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[NTU] [ARC-15] Chapter : 196
🕑 Added 2024-10-27 09:05:23 +0000 UTCWatching this exchange, Toshiro realized there was a shared past between Pakura and Amika, who immediately recognized her despite her altered appearance. Dressed in such a way, only someone who knew Pakura well could identify her so quickly; even he had relied on sensing her chakra to be certain.
Toshiro noted how unusually gentle Pakura’s tone was towards Amika, initially thinking it was only because she believed the woman to be an innocent from Sunagakure.
"Just came back to handle some things... and settle an old score," Pakura replied coolly.
“Settle a score?” The words visibly unsettled the innkeeper, Amika, who turned to Pakura with concern. “Pakura, I understand you were betrayed… but…”
Amika’s expression shifted, caught between sympathy and worry as she tried to reason with her friend.
Her face was clouded with concern, but she carefully chose her words and continued:
"But those people... they’re the upper echelons of the village. They're not people we can afford to cross."
After Pakura's incident, Amika had dug up some insider information. Being a sharp thinker, she had pieced together the cause and effect from what she learned. Though the truth angered her, she felt powerless against the village's elite.
"You can’t just take down the entire leadership of Sunagakure!”
"It’s alright," Pakura replied, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I’ve already taken my revenge."
Her calm demeanor reassured Amika, though shadows of worry lingered in her gaze.
She felt grateful that her friend cared enough to caution her; it was worth seeking her out.
"Sigh..."
As soon as Pakura mentioned her revenge, Amika froze mid-sentence, her words of warning caught in her throat. Her mind raced, filling with questions.
"So... you orchestrated everything tonight?" Toshiro, also puzzled, remembered the exchanges between the two groups of Sand Shinobi and couldn't resist asking Pakura. With so little context, he could only guess what she might have done.
"Wait, Mr. Guest?" interjected, looking between them with wide eyes. "You and Pakura… do you know each other?"
Amika turned toward the unfamiliar voice, eyes landing on Toshiro. She looked him over briefly, then glanced back at Pakura with a raised brow.
"Is this your new boyfriend? The guy you enlisted for revenge, maybe?"
"It’s not like that!" Pakura snapped, denying it flatly, then added, "I don’t know him!"
Toshiro scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Don’t be like that. We’ve spent more than half a month together alone, after all," he teased, a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. "And after being so honest with each other, pretending not to know me is just… hurtful."
"Shut up!"
At the word "honesty," Pakura's face twisted as if she’d been stung, cutting Toshiro off sharply.
"Honest with each other?"
Amika's eyes instantly lit up with curiosity, forgetting all about Pakura’s earlier dismissal and even the matter of revenge. Her gaze darted back and forth between Pakura and Toshiro, a spark of gossip gleaming in her eyes.
"Don’t listen to him! It was just... a simple... bandaging and healing!" Pakura stammered, visibly flustered under her friend's intense, knowing look, desperate to clear the air.
Pakura’s tone lacked conviction, and the more she spoke, the more she stammered.
"Really... just a simple dressing change?" Amika echoed, her voice skeptical and her expression clearly unconvinced. If it was truly that innocent, why was Pakura so flustered, her words faltering?
There’s definitely something going on here.
"Enough about me. What about you... being here with this guy, and..." Pakura trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid, though both Toshiro and Amika grasped her meaning.
Amika smirked, turning to Toshiro. "So, what’s the story, little brother?"
Amika tilted her head, looking from Toshiro to Pakura with a slightly odd expression before responding to Pakura’s question.
"I initially thought he was a spy, so I planned to hand him over to the ANBU after he was knocked out," she admitted, a bit conflicted.
"But," she continued, "it turns out he has one of those rare drug-resistant constitutions. The sedative I slipped into his barbecue didn’t even phase him."
She sighed, throwing an exasperated glance at Toshiro. "So, I had no choice but to take matters into my own hands."
The barbecue earlier had tasted especially delicious because she’d secretly added an herb to make him drowsy. Yet, unexpectedly, it had no effect. He’d eaten heartily, showed no signs of drowsiness, and had even suggested going for a sand bath.
Resigned, she’d resorted to adding a stronger dose to his tea and massage oils.
“Right!” Amika suddenly turned her gaze toward Toshiro.
“You... still feeling okay?”
The first dose, hidden in the seasonings, was usually enough to handle ordinary people or even low-level ninjas. But the second one, far more potent, could knock out an elephant.
Toshiro raised an eyebrow, smirking. "What do you think?"
Toshiro’s lips curled into a smile as he met Amika’s gaze with a playful glint.
He’d known she was a ninja from the moment he saw her, yet he’d entered her establishment boldly, curious about what a stay at a ninja-owned inn might entail. Surprisingly, she hadn’t disappointed.
When she served him those barbecued meats, he immediately noticed the subtle, oily residue—a clear sign. Having studied mind-stimulating drugs extensively, he had a practiced eye for such things, and it amused him that she’d tried to drug him.
However, given his current resilience, the mild drug had virtually no effect—his body’s metabolism dismissed it effortlessly. The second, stronger dose only made him slightly dizzy, but the real allure was her massage technique, which left him far more dazed than any drug could.
“You… you knew all along?” Amika’s eyes narrowed as she pieced it together, realizing she’d been outmaneuvered and that he’d even taken advantage of her efforts.
“Hmph,” she muttered, masking her embarrassment with a slight huff. Still, she couldn’t help feeling a touch of frustration beneath her composure.
"Is my outfit really that suspicious? Can you tell I'm out of place so easily?" Toshiro asked, a bit perplexed. He didn’t think his attire was particularly unusual.
"How did you spot right away that I’m not a merchant?” He paused, glancing at her. “And... you're a ninja with decent skill. Why did you open a hotel?"
Before Amika could respond, her expression darkened slightly, and Pakura answered for her, "Amika’s father was a merchant. She's used to dealing with them, so fooling her was never an option."
"As for why she runs a hotel here," Pakura added, “that part, I’m afraid, has to do with me.”
“I’m sorry…” Toshiro murmured, noting Amika’s somber expression. He quickly realized her father must have passed away, judging by the sudden shift in her demeanor.
Amika managed a calm smile, reassuring him, “It’s alright, it’s been a long time.” She accepted his apology gracefully, without lingering on the sadness of the past.
After leaving active duty as a ninja, Amika had settled into running the inn, adapting to a quieter life, though it was clear that her departure had its own complexities—ones Pakura still felt responsible for.
“Amika, I’ve been such a burden,” Pakura admitted, her voice tinged with regret. “If I hadn’t kept involving you, none of this would’ve happened.”
“It’s alright,” Amika replied. “I don’t have your talent. If I die, I’m just a small time ninja—nothing remarkable.”
She wasn’t being modest; she was simply stating her reality. Coming from a merchant family with no ninja lineage, Amika hadn’t harbored lifelong ambitions in the profession. Reaching the rank of Chunin was largely due to Pakura’s support and guidance in learning a few solid wind-style jutsus. Otherwise, she would have likely peaked as a Genin-level ninja.
Her true yearning had always been to explore the world beyond Sunagakure Village. If not for recent restrictions on travel, she wouldn’t be here now, bound by village life.
As Toshiro and Pakura continued chatting with her, back in the Kazekage’s office, Rasa reviewed the latest reports. His expression darkened as he absorbed their contents.
