Raiya's words hit Sakura like a hammer.
She knew exactly what he meant.
She had seen Zabuza's strength before — the man was terrifying.
If not for Arata's help during that first battle, even Kakashi-sensei might not have won.
Now, if Arata was trapped here because of her, then Kakashi would be left to fight Zabuza alone…
and Tazuna would die.
Worse — if Arata came here, he might die too.
Even if he survived this, he'd arrive too late to save the bridge.
And facing two elite-level opponents at once?
Not even he could win that.
It was a perfect death trap.
Sakura's chest tightened.
"No… no, Arata won't fall for it. He's too smart. He'll see through this."
She shook her head violently, refusing to believe it.
But Raiya's cold laughter shattered that fragile hope.
"Even if he does see through it, what choice does he have?"
Sakura froze.
He was right.
Even if Arata knew this was a trap, could he really ignore her?
Raiya smiled wickedly.
"Let's see… will he choose the mission, or his comrades?"
"From what I've seen these past few days, I'd bet on the latter."
"No!" Sakura shouted, shaking her head. "He won't come! He'll go to Kakashi-sensei instead!"
She wanted to believe it.
She needed to believe it.
If Arata came here, he'd die — and she couldn't bear that thought.
In normal times, Sakura would've wanted Arata to care for her more, to treat her like someone special.
But not now.
Not if it meant he'd walk to his death.
Her voice trembled.
"Arata, you're a real ninja. You'll choose the mission, right? We're just… temporary teammates. You don't have to risk your life for us…"
Tears streamed down her face.
Even as the only trained shinobi among the captives, she couldn't stop them.
Raiya chuckled darkly.
"Why the tears? If you're going to hell, shouldn't you be happy to have a genius like him escorting you there?"
Sakura didn't respond.
Her eyes were fixed on the window, silently praying.
Please, Arata… don't come. Don't see that letter. Just… stay away.
"Did you forget," Raiya said suddenly, "what your sensei told you during your test?"
Before Sakura could react, a calm voice answered from outside the cabin.
"I remember every word."
The sound made the Mist-nin stiffen.
"So," Raiya said with a grin, "you came after all."
In an instant, he vanished and reappeared behind Sakura, pressing both Thunder Blades against her neck.
The other two Mist-nin did the same — kunai at Tsunami and Inari's throats.
The moment Sakura heard Arata's voice, her heart skipped a beat.
For just an instant, she felt hope.
Then the reality hit her — and her hope broke.
"Arata! Why did you come!? You knew it was a trap! Why—why did you come!?"
Arata stepped calmly into the room, golden chakra flickering faintly around him.
He scanned the cabin once, then spoke evenly.
"I know it's a trap," he said. "But as your friend there pointed out…"
"I don't have a choice."
He shrugged lightly.
There was no anger in his tone.
No panic.
Just quiet certainty.
But that calm made the two Mist-nin behind him shiver.
They could feel it — the killing intent behind his stillness.
This boy wasn't normal.
They'd been watching him for days, and they knew — he could kill them both in the blink of an eye.
Raiya noticed their unease and tightened his grip on his blades.
Sakura was crying again, unable to stop herself.
She didn't want to see him die.
Arata turned his gaze toward Raiya.
"So you're no weaker than Zabuza, huh?"
"Another rogue from the Hidden Mist. You guys sure love turning traitor."
He smirked lightly.
The air between them crackled with tension.
Raiya's eyes narrowed.
"Cocky brat. You should've stayed away. Now, you'll die with that stupid girl."
"You sound sure," Arata replied. "Why?"
Raiya chuckled darkly.
"Because I've been watching you. I know your tricks. You're fast, but not invincible. And I'm not stupid enough to fight you head-on."
He raised one of his blades, grinning.
"You see, I've prepared something special. This entire area—"
He gestured around them.
"—is lined with explosive tags. Hundreds of them. The cabin, the trees, the ground. All linked. When they go off, there won't even be ashes left of you or your little friends."
Arata didn't flinch.
He already knew.
The faint hum of chakra in the air, the steel wires hidden among the trees — he'd sensed it the moment he arrived.
A trap within a trap.
If the explosion went off, nothing would survive within hundreds of meters.
He glanced at Sakura, Tsunami, and Inari — each of them bound to the posts, paper bombs wrapped around their bodies.
He couldn't let them die.
"You realize," Arata said softly, "that if those explode, you won't escape either."
Raiya grinned.
"You think I'd be foolish enough to stand here in person?"
Arata's eyes flickered.
"A clone, huh?"
"Smart boy," Raiya said, smirking. "Now die, genius."
He made the seal.
"Explode!"
The world turned white.
The roar of the blast shook the forest.
Dozens — hundreds — of explosive tags went off at once.
Flames and lightning devoured everything.
The cabin vanished in an instant, a colossal mushroom cloud blooming into the sky.
The shockwave ripped through the forest, uprooting trees and flattening the earth.
For miles around, the air burned.
The explosion was so powerful it felt like an earthquake.
Then, silence.
Slowly, smoke and dust cleared, revealing a scorched wasteland — nothing left but craters and ash.
From behind a distant tree line, Raiya stepped out with his two subordinates, laughing.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said, watching the smoke rise.
"A fitting end for a prodigy. Shame, really."
He rested one of his Thunder Blades on his shoulder, smiling cruelly.
"Well then, let's give the boy his grand funeral."
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