Baki's Unease

Baki began to feel uneasy.

The battle off the field has already exceeded expectations.

Even One-Tail Tailed Beast possesses Kage Level combat power. As the vessel of the Tailed Beast, Gaara, the Jinchūriki of the One-Tail, is still quite immature, yet his combat power far surpasses that of an ordinary Genin, reaching the Elite Chunin to Special Jōnin.

In the Chunin Ninja Exams, which are only Genin, they should have easily crushed everyone.

Not to mention they were facing Genin who had grown up in Konoha, a place that had been peaceful for a long time and was in a period of transition.

Having grown up in harsh conditions, Baki naturally looked down on these hothouse flowers. Intelligence indicated that Konoha had a few so-called talents among the recent Genin, but so what?

A newcomer who has never faced hardship and lacks experience is no match for Gaara, who has already killed countless people.

Even if you have Uchiha blood, don't expect to get away with this from Gaara; it will only make things more troublesome.

As Gaara's mentor, Baki has great confidence in his subordinates' abilities.

Or perhaps he had great faith One-Tail Shukaku's strength... Gaara, as Jinchūriki, was mentally unstable and prone to going berserk. He had the misfortune of witnessing Gaara lose control several times. The astonishing power displayed when the Jinchūriki transformed into the blood-red ∞∑∞∑∞∑∞∑,▲↓Shura went on a killing spree was something he dared not underestimate. Even a resolute man like him couldn't help but frown deeply at the bloody scene!

If Gaara's mental state weren't still far from stable, he would even have the fighting power of Jonin!

To some extent, Baki's idea was correct. If Team 7 hadn't had a rather tortuous growth experience, fighting against top-tier powerhouses like Zabuza and Orochimaru, and if each member of Team 7 hadn't had a very special identity and extraordinary background, any other team would never have reached the level Team 7 has today.

Under normal circumstances, Sasuke should not be a match for Gaara.

However, in the match off the field, Gaara was completely dominated by Sasuke!

From the start of the match until now, the sand that was once invincible has failed to catch Sasuke even once! Sasuke's blue figure on the field seems to have transformed into a nimble deer, while Gaara's sand is like a clumsy wolf, fierce and ruthless, leaping left and right, but it can never catch that agile deer!

A confident smile gradually appeared on Sasuke's face.

His delicate features, coupled with that slightly disdainful smile and beautiful scarlet eyes, exuded a captivatingly wicked beauty that could make girls scream—though those superficial girls wouldn't be able to see this during the high-speed battle.

Sasuke didn't have time to care about any of that.

His mind was completely focused on the battle with Gaara.

Within the vision of the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, all movements and changes around us become slow, clear, and traceable if we concentrate on observing them. Gaara's sand, which others find unpredictable, changing at will, and seemingly impenetrable, appears flawed and slow to react to Sasuke's Sharingan.

This was not a trap intentionally set by Gaara.

After a round of probing, Sasuke quickly realized this: he was faster than Gaara!

Kakashi's training was effective.

Sasuke began to launch an attack, showcasing the results of his month-long training with Kakashi —an astonishingly fast speed!

Stimulated by Lightning Release Chakra, his physical activity and muscle strength increased dramatically, resulting in a significant boost to his speed. A mere month of intensive training gave him speed comparable to Lee's speed after opening three of the Eight Gates! This speed was something Lee had achieved only after years of arduous training, even using forbidden techniques. Furthermore, Sasuke's Sharingan- wielding dynamic vision was astonishing; even at such high speeds, he could clearly see his own and his enemy's movements, nimbly changing direction when facing obstacles, unlike Lee who could only charge headlong into things. In high-speed combat, this absolute speed is even more crucial!

This is the difference between a cheater and an ordinary person...

Gaara, who had always looked down on his peers, was shocked to find that the scene of being completely overwhelmed by Lee's high-speed Taijutsu during the preliminaries was repeating itself. The difference was that Lee's Taijutsu was an overwhelming crushing force and speed over Gaara. After opening the Five Gates, Lee was like a Hayate, only able to see his afterimages but unable to catch his form at all. But when facing Sasuke, Gaara felt a sense of powerlessness, clearly seeing his movements but unable to keep up with them at all.

Bang!!

Off the field, Sasuke as swift as the wind, his footsteps were chaotic and his figure was like a blur. Sand's movements were only a fraction slower than his, and he could not keep up with his movements. He was completely outmaneuvered by Sasuke!

Get to the front lines quickly; life and death are at stake.

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke bypassed Gaara's layers of sand barriers. He threw a powerful punch, which whistled through the air and struck Gaara hard in the face, sending him flying far away!

Crack, crack.

The shattered Sand Armor scattered and slid down Gaara's face.

Dark red blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. With a single blow, even the Sand Armor couldn't withstand Sasuke's powerful punch; the fierce force pierced through the sand and slammed heavily into Gaara's face!

Gaara wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, the faint crimson stain making his eyes even colder.

Meanwhile, in the audience, Baki, Kankuro, and Temari all felt a sudden jolt in their hearts and simultaneously uttered a single sentence.

Gaara is injured again...

This is the second time. Gaara, who has never been injured in the Sand shinobi, has been wounded by Konoha ninjas twice in a row!

Is this the strength of Konoha, which was described in intelligence reports as being in a period of talent shortage?

Baki's unease grew stronger!

Sasuke Uchiha. And in the first match, the girl who fought with Water Release and Ice Release also showed truly amazing strength, even surpassing Sasuke! Even if you defeat Sasuke, how to deal with that girl's Water Release and Ice Release will be a problem.

Gaara... can he win?

For the first time, Baki felt uncertain about Gaara.

If Gaara cannot win with his normal strength, the plan to let Gaara get close to the Third Hokage, then immediately transform into Shukaku and attack the Hokage together with the Kazekage will completely fall through.

What's worse than the plan falling through is that Gaara has been injured and defeated, and has gone out of control, unable to fight. Baki has been worried about this, and now, Baki has seen this sign on Gaara's face!

Gaara, sitting on the sidelines, began to become agitated.

Baki pondered silently.

Bringing immature Jinchūriki out to carry out operations was a complete blunder. There were too many uncontrollable factors and the risks were too great!

The Tailed Beast are the deterrent force of the ninja villages. If Shukaku falls in Konoha, Sunagakure will inevitably decline completely!

Lord Kazekage, what are you really thinking...? Is the Konoha Crush Plan really worth risking everything for the Sunagakure to execute?

He turned his gaze to the lofty and unapproachable Lord Kazekage.

As Elite Jonin who grew up in the harsh desert environment, Baki possesses the unique temperament of desert people, with fierce and sinister eyes and a face as resolute and ruthless as a rock.

Despite his doubts and unease, his face showed no sign of backing down; only his brows furrowed more deeply and his eyes became even more somber.

He was a loyal ninja, yet at this moment, a hint of doubt about the Kazekage arose in his heart.

First, they can't defeat Konoha, which has many powerful ninja. Even if the plan succeeds, can the Sand Ninja really take advantage of this?

Even if they were lucky enough to defeat Konoha, the Sand Ninja Village would inevitably suffer heavy losses and their fighting strength would plummet. The fruits of their hard-won victory would likely be snatched away by the other ninja villages that were eyeing them covetously!

Neither the Kumogakure, which is preparing for war, nor the Iwagakure, which is rife with undercurrents, can withstand the Sand Ninja, which will be exhausted and wounded by then. At that time, the Sand Ninja will probably be lucky to avoid being invaded, let alone take a bite out of Konoha, such a fat piece of meat!

No matter how you analyze it, the involvement of the Sand Ninja in this plan was a mistake.

The short-sighted elders in the village might not have thought of this, but why would the usually shrewd and wise Kazekage agree to this plan? Moreover, he disregarded the objections of many Jonin and forcibly approved the plan with his power as Kazekage. Afterwards, he never discussed the contents of the plan with everyone, as if he had become stubborn and self-willed overnight and could not tolerate any dissenting opinions!

Everything started to change when Orochimaru used that Ninjutsu as a bargaining chip to give to the Kazekage.

The Lord Kazekage had never mentioned that Ninjutsu to them, only that it could summon Kage Level combat power.

It is said that as long as one masters this Ninjutsu, one will be able to withstand attacks from other ninja villages.

From then on, the Lord Kazekage often went out to deserted places to practice this Ninjutsu. In just one month, the quality of his Chakra gradually changed from sharp and ruthless to gloomy and abyssal.

His personality also became stubborn and taciturn.

Even a staunch supporter of the Kazekage faction like Baki began to feel uneasy.

That crude plan only followed the Lord Kazekage's or Otogakure's coded messages, making no mention of what to do in case of unforeseen circumstances. It was as if they didn't care at all about the condition of Gaara, such an important Jinchūriki.

Is it overconfidence, or does he simply not care about the Jinchūriki's life or death?

Baki was indignant at the Lord Kazekage's rash decision.

The battle taking place off the field only made his face ashen.

Gaara is getting Sasuke!

"Is this the Sand Armor?"

Sasuke punched away the sand covering Gaara's face and chuckled.

That was a contemptuous laugh.

[Ahem, I'll try my best to keep updating... after all, my thesis is related to graduation.]