Baki's face turned pale as he rushed toward the Konoha forces who were counterattacking with overwhelming momentum.
Suddenly, a violent gust of wind swept across the ground, and dozens of Sand Shinobi collapsed, instantly losing their lives.
"Lord Baki!" Several Sand Shinobi quickly retreated to his side upon seeing him arrive.
"This Konoha ninja is too strong and too fast! We can't land a hit at all!" one of them said, his face grim.
"I see," Baki looked across at Gekko Hayate and said calmly, "You all retreat. I'll handle this myself."
"Yes, Lord Baki!" Hearing this, the Sand Shinobi immediately backed off in relief.
This enemy was untouchable. They were truly at a loss.
But Baki was one of Sunagakure's most prominent elite jōnin and a trusted aide to the Kazekage. Surely, he could deal with it.
"Ahem... So you're the one who commanded this invasion," Gekko Hayate said calmly. "Today, you'll die by my blade."
"Hmph!" Baki snorted coldly. "Such arrogance."
As he spoke, Baki activated his chakra and formed a dense protective aura around himself.
"You've slain many of my Sunagakure comrades. I'll kill you to avenge them!"
"Haha!" Gekko Hayate sneered, drawing his sword. "Death is like the wind—it's always by my side!"
In a blink, he turned into a swift whirlwind and charged at Baki.
"Come!" Baki shouted and met the charge head-on.
"I didn't expect our Sunagakure plan to fall apart here. It's disgraceful!" Baki growled, wielding a kunai and parrying all of Gekko Hayate's strikes.
"Hmph! Your Sand Village is nothing compared to Konoha," Hayate replied coldly.
"Oh really?" Baki said indifferently. "Then let me—this 'nobody'—test your strength properly!"
"Good! Cough cough!" Hayate coughed slightly, then narrowed his eyes. "Today, either you die or I do!"
His chakra surged into his blade, and he unleashed a powerful slash at Baki.
"Haha!" Baki didn't dodge—he raised his hand and caught the blade directly.
"Is that all you've got?" The veil on Baki's face fluttered as he stared at Hayate. "How disappointing."
"What?!" Gekko Hayate's expression changed as he stared at Baki's hand.
Baki had gripped the sword barehanded, and not a scratch marked his palm. It was as if steel pincers had clamped onto the blade.
"Feel the fury of the wind!" Baki roared, and wind chakra burst from his fingers in the form of sharp wind blades, slashing at Hayate.
"What incredible wind blades!" Hayate dodged backward quickly, a chunk of his sleeve falling away. He frowned.
"He's strong," Hayate thought. "Very strong."
"Then take this!" Gekko Hayate shouted, splitting into three silhouettes and charging at Baki.
"Konoha Style Kenjutsu — Crescent Moon Dance!"
Three light arcs dashed toward Baki from different angles. The flashes of the blades drew elegant curves like crescent moons, all converging toward Baki's neck.
Swish!
The three forms merged as Gekko Hayate closed the gap and struck.
Clang!
His blade struck Baki's neck—but stopped there.
"What?!" Hayate was stunned. The sword hadn't cut even a millimeter deeper.
"There's something wrong with this guy..." Hayate thought grimly.
That technique could slice through massive trees, but it hadn't even pierced Baki's shoulder.
"Haha!" Baki grinned wickedly.
"That was your best move, wasn't it?" he taunted. "In that case—die!"
Baki swung his right fist, cloaked in razor-sharp wind chakra, and slammed it toward Hayate.
"Not good!" Hayate's instincts screamed. He abandoned his sword and leapt away.
He'd already seen what Baki's wind blades could do—if that punch landed, it'd kill him.
"Hmph, the little rat's quick to run!" Baki smirked and gave chase.
"Not good," Hayate thought, and quickly pulled several explosive tags from his pouch and flung them behind him.
Boom! The detonations rocked the battlefield and obscured the air between them.
Baki stopped momentarily, eyes narrowing—then spotted Hayate press a strange card to his chest and vanish in a flash.
While Baki was still clashing with Gekko Hayate, Konohamaru and his two companions arrived at the village outskirts.
"Konohamaru, look down!" Moegi called out.
Konohamaru looked quickly—and saw Gekko Hayate locked in battle with Baki, clearly at a disadvantage.
"Ah! That's Grandpa's personal guard!" Konohamaru said, and flew downward with Udon and Moegi behind him.
"Uncle Hayate, we're here to help!" Konohamaru shouted as he charged in.
"What?!" Gekko Hayate turned in shock.
"Get out of here, it's too dangerous!" he shouted, rushing to intercept him.
On the other side, Baki saw Konohamaru appear and smiled coldly.
If memory served... this brat was the Hokage's grandson.
"Heh," Baki sneered, surging forward toward Konohamaru.
"Konohamaru, run!" Hayate yelled, eyes wide with alarm.
"Don't worry, Uncle Hayate!" Konohamaru grinned and pulled out a small object from behind him.
"Summon! Heavenly Demon Puppet!"
Boom!
With a burst of smoke, a massive puppet clad in golden armor appeared in front of him.
"Go! Beat him up!" Konohamaru pointed straight at Baki.
Boom!
A six-pointed seal glowed beneath the Heavenly Demon Puppet's feet, and the puppet burst forward, ramming into Baki and launching him into the air.
"Now!" Gekko Hayate saw Baki rise and didn't hesitate. He snatched up his sword and charged.
"Absolute Wind Slash!"
Zzzzzz!
Hayate's silhouette became a blur as he surrounded Baki midair, striking with dozens—hundreds—of rapid slashes.
"What?!" Baki was shaken.
How had this guy suddenly become so fast?! He was nothing like the weak, coughing man from earlier.
But then Baki noticed—none of the slashes hit him directly. They were slicing in strange arcs all around his body, not even touching him.
"What is he doing...?" Baki frowned, suddenly uneasy.
Something wasn't right.
End of the Chapter.