WEEKLY POWER GOALS šš„ 30ā2ch | 60ā5ch | 100ā8ch | 200ā15ch | 400ā25chā° Resets Monday!
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Outside the temple, Karin faced off against Suna's Baki and his team.
Baki shook off the lingering shock of Karin's abilities, a desperate resolve hardening in his eyes. That womanā¦ aside from that terrifying power, her actual combat skills aren't strong! Temari, KankurÅ! Forget about me! Take her down, then stop whoever's inside the temple trying to steal the Dragon Vein!
Temari and KankurÅ wavered. "Butā¦ sensei!"
"Remember you are shinobi!" Baki's voice was iron. "If you let them take the Dragon Vein, you become traitors to Suna!"
The situation was on the razor's edge, poised for mutual destruction.
Thenāfootsteps echoed from the temple entrance. All three tensed.
Especially Baki. His eyes locked onto the darkness of the doorway. When the first figure emerged into the light, Baki's eyes widened, bloodshot veins spider-webbing across the whites.
"O-O-Orochimaruā¦!?"
The joint Konoha Crush operation during the Chunin Exams had almost plunged the shinobi world into war. For Baki, it felt like yesterday.
Orochimaru offered a genial smile. "It has been a while, Baki. If I recall correctly, the Konoha invasion was four months ago? For me, it feels like forty yearsā¦"
While Baki was struck dumb with terror, Temari and KankurÅ's eyes burned with hatred. This manā¦ this was the murderer of their father, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa!
Orochimaru's smile didn't waver. "Don't look at me with such dreadful eyes, Temari, KankurÅ. What happened to your fatherā¦ a tragedy. Harm others, and harm eventually finds you. Everyone involved in that affair has faced retribution. Myself includedā¦"
Their teeth ground with rage, but under Orochimaru's overwhelming presence, Temari and KankurÅ found even shifting their feet an impossible task. Challenging him was out of the question.
Baki struggled to prop himself up. "Orochimaruā¦ I heard the Third Hokage sealed your arms. True or false?"
Orochimaru chuckled. "My arms are the least of our worries, Baki. If that wound of yours isn't treated soon, your life is forfeit."
Just then, Sasuke and Kabuto stepped from the temple's shadows.
Sasuke Uchihaā¦!?
Temari and KankurÅ's eyes went wide.
Temari: Two months ago, he defected to Orochimaru. And now he shows up here?
KankurÅ: Gaara almost died trying to help Naruto get him back! And this bastard has the nerve to come strutting into the Land of Wind with Orochimaru?!
Sasuke's gaze shifted to Karin. "Karin. Are you hurt?"
Karin turned her head, cheeks slightly flushed. "D-don't look down on me. I'm not so easy to injureā¦"
Sasuke's eyes swept over the shattered steps, the broken pillar, and the two distinct pools of blood staining the ground. He fell silent for a moment.
"Karin, release the Ketsuryūgan. There's no need to fight now."
"Ahā¦"
A warm feeling spread in Karin's chest. The cross-shaped pattern faded from her pupils. The sudden wave of weakness that followed made her sway, but she gripped the wall tightly, steadying herself, refusing to let Sasuke see her falter.
"ā¦" Sasuke silently looked away. He didn't move to support her. For one, that level of physical contact with a girl felt inappropriate, a line he consciously avoided. For another, he knew Karin's pride ran bone-deep. Unnecessary concern would only wound her.
To an outsider, the interaction was mundane. But in every subtlety, the bond of two lifetimes was palpable.
Orochimaru broke the silence. "Kabuto. Please treat our esteemed guest, Mr. Baki."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Kabuto stepped forward, ever the picture of deference.
Baki instinctively tensed, trying to recoil, but his severe injuries held him prisoner. He could only watch as Kabuto approached.
Seeing his tension, Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Mr. Baki. We were once collaborators. No need to be so hostile, is there?"
Baki was a seasoned veteran. He understood pragmatism. A girl Karin's age had already brought him to his knees. Against Orochimaru and Kabuto? Their lives were forfeit if these people willed it.
Right nowā¦ the bigger picture matters. My life is insignificant. But Temari and KankurÅā¦ they must not die meaninglessly here.
A practiced, diplomatic smile surfaced on Baki's face. "Ahā¦ I'll be in your care then, Mr. Kabuto."
Baki never once truly looked at Sasuke. In his eyes, the boy was just a revenge-obsessed puppet, willingly used by Orochimaru.
To lighten the tense atmosphere, Baki joked half-heartedly, "By the way, Mr. Kabutoā¦ you won't finish me off during the treatment, will you?"
Kabuto's glasses glinted white, his smile chilling. "As long as you don't try to skewer me with your signature Wind Blade, I probably won'tā¦"
"Heh. Fair enough. Just a joke. We know each other well enough."
Baki's eyes lingered on Kabuto's 'right eye'. "That Sharinganā¦ freshly transplanted, I see. You've changed. Why come to a remote place like this?"
Kabuto ignored the series of probing questions. He knelt, green chakra glowing around his hands as he began the medical ninjutsu treatment.
Seeing Kabuto's silence, Baki knew he'd get no useful intel. And he was powerless against them. His inner worries churned: This is the critical period for Gaara's bid to become Kazekage. Even with my and YÅ«ra's recommendation, gaining the council's approval is an uphill battle. We can't afford any new complicationsā¦
Twenty minutes later, a healed Baki rose from the dried bloodstains.
"My thanksā¦ Temari, KankurÅ. We should return to the village and report."
Under Baki's insistent, meaningful gaze, Temari and KankurÅ could only swallow their fury and fall in step beside him.
Before leaving, Baki said, "Everyoneā¦ you should leave soon as well. I know you're here to 'sightsee' in Loulan. But with Suna and Konoha restoring diplomatic relations, your identities areā¦ sensitive. Best to avoid unnecessary suspicion."
Orochimaru smiled. "Baki, to be perfectly honest, our trip just happens to take us through Sunagakure."
Baki's face paled. "Whatā¦ did you say!?"
Orochimaru's grin widened. "Running into you here saves us a great deal of trouble. After all, we shinobi should conduct our affairsā¦ openly and aboveboard."
Baki's expression turned grave. "Forget it. You can kill me 'openly and aboveboard' right here. But if you think I'll lead the enemy into our home, I'd rather die by your hand!"
Orochimaru shook his head dismissively. "A misunderstanding. I'm only interested in the truths of this world. The only 'truth' in the Land of Wind worthy of my attentionā¦ I've already acquired it moments ago."
Hearing the implication, Baki's heart sank. The Dragon Veinā¦ So it's truly been stolen.
Orochimaru's tone shifted, turning serious. "I have genuine business. We are acting on a request to pay a visit to an elder in your villageāLady Chiyo."
Baki's mind raced. Not an attack on the village? His words are cutting, but Orochimaru isn't one for such roundabout schemesā¦
"May I ask," Baki ventured, "on whose request?"
Orochimaru turned calmly, gesturing toward the silent boy behind him. He spoke with deliberate gravity.
"On behalf of a Suna missing-nin who recently met his end at the hands of this very Sasuke UchihaāSasori of the Red Sand!"
ā"Whatā¦ did you say!?"
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