Nemesis! Wind Style: Baki

Kabuto reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out a professional scalpel.

"Don't let this rat escape; I'll deal with this guy!"

From the look in Kabuto's eyes, Neji could see exactly how cunning and treacherous he truly was.

He feared that in every previous encounter, Kabuto had habitually held back; if he fell into even the slightest disadvantage now, he would never be able to leave.

The opponent was definitely planning to silence them!

"Whoosh!"

In almost an instant, Kabuto had closed the distance.

His movement was not only fast, but his technique was also incredibly precise, bringing the blade right up to Neji's neck.

"Byakugan!"

Neji kicked off the ground and retreated a step.

Hayate also endured his injuries and backed away.

"Don't even think about running!"

Baki immediately ran toward the direction Hayate was heading, but then, a kunai flew toward him and embedded itself in the ground before him.

He glanced back to see Neji standing in place; though the boy was shorter than them, his presence was like a giant.

Neji sank his breath and gathered chakra into his palms; at a glance, it looked very similar to Kabuto's method.

However, this chakra was a change in nature.

He struck out with a palm!

Kabuto began to dodge while counterattacking, but Neji was equally capable of attacking while dodging.

The movements of the two were agile, leaving almost no openings.

Hayate, who had seized the gap to escape, was covered, but as he tried to continue fleeing, Baki's figure appeared in front of him again.

"I won't be fooled; today, neither of you will survive!"

Hayate gritted his teeth and retreated, his head already covered in cold sweat.

Although this mysteriously appearing boy was strong enough, it seemed he still couldn't escape today.

If he could let that boy live, even if he died, he could still pass this information on...

"Kid, the Sand Ninja and Sound Ninja are planning to join forces to attack Konoha; you must pass this intelligence up!"

Hayate gritted his teeth, pulled a pill from his pocket, and swallowed it.

"Oh?"

Baki narrowed his eyes slightly.

Neji was startled, and in that subtle moment, Kabuto seized the opening to sound the horn for a counterattack.

The momentum shifted from Neji's constant offensive to Kabuto's.

But in such close-quarters combat, Kabuto still didn't fall behind, and Neji realized that he was still fundamentally different from these cruel ninjas who possessed true killing intent!

"Transparent Escape!"

Over there, after Hayate performed the hand seals, his entire body began to turn transparent until he became blurred and indistinct in the night.

But this technique could not achieve complete invisibility; one could still perceive something, yet combined with the afterimages suddenly appearing all around, it was difficult to distinguish the real target.

"Trying to escape with this?"

"...No, as a Sand Ninja who betrayed Konoha, I have a duty to dispose of you!"

As soon as the words fell, a blade's light appeared behind Baki.

Stab!

But it pressed against Baki's back and could not pierce through no matter what.

"Hmph! A waste of effort!"

The battle over there was leaning entirely toward Baki's side; Hayate wouldn't last long.

But the Kabuto before him was also very troublesome; Neji had already used most of his chakra in the battle against Gaara.

Ding! Congratulations to the host, Byakugan proficiency +199!

Neji frowned, looking hesitantly at the troublesome Kabuto before him.

"So that's how it is. Were you just bluffing in the Forest of Death? Since you're this weak, please just die here!"

As soon as Kabuto finished speaking, a scream from Hayate echoed from the other side.

With another slash, blood spilled from both sides of Hayate's ribs.

The entire middle section of his ninja uniform was dyed red, looking excruciatingly painful.

"I can't drag this out any longer."

Neji gritted his teeth; the remaining chakra he possessed was sufficient for escape.

If he used it to fight and failed to secure victory, he would likely die right here.

Yet, remembering how Hayate had desperately tried to pass on the intelligence even at the cost of his life, Neji found he could not leave with a clear conscience.

He reached out and retrieved a Military Ration Pill from his clothing.

The sound of chewing rippled through the silence of the night.

"Wind!"

Zzzzt!

Fast as a flash!

Kabuto Yakushi jumped back, and while he was still stunned, Neji's movements had already completely outpaced him.

"Lightning!"

Two palms struck heavily against Kabuto's back, causing him to stagger forward a few steps before he narrowly dodged the follow-up attack.

"Is this the Jianjing?"

As a medical ninja, Kabuto was naturally very familiar with it.

Neji's two palms had targeted the acupuncture points on his shoulders, instantly rendering his arms powerless and nullifying his means of attack!

Whoosh!

Neji moved through the air like a shuriken, striking with a heavy palm that sent Kabuto flying and crashing to the ground.

"Alright, you're next."

Neji caught his breath, releasing his wind-natured chakra in the manner of a Rotation to increase his own lightness.

He then gathered lightning-natured chakra in his palms, allowing his Gentle Fist to strike with sufficient power.

In this state, taking on Baki would not be a problem.

"Nature transformation—it is hard to imagine Konoha possesses a genius ninja like you. However... it would be a pity to let such a genius throw his life away!"

Baki noticed Neji, who had just defeated Kabuto, and stopped paying attention to the gasping Hayate lying on the ground.

"Whirlwind Technique!"

Whirlwinds rushed toward him from all sides; they appeared to be nothing more than a gentle breeze, but under the Byakugan, those whirlwinds were like the sharpest blades, gathering in every corner of the air!

New blades were constantly forming; within the range of this technique, one could be struck from any angle!

"Wind Style: Rotation!"

Neji gritted his teeth and released a wind-natured Rotation.

The whirlwinds actually fueled Neji's Rotation, the intense spinning dissipating the overwhelming wind blades surrounding him.

But the next moment, Baki revealed a smile.

"The Hyuga Clan of Konoha? Interesting, but isn't this wind nature of yours exactly what I wanted!?"

He then quickly formed hand seals!

Over there, Kabuto Yakushi, who was using the Mystical Palm Technique to heal himself, grinned.

"Baki is a highly gifted Wind Style ninja; even Temari is merely his student."

He finished speaking, then broke into a cold sweat, thinking to himself: This guy is actually from the Hyuga Clan? Does the Anbu have someone like this? I don't have any information on this person in my files!

Neji was startled, only then realizing that the wind he had generated using Rotation had all been transformed into wind blades.

"Thank you for creating such an excellent arena for me!"

Whoosh!

The fierce sound of wind gathered entirely around Neji.

Those blades, one by one, aimed directly at him.

With a single command, they fired in unison!

Zzzzt, zzzzt, zzzzt, zzzzt! They pierced toward Neji; their numbers were so great that no matter how skillfully he dodged, he could not avoid having his clothes shredded.

"Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin!"

Neji released a standard Rotation, deflecting all the wind blades.

I cannot get injured here; my identity will be discovered.

When the assault of wind blades ended, a figure darted out from the dust and smoke, rushing rapidly toward Baki.

Puchi!

Lightning crackled in his palms, almost taking on a physical form.

"What intense nature transformation—to master two at once!" Baki's eyes widened in praise as he witnessed it.

"However..."

He formed a single-handed seal once more, gathering a cluster of wind blades in the air.

"Wind Blade!"

A more intense whirlwind condensed into a shimmering blade of wind, slicing directly through Neji's palm force!

"BOOM!"

With a violent crash, Neji was sent flying several meters back before hitting the ground.

Baki stepped forward, a confident grin spreading across his face: "What a pity. I'm afraid that for you, I am the most terrifying nemesis imaginable, aren't I?"