Pakura, a gorgeous elite Kunoichi from Sunagakure.
Thanks to her mastery of the Kekkei Genkai Scorch Release, she had already gained a certain level of fame in the shinobi world.
However, at this point in time, Pakura was still relatively young, and her strength had yet to reach its peak. It wouldn't be until the Third Great Ninja War in the future that she would truly shine.
During that war, Pakura would grow into a kage-level powerhouse, earning numerous military honors and commendations from the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
She would eventually become a hero of Sunagakure, highly revered by her village. But her end was tragically bitter.
As Sunagakure became unable to fight both Iwagakure and Kirigakure on two fronts, Pakura was cruelly betrayed by the higher-ups of her own village—sacrificed to end the war with the Hidden Mist.
While recalling all this intel about Pakura, Aoshi stepped forward to stand protectively in front of the three kids.
By now, Pakura had already subdued the fleeing Okubo with just a few swift moves, handing him over to the three Suna-nin who had just arrived.
They were clearly her subordinates—slightly older than the three kids. It was obvious that Pakura and her team were also on a mission.
Aoshi didn't recognize her subordinates but looked seriously at Pakura and asked sternly, "Pakura, why did you interfere with our mission?"
Being called out by name didn't surprise Pakura. She had experienced this kind of confrontation many times before.
Instead of answering right away, she first glanced over the three kids, a faint look of surprise crossing her face.
She had just witnessed the trio working together to fight Okubo, and their strength at such a young age left her visibly intrigued.
Even within Sunagakure, such talent would place them among the absolute top. Second only to herself and Rasa at that age.
Both she and Rasa possessed unique kekkei genkai. Average prodigies couldn't compare to the two of them.
Then, turning her gaze to Aoshi, her cold expression shifted slightly upon noticing the Konoha forehead protector he wore.
Just like how Aoshi had sensed trouble upon recognizing Pakura, she too grew wary upon realizing he was a Leaf shinobi.
Once two major villages got involved, things would no longer be simple.
"Because our mission is to capture this man alive."
After Okubo's crimes were exposed, a noble from the Land of Wind issued a bounty through Sunagakure for his capture—alive.
One of the nobles' cherished distant family members had been killed by Okubo. After hearing the news, the noble vowed to capture the man and torture him thoroughly to avenge them.
Because Aoshi was a Konoha shinobi, Pakura decided to offer an explanation—as a courtesy.
Yes, only because he was from Konoha did she bother to explain.
Unlike Aoshi, who was still an unknown figure in the ninja world, Pakura had already earned a name for herself while still young.
Even though Aoshi had recently fought Hanzo, that news hadn't yet spread widely—few knew about it. Clearly, Pakura didn't.
So in her view, offering an explanation was already giving him more face than he deserved. If Aoshi knew what was good for him, he should take his team and leave.
At least, that's what she thought. Aoshi didn't see it the same way. In the past, he might have just given up on the mission in such a situation.
But now that he had grown stronger, why should he still tolerate being brushed aside?
No way.
So Aoshi responded firmly: "What a shame—he happens to be the target of our mission as well. And our mission is to kill him."
Hearing this, Pakura felt that Aoshi was being rather tactless.
While she wasn't yet powerful enough to force others to abandon their missions, someone like Aoshi should've had the sense to back off.
Unless... there was a hidden Konoha powerhouse supporting him from the shadows.
From the beginning, Pakura had been curious about this strange four-person team. Her suspicion stemmed from the fact that the three kids weren't wearing forehead protectors—meaning they weren't official ninjas yet.
And if they weren't ninja, then by normal rules, they wouldn't be allowed to take on missions.
This led her to a conclusion: the three children were secretly groomed geniuses from Konoha. And this mission was meant as real-world training for them.
So, she assumed Aoshi was merely the visible leader, while the real protector remained hidden in the shadows. But of course, that was just a theory.
To test it, Pakura, confident and proud, spoke again: "Since you know who I am, you should also know you're absolutely not my match."
Her three subordinates nodded in firm agreement, admiration shining in their eyes. None of them thought there was anything wrong with her words.
She stared hard at Aoshi, watching for even the smallest reaction.
But Aoshi only responded with a faintly mocking smile. Before he could say anything, Konan cut in defiantly:
"You've got some nerve saying that. Aoshi-nii is really strong!"
"Exactly! I don't think you're his match at all. If you don't want to get hurt, you'd better hand over the target now," Yahiko chimed in, clearly on Aoshi's side.
In the eyes of the three, Aoshi had the strength to fight the legendary "Demi-God" Hanzo.
This woman—who seemed no older than Aoshi—couldn't possibly be stronger than him.
Of course, the three had no idea about Pakura's identity or fame as the "Scorch Release" kunoichi.
"What a bunch of ignorant kids. You don't even know who Pakura-sensei is. Your 'Aoshi-nii' is no match for her."
"They're not even wearing forehead protectors—they're clearly just academy students. How would they know how incredible Pakura-sensei really is?"
"You'd better give up on your mission. If you upset Pakura-sensei, not even being a Konoha shinobi will save you from injury."
Angered by Konan and Yahiko's remarks, Pakura's subordinates quickly fired back.
Each side stood its ground, and soon it devolved into bickering.
But Hakura paid no attention to the childish argument. Her focus remained locked on Aoshi. At first, she thought Aoshi's bold stance came from having a hidden powerhouse backing him up.
But his mocking smile just now made her second-guess that assumption.
If he were relying on someone else, why would he act this smug? Did I guess wrong? Maybe... he's just plain arrogant and clueless?
Aoshi didn't know what was going through her mind. He simply waved off Konan and Yahiko's arguing, then looked directly at Pakura and said:
"Since you're from Suna, I don't want to escalate this any further. Just hand over the target, and you can leave unharmed."
Upon hearing this, Pakura nearly laughed from sheer disbelief. She, a renowned Scorch Release user, was being talked down to by some no-name Konoha shinobi?
"In that case," she said coldly, "let's settle this with our fists."
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