence shattered into disbelief.
The Raikage's fist had torn straight through her blazing sphere, punching a hole clean through it.
He had actually punched through her Extremely Steaming Murder!
Could a human truly accomplish something like this?
At that moment, his voice rumbled over the battlefield:
"You almost managed to scorch through my Lightning Release Armor… Not bad at all. This really is a remarkable ability.
But it's a shame—you're still too young. If you had reached the level of a Kage, you might have been stronger than your Kazekage himself.
Unfortunately for you… you'll never have that chance."