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  "Surrender!"

  "Let me go, you damn brutes!"

  Baki's security detail swarmed, capturing the ninja who'd attacked Gojo Kaigetsu. He wore a Yugakure headband and seemed ordinary.

  Baki smirked. Everything roceeding acc to pn.

  That Zetsu had arrived, and this bounty ninja a cheap merary from Yugakure, hired as a distra.

  Security, always tightest immediately after an assassination attempt, would eventually loosen. That moment of vulnerability that's when the Akatsuki would strike.

  Their agreed-upon time wasn't during the journey, or the speech, but rather the return trip.

  The vast desert would be his stage.

  Tsunade, having given chase, arrived at the se.

  She g the captured ninja and then at Baki.

  "What happened? How did a in-level merary infiltrate the ceremony?" Her voice was cold, ced with suspi.

  "There are always hts. And he caught us off guard. We've been traveling for days," Baki replied calmly, unfazed by Tsunade's presence.

  As the War Hawks' leader, he had to proje image of strength.

  "Sunagakure's security truly impressive," Tsunade said sarcastically.

  She recalled Gojo Kaigetsu's assessment of Sunagakure: Konoha's peace-loving ninja and Sunagakure's peace-loving ninja shared a on enemy—Sunagakure's warmongers.

  In other words ninja like Rasa and Pakura were potential allies. But Baki? He was an enemy.

  "What about this assassin?" she asked, gesturing towards the captured ninja.

  "Execute him here? Or perhaps you'd prefer to handle him? We could also take him back to Suna and interrogate him," Baki offered, feigning generosity.

  "A ninja like this he's likely just a merary from the underground exge. Interrogation is pointless. He won't reveal his employer."

  "He's a ninja, after all. Hand him over to Suna. Perhaps he be put to use," Tsunade said, her initial urge to kill him fading. He'd dared attack Gojo Kaigetsu.

  But she'd seen the ges along the trade route.

  Ninjas, used for creation, are valuable tools.

  Gojo Kaigetsu's words echoed in her mind.

  She wouldn't waste him. Send him to the experimental farms along the trade route, let him redeem himself through bor.

  Baki, his eyes gleaming, was surprised by Tsunade's restraint.

  He gestured to his subordinates. "Take him away. We'll hahe evacuation. You attend to your own matters." With that, he vanished with his men.

  The ceremony ended early.

  The time for his deal with Bck Zetsu roag. He had to prepare.

  Rasa had to die.

  Baki arrived at a pre-determined location along the return route. Dozens of ninja, his most loyal subordinates, emerged from the shadows.

  "Everything in pce?" he asked, his back to them.

  The squad leader, uanding his role, nodded eagerly. He'd been the first to respond, to draw his shurikehers hesitated. This was loyalty. His ce to rise.

  "Everything's ready, Baki-sama. The entire desert awaits your and."

  "Excellent! You've done well! I won't fet this. Choose your reward—a position in the Anbu or the Military Police Force."

  "Thank you Fifth Kazekage-sama!"

  Suthusiasm.

  Baki smiled, then his expression turned serious. "What are you saying? There's only one Kazekage, and that's Rasa."

  "Your loyalty is misguided."

  The squad leader grinned, unfazed by the reprimand. He uood. This was a sign of trust. He'd be the Police Chief! And then that little widow

  "Go. Don't arouse suspi."

  "Yes, sir!" The ninja dispersed, leaving Baki alone. He crouched down, his hand sifting through the sand.

  Sunagakure, though the weakest of the Five Great Vilges, had always held its own against Konoha and Iwagakure. This was due, in part, to the desert itself.

  Their geography it was their greatest defense.

  Kirigakure had its mist; Sunagakure, its sand.

  And Baki's 's secret teique, the Desert Layered Imperial Funeral Seal, utilized this advantage.

  It required dozens of Wind Release ninja to prepare the terrain.

  The sand within the designated area would swirl like a vortex, creating shifting sands that trapped ahin. The teique also created mirages, further disorienting the enemy.

  Uhey could fly, esg was difficult.

  The jutsu itself wasn't ily destructive; it simply transformed the battlefield, isoting and dividing the enemy.

  It bined barrier asu, perfect for both defense and assassination.

  Only those with Baki's specifisealing teique could navigate the shifting sands.

  And whether Konoha or Suna no one could detect its activation. They'd simply assume it was a natural phenomenon.

  Baki was fident Rasa wouldn't survive.

  "The hunt begins." He murmured, his hands f seals. The sand shifted, f intricate patterns that spread across the desert.

  "Ninja Art: Desert Layered Imperial Funeral Seal!" he roared, his chakra surging.

  At the edges of the barrier, the sand began to swirl.

  ...

  At the ceremony, Rasa approached Gojo Kaigetsu, his face etched with . "Advisojo, I sincerely apologize for this pse in security. We failed to prevent a in-level merary from infiltrating the ceremony. I will address this with Baki."

  "It's nothing, Kazekage-sama. There's o apologize," Gojo Kaigetsu said dismissively, waving his hand. "I believe the ceremony's objectives have been achieved. Perhaps we should clude, to ensure uests' safety."

  The event was Rasa's speech.

  But after the assassination attempt, the atmosphere was tense.

  "Indeed," Rasa agreed. "Though our iigation suggests the assassin acted alo's best to err on the side of caution."

  "Very well. Let's clude."

  Gojo Kaigetsu's gaze lingered on Rasa. "Kazekage-sama, take care."

  "You as well, Advisojo. And Temari. I'm ting on you."

  "Don't worry. Your daughter she's in good hands. Yare yare~"

  Gojo Kaigetsu, surrounded by his guards, turned and waved.

  Yare yare Perhaps this was their final meeting.

  Rasa wasn't a bad guy. Willing to sacrifice his own daughter for the vilge's prosperity

  If he'd been more decisive during their earlier versation, agreed to sever ties with Kumogakure Gojo Kaigetsu might have offered a warning.

  Though Rasa seemed to favor Konoha, he was still wary. Under his leadership, Sunagakure, though eically reliant on Konoha, hadn't pletely surres independence.

  He was rational, restrained. Gojo Kaigetsu couldn't find a justifiable reason tet Sunagakure.

  Konoha still had standards. Attag a vilge that had already submitted wouldn't look good.

  He was soft, but not too soft. There was still a core of strength.

  This was troublesome.

  Like a well, let's just say it was a plicated situation.

  To truly quer Sunagakure, they needed a more malleable Kazekage.

  Ideally, one who'd implement policies that ahe vilgers, antagonized Konoha, and essentially destroyed himself.

  Then Konoha could step in as the savior.

  To destroy, one must first corrupt.

  In times of turmoil, Konoha needed a leader like Rasa to maintain stability. But for pead prosperity, they needed a warmonger like Baki to justify Konoha's as. Different times, different Kazekage.

  Temari, a Konoha Academy exge student. Pakura, a vert to the Will of Fire.

  Imagiemari, a pure in Suna, indoated with Konoha's ideology, returning to announce her didacy at the Kazekage Tower.

  Who could stop her?

  And once Konoha uhe ninja world, he'd have Pakura, the Kazekage's robes, serving as eai, while Temari, the true Fifth Kazekage, ruled Suna. And then their child. And then his and Temari's.... No, that was too much.

  ...

  "Advisojo a strange man indeed," Rasa murmured as he departed.

  With the ceremony cluded, and the leaders gohe crowd dispersed quickly. The once bustling area was now deserted.

  The sky darkened, wind and sand whipping through the air.

  Such weather was nothing to a ninja. With a bit of chakra, they could easily traverse the desert.

  But the guests, mostly ordinary people, sought shelter in the nearby service stations.

  Quite fortable, actually.

  Many sipped Konoha-imported tea, gazing out at the strange weather. "This doesn't look good."

  Tsuuro Gojo Kaigetsu's side, her face partially covered by a thin veil. She offered him one as well.

  Despite her Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Seal, she still cared about her skin.

  "Don't you think this weather is strasunade asked, her fingers sifting through the sand.

  "Strange? How so?"

  It was strange. With his Six Eyes, Gojo Kaigetsu could sense a faint chakra signature ging to the sand, uable even by the Byakugan.

  Baki, it seemed, was taking this seriously.

  He was truly dedicated to helping Konoha achieve sting peace.

  "I've fought in Suna's deserts, experienced sandstorms. This is different. Ever sihe assassination attempt, the weather's been shifting. The wind, the sand it's accelerating. It's as if we've skipped a day, entered a differe."

  Desert weather was uable, but there were usually signs.

  A ninja's assassination causing such a drastic shift that only happened in stories. Unless it was someone like the Sage of Six Paths.

  "You're right, Tsunade. Perhaps this is a stand attack," Gojo Kaigetsu said, his tone serious.

  "?"

  "The enemy is here."

  "Really?!" Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Though she wondered how he knew, he'd never been wrong about these things.

  "I'll use Kamui"

  "No, wait. Let them e to us. And remember this location. If we're separated, use Kamui to return."

  "Separated?"

  Suddenly, the wind picked up, swirling into a frenzy. Invisible walls of wind formed, pushing them forward.

  The sah their feet turo quid, dragging them along.

  And then

  Gojo Kaigetsu was alone, separated from the Konoha delegation, from Tsunade.

  "Iing. A mere sandstorm a, it's like a miniature Infinite Fortress, shifting us at will. Are we fighting a boss battle?"

  He looked up and saw a man, his body covered in stitches, approag, his bck cloak discarded, revealing a strange mask.

  "Gojo Kaigetsu of Konoha."

  "Greetings, Kakuzu," Gojo Kaigetsu replied, his smile unnervingly calm.

  Kakuzu frowned. Gojo Kaigetsu's rea wasn't what he'd expected. And how did he know his name?

  Something was off.

  His trump card? Tsunade? If that were all dying at her hands wouldn't be so bad.

  He'd grant Gojo Kaigetsu a swift death.

  ....

  Moments earlier, Bck Zetsu, having observed Tsunade's movements, had suggested a retreat.

  "Let's abandon the Gojo Kaigetsu assassination. You and Sasori eliminate Rasa. That will be enough."

  "Baki's jutsu might dey Tsunade, but she's one of the Sannin. If she returns before you've eliminated Gojo Kaigetsu"

  "We 't save you." Bck Zetsu was cautious. The Akatsuki was uaffed. He couldn't afford to lose anyone.

  Tsunade was one of Konoha's stro. If the Akatsuki had more members, they could handle her.

  But one-on-one? Only Nagato stood a ce.

  Kakuzu, however, had refused. If Tsunade was Gojo Kaigetsu's bodyguard, he'd hesitate, but Gojo Kaigetsu was just a in, his guards scattered by Baki's jutsu. If he couldn't eliminate him now it would be humiliating.

  And the bounty 1.1 billion ryō. It was worth the risk.

  A ninja's life was about navigating danger, earning their pay.

  He'd rejected Bck Zetsu's pn and approached Gojo Kaigetsu.

  "Since you know my name you're ready to die, then."

  Bck tendrils, like monstrous tentacles, erupted from his body.

  "Die with hope."

  "Ninja Art: Earth Grudge Fear – Tendril Fist!"

  The tendrils shot tojo Kaigetsu, c every escape route.

  But Gojo Kaigetsu simply raised a hand, activating a jutsu that awakened a deep-seated fear in Kakuzu.

  "Almighty Push!"

  The tendrils, mere moments from reag their target, were repelled, scattering harmlessly.

  "What?! That's Nagato's jutsu! How?" Kakuzu stared, dumbfounded.

  He'd once been a wandering bounty ninja, g only for money.

  Then, he'd entered Pain.

  He'd refused to join, and they'd fought.

  And he'd been crushed. Pain's Almighty Push had left a sting impression.

  And now

  The same jutsu, used against him, without hand seals. The ninja world was so unfair.

  "Kakuzu!" A furious roar snapped him back to reality. He dodged instinctively.

  The sand where he'd been standing exploded, a deep crater f.

  A green cloak, the kanji for "ninja" embzoned on its back, billowed in the wind.

  "Damn it! That sand jutsu how did Tsu back so quickly?"

  "The mission's a failure. I have to retreat."

  He formed hand seals, preparing to use his five nature transformations to cover his escape.

  Even without sidering their raw power differesunade's Senju liimidated him.

  He remembered the fear he'd felt fag Hashirama Senju—a shuriken thrown from miles away.

  He'd been fident before, but seeing Tsunade up close his resolve crumbled.

  He had to escape.

  "Tsunade! Calm down! I'm fine! Proceed as pnned!" Gojo Kaigetsu called out.

  Hearing that he was safe, Tsunade ripped off her blindfold, revealing her Mangekyō Sharingan.

  "Avengers Assemble!" Gojo Kaigetsu shouted, his voice filled with dramatic fir.

  Kamui, the dazzling space-time ocur jutsu, activated.

  Professor Paradox, his cape billowing. an, crouched low, her hand on the sand. The Deep, atop Samehada, his arms crossed. Bzing Fury, her hands glowing with heat.

  They surrounded Kakuzu.

  Only Deadpool was missing, likely dispatched by Tsuo find Sasori.

  Eager to protect Gojo Kaigetsu, she'd ged their strategy. She wanted Kakuzu dead.

  They'd eliminated all escape routes.

  Kakuzu stared at them, his face grim. He felt like Danzo must have felt.

  What had he doo deserve this?

  Asu had said Gojo Kaigetsu only had Tsunade as a bodyguard. Where had these monsters e from? How could Konoha have so many powerful ninja?

  And that space-time jutsu

  Too many questions, too little time.

  Even his Earth Grudge Fear tendrils seemed to wilt.

  Professor Paradox stepped forward. "You killed Danzo."

  'It wasn't me!' Kakuzu wao say, but his pride wouldn't allow it.

  "So what if I did?"

  "Attag with overwhelming numbers is this Konoha's Will of Fire? How ughable!" He looked around

  Tsunade, her reputation preceded her. The bck-cd kunoichi she had a Tailed Beast's chakra. The kunoichi with the burning hands a threat to his Earth Grudge Fear. The oh the surfboard Samehada. That thing absorbed chakra. Not ideal for escape. That left

  He turo Professor Paradox. "You! Fight me! One on one! Aren't you Konoha ninja alreag about the Will of Fire? Are you defiling it now?"

  Against six oppos, with Gojo Kaigetsu and his Almighty Push lurking, he had no ce. One ohat was his only hope.

  He'd even ihe Will of Fire, though he had no idea what it eve.

  "Defiling the Will of Fire? This is the Will of Fire! The bonds that unite us! We are Avengers!" Gojo Kaigetsu decred from behind Tsunade.

  "This is a righteous beatdown!"

  Professor Paradox, his a its peak, began f seals. He'd avenge Danzo.

  "This is between me and him. Stay back."

  "Multi-Shadow e Jutsu!"

  Four es appeared beside him.

  Five Professor Paradoxes:

  One prepared a Fire Release: Fire Dragon Fme Bullet. Another eled Lightning Release. A third, Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. The st two, Water Release ah Release.

  Their bined chakra created a powerful pressure, remi of the Third Hokage at his peak.

  Even if not particurly strong, the simultaneous use of five nature transformations was impressive.

  Professor Paradox was a showman.

  Kakuzu, though surprised, reacted quickly, creating four es of his own. "Don't uimate me!"

  "You think I 't do that?!"

  "Earth Release: Earth Spear! Wind Release: Pressure Damage! Lightning Release: False Darkness! Fire Release: Searing Migraine! Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

  Though his jutsu were less impressive, he wouldn't be outdone.

  "Secret Teique: Five Element Unseal!"

  His five hearts' chakra bined, creating a dazzling dispy.

  Professor Paradox on the right, Kakuzu on the left.

  Without a word, they unleashed their attacks.

  A blinding fsh of light engulfed the battlefield. Gojo Kaigetsu shielded his eyes, though he had nothing to fear. He was merely enjoying the show.

  In a beam struggle, the left side always lost.

  The light faded.

  Professor Paradox stood, seemingly unscathed, while Kakuzu y sprawled on the ground, motionless.

  Round one, over.

  Round two, begin!

  "Stand up, stitches-covered old man!"

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