The woman standing before him was striking. Her skin was light, her figure shapely, and her legs were long and mesmerizing.
It was Pakura, the celebrated "Hero of Sunagakure, Pakura of Scorch Release."
She was the same age as Sarutobi Ryo and Namikaze Minato. However, she had become well-known much earlier.
Pakura was famous because she possessed the rare Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai, a special power passed down through her blood.
In the whole Ninja World, only a few ninja could use Scorch Release.
Pakura's powerful and versatile Scorch Release made her a valuable asset to Sunagakure and a truly exceptional ninja.
So, why was she here?
The Third Kazekage is missing? That doesn't seem right.
If that were true, the Anbu would have reports of Sunagakure ninja frantically searching for their leader.
After the Second Shinobi World War, Sunagakure and Konoha signed an agreement to stop fighting. Her being here could mean big changes in how the two villages relate to each other.
"You're Sarutobi Ryo?"
Pakura watched as Sarutobi Ryo walked in. She put a hand on her hip.
The Land of Wind was a place of endless sand.
Despite the harsh winds and sand, her skin remained beautiful.
This was clearly because of her Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai.
Scorch Release changed Pakura's body at a fundamental level, making her resistant to the wind and heat.
Spending a lot of time in the hot sun would normally damage the skin.
But Pakura was wearing a revealing outfit, showing off her arms, legs, and back. She was confident in her appearance and abilities.
"Interesting..." Sarutobi Ryo sat down across the table from Pakura.
She seems to have some thoughts about me being the "Son of the Hokage."
Pakura casually rested her arm on the table. She looked down at Sarutobi Ryo with a slight tilt of her head and said, "I don't remember seeing you on the front lines during the last war. Were you stationed somewhere else?"
The atmosphere was tense from the start.
Sarutobi Ryo looked Pakura up and down, admiring her.
The situation in Sunagakure is pretty interesting.
Rasa … the future father of Gaara, is the Third Kazekage's student.
If everything goes as expected, Rasa will become the next Kazekage.
Bloodlines, family ties, favoritism - everyone understands how it works.
But the problem is …
Pakura, who started with nothing, has worked her way up step by step.
She used her own abilities to master Scorch Release, made a name for herself, and became a hero of Sunagakure.
In terms of achievements and reputation, Pakura is better than Rasa.
She might not have any bad intentions within Sunagakure, but deep down, she's probably a bit worried about the whole issue of "Commoners versus Privileged Heirs."
"I wasn't at the Amegakure battlefield. I don't like invading other countries…" Sarutobi Ryo said, shaking his head. His calm tone seemed to annoy Pakura.
"Hmph! The way of the Ninja World is… survival of the strongest. Only those who can survive in harsh conditions are truly strong…"
Pakura shot back without hesitation.
At that moment, Pakura didn't notice the change in Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura's faces.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen lowered his hat, hiding his face.
Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure invading the Land of Rain during the Second Shinobi World War was a painful truth.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt ashamed of it.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura felt angry. Even if it 's true, you can't just say it out loud like that.
Only Danzo remained calm, looking down and staying silent. He was good at ignoring uncomfortable truths.
"Survival of the fittest, huh."
Sarutobi Ryo nodded, not wanting to argue with Pakura.
Different places shape people in different ways.
People who grow up in different environments have very different views.
"The Land of Wind is indeed a harsh place. If the other countries had agreed to give Sunagakure a piece of the Oasis during the first Five Kage Summit, things might be different today…"
Pakura was surprised. "Uh…"
Sarutobi Ryo's words caught her off guard.
She had thought that this young master was just a politician, but she hadn't expected this…
"Why has Sunagakure been at war for so long? Because the environment is so tough! Getting enough food is hard, and water is incredibly scarce…"
Sarutobi Ryo started stating obvious facts.
"In that kind of situation, the other countries not only refuse to give Sunagakure any green land, but they also don't want Sunagakure to fight… It doesn't make sense…"
People are literally starving.
And you expect them to be kind and moral?
That's just not realistic.
Back then, at the first Five Kage Summit.
Sunagakure stated that they had the One-Tail. Yes, the official stories clearly say this.
Sunagakure's First Kazekage, Reto, was able to capture the One-Tail himself, and Sunagakure had always kept it sealed, without any help from Senju Hashirama.
Sunagakure didn't ask for the Tailed Beasts that Senju Hashirama had captured.
Instead, they asked for a piece of the Oasis.
But the Four Great Nations all opposed this.
The Raikage, Tsuchikage, Senju Tobirama, and Mizukage even said that if Sunagakure did that, the Four Great Nations would join together to attack Sunagakure.
In the end, Sunagakure got neither the Tailed Beasts nor the Oasis.
No one knows what they did get.
Only those who were there at the time can say for sure.
Luckily, there are still people alive who remember what happened.
Like the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
And the Third Kazekage.
That's right, even though the Third Kazekage was just a child back then, he had learned from the First and Second Kazekage. He knew very well what had happened.
Sarutobi Ryo's words left Pakura speechless.
He was being so reasonable that she couldn't really glare at him.
"Hmph…"
So, Pakura turned her attention to the Third Hokage.
"Honorable Hokage, you really have a good son…"
There was still some teasing in her words, but everyone could hear the praise as well.
A tense situation had led to a peaceful discussion.
"So, Pakura of Scorch Release, please tell us why you've come to Konoha."
Sarutobi Ryo asked calmly.
He had taken control of the situation.
Everyone else faded into the background.
The meeting had become a battle of wits between the two young people.
"As you all know, the relationship between Sunagakure and Konoha has always been a bit strained…"
Pakura began to speak slowly.
"The Honorable Kazekage wants to use this opportunity to improve the relationship between our two villages."
Cooperation and mutual benefit?
"A good idea, but the timing isn't right…" Sarutobi Ryo thought to himself, shaking his head.
There's no way Konoha and Sunagakure can cooperate.
It's been said many times before.
During the Second Shinobi World War, the big countries didn't suffer much. They got richer by taking from smaller countries, which made them even stronger.
In this situation, Sunagakure and the Land of Wind can 't support a large population.
Their growing military power will only drag the Land of Wind into another war.
Plus, Konoha and the other countries won 't let Sunagakure take over fertile land.
So … war is bound to happen again.
Of course.
The main thing is that the other villages don't want to give in to Sunagakure.
Sarutobi Ryo didn't want to say whether this was right or wrong.
But since they had decided not to give Sunagakure an Oasis, since they didn't want to trust them… then they should be ready to fight, right?
But again, the leaders of each country made their own choices.
You reap what you sow.
After some polite conversation, Pakura looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen again. "Honorable Hokage, Sunagakure has shown that we're serious. Now it's up to Konoha…"
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[T/N:
Latest Chapter translated on Patreon - Chapter 194 (Vol 2 Ch 136)
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 72 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
Here are the novels I'm currently translating:
-> Naruto Paradise: An Evil Uchiha's Rise
-> One Piece: I'm Destined to Be the Son-in-Law King!
-> Young Master, Please Become Hokage!
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]