Outside Kasahara Village, the red flare faded.
Yamato appeared in a flash and at once saw Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū on the brink of death beneath the assault of two masked Ninja.
"Wood Release: Silent Killing Bind Technique!"
Without hesitation, Yamato formed hand seals; his arms turned into several sharp wooden spears that shot straight at the attacking masked Ninja.
The pair's offensive stalled; forced to leap back, a flicker of alarm crossed their eyes.
Almost the instant Yamato showed himself, the masked Ninja who had been watching with folded arms flicked a hand signal without pause.
"Withdraw!"
At the low command, all three masked Ninja moved in perfect unison, hurling several smoke bombs.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dense white smoke billowed out, blotting every line of sight.
Yamato swept an arm to disperse part of the smoke, his gaze ice-cold.
The ground was empty; the enemy had pulled back cleanly, without the slightest delay.
"Sensei…"
Kobayashi Takeshi pressed a hand to the wound at his waist; Satō Yū clutched a bleeding arm, both wearing the terror of a narrow escape.
Yamato cut him off at once: "What happened? Who are they? When did they appear?"
Those three had acted with a decisiveness no ordinary wanderer or rogue could match.
Their style made a grim suspicion coil in his chest, weighing heavier by the second.
Satō Yū forced the words through the pain: "We'd just cleared out the mountain bandits when they ambushed us —strong, way beyond us… It felt like they weren't trying to kill us yet, more like forcing us to call for help!"
Kobayashi Takeshi added, "Right! They kept us tied up until we fired the flare!"
Force them to call for backup?
Yamato's brows locked while thoughts raced. A deliberate strike, forcing the flare, then fleeing the moment he arrived —the target wasn't two mere Genin… and not him either.
Then —his face changed abruptly.
"Damn it!!" Yamato's voice cracked with urgency. "Their real target is Shinichi!"
Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū turned deathly pale at the name.
"Shinichi?!"
"They're after Shinichi-kun?!"
Alarm and dread flooded both faces.
Having felt how powerful those masked Ninja were, they knew exactly what that meant for him.
Yamato said no more; his hands snapped together in seals.
"Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique!"
The air beside him rippled; a clump of vital Chakra peeled away, shaping itself into another "Yamato" in the blink of an eye.
"Escort them, find a safe place to hide, stay alert on the road."
The original spoke fast to the clone, gaze never leaving the direction of Ishikawa Village.
"Understood."
The clone nodded, voice perfectly matching his.
The next instant the original's Chakra erupted; he shot off like a black blur, tearing through the night toward Ishikawa Village at top speed, vanishing into the forest in moments.
The clone knelt at once and began emergency first aid on the two wounded Genin.
Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū stared after their teacher, hands cold, hearts gripped by dread.
"Shinichi… hang in there…"