Naruto: Troublesome Ninja Haruta

Chapter 16: And Who Do You Think You Are?

"Still no news?"

"None, Kazekage-sama."

---

Inside the Kazekage's office, the air was tense.

Rasa sat behind his desk, his brows furrowed as he listened to Yashamaru's report.

His mood was sour.

The pressure from Iwagakure and Kirigakure was mounting—forcing him to make a decision for the survival of Sunagakure.

Since Kirigakure was too far away, while Iwagakure was an immediate threat, the choice was obvious—

He had decided to negotiate with Kirigakure and focus his forces on fighting Iwagakure.

But the price Kirigakure demanded was steep.

And one of those demands was Pakura.

Yet now… she had vanished.

After departing on a mission, Pakura had disappeared without a trace.

The battlefield evidence suggested she had gone through an intense fight—but what made things worse…

Was that several reinforcement squads had also gone missing.

Sunagakure had already lost too many shinobi.

Training ninja cost money—and now, valuable combat power was slipping away.

"Increase the search efforts. Keep looking."

After a long silence, Rasa finally spoke in a low tone.

He suspected that Pakura had already fallen into Kirigakure's hands—but if she hadn't, then the situation was even more dangerous.

They had to find her.

Even if it was only her corpse, she still had value…

"Understood, Kazekage-sama."

Yashamaru nodded, then hesitated before asking—

"Should we have Elder Ebizō join the search? With the assistance of the ANBU, the operation would go smoother."

"Ebizō…?"

Rasa frowned but quickly nodded.

"Fine. Having the ANBU assist will be more efficient."

"I only have one order—find her.

Dead or alive.

Am I clear?"

"Yes, Kazekage-sama!"

---

"Seriously? That's your attempt at sowing discord? I expected something more impressive."

Back in the abandoned village, Pakura scoffed, her face full of mockery.

She had just heard Haruta's suggestion—

And found it utterly ridiculous.

"Send me to Kirigakure? Unless the village has gone insane, that would never happen!"

Pakura's faith in Sunagakure was absolute.

A few cheap words wouldn't be enough to shake her.

"Think whatever you want."

Haruta shrugged, unconcerned.

Of course, a few words alone wouldn't convince her—but he wasn't in a hurry.

After all—

He knew exactly how deep her hatred would run… once she was betrayed.

If it weren't for her disciple's intervention, Pakura might have never stopped hating Sunagakure.

---

"What exactly do you mean?"

Shisui frowned and finally asked.

"For most of this mission, we've been thinking from a shinobi's perspective—

But what if we thought from a village's perspective instead?"

Haruta stroked his chin, speaking with an air of calculated analysis.

"Think about it—how well can Kirigakure's forces actually operate in the Land of Wind?"

"…Not well at all."

Yugao immediately answered.

The Land of Wind was an endless desert, where even water was a precious resource.

Meanwhile, Kirigakure's ninja were almost all water-style users.

The Land of Water was surrounded by ocean, with dense mist year-round, making it perfect for their training.

They even developed Silent Killing techniques because of the mist—but in the barren, dry desert, their combat power was significantly weakened.

"You're saying…"

Shisui's expression shifted as he began to understand.

"Kirigakure is at a severe disadvantage here… and they also lack reinforcements, don't they?"

"Exactly."

Haruta nodded.

Yugao, however, frowned.

"Then why is Kirigakure even doing this?

Are they insane?"

(Well… yeah.)

Haruta resisted the urge to laugh.

Given that Obito Uchiha was likely the one pulling the strings behind Kirigakure, the entire plan suddenly made perfect sense.

But, of course—he couldn't say that.

"I don't know. We haven't directly fought Kirigakure yet."

Haruta shook his head, then glanced at Pakura.

"But because of their weaknesses, I believe the Fourth Kazekage will focus most of his energy on Iwagakure.

That's his true opponent.

As for Kirigakure?

He'll probably find another way to get rid of them."

Haruta was just reciting the story's events—but as he spoke, his frustration with Danzo grew.

His mission was clearly designed to lure Shisui into danger…

And drag him down with him!

"And how does this relate to her?"

Shisui had followed Haruta's reasoning—but was still confused about Pakura's role in all this.

After a moment of thought, he played along—

If it didn't work, he'd just use genjutsu.

---

"Do you two remember what happened last year… with Kumogakure?"

Haruta grinned, his words dripping with bad intentions.

Both Shisui and Yugao stiffened.

It was one of Konoha's greatest humiliations.

Falsely accused by Kumogakure—

Threatened with war—

Forced to sacrifice a member of the Hyūga clan to appease their demands.

They would never forget.

---

"Wait…"

Shisui and Yugao suddenly had a realization.

Yugao was the first to voice it.

"You're saying that she…"

"Exactly."

Haruta nodded, his eyes once again locking onto Pakura.

"We've been thinking like shinobi—

But what if we think from the village's perspective instead?

If you want Kirigakure to withdraw, the best option is negotiation.

And in negotiation, you need a bargaining chip.

So what would satisfy Kirigakure the most?"

"A target of their hatred.

Someone who's slaughtered their shinobi,

Whose hands are stained with their blood,

Whose Kekkei Genkai they could experiment on…."

---

As Haruta finished speaking, Shisui and Yugao slowly turned to look at Pakura.

---

"Nonsense."

Pakura's mocking smirk vanished.

Her face hardened, her voice cold and emotionless.

"Sunagakure is not Konoha.

Your pathetic attempts to sow discord are pointless.

If that's the best you can do, I'm disappointed."

---

"You're right."

Haruta smirked, but his voice was laced with ridicule.

"Sunagakure isn't Konoha.

Because Sunagakure isn't even on Konoha's level."

---

"But even Konoha knew that after the war, they had to focus on rebuilding.

Do you really think your village doesn't understand that?"

"In the end, every village does what's best for itself—at the lowest possible cost.

Even the Hyūga Clan was sacrificed for that reason."

---

Haruta's gaze locked onto Pakura's, his voice calm yet cutting—

"And if sacrificing you brings Sunagakure greater benefits…"

"Then who do you think you are?"