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[NTU] [ARC-15] Chapter : 199
🕑 Added 2024-11-01 18:56:13 +0000 UTCThe desolate desert gleamed under the brilliant starlight sky, like the Milky Way had fallen to earth. Countless crystalline stars clustered around the full moon, lighting up the barren landscape in ethereal beauty. Suddenly, a meteor blazed across the sky, as if carrying a secret melody to the still desert, igniting the night with a fiery arc that left a fleeting mark on the darkness.
Under this starlit sky, a battered desert inn stood in Sunagakure, scarred but resilient. The inn’s walls bore the remnants of a fierce battle—slashes, holes, and dried blood, each marking some kind of fight. Moonlight poured through broken windows, casting shadowy patterns across the weathered walls, imbuing the worn structure with an eerie stillness and quiet mystery.
That night, Pakura wasn't in a rush to leave. She had heard of Toshiro's confrontation with the Raikage and felt reassured with him nearby for protection. After days of executing her plan, exhaustion had set in, and she welcomed the chance to finally rest.
Following a late-night snack prepared by Amika, she settled into a familiar room. Yet, as she lay in bed, sleep eluded her. An inexplicable warmth kept stirring within, sending an occasional flush of excitement through her, disrupting any chance for restful sleep.
"Could it be lingering effects of the poison? Or maybe just the thrill of seeing my plan come to completion?" she wondered.
As she lay tossing and turning, Pakura ruled out each possible reason for her restlessness. Eventually, she got up, injected herself with an antidote, and tried once more to fall asleep. Although poison wasn’t her primary tool, as a Sand Ninja, she kept antidotes on hand.
In the middle of the night, the faint creak of a door opening interrupted the silence, followed by soft murmurs. Toshiro, a light sleeper by nature, stirred awake. He blinked, surprised to see Pakura standing beside his bed, her face flushed and conflicted.
"I... I..." Pakura stammered, struggling to find words, before finally surrendering to her instincts and leaning towards Toshiro’s body and settling by his side.
Just a glance told him something was wrong—Pakura seemed affected by a lingering toxin. Quickly, he pressed his hand to her chest, channeling his chakra to assess her condition and applying medical ninjutsu to stabilize her. Despite his usual resolve, the warmth of her skin, her soft scent, and her feverish breath against his neck began to challenge his focus.
He tried to hold steady, but with her nestled so close, he knew his self-control was wearing thin.
"Are you... a man or a robot?"
"I... I'm feeling so hot," Pakura murmured, her voice laced with an uncharacteristic vulnerability.
Still hesitating, Toshiro watched as Pakura reached up to remove the hairpin from her hair, letting her dark locks cascade freely over her shoulders. The gesture, simple yet intimate, dissolved the last bit of his restraint.
He gently helped her remove the remaining layers, her soft body yielding to his touch as he cradled her from behind, their silhouettes merging in the dim light.
In the morning, a slant of sunlight crept into the room, softly illuminating the bed and heralding the dawn of a quiet, tender morning. Toshiro lay asleep, his expression peaceful as he blinked awake, taking in the disheveled sheets and the lingering warmth of the night.
The bed lay in delightful disarray, its tangled sheets and crumpled pillows telling their own story of the previous night. The faint impressions on the quilt and pillows whispered of shared dreams and intimate moments.
Picking up a strand of hair resting on the pillow, Toshiro brought it to his nose, breathing in the lingering fragrance. His gaze drifted to a small red spot in the sheets, and he shook his head with a soft smile. She was gone, yet traces of her remained, woven into the room's quiet morning.
“You two were quite noisy last night!” came Amika's voice as he descended the stairs. She was tidying up the living room, casting a sideways glance his way.
The sounds from Toshiro’s room had kept her awake well into the night. As a single woman, she'd found herself sleepless, only managing to drift off just before dawn.
Amika cast a look of mild reproach at Toshiro.
"Where’s Pakura? She’s not up yet?” she asked, her tone hinting at a touch of impatience. “I prepared her favorite—desert aloe vera and cactus fruit juice.”
Desert aloe vera, a rare delicacy in the arid Land of Wind, was a prized vegetable, while cactus fruit juice was a regional specialty, extracted from the hearty cactus fruit.
“Pakura’s gone,” Toshiro replied, shaking his head.
She had slipped away before dawn while he, exhausted, had still been sleeping. Upon waking, though, he could sense she’d already left Sunagakure.
Toshiro squinted, eyeing Amika with suspicion. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Pakura’s sudden change of situation might have had something to do with her.
“Yesterday...” he began, still mulling it over. Could it be Amika’s doing? he wondered. Otherwise, there was no logical reason for Pakura to come to his room in that state. Are these two really just friends?
“She’s gone?” Amika's eyes widened with surprise, taken aback. “Left without saying goodbye? What, was she afraid I’d laugh at her?”
Toshiro sighed, caught off guard by Amika’s reaction. “So... do you have anything to confess?”
“Uh…”
He still didn’t know if last night’s encounter was purely due to Pakura’s prior poisoning or if Amika had nudged things along behind the scenes.
"Never mind… let's just eat,” Toshiro murmured, shaking his head and pushing the thoughts aside. The world of ninjas is vast, he reassured himself. He believed he and Pakura would cross paths again someday.
He sighed inwardly, realizing he’d been so distracted that he’d forgotten to place a Hiraishin mark on her. Without it, tracking her down will be much harder.
After breakfast, Toshiro turned to Amika. "Amika, I’m off too," he said, bidding farewell to the innkeeper. This trip to Sunagakure had been more fruitful than expected—he had gained Shukaku’s chakra and even shared a night with Pakura.
Thinking back on the night's warmth fondly, Toshiro set off, disappearing into the vast, sunlit sands surrounding the village.
—
The rolling hills and winding ravines stretched across the landscape, and the wind carried the scent of earth, freely weaving through the gaps between hills. Sunlight broke through the clouds, casting a warm glow over the area, where people enjoyed the light and felt the earth’s generous gifts.
A lone traveler made his way through this scenic terrain, taking in the unique beauty of the land. This was none other than Uchiha Toshiro. Since parting ways with Pakura, he had resumed his mission of gathering tailed beasts chakra.
His first destination was Takigakure.
Thanks to his liberal use of Edo-tensei jutsu, he quickly extracted information from the former high-ranking officials of Takigakure, learning the identity of the current Seven-Tails jinchūriki with ease.
The operation proceeded seamlessly. Without alerting anyone, he successfully retrieved part of the chakra of the Seven-Tails.
Now, his next destination was Iwagakure in the Land of Earth.
"Who's there?"
While admiring the scenery around him, Toshiro suddenly sensed a presence and turned his gaze toward a large tree nearby.
"Kukuku! Toshiro-kun, you're still as sharp as ever!"
As his gaze locked onto the tree, which seemed unremarkable at first glance, two figures—one tall, the other shorter—stepped out from behind it.
One of them immediately fixed his golden, vertical pupils on Toshiro, observing him intently.
