Face Them Together!

Rough bark pressed against Kawaki Aoba's hand, but he stayed focused. He barely breathed, afraid of alerting the other members of the Sunagakure ninja squad who could still move.

Baki's feet had sunk completely into the soft earth. The soil seemed to come alive, writhing upward until it covered his calves.

The shock had not left his face, but his hands were already weaving signs. His hoarse voice rang through the woods. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Just as he was about to channel Chakra through his palms into the ground, the pull beneath his feet suddenly intensified. He slid downward against his will, forcing him to break off the signs.

"Damn it! It's a trap!"

Gritting his teeth, he braced his hands against the ground and tried to wrench himself free. But the soil clung tightly to his legs. Every struggle only dragged him deeper.

Not far away, two Sunagakure ninja struggled to their feet. Black ash from the explosion stained their armor, and blood slowly seeped from visible cuts on their arms.

One tall, thin ninja saw Baki's predicament and immediately raised his Kunai. He ran toward him, shouting, "Captain! We're coming to help!"

A short, stocky ninja followed close behind, fists clenched and ready to support him with ninjutsu.

Kawaki Aoba's gaze turned cold. His right hand slipped toward the ninja tool pouch at his waist, and his fingertips touched the cool metal of a Kunai.

He did not strike yet. The two ninja were the real threat. Baki was strong, but trapped as he was, he could not escape quickly. The crucial thing was to stop those two from reaching him, or the trap Aoba had laid would go to waste.

Just as the tall ninja neared Baki, Kawaki Aoba dropped from the treetop. His feet touched