At the coastal border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, the presence of a river flowing through the area meant it wasn't as barren as the Land of Wind.
Tall trees were scattered everywhere, and the ground was covered with lush green grass.
However, today these vibrant plants had been wrecked into a chaotic mess.
The ground was riddled with holes of various sizes, some filled with murky blood.
Many lifeless shinobi lay scattered across the ground, identifiable by their headbands as Sunagakure and Kirigakure ninjas, with Sunagakure shinobi being the majority.
"Pakura! Retreat!"
"We're no match for them; continuing will only lead to needless sacrifice!" A tall, middle-aged Sunagakure shinobi shouted to his companion nearby.
"You all go first! I'll hold them off!" Pakura's beautiful face showed no fear as she hurled a kunai at a Kirigakure ninja and then formed hand seals. Four orange-red fireballs instantly appeared, floating beside her.
Once the fireballs appeared, Pakura stomped the ground with her feet, leaping directly into the midst of the Kirigakure crowd.
"Cover Pakura!" The middle-aged shinobi quickly snapped back to reality, rallying the Sunagakure shinobi to ease Pakura's burden.
"Scorch Release: Oversteam Kill!"
Upon landing, Pakura shouted, forming a sword-like gesture with her right hand at her chest, while her left hand pointed upward. The four orange-red fireballs rapidly ascended, swirling above her head.
In an instant, the fireballs merged, spreading intense heat in a circular pattern, creating an orange-red inferno.
"Ah!..."
Agonizing screams erupted as over a dozen Kirigakure ninjas were enveloped by the flames, their bodies seemingly drained of moisture in an instant!
In mere moments, they transformed into shriveled corpses, then ignited in the fiery environment.
After the flames subsided, a large barren area was left behind, with the vegetation burned away, exposing the yellow earth beneath.
Pakura's powerful technique naturally drew the attention of Kirigakure's elite.
"Heh heh! That's Scorch Release for you!" A slender man wearing a mask used the Body Flicker Technique to swiftly relocate to the battlefield.
His weapon was quite unusual—a sharp, gleaming long needle!
The newcomer was none other than Kushimaru Kuriarare of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
Facing Pakura, he let out a strange cry, pulling a faint silver thread from the end of the long needle, visible only in the sunlight.
With the long needle in his right hand, Kushimaru vanished instantly from sight.
Seeing such ghostly speed, Pakura's heart tightened. She barely had time to catch her breath and adjust before she frantically summoned her chakra, calling forth four fireballs to revolve around her.
A faint sound of steel wires being pulled echoed, and Pakura instinctively flipped backward.
Her fair back seemed to reflect light as she leapt from the ground, revealing a dense web of steel wires where she had just stood.
The chilling gleam emanating from the wires suggested their lethal potential.
"Not bad reaction! But how will you defend next?" A dull voice sounded as Kushimaru's figure appeared on the ground.
Then he abruptly swung the long needle in his right hand upward.
"Long Sword Ninja Art: Flying Spider Web!"
The woven steel net was lifted entirely, descending directly toward Pakura in mid-air.
It wasn't hard to imagine that if Pakura were enveloped and sliced by this steel net, the beautiful woman would be reduced to several bloody chunks in an instant.
"Pakura!"
The middle-aged shinobi from earlier let out an angry roar, leaping up with the intent to assist.
"Ninja Art: Needle Senbon!"
But a large, burly man suddenly appeared in his path.
The man carried a large sword wrapped in bandages, his dark red hair fanned out like arrows, shooting dense strands of hair.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
The middle-aged Sunagakure shinobi could only support himself with his hands on the ground, twisting and dodging as the man's hair, seemingly made of steel, embedded into the earth.
"Fuguki Suikazan!" The middle-aged shinobi gritted his teeth.
He knew very well that with his strength, it was impossible to bypass Fuguki Suikazan to support Pakura.
Fuguki Suikazan wasn't in a hurry to attack. Instead, he turned to watch Pakura in mid-air, revealing shark-like sharp teeth and a crimson tongue that lightly licked his upper lip.
As if eagerly anticipating a bloody scene.
But in the next moment, the excitement in Fuguki Suikazan's eyes turned to surprise and anger.
The middle-aged Sunagakure shinobi looked up to see a stream of golden sand, like a flexible arm, grabbing Pakura in mid-air, swiftly pulling her away from the steel spider web's range.
For a moment, the middle-aged shinobi thought he was seeing things. Upon closer inspection, he realized Pakura had been caught in the embrace of a handsome young man on the golden cloud.
Naturally, the young man was Sōmi, who had arrived upon hearing the news.
Firm, robust yet soft, high-quality flesh...
This was Sōmi's first impression as he held Pakura.
Pakura, having narrowly escaped death, was momentarily dazed, allowing Sōmi to hold her for a while.
At this moment, a blush of shyness slowly spread across Pakura's beautiful face.
Her outfit was quite form-fitting, with bandages wrapped around her waist and a black halter top, exposing her alluring back to the air. Combined with the blush on her face, it exuded a unique blend of competence and sensuality.
Her ample bosom pressed against Sōmi's arm, causing him to inadvertently touch sensitive areas with each movement.
"Put me down!" Pakura felt her limbs were like cotton, weak and powerless, a stark contrast to her usual competence.
The reason was naturally due to her prolonged battle, the extensive use of ninjutsu consuming much chakra, coupled with her narrow escape from death, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted.
"Oh... alright!" Sōmi smiled casually. As a young man full of vigor, he didn't mind close contact with women.
After placing Pakura behind him, Sōmi's gaze turned serious as he looked at the two formidable figures on the ground.
His expression grew solemn, for his senses detected several powerful presences nearby. Besides the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Kirigakure might have other elite Jōnin-level forces!