Chapter 51: Substituting One Thing for Another

Land of Water.

Uchiha Shisui had been working hard during this time.

After accepting the mission, he quietly left the village to make preparations.

Rescuing Pakura without alerting either Sunagakure or Kirigakure was extremely difficult. He couldn't rescue her immediately, he had to wait until she was seriously injured and unable to resist.

Otherwise, he risked being attacked by a Kage-level powerhouse and exposing himself.

After racking his brain for a full night, Shisui finally came up with a meticulous plan.

After leaving Konoha, Shisui didn't head straight to the Land of Water. Instead, he first traveled to Sunagakure in the opposite direction.

To rescue Pakura, he needed someone to die in her place.

Randomly selecting a female ninja with a physique similar to Pakura's, Shisui used secret techniques, makeup, and genjutsu to shape her into a convincing "Pakura." Then he took her to Kirigakure and hid in the shadows to observe the ambush site.

Finally, the agreed-upon day arrived.

In the silent early morning, mist blanketed the canyon, and the crisp sound of footsteps echoed in the distance.

Pakura cautiously scanned her surroundings. Even the slightest disturbance would put her on high alert.

Not encountering any danger along the way made her relax slightly.

She didn't understand why the village arranged the handoff of important intelligence in a place so close to Kirigakure, but as a shinobi, she still accepted the difficult mission.

Step, step, step.

Pakura frowned and looked forward sharply.

A figure stepped out of the mist. It was a man wearing a Kirigakure forehead protector. The man raised both hands, signaling he meant no harm.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm the one you're supposed to meet," the man quickly said, following with the designated passphrase. Pakura's expression eased, and she pulled a scroll from the ninja pouch at her waist and tossed it over.

"Here's what you need. Be careful when hiding."

For her allies, Pakura was always gentle—unlike the ferocity of her Scorch Release ninjutsu.

"As expected of Lady Pakura. You're truly thoughtful toward your subordinates." The man caught the scroll with a smile, gave no further pleasantries, and turned to leave.

Pakura didn't dare linger either and also turned to evacuate.

At that moment.

Tsk!

Pakura's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked back.

A kunai had been driven into her back by the man, who then kicked it hard, sending her flying.

The man's expression froze for a second before bursting into wild laughter:

"Scorch Release Pakura, did you really think I was from Sunagakure? I'm a jōnin from the Land of Water!"

"This canyon was the grave prearranged by Kirigakure and Sunagakure—just for you!"

"Fire!"

At his order, a large number of Kirigakure shinobi emerged from the cliffs, hurling kunai and shuriken toward Pakura, riddling her body like a pincushion.

Seeing the plan succeed, the man let out a long breath, his face filled with arrogance.

He casually tossed the "critical intel" Pakura had risked everything to deliver in front of her.

"Take a good look for yourself. This was the unanimous decision of Sunagakure's higher-ups, they sold you out in exchange for a peace agreement."

"You, a Scorch Release ninja who killed so many of my comrades, ended up like this. Isn't that pathetic?"

Unfortunately, facing his mockery, Pakura no longer had the strength to respond. She could only weakly twitch her fingers before closing her eyes completely.

A Kirigakure ninja in an Anbu uniform leapt down from the cliff, checked her condition, then nodded and said, "Scorch Release ninja Pakura is confirmed dead. Bury her somewhere random."

If it were any other village, they definitely wouldn't waste the corpse of a kekkei genkai ninja.

But Kirigakure had already begun implementing the Blood Mist policy, treating all kekkei genkai users with hostility and showing them no value.

Gradually, the mist dispersed, and the canyon welcomed its first ray of morning sunlight.

All nearby Kirigakure shinobi had already withdrawn, leaving behind only scattered kunai and bloodstains.

Crack! Crack!

The cliff face cracked open as Shisui emerged, carrying a massive scroll. He exhaled in relief.

This was a sealing scroll specially prepared by Yami. It not only suppressed all signs of life from the person sealed inside but also ensured they remained unconscious.

After confirming there were no Kirigakure stragglers nearby, Shisui swiftly departed with the scroll, returning to the Land of Fire.

…

Konoha.

Atop a small waterfall outside the village.

Yugao and Kurenai were training their chakra control.

Both had already mastered basic water-walking. Hot springs and still waters were no longer challenging, so they had moved on to turbulent waters.

They needed to adjust the chakra output under their feet in real time according to the shifting flow rate.

Since they had only just begun this training, Yugao and Kurenai weren't very proficient and often fell into the water.

Yami sat on a large rock nearby with a pile of leaves at his side, studying Wind Release nature transformation. By the waterfall stood a female ninja from the Hyūga clan, activating her Byakugan to observe Yugao and Kurenai's chakra output.

She was a special instructor invited by Hizashi. With the Byakugan, she could precisely detect issues in the girls' chakra flow—much more accurate and efficient than their own self-awareness.

Although Hizashi himself had a Byakugan, because Yugao and Kurenai were both female, he had to ask a fellow branch member to assist.

Even the Third Hokage had put in effort to coordinate this—otherwise, a regular person wouldn't qualify to instruct in this capacity. When Yugao and Kurenai found out, they were both very grateful to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

But Yami suspected it was all for his sake.

Otherwise, why would Hiruzen go so far for Kurenai and Yugao? Their talent and strength weren't enough to warrant his attention.

Still, Yami didn't refuse.

He accepted all the sugar-coated benefits and sent the hidden barbs right back.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle sounded from the woods nearby. Yami looked up to see three Root shinobi leap toward him. They landed swiftly and knelt on one knee.

Kurenai and Yugao, still training, noticed the movement, exchanged a glance, and jumped back to shore.

"Yami-sama, the mission has been completed," the leading Root ninja said quietly.

"You brought her back?" Yami's eyes lit up.

"She's at the Root base, currently receiving treatment."

"Got it." Yami jumped off the rock and shouted toward the other side of the waterfall, "You two better not slack off. I've got something to handle and I'm heading back first."

With that, he left the training grounds with the three Root shinobi.

"What happened?" Kurenai murmured with a confused look. "Why do I feel… Yami seems really happy?"

Yugao shook her head. "If it's something we need to know, Yami-kun will tell us. Let's focus on our training."

With that, she stepped back into the waterfall.

(To be continued.)