Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Unspecified]
Chapter Title: Izakaya Interrogation
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Pakura, of course, wouldn't let the lives of ordinary people tie her hands.
But as a ninja from one of the great nations' hidden villages, avoiding the involvement of civilians in war was a fundamental part of their code.
Even in conflicts between great nations, they made every effort to spare ordinary people.
Take the Second Great Ninja War, for example. On the battlefield in the Land of Rain, amid the chaotic melee of multiple factions, two Konoha ninja entered Nagato's home in search of food. They mistook his family, hiding in the shadows, for enemy shinobi and killed his parents. Only after realizing they were just civilians did they snap out of it, filled with deep remorse.
They didn't even consider finishing off Nagato to cover their tracks. Instead, they crouched down and apologized to the boy.
This showed that for most ninja—especially those from the great nations—laying hands on ordinary civilians was considered utterly disgraceful.
Only wandering ronin or missing-nin, fallen to desperation, would slaughter civilians indiscriminately, chasing some twisted sense of pleasure and superiority.
But what puzzled Pakura even more right now was that the mastermind behind the upheaval in the Land of Bears and the Star Ninja Village rebellion had tracked her down so easily... and showed no sign of attacking immediately.
"What exactly..." Deep vigilance filled Pakura's dark brown eyes.
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Menma, seated beside her, eyed the tall, striking kunoichi from the Hidden Sand Village with keen interest.
He had assumed, back when recruiting for the organization, that Pakura was long dead—killed during the Third Great Ninja War.
Betrayed by Sunagakure's leadership as a bargaining chip to end the war with Kirigakure.
But this timeline was different, it seemed.
If she hadn't died in the Third War...
Then it must have been at Hiruko's hands.
Menma vaguely recalled that Pakura's first appearance was in a filler movie featuring Hiruko as the villain boss—what was it called again? He couldn't remember.
The gist of the plot: Hiruko collected kekkei genkai users from the five great villages and absorbed them into his body using the "Demon Bud Technique" to gain their bloodline limits.
Among those captured were Iwagakure's "Explosion Release" user Gari; Sunagakure's "Scorch Release" user Pakura; Kirigakure's "Dark Release" user Chūkichi; and Kumogakure's "Magnet Release" user Toroi.
In the end, Hiruko schemed to capture Kakashi and steal his Sharingan, only to be chased down and defeated by Uzumaki Naruto.
"Kishimoto, that old coot..." Menma grumbled inwardly. "Shoving movie characters into the manga, screwing up the timeline, and slapping them with random kekkei genkai techniques."
"If Pakura's still alive, it means they got snatched up by Hiruko later on—killed and fused into his Demon Bud."
Menma had nearly forgotten Hiruko's hideout.
Once his sensory skills picked up shinobi from the Land of Wind and Land of Earth crossing into the Land of Bears, he'd zeroed in on Pakura. Seizing this chance, he'd marked her chakra.
If luck held, he could tail her straight to Hiruko.
"Customer, your sake."
The izakaya owner arrived right on cue with the bottle.
"For the lady here." Menma didn't drink.
"Right away. Please, miss, enjoy." The owner set down the jug discreetly but left a cup nearby.
Pakura stared at the spiky-haired teen, her face a mask of confusion. She couldn't fathom what this guy was after.
"You manipulated the Star Ninja Village into massacring the daimyo. What's your endgame?!"
Once the owner was gone, Pakura lifted the jug, poured a small cup, and took a delicate sip.