"Ran… did she just say that the Third Kazekage—the one hailed as the strongest Kazekage since Sunagakure was founded—vanished inside his own village?"
Uchiha Ruka stared at Ran in disbelief.
Ran nodded calmly. She hadn't misheard a single word.
An Kage-level powerhouse, disappearing without a sound from his own hidden village.
That piece of information was explosive.
It was like saying the president of a superpower hadn't just done something embarrassing—that would be normal—but had instead vanished outright from the most heavily guarded building in the nation. That wasn't gossip anymore; that was a geopolitical earthquake.
"So… what do we do now?" Ruka muttered, half to herself. After a moment, her gaze sharpened.
"Ran, keep Pakura under continuous Sharingan control and escort her toward Konoha. I'll head back immediately and report this to Hiruzen Sarutobi."
In Ruka's view, Pakura couldn't be killed.
First, this wasn't wartime. Second, Pakura was an elite jōnin of Sunagakure, and her appearance at the border was tied to the disappearance of their Kazekage—hardly an unreasonable motive.
If Sunagakure lost not only a Kazekage but also an elite jōnin on top of that… the Sand would go completely mad.
All things considered, this situation had to be handed over to the Third Hokage himself.
"I'm leaving," Ruka said, already forming a hand sign. "And don't go getting handsy with the girl while I'm gone, Ran."
"Wait, Ruka-nee."
She paused. "What is it?"
"If Danzo Shimura happens to be in the Hokage's office," Ran said evenly, "please add one more sentence."
Ruka blinked. She hadn't expected Ran to bring up Danzo at all.
"What message?"
"When you arrive, just say: 'Danzo-sama, you're here too? Perfect. Uchiha Ran specifically asked me to make sure this intelligence was shared with you as well.' Then explain the Kazekage and Pakura situation."
Ruka stared at him for a second—then broke into a grin.
"…You're really bad," she said. "But I kind of like that."
"This is urgent," Ran urged. "If we wait another day or two, the Sand will react."
Ruka glanced back at him, raised an eyebrow teasingly, then vanished in a flicker of movement.
What does she take me for… Ran sighed inwardly.
He turned back to Pakura and released her from the tree.
Honestly, with that posture, all he needed was a shoulder pole and he could've carried her like a hog.
Shaking off the strange mental image, Ran hoisted her onto his shoulder and began moving toward Konoha.
Under the combined domination of Floating Life, Dreamlike Illusion and Sharingan genjutsu, Pakura was conscious—but completely unable to move.
Her condition felt… bizarre.
She could think. She could feel changes in her surroundings. But she couldn't circulate chakra, couldn't control her body—nothing except blinking her eyes.
"This is the Uchiha's Sharingan," Ran said calmly as he walked. "And even among Uchiha, I'm special. The fact that you can still blink? That's because I'm allowing it. Otherwise, you'd be lying here like a corpse."
Pakura's mind raced.
First conclusion: these two Uchiha didn't intend to kill her. Otherwise, she'd already be dead.
Second: the female Uchiha was gone—clearly to report back.
Which meant… Konoha probably wasn't involved in the Kazekage's disappearance after all.
Ran seemed to read her thoughts.
"I know what you're thinking," he said lightly. "But I can tell you this much with certainty—your Kazekage's disappearance has nothing to do with Konoha."
Pakura blinked.
"Have you ever considered," Ran continued, "that it might've been an inside job? Or perhaps… the Kazekage made the decision himself?"
Her thoughts jolted.
That… is possible.
As Ran carried her forward, Pakura's mind spiraled deeper.
No one in the village had seriously considered an internal culprit. Or the possibility that the Third Kazekage had disappeared by choice.
But now—
Foreign ninja couldn't possibly abduct a Kazekage through layers of Sand's defenses.
If he didn't leave willingly…
Then the only remaining answer was someone close to him.
But who?
Ebizō and Chiyo were his staunchest supporters. They wouldn't betray him.
Bunpuku had no ambition for the position.
Sasori had already gone missing.
The remaining elders and jōnin lacked both motive and opportunity.
"Wait… hold on…"
Pakura's heart sank.
Who benefits the most from the Kazekage's disappearance?
The answer was obvious.
Rasa.
With the Third Kazekage gone, elite jōnin—including herself—were dispatched to the borders.
Meanwhile, Rasa, already possessing Kage-level strength, remained at the center of power.
In an emergency, the elders could appoint a temporary Fourth Kazekage.
And who would that be?
The strongest man left in the village.
Rasa.
By the time they returned… he would already be firmly seated on the throne.
Damn it…
Was this all Rasa's scheme? Were the elders involved too?
If that were true…
Then what was she now?
A bargaining chip between villages?
A convenient achievement paving Rasa's road to legitimacy?
The more Pakura thought, the worse it felt.
Not only had the Kazekage position slipped from her grasp—her rival might ascend using her capture as political leverage.
Worse still, if her suspicions were right, she couldn't even speak them aloud.
Exposing this would shatter Sunagakure from within.
Damn it… damn it…
Why did she have to be dragged into something like this?
Ran paid no attention to the storm of thoughts on his shoulder, continuing steadily toward Konoha—each step calm, measured, and unhurried.
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