Chapter 3 — The Superman Template
"It really is a trap!"
The moment Baki saw the absurdly handsome stranger standing beside Seiki, killing intent erupted from him like a sandstorm.
His chakra surged.
"Does a Konoha ninja not dare show his real face?!" he roared.
The desert wind whipped around them as tension spiked to a breaking point.
"…We've been exposed."
The handsome man sighed in resignation. With a small puff of smoke, his disguise dissolved.
Long white hair spilled down his back. A red outer robe. Distinctive facial markings.
"J-Jiraiya?!"
Baki's eyes widened in disbelief.
Standing before him was none other than the legendary Sannin of Konoha—the Toad Sage, Jiraiya.
"To think… I would see one of the Sannin here…"
His voice trailed off.
Almost unconsciously, Baki's hands slid behind his back—readying a hidden weapon.
He didn't get the chance.
In a blur of motion, Jiraiya stepped forward. Sand burst beneath his sandals as he appeared directly in front of Baki.
A single hand clamped down on Baki's wrist.
The grip was iron.
"Let Seiki finish speaking," Jiraiya said coldly.
The pressure from an elite shinobi of Jiraiya's caliber was suffocating. Baki felt his pulse spike; cold sweat formed instantly along his spine.
"Baki-san," Seiki spoke calmly, "what I'm about to tell you concerns the future of Sunagakure."
The steadiness in his voice cut through the tension.
Over the past year, Baki had observed this boy—quiet, disciplined, respectful toward the Kazekage. He wasn't impulsive nor foolish.
Slowly, Baki forced himself to listen.
"Unfortunately," Seiki continued, "the Third Kazekage is dead."
"N-No… impossible!"
Instinctively, Baki denied it, though in his heart he had long prepared for this possibility. Still, he asked, "Could it have been Konoha?"
"No."
Seiki shook his head and pointed a finger at him.
Baki suddenly realized—the Third Kazekage must have been killed by an insider within the village. Yet, he couldn't imagine who could commit such a deed…
"Who?" he demanded hoarsely.
Seiki spoke four words.
"Akasuna no Sasori."
Baki froze.
The name echoed in his skull.
Sasori… the prodigy puppeteer.
The one who defected years ago.
No one had ever connected his defection with the Kazekage's disappearance.
But the timelines…
They aligned perfectly.
"Why would Sasori do such a thing?" Baki whispered.
"You know why," Seiki replied quietly. "Sasori's parents were killed by the White Fang of Konoha."
Baki nodded stiffly.
Everyone in Sunagakure knew that tragedy.
"The White Fang is already dead," Seiki continued. "The only remaining figure who could be blamed as the hidden orchestrator of that era… is the Third Kazekage."
Baki lowered his head.
"Do you have proof?" he asked.
"The proof," Seiki answered, "is Sasori himself."
Suddenly—
Baki exploded.
"Sasori has been missing for years!" he roared. "That means you have no proof!"
With a violent twist, he broke free from Jiraiya's grip. Chakra flared at his fingertips as he formed rapid hand seals.
"Wind Blade!"
Compressed wind chakra condensed into a razor-thin crescent—pure cutting force. An A-rank technique.
The blade tore forward at terrifying speed, slicing the air apart.
There was no room to dodge.
Jiraiya's expression changed.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall—"
Too slow.
The wind blade had already reached Seiki.
"Damn it…" Seiki thought grimly. "My taijutsu alone can't outrun the wind…"
For years, he had trained relentlessly. Pushed his body to its limit. Swum through boiling sand.
And now—
Was this how it ended?
At that instant—
Ding.
Time stopped.
The wind froze inches from his chest.
Sand grains hung suspended in midair.
A mechanical voice echoed within his mind.
[System lock detected.]
[Congratulations, Host. Teen-Superman Template unlocked.]
[Synchronizing with super abilities in the Naruto world—]
A surge of information flooded his consciousness.
[Strength: Reaches the monstrous physical level comparable to the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.]
[Speed: Reaches the upper limit achievable through chakra enhancement.]
[Vision: Microscopic vision and X-ray penetration unlocked.]
[Defense: Immune to all ninjutsu and taijutsu below S-rank. Internal organs can withstand any pressure.]
Seiki's heartbeat thundered.
A mission notification appeared.
[Mission Triggered: Defeat a member of Akatsuki.]
[Reward: Ten days of unlimited chakra usage + increased template completion.]
"Template completion?" Seiki asked mentally, barely containing his excitement.
[Increasing completion unlocks higher Superman variants. Upon staged completion, new templates and additional abilities become available.]
His mind exploded with possibilities.
"A teen template is already this absurd…"
If it evolved into Silver Age…
Golden…
Even the Thought Robot…
That would shatter the dimensional wall itself.
Time resumed.
Jiraiya surged forward, chakra flooding his body, prepared to intercept—
But he was just slightly too late.
The Wind Blade struck Seiki head-on.
Baki's eyes darkened.
He was certain of the outcome.
Without chakra reinforcement, there was no way Seiki could survive.
"Don't blame me," Baki muttered. "The shinobi code has no mercy."
"Seiki!!"
Jiraiya roared, eyes reddening as Seiki's body fell backward.
The thick windproof coat shredded instantly under the slicing current. Cloth scattered across the sand.
Silence followed.
"Sorry… Seiki… I was careless…"
Then—
"Mm."
Seiki's voice sounded.
"I died once fifteen years ago. It won't be so easy this time."
Baki's breath stopped.
Jiraiya froze—
Then burst into laughter that trembled with relief.
Under the moonlight, Seiki stood.
His coat hung in tatters.
But his body—
Unmarked. Not a single scratch.
"My… A-rank Wind Blade…" Baki whispered in disbelief. "It couldn't even injure an ordinary person?"
Seiki exhaled lightly.
"Baki-san… I thought you were calm and rational."
He performed a backward flip and landed smoothly on his feet.
"Pathetic. My clothes are ruined."
With a casual motion, he tore off the shredded fabric.
Moonlight illuminated his torso.
Smooth skin.
No scars.
No wounds.
"Y-You… who are you?"
"Seiki," he answered evenly. "Sarutobi Seiki."
The name hit harder than any jutsu.
"Sarutobi…?" Baki stammered. "The Sarutobi clan of Konoha… your relation to the Third Hokage?"
"Hm? He's my grandfather."
"Huh?!"
Baki stumbled backward and nearly fell.
The image of the Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi—loomed in his mind like a mountain.
"A Hokage's grandson… a Sannin… What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Seiki moved. Without hand seals, he seemed to teleport. His speed shocked Baki; even Jiraiya couldn't believe his eyes.
Seiki reappeared directly in front of Baki, crouching so their eyes were level.
"I'm here to end the Third Shinobi World War. The root of the ninja wars is the disappearance of the Third Kazekage. I'm here to help you."
"What's… your plan?" Baki asked quietly.
Baki barely dared to breathe. Seiki could take his Wind Blade without harm—a clear sign their strength was on an entirely different level.
"I've already found Sasori's hideout. We could have handled him ourselves, but since this involves the Third Kazekage, I thought it best to have your people involved. Do you agree?"
Baki could only nod mechanically.
"Now, go inform Rasa and Granny Chiyo. Ask whether they wish to participate in capturing Akasuna no Sasori."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Relax. Your heartbeat is too fast."
Through his vision, he could see it clearly—the rapid pulse, the constricted pupils.
"If I intended harm," Seiki added calmly, "you would already be a corpse."
The desert wind swept across the dunes once more.