Chapter 72 – The Battle Begins
The Third Hokage exhaled in relief when Nan stepped forward. Though he still had some doubts about whether Nan could handle Pakura, having someone stand up was far better than having no one at all. Trying to appear composed, he offered Nan a few encouraging words:
"Then Pakura is yours. I trust your abilities will be more than enough to defeat her."
His natural tone and confidence left no room for suspicion. Even Nan almost believed, for a moment, that he had been secretly appointed as Hiruzen's hidden trump card.
Konoha's shinobi erupted in cheers at seeing a champion step forward. They had no idea that it was Nan's own initiative to stabilize their morale—they truly believed it was the Hokage's plan all along.
Though Nan's reputation had risen sharply in recent times, in truth, he was still slightly weaker than Pakura and far from the level of the other six elite shinobi on the field. Some Konoha shinobi still wondered if Nan could really fight alongside the Hokage and the Sannin, but since they believed this was Hiruzen's arrangement, their doubts vanished.
The Fourth Kazekage raised an eyebrow when he saw yet another figure emerge from Konoha's ranks. Indeed, the Third Hokage had sent reinforcements—but why was it a child?
Rasa had seen Nan's file before and knew what he looked like, yet the distance between them prevented him from recognizing the boy's face at first. Nan's attire lacked the flamboyant, unmistakable style of the Hokage or the Sannin, so he didn't immediately register who the boy was.
At that moment, Chiyo leaned over and whispered to Rasa:
"That kid is Uchiha Nan."
Having closely followed Nan ever since he had circumvented her painstakingly developed poisons, Chiyo was far more familiar with him than even Rasa. Despite the distance, she recognized him instantly.
"Ah… so this is the Konoha Lightning," Rasa murmured, a mixture of surprise and admiration in his tone.
Recalling Nan's record, he turned to Pakura:
"Then this child is yours. I hear his mother was killed by you. Today, it seems fate has drawn the two of you together for this battle."
Pakura glanced at Nan with mild interest. She hadn't expected that there would be such a personal grudge between them—but with the countless people she had killed over the years, she didn't even remember which victim was his mother.
Even from distant battlefields, Pakura had heard of Nan, the Konoha Lightning, and knew that his skills had caused considerable losses for their comrades in the Land of Wind. Yet, learning that he was merely six or seven years old, she couldn't help but scoff.
A child? How dangerous can he really be? she thought, dismissively. It must mean the people on the Wind Country battlefield are hopeless.
Following the Kazekage's order, Pakura focused her attention on Nan. She could hardly imagine that such a tiny child could be a figure capable of troubling the entire Sunagakure. A flicker of contempt appeared in her eyes.
Seeing this, Chiyo lightly reminded her:
"Don't underestimate him, Pakura. He may be young, but if he's earned the recognition of the Third Hokage, he's no ordinary shinobi. Don't let a gutter trap catch you off guard."
Chiyo's warning made Pakura quickly suppress her earlier disdain. Having survived in the shinobi world for so many years, she knew there were geniuses and monsters who could not be judged by ordinary logic. Perhaps Nan was such a rare prodigy.
All eight combatants readied their chakra, drawing it in and focusing, the tension between the two sides rising until the battle was about to erupt.
In a single instant, all four shinobi from each side launched like arrows, each pairing off with their opponent. King against king, general against general: the Third Hokage faced the Fourth Kazekage, Jiraiya squared off against Ebizo, and Orochimaru matched against Chiyo. The less experienced Nan confronted Pakura.
As the commanders clashed, the subordinate shinobi of both Konoha and Sunagakure seemed to take a cue, launching a simultaneous barrage of jutsu. The sky filled with interwoven attacks—a breathtaking spectacle rarely seen outside of legend.
Nan, never having witnessed anything of this scale firsthand, was momentarily taken aback. Watching it on anime had never prepared him for the magnitude and intensity of a real battlefield. His reluctant, forced entry into the fight unexpectedly stirred a rush of excitement and adrenaline.
The Third Hokage and Jiraiya, of course, were already accustomed to such scenes and immediately engaged their opponents without the slightest hesitation.
Nan, however, kept his focus on Pakura, his opponent. He knew little about her abilities beyond that she wielded Shakuton, the Blaze Release. In the original accounts, she had only appeared briefly, seemingly relying on a single jutsu—Shakuton: Extremely Steaming Murder—alongside some proficient taijutsu.
Could a bloodline ninja like Pakura really have only developed one technique? Nan didn't believe it. Records of Shinobi who used Blaze Release were scarce, leaving Nan to rely on the Sharingan's sharp perception to adapt in real time.
He knew that Shakuton was likely a technique that evaporated the opponent's internal moisture with extreme heat. That meant Nan had to avoid close combat. If he could use Water Release to cool her flames from a distance, he could remain nearly invincible.
The problem was, Nan had no long-range techniques capable of delivering a decisive blow; his strongest jutsu required close combat. He couldn't defeat Pakura directly from afar—but he didn't necessarily need to.
He reasoned that the three shinobi facing the Kazekage weren't a match for the Third Hokage and his allies. Nan's goal was simply to hold Pakura long enough for Hiruzen and the others to gain an advantage. Even a single blow from their side could force Sunagakure to reconsider surrendering to Konoha.
Once the plot returned to its intended course, Pakura would inevitably be betrayed by her own high-ranking comrades who sought peace with Kirigakure, meeting her demise at their hands. Killing her immediately wasn't essential.
As Nan strategized, Pakura was independently planning how to handle him. But unlike Nan, her intent was to trap him permanently.
Recollecting Nan's file, Pakura noted his terrifying speed from Lightning-Release-enhanced taijutsu and the terrifying genjutsu of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
The genjutsu posed no threat if she avoided direct eye contact—a trivial task for a seasoned warrior like her. But his speed worried her. She couldn't allow Nan to close the distance; if he did, her Blaze Release might not be enough to counter his agility. Conversely, she couldn't let him stay too far, as Blaze Release had limited range.
With that in mind, Pakura formed her hand seals and shouted:
"Shakuton: Kajōsatsu!(Extremely Steaming Murder)"
Several floating fireballs appeared behind her. This Blaze Release wasn't meant to harm Nan directly but to protect herself. If he attempted to close in, the flames would instantly evaporate the moisture in his body.
Thinking back on Rasa's earlier remark—that Nan's mother had died at her hands—Pakura saw an opportunity. With a slight smirk, she taunted him:
"I hear your mother died by my hand. My apologies—I've killed so many Konoha shinobi that I hardly remember her. She must have perished terribly, all dried out… hideous, I'm sure. Have you seen her body? Was it completely scorched?"
Pakura's intent was clear: to incite Nan's anger and hatred, baiting him into attacking recklessly.