Naruto: We Agreed on a Simulation, But They Actually Came to Life? Chapter 109 109: For Yourself

The silhouette in the morning mist drew closer.

Pakura walked from the end of the main road, her long green hair tied up in a bun with a few stray strands framing her neck. She wore a black, backless shinobi outfit that clung to her skin, her waist guards clinking softly with every step.

Her expression was calm, though a deep exhaustion lingered in her eyes.

If this contact went smoothly, she could finally leave the Land of Water and return to Sunagakure. Perhaps she could even Kaede him with her.

Pakura looked up and saw Midori standing ahead. He looked relaxed, arms hanging at his sides, a polite smile on his face—the kind of smile expected of soone welcoming an envoy.

Pakura scanned the tree line flanking the road. The forest was silent. There was no obvious killing intent.

Her expression cooled slightly, but she didn't fully relax her guard.

Midori stepped forward to et her. "Sunagakure must have already inford you, right? I'm here to escort you."

Pakura stopped three paces away. "The passcode."

Midori recited the code, word for word.

Pakura nodded. Midori stepped aside, clearing the path.

"Let's go. There's still a bit further to walk."

Pakura began to move, and the two walked side-by-side toward Kirigakure. Midori kept his pace asured, always remaining half a step to Pakura's right.

"If this goes well, it'll be a good thing for Sunagakure," Midori remarked. "The villages have been fighting for so many years; everyone is exhausted."

Pakura kept her eyes forward. "Sunagakure will keep its word."

Midori smiled. "That would be best."

As he spoke, he watched Pakura out of the corner of his eye. Her shoulders weren't tense. Her right hand wasn't drifting toward her weapon pouch. Her walking rhythm had slowed slightly. When he ntioned Sunagakure, her focus had shifted.

Midori continued, "Once the peace talks are finalized, the terms of the exchange will be implented gradually. With your status, you'll likely be promoted upon your return to Sunagakure, wouldn't you?"

Pakura's gaze flickered.

*Return to Sunagakure.*

The words brought back mories of the grey, misty sea visible through the gaps of her shack's windows. She rembered the question Kitahara Kaede had once asked her: 'Do you have a way out?'

At the ti, she hadn't answered. Now, she almost did.

"That will be the village's decision," she replied.

Midori listened, noting the brief mont of contemplation. The distance was right. The angle was perfect. Her attention was no longer on him.

A short blade slid silently from his sleeve into his palm. In a flash, Midori's right hand exploded forward. The blade shot out from his sleeve, aiming directly for Pakura's ribs.

It was a treacherous, lethal strike. If it connected, Pakura might not even have the chance to form a hand seal before she was dead.

But just as the blade was about to hit its mark, a kunai shot out from the tree line on the left. The angle was precise, pinning Midori's wrist.

Catching the flash of steel in his periphery, Midori jerked his wrist, slashing the short blade horizontally.

*Clang!*

The kunai was knocked away, the sound of colliding tal echoing sharply across the road. The fragile illusion of peace was shattered instantly.

Pakura leaped back three steps. A Scorch Release fireball manifested beside her. She didn't look toward where the kunai had co from; instead, she stared intently at the blade in Midori's hand.

The position of the knife. The angle of the attack. The distance between them.

Pakura's face grew cold. "What is Kirigakure's aning with this?"

Midori didn't answer. Terumi i and Ayan dropped down from a high vantage point to the right. The three of them fanned out, surrounding Pakura.

Midori glanced coldly toward the woods on the left. "And what is Sunagakure's aning? Are they planning to renege on the requirents?"

Pakura's gaze paused at the word 'requirents.' "What requirents?"

Midori frowned. This reaction was wrong. If this were a counter-ambush arranged by Sunagakure, Pakura shouldn't look like this. She genuinely seed to know nothing.

But there was no stopping now. To stop was to fail the mission.

Midori raised his hand. "Attack."

Ayan drew his twin short blades. Terumi i began forming hand seals.

Pakura stood her ground, the fireball beside her flickering slightly.

*Requirents? Kirigakure's requirents for Sunagakure?*

She ntally reviewed recent events. Sunagakure had been frequently confirming her location. The special mission. The peace envoy. The promise to be reassigned away from the Land of Water upon completion.

Everything that had previously seed logical suddenly shifted under the weight of that one word. Sunagakure hadn't sent her here to negotiate; they had handed her over. They had delivered her to be killed by Kirigakure.

Pakura's throat tightened. For a heartbeat, she didn't move.

Midori caught that half-second of hesitation, and his eyes turned freezing. "Press her."

Just as Terumi i was about to launch a Water Style attack, a figure descended from the shadows of the canopy on the left. His hat was pulled low, his cloak obscuring his form.

The three Kirigakure ninja locked onto him simultaneously. The newcor offered no explanation and launched no attack. He simply grabbed Pakura's wrist and yanked her, charging into the woods to the left.

When her wrist was grabbed, Pakura's shoulder twitched. She could have easily broken free.

But the weight of the hand in her palm stopped her. Suddenly, she felt that it didn't matter. Sunagakure didn't want her, and Kirigakure wanted her dead. It didn't matter who was pulling her away.

She didn't resist, allowing him to lead her deep into the forest.

Midori's expression darkened completely. "Pursue!"

Ayan lunged from the flank. Terumi i followed, her eyes locked on the masked man's retreating back.

"Pakura doesn't seem to know him," Terumi i noted. "Who is this person?"

Midori's voice was cold. "It doesn't matter who he is. We cannot let the mission fail."

As the pursuit began, smoke bombs detonated, filling their vision with thick white clouds. As they burst through the smoke, Ayan hurled a short blade. The blade struck a steel wire strung across the air, its trajectory veering off by half a foot.

Midori looked at the smoke, then at the wires. They weren't ant to kill—only to obstruct vision and slow their pace.

The enemy had been here before. His goal wasn't to kill them, but to buy ti.

"Don't let the traps slow you down! He's trying to widen the gap!"

Hearing the commotion behind them, Kitahara Kaede shifted into a higher gear. He pulled Pakura past two ancient trees, racing toward the southeast. If they could reach the second extraction line, they would be safe.

But a second later, the water in a low-lying area ahead surged violently. Midori's Water Style sealed off their path from the side. Ayan circled to the right, his blades lowered. Terumi i ford seals behind them, releasing a Boil Release acid mist that narrowed their escape route.

Kitahara Kaede stopped. He looked at the three shinobi, then at Pakura.

He released her wrist. His voice was very low.

"For yourself."

Pakura looked up at him. "What?"

Kitahara Kaede didn't look back. "This ti, do it for yourself."

Pakura's eyes trembled.

"Take them down," Midori commanded coldly.

Kitahara Kaede charged forward. A Fire Style explosion erupted, colliding with the Boil Release acid mist. Steam billowed everywhere. Using the cover of the steam, he closed the distance to Midori, locking his kunai against the short blade and pressing down with his wrist, forcing Midori back half a step.

Ayan lunged from the side to strike.

Pakura stood behind the circle of combat, her fingers slowly curling into fists. She watched the masked man fight three opponents alone.

Then, she rembered the question he had once asked.

'Do you have a way out?'

At the ti, she didn't.

And now, she still didn't.

Having no way back didn't an she had to die here.

Sunagakure didn't want her? Fine.

She would survive. At the very least, she had to bring along the person who needed to be saved.

The emptiness in Pakura's eyes was eclipsed by the roar of flas as her Scorch Release fireball surged once more. In the next instant, she lunged at Ayan.

Ayan crossed his twin blades, preparing for the clash. Pakura thrust her palm forward, sending a Scorch Release fireball skimming right past his blades.

Ayan's expression shifted violently. His arm muscles spasd and his skin cracked from the intense heat, nearly causing his short sword to slip from his grip. He scrambled backward imdiately, but Pakura gave him no respite. She closed the gap instantly and drove a kick into his chest, slamming him hard into a tree trunk.

Ayan spat out a mouthful of blood, winded and unable to get back up.

Midori's face darkened. The tide had turned; Kitahara Kaede was now fighting two-on-one.

Midori was a veteran; his Water Style was focused on sealing off landing points and movent. Terumi i, however, was even more troubleso. Her Lava Release blocked the paths while her Boil Release forced him into disadvantageous positions.

In actual combat, her judgnt was far sharper than it had been during training. Her ability to cut off escape routes and chain her jutsu together repeatedly pinned Kitahara Kaede in the most awkward positions. Had he not been hiding his identity, he would have already switched to his preferred footwork.

Terumi i kept her eyes locked on the masked man's silhouette. Midori pressed the attack.

"Don't let him escape!"

Gritting her teeth, Terumi i unleashed a torrent of Lava Release, completely sealing off Kitahara Kaede's retreat.

Kitahara Kaede's gaze grew cold. He couldn't afford to stall any longer. He raised his hands and ford a seal, and lightning-natured chakra coalesced in his palm. A piercing crash of thunder erupted.

Terumi i's pupils contracted. This was a technique she had never seen before.

In the next second, Kitahara Kaede tore through the Lava Release blockade, trailing a streak of lightning as he surged to her flank. Terumi i twisted her body to protect her vitals, but a kick still caught her square in the shoulder.

*Bang!*

She was slamd into a tree, leaving half her body numb.

Kitahara Kaede gave her a single glance before spinning around and charging toward Pakura.

Midori watched his retreating figure, his expression grim. To continue the pursuit would risk Jonin-level casualties, especially since this masked man had yet to reveal his true capabilities.

He grit his teeth. "Stop. Rember his techniques and the direction of his retreat."

By then, Kitahara Kaede had already reached Pakura and taken her hand.

"Let's go."

Pakura didn't hesitate. Together, they vanished into the dense forest to the southeast.

Terumi i leaned against the tree to pull herself up, her gaze remaining fixed on the shadow of the man who had disappeared.