Catching the three Sand Genin had been far too easy.
And yet, none of them were weak.
Genma scratched the back of his head, uneasy. He had expected a fierce struggle—after all, one of them was a Jinchūriki. But this boy, Yuichi, had subdued Gaara with almost laughable ease… and even captured his siblings alongside him.
And those siblings weren't ordinary shinobi either. Temari and Kankuro—children of the Fourth Kazekage.
With such hostages in hand, this battle could shift entirely.
Whoosh!
A shadow flashed behind the three captives.
Baki!
Kunai in hand, he struck at Yuichi's water clones holding the Sand siblings.
But the water clones carried only a fraction of Yuichi's true strength. The instant they sensed the incoming attack, they hurled Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari upward, tossing them toward Yuichi himself.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The clones exploded into water under Baki's kunai.
"Damn it—!" he cursed, leaping to reclaim the siblings.
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
Yuichi's mouth opened wide, spitting out a razor-thin jet of water.
Swoosh!
The invisible blade of water cut cleanly across Baki's path. The Sand jōnin froze, forced to retreat—or be split in two.
In the same motion, Yuichi leapt gracefully into the air, catching all three siblings with ease—Gaara and Kankuro gripped in one arm, Temari in the other.
In less than two breaths, an elite jōnin of Sunagakure had been outmaneuvered.
Genma swallowed hard, his throat dry.
Yuichi stood there, calm and unshaken, as though the exchange had been nothing more than a warm-up.
Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, Hiruzen Sarutobi had seen everything.
So easily… he defeated an elite jōnin. At this age… stronger than the so-called prodigies of the last war…
The Third's gaze lingered heavily on Yuichi.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru—still disguised as the Kazekage—smiled faintly.
A massive chakra pool, flawless mastery of Water Style… not even the old man dares to bring him under direct command. That can only mean one thing about this boy's heritage…
Senju.
Greed flickered in Orochimaru's eyes as he stared at Yuichi.
"Yuichi," Genma barked hurriedly, "don't let anyone take them! Those three are the Kazekage's children—keep them secured!"
He deliberately raised his voice. The rushing torrent of water pouring through the broken arena drowned out anything whispered, so he made sure his words were loud enough to carry.
Not only Yuichi and Sasuke heard.
So did every Sand shinobi in the field.
When their eyes fell upon the scene—Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro bound in Yuichi's grasp—an audible pause rippled through their ranks.
Caught so easily…
They weren't just the Kazekage's children. Each was a prodigy, destined to become the pillars of Sunagakure.
And Gaara… Gaara was the Jinchūriki.
Losing him was unthinkable.
"Kill that brat!"
"Rescue Gaara at all costs!"
"There must be no mistake—move!"
Woosh!
Almost instantly, half of Sunagakure's shinobi abandoned their current opponents, surging toward the center of the arena.
Kunai whistled through the air, flying at Yuichi from every angle.
The shriek of metal cutting wind filled the stadium.
From Yuichi's perspective, it was as though the sky itself had blackened—countless specks streaking toward him from all directions, converging in a deadly storm.