Within the Land of Fire
Seeing the wave of sand rushing towards her, Sakura was just about to activate her Water Release technique to block it.
But to her astonishment, the sand didn't slam into her. Instead, it surged past her, tumbling backward.
Startled, Sakura quickly glanced behind her. A cold sweat instantly beaded on her forehead. Unseen, unheard, a figure cloaked in black had appeared directly behind her, fist already lashing out. It was Gaara's sand that had intercepted the blow, protecting her.
"Thanks," Sakura breathed, quickly moving to stand beside Gaara, her eyes fixed on the newcomer.
"This person... is strong..." Gaara assessed quietly, studying the figure opposite them.
Sakura nodded in agreement. To appear behind her without her noticing even slightly… this person's skills were at least on par with Kakashi-sensei's level, possibly higher.
The commotion had roused everyone from their tents. They spilled out, weapons drawn.
"What's going on, Gaara?" Baki demanded, looking to the young shinobi.
"Enemy intrusion. Haruno Sakura discovered them," Gaara stated, loyally omitting any mention of Sakura's earlier sneaking around the Sand camp.
Sakura shot Gaara a grateful look, her estimation of him rising considerably.
"Who are you?" Baki challenged the dark figure.
"Sand Village Jonin, Baki," the figure replied coldly. "Expert in Wind Release nature transformation. Bounty: twenty million ryo."
"Sakura-chan, what's happening?" Naruto mumbled, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he clutched a kunai, whispering to Sakura.
"Sasuke! You and Naruto protect Karin!" Sakura ordered urgently. "If things go south, get Karin out of here immediately! Forget the mission; I'll figure out how to complete it later." Listening to the attacker's voice, Sakura suddenly realized who this was.
It was the same black-cloaked figure who had tried to assassinate Tsunade-sensei. This person had fought her master to a standstill. Among everyone present, only Baki and perhaps Gaara stood any chance against him.
"Is he really that strong?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowed.
"Very strong," Sakura confirmed with a grimace. "Not quite Jiraiya-sama level, maybe, but definitely beyond what we can handle right now."
"Be careful, Sakura," Sasuke said after a brief hesitation.
"I will. If things get too dangerous, I'll retreat," Sakura nodded. The fight hadn't truly begun yet; she needed to see what the attacker's objective was.
Sasuke subtly pulled Naruto back, retreating without drawing attention. Having faced overwhelming opponents several times now, Sasuke wasn't foolish. Dying here would render everything meaningless.
"So, it seems you're after the bounty," Baki surmised, blue chakra flickering visibly at his fingertips.
"No," the figure corrected sinisterly. "Well… let's just say the bounty is only part of it. Killing you Sand Village shinobi is the primary objective."
"Then you must be a ninja from another hidden village," Baki instantly deduced, his gaze flicking towards Sakura.
"Don't look at me!" Sakura snapped, irritated by his suspicion. "This guy attacked the Fifth Hokage just recently!"
Wait a second, Sakura thought, a sudden realization dawning. If he attacked Sensei, and Sensei suspected a deal between Suna and Danzo… then maybe Suna did hire him before? But if so, why would he be trying to kill Sand shinobi now? The logic didn't add up.
"I remember you," the figure suddenly said, his attention landing on Sakura. "You're the kid who was with the Sannin that day."
"Hmph. You were hired by the Sand Village to assassinate the Sannin last time," Sakura shot back, attempting to probe for information. "So, who hired you this time?"
Before the figure could reply, Baki interjected furiously, "You will answer for those words, Haruno Sakura!"
"It seems the Sand Village hides its secrets quite deeply," the figure remarked, sounding almost disappointed. "Even you don't know." He clearly implied Baki should have been aware of the previous plot.
"Know what?" Baki asked, genuinely confused.
"You can ask King Yama when you get to hell!" the figure suddenly roared, launching his attack. His fist turned jet black, elongated unnaturally on dark tendrils, and shot towards Baki.
Baki instinctively sensed the danger and dodged backward just in time. The fist slammed into the earth where he'd stood, cratering the ground with shocking force.
"Incredible power!" Baki exclaimed, stunned.
Sakura held back, observing from the sidelines. The attacker's target was clearly the Sand ninja, not her team. There was no need to jump recklessly into the fray just yet. Better to analyze the situation first.
Baki quickly ordered Temari and Kankuro, "Protect Juan! She's not a combatant!"
Gaara's sand lashed out, attempting to capture the attacker, but the figure moved too swiftly, evading the grasping tendrils.
Baki and Gaara attacked in concert, but they couldn't seem to land a decisive blow. The figure in black was a master of taijutsu and ninjutsu, possessing astonishing strength and, apparently, the ability to use all five nature transformations. Their teamwork was decent – Baki led the offense while Gaara, unable to catch the enemy, used his sand primarily to defend Baki. However, the constant defense was rapidly draining Gaara's chakra, and both Sand shinobi were already breathing heavily.
Seeing Sakura still standing aside, Baki grew increasingly frustrated. He knew Haruno Sakura wasn't weak; during the Chunin Exams, she would have likely taken first place if Gaara hadn't been a jinchuriki.
"Hey! Konoha ninja!" Baki yelled towards Sakura's position. "Aren't you going to help?!"
"This man was previously hired by Suna to assassinate the Fifth Hokage," Sakura stated coolly, seizing the opportunity. "Unless that matter is clarified, I will not offer assistance."
"Damn you! That's impossible!" Baki retorted furiously, dodging another lightning-fast strike. "We Sand shinobi would never do such a thing!"
"Then I'm sorry," Sakura replied with a nonchalant shrug. "But I have serious doubts about your village's intentions."
"Damn it!" Enraged, Baki dodged another blow and quickly formed hand seals. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Seeing Baki prepare a ninjutsu, the figure swiftly shed his cloak, revealing several grotesque masks stitched onto his back. One of the masks, connected by thick, black circulatory threads, detached and rotated to face forward.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
An immense amount of wind-natured chakra gathered at the mask's mouth and erupted outwards in a devastating blast.
Watching the masks, a name suddenly flashed through Sakura's mind: Kakuzu. That must be his name.
"Damn it!" Sakura cursed internally. "I definitely know this guy, but only his name comes to mind!" For the first time, she truly regretted not having transmigrated later in life. Being reborn as an infant meant that, due to her body's natural limitations, she had lost so many crucial memories from her past life.
Baki's Wind Release was on a completely different level compared to Kakuzu's. When the two wind jutsu collided, Baki's Great Breakthrough was instantly dispersed. Kakuzu's Pressure Damage continued onward, undiminished, straight towards Baki and Gaara.
Seeing the incoming blast, Gaara threw his hands upward, and a massive wall of sand erupted from the ground before them. The Pressure Damage slammed into the sand barrier with cataclysmic force.
Sand exploded outwards, filling the air. The wall was constantly being shredded by the relentless wind, forcing even Sakura, watching from a distance, to use Earth Release to shield herself from the flying debris.
Gaara desperately poured chakra into reinforcing the rapidly deteriorating sand wall. Seeing this, Kakuzu merely increased his chakra output, intensifying the wind blast further.
Ultimately, Gaara was still too young, his chakra reserves insufficient. With a final, violent surge from Kakuzu's jutsu, the sand wall could hold no longer. It disintegrated into a chaotic storm of sand.
The remaining force of the ninjutsu slammed into Baki, throwing him backward with a pained grunt.
"Baki-sensei!" "Baki-sensei!"
Temari and Kankuro cried out, starting to rush forward, but Baki, bracing himself on one arm, struggled to sit up and waved them back weakly.
"I'll be taking that twenty million now," Kakuzu stated coldly, closing the distance. Dense black threads erupted from his arm, shooting directly towards Baki's heart.
"Ah… looks like Baki's done for if I don't step in," Sakura sighed. She admitted to herself that her reason for holding back hadn't just been political maneuvering; she'd also been observing the enemy, searching for weaknesses.
Strangely, facing an S-rank missing-nin, Sakura didn't feel the paralyzing fear she might have expected. She wasn't planning her escape; she was calmly analyzing the situation, formulating countermeasures. If this had happened before, without allies capable of matching such an opponent nearby, she likely wouldn't be thinking about strategy, but survival.
This must be growth, she realized.