The first chapter to Mercer's Progeny! Not designed to be a serious chapter, but more of a prologue.

Chapter 1: Awakening

This is it.

Those were the three words running through Gekko Hayate's mind at the current time.

Moments earlier, he had been spying on Baki of Sunagakure, as he held a secret meeting with that strange Kabuto boy. Hayate had always had his suspicions about Kabuto, and now they were assured. Kabuto was a spy. An attack on Konoha was being planned by Suna and Oto.

Hayate had no time to lose.

He had to rush back to the Hokage to report this immediately.

However, as fortune would have it, while he was leaping and somersaulting across the rooftops, he sensed some form of weapon striking downward toward him, barely giving him enough time to draw his katana and deflect it. As he turned toward his assailant, sword at the ready, he gasped as he laid eyes on the attacker.

"Baki….." Hayate muttered.

"You shouldn't have heard all that Hayate. Didn't your mother ever tell you that eavesdropping is rude?" Baki spoke, with a slight glare. Hayate's eyes narrowed.

"You won't –cough- get away with this Baki!" He growled, grasping his sword tighter.

Baki merely chuckled. "Oh, and you think you can stop me? I'll kill you right here before you can tell your beloved old man!" as he charged Hayate, lifting his sword over his head and swinging it down in a hard downward strike. Hayate barely lifted his sword in time to block the strike, as the sound of metal striking metal rang through the cool night air. Hayate forced some chakra to his arms as he pushed Baki back, following up with a sideways strike, which Baki nimbly dodged with a backflip. Hayate continued to slash with deadly precision at Baki, knowing if he didn't keep up the assault, he could never win. Baki continued to dodge Hayate's strikes, sweating slightly at how precise he was. He would have to end this quickly, or he would be drawing too much attention to the fight. Hayate jumped backward after several more slashes and went through a group of hand seals. "Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!" Hayate bellowed as he blew out a great blast of flame. The flames seared the air as they flew toward Baki, but Baki was too fast.

"Futon: Renkudan!" He shouted after running through a list of hand seals, blasting a large bullet of wind from his mouth, as it penetrated through the flames and smashed into Hayate, knocking him from his feet. Hayate tried to maneuver in the air to regain his composure, but was cut short as Baki brought his blade down and plunged it remorselessly through Hayate's stomach, causing Hayate to cough up a small puddle of blood. Baki tore his blade out just as fast as he'd stabbed with it, as Hayate fell to the ground.

"You lose, Hayate." Baki sneered as he stood over Hayate, blood trailed halfway down his katana, and dripping onto the rooftop.

Hayate coughed violently, spitting up more blood as he looked up at Baki, anger in his eyes.

"You…. Won't get…. –cough cough- away with this…. Baki….." Hayate sputtered weakly, but with a sense of anger in his voice, only making Baki laugh as he raised his sword over Hayate's dying form, preparing to deliver the killing strike.

"This is it." Hayate thought to himself, as Baki brought his blade down fast and hard, piercing Hayate's heart, causing his eyes to widen, and suddenly go dilate and lifeless.

Baki lifted his sword out of Hayate's lifeless form, flicked the blood off of it, and re-sheathed it, before shadow teleporting away.

Hayate's body lay there, lifeless, no color left in his face, no rise and fall of his chest breathing, with blood beginning to run down the rooftop.

That is, until he drew in a sharp breath.

Well, that's the first chapter done! Will post more if I get good reviews, or as the ideas come to me! Praise is accepted, Flame is accepted with justified reason. TY for reading!