Naruto: Troublesome Ninja Haruta

Chapter 12: Pakura of the Scorch Release

A few days later, deep in the deserts of the Land of Wind—

Haruta, Yugao, and Shisui moved steadily through the vast sea of sand.

The Land of Wind had a climate that fully lived up to its name—

Sunny skies, strong winds… and a mercilessly scorching sun.

It was just that its definition of "sunny and breezy" was a bit extreme.

For example—

Haruta had seen quite a few people enjoying "sunbathing" on his way here.

Well… at least they could still be called "people" before they turned into skeletons.

"Is this really a place fit for human life?"

Haruta honestly couldn't understand what kind of lunatic would voluntarily settle in such a place.

Back in Konoha, at least he could see wild boars, dumb deer, and other animals baring their fangs.

But here?

He felt like he should be the one baring his fangs at the animals.

"This climate is indeed quite extreme."

Even Shisui was struggling with the heat.

However, to protect himself from the sun and sand, he was forced to wrap a headscarf around his head, a necessity in this region.

"But for the sake of the mission, we have to endure."

"Yes, yes, I know."

Haruta nodded.

"This guy talks about missions more than I do, and I literally depend on them for survival."

"But Haruta, you seem to be recovering well."

Yugao suddenly turned toward Haruta, observing him for a moment before continuing.

"When we first set out, you seemed a bit out of it.

But now, even in this harsh environment, you seem to be back to normal.

Looks like I don't need to worry anymore."

"Oh? So Senpai has been paying attention to me this whole time?

I'm honored."

Haruta smirked and raised an eyebrow, teasing her slightly.

But he also knew—she wasn't wrong.

His mood had been terrible the past few days.

After all, his "boss" had just assigned him a completely absurd mission.

"Eliminate Pakura?"

With what, my bare hands?!

Putting aside the various nonsense buffs he had, Haruta wasn't even sure if he could actually beat her in a fight.

Sure, he was a "stats-based powerhouse", and his overall strength was at the jōnin level.

If he allocated enough Free Points, he might even reach elite jōnin.

But Pakura?

She was no ordinary opponent—she might already be an elite jōnin or even stronger.

And more importantly—she was supposed to be on her way to Kirigakure to die.

Finding her was a problem in itself.

After thinking about it for a while, Haruta had an unsettling realization—

"Wait a minute… is Danzo trying to use this mission as an excuse to get rid of Shisui?"

After all—

Aburame Ryoma had specifically said: "You still have your Anbu teammates, don't you?"

"As expected, following Danzo means you could get sold out at any moment!"

A Simple Recon Mission… Now a Suicide Mission?

A simple intel-gathering mission had suddenly turned into an assassination mission.

And not just any assassination—one that would almost certainly get him killed.

Danzo really was the embodiment of "send others to die while I sit back and scheme."

Now that Haruta thought about it…

Danzo's orders directly contradicted Hiruzen's.

Hiruzen wanted stability, while Danzo thrived on chaos.

Even if it was unintentional, Haruta was convinced—Danzo just wanted an excuse to seize more power.

"Good thing I already decided how to handle this."

His only goal was to "complete" the mission—

The method didn't matter.

That gave him a lot of creative freedom.

"You… Shouldn't teammates look out for each other?"

Yugao, slightly flustered, quickly changed the topic.

"We should focus on the mission.

There are a lot of patrol units here—Kirigakure's attacks on Sunagakure seem to be quite serious."

"Indeed."

Shisui nodded, gazing into the distance before letting out a sigh.

"And to be honest, this mission won't be easy.

Standard patrols won't have much intelligence.

And Sunagakure itself…"

He trailed off.

But both Haruta and Yugao understood his meaning.

Sunagakure was currently in turmoil, both internally and externally.

Security was at an all-time high.

Even trying to sneak into the village was nearly impossible.

Without sufficient intel, this mission would become increasingly difficult to progress.

Both Shisui and Yugao were beginning to feel frustrated.

"No Need to Worry Too Much"

However, Haruta suddenly rubbed his chin and asked curiously,

"Sunagakure might be off-limits…

But why don't we try looking for an opportunity from Kirigakure instead?"

"Kirigakure?"

Both Shisui and Yugao were momentarily confused.

Haruta then flashed a bright smile.

"That's right—Kirigakure.

They've been relentlessly harassing Sunagakure.

They wouldn't be sending just any random shinobi for this.

And Sunagakure, in response, would have to deploy strong ninja to counter them.

If we just happen to… stumble upon them…"

Shisui and Yugao finally understood.

Their gazes toward Haruta subtly changed.

If they "accidentally discovered" a confrontation between strong Sunagakure and Kirigakure shinobi—

They could simply let them fight it out and reap the benefits afterward.

Whether by helping the weaker side or cleaning up the battlefield once both sides were exhausted—

They would be able to gather crucial intel from either group.

This plan… was a bit underhanded.

"But… if we get exposed, won't it affect Konoha?"

Yugao frowned.

Haruta, however, had already thought of a solution.

"We'll disguise ourselves as Iwagakure shinobi.

They're already in conflict with Sunagakure.

And don't forget—Sunagakure has faked attacks under other villages' identities before."

"Understood. Haruta's plan makes sense—let's do it!"

Shisui, having experienced real war, had no reservations about this tactic.

When it came to enemies, the moral line became quite flexible.

And considering Sunagakure had pulled similar stunts against Konoha before, this was simply returning the favor.

"Then, let's—"

Just as Shisui was about to continue, he abruptly stopped.

His gaze lifted toward the distant sky.

At the same time, both Haruta and Yugao also looked up.

A signal flare had just risen into the air.

The three of them exchanged glances.

Haruta blinked.

[New Mission Acquired]

[Gather Useful Intelligence from Sunagakure & Kirigakure Shinobi]

"Another mission? That makes three now…"

Haruta was slightly surprised.

But more missions meant more rewards—so this was a good thing.

Smirking, he turned to his teammates.

"Looks like our luck isn't too bad."

The moment he finished speaking, the three of them vanished into the sand, swiftly moving toward the flare's location.

In the middle of this vast desert, anyone brazen enough to fire a signal flare out in the open was likely a Sunagakure shinobi.

This was an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss.

As they approached, the sounds of explosions, detonating tags, and clashing jutsu grew louder.

"We're in the combat zone now. Stay sharp."

Shisui's voice was low as he slipped his mask back on.

Haruta and Yugao followed suit.

Before advancing, Haruta turned to Yugao and grinned.

"Don't worry, Senpai. With me here, you'll be just fine."

"You again…"

Yugao, recalling their encounter with Orochimaru, was torn between annoyance and amusement.

Before she could reply—

Shisui's serious voice interrupted.

"We have a problem."

His gaze locked onto the battlefield ahead.

"That woman…

It looks like Pakura of the Scorch Release."