Chapter 65: The Fiery Pakura
Pakura's silhouette plummeted from the summit of the cliff like a vengeful ghost. With a single, light tap of her toes against the rocky wall, she accelerated, lunging fiercely toward Izumo and his team.
The kunai gripped in her hand was enveloped in a searing shroud of Chakra, leaving a trail of deep crimson afterimages as it sliced through the air. The temperature was so extreme that the surrounding rocks began to hiss, releasing thin wisps of white smoke.
"Go on ahead! Prioritize the intel!" Izumo barked at the sensory shinobi behind him.
The Chakra beneath his feet exploded instantly. As he activated Shave, his form blurred into a streak of green light, intercepting Pakura head-on. "I'll hold her back!"
"Captain!" Iwata Takuya and the others looked on with visible anxiety, but they knew all too well that staying would only make them a burden. Gritting their teeth, they forced themselves to turn and quicken their pace, retreating down toward the base of the cliff.
"Don't think for a second that I'll let you just walk away!" Pakura said in a low, dangerous tone. She moved to pursue them, but was immediately forced back by a sharp, whip-like kick from Izumo.
Seeing Izumo standing there alone, a flicker of surprise crossed her brown eyes, followed quickly by a cold smirk. "You certainly have the courage to offer up your own life. Unfortunately, in the face of my Scorch Release, no amount of courage will save you from turning into ash."
Pakura's hands blurred into a series of hand seals, moving as fast as shadows, before she muttered under her breath: "Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
In an instant, several small orbs of fire erupted from her mouth at incredible speed, sweeping toward Kamizuki Izumo.
The temperature of those fireballs was terrifying. Wherever they passed, the stone surface instantly melted into a thick liquid before evaporating under the intense heat. Soon, the entire rock wall was obscured by a vast, rolling mist of white heat.
Izumo's pupils constricted. This was the true power of the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai: the ability to evaporate all moisture in the vicinity in a heartbeat, creating a dual effect of lethal burning and a blinding smokescreen.
He didn't dare be careless and immediately activated Paper Art. His body became supple, weaving nimbly like a boneless reed between the fireballs, while his hands flew through seals: "Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!"
A circular wall of water rose from the ground. As it clashed with the fireballs, a piercing, boiling screech filled the air. The water turned into a thick mist that saturated the atmosphere before being utterly evaporated a moment later.
It looks like Water Release isn't going to be very effective here, Izumo thought as the battle raged on.
Pakura's figure pierced through the steam. Her kunai carried a burning red light, aimed directly at Izumo's chest. The heat at the tip of the blade was so intense it nearly ignited the very air around it.
Clang! Izumo drew his own kunai to parry the strike.
The moment the two weapons clashed, Pakura already had her free hand in a seal, and another fireball lunged from her mouth straight toward Izumo's face.
This woman... her attacks are truly fiery! Izumo thought, startled.
He immediately surged his Chakra to resist the wall of heat, then kicked off the ground with force, using the Body Flicker Technique to retreat rapidly.
Pakura pursued him relentlessly. The kunai in her hand turned into two streaks of crimson light, continuously stabbing toward Izumo's vital points.
Her assault perfectly combined the speed of Wind Release with the ferocity of Fire Release. Every swing of her blade brought a howling, hot wind, yet Izumo managed to evade them all thanks to the fluid, limber movements of his Paper Art.
"Is all you can do hide? Is this the extent of a Konoha shinobi's skill?" Pakura's taunt carried a wave of heat, and her attacks grew even more frantic.
She suddenly shifted her pattern. While forming a seal with her left hand, her right hand flung a kunai. The weapon split into dozens of shadows in mid-air as she cried out: "Scorch Release: Hot Kunai!"
The thrown kunai had been coated in the extreme temperatures of her Scorch Release, turning them into nothing less than flaming bullets.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" Izumo shouted. Since Water Release was ineffective against the Scorch Release, he decided to test the durability of Earth Release.
The white-hot kunai slammed into the earthen wall, producing a corrosive "hissing" sound. Although they managed to pierce through, they lost their momentum shortly after passing through the barrier and fell uselessly to the ground.
At that same moment, Pakura lunged at Izumo again, flanked by several fireballs. This time, the Extremely Steaming Murder orbs were orbiting her body, allowing her to manipulate them to strike at any moment.
I can't keep playing defense like this! The thought flashed through Izumo's mind.
Pakura's endurance with Scorch Release was formidable, and being deep in Sunagakure territory meant a prolonged battle would only work against him.
He had to get close. As vicious as Scorch Release was, the sheer pressure of Taijutsu in close-quarters combat might be the key to breaking the deadlock.
Izumo slammed his foot against the earth. The explosive force of Shave turned him into a blurred green shadow. Ignoring the stinging pillars of steam, he charged straight at Pakura.
The two engaged in a fierce melee. Though Pakura's fireballs constantly threatened him, Izumo's current neural reaction speed was more than enough to dodge while maintaining his offensive.
Seeing Pakura's kunai thrust toward his shoulder, Izumo suddenly hardened his muscles with Iron Body. While taking the hit against his toughened flesh, his left hand shot out and clamped onto Pakura's arm.
"Got you!" A flash of light sparked in Izumo's eyes. His right hand concentrated a burst of Chakra as he launched a Finger Pistol strike directly toward Pakura's chest.
Pakura's expression shifted drastically. She hadn't expected this Konoha shinobi to be hiding a secret technique like this.
She put all her strength into her wrist to break free, only to find that Izumo's palm was locked on like a steel vise. His strength was so immense it felt as though it might crush her joints.
In the heat of the moment, she brought her knee up sharply, driving it toward Izumo's abdomen.
Izumo was ready. He leaned his body to the left, narrowly dodging the knee strike. At the same time, his right hand's Finger Pistol shifted from a thrust to a grab, firmly locking down Pakura's other wrist.
The two were instantly entangled. Their bodies were pressed tightly together without a gap between them. The radiating heat from Pakura's skin seeped through the thin fabric of her shinobi outfit.
The soft, firm sensation against his chest was unmistakable; even through his combat gear, Izumo could feel a warm, elastic pressure.
They were so close they could feel each other's breath. Pakura's breathing hitched instantly, and her cheeks flushed a deep crimson in a split second.
Her long eyelashes fluttered rapidly, and her eyes were filled with a mix of panic and humiliated rage. "Let go of me, you bastard!"
The Scorch Release Chakra inside her body surged wildly. Searing, burning energy flowed down her arms toward Izumo, trying to force him to release his grip.
Izumo searched his teeth, enduring the burning sensation in his palms. His Master-level Chakra Control allowed him to layer his defenses with pinpoint precision.
Simultaneously, he exerted his strength, twisting Pakura's wrists behind her back.
"Ugh!" Pakura let out a pained groan. Her body involuntarily fell backward, landing right into Izumo's embrace.
The softness of her chest pressed firmly against Izumo's hard torso once more. She could even feel the steady, powerful thrum of his heartbeat.
The tips of her ears felt like they were on fire. She struggled even harder, but failed to realize that her movements only made the contact between them more intimate.
"Don't move," Izumo's voice whispered in Pakura's ear, carrying a faint, subtle huskiness. "If you keep struggling, I can't guarantee your wrists won't snap."
Pakura's thrashing came to a sudden halt. She could clearly feel the raw power in Izumo's hands—a brutal strength capable of snapping bone with ease.
Her heart was a storm of shock and fury. As an elite Jōnin of Sunagakure, she had actually been subdued by a Konoha shinobi at such a close range, not to mention the humiliating position she was currently in. This was an insult she had never experienced in her entire life.
"What is it you actually want?" Pakura's voice trembled, laced with a fury and a sense of shame that she didn't even fully recognize herself.
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