Pakura was completely stunned.
When Scorpion appeared, she initially felt a rush of excitement. But that excitement vanished almost instantly. Scorpion didn't even glance at her; instead, he sat down and started talking to Takuya about their plan to kill the Third Kazekage.
Pakura's heart sank. She couldn’t stop the question from running through her mind—why? Why would the Red Sand Scorpion, a loyal shinobi of the village, have such a treacherous idea?
And what’s more, Scorpion was actually considering doing it—not just thinking about it, but acting on it!
Scorpion understood that getting Takuya's help to kill Hatake Sakumo was impossible. But killing the Kazekage... Scorpion wouldn't hesitate.
“What do you need me to do?” Scorpion asked.
He wasn't naive enough to expect Takuya to help with Sakumo, but when it came to the Third Kazekage… there was no holding back.
Talking to someone straightforward had its perks—it cut through the nonsense. Takuya smiled, satisfied, and snapped his fingers.
“Simple. Injure yourself a bit—doesn't have to be too serious. Make yourself look beaten up. Destroy a few of your puppets, and then report everything just as it happened,” Takuya instructed. “If the Third Kazekage hears I’m not in the camp, that I’m out here wandering around with Pakura, he’ll come for me.”
“This plan is full of holes,” Scorpion frowned. If Takuya wasn't too powerful to fight directly, he would've slapped him right there. What kind of idiotic idea was this? Did Takuya think the Third Kazekage would just walk into an obvious trap?
“Plans full of holes are the easiest to believe,” Takuya countered.
It was clear Scorpion was not impressed. There was no strategic brilliance, no efforts to cover their tracks—the plan seemed juvenile, like some sort of game. How could anyone find that reassuring?
To Scorpion, it sounded reckless. But Takuya thought otherwise. The glaring flaws made it more likely that the Third Kazekage would bite.
Even if the Kazekage suspected a trap, he would still come. Why? Because he was the strongest Kazekage in Sunagakure's history. Because Takuya had once used genjutsu on him and made him perform a ridiculous dance. And because of the numerous rumors and humiliations, the Third Kazekage hated Takuya with a passion.
Beyond that, his pride as the strongest Kazekage played a big role. He believed that even if he did end up surrounded by Konoha's forces, he could simply fly away. The ability to fly was a huge tactical advantage.
“Even if he knows it’s a trap, he’ll still come,” Takuya said confidently.
After a moment of silence, Scorpion stood up to leave. “I hope your plan works,” he muttered.
“You're insane! You want to team up with an outsider to target the Kazekage?!” Pakura shouted at Scorpion.
But Scorpion acted as if he hadn’t heard her, vanishing into the night. Takuya crossed his arms, amused by the scene.
“This plan will never work!” Pakura yelled, fuming as she watched Scorpion ignore her. However, neither Scorpion nor Takuya bothered to acknowledge her outburst.
Pakura was left to stew in her frustration, alone in the cave, with no way to release her anger.
After parting ways with Takuya, Scorpion followed his instructions. He destroyed a few of his own puppets, made himself look worse for wear, and inflicted a few non-lethal wounds on himself. Then, he returned to the camp to report to the Third Kazekage.
“You’re saying Yagami Takuya took Pakura out of the Konoha camp and deliberately let her leave signs behind to lure our shinobi into a trap?” the Kazekage asked.
“Yes, Kazekage-sama. He destroyed several of my puppets,” Scorpion responded, kneeling before him. “I couldn't sense Pakura’s chakra. It must be sealed.”
“What’s that boy trying to pull?” Chiyo muttered, skeptical but clearly worried for her grandson. Seeing Scorpion’s disheveled state, her heart ached.
Ebizo sighed quietly beside her. “Sister, the Kazekage is still watching. Could you maybe not be so obvious?”
The Third Kazekage, meanwhile, silently examined Scorpion, taking in his injuries. After a few moments, the Kazekage’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You did those wounds to yourself, didn’t you?” the Kazekage asked.
“Uh…” Scorpion hesitated, clearly caught off guard.
“What?” Chiyo gasped, shocked. Ebizo just hung his head, exasperated—his sister was always so jumpy when it came to Scorpion.
“Yes,” Scorpion admitted after a long pause, his voice strained. “His strength is too much. I couldn’t fight him, so I…”
“Enough!” The Kazekage’s irritation was palpable.
He assumed that Scorpion had inflicted those wounds on himself to appear more pitiful, to give himself an excuse for failure. The Kazekage disliked such petty tricks the most.
“Leave. Get some rest. I’ll handle this. Don’t pull stunts again. I’m only letting it slide this time for Chiyo’s sake,” he added, clearly displeased.
The Third Kazekage couldn’t help but compare Scorpion to other young talents in the village. Why was there such a gap? And to top it off, Scorpion even resorted to deceit.
Waving his hand dismissively, he declared, “I’ll deal with Yagami Takuya personally.”
Yagami Takuya… there’s still unfinished business between us.
The memory of the humiliation he had suffered—the forced dance—made the Kazekage’s face flush with anger.
“Kazekage-sama, it’s too risky for you to go in person. Let this old lady go instead. I can make sure justice is served for my grandson,” Chiyo quickly interjected, stepping forward to dissuade him.
She didn’t want the Kazekage to take unnecessary risks, and besides, she wanted to help Scorpion redeem himself.
“Kazekage-sama, as our leader, your safety is paramount. You shouldn’t take such risks,” she pleaded.
“Enough, Chiyo,” the Kazekage cut her off, waving his hand impatiently.
He knew Chiyo’s intentions were good, but her attempts to restore his impression of Scorpion wouldn’t work.
“No matter his actions, Scorpion is still one of our own. Even if his behavior is questionable, I won’t punish him over something ,” he said.
Anyone would be upset by such a deceitful act, and the Third Kazekage was no exception. But such trivial matters weren’t enough for him to take serious action against Scorpion.
“Understood,” Chiyo replied, bowing slightly. If the Kazekage promised not to target Scorpion, she had nothing left to say.
Changing the topic was the wisest choice now.
“What about Pakura?” she asked.
“I’ll personally go and see what Konoha is planning—or more accurately, what Yagami Takuya is planning,” the Kazekage responded.
“But…” Chiyo began, hesitant. Was it really safe for him to confront Takuya directly?
She stopped herself, realizing the Kazekage was determined to go. Besides, with his strength, even if there was a trap, he could escape. In the world of shinobi, the ability to fly was a massive advantage.
Just look at Onoki and the Third Raikage. The mighty Raikage had no way to deal with Onoki—before they even fought, Onoki would just float in the sky, leaving his opponent helpless.
“Chiyo, Ebizo, while I’m gone, I’ll leave the camp to both of you. As for Rasa, he’s still young and has much to learn. I hope you can help him grow quickly,” the Kazekage said.
“Understood, Kazekage-sama,” they both replied.