"You are... Shin?" Pakura asked with a slightly trembling voice.

From the first moment she saw him, she felt that the man before her looked incredibly familiar, she was certain they had met somewhere before. However, since it was already dark, she couldn't be completely sure.

"I didn't expect you to actually recognize me," Shin said upon hearing her words.

Hearing him admit it so directly, Pakura began to calm down. Although she remained alert, she was no longer as terrified as before. The strength he had displayed was absolutely not something she, already seriously injured, could deal with. But this man, who had previously acted with such decisiveness and ruthlessness, now simply stood there, seemingly not intending to attack.

"Would've been strange if I didn't recognize you. I just don't know what you want with me."

"I'm pursuing a group of people impersonating Konoha ninjas, trying to incite a war between our two nations. I stopped you not for anything else, but just to clear up the misunderstanding, so you don't go back and spread false stories."

Upon hearing this, Pakura's mind raced. Combining what intelligence she had gathered earlier, she actually found herself believing seventy to eighty percent of what he was saying.

Still, she asked, "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I could kill you all. No, wait." Realizing something, Shin smacked his forehead. "Actually, maybe silencing you all is the best option, then there won't be any misunderstandings at all."

Pakura and her comrade were startled by his words and immediately prepared to attack, but then heard Shin continue muttering to himself. "No, no, that won't work either. If you disappear, even without evidence, people will likely still blame Konoha. Hm... What should I do with you guys? How about you give me an idea?"

Pakura was utterly speechless at this strange man, but still said, "As long as you can prove you're a Konoha ninja and not someone from another village in disguise, there won't be any misunderstanding."

"Good idea." Shin clapped his hands in praise.

"Would this count as proof?"

As he spoke, his eyes instantly transformed into Mangekyō Sharingan, staring straight at Pakura.

A chill ran through her entire body under that icy gaze, and she hurriedly said, "That's enough! It's enough!"

The Sharingan was a bloodline limit unique to the Uchiha clan, something well known throughout the ninja world. And since every Mangekyō Sharingan had a unique pattern, it naturally served as sufficient proof.

"Um... may we leave now?" Pakura asked cautiously.

"Of course." Shin smiled. "I wish you a safe journey!"

Pakura immediately let out a sigh of relief and quickly called out to the ninja beside her, skirting around Shin and hurrying toward the Suna camp. But the further she ran, the more uneasy she felt.

A crimson mist had started to appear in the forest, severely obstructing her vision.

"Stay close! We need to move faster," she quickly warned her companion, motioning for him to follow closely, but got no response. When she turned around, she discovered her companion had vanished without a trace.

At that moment, a strange light above caught her attention.

As she looked up, a pair of massive, blood-red eyes with three tomoe patterns hovered in the air, staring down at her. It felt as if her soul had been pierced through, plunging her entire being into an icy abyss.

Goosebumps instantly covered her whole body. Her instincts screamed in alarm, as if, if she didn't get out of this forest soon, she would be doomed for eternity.

Her heart pounded furiously as she gritted her teeth and muttered, "Damn!"

By now, how could she not realize she had fallen into a genjutsu? And not just any genjutsu, an immensely powerful one.

She immediately tried to use her personal genjutsu release techniques. But no matter what she did, the forest remained, and the red mist only grew denser.

In the end, with no other options, she resorted to every rumored method for breaking a genjutsu, but nothing worked. She could only watch helplessly as the red mist consumed her, sinking into despair.

Terrified, she stopped caring about anything else. She shut her eyes and sprinted wildly in a random direction, hoping that by doing so, she might escape the forest. To her surprise, after just a minute of running, she actually broke free of the forest.

When she opened her eyes and saw the scene before her, she was suddenly stunned.

Suna? How did I end up back here? Right... The Kazekage was torn between choosing me or Rasa to be the next Kazekage, so as a test, he gave me an impossibly difficult mission. Now that I've completed it, I've come back to report.

Rasa, let's see how you can compete with me now.

Head held high and full of pride, she strode toward the Kazekage's office. But she soon realized something was wrong. The people on the street seemed... unable to see her. Whenever someone happened to glance in her direction, their eyes never actually focused on her, they were always fixed on something behind her.

It was an eerie feeling, and very noticeable.

What was going on?

She was confused.

She suddenly rushed over to an old woman manning a market stall and waved her hand in front of her face. But the old woman's gaze seemed to pass right through Pakura's hand, as if she weren't there at all, and she continued chatting warmly with her customer, completely unaware of Pakura's presence.

Pakura then tried saying a few words, but the woman didn't react. She couldn't hear her voice.

What should she do? What was this?

She began to panic.

Did I fail the mission?

Am I... dead, and now just a soul?

No. I won't accept that!

She suddenly turned toward the Kazekage Building and sprinted in that direction. Once inside, she ran straight toward the Kazekage's office. But as she stood in front of the door, an inexplicable sense of nervousness came over her.

Just then, the Third Kazekage suddenly looked her way and smiled warmly.

He can see me?

Her heart leapt with joy.

And... he had never smiled at her like that before. Why did it feel so emotional?

Was it because she had completed the mission so perfectly that her teacher was finally proud of her?

Just as she was about to approach and bow in greeting, a figure suddenly passed through her body and stepped forward.

"Rasa, you're here?" The Third Kazekage's gaze followed Rasa and he smiled brightly, motioning for him to sit.

Pakura opened her mouth to say something, but then suddenly let out a bitter laugh at herself.

Right... How could he ever smile at me like that?

Only that guy ever gets that kind of treatment.

Rasa bowed before taking a seat.

"How did it go?"

"I did not fail you."

"And what about Pakura?" The Kazekage's tone turned harsh, as if just hearing her name put him in a bad mood.

"There's been no word from her. I'd guess the mission was a failure."

The Third Kazekage nodded in agreement. "That was a mission that would have been a death sentence even for me. I highly doubt she's coming back from it."

"Pakura was quite capable. If she truly died, it's a significant loss for Kiri."

"Rasa, as the next Kazekage, you shouldn't have such unnecessary feelings," the Third Kazekage rebuked sternly.

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200 = +1 bonus chapter

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Completed at Chapter 278!

100+ Advance chapters!