"Hey. Look over there."
"Is that... Pakura?"
"No way."
A few days later, on a street in the Sand Village. Yashamaru and Sakamoto were out strolling when Yashamaru, with his sharp eyes, suddenly spotted a familiar figure and immediately nudged his friend. His tone carried pure disbelief.
The two of them saw Pakura coming out of a red bean dessert shop, carrying a tray of something. They rubbed their eyes, unable to process what they were seeing.
Their reaction was extreme because Pakura was dressed exquisitely. She wore light makeup, some delicate feminine accessories, and her attire was nothing like the simple practical ninja outfit she always wore. Although her overall appearance had not changed dramatically, she was a completely different Pakura from the one they knew.
One had to understand that Pakura had never cared about such external things. In the eyes of these two men she was a proper tigress through and through. And now she had suddenly become this feminine?
"My eyes," Yashamaru gasped.
To confirm they were not hallucinating, the two of them stole glances at each other.
Yashamaru observed Pakura for a moment, confirming he had not mistaken her identity.
"So who did she buy that for?" Yashamaru asked with intense curiosity.
"I heard she replaced Shimizu and became the new personal guard," Sakamoto seemed to remember something.
"Teacher?" Yashamaru's face lit up with sudden realization.
No wonder. If there was anyone in the entire village who could make Pakura change like this, it could only be the Kazekage.
"You two lurking around like that. What exactly are you doing?"
Just as the two were quietly pursuing this anomaly, a chill ran down both their spines simultaneously. The woman they had been watching vanished from their line of sight. In her place, a shadow appeared directly behind them.
"Ha ha ha. What lovely weather," Yashamaru said immediately, narrowing his eyes and pointing at the sun in the sky, then turning to look at the expressionless Pakura standing behind them.
Seeing her cold expression, Yashamaru swallowed hard.
"What a coincidence running into you here. We were just out for a stroll and spotted you, so we wanted to say hello."
"Yes, yes, exactly," Sakamoto nodded quickly.
"You two have not eaten yet."
A brief silence.
"Did you buy that for teacher?" Yashamaru changed the subject, pointing at what Pakura was carrying and asking.
"This is something I made myself. I just came to the shop to buy some red bean filling," Pakura replied somewhat awkwardly, then began walking away.
Before leaving she offered only one warning to the two of them.
"Next time, do not lurk around like that. If you have something to say, say it directly."
"Yes, yes, of course," Yashamaru and Sakamoto smiled apologetically.
Then Pakura walked away quickly.
"Hey. Did I hear that correctly? Did she say she made it herself?"
"She actually cooked something?"
"Something is not right. Something is very wrong. This is not the person I know," Yashamaru said, narrowing his eyes as a surge of curiosity rose within him.
"It is nothing really. After all, she is a woman. It is natural for her to want to dress up sometimes. And besides, everyone knows she is teacher's favorite student. Now that she is his personal guard, she naturally wants to make a good impression."
"To be honest, Pakura's personality has always been extremely strong-willed, and she comes across as cold and difficult to approach. But now..."
"With that outfit, I just realized her appearance is genuinely striking. She is honestly among the most beautiful women in our entire Sand Village," Sakamoto said.
Yashamaru knew exactly what his friend was thinking.
"You really have no instinct for these things," Yashamaru glanced at him.
"What do you mean?" Sakamoto was confused.
"Based on your understanding of teacher, do you think that even with Pakura as his bodyguard, even with increased opportunities to interact, that alone would cause this kind of dramatic change in her?"
"Teacher and Pakura have been close since childhood, their relationship is closer than ours with him. And we used to train with teacher outside too, spending a great deal of time together. Why did we never see Pakura like this back then?"
"Furthermore, even though teacher is not much older than us, in his eyes we are still juniors," Yashamaru analyzed with a tone that was almost frightening in its precision.
"You mean..." Sakamoto's eyes widened, a hint of disbelief in his expression.
"That seems highly unlikely."
"In this area, you are far behind me. At least over these past few years I have been involved with several women. I understand women better than you do," Yashamaru said with a somewhat smug expression.
Sakamoto said nothing.
"Let me put it this way. If teacher had not responded to Pakura's feelings, Pakura would absolutely never have become like this."
Yashamaru licked his lips, his expression lit up as though he had uncovered some earth-shattering secret.
After saying this, Yashamaru waved his hand and immediately began moving in a certain direction.
"What are you going to do?"
"Go to the Kazekage building and find teacher."
"What?"
"Hurry up. Teacher works hard day and night for the village. We as students should show more care and concern. It is very necessary."
Seeing Sakamoto still standing there motionless, Yashamaru urged him forward.
"This does not feel right. What if..."
"Come on!"
Shortly after, the two approached the front door of the office and knocked.
"Come in."
Hearing the response, they pushed the door open.
Upon entering, they immediately saw Yuji enjoying an exquisitely prepared meal that Pakura had made, along with the red bean dessert she had purchased from the shop.
And Pakura was standing to one side, quietly watching him eat. Her eyes revealed a rare tenderness and quiet happiness that neither of them had ever seen on her face before.
Their arrival was clearly poorly timed, completely breaking the warm atmosphere.
Pakura's expression changed instantly, a hint of coldness returning. The look she directed at them carried an unmistakable sense of danger.
"You two. Is there something you need?"
Yuji, unaware of the encounter Pakura had with Yashamaru and Sakamoto on the road, was genuinely surprised to see the two of them showing up at his office.
Unlike Pakura, who was now not only his personal guard but had also become part of the village's power structure, her words and opinions already carrying some weight among the senior figures, Yashamaru and Sakamoto were still only Chunin. In terms of capability, achievements, and mission history they were completely incomparable to Pakura at this point. Their status and reputation within the village reflected this accordingly.
So unless there were special circumstances, the two rarely visited the Kazekage's office.
"Nothing in particular. We were just thinking of you," Yashamaru said, his gaze drifting meaningfully between Yuji and Pakura for a brief moment.
Then, with the casual ease of someone completely at home, he pulled up a chair at the desk and sat down looking entirely relaxed.
"Ah. Thinking of me?" Yuji frowned slightly.
Then he moved on to business.
"Actually, your timing is good. At the end of the year the village will be holding a special Jonin examination, and I plan to promote both of you to Jonin."
"After that, I will transfer you, Yashamaru, to the security department. Your father was previously the village's security team captain, so you will essentially be taking that over, though you will start as a squad leader."
"As for Sakamoto, you will go to the intelligence department."
Yuji said all of this while continuing to eat.
"Yes, Lord Kazekage," the two replied immediately, their manner turning serious the moment official matters came up.
"Do not get too excited yet. If you do not pass the assessment, even with the assignments arranged, you will have to start from the basics."
"Beyond that, the village's gene-modifying medicine supply is nearly ready and will be available very soon. All ninja squad members are to be injected."
"Yashamaru, you are better suited for the bone cell medicine, while Sakamoto is better suited for the vitality enhancement medicine. Although both will modestly improve your strength, the effect will not be as dramatic as you might hope. So for the examination, rely on your own training. Do not count on the medicine to carry you."
"Understood," the two nodded.