Naruto: Starting from the time when the Six Paths of Pain was Kira Yoshikage

On one of the countless small islands scattered between the Land of Water and the Land of Craftsmen, a fierce battle is taking place.

On one side were countless Mist Ninja, and on the other side was a woman with dark green hair wearing a Sand Ninja headband. Blood was flowing continuously from the woman's back, indicating that she had suffered a serious injury.

Not long ago, Yekura received orders from the village to carry out a secret mission near the Land of Water.

The higher-ups didn't tell her the specifics, only that the village had signed a peace treaty with Kirigakure, and the Kirigakure ninja were no longer enemies. They instructed her to bring a scroll to the island near the Land of Water on the morning of the third day, and that Kirigakure ninja would come to meet her at the designated location, at which point she would learn the details of her mission.

For a ninja, the most important thing is to execute rather than ask why. Yekura was a standard ninja, and with her absolute trust in the village, she immediately set off. She arrived at the agreed location just over ten minutes ago and met the Mist Ninja who were there to greet her.

However, to her surprise, the other party suddenly attacked her while she was taking out the reel.

The moment Yekura was injured, she used the fireball summoned by her Scorching Release to instantly kill the attacker. Then she took out a soldier's ration pill and an antidote and put them in her mouth. After a moment, the bleeding stopped.

Yekura didn't care about this minor injury. But as the Mist Ninja gradually surrounded her from within the thick fog, her heart sank. She then loudly demanded, "What do you Mist Ninja want?! Are you trying to unilaterally break our agreement?"

Yekura's first reaction was definitely not that she had been betrayed by the village, but that the Kirigakure had not abided by the peace treaty and were secretly plotting a much bigger conspiracy, and that she had to send this crucial information back to the village.

"Breach of contract?"

Upon hearing Yekura's words, the leader of the Mist ninjas laughed loudly and looked at her with a pitying gaze: "What a pathetic wretch, about to die and still doesn't know why she's going to die."

"What do you mean?"

Ye Cang asked questions but didn't stop working. Three huge fireballs appeared above her head. Under the powerful scorching ninjutsu, the originally dense fog that made it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face immediately became thinner, and the visibility was greatly improved.

"Tsk..." The leader of the Mist Ninja spat in dissatisfaction upon seeing this. Having witnessed firsthand the restraint of the Scorching Release on the Mist Concealment Technique, the leader of the Mist Ninja completely understood why the village wanted Yekura dead so badly, even at great cost.

The Scorching Release technique will undoubtedly cause great trouble for the Mist Ninja. Just the ability to clear away the mist directly cripples their most prized silent assassination technique.

Fortunately, the other party was about to die.

The leader of the Mist Village looked at Yekura, who was still in a daze, with a mocking expression and said, "It is true that we are going to sign a contract with your Sunagakure Village, but... the content of our contract is you."

"As long as your Sand Village obediently hands you over to us for us to kill..."

"And that will get us Mist Ninja's support, hahaha!"

However, Yekura didn't believe a single word he said. As the ace of the ninja village, Yekura's firm belief could not be disturbed by a few words from the enemy. The powerful Scorching Release ninjutsu burst forth in Yekura's hands in an instant. The surrounding Mist Ninja did not expect her to make a sudden move. They were caught off guard and failed to dodge. Several Mist Ninja were instantly killed.

Other Mist Ninja attempted to use Water Release techniques, but even with the sea behind them, their Water Release ninjutsu was rendered ineffective by the powerful Scorching Release.

"After I've taken you all down, I'll personally lead a team to the Land of Water to confront your Kage and demand an explanation."

Ye Cang said with great momentum.

This demonstrates extreme confidence in one's own abilities.

Today is a foggy day, giving the Mist Ninja a significant advantage. They chose an island surrounded by water, allowing them to freely unleash water-style ninjutsu. They also have the advantage of terrain. Pakura was only one person and was ambushed. The Mist Ninja had been lying in wait for a long time. With their superior numbers, they had the advantage of timing, location, and support. Even so, the oppressive feeling emanating from Pakura was still immense.

"As expected of the Sand Village's ace... their strength is truly... troublesome..."

The leader of the Mist Ninja, gazing at the formidable Yekura, clapped his hands in undisguised admiration: "Unfortunately, no matter what efforts you make, it's all in vain... You're about to die."

As the leader of the Mist Ninja finished speaking, Yekura, who was originally suppressing a group of Mist Ninja, suddenly felt her brain spinning and her body becoming extremely heavy. Just as she was preparing to break through the encirclement, she suddenly stumbled.

The surrounding Mist Ninjas were about to rush in and finish them off, but they were once again injured by Pakura's Scorch Release, which drained all the moisture from their bodies, turning them into dried corpses.

However, Yekura wasn't much better off. After releasing her ninjutsu again, the heaviness, dizziness, and abdominal cramps that followed became even more intense.

Standing on high ground, the leader of the Mist Ninja looked down at her and said coldly, "Don't waste your energy anymore, Yekura. Did you think we were completely unprepared for you? The kunai you just pierced was poisoned."

"I clearly took the antidote..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ye Cang stopped abruptly, her face turning extremely pale.

It wasn't just because of his own poisoning, but also because he finally realized something...

What she initially believed to be fake news might actually be true.

The other party's next words confirmed this.

"What if your antidote is fake?"

The words of the Mist Ninja leader pierced Yekura's heart like cold, sharp swords, leaving her body stiff and ice-cold.

Yekura's antidote and soldier's rations were all provided by the village.

If the village is really going to sacrifice her, then these things will definitely be tampered with.

Just as they said... what if the antidote is fake?

Yecang dared not think about it any further, nor did she want to.

A deep sorrow welled up from the bottom of my heart; there is no greater sorrow than a broken heart.

If ambushed by the enemy, Yecang could fight to the death, even at the cost of his own life, to take as many enemies as possible and pass on the intelligence, making a final contribution to the village... But what if he is betrayed by the village he loves most? What if he is sold off as a commodity by the village he loves most?

Looking at Yekura below, whose injuries were getting worse and whose body was becoming increasingly sluggish, a trace of pity and sorrow flashed in the eyes of the Mist Ninja leader.

It wasn't that he felt pity for Yekura's plight, but rather that looking at Yekura, he seemed to see his future self.

If Yekura can be sold off like merchandise by Sunagakure today, what about me? Will I also be sold off by Kirigakure?

If it were the former Hidden Mist Village, he could answer with absolute certainty: no.

But now...

He didn't know...

"He was once a hero..."

After sighing, the leader of the Mist Ninja said to the other Mist Ninja, "Leave them with a decent, intact corpse."

Then he made a gun gesture with his right hand and pointed the tip of his index finger at Yekura's head.

"Yakura, don't be a ninja in your next life."