In the back hills of Konoha, two shadowy figures darted through the forest, one chasing the other under the pale moonlight.
Eventually, the figure in front came to a halt. The moonlight revealed the glint of the Sand Ninja forehead protector — unmistakable and defiant.
"Konoha's Anbu… you've forced me to kill you!" Baki growled, spinning around to face the pursuer who had chased him relentlessly, like a madman refusing to give up.
"I am Anbu from Konoha. You're coming back with me for interrogation by the Third Hokage!" the Konoha Anbu declared without hesitation.
Without waiting for a reply, the Anbu charged, unsheathing his short sword in one fluid motion. His movements were clean, efficient — the practiced discipline of an elite.
His blade aimed precisely for Baki's joints — not to kill, but to incapacitate. A calculated decision to ensure Baki could be brought back alive.
But the moment the blade made contact, something felt wrong. The Anbu's expression changed drastically as a strange sensation gripped him.
Before his eyes, Baki's body began to dissolve — into fine, flowing grains of yellow sand!
The Anbu's weapon became lodged in the swirling sand, and no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't come free.
"Hmph! So this is the strength of Konoha's Anbu?" Baki scoffed.
With a swift motion and a flicker of killing intent, Baki struck. The scream of the Anbu echoed briefly before silence fell. The body collapsed at his feet.
Baki wiped the blood from his face in disgust.
Fool. He had only been fleeing to avoid alerting other Konoha shinobi, not because he feared this weakling.
But something still didn't sit right with him.
"This feels... off."
Baki's brow furrowed as he studied the mask of the fallen Anbu. It didn't bear the white fox motif.
Yet, he was certain. The one who had been spying on Gaara before — that masked man had worn a white fox mask and was a little shorter.
Could it be... that man wasn't even Konoha's Anbu?
As that thought crossed his mind, a sharp whooshing sound tore through the night air — a kunai came flying from the blind spot!
Baki twisted to evade, but too late — the kunai had a fine steel wire attached, and it wrapped tightly around him, slamming him into a nearby tree.
"Tch!"
From the shadows, a calm, icy voice echoed.
"It seems that the strength of a Sand Ninja Jōnin is only this much."
A figure stepped out from the woods. Under the moonlight, the white fox mask shimmered with a cold gleam.
"You… it's you!" Baki growled.
It was that masked man again! The same one who had tricked him before. Now, tightly bound to the tree, he was completely immobilized.
Humiliation burned in Baki's chest. He was one of the most capable Jōnin of Sunagakure — to be tied up like a rookie?
With one hand still free, Baki quickly formed a hand seal and shouted, "Wind Style: Kazekiri Technique!"
A violent gust of wind erupted from around his body — sharp and fierce like blades — shredding the wires that bound him. The price, however, was steep.
Blood began to seep from dozens of tiny cuts that lacerated his skin. Using this jutsu on oneself was dangerous, but Baki didn't hesitate.
That was what made him an elite ninja.
It was a shame.
Under normal circumstances, Naruto might have considered someone like Baki a worthy candidate to help rebuild the future of the Whirlpool Nation.
But now…
"You offended Sister Yugao. So now, you'll die to atone."
With a flash, Zabuza's beheading sword appeared in Naruto's hand. He leaped high into the air — and under the moonlight, his figure split into three.
"This move is…!"
Baki's eyes widened in realization.
Konoha-Style Secret Technique: Crescent Moon Dance!
"Hmph! That trick doesn't work on me!" Baki roared, preparing to counter.
But Naruto didn't answer. His cold eyes said everything.
The three figures in the sky suddenly became nine… then eighteen… then thirty-six!
In the blink of an eye, the entire sky was filled with Naruto's silhouettes — like a swarm of silver shadows under the moon.
"Let's go — Konoha Style: Dance of the Three Thousand Suns and Moons!"
"Ahhhh!"
Baki had no time to react. The technique he once mocked now became his end.
It was too beautiful — a deadly art. A radiant moonlight flash swept across him.
He felt a chill on his neck.
Then — nothing.
At the final moment, Baki oddly felt... peace.
Since becoming the guardian of the Jinchūriki, he had carried the crushing burden of helping Sunagakure rise again.
He had sacrificed everything — and endured everything.
The hope of the Sand Village had always rested on his shoulders. Even now, he couldn't afford to let his guard down around Gaara.
Because in a poor and struggling village like Sunagakure, one talented Jōnin was expected to do the work of ten.
His death, in a way, was a release.
---
Somewhere in the spiritual realm…
Fourth Kazekage Rasa: "I never thought… you did so much for the village, Baki."
Baki: "Fourth Kazekage-sama, that's all in the past. As a ninja of the Sand Village, I simply did what I had to do."
Granny Chiyo: "Given Baki's loyalty and contributions, shouldn't he have been considered for the position of the next Kazekage?"
Third Kazekage: "In terms of skill and service, he's capable, but…"
The sentence hung in the air, unfinished.
But everyone understood what was left unsaid:
His birth.
He wasn't from the Kazekage bloodline.
How could he possibly inherit the Will of the Wind?
In the end, compared to Baki, Gaara — as the host of a tailed beast — seemed far more legitimate to lead.
---
The next day, it was as if Baki had never entered Konoha.
Sunagakure made no mention of his disappearance. Konoha didn't bring it up either.
Between two great powers, the disappearance of a single Jōnin wasn't worth igniting a political fire.
Especially with the Chūnin Exams on the horizon.
---
Inside Konoha Hospital...
Uzumaki Naruto entered a quiet ward.
On the hospital bed lay Uzuki Yugao, her body bandaged, but her spirit unbroken.
As soon as she saw the calm, confident smile on Naruto's face, she understood.
Naruto had done it.
He had kept his promise.
Now, it was her turn — to repay the favor.
"..."
"Naruto… did it really have to be like this?"
"Of course!" Naruto nodded without hesitation.
"But… this position… it's so embarrassing… Even Hayate never…"
"Don't ever mention that guy in front of me again!"
"Y-Yes!" Yugao squeaked, her face blushing furiously.