Meanwhile, urged by Shukaku, Gaara activated the Feigning Sleep Technique.
The ordinary dirt road suddenly surged with a massive amount of sand. Shukaku's colossal body, covered in intricate markings, materialized before them.
Seeing Shukaku appear, Baki frowned deeper. "Gaara acted recklessly. This is the Land of Lightning. If we attract Kumogakure ninjas and they think we intentionally released this tailed beast for sabotage, it'll cause trouble. It might trigger a diplomatic incident."
He sighed silently afterward. "But facing this enemy... Without using the Tailed Beast's power, we may not stand a chance."
"This kid shouldn't even exist," muttered Baki.
The moment Shukaku appeared, the sheer mass of his body made the ground tremble violently.
As if an earthquake had struck, everything quaked.
Hiroki burst into laughter. "Now *that's* what I'm talking about, One-Tail!"
Upon hearing this, Baki couldn't believe his ears. "Does this man actually fight Yugito before?"
Shukaku let out a mocking snort toward Yugito with clear disdain, then began spewing multiple chakra-infused wind balls from his mouth.
[Wind Release: Air Bullet!]
Extremely fast and powerful.
Enveloped entirely in green chakra, Hiroki immediately entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode. Several black Truth-Seeking Balls surrounded him, deflecting every attack effortlessly.
Entire forests were flattened instantly, even the scarce nearby buildings completely destroyed.
When realizing his attacks failed to harm Hiroki, the seemingly clumsy Shukaku surprisingly leapt nimbly, vanishing into the sky.
"Huh? Is this fat cat trying to crush me under its weight?" Spotting the dark figure growing larger above, Hiroki immediately dodged aside, extending his palm toward the sky.
[Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion]
A gigantic yellow chakra blade shot upward, striking dead center.
"Ahh..."
A guttural howl of pain rang through the air — clearly coming from Shukaku — making everyone shudder involuntarily.
Then...
Pitter-patter...
It looked like yellow rain fell from the sky as sand rained down in thick waves.
Tap-tap-tap! The falling sand continuously hit their heads. The two Sand Ninja accompanying Baki stood dazed under the impact.
Sensing the danger, they instinctively huddled closer to Baki, their strongest.
Baki brushed sand off his head grimly. "Looks like even One-Tail can't defeat him..."
"Lord Baki, what do we do now?"
Baki said solemnly, "Our deaths mean nothing, but today's events must..."
Before he finished speaking, Hiroki's voice reached them.
"Talking secretly over there? Trying to send information back home? Sorry, not allowed!"
Not waiting for the last word to fade, a powerful tornado erupted from one of the green rings surrounding Hiroki.
[Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion]
A powerful force immediately engulfed Baki and his two companions. Wind Blades tore through their bodies, forcing them to fight hard to stay alert and respond.
Only after the wind finally died down and the tornado vanished were Baki and his comrades flung onto the ground, lying there in tattered clothes, groaning in pain.
After confirming they had temporarily lost combat ability, Hiroki turned his gaze elsewhere.
At this moment, the golden sand that had been falling endlessly from the sky finally ceased.
The ground had changed color, covered by a thick layer of yellow sand, making it seem as if everyone had been transported into a vast desert.
To be honest, I've been using the Huan Yuan app recently to read books and follow updates. It allows switching sources, has multiple reading voices, and is available for both Android and iOS devices.
Subsequently, the scattered sands slowly gathered together, forming a stable shape.
Shukaku, the giant yellow raccoon dog, appeared before everyone once again.
This time, Shukaku was both furious and anxious, its expression weary; the beast no longer bore its earlier arrogance.
With a clear target, Hiroki wasted no time launching another [Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion] at it.
"Let's end this now," he said, "before others arrive."
"Darn you!" Shukaku roared furiously but feared the power of the chakra blade. Panicking, it used its sand-controlling ability to form an Air Sand Protective Wall.
However, all efforts proved futile—the shield didn't even slow down the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion for a second.
Shukaku's body was shattered once more.
After severely wounding Shukaku, Hiroki turned to where Baki and his men lay and executed them without hesitation.
---
"That's where the fighting came from..."
When the Kumogakure ninja arrived to investigate, only Baki and his two comrades' corpses remained on the ground.
As for Gaara, Hiroki had already carried him off after the boy lost consciousness from his wounds.
On this battlefield, the land itself seemed fractured—sinkholes formed, and the area looked as though it had undergone intense geological activity. The entire patch of earth had been cut apart like shattered fragments pieced together.
Those cracks in the ground stretched so deeply that they seemed bottomless.
Cautiously stepping up to where Baki and his men lay, the cloud ninjas checked for signs of life.
"They're dead..."
"They seem to be the ones who entered the village today."
"There's still one missing—a little kid."
They exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to do next. Eventually, they decided to bring these corpses back to Kumogakure and report this situation to Yugito.
After hearing their report, Yugito frowned tightly. "Any other clues?"
The reporting ninja shook his head repeatedly.
Yugito sighed helplessly.
Why would Sunagakure suddenly send a team of ninja to the Land of Lightning? And why did they die here? Could this be some kind of trap?
After considering, she said, "Return these deceased back to Sunagakure."
Therefore, Kumogakure even sent personnel to deliver the bodies of Baki and his team back to the Sand Village.
Upon receiving the report, Rasa—who was stationed in Sunagakure—at first felt perplexed, then consumed by fury.
"What?! Baki and the others are dead? Gaara is also missing? Could it be that the Cloud Village has detained him?"
Thinking carefully, he felt it was possible that he had been jointly manipulated by both Konoha and Kumogakure.
Out of nowhere, Minato suddenly appeared, claiming there was something strange in Kumogakure that only Gaara was able to perceive.
Clearly, they were trying to throw Gaara straight into the wolves' den.
Deliberately handing over Konoha's Sealing Technique was merely a way to gain his trust.
Otherwise, why would Minato specifically mention Kumogakure, and why did Gaara so conveniently disappear in the Land of Lightning?
All of this seemed far too coincidental!
There must be a connection between these two events.
"Minato belongs to Konoha in life and death. With his personality, how could he possibly collude with outside forces against Konoha? He's the kind of man who'd give his life for Konoha!"
"He's secretly trying to strengthen Konoha's power while weakening other villages."
"Not long ago, intel came in saying he defended Konoha from unknown enemies. If he truly had hostile intentions, why would he go back to help them?"
"He should be hoping for Konoha's destruction instead. I shouldn't have trusted him."
"Cunning Konoha! Working together with Kumogakure. One spreads false information while the other sets the trap."
"Tsunade acts as the frontwoman while Minato operates from the shadows, both aiming to lure shinobi from other villages into their trap."
Thinking this way, everything seemed to fall into place. Rasa became even more convinced that Minato had ill intentions.
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