Baki was known as a "strategic general" in the bandit trade, but unlike Shikaku, his reputation was limited to a small area within a radius of ten or so villages. Outside of that, no one recognized him.
His mountain stronghold was casually wiped out by Konoha Ninja, and he was then escorted to the magistrate's office. After a brief interrogation, he was thrown into an endless life of hard labor.
At first, he held onto some hope. After all, that Kunoichi from Konoha seemed to have some intention of recruiting him. He resolved that when the time came, he would stand firm and negotiate his terms. But after waiting for half a year, with no one coming to rescue him, he figured she had just casually mentioned it and had long since forgotten about him.
Relying on others was futile. The endless labor would eventually wear him to death, so he decided to save himself—by escaping!
He sought out his trusted subordinate, East Wind, to discuss the plan, and then gathered a few fellow villagers to create chaos in the prison and make a run for it.
But before he could escape, East Wind betrayed him, selling him out.
Baki was brutally beaten by the prison guards. Just as they were about to flay him alive and feed him to the dogs, news arrived that a high-ranking official was coming. The guards immediately stopped what they were doing.
It wasn't that the official was merciful, but rather that this particular figure enjoyed watching death matches. Someone like Baki, a wild dog of a man, was perfect for keeping alive just long enough to entertain the official.
Outside the prison, Dango, the Chief Magistrate of the Land of Fire, second only to the Lord of Fire Daimyo, arrived in an ox cart, making a discreet visit to the prison.
Dango was fifty years old, wearing glasses and appearing scholarly.
As the Chief Magistrate in charge of the Land of Fire's finances, he was the Daimyo's most trusted confidant and often acted as his proxy.
Through hard work and a sharp mind, he had risen to his current position, but he was far from satisfied. Within the country, there was still a force he despised—a group of crude, disrespectful individuals who ignored hierarchy yet wielded immense power.
That force was the ninja, the Hidden Leaf Village!
Dango's parents had died in a ninja skirmish, their deaths utterly meaningless. He could no longer remember their faces, only that he had wandered for a long time before being taken in by the then-Daimyo, becoming a page who served tea, accompanied readings, and even shared a bed. Back then, he had little understanding of ninja. As an adult, Dango displayed exceptional administrative talent, and the Lord of Fire Daimyo retreated into the background, leaving all governance to him.
The three great wars of the Shinobi World had left the ninja with heavy casualties, and their battles had caused massive destruction to the Land of Fire. After the wars, the ninja simply left, leaving the mess of compensating civilians, repairing markets, and rebuilding homes for Dango to clean up. Why should he bear this burden?
With old grudges and new grievances, Dango had always disliked the Hidden Leaf Village.
Secretly mining gold, bribing ninja from smaller villages, even purchasing Ninjutsu Scrolls, and training samurai loyal to the Daimyo using ninja methods—he had done many things in the shadows.
Dango knew the Daimyo was using him from behind the scenes. If things ever came to light, the Daimyo would surely throw him to the wolves to make peace. But Dango didn't mind.
Accompanying Dango were seven ninja, who, strictly speaking, were former subordinates of the radical guardian ninja, Kazuma.
Kazuma was a radical who believed that the Hokage was an unnecessary existence. He thought that ninjas, as tools, should be uniformly managed by the daimyo. If the daimyo wanted them to live, they would live; if the daimyo wanted them to die, they would die. Tools, after all, should be treated as such.
Kazuma's radical faction clashed with the moderate faction led by Asuma. The moderates emerged victorious, and to appease the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hokage, the daimyo exiled Kazuma and his followers. Now that things have gradually settled down, these ninjas have quietly returned to the Land of Fire.
Standing beside Dango was a kunoichi named Fūka. This woman was originally a Special Jonin from the Sand Hidden Village, secretly recruited by the Land of Fire with money. She had experienced the internal conflict of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, was subsequently exiled, and has now returned.
Behind Fūka stood six ninjas, all from smaller ninja villages, incomparable to her origins in the Sand Hidden Village. Dango had come here today for entertainment and stress relief. Drawing the curtains, he sat behind the scenes, clapping lightly to signal the start of today's performance.
The jailers pushed forward one hardened criminal after another. The physically weak were given a weapon, while the strong were made to fight bare-handed. They were pitted against each other in pairs, with only the victors advancing to the next round. The ultimate winner would be granted freedom.
Dango jokingly referred to his game as the adult version of the Chunin Exams!
A bloody massacre unfolded within the prison, with few rules. Survival meant victory, and death meant defeat.
The deadly battles in the prison left Ino, who had quietly arrived intending to forge a death record and leave, utterly confused. Was this some kind of martial arts competition? Why was it so lively? "Sense!"
She quickly scanned the area.
It seemed there was a big shot behind the curtain, protected by seven ninjas in a circular formation, with thirty samurai guards on the periphery.
Those who could use ninja techniques were ninjas, while those who couldn't but could use chakra, wielded samurai swords, or practiced ancient swordsmanship were samurai. The line between the two was relatively clear.
Sensing ability wasn't the Byakugan, and even with the Byakugan, it was difficult to gauge the strength of an opponent unless they actively attacked.
Ino only knew that the seven ninjas were much stronger than the thirty samurai guards, but she couldn't sense any further information.
What kind of big shot was this? To mobilize so many ninjas? Surely it couldn't be the daimyo of the Land of Fire? She captured a jailer and used her mind-reading ability, but she didn't glean any significant information.
Seeing the battered bandit Baki wielding a spear and engaged in a deadly fight with a strong prisoner, Ino couldn't help but feel uneasy.
In all honesty, her original intention was to rescue Baki and form a construction company. Without Baki's architectural knowledge, relying solely on Karin would make the partnership seem insincere.
Should she save him now? If she did, would it involve this so-called big shot? For a moment, she felt like she was considering assassinating a country's ambassador over a five-pound case.
Two little figures appeared in her mind. One urged her to run, as far away as possible, while the other egged her on to stir up trouble, the bigger the better. A big shot? That's exactly who she should mess with!
Two little figures were fighting chaotically, and in the end, the one named "Reason" emerged victorious. Stirring up trouble? What's there to fear? It's not like we're in the village right now. Besides, organizing such a deadly fight in a prison—could those involved possibly be good people? At worst, it'd just be a matter of using the Vapor Explosion to destroy the evidence and cover the tracks.
"Poof!" The smoke dissipated, and Ino transformed into an old man with bandages wrapped around his head, leaning on a cane.
She had no idea how significant the big shot on the other side was, but since it involved matters of national importance, at this very moment, only the "King of Blame" could command the scene. She had taken on the appearance of Danzo! Ino formed the "Nin" Hand Seal, and nine Shadow Clones appeared.
The nine figures swiftly transformed, soon becoming nine masked Root Ninjas.
Ino waved her hand at the Shadow Clones and said, "Follow me—no, follow this old man!"