I Am Uzumaki Menma

Of course, Pakura wouldn't let herself be shackled by the lives of ordinary civilians.

However, as a Ninja from a Great Ninja Village, avoiding involving civilians in war was part of their fundamental training and principles.

Even in conflicts between great nations, efforts were made to minimize harm to non-combatants.

For instance, during the Second Great Ninja War, on the battlefield of the Land of Rain, two Konoha's Ninjas had entered Nagato's home in search of food.

Mistaking Nagato's family, who were hiding in the shadows, for hostile Ninjas, they killed Nagato's parents. Only after realizing they were mere civilians did they feel deep remorse.

They didn't even consider killing Nagato to cover up their mistake. Instead, they knelt down and apologized to him.

This showed that for most Ninja, especially those from Great Ninja Villages, harming innocent civilians was considered disgraceful.

Only Rogue Ninja or Missing-nin, who had abandoned their villages, would slaughter civilians indiscriminately, deriving some twisted sense of pleasure or superiority from it.

But what puzzled Pakura even more was how easily this mastermind behind the upheaval in the Land of Bears and the rebellion in Hoshigakure had found her, and he seemed in no hurry to attack.

'What is his goal…?' Pakura's deep brown eyes were filled with wariness.

Meanwhile, sitting beside her, Menma observed the tall, beautiful Kunoichi from Sunagakure with interest.

Originally, when recruiting members for his organization, he had assumed Pakura was already dead… killed during the Third Great Ninja War.

'In the original work, Pakura was betrayed by Sungakure's high-ranking people as a condition for a truce with Kirigakure.'

'But it seemed that wasn't the case in this timeline.'

'If Pakura hadn't died in the Third Great Ninja War…'

'Then she must have been killed by Hiruko.'

Menma vaguely remembered Pakura's first appearance being in a Movie where Hiruko was the main antagonist, but he couldn't remember what the Movie's name was.

The general plot of that Movie involved Hiruko collecting Kekkei Genkai users from the Five Great Ninja Villages, fusing them into his own body using his self-created Forbidden Technique, Chimera Technique, to gain their abilities.

Among them, the Kekkei Genkai users captured by Hiruko include the Explosive Release Ninja, Gari from Iwagakure, the Scorch Release Ninja, Pakura from Sunagakure, the Dark Release Ninja, Nakakichi from Kirigakure, and the Magnetic Release Ninja, Toroi from Kumogakure. (T/N: Just regard this as AU, since this is completely different from the Movie.)

In the end, Hiruko planned to capture Kakashi to steal his Sharingan, only to be defeated by Naruto.

'That old hack Kishimoto…' Menma couldn't help but grumble internally: 'Shoving Movie's characters into the Manga, messing up the timeline, and giving them all these random Kekkei Genkai.'

'If Pakura is still alive, that means she must have been captured and killed by Hiruko later, absorbed into his Chimera Technique.'

Menma could barely remember where Hiruko was hiding.

After his sensing ability discovered that Ninjas from the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth had entered the Land of Bears, he had focused his attention on Pakura, marking her Chakra during this encounter.

If possible, he could use Pakura to track down Hiruko.

"Here's your sake, sir." The izakaya's owner politely served the drink.

"Give it to the lady," Menma didn't drink.

"Of course. Please enjoy, miss." The owner set the sake bottle down but also placed a cup nearby.

Pakura stared at the spiky-haired boy, her face full of confusion. She couldn't figure out what his intentions were.

"What is your purpose in controlling Hoshigakure to massacre the Daimyo?!" After the owner left, Pakura poured herself a small cup and took a sip.

As a Ninja from Sunagakure, which specialized in poison, Pakura also had knowledge in both poison and medical fields. As a Sunagakure's Jonin, she even carried strategic supplies like the universal antidote specially made by Chiyo.

So, whether this cup of sake was poisoned or not, she could tell with just a sip.

"Just eliminating some parasites, that's all." Menma lazily propped his chin on his hand.

"Doing this will only plunge this country into chaos! Countless people will die because of it!" Pakura retorted sharply.

She had confirmed that the sake was just ordinary, not poisoned, which made the young man's goodwill even more puzzling to her.

Hearing this, Menma just smiled faintly and gestured for Pakura to look outside: "But look, after these parasites were cleared out, everyone is cheering."

Outside the izakaya was a bustling marketplace, with lively chatter and laughter drifting in, leaving Pakura momentarily speechless.

"In any case, I'll find a way to stop you. If you're willing to stop now, Sunagakure can offer you protection." Pakura suddenly changed her tone, actually attempting to recruit the mysterious young man before him.

"Hahahaha!" When Menma heard Pakura wanted to recruit him on behalf of Sunagakure, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

'Pakura, who was betrayed by Sunagakure's top leaders in another timeline, actually tried to recruit other Ninjas for Sunagakure.'

"Then, we'll have to settle this with our skills." Pakura downed the sake in one gulp and stood up to leave.

Menma called the owner over, left some bills, and followed Pakura out.

"Good luck, young man!" A slightly tipsy customer raised his cup and offered Menma sincere encouragement.

The other customers joined in the commotion.

Even the owner smiled as he watched the two young figures leave.

Menma followed Pakura out of the city, the two of them darting swiftly through the forest, one in front and the other behind.

When they reached a river valley, Pakura stopped on the opposite bank, turning slightly to look at the spiky-haired young man who had stopped on the other side.

Pakura took out a kunai from her ninja tool pouch and gripped it tightly: "Sunagakure, Pakura."

This kind of one-on-one duel with exchanged names felt quite ceremonial.

However, Menma carelessly clasped his hands behind his head: "You can call me Shura."

When Pakura heard the name Shura, her breath hitched.

Her pupils contracted slightly, and she regarded the young man across from her with even more wariness!

"Are you the Shura who caused chaos in Konoha and Kumogakure, with a bounty of seventy million Ryo?" Pakura hadn't expected Shura to be so young, young enough to pass for a fifteen-year-old young man.

Among the major events that had shaken the Ninja World this year, aside from Orochimaru's defection from Konoha, the most notable was this mysterious Ninja's bold provocation of two Great Ninja Villages.

It's ironic that Konoha and Kumogakure, which were originally at war, shook hands and made peace because they were attacked by the same mysterious Ninja.

As for the incident in Kusagakure, the village had suppressed the information. While the Great Ninja Villages had obtained some intelligence, they hadn't spread it widely.

Sunagakure, which is the weakest of the Five Great Ninja Villages, had its military budget cut year after year, limiting its intelligence-gathering capabilities. Jonin like Pakura, who didn't have high-ranking positions, had little access to such information.

"Then, Pakura-san, how do you plan to stop me?" Menma's lips curled slightly as the atmosphere around him shifted abruptly.

The air grew thick with tension!