"Don't worry, little guy."
Shinichi stroked Gaara's little head and chuckled. "I'm not as weak as I look. That little raccoon inside you can't hurt me, so you don't need to worry so much."
"Sir, you..."
Seemingly sensing something unusual about Shinichi, Yashamaru instinctively shielded Gaara behind him and spoke hesitantly.
Yashamaru was Gaara's maternal uncle and the only light in his childhood, responsible for caring for and protecting him as the One-Tail Jinchuriki.
In the original story, Yashamaru had been forced to attempt to assassinate Gaara on the orders of Gaara's father, Fourth Kazekage Rasa, and had ultimately died to Gaara's rampaging power.
Such a tragic childhood, coupled with the influence of Shukaku the One-Tail's temperament, had twisted Gaara's heart and made him bloodthirsty. If Naruto hadn't saved him with his talk-no-jutsu, who knew what he would have become?
"You're Yashamaru, right?"
Shinichi glanced at the oddly tense Yashamaru and asked teasingly, "I hear you're the one looking after Gaara?"
He actually knows me! And he knows Gaara's name, too!
Yashamaru was a shinobi, after all. He immediately sensed something wrong and went on alert.
He had only been somewhat suspicious before. Shinichi's face was completely unfamiliar, and he didn't look like someone from Sunagakure at all. Now that he had named both him and Gaara outright, that meant he had definitely come prepared!
Most likely, he was here for Gaara, the jinchūriki!
"Don't be so nervous..."
Shinichi wasn't offended by his wariness. He simply strolled forward at a leisurely pace.
Under Yashamaru's stunned gaze, Shinichi appeared behind him out of thin air like a ghost. He distinctly felt something cold and sharp pressed against the back of his head.
It was a kunai!
"I could kill you in an instant, so I suggest you don't try anything unnecessary."