Chapter 377: Is She Impossible to Rescue for Now?

"He ran off, said he was going to scout the terrain and gather intel, leaving everything else to me, then took off."

Nara Shikashige wore a dark expression, complaining about Takuya's actions.

Emmmm...

Hatake Sakumo's expression turned strange. He glanced at Shikashige's unhappy face and let out an awkward laugh:

"A lot of bodies were just brought in. I should go see if the intel department can uncover anything useful."

With that, Sakumo quickly made his exit.

Shikaku sighed silently—he had clearly been dragged into the mess, and Sakumo wasn't going to let it happen to himself again.

Takuya, on the other hand, didn't return to camp directly after capturing Pakura.

The battle had caused a huge commotion, and the Third Kazekage would certainly come to investigate.

No matter how fast Yagami Takuya could run, there was no way he could outrun the Third Kazekage, who could fly.

So Takuya decisively changed direction, finding a hidden place to stay.

The cave entrance was well-concealed, and inside the dim cave, Pakura, who had been knocked unconscious, slowly began to regain her senses.

"Where is this?"

Wait—no!

Have I been captured?

Realizing the situation, Pakura tried to resist, only to find she couldn't use any chakra.

Her chakra had been sealed.

And the one who had captured her and sealed her chakra was sitting nearby, chewing on a piece of grass, his arms crossed as he looked at her with an amused expression.

"What, are you still worried about me running away after sealing my chakra?"

Pakura noticed her hands and feet were bound.

"Just an extra precaution."

Spitting out the grass, Takuya eyed Pakura's sullen face:

"I wouldn't want my hard-earned captive to escape carelessly. Besides, the rope is simply a tool for interrogation."

"Hmph!"

Being a captive, she knew interrogation was inevitable.

Pakura didn't fool herself into thinking that Takuya had captured her without intending to question her or extract information about Sunagakure.

But Takuya underestimated her if he thought he could easily get village information from her—he was dreaming.

Pakura turned her head, ignoring him. Takuya didn't mind and smiled:

"The beautiful Pakura, would you kindly share some of your village's information with me?

Don't worry, I'm not interested in Sunagakure's secrets, only public information. If you give me the intel, I'll let you go. How does that sound?"

"Dream on!"

Pakura gritted her teeth, glaring fiercely at him, her expression one of pure defiance as if she wanted to tear him apart.

Pakura lowered her head and closed her eyes. Now that she had been captured, she was prepared for harsh interrogation.

She didn't want to engage Takuya in conversation—she feared that if she cursed him, he might retaliate with cruel methods.

To obtain information, interrogators could use any brutal means necessary. No one would show mercy, not even to a female shinobi.

"Maybe."

Takuya chuckled indifferently, unfazed by Pakura's hostility.

Pakura was one of the key figures in Sunagakure's new generation. If she gave up intel too easily, Takuya would find it suspicious and assume the information was fake.

As for torture, Takuya had no interest in such methods. He believed Pakura would eventually give him the information he wanted.

Looking up, Takuya noticed a narrow crevice in the cave ceiling—just wide enough for a kunai. He jumped up and wedged two kunai in place, looping the rope through and testing its strength before suspending Pakura from it.

He made sure her hands and feet couldn't apply any force before leisurely leaving the cave.

He needed to make preparations in case the Suna shinobi came looking.

Rasa wasn't feeling pleased at all, despite his competitor being captured by the enemy.

Pakura's capture would severely impact Sunagakure's morale.

The war had not yet fully erupted, but one of Sunagakure's prominent figures, Pakura, had already been captured—and by the person they hated most.

It was hard for anyone to accept such an outcome.

Neither Rasa nor the Third Kazekage could accept it.

At the command center, Sunagakure's high-ranking officials and jonin without missions had all gathered.

"Pakura's capture is bad news for us. She knows much about the village's operations, and if she can't endure the interrogation, then..."

Thinking from the village's perspective, Chiyo naturally hoped Pakura could withstand Konoha's interrogation. But when she thought about the Yamanaka Clan's special abilities...

Chiyo's confidence wavered.

Pakura, like others, would have prepared defenses in her mind to prevent information leakage.

But such measures could only prevent ordinary interrogation. If a Yamanaka clan member was involved, things could become dire.

"We must adjust the village's deployment as much as possible."

Ebizo's face darkened.

The jonin kept their heads down, remaining silent.

With a sigh, Chiyo said:

"During wartime, we can't negotiate diplomatically to bring her back. We can only try to locate where she's being held and rescue her if possible."

The command post fell silent.

After a long pause, the Third Kazekage spoke:

"I'll make adjustments to the village's military deployment. As for Pakura, I'll send people to locate where she's being held and attempt a rescue. If Konoha tries to transport her back to the village, we will intercept her en route. I'll personally take action."

Pakura was not a low-ranking figure in Sunagakure. With her importance, Konoha would likely want to transport her back to their village for safekeeping.

The Third Kazekage believed intercepting her during transport was their best chance for rescue—sneaking into Konoha's camp was almost hopeless.

"That's all for now. Everyone, thank you for your efforts."

The Third Kazekage was tired of discussing so many unpleasant matters.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage."

Everyone left the command post one by one, leaving only Rasa with his mentor.

At that moment, Rasa's emotions were complicated—shocked, and a mix of feelings.

He didn't get along with Pakura; they were rivals who always clashed.

But aside from their rivalry, their personal relationship wasn't as bad as others thought. Pakura was close to his wife, Karura.

Who would have thought that in just a short time, Pakura would be captured?

Even his mentor, the Third Kazekage, hadn't been able to rescue her.

It was like something out of a bad novel, but it had happened for real.

"Sensei, is it true that Pakura was captured by Yagami Takuya?"

Rasa still found it hard to believe.

"Yes."

The Third Kazekage slowly put down his teacup, suppressing the fury in his heart, and spoke calmly:

"From the moment he attacked to when he took her, it took less than two minutes. By the time I arrived, he was already gone, and the kid is skilled at hiding his tracks—I couldn't find him."

"When I neared the Konoha camp, I was intercepted by Hatake Sakumo."

"So does that mean Pakura can't be rescued for now?"