Chapter 15 — I Want Your Kekkei Genkai!
"One of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya?"
Pakura's gaze did not waver in the slightest. She picked Seiki up again, leapt onto a nearby residential rooftop, and called out to Jiraiya from afar:
"Are you here to return Sasori?"
Seeing Seiki bound in chains, Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, a trace of killing intent leaking out.
"Konoha went to great lengths to save Sasori's life. Is this how the Sand Village shows its gratitude?"
Jiraiya angrily set down the bench strapped to his back, pulled off the white cloth covering it, and immediately revealed the highly recognizable face of Sasori.
Pakura naturally recognized Sasori and instantly realized that Rasa's worries had been unnecessary.
"I'm very sorry. Special times call for special measures, and…"
As she spoke, Pakura glanced at Seiki. The Ice Beauty of the Sand Village showed a professional smile.
"We didn't do anything to this handsome little guy… right?"
"Well… more or less."
Seiki openly admired this different side of Pakura—until she shot him a glare.
Seiki grinned and said, "No matter how delicate your features are, if you keep a stiff face all day, no one will like you. Or do you want to grow old and turn into a wrinkled old granny like Chiyo?"
Pfft—Pakura laughed again, this time genuinely amused.
After all, in the Sand Village, no one dared speak ill of Granny Chiyo.
Seeing Pakura's breathtaking smile, Seiki said, "Miss Pakura, aren't you going to untie me?"
"Are you really the junior brother of one of the Legendary Sannin? These are just ordinary chains."
A hint of provocation flashed in Pakura's eyes. Seiki's temper flared immediately.
"I'm not in top condition today. Ten days—give me ten days. Then I'll beat you with just one finger!"
"Yeah, right."
Pakura rolled her eyes again and casually undid the chains binding Seiki.
"Miss Pakura, dare to make a bet?"
"A bet on what?"
She had only meant to tease him, but the kid clearly wasn't backing down.
"In ten days, I'll defeat you with one finger!"
Pakura almost laughed. She was a hero of the Sand Village, while this kid was just an unknown shinobi from Konoha. If anything, she should be the one defeating him with a single finger.
Seeing her disinterested expression, Seiki reached into his storage and produced the Sage Tool: the Bashō Fan.
"Space-time ninjutsu?"
Pakura was slightly surprised. Being able to summon a weapon without hand seals meant this kid might not be as weak as he looked.
"That's nothing. If you beat me, this Sage Tool—capable of unleashing five nature transformations regardless of the user's chakra affinity—will be yours."
"A Sage Tool?!"
Pakura's eyes lit up. She had never seen one before, but she had heard the stories of the Gold and Silver Brothers of Kumogakure rampaging across battlefields with Sage Tools in hand.
"Alright. I accept."
She agreed without hesitation.
Seiki smiled. "Miss Pakura, I've put up a precious Sage Tool. What are you wagering?"
Pakura hesitated. "What do you want?"
"I want your Kekkei Genkai."
He said each word clearly.
"Are you joking?!"
Pakura's expression instantly darkened. A Kekkei Genkai wasn't something you could bet—was he asking her to wager her life?
But Seiki said calmly, "I heard that children can inherit their parents' Kekkei Genkai. Is that true?"
"Y—Yes—No! Ugh, how annoying!"
Pakura's cheeks flushed red as she realized what he meant. But she had already agreed to the bet—backing out now would be embarrassing.
"That's not happening!"
Pakura immediately denied it, then raised her voice deliberately.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Even if I don't, I wouldn't like you!"
"Don't be so sure. Fine, I'm just teasing you. If you lose, just give me a goodbye kiss."
Seiki pointed at his cheek.
Pakura pressed her lips together awkwardly.
Even if it was just a kiss, it would be her first. How could she give that away so casually to some Konoha brat?
But then she reconsidered—there was no way she would lose.
"Fine. I accept the bet!"
"Great. In ten days, I'll come find you with a freshly washed face."
"You—!"
Pakura stomped her foot in embarrassment. But for the sake of the Sage Tool, she endured it for now.
Only then did the two of them notice Jiraiya and Sasori, who had been completely ignored.
Sasori was still asleep, so he didn't mind.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, was practically crying tears of blood.
"Hey, hey! Do I look like air to you?!"
In the misty dawn, Pakura's graceful back looked stunning from behind.
Watching Seiki boldly flirt with Pakura made Jiraiya feel a mix of envy and jealousy.
"Pakura, Miss Pakura… uh… I want to make a bet with you too."
Seeing Jiraiya's lecherous grin, Pakura immediately threw out a Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!
"Watch out!"
Jiraiya barely avoided being turned into a mummy. He nudged Seiki with his elbow and muttered,
"The prettier the woman, the more dangerous she is. You trying to get yourself killed?"
Seiki pointed at Jiraiya's ribs—the ones once broken by Tsunade.
"You're the last person qualified to lecture me!"
"Well… that's true."
Jiraiya scratched his head and burst out laughing.
Pakura looked at the mismatched senior and junior. Without realizing it, she stole a few more glances at Seiki. When she had called him handsome earlier, it hadn't been entirely flattery…
---
When Gamabunta appeared, both Rasa and Ebizō were on high alert. Only Chiyo finally felt relieved.
When Chiyo rushed to Sasori's side as fast as she could and sensed her grandson's steady heartbeat, her eyes reddened.
"Jiraiya, please thank Tsunade for me."
"No need to be so polite."
Jiraiya recalled what had happened when he asked Tsunade to treat Sasori…
"Granny Chiyo's grandson? Why doesn't she save him herself? No time, no time!"
"What do you mean even she can't cure it? Nonsense! I knew how to detoxify that poison at a glance!"
"You want me to save him? Fine—repay my gambling debts first. One hundred million ryō!"
"Sign the IOU first!"
…
Holding the sky-high treatment bill personally written by Tsunade, Jiraiya felt too embarrassed to hand it over. The Sand Village was so poor that the old lady probably couldn't repay it even if she sold land.
"You, Rasa, judged a gentleman with the heart of a petty man. And you call yourself Kazekage!"
Ebizō, his chakra fading, returned to looking like a withered old man.
Even so, he had never expected to live to see Sasori return to the village.
Rasa wasn't a hawk by nature—he had simply been forced to take a hardline stance to protect the village.
Realizing his mistake, he walked up to Seiki with a stiff expression.
"Grandson of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Seiki… I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me."
"Judging by your expression, you don't really think you were wrong."
Seiki waved it off casually.
"Lord Fourth Kazekage, don't carry everything on your own. You've got plenty of trustworthy companions around you."
Looking at Pakura, and at Baki, Yashamaru, and the others who had just arrived, Rasa suddenly felt the burden on his shoulders lighten.
"Seiki, I heard you like sand baths. From now on, your sand baths are on me. And if Jiraiya's interested, he can join too."
"Of course, I'm xtremely interested!"
Jiraiya immediately began imagining Sand kunoichi bathing in fine sand, inspiration bursting forth.
Seiki laughed and teased, "Now that's more like a Kazekage."
At last, everyone's tense nerves relaxed, and laughter echoed across the rooftops.