Watching the future Pakura prepare to kill Maki and the others was difficult for many people to accept.
Maki’s group had done nothing to deserve her hatred.
If Pakura burned them alive simply because they belonged to villages connected to her past, then the cycle of resentment would only continue.
In Sunagakure.
Maki stood completely stunned.
She still couldn’t believe that her future self would one day fight alongside shinobi from Kirigakure.
The reason she had become a shinobi in the first place was to avenge her father by killing Mist shinobi.
And yet—
the future version of herself was standing beside them.
Trusting them.
Defending them.
After hearing her future self trying to reason with Pakura, Maki couldn’t stop questioning herself.
Did I really let go of my hatred toward Kirigakure?
The screen continued.
[In the forest—
Pakura pursued Maki and the others.
This time, Maki didn’t run.
She turned to face her teacher.
“Sensei, please listen to me.”
“History can’t be erased.”
“But we can still decide what kind of future comes next.”
Pakura stared at her silently.
Maki continued.
“Fighting as part of the Allied Shinobi Forces has changed the way I see the other villages.”
“If shinobi who once hated one another can fight together, depend on one another, and understand one another…”
“Then maybe someday the villages can build a world where something as horrible as what happened to you never happens again.”
Her voice grew firmer.
“So, Pakura-sensei…”
“You died as one of Sunagakure’s heroes.”
“Please don’t let revenge take that away from you.”
For several seconds, Pakura said nothing.
Then—
a massive sphere of Scorch Release formed in her hand.
Maki’s expression changed.
Pakura attacked.
Before the scorching sphere could reach them, a figure suddenly rushed in from the side.
Clang!
Omoi intercepted the attack with his sword and forced Pakura back.
Maki quickly looked toward Ruka.
“If one of those spheres touches us, we’re finished.”
Ruka nodded.
“Then we won’t let that happen.”
Omoi charged Pakura head-on.
At the same time, Maki and Ruka supported him from behind.
Maki manipulated her Binding Cloth while Ruka repeatedly used Water Release to weaken and extinguish Pakura’s Scorch Release spheres.
For a time, the three managed to keep Pakura under pressure.
But Pakura remained far stronger than any of them individually.
After several exchanges, she formed another enormous sphere.
“You can’t capture me, Maki.”
Maki reacted immediately.
“Ruka!
Maximum Water Release!”
Ruka unleashed everything she had.
Steam exploded across the battlefield as water collided with Pakura’s heat.
Omoi moved at the same instant.
Explosive tags detonated.
BOOM!
One of Pakura’s arms was blown away.
Her reanimated body staggered backward.
Maki immediately sent her cloth forward.
“Now!”
The cloth wrapped around Pakura.
Maki was about to complete the restraint when—
BOOM!
The cloth suddenly tore apart.
Another reanimated shinobi had arrived.
Gari of Iwagakure.
He lowered his hand after destroying the cloth with Explosion Release.
“What happened, Pakura?”
He looked almost amused.
“You look terrible.”
“Are these kids really giving you that much trouble?”
Pakura didn’t answer.
Instead, she looked down at the strip of cloth still caught in her hand.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
Maki…
You’ve gotten stronger.
Gari prepared to attack.
But several Scorch Release spheres suddenly appeared around him.
He froze.
“What are you doing, Pakura?”
Pakura’s expression softened.
“Kids don’t grow unless they’re given the chance to struggle.”
She glanced toward Maki.
“So I’ve decided to give them one.”
“A chance to change the future.”
Gari frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
Then realization dawned.
“You can’t bring yourself to kill your former student?”
Pakura looked back at him.
“You can think of it that way.”
Then she shouted—
“Maki!”
“Run!”
“Get out of here while I can still control myself!”
Maki froze.
“Sensei…”
Pakura tightened her control over the Scorch Release spheres surrounding Gari.
“Go!”
Maki’s eyes trembled.
For a moment, she looked as if she wanted to stay.
But she understood what Pakura was giving them.
One final chance.
Maki turned and fled with Omoi, Ruka, and the others.
Pakura watched them disappear into the forest.
Then—
her expression suddenly went blank.
The person controlling the Impure World Reincarnation stripped away her consciousness.
Once again, Pakura’s body became nothing more than a weapon.
…
The scene changed.
Some time later—
a brilliant white light began shining around Pakura’s body.
Her eyes slowly regained clarity.
Pakura looked down at herself.
A peaceful expression appeared on her face.
“Finally…”
“I’m free from this cursed technique.”
Footsteps rushed toward her.
“Pakura-sensei!”
Maki ran toward her with tears streaming down her face.
Pakura looked at her student.
Then she smiled.
“Maki.”
“Don’t throw your life away for nothing.”
Her body began fading into the light.
“You still have a future ahead of you.”
]
…
When the footage ended, many of the people who had previously condemned Pakura lowered their heads in shame.
They had judged her too quickly.
They had assumed revenge had completely consumed her.
But in the end—
no matter how much Pakura hated the village that betrayed her…
no matter how much resentment she carried toward Kirigakure…
when she saw how much her student had grown, she still chose to give the younger generation a chance.
A chance to build something better.
Pakura had been dragged into darkness.
But she refused to pull Maki down with her.
She was still her teacher.
…
[Live Chat Group One]
Naruto immediately jumped in.
[Naruto Uzumaki: See?!]
[Naruto Uzumaki: I knew Pakura hadn’t completely lost herself to revenge!]
Iruka couldn’t help smiling.
[Iruka Umino: You’re pretty good at reading people when you actually use your head, Naruto.]
Kakashi’s response followed.
[Kakashi Hatake: Pakura was a good teacher.]
[Kakashi Hatake: She trusted her student enough to let Maki choose a different path from the one she was forced to walk.]
Maki’s hands trembled as she typed.
[Maki: Pakura-sensei…]
[Maki: In the future, you finally find peace.]
[Maki: I hope you’re happy in Jōdo now, somewhere no one can betray you again.]
She paused.
Then continued.
[Maki: I’ll remember everything you taught me.]
[Maki: I’ll keep getting stronger, and when that future comes, I’ll do everything I can to help create a shinobi world where tragedies like yours happen less and less.]
Another Sunagakure message appeared.
[Sunagakure Shinobi: Pakura truly deserved to be called one of our heroes.]
Then—
Rasa spoke.
[Rasa: Pakura…]
[Rasa: I owe you something I should’ve said a long time ago.]
[Rasa: In front of everyone watching…
I’m sorry.]
Mei Terumi followed.
[Mei Terumi: Kirigakure owes you an apology as well.]
[Mei Terumi: Whatever hostility existed between our villages, deceiving and murdering a kunoichi who should have had years of life ahead of her was disgraceful.]
Ao remained silent for a moment before responding.
[Ao: During wartime, villages justify all kinds of things as necessary.]
[Ao: But using deception to kill Pakura simply to satisfy old hatred was still wrong.]
Kurotsuchi immediately noticed the change in tone.
[Kurotsuchi: Look at that.
Kirigakure finally stopped making excuses.]
Darui, however, was thinking about something else entirely.
[Darui: That future really is strange.]
[Darui: Shinobi from all Five Great Villages aren’t just standing on the same battlefield.
They’re actually fighting like comrades.]
[Darui: Maki, Ruka, Omoi…
their coordination looked like they’d trained together.]
He paused.
[Darui: Are we seriously going to reach a point where people who hate each other’s villages can sit at the same table?]
Chojuro answered almost immediately.
[Chojuro: Why not?]
[Chojuro: Pakura chose to let go of revenge for Maki’s sake.]
[Chojuro: If she could do that after everything she suffered…