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"What's happening?"
The Mist ninjas were stunned by the sudden appearance of the earth-style jutsu. According to their intel, Pakura was known for her wind and fire chakra natures, not earth.
But now wasn't the time to ponder that. The unexpected earth-style jutsu had already disrupted their plans. The leading jōnin quickly ordered, "Use explosive tags!"
Water-style techniques wouldn't be very effective against the earth-style defense. Explosive tags were the best option.
The dozen or so Mist ninjas followed the order, pulling out kunai with explosive tags attached and throwing them at the stone walls surrounding Pakura.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, over two hundred explosive tags detonated, causing the entire canyon to shake as if the earth itself were trembling.
To ensure Pakura's death, the Mist ninjas hadn't skimped on the explosive tags, each using about seventy to eighty percent of their supply.
As the smoke cleared, the Mist ninjas saw only a ravaged crater, with no sign of Pakura.
"Captain, is Pakura dead?" one ninja asked.
"Check it, Aomizu," the captain ordered.
A sensing-type ninja named Aomizu closed his eyes and focused for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Captain, I can't sense Pakura's chakra."
Another Mist ninja suggested, "She must be dead then, right? With so many explosive tags, a simple stone wall couldn't have held up."
The Mist captain hesitated but finally said, "Search the area just in case she used earth-style to escape. Better safe than sorry."
Even as he said it, the captain doubted Pakura could have survived the blast by escaping underground; the explosion's intensity would have crushed her.
After a thorough search yielded no trace of Pakura, the Mist ninjas concluded their mission was complete and headed back to their village.
Meanwhile, several kilometers away from the explosion site, Pakura was on high alert, staring at the man who had saved her. Despite his help, she was wary of his intentions. "Who are you?"
"We haven't met before, but you've surely heard my name," Yoichi said, ignoring the kunai in Pakura's hand. Up close, few ninjas posed a threat to him.
"I'm Uchiha Yoichi, the Hokage Assistant of Konoha."
"Uchiha Yoichi, the Thunder Fang of Konoha!?" Pakura's eyes widened in shock. She instinctively tensed and took a few steps back.
"What are you doing here?"
"Is that how you treat your savior? Especially after being betrayed by your village and ambushed by the Mist?" Yoichi countered, then added, "I was heading to the Land of Tea for some business and stumbled upon this little drama. I decided to intervene."
Pakura's anger flared as she remembered her betrayal. Her vigilance against Yoichi wavered, replaced by rage at her village.
She had sacrificed so much for Suna, repelling numerous Mist ninja attacks and earning the title of Suna Hero, only to be betrayed and sent to her death.
"What will you do now?" Yoichi asked. "Become a rogue ninja or return to the village to face certain death?"
Pakura hesitated, torn. She wanted to confront her village but feared it was a decision made by all the high-ranking officials. Returning might only bring a more brutal fate.
Becoming a rogue ninja? That had never crossed her mind.
"If you can't decide, I can offer you a choice," Yoichi said, seeing her struggle. "I can give you power and an alliance. With this power, you can return and confront those who betrayed you. Then, you can ally with Konoha for mutual growth. Compared to Rasa, I trust you more. A betrayed Suna ninja will need Konoha's help."
Pakura eyed Yoichi warily. "You want to control me to influence Suna? Is that your plan?"
Before she could finish, she realized she was already under a genjutsu, her body immobilized.
"This is a binding genjutsu. I don't have time to argue with you. You'll see that trusting me was the right choice once you return to Suna."
Yoichi's Sharingan spun as he spoke. He approached Pakura, placing his hand on her neck and infusing her with Sage Chakra.
Given Pakura's strength, he didn't need to be gentle. The Sage Chakra infusion was intense and brutal.
"Ahhh!" Pakura screamed in pain, her chakra going haywire.
Yoichi implanted the same Sage Mark he had given Rin, capable of subtly influencing the user's will with Sage Chakra.
Pakura, being a kage-level ninja, could likely use the Sage Mark for at least half an hour. Additionally, the mark would cause physical changes.
Yoichi wouldn't give Pakura the luxury of time to adapt to Sage Chakra gradually.
After administering a Snake Heart Pill, Yoichi waited for Pakura to adapt to the Sage Mark.
After a while, Pakura's aura grew stronger, and her body underwent transformations. Her skin turned pale, her hair grey, and she sprouted a pair of wings.
The evolution of the Sage Mark was random, beyond even Yoichi's control. Out of the sixty Uchiha who mastered the Sage Mark, only one had grown wings.
With flight capabilities and Sage Chakra-enhanced Scorch Release, Pakura's power would increase significantly.
Breathing heavily, Pakura slowly adapted to the Sage Mark, feeling her enhanced strength, chakra, and senses.
"You bastard, how dare you—"
"That power is a gift from me. How dare you think of retaliating against the one who saved your life?" Yoichi's voice dripped with authority.
He watched Pakura writhe in pain for a while before easing the influence of the Sage Mark. "At least respect your savior. I won't use the mark to control you frequently. With this mark, you can choose to return for revenge or become a rogue ninja. If you decide to defect, you can seek refuge in Konoha."
With that, Yoichi turned and left.
Once he was gone, Pakura slowly stood, clutching her neck, her face still showing traces of anger. "That bastard, putting a cursed mark on me. I won't be controlled by you!"
As a Suna hero, Pakura understood Yoichi's intentions but had been powerless to resist.
"The Thunder Fang of Konoha, just as powerful as the legends say. His strength is on par with the First Hokage. One glance from his Sharingan, and I was under a genjutsu."
Pakura felt her physical changes. Though she looked more intimidating, her strength had indeed increased. She could sense an external energy merging with her own chakra through the cursed mark, creating a unique chakra blend.
"The wings allow me to fly. With some control, they can retract."
After some trial and error, Pakura managed to control the Sage Mark's power. She was a top-tier ninja in Suna, and it didn't take long for her to adapt.
After deactivating the Sage Mark, Pakura felt exhausted. "It seems the mark drains physical stamina. Overuse could be fatal."
Despite her determination not to rely on Yoichi's cursed mark, the thought of Suna's betrayal fueled her anger. She yearned to confront and possibly kill those responsible.
"Rasa, this must be your doing!"
...
"I hope Pakura proves useful."
Leaving the Land of Water, Yoichi continued to the Land of Tea. Before returning to the village, he planned to see Tsunade again.
Pakura would undoubtedly seek vengeance upon returning to Suna. While she appeared gentle, her rage knew no bounds.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, when Kabuto reanimated Pakura, she showed no mercy to her village's ninjas and became a headache for Kabuto.
If Pakura could become the Kazekage, annexing the Land of Wind would be much easier for Konoha.
Yoichi's ambitions extended far, but they weren't impossible. Among the Five Great Nations, the Lands of Wind and Water seemed the easiest to annex.
Iwa and Kumo had strong foundations, either as military or economic powerhouses.
But these plans would have to wait until Yoichi became Hokage. Sakumo's tenure as the Fourth Hokage was to lay the groundwork and accumulate power. When Yoichi took over, it would be time for expansion and war.
Returning to Tsunade's location, Yoichi found her training Nawaki. She wouldn't change locations frequently.
The Land of Tea saw few ninjas and was remote, making it an ideal training ground for Nawaki. Tsunade planned to stay for an extended period.
"Idiot Nawaki, during a fight, you need to observe your surroundings and prioritize targets!" Tsunade's voice echoed.
Boom!
Tsunade's foot crashed down, creating a massive crack in the ground, sending Nawaki flying and rolling before he collapsed in exhaustion.
"Sis, I can't move anymore," Nawaki groaned.
Seeing his sister's intense training, he felt that facing her was scarier than being in the Pure Land.
But he had no choice; his recklessness had cost him his life years ago.
"If you can't move, take a break," said Yoichi, appearing beside Tsunade with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Seeing Yoichi, Tsunade's face brightened before she turned away. "Done with your business?"
"More or less. The Dragon Vein's energy is limitless. I'll need to visit it periodically," Yoichi replied before asking, "How's Nawaki's training?"
Despite being born long before Yoichi, Nawaki was now just a thirteen-year-old genin. It felt natural for Yoichi to act as his senpai and brother-in-law.
"Too slow. In this time, he's only mastered three of the Six Styles," Tsunade said, clenching her fist.
Yoichi countered, "Tsunade, you're too impatient. This isn't wartime. Nawaki isn't in immediate danger."
Seeing Tsunade about to retort, Yoichi added, "There are other ways to strengthen him, like inheriting your grandfather's Wood Release. With enhanced chakra and recovery, his training endurance will improve. The sacrificial body of the Edo Tensei is too weak. Even revived, Nawaki lacks the Senju constitution."
"Indeed. His chakra depletes quickly, and he tires fast," Tsunade admitted. Despite her resistance, she couldn't deny Yoichi's logic.
"Shizune, help Nawaki recover. Training's over for today."
Nawaki flashed Yoichi a grateful thumbs-up as Shizune healed him. Yoichi reciprocated with a reassuring gesture.
Taking Tsunade aside, Yoichi asked, "What's your plan now?"
"The village doesn't need me for anything urgent, so I'll stay with you for a while before returning," Yoichi replied.
Before he could continue, Tsunade covered his mouth in embarrassment. "Don't say it so loudly."
Tsunade still remembered Nawaki's teasing looks. It had taken a month of rigorous training to reestablish her authority as his sister.
"I've developed a new ninjutsu that suits you," Yoichi said, showing her his hand. He activated the improved Armament Haki, turning his hand jet-black.
"It's an A-rank ninjutsu I created, Armament Haki. It hardens your skin, making it extremely tough. With enough proficiency, you could withstand A-rank or even S-rank Wind Release jutsu. But reaching that level requires deep mastery."
He demonstrated by stabbing a kunai into his hand. The blade snapped against his hardened skin.
"Such strong defense?"
Tsunade examined his hand, tapping it to hear a metallic clang.
"It's very suitable for my combat style," she acknowledged.
Though hesitant to accept Yoichi's gift, fearing he'd demand something in return, Tsunade couldn't deny its benefits.
Seeing his smile, Tsunade couldn't help but ruffle his hair in mock frustration.
Tsunade: "Little rascal, always trying to take advantage."
Yoichi: "But you like it."
Tsunade: "Hmph. Let's see what other tricks you have."
Yoichi grinned, confident in his strategy. He was already planning his next move in their intricate game.
(End of Chapter)