In his first tournament in the top division Baruto scored a strong 11–4 record and won the "kantō-shō" (or Fighting Spirit Prize). After a second winning record in July and another promotion, Baruto's quick ascent through the ranks halted at "maegashira" 1. He withdrew from the September tournament with an injury, which lowered his standing to "maegashira" 6 in the November tournament. The result of 10–5 there took him up to "maegashira" 3, but he was again injured in the January 2007 tournament. He suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He was unable to compete in the March tournament as well and his ranking suffered, resulting in a return to the "jūryō" ranks. In May he won the "jūryō" championship with a 14–1 record, resulting in an immediate return to "makuuchi" in July to the position of "maegashira" 14 East. However, he re-injured his knee on the opening day and decided to withdraw from the tournament. It was the third time he had injured the knee, each time in a different place. He opted against surgery, which would have required a lengthy lay-off.