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Fuguki Suikazan coughed up mouthfuls of blood, his pale face drenched in sweat. A few of his subordinates rushed to his side, patting his chest and rubbing his back in a futile attempt to ease his pain.
"There… must be a traitor… there must be… a traitor. When I… find him… I'll tear him… limb from limb," he growled between labored breaths.
This ambush, led by Fuguki Suikazan, could only be described as a tragic failure. Ever since his defeat in the Land of Fields, he had been harboring a burning rage. As a member of the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, ambushing a mere Kazekage escort team should have been an effortless task—or so he thought. Yet, before he could even finish slaughtering a small village, he found himself counter-ambushed. Who could have guessed that a green-clad, bearded man would wield such overwhelming physical strength, launching devastating air cannons with mere taijutsu? The once-mighty Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been reduced to a pitiful trio. This elite force, painstakingly assembled by the Second Mizukage and once capable of annihilating an entire small nation, had been utterly humiliated. Fuguki swore to avenge this disgrace.
When the elders of Kirigakure proposed a covert mission to attack Sunagakure, hoping to ignite a war between the Sand and Mist villages, Fuguki, still nursing his wounds, volunteered to lead the charge. He vowed to catch the Sand Village off guard, leaving a trail of corpses in his wake. Though the elders were initially hesitant, they noticed the fiery determination in his small, beady eyes. Realizing that the primary goal of the mission was not to kill but to cause chaos, they concluded that Fuguki's volatile state of mind made him the perfect candidate. Thus, they reluctantly approved his request.
Brimming with confidence, Fuguki Suikazan led a thousand-strong force toward Sunagakure. As they approached a narrow mountain pass, a faint glimmer of firelight appeared in the distance. Drawing closer, they saw a young girl with her hair tied in buns, standing calmly at the pass. Three flaming orbs hovered above her head, illuminating her delicate, loli-like face, which radiated both beauty and an eerie, otherworldly aura.
"It's you!" Fuguki Suikazan exclaimed, his eyes narrowing. He recognized the girl immediately—she was the same kunoichi who had blocked their retreat in the Land of Fields. It was her fireballs that had struck down Jinpachi Munashi and Kushimaru Kuriarare, killing them as they fled.
Pakura said nothing. She silently drew the blade from her back and etched a line into the ground with its tip.
"Cross this line, and you die," she declared in a sweet yet menacing loli voice that echoed clearly through the valley.
One of the rogue ninjas, enraged by her audacity, let out a furious cry and charged at her with a kunai in hand. The moment his foot crossed the line, a flash of killing intent flickered in Pakura's eyes. One of the flaming orbs shot toward the rogue ninja at lightning speed. The man, clearly no amateur, performed an agile side flip to dodge the fireball and even hurled his kunai at it midair.
The kunai struck the fireball, but instead of extinguishing it, the blade melted instantly, dripping molten iron to the ground. The fireball, undeterred, continued its relentless pursuit of the ninja. No matter how he ran or dodged, he couldn't escape its grasp. Finally, he stumbled, losing his balance. The fireball collided with his chest, and a sickening hiss filled the air—a sound reminiscent of meat sizzling on a hot iron plate. The ninja let out a bloodcurdling scream as the fireball burned through him, leaving a basketball-sized hole in his torso. The acrid scent of charred flesh lingered in the air.
The remaining ninjas exchanged uneasy glances, their courage faltering as they instinctively stepped back. None dared provoke the terrifying loli standing before them. Fuguki Suikazan, however, knew he couldn't afford to let his forces scatter. Most of his troops were little more than thugs and rogue ninjas with mediocre combat skills. They were here not to win a battle but to cause chaos. The elders wouldn't care if they all perished, but if Fuguki failed to lead them, his reputation would be irreparably damaged. He would lose all standing among Kirigakure's upper echelons.
"She's just one girl! What are you afraid of? Watch as I take her head and use it to rally our troops!" Fuguki roared, drawing his massive blade, Samehada, and charging at Pakura.
Before he could reach her, a green-glowing figure descended from above, delivering a series of powerful back kicks to Fuguki's massive frame. The blows forced him to raise Samehada in defense, barely managing to block the onslaught.
"It's you! The bearded man!" Fuguki exclaimed, his voice tinged with fear. This green-clad, bearded man had proven to be his nemesis during their last encounter.
"Yes, it's me! The Blue Beast of the Leaf! Hmm… you look familiar. Have we met before?" Might Dai struck a dramatic pose, his stance exuding confidence.
Rage boiled within Fuguki Suikazan as he glared at Might Dai, his grip tightening on Samehada. He began unraveling the bandages around the blade, preparing to fight to the death. But before he could act, the valley was suddenly illuminated by countless torches on both sides. The blazing light revealed the full scale of the ambush.
Pakura smiled and waved at Sasori, who stood atop the valley, orchestrating the trap. Sasori returned her wave with a thumbs-up and a smirk.
"Your retreat is cut off! Surrender now, or face certain death!" Pakura's sweet yet commanding loli voice echoed once more through the valley.
"Damn it! Fall back! Clear a path for our retreat!" Fuguki Suikazan barked, realizing the hopelessness of their situation. But it was too late.
"Sand Burial: Grand Funeral!"
"Puppet Technique: Dance of Death!"
The Sand Village ninjas unleashed their full arsenal upon the trapped Mist ninjas. The valley was soon filled with screams of pain and despair.
The battle ended in a decisive victory for Sunagakure, with zero casualties on their side. In the unnamed valley outside the village, they had nearly annihilated the invading forces. Nearly—because Fuguki Suikazan, along with two of his trusted subordinates, managed to escape, battered and bloodied.
Following the battle, the Third Kazekage, Jinghang, named the valley "Victory Gorge." The tale of the Kazekage's iron-blooded loli secretary, Pakura, quickly became a legend throughout the ninja world.
Back in his chambers, Jinghang examined the intricately carved jade pendant in his hand, its weasel-like design lifelike and exquisite. Rubbing his still-throbbing temples from a hangover, he let out a wry chuckle. "I can't believe I ended up recognizing a 3,000-year-old weasel as my godfather. If this gets out, my reputation as Kazekage will be ruined."
The pendant, though small—barely two inches long—was made from an incredibly rare material known as Tiger's Courage Jade, mined exclusively from the Xuanyuan Tomb region. According to the Weasel Immortal, even leveling an entire mountain might not yield such a pristine piece of jade. What made it even more precious was that the immortal himself had carved it, embedding a formation within that stabilized the wearer's mind and enhanced focus. It even offered resistance against most genjutsu, making it a priceless treasure.
"What's wrong with that? You should feel honored to have the Weasel Immortal as your godfather," a gruff voice retorted. The speaker was a massive, one-eyed weasel with a golden head and white body, wearing a black eye patch. Its fur gleamed with an almost unnatural luster.
This was Buck, the grandson of the Weasel Immortal. One fateful night, Jinghang had visited the Xuanyuan Tomb, coinciding with the immortal's birthday celebration. The immortal, in a foul mood over not having chicken for his feast, was overjoyed when Jinghang descended from the sky with a rooster in hand. Declaring Jinghang his godson on the spot, the immortal and his kin had dragged him into a raucous drinking party. In his drunken state, Jinghang had even promised to give the immortal half the shares of a chicken farm he owned in Moon Lake. Delighted, the immortal had gifted him the jade pendant and assigned Buck as a liaison to teach Jinghang the ways of sage techniques.
"Of course not! I'm deeply honored!" Jinghang quickly replied, trying to smooth things over.
"What is it, Kazekage-sama?" a secretary entered the room.
"Inform Maki at Moon Lake to arrange for thirty live chickens to be delivered to my villa every month. Make sure at least one is a rooster. No need to put it on the public ledger—I'll pay for it personally!"