How to Survive as an Uchiha

63 – Echoes of Another Life

After speaking, Pakura returned to her room without hesitation.

Her meaning was clear to Masashi.

Having sacrificed everything for Suna only to be betrayed, she didn't care much for the concept of a ninja village anymore, regardless of what it was called.

She wouldn't actively betray Suna's secrets, but that was merely out of the professional ethics of a seasoned ninja. Her loyalty wasn't to Konoha, but to survival.

Her arrival in Konoha stemmed partly from its reputation in the shinobi world as a relatively stable environment where she could settle down. Additionally, she could afford more trust and goodwill toward the man who had saved her life.

Although in Konoha, she was often teased as being romantically involved with him, from Masashi's perspective, befriending Pakura was great, and the idea of a romantic relationship wasn't out of the question either.

After all, she matched his preferences in many ways.

Pakura's mature attitude toward relationships was evident in how she handled the teasing from others in Konoha.

She clearly understood what they were implying.

As for the age gap...

It didn't matter. Ninjas, as long as they pursued excellence, had a very long "shelf life."

But those thoughts were far off in the future.

Teasing was just teasing. Turning it into reality was a different matter.

Masashi cast aside these distractions, finished his meal, and began treating his injuries with medical ninjutsu.

As he had said, his wounds were mostly superficial. They looked severe but weren't serious.

In terms of medical ninjutsu, while he wasn't on the same level as Tsunade's family, he had learned a few tricks during his previous experiences.

So, working in the medical division or leading a medical team wouldn't be an issue.

After treating his wounds, he prepared for his next encounter with the Kumo ninjas.

He didn't have to wait long.

After days of silence in the Land of Hot Water, the main forces of the Kumo army finally arrived.

Led by the Fourth Raikage, about 13,000 Kumo ninjas entered the Land of Hot Water, accompanied by the Two-Tails jinchūriki.

Once the Kumo main forces entered, the advanced troops, who had been eluding the Konoha ninjas, resurfaced and regrouped with the main force.

Quite adept at hiding, it seemed.

With the advance troops rejoining, the Kumo forces swelled to over 14,000.

It was clear they had brought out a significant portion of their strength.

However, before the 2,000 remaining Konoha ninjas in Yu could start panicking, Konoha's main forces also arrived.

Slightly smaller in number than Kumo but still over 10,000, the Konoha army advanced directly into Yu.

This force was commanded by Jiraiya, who, upon learning about the war, hurried back to the village, putting his

Using the forest as cover, they entered a mountain region and followed the range northward. Their movements were ghost-like, leaving barely a trace of their passage.

Along the way, they encountered several more Kumo squads, but with his chakra sensory activated, Masashi detected them from afar and evaded them. 

The squads were of lower rank, with no jonin among them, allowing the pair to avoid them smoothly.

Familiar with the terrain, Masashi found a "safe" route that bypassed the Kumo's main search areas.

As they advanced, time passed, and the sun dipped below the horizon.

When darkness fully fell, the air grew heavy with the rumble of distant thunder.

The two slowed their pace, deciding to find a place to rest. Pakura's eyes never left Masashi's back as he led them with surprising confidence through the darkening terrain.

They hadn't stopped to rest since leaving Yu.

With his guidance, they located a suitable cave. His movements were too sure, too familiar for someone who claimed to have only scouted the area before.

The path was well-hidden; few people knew of it now. Masashi himself was following old marks he had left behind, each one triggering memories of his previous life.

After a thorough inspection, he confirmed the area had been undisturbed for years.

They lit a campfire, laid dry grass on the ground, and sat down.

Thanks to Yu's provision for Konoha's jonin, they had high-quality rations and didn't need soldier pills.

After a meal, rain began to pour outside, creating a natural sound barrier.

Seeing this, Masashi rose to the cave entrance to reinforce sensory techniques, not wasting the cover the rain provided.

When he turned back, Pakura was sitting by the fire, watching him with a strange look.

"What are you staring at?" Masashi asked.

"You seem unusually familiar with this place."

"I've done missions in the Land of Hot Water before. While I was at it, I did some scouting."

"Makes sense," Pakura nodded, though her eyes remained watchful. "Come sit and rest for a bit."

"Almost done."

After finishing his sensory setup and adding a barrier, Masashi returned to the fire and sat down.

The workload had been heavy, and he was tired. Each mission brought its own kind of exhaustion, but this one carried the weight of past memories.

Stretching contentedly, he loosened his stiff muscles.

"Tired?" Pakura glanced at him.

"Manageable. Finding this route was exhausting, but thankfully I left those marks." He caught himself too late—that last bit had slipped out too naturally.

"Definitely tough work," Pakura said, eyeing Masashi's head for a while. Suddenly, she patted his shoulder.

Masashi turned to her, surprised by the sudden shift in atmosphere.

"Lay your head here," Pakura said.

She patted her lap seriously.

"I need to check it."