Yuichi appeared suddenly.
Baki's face darkened.
This isn't good… these men alone can't stop this kid.
The only option now is to buy time.
They could only place their hopes on the Sand Shinobi who had fled with the civilians. If enough time was bought, they might escape far enough—perhaps even reach Sunagakure in the Land of Wind.
But Baki, having witnessed Yuichi's power firsthand, had no illusions of victory.
This wasn't just some twelve-year-old Genin.
This was a monster who could fight a Tailed Beast head-on.
To face such a monster was nothing short of suicide.
"Take him down!"
The two Chūnin behind Baki charged at Yuichi.
In that instant, Baki's eyes nearly bulged.
What are those two idiots doing?
Did they really think the boy in front of them was easy prey?
Fools.
How could there be such brainless shinobi in his own village?
Didn't they see the terrifying speed Yuichi displayed just now?
Just because he looks young, they thought he was weak?
"You fools, stop—"
Boom!
A sudden shockwave blasted through the air.
One of the Sand Shinobi Chūnin had his head crushed deep into the ground beneath a black shadow.
Another roar followed.
Bang!
The second Chūnin was hurled backwards like a cannonball, slamming into several towering trees.
His body lodged deep within the trunk. A huge portion of his chest was caved in—his ribs not merely broken, but shattered beyond repair.
The sight of the collapsed chest made the remaining Sand Shinobi shudder.
A cold draft seemed to cut across their backs like a blade.
Yuichi stood calmly, his gaze fixed on the others—most of all, on Baki, the Sand's Elite Jōnin.
He slowly lifted his left foot from the hole in the ground.
The Chūnin beneath it was unrecognizable, his head flattened beyond recognition. A pool of dark blood spread outward, filling the pit with the stench of iron.
The forest reeked of death.
Asuma's cigarette almost slipped from his lips as he turned sharply toward Yuichi.
Even he hadn't been able to follow Yuichi's movements just now.
The surge of chakra around them almost felt like the Body Flicker Technique—yet there had been no sign of hand seals, no blur of motion.
In just a single instant…
The two Sand Chūnin were gone.
At that speed, Asuma knew he couldn't keep up. Not even close.
"Which direction did they take Hyūga Hinata?"
Yuichi didn't ask the Sand Shinobi. He asked Asuma.
Startled, Asuma raised his hand toward the dense woods ahead.
Tracking anyone through such terrain would be difficult.
Yuichi nodded, preparing to move.
But just as he was about to take a step, Baki's voice rang out.
"Wait!"
Yuichi turned back.
Cold sweat dripped down Baki's face. "Nagano-sama… I wish to request a ceasefire on behalf of Sunagakure, and negotiate with Konoha."
Everyone froze at his words.
Because Baki… had just addressed Yuichi as Lord Nagano.
Yuichi was clearly younger than Baki, yet the Elite Jōnin had spoken with deference, adding the honorific.
The Sand Shinobi behind him were stunned.
Why treat a Konoha child with such respect? No matter how powerful he was, wasn't this excessive?
Even Asuma glanced at Yuichi from the corner of his eye.
Baki… an Elite Jōnin… called him "Lord." Yuichi must have power that terrifies even him.
The speed he showed just now was frightening enough. But would a man like Baki really submit so easily for that reason alone?
It didn't add up.
But the reason hardly mattered. What mattered was that Baki had proposed negotiations.
Asuma smiled faintly. "Konoha can accept your request."
Peace was the best outcome.
After three great wars, Asuma had no desire to see a Fourth Shinobi War erupt. If negotiations could prevent it, then all the better.
But Baki's words had been directed at Yuichi.
Yuichi gave Asuma a faint glance.
He didn't understand.
Is this naïve idealism inherited from father to son? Both so afraid of war?
Couldn't Asuma see?
Baki wasn't proposing true negotiations. He was stalling for time.
If they really wanted peace, they would send envoys to Konoha—not try to block Leaf shinobi here.
It was obvious deception. Yet Asuma actually believed it.
From Asuma's view, avoiding bloodshed was paramount.
But Yuichi knew: sometimes, sacrifice was necessary.
Baki's eyes flickered when he heard Asuma's agreement. A flicker Yuichi noticed instantly.
The corner of Yuichi's lips curled upward.
Baki said solemnly, "Then Sunagakure will send envoys to Konoha at once. I will accompany you back to prove our sincerity."
An Elite Jōnin offering himself as proof—persuasive indeed.
Asuma nodded. If Baki volunteered this much, then perhaps his intentions were genuine.
"Alright. Come with me—"
Asuma never finished.
A crimson bloom erupted from Baki's neck. Blood scattered into the air like a lotus unfurling its petals.
A kunai gleamed with cold steel, buried deep at an angle through Baki's throat.
Yuichi's body flipped forward gracefully, and in midair he drove the kunai home, his posture inverted like a phantom.
"You're stalling… to buy time for Hinata to be smuggled into Sunagakure. To raise your bargaining chip—the Jinchūriki."
His voice was calm, whispering in Baki's ear.
Baki's fading eyes locked onto Asuma, but his mind echoed with Yuichi's words.
He saw right through me…
His vision blurred.
Shhhhk!
Yuichi pulled the kunai free.
Baki collapsed. Even at the brink of death, he never truly understood how Yuichi had done it.
So… fast…