Pakura Appears

Chiyo and Ebizo were dead.

Shintaro's fists, filled with Cursed Energy, shattered their ribs, crushed their hearts and lungs, and they both vomited blood until they died.

Although Chiyo and Ebizo had Kage-level strength or close to it due to their puppet techniques, they had the same limitations.

First, the puppeteers had long relied on their puppets to fight.

Moreover, Chiyo and Ebizo were getting older, their physical fitness declining, and they might not even be as strong as Jonin.

Thus, they were taken down instantly by two punches from Shintaro.

However, the most crucial reason was that puppet techniques couldn't contend with [Infinity], which could control the field while providing absolute defense.

This was an overwhelming attack with absolute power.

At this moment, Jiraiya, who had been watching the battle from the sidelines, sent Gamabunta back to Mount Myoboku and then came over to Shintaro's side.

"Shintaro, you did a great job!"

Hearing this, Shintaro turned around and humbly said, "It was mostly because Jiraiya-sama had worn them out that I could win so easily."

Jiraiya waved his hand, then casually picked his nose and said, "Okay, okay, no need to be modest. I just saw you making a big commotion. You couldn't be humble even if you tried."

"By the way, how's the situation over there? I wasn't paying close attention just now."

Shintaro replied, "Ichibi is dead, and Rasa is also dead."

"!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened, clearly shocked by this major news.

"You killed them all?"

"Minato-sensei helped me when I killed Rasa."

"Which means, they were all really racing to kill each other..." Jiraiya was almost speechless.

After holding it in for a long time, he finally sighed, "It's true that heroes emerge from the younger generation."

Jiraiya felt very old. He put his hands behind his back and sighed, "With Minato and you in Konoha, it looks like from now on, I'll only be able to go to women's hot springs to gather materials and write novels to survive."

Shintaro smiled and said, "Isn't this the life Jiraiya-sama dreams of?"

"I'm really looking forward to Jiraiya-sama's new work. I'm one of the people who bought the collector's edition of Icha Icha Paradise."

Jiraiya's eyes lit up, and he patted Shintaro and said, "I didn't expect a handsome guy like you to be my loyal fan. By the way, I have a manuscript of Icha Icha Paradise here, so I'll give it to you."

Shintaro took it without any hesitation, thinking of turning around and giving it to Kakashi.

Then, the two of them joined the battlefield.

Soon, the already collapsing Sunagakure forces were completely defeated.

By this point in the battle, more than half of Sunagakure's forces were damaged, and all high-ranking members were killed.

Due to the addition of Minato and Shintaro, Konoha only lost 30% of its forces. Reinforcements came from Konoha, and even the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki entered the battlefield.

Therefore, Sunagakure was leaderless and suffered heavy losses. After being defeated, they were surrounded at the foot of Mount Kikyo.

Jiraiya, Minato, and Shintaro stood in front of the Konoha ninjas.

"Jiraiya-sensei... What should we do? If we keep fighting, it will only be a massacre."

Minato couldn't bear it.

He wouldn't worry about killing enemies on the battlefield.

But this was no longer considered killing enemies. The Sunagakure ninjas in front of them had all lost their fighting spirit and didn't resist even when surrounded. Clearly, they were not considered true enemies.

After thinking for a moment, Jiraiya stepped forward and loudly asked, "Do you have anyone left who can negotiate?"

The words fell on the ears of the Sunagakure ninjas. They all looked at each other, and no one felt qualified to step forward and negotiate with Konoha.

The strong Sunagakure ninjas had died on the battlefield, and the strongest among the remaining Sunagakure ninjas were just ordinary Jonin.

It was difficult to find a ninja qualified to negotiate with Jiraiya, one of the three Sannin.

At this moment, a woman's voice came from behind the Konoha ninjas.

"It's me, I should be able to talk."

Everyone in Konoha made way, and Jiraiya also recognized the woman's identity.

"Pakura, the Scorch Release ninja from Sunagakure, you are indeed qualified."

However, Pakura did not rush to negotiate with Konoha but instead walked towards the Sunagakure camp.

"What's the situation in the village now?" She asked, looking around.

A Sunagakure ninja answered her question, "Kazekage-sama, Chiyo-sama, and Ebizou-sama were killed in battle, and Shukaku was also killed."

Pakura's mouth twitched, struggling to suppress the corners of her lips from lifting. At the same time, another Sunagakure ninja stood up and asked, "Pakura-sama, didn't you disappear while on a secret mission?"

When Pakura heard this, she knew it was Rasa's excuse.

'It seems the higher-ups kept the news secret.'

Pakura's eyes grew cold, and her chilly tone made the Sunagakure ninjas realize something was wrong.

"Pakura-sama, what's going on?"

"Pakura-sama, you should take charge of the situation!"

The Sunagakure ninjas regarded Pakura as their backbone and called her name.

Pakura raised her eyes and said, "I'm a wanderer from Sunagakure."

"..."

In a calm tone, she recounted how she was betrayed by the higher-ups of Sunagakure and nearly died in a foreign country.

Of course, Pakura cleverly concealed Shintaro's involvement.

The calmer her tone, the more terrified the Sunagakure ninjas became.

These Sunagakure ninjas already knew her experience and feared that Pakura, whom they regarded as a savior, would abandon Sunagakure out of hatred and even choose to take revenge on the village.

"Pakura-sama..."

The Sunagakure ninjas were silent.

Facing Pakura, everyone lowered their heads.

"Forgive us! Pakura-sama!"

A young Sunagakure ninja bowed ninety degrees earnestly.

"Forgive us! Pakura-sama!"

The apologies of hundreds of Sunagakure ninjas followed one after another.

Facing the successive apologies from the Sunagakure ninjas, Pakura was moved.

At this moment, a girl with a white veil and purple face paint emerged from the crowd behind the Sunagakure ninjas.

"Sensei!"

Pakura showed a surprised expression.

"Maki? Why are you on the battlefield too?"

This girl was Pakura's disciple, Maki.

Maki stepped out from among the many Sunagakure ninjas and ran towards Pakura.

The girl rushed towards Pakura with great enthusiasm.

Pakura stayed in place, not moving, but her eyes gradually softened. The girl threw herself into Pakura, and the embrace between teacher and student after a long absence created a touching scene.

"Sensei! I thought you were... wu wu wu..."

Maki cried in Pakura's arms, her tears soaking her clothes.

Pakura's expression completely softened, and she gently stroked Maki's head.

"You girl, you still love to cry so much."

Pakura looked down, her eyes full of tenderness.