After finishing her ramen, Pakura had just arrived at the training ground when she was stopped by the Jonin in charge of rookie training: "Lady Pakura, could you please guide the Genin in their Shuriken throwing practice today?"
Pakura's footsteps faltered.
Shuriken? How was she supposed to know how to throw those things! In her past life, she was someone who couldn't even throw a paper ball straight, and now they wanted her to guide others? Wasn't this just leading the students astray?
But her body's instincts kicked in once again. Almost subconsciously, she walked over to the ninja tools rack, casually picked up three Shuriken, and with a light flick of her wrist, three streaks of silver light shot through the air.
"Whoosh— Whoosh— Whoosh—"
The three Shuriken hit the exact same spot on the bullseye thirty meters away, arranged in a perfect triangle, without even a wobble.
The training ground fell silent for an instant, and a few seconds later, thunderous applause erupted.
Pakura looked at her own "miraculous" hand and fell into deep thought: Is this body cheating or something?
The midday sun grew even harsher. Just as Pakura wanted to find a shady spot to rest for a while, a medical Ninja came running over in a hurry, handing her a notice: "Lady Pakura, the Medical Squad's annual physical examination has begun. Your name is in the first batch, so please head over there now."
Pakura's face turned pale in an instant.
A physical exam? An annual physical for female Ninjas?
Her first reaction was to run!
Are you kidding me! How could he, a grown man, go through that kind of physical exam!
Pakura tried to find an excuse to bluff her way out: "I have a mission to go on this afternoon, can the physical be moved to another day?"
"It can't be changed." The Medical Squad leader, a grey-haired old woman with sharp eyes, appeared out of nowhere. She looked at her with a smile, holding a medicinal pouch in her hand. "Pakura, didn't you tell me last month that your period cramps were severe? I specially prepared some new medicine for you, and I'll take the opportunity during the exam to check on you and get you sorted out."
Pakura looked into the old woman's eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything. She opened her mouth, but not a single word came out.
She resigned herself to her fate.
And so, on this afternoon so hot it made people drowsy, the Elite Jonin of Sunagakure, one of the future Kazekage candidates, Scorch Release Pakura, walked into the Medical Department's examination room with a face full of despair, undergoing the longest and most awkward physical exam of her two lives combined.
"Relax, you're too tense, your muscles are all tight." The old woman's voice was as gentle as warm water, but her movements weren't hesitant in the slightest.
Pakura lay on the examination bed, staring fixedly at the ceiling, her mind a complete blank, with only two lines of tears streaming down her heart.
She swore that she would never complain about the original host's boring life again; at least the original host didn't have to experience this kind of social death scene!
When the physical ended, Pakura felt as if all her strength had been drained. She floated out of the Medical Department with unsteady steps. Her head was down, her mind still replaying the scenes from just now, and she didn't even notice the person coming around the corner, bumping straight into them.
Actually, she was the one who got bumped into.
The other person's stance was very steady; not only were they not knocked back, but they even reached out to steady her.
"Sorry—"
A deep male voice sounded, carrying a hint of distant politeness. Pakura looked up, staring into a pair of deep black eyes.
It was Rasa.
He was wearing the same Sunagakure Ninja outfit as her, with a cloak embroidered with the Kazekage emblem over his shoulders. His posture was upright, and his brow carried the Calm of a leader. At this moment, his gaze fell on her, carrying a faint hint of surprise.
Pakura's body tensed up instantly.
It was him! The future Fourth Kazekage! A core figure of the Sunagakure high command! In the conspiracy that betrayed the original host, he definitely couldn't be uninvolved!
The alarm bells in her head rang frantically. Pakura even subconsciously clenched her fists, Chakra faintly surging in her palms.
Rasa seemed to sense her wariness. The hand supporting her arm paused slightly before letting go, and he gave a slight nod: "Pakura."
His voice was very Calm. Inside his ninja tools pouch, the faint sound of metal clashing rang out—that was the Gold Sand controlled by his Magnet Release stirring. This was his habit, as well as his deterrent.
"Rasa." Pakura's voice was a few degrees colder than usual, the distance and vigilance from her body's memory perfectly replicated. "Just came out of the Medical Department?"
"Routine check-up." Pakura twitched the corners of her mouth, trying to make her tone sound no different from usual.
Her relationship with Rasa had always been like this. Both were elites, both were Kazekage candidates; they were rivals who understood each other's strength best, and also the most polite of colleagues. They had almost no interaction in private, and even when they met, it was just a few words of official pleasantries.
Rasa's gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds, as if sizing her up: "I heard you've been working very hard at the training ground lately, practicing Shadow Clones until your Chakra was exhausted. Are you preparing for next year's Chunin Exams guidance mission?"
"Just daily cultivation," Pakura replied briefly, the alarm bells in her heart ringing even louder.
What did Rasa mean? Testing her? Or simple concern? After all, as a Kazekage candidate, her strength was directly related to the future of the Village, and also to his position.
Rasa seemed to want to say something more; his lips moved, but in the end, he just nodded, his tone flat: "Don't push yourself too hard. Sunagakure needs every bit of combat power."
With that, he turned and left, his black cloak fluttering in a sharp arc behind him, and the Gold Sand in his ninja tools pouch quieted down.
It wasn't until Rasa's figure disappeared around the corner that Pakura slowly released her clenched, reddened palms. Her nails had bitten deep into her flesh, leaving several shallow marks.
That was close.
In that moment just now, she almost couldn't resist greeting him with Scorch Release.
After returning home, Pakura plunged into the bathroom. The scalding hot water pouring over her body slightly dissipated that tense exhaustion. She looked at herself in the mirror; her fiery red hair was wet and clinging to her cheeks, and her amber eyes were full of confusion.
How was she supposed to change her fate?
Go straight to the Third Kazekage and tell him that someone is going to betray her in the future? She'd probably be treated as a lunatic and locked up immediately.
Flee Sunagakure in advance? Even more unrealistic. The original host's loyalty to the Village was etched into her bones; the instinctive reaction of this body would probably make her take her own life first to atone for her sins.
"I can only take it slow... I have to master the strength of this body first." Pakura muttered to herself, reaching out to wipe the water droplets from her face. When her gaze fell on her own body, she suddenly froze.
Fair skin, a slender figure—it was clearly her own body, yet it was so unfamiliar it made her blush.
"Avert your eyes! Avert your eyes!" She hurriedly closed her eyes, her movements so large she splashed water all over her face. "Ali, you pervert! You're even looking at yourself!"
Water splashed everywhere, and a flurry of clumsy sounds echoed in the bathroom.
As the days went by, Pakura found that she seemed to be starting to adapt to this identity without even realizing it.