Chapter 82 - Successful Abduction: Tobi Now Wants to Kill Kakashi Even More!
"It really does seem like we don't have anything worth Konoha's cooperation."
Mei Terumi rubbed her forehead, a trace of frustration flashing in her eyes. The more she thought about it, the more this felt like a trap set by Konoha.
Would Konoha really give so much to a village with no value?
It was impossible to believe that Konoha didn't intend to gain something from them.
"The Land of Waves!"
A gleam flashed in Ao's eyes. Earlier, Renji had mentioned using the Land of Waves as a commercial bridge between Konoha and the Hidden Mist.
Geographically, the Land of Waves was an island located between the nations of Fire, Lightning, and Water.
The Land of Fire sat in the center of the continent, with Earth to its northwest, Wind to the southwest, Lightning to the northeast, and across the sea lay the Hidden Mist. These three major villages were separated by ocean, and the Land of Waves sat precisely in the middle.
All three villages had maintained a silent agreement not to touch the Land of Waves, primarily because it was far too poor. Traveling there required boats, which made it extremely inconvenient. As a result, it had essentially been abandoned.
But now, Renji had brought up the Land of Waves. If he was a typical Uchiha—a clan known for aggression—and considering that Renji rose to power by overthrowing Hiruzen Sarutobi, he was clearly a hawkish leader. In that case, using favorable terms to gain the Mist's support in annexing the Land of Waves made strategic sense.
"So you're saying Konoha wants to incorporate the Land of Waves into its territory?"
Mei Terumi took out a map and glanced at the Land of Waves' location. If Konoha actually gained control of it, launching an invasion of the Hidden Mist would become far easier.
However, to reach the Land of Waves, Konoha still had to detour slightly. It seemed somewhat roundabout and unnecessary. There was no need for Konoha to station ninja there.
"It's not impossible, but I feel like it's unlikely, Ao. If they were planning for war, wouldn't it be easier to launch directly from Konoha? And the Hidden Cloud wouldn't attack us via the sea, right?"
No matter how she looked at it, the Land of Waves just didn't seem all that suitable.
After a long analysis, Mei still believed the Land of Waves wasn't the real reason.
"You make sense. Maybe they really do just want to do business. Given how well Renji understands our village's condition, he must know this is a prime time to profit. Also, the other three villages might take advantage of Konoha's internal instability. By forming an alliance with us and using the Land of Waves as a trade hub, we could jointly deter the Hidden Cloud. That would let them focus on Sand and Stone, serving as a strategic deterrent."
Ao thought for a moment. This explanation felt far more plausible.
Given how Renji seized power, it was clear that Konoha wouldn't be peaceful anytime soon. The other hidden villages were notorious for exploiting chaos.
And maybe Renji also saw that the Mist was weak right now, so this temporary alliance could benefit both sides. If they allied, took the Land of Waves, and put pressure on the Hidden Cloud, that might make the Hidden Cloud think twice before attacking.
And without the Hidden Cloud, the Stone and Sand villages wouldn't want to face Konoha's main forces alone. Sand hadn't recovered yet, and if Stone had to bear the brunt of it, they certainly wouldn't like that.
So was that Renji's real objective?
The group discussed it, and this seemed like the most reasonable explanation.
"In that case, maybe we really should ally with Konoha?"
At least for now, an alliance seemed best. They could take the opportunity to strike at Konoha, but Renji already knew the internal state of the Mist. If Konoha was wary, they might negotiate for benefits. But if Konoha chose to go to war, the Mist might not survive at all.
They couldn't afford another war, especially one they might not even win.
"Let's ally. We'll accept Renji's terms, and in return, we'll ask him to help us this time!"
Even if it was embarrassing to have the Hokage solve the Mist's own leadership crisis—
If it meant fewer losses, why not?
Besides, since Renji approached them, it meant he wanted to see Yagura's regime fall. He probably didn't want to see the Mist's revolution fail either.
"Let's go with Renji's original proposal, and add one condition—he helps us resolve our Mizukage issue. Oh, and have him look into Yagura's genjutsu. The Uchiha are masters of genjutsu, after all."
After Ao spoke, he glanced around. Yagura being under genjutsu was something he had discovered with his Byakugan.
It was also what drove them to end the Bloody Mist era.
No one had expected that Yagura, a Jinchūriki, could be controlled by genjutsu. At first, they hadn't believed it.
But the situation left no room for doubt anymore.
"We can ask. I've heard the Uchiha's Sharingan can even control Tailed Beasts."
Mei Terumi said quietly. In fact, Renji's deep understanding of the Mist's internal affairs even made her suspect—was Yagura being controlled by Renji?
But thinking about it, she realized how ridiculous that was. When Yagura started acting strange, Renji was probably still a child.
How could he possibly have had the strength to control Yagura back then?
They continued discussing the operational details and how to negotiate with Renji.
Mist Valley.
Pakura stood in the misty landscape, knowing she only had to pass through here to reach the Hidden Mist Village.
But she remembered Rasa's words clearly: once she arrived, someone would meet her.
Due to constant warfare with the Hidden Stone, the Sand's national strength had dwindled. Now, Sunagakure had no choice but to seek aid from Kirigakure.
When Rasa arranged for her to come here, Pakura had suspected something might go wrong. But Rasa had repeatedly promised there would be no problems, so she forced herself to put aside her unease.
Sand and Mist had once been enemies too. Pakura had earned her title, Scorch Style Pakura, by killing countless Mist ninja on the battlefield.
As she stood deep in thought, a figure slowly emerged from the fog. Upon seeing her, the Mist ninja smiled and called out cheerfully, "You're Pakura from Sunagakure, right? Please follow me—Mizukage-sama is already waiting for you!"
With that, he stepped aside to let her pass.
"Alright."
Pakura nodded and walked past the ninja. But just as she stepped beyond him, a glint of cold light flashed in the ninja's eyes, and he pulled out a kunai to stab at her back.
Watching from afar, Renji's expression remained thoughtful.
In the end, he decided to let the Mist ninja stab Pakura once—just to see how things played out.
Being stabbed once and not being stabbed at all are two very different things. Taking a hit would actually help with his persuasive talk later.
Renji watched as Pakura was caught off guard and stabbed. The Mist ninja leapt away, and in midair, countless shuriken rained down toward her.
Pakura, struggling to move, tried to escape despite the burning pain in her back, but her body felt completely numb—as if it had been paralyzed. She had no strength left and could only watch helplessly as the kunai closed in.
The next second, the space around her twisted, and all the kunai vanished into the Kamui dimension.
Inside that dimension, Tobi stared at his arm, now embedded with a few kunai, and burst out cursing furiously. His desire to kill Kakashi had grown even stronger.
"Attack! Kill her now!"
After their ambush failed, the Mist ninjas quickly surrounded Pakura again, ready to strike.
The kunai hadn't been coated with poison, but they had been laced with anesthetic—enough to paralyze the body instantly. They had assumed that with the stab landing, Pakura was as good as dead. But unexpectedly, someone had interfered.
"Judgment of the Gods!"
Dozens of lightning bolts rained from the sky. The ANBU had no choice but to abandon the assassination attempt and tried to escape, but the lightning seemed to lock onto them. In a flash, over a dozen Mist ANBU were killed by the strikes.
It really was surprisingly effective.
Against these glass-cannon ninja in the Naruto world, using the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power to clear them out felt very satisfying. One bolt was all it took.
"Who?!"
Pakura forced herself upright, her body still limp. This powerless feeling made her deeply uneasy.
"How pitiful… betrayed by your own village. So this so-called negotiation was really just sacrificing a village hero to bring about peace. The Hidden Mist demanded your head to appease their anger and form an alliance with Sunagakure. Who would've thought Rasa and his lot would throw you away so quickly?"
Renji's voice came from behind her, his footsteps growing closer. Pakura's sense of unease deepened—she didn't know whether the approaching figure was friend or foe.
But she was starting to understand the truth.
Just as he said, she had been betrayed—sold out by the very leaders of Sunagakure. To gain peace, they were willing to offer her life as a bargaining chip.
The Mist's actions had made that clear—they intended to kill her.
Footsteps drew nearer behind her. Renji crouched beside her, examining her still-beautiful face. Pakura quickly calculated the distance between them. Though her body was weak, from this range… maybe she could still try something.
"And here I am, your savior, and you're still thinking about killing me?"
That murderous intent, though hidden well, was obvious to Renji. She had just been betrayed and now resembled a thorny rose, unwilling to let anyone close.
Exposed so easily, Pakura's heart filled with despair. She had no strength to resist—not even enough to take her own life.
"What a shame. That pretty back of yours is going to scar."
With that, Renji stood and used Mystic Palm Technique to heal her wound.
"Visible betrayal isn't the scary kind. The real danger is the betrayal you never see coming." As he spoke, Renji extended his hand in front of her. "Do you want revenge?"
Even as he said it, Renji sighed inwardly. Talking people down really wasn't his strong suit.
He'd tried for so long and still couldn't deliver a convincing line.
"You're not from the Mist, and you're not from the Sand. Who are you?"
"The Fifth Hokage of Konoha."
Pakura was stunned for a moment upon hearing Renji's answer, then a trace of cold amusement flashed in her heart.
To her, all hidden villages were the same.
When they needed her, they praised her to the skies. When they didn't, they discarded her without a second thought—just like now.
And this man who saved her, saying all this, clearly just wanted to use her against Sunagakure.
"That's right. I'm going to make trouble for the Sand. If you join Konoha, I think you'll find it quite entertaining. And don't think your target is just Rasa. Every single high-ranking member of Sunagakure who made this decision is your enemy. You can't beat them all alone. If you go back, you'll be labeled as having failed your mission and face trial. If you don't go back, you're a missing-nin."
Renji's blunt honesty earned a bit of respect from Pakura.
She already understood her situation. If she returned and confronted Rasa and the others, she'd be branded a traitor for failing to make peace with the Mist. She'd go from hero to criminal.
"How can I trust you?"
Pakura's voice was hoarse as she spoke, her gaze fixed sharply on Renji.
"Because we're the same kind of people. We were both betrayed by our leaders. But I won—I rose to power. That's why I understand exactly how you feel. I need your strength, and you need ours. All traitors must die. Isn't that right?"
The same kind of people?
Pakura thought about it. Maybe Renji was right.
The Uchiha clan had once been feared by Konoha. She'd heard whispers of the grudges between the Uchiha and Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo.
Though the situations were different, both were betrayals by village leadership. Renji had simply managed to win.
That shared pain made Pakura lower her guard slightly.
"All traitors must die… you're right. But I might betray you someday, too. I need your help for revenge, and in return I'll become the sharpest sword under your command. But one day, I might turn that sword against you. This is mutual use, nothing more."
Pakura understood—Renji wanted her to fight in the war against Sunagakure. Her defection would shatter their morale.
But she was also making her stance clear. This was just a cooperation, and betrayal was always on the table.
Just like the saying—every traitor must die. Maybe she would too.
But as long as she got her revenge first, she didn't care.
"No problem. Glad we're working together."
"Glad we're working together."
Pakura's eyes held a flicker of surprise. She didn't understand why he was still willing to work with her, but she reached out her left hand and gave Renji a light shake.
If she wanted revenge, she had to rely on Konoha's strength.
[Ding! Fate of Pakura altered—reward: one lottery draw!]
A satisfying cooperation!
Renji's lips curled into a faint smile.
Just as he expected—only when dealing with powerful people could such rewards be triggered.
(End of Chapter)
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