Souta froze, caught off guard by Hinata's sudden protectiveness. Pakura, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes, misreading the situation.
"Spies?" she rasped, her voice hoarse from exertion. She staggered but raised her hands again, summoning another orb despite her obvious fatigue.
"No—wait!" Souta called out, but Hinata was already moving. She struck with pinpoint accuracy, aiming for Pakura's tenketsu to disable her chakra flow. Pakura dodged narrowly, retaliating with a weak burst of heat that Hinata easily sidestepped.
"Stop it, both of you!" Souta shouted, stepping out from the cover of the trees, ignoring Hinata's earlier warning to stay back.
"We're not enemies!"
Pakura's sharp gaze flicked to him, she recognized him instently. Her hand trembled, the flickering orb of Scorch Release dissipating as her strength finally gave out. "Souta?" she muttered, her voice hoarse, her knees buckling as she caught herself against the scorched ground.
She stared at him, a mix of relief and suspicion swirling in her expression.
Hinata froze mid-strike, her palm still raised, but she lowered it slowly, turning to Souta with a furrowed brow. "You know her?" Her tone was calm.
Souta cursed under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. So much for keeping this under wraps. "Yeah," he admitted, his voice tight. "She's… an old friend. Pakura of the Scorch Release."
Pakura raised an eyebrow, her head tilting as she pushed herself upright with effort. "Friend?" she muttered, her tone dripping with skepticism. She shot him a death glare that could've melted steel, her green-orange hair clinging to her sweat-streaked face.
"…" He fell silent, his mind racing. What the hell was he supposed to say? If either of them sniffed out the full truth—that he'd been balancing both boats, letting each think they held a unique claim—he'd be a dead man walking.
Pakura's gaze shifted, landing on Hinata, assessing her with a predator's scrutiny. "Who are you, Hyuga girl?" she asked, her voice rough but commanding. "What are you doing here with him?" Her eyes narrowed, taking in Hinata's poised stance, the faint traces of chakra still lingering from her Gentle Fist.
Hinata didn't flinch, though her pale eyes flicked briefly to the battlefield before settling back on Pakura. "Doesn't matter who I am," she replied evenly, her voice steady despite the tension. "Who are you? What's your relation to Souta?" Her question was direct, cutting through the haze of Pakura's hostility.
He could practically hear his own heartbeat hammering in his ears, a cold sweat prickling down his spine. This was it—he was one wrong word away from a catastrophe.
"…" Pakura fell silent, her lips pressing into a thin line. She turned her head slowly, her gaze locking onto Souta. He stood there, caught in her stare, and for a moment, he looked like a man on the edge of a breakdown—eyes wide, jaw tight, as if he might actually cry under the pressure.
"He's mine," she said finally. "My man. We've got history—more than you could know, Hyuga. So what are you doing here, hanging off him like some stray?"
Souta's face went cold, his eyes snapping to Hinata, dreading her reaction. The silence that followed was suffocating at least for him, and for a heartbeat, she said nothing, her mind clearly racing. Then her chin lifted.
"Mind what you're saying," Hinata said, stepping forward, her tone icy. "Souta's not 'yours.' He's mine. We've fought together, bled together. You don't get to just show up and act like he belongs to you."
Pakura's lips twitched, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth despite her swaying stance. "Saved each other, huh? Cute story. Doesn't change the fact that I know him—really know him. You're just the latest tagalong, Hyuga."
Hinata's eyes narrowed, her Byakugan flaring briefly as if she might actually lunge. Souta's heart lurched—he could see it now, the two of them tearing into each other, chakra and scorch orbs flying, and him caught in the middle like a rag doll. He stepped forward fast, hands up, his voice louder than he meant it to be.
"Wait—stop! Both of you!" Souta stepped between them, arms flung out like a makeshift barrier. "This isn't helping anyone. Maybe we can… I don't know, go somewhere safe and talk this out? No fighting, no claiming—just talking." He fought to keep his voice steady, though a faint tremor betrayed his nerves.
Pakura raised an eyebrow, her smirk fading. "Talk? You're sweating like a cornered rat, Souta. What's got you so twitchy?" Her tone was dry, laced with a teasing edge, but her body remained taut, poised to spring if needed.
Hinata's gaze shifted to him, sharp and piercing. "What are you hiding, Souta?" she asked, her voice low and deliberate. She cracked her knuckles, the sound snapping through the air as she took a slow, deliberate step toward him.
He took a deep breath, lowering his arms slowly, palms open in a gesture of peace. "Okay, hold on," he said, his voice steady now, edged with just enough exhaustion to sound real. "You're both right—and you're both wrong. Let me explain before you start swinging."
Pakura's eyebrow stayed arched, her arms crossing as she leaned back slightly, still tense. Hinata paused mid-step, her knuckles cracked and ready, but her pale eyes locked onto him, waiting. Good—he had their attention. Step one: keep them listening.
"Look," he said, turning to Pakura first, meeting her gaze head-on. "Pakura, you disappeared—no word, just a note telling me not to follow. But I was worried sick, so I went looking for you anyway. It was dangerous, yeah, and I'd be dead a dozen times over if Hinata hadn't been with me, pulling me out of the fire. I'm standing here because of her."
Then he pivoted to Hinata, seamless and quick. "And you—you've been my rock these past weeks. Poison, fights, running for our lives—you didn't just save me, you kept me grounded. I'd be a corpse in a ditch without you, and you know it."
Step two: own the chaos. He straightened, running a hand through his hair with a dry laugh. "So yeah, I'm an idiot. I didn't plan this—didn't set out to juggle two badass women who could break me like a twig. But here we are, and I'm not lying to either of you. You both mean something to me—different, sure. I'm not picking sides because I can't—and I won't."
The silence stretched, thick and charged. Pakura's lips parted like she might snap, but she held back. Hinata's Byakugan faded, her eyes narrowing as she processed, but she didn't advance.
Pakura shifted, breaking the moment.
"We'll talk about this mess later."
"Let's get moving first, before more of those Root rats show up," she said, her voice rough as she hauled herself to her feet. She winced, steadying herself against the scorched ground, and jerked her head toward the horizon. "There's a town that way."