Pakura's heart skipped a beat.
For a brief moment, she wondered if she had misheard.
"Lady Chiyo... you mean...?"
The elderly woman's eyes remained fixed on her.
"The White Fang of Konoha was one of the greatest enemies Sunagakure has ever faced."
A dangerous glint flashed within Chiyo's gaze.
"Countless Sand shinobi died by his blade."
"My son and daughter-in-law included."
The atmosphere inside the command tent grew heavy.
Everyone present knew that story.
They knew what Sakumo Hatake's name meant to Chiyo.
It wasn't merely hatred.
It was obsession.
A wound that had never healed.
"If you personally kill the White Fang's son," Chiyo continued slowly, "you will erase a humiliation that has burdened our village for years."
Her voice became softer.
More tempting.
"The contribution would be immeasurable."
"You would receive the status, authority, and resources such an achievement deserves."
Pakura's breathing unconsciously quickened.
Then Chiyo dropped the final bait.
"Perhaps..."
The old woman smiled faintly.
"...I may even consider accepting another disciple."
Silence.
Pakura's pupils contracted.
This time, she truly couldn't remain calm.
Chiyo wasn't merely an elder.
Within Sunagakure, she was a living legend.
Her strength.
Her influence.
Her reputation.
All stood near the very peak of the village.
If Pakura became Chiyo's disciple, the benefits would be impossible to calculate.
Resources.
Guidance.
Political support.
Advanced puppet poisons.
Rare ninja tools.
Secret techniques.
Even her future promotion path would become far smoother.
More importantly—
Pakura herself wanted revenge.
Not because of Sunagakure.
Not because of politics.
But because she couldn't accept defeat.
The image of that white-haired boy flashed through her mind.
The terrifying Fire Release.
The overwhelming swordsmanship.
The calm confidence he displayed during battle.
For the first time in years, someone her age had completely shaken her confidence.
She wanted another fight.
No.
She needed another fight.
With a heavy thud, Pakura dropped to one knee before Chiyo.
Her eyes burned with determination.
And battle intent.
"Pakura is willing to obey Elder Chiyo's commands!"
Her voice rang throughout the tent.
"I swear I will personally execute the White Fang's descendant!"
The smile on Chiyo's face widened slightly.
"Good."
She nodded in satisfaction.
"Go treat your injuries."
"Change into clean clothes."
"Then come to my tent later."
Her expression gradually turned serious.
"Your opponent is not simple."
"We will not rush into action."
"Before hunting dangerous prey, one must first prepare the perfect trap."
Pakura lowered her head deeply.
"Yes, Elder Chiyo!"
Suppressing her excitement, she quickly left the tent.
As her figure disappeared into the night, Chiyo turned her attention back toward the war map.
The atmosphere immediately shifted.
Now they were discussing matters far more important than personal grudges.
"The Longyue City intelligence network is compromised."
Chiyo's finger tapped the map.
"The original plan must be abandoned."
Ishikawa Tetsuiwa nodded.
"Agreed."
After a brief silence, Chiyo's eyes moved northwest.
Toward another symbol on the map.
"Kumogakure."
Several advisors looked up.
"The Cloud Village?"
Chiyo smiled faintly.
"Perhaps... they need a little encouragement."
The tent fell silent once more.
Nobody failed to understand the implication.
If Sunagakure could somehow provoke Kumogakure into increasing pressure on Konoha...
The balance of the war could shift dramatically.
Outside the tent, Pakura heard only fragments of the conversation before forcing herself to walk away.
She knew better than to listen further.
But one thought remained in her mind.
Kumogakure...?
A bad feeling lingered in her chest.
Yet soon that feeling was buried beneath anticipation.
Because she had a new mission.
And a new target.
Ren.
---
Meanwhile, inside Konoha's Wildfire City headquarters...
The atmosphere wasn't much better.
Several high-ranking shinobi gathered around an unconscious prisoner.
Jiraiya stood nearby with folded arms.
His normally carefree expression had become serious.
"How is it, Inoichi?"
The young Yamanaka shinobi had one hand pressed against the prisoner's forehead.
His eyes remained tightly closed.
Blue chakra flickered around him.
"Ninja Art: Mind Body Switch Technique."
Within the prisoner's memories, scenes flashed endlessly.
Battlefields.
Codes.
Messages.
Secret meeting locations.
The deeper Inoichi searched, the grimmer his expression became.
Several minutes later, he finally opened his eyes.
"Lord Jiraiya."
His voice was heavy.
"The situation is bad."
Everyone's attention immediately focused on him.
"The Longyue City base has most likely fallen."
The tent became silent.
"The enemy has acquired a large amount of intelligence."
"Secret codes."
"Patrol routes."
"Communication methods."
"Most of it has likely been compromised."
Several officers cursed under their breath.
That was far worse than expected.
Fortunately, Inoichi continued.
"However, we avoided the worst outcome."
He glanced toward Minato.
"Captain Minato's students discovered the infiltration early."
"They defeated the enemy team and captured this prisoner."
"If they hadn't, Konoha would likely have suffered major losses."
Jiraiya's serious expression finally eased.
Then he laughed loudly.
"Hahaha!"
"As expected of Minato's students!"
He slapped Minato's shoulder.
"It must have been Kakashi, right?"
"That kid is Sakumo's son after all."
"I always knew he'd become something special."
However, Inoichi unexpectedly shook his head.
"No."
Jiraiya blinked.
"Not Kakashi?"
"It was Ren."
The entire tent became quiet.
"Huh?"
Jiraiya looked genuinely surprised.
Minato nodded.
"It's true."
Now Jiraiya was interested.
Very interested.
Unfortunately, there were more pressing matters to address first.
He turned toward another officer.
"Kashima."
"Yes!"
"Send Inuzuka Tsume immediately."
"Have her lead multiple elite teams toward Longyue City."
"Use the best tracking dogs available."
"I want confirmation of the base's status and information on any survivors."
"Understood!"
The officer immediately rushed out.
Jiraiya continued issuing orders.
"Inform Akiyama Hayabusa and Hyuga Eiji."
"Strengthen all defensive positions."
"Double patrol frequency."
"If Sunagakure already knows our codes, we can't afford mistakes."
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya!"
Soon the tent became a flurry of movement.
Only after the emergency orders were issued did Jiraiya finally return to the topic that interested him most.
Ren.
"So..."
Jiraiya sat down.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
Minato smiled helplessly.
Then he began recounting the battle.
From the initial encounter.
To Pakura's ambush.
To Ren's performance.
As the story continued, Jiraiya's expression became increasingly strange.
By the end—
He was staring at Minato.
"You're serious?"
Minato nodded.
"Completely serious."
Jiraiya rubbed his forehead.
A Genin.
Using ordinary Fire Release.
To clash directly against Pakura's Scorch Release.
And survive.
That alone was absurd.
Then there was the swordsmanship.
The combat instincts.
The battlefield awareness.
The more he heard, the more unbelievable it sounded.
"That kid..."
Jiraiya muttered.
"He's frighteningly talented."
Minato smiled.
"I think so too."
Honestly, even Minato himself couldn't fully understand Ren anymore.
Every time he thought he had seen the boy's limits...
Ren shattered them.
First came the perfected Substitution Technique.
Then advanced Fire Release.
Then swordsmanship.
Then medical ninjutsu that even Tsunade praised.
And now—
A direct confrontation against an elite Jonin with a Bloodline Limit.
The scariest part?
Ren wasn't finished growing.
Not even close.
Jiraiya whistled.
"If he possessed a Bloodline Limit too, he'd be terrifying."
Minato laughed softly.
"That's exactly what I was thinking."
Jiraiya leaned back.
"Minato."
"Yes?"
"You really picked up some incredible students."
His grin returned.
"For uncovering enemy intelligence and preventing a disaster, they deserve major credit."
Then he snapped his fingers.
"Oh right."
"Last time I promised them a meeting gift."
"I never got around to it because of the war."
A mischievous smile appeared.
"I'll prepare something later."
"Make sure they receive it."
Minato nodded.
"I'll pass it on."
---
Far away from the headquarters...
At the edge of a mountain forest.
Beside a roaring waterfall.
Ren sat cross-legged atop a massive stone.
Moonlight reflected across the flowing water.
His eyes remained closed.
Completely focused.
In his mind, he continuously replayed today's battle.
Especially Pakura's techniques.
Those terrifying white-hot fireballs.
The overwhelming heat.
The unique chakra flow.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Finally, Ren opened his eyes.
"Let's try it."
He jumped down from the rock.
Hands immediately formed seals.
Snake.
Ram.
Monkey.
Boar.
Horse.
Tiger.
The Great Fireball Technique.
However, Ren didn't release it immediately.
Instead, he compressed chakra within his throat.
More.
And more.
And more.
Until pain appeared in his chest.
Then—
He exhaled.
BOOM!!
A blinding white fireball erupted into existence.
For a moment, success seemed possible.
Then everything went wrong.
The unstable chakra lost control.
The fireball expanded violently.
And exploded.
A massive column of water erupted from the lake below.
Ren frowned.
"No good."
The temperature was close.
But stability remained a problem.
He scratched his head.
"Let's try Phoenix Sage Fire instead."
Then, naturally, he began talking to his techniques again.
"Little Phoenix."
"Any ideas?"
The response appeared inside his mind.
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Huh? Were you calling me? Little Phoenix sounds nice. But I don't know either. Maybe ask Big Sister?]
[Great Fireball Technique: No idea.]
Ren sighed.
Not every technique could act as a proper teacher.
Sometimes they were helpful.
Other times...
Not so much.
Suddenly another voice appeared.
[Transformation Technique: Why don't I help? Transform into Pakura and see if you can imitate her.]
Ren blinked.
Actually...
That wasn't a terrible idea.
A few moments later—
A beautiful orange-haired girl stood beside the waterfall.
Pakura's exact appearance.
The result?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
As expected.
Bloodline Limits couldn't simply be copied through appearance.
Still, the experiment wasn't completely worthless.
At least it inspired a few new research directions.
Perhaps Orochimaru would know something useful.
Perhaps Konoha's research department possessed Bloodline Limit records.
Interesting possibilities.
Ren was already planning future research when—
Crunch.
A faint sound came from behind him.
Then another.
And another.
His eyes narrowed.
Several presences approached through the forest.
The next instant—
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Kunai and shuriken tore through the darkness.
Without even turning around, Ren grabbed his sword.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Every projectile was deflected effortlessly.
Only then did he glance backward.
Three figures emerged from the trees.
Kakashi.
Obito.
And Rin.
All three looked battle-ready.
Kakashi's sword was already drawn.
Obito and Rin had hand seals prepared.
"Pakura!"
Obito shouted.
"What did you do with Ren?!"
Ren stared blankly.
Then looked down at himself.
"…Oh."
Right.
He was still transformed.
A puff of smoke appeared.
The orange-haired girl vanished.
Ren's familiar appearance returned.
The trio froze.
"Ren?!"
Obito nearly fell over.
"Wait!"
Kakashi immediately pointed his sword.
"How do we know you're really Ren?"
"Code phrase."
Ren sighed.
Then provided the team's secret code.
Still suspicious.
Finally, he casually revealed several embarrassing secrets about Kakashi and Obito.
That ended the questioning immediately.
Afterward, Rin tilted her head.
"Why were you transformed into Pakura?"
Ren answered without hesitation.
"I was experimenting with an Acting Method."
"Acting Method?"
Obito's eyes lit up.
"That's amazing!"
"If I transform into you, can I use giant fireballs too?"
Kakashi stared at him.
Then sighed.
"Idiot."
"The Transformation Technique doesn't work like that."
Obito looked disappointed.
Meanwhile, Kakashi suddenly seemed thoughtful.
"Actually..."
Everyone looked toward him.
"What if we used the Transformation Technique to infiltrate Sunagakure's camp?"
A dangerous idea appeared in his eyes.
"Like Pakura's team did."
"We disguise ourselves as Sand shinobi."
"Sneak inside."
"And assassinate their commander."
Rin blinked.
Even she looked tempted.
Obito looked confused.
"What medicine are we giving them?"
Nobody answered.
Ren yawned.
Then waved lazily.
"If it were that easy, Konoha would've done it already."
"Trust me."
"There are definitely reasons nobody's tried."
The excitement immediately faded.
After a moment, Ren stretched.
"Anyway."
"It's late."
"My whole body feels like it's falling apart."
He looked toward the dark sky.
"Let's get some sleep."
The others nodded.
One by one, they prepared to leave.
But none of them noticed—
Far away in Sunagakure's camp...
An elderly woman was already drawing up plans.
Plans specifically designed for one person.
Ren.
And for the first time since arriving on the battlefield—
A shadow far more dangerous than Pakura had begun moving against him.
To be continued...
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