Chapter 28 My anger is still far greater than yours
The Sand Hidden Village outpost, once a bustling camp, now lay in ruins.
Everywhere bore the brutal traces of Shukaku's rampage, and the once verdant forest had turned desolate. It was hard to imagine what the camp had looked like before.
In the air, now transformed into a wasteland, remnants of Shukaku's cold chakra lingered, the pressure still palpable.
Where Shukaku had stood moments ago, a ninja clad in a black coat now stood. This person was none other than the current leader of the Sand Hidden Village, the Third Kazekage, and the most outstanding and powerful ninja in the village.
On the desolate land, scattered black sand covered the ground. The Third Kazekage glanced at a fallen unconscious monk nearby. The monk's skin had been burned, yet his life force was recovering at an exceptional speed.
Even to the Third Kazekage, this scene was incredibly astonishing.
"If it were an ordinary Jinchuriki, they would have died long ago... Truly a resilient fellow," he murmured to himself.
Shukaku was the Tailed Beast that had been in their possession since ancient times in the Sand Hidden Village.
However, because the power of the Tailed Beasts was immense, even catching a glimpse from afar would instill fear in ordinary shinobi, an unfathomable terror that reached deep into their souls.
That is why the Tailed Beasts needed to be sealed within human bodies using the art of sealing, utilizing individuals known as Jinchuriki as sacrificial vessels to contain the Tailed Beasts' power, to be used when necessary.
And this monk was the Jinchuriki of Shukaku in their village.
"Kazekage-sama!"
A large group of Sand shinobi arrived, roughly numbering four to five hundred, all elite ninja of the Sand Hidden Village.
One of the high-ranking ninja approached, visibly relieved to see that the Jinchuriki was unharmed. With admiration and respect, he looked at the Third Kazekage, their leader.
The Third Kazekage nodded at these Sand shinobi.
"Well done, Kazekage-sama. Shukaku should be stable for a while now."
Regarding the high-ranking ninja's judgment, the Third Kazekage shook his head and said, "It's not that easy. Fuku's cooperation is still lacking. If he were willing to cooperate, I wouldn't have resorted to other means to stimulate Shukaku."
Fuku was the name of the monk.
As the Jinchuriki, his relationship with the sealed Tailed Beast Shukaku was very strong. Because of this, Shukaku had been sealed quite stably over the years.
But problems still existed.
Fuku, being compassionate and peace-loving, was a Jinchuriki who detested conflict.
For this reason, during the reign of the Second Kazekage Shamon, the Sand Hidden Village's previous leader, Fuku had been imprisoned. Shamon had studied the power of Shukaku within him, developing a series of Magnet Release ninjutsu.
Even so, Fuku had not submitted to the Second Kazekage.
After Shamon, the Second Kazekage, passed away, Fuku's disciple, the Third Kazekage, who had inherited the will of the previous Kazekage, pondered how to militarize the Tailed Beast's power.
This time was an attempt, an effort to use the Tailed Beast's power to catch the Leaf Village off guard and seize the abundant resources of the Land of Fire.
However, the results were not very promising. Due to Fuku's lack of cooperation, Shukaku's emotions had become highly unstable recently. If he hadn't sensed a problem with the seal, he wouldn't have rushed here to reseal the rampaging Shukaku within the Jinchuriki's body.
"What should we do next, Kazekage-sama?" the high-ranking ninja asked.
"For now, let's set aside the matter of the Jinchuriki. There must be a way to make that stubborn fellow Fuku cooperate. But what is the Leaf Village doing here?" the Third Kazekage responded.
Suppressing Shukaku hadn't required much effort, as his ninjutsu was specifically developed for this purpose.
Compared to the exposure of Shukaku's location, the sudden attack of the Leaf Village shinobi was what the Third Kazekage considered the key issue.
Dispatching the Tailed Beast to the battlefield had to be done covertly in order to swiftly crush the Leaf Village shinobi and invade the heartland of the Land of Fire, taking them by surprise
"We don't know either. Those Leaf Village shinobi suddenly attacked," the high-ranking ninja answered, his expression grim.
The matter concerning the Tailed Beast was of utmost importance, and there couldn't be any risk of it being leaked.
"Re-investigate the personnel here," the Third Kazekage issued the order.
"Yes!" the high-ranking ninja nodded solemnly.
At the moment, it seemed more likely that there was a traitor within the village.
"By the way, what should we do with those Leaf Village shinobi?" asked the high-ranking ninja.
"Don't worry. When I arrived, I had already dispatched a team to chase and eliminate those Leaf Village shinobi. I believe we will soon receive good news," the Third Kazekage replied confidently, gazing into the distance with a calm expression, trusting the Sand shinobi sent to hunt down the Leaf Village intruders.
The high-ranking ninja nodded and instructed others to lift the unconscious monk from the ground onto their shoulders.
"Well then, Kazekage-sama, I will go and reposition the Jinchuriki."
"Go ahead. Afterward, I will increase the guard force appropriately. We cannot afford any more surprises this time."
"Understood!"
...
In the Land of Rivers, at the bottom of a cliff in the forest.
"Ah!"
After thrusting his kunai into the enemy's chest, Shiroshi also gasped heavily. He took a step back, exhausted, and sat down on the ground, clutching his blood-red side.
"These guys are really tough... Wind Blades, huh?"
Leaving such a deep and bloody wound on his body, even after enhancing his physique with natural energy, the Sand elite ninja's Wind Blades were undeniably sharp ninjutsu.
Furrowing his brow, Shiroshi placed his palm, glowing with a faint green light, over his side, beginning to heal the wound.
Beside him, Rui and Ayane also sat there, panting for breath. Their clothes were covered in dust, and they had consumed soldier pills to replenish their chakra.
Around them, there were a total of twenty-one fallen Sand shinobi, with shuriken and kunai scattered all around.
Among them were three high-ranking shinobi, while the rest were all mid-ranking shinobi.
Annihilating this unit of shinobi had come at a heavy cost for Shiroshi and the others.
Having healed his side wound, Shiroshi patted his ninja tool pouch, finding it almost empty except for two sealed scrolls and an experimental vial for collecting Shukaku's chakra.
"Do we still have soldier pills?"
Physical techniques did not consume chakra, but medical ninjutsu required chakra. However, his ninja tool pouch was now devoid of soldier pills.
Even if they made do with what they found in the surroundings, they had to consider the possibility of Sand shinobi launching another surprise attack at any moment.
"No, we ran out. The last one was just used," Ayane apologetically replied.
Rui shook her head as well. Soldier pills were primarily meant to alleviate hunger, and chakra recovery was only a secondary effect.
Even the specially crafted soldier pills made by Shiroshi had limitations on how much chakra they could restore.
Shiroshi sighed helplessly and struggled to stand, slowly making his way toward the fallen Sand shinobi, checking their ninja tool pouches for any usable equipment.
Luckily, on the first body he searched, he found several undamaged shuriken and two exploding tags in the ninja tool pouch. Shiroshi collected them all and stored them in his own ninja tool pouch.
Suddenly, one of the fallen Sand shinobi opened his eyes and, with swirling razor-sharp winds surrounding his hand, swung a Wind Blade toward Shiroshi's body.
Shiroshi was taken aback, not expecting there to be a feigning death tactic among them. Reacting quickly, he twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the attack as a few strands of hair floated down.
Cold sweat dripped down Shiroshi's face, and he rolled away in a disheveled state.
The Sand shinobi, covered in blood, menacingly charged at Shiroshi, but before he could defend himself, a fireball came crashing down.
The Sand shinobi struggled and roared within the raging flames, eventually collapsing and turning into a charred black corpse.
Rui took a deep breath, looking even more exhausted.
The fireball earlier had nearly depleted her remaining chakra.
Continuing to drain chakra would be lethal.
"You idiot! Can't you even distinguish between the dead and the living?"
"Sorry."
Shiroshi awkwardly climbed up from the ground, dusting off his clothes.
Continuing his search of the bodies, he proceeded with much more caution after the previous incident.
Before touching each body, he would throw a shuriken to prevent anyone from feigning death.
Fortunately, this worry was unnecessary. Among the fallen Sand shinobi, only the one from earlier hadn't died completely.
In the end, Shiroshi acquired around forty shuriken and kunai combined, along with sixteen soldier pills and approximately ten exploding tags.
In front of Rui and Ayane, who were no longer moving, he began distributing these spoils.
Rui and Ayane didn't hesitate, mainly due to the extreme circumstances they had just experienced.
With sixteen soldier pills, Shiroshi and Ayane took four each, while Rui, whose ninjutsu consumed more chakra, took half of them.
The three immediately consumed the soldier pills to replenish their chakra.
After Shiroshi had recovered, he prepared to use medical ninjutsu to tend to Rui and Ayane's wounds.
"No need. These are just minor injuries. We can endure them for now," Rui said, taking a white bandage and skillfully wrapping it around her bleeding lower leg and arm. Despite the deep pain caused by the wounds, she didn't furrow her brow.
"Rui is right. Our situation is still not completely safe, and these injuries won't affect our combat effectiveness for the time being. There's no need to waste chakra," Ayane agreed, following Rui's lead and using medical bandages to stop the bleeding.
"Alright then," Shiroshi didn't insist.
A cold, chilly wind blew between the valley, making the three tighten their collars, feeling the chill creeping into their bodies.
To reduce the pursuit of the Sand shinobi, the three took a detour, entering the river valley at the bottom of the Land of Rivers.
The terrain here was complex and the environment harsh, covered by thick mist above.
Looking closely, the mist was white, but deep within it was pitch-black, like a massive black hole swirling above their heads.
After resting for a while and regaining some strength, they began searching for an exit.
The surrounding walls were damp and the further they went, the darker it became. The deep valley was filled with a dense, chilling mist, making their skin feel cold.
The three walked forward without saying a word, preserving their energy.
They didn't want to waste unnecessary stamina. In times like these, it was beneficial to conserve every bit of strength.
Ayane used her restored chakra, aided by the soldier pills, to activate her Byakugan.
In such a dim environment, the visible objects were extremely limited. However, by observing the flow of chakra pathways, she could determine if there were any hidden ambushes nearby.
"Someone is coming. Probably Sand shinobi," Ayane stopped and spoke.
Shiroshi and Rui merely let out a sigh, not saying anything.
"How many are there?" Rui asked after a moment of silence.
"Eleven."
"I have a method to deal with them all at once. Ayane, find a narrow passage for me. Let's eliminate them here."
Rui's words surprised Shiroshi and Ayane.
But seeing the confident expression on Rui's face, Ayane chose to believe that she possessed such abilities.
"I understand."
The Sand shinobi still had some distance to cover before reaching them. In that time, they could find a narrow passage.
Although they didn't know the exact details of Rui's plan, as the core combat force among the three, Rui wouldn't make empty boasts.
Soon, Ayane found a suitable narrow passage, with only two paths to walk through—forward and backward—surrounded by towering rocky walls, blocking any retreat.
"Is this place suitable?"
"It's enough. How long until they arrive?"
Rui's expression became solemn, as if she had made up her mind.
"Based on their speed, they will arrive in two minutes."
"Remind me in the final ten seconds."
Ayane nodded in agreement.
Shiroshi furrowed his brow. While he trusted Rui's abilities, he had never heard of her practicing more powerful ninjutsu, nor had there been any previous information about it.
Therefore, Shiroshi remained skeptical about Rui's method of dealing with an elite Sand shinobi all at once.
But for now, they could only hope that Rui's plan would be effective.
Seconds ticked away, and Rui stood at the forefront.
Her fierce and resolute figure, standing firm like a flower on the ridge in the face of a storm, was truly admirable.
"They're here!"
Ayane spoke as the final ten seconds approached.
Rui didn't hesitate and began performing hand seals, executing a standard Fire Release jutsu.
She gathered all her chakra and natural energy in her mouth, forcefully fusing them together without conducting a safe experiment.
Then, Rui felt an incredibly terrifying energy surging throughout her body.
This tremendous sensation was something Rui had never experienced before.
As she had expected, while Shiroshi had conducted the experiment for harnessing natural energy, Rui believed she had already surpassed him in utilizing this power.
It was precisely because of this belief that she had the confidence to fuse her remaining chakra and natural energy without a safe experiment, forming a powerful Senjutsu chakra.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
"Wait, Rui-"
Shiroshi noticed the problem.
With Rui's current level of chakra, she didn't have enough to unleash a wide-range Fire Release jutsu like Great Fire Annihilation.
If the chakra supply was insufficient, not only would the power of the jutsu decrease, but it could also backfire on the user.
However, by the time the sea of flames appeared, Shiroshi's voice had already been drowned out.
And even if she had heard it, Rui had no intention of following Shiroshi's approach.
Methodology and experiments were not her strong suits, but when it came to battle, she wouldn't submit to anyone.
In the depths of the valley, the flames surged like a tsunami, consuming everything in their path. The area that was previously filled with a cold atmosphere immediately gave an illusion of being in a scorching hell.
The group of Sand shinobi hadn't even encountered the enemy yet, but they were completely petrified, their consciousness blank.
There was no escape.
There was no resistance.
The darkness was engulfed by flames.
The air in this place warped, a terrifying sight brought about by extreme heat.
Time and space fell into a deathly silence, only the sounds of the raging flames could be heard.
The searing heat, which cracked the skin, continued to intensify. The sea of flames relentlessly grew in the narrow space, devouring everything in its path.
Standing beside Rui, Shiroshi and Ayane couldn't help but take a breath, only to find their throats filled with scalding boiling water, causing them discomfort and pain.
The rocky walls washed by the sea of flames turned into bright red flaming crystals, emitting a radiant light.
And in front of them, the eleven Sand shinobi, with nowhere to escape, had already been reduced to ashes. Their bodies were nowhere to be found, as they had incinerated and vanished into thin air.
In the early morning, just as the sky was getting a bit brighter.
"Still no sign of them?"
"Sorry, Jiraiya-sensei, I haven't found anything."
Minato, who was acting alongside Jiraiya in the southern valleys of the Land of Rivers, shook his head lightly in response to Jiraiya's inquiry.
"Damn it, didn't expect a mission to turn out like this."
Jiraiya clenched his fist and struck a nearby tree, gritting his teeth in frustration.
He wasn't worried about Sakumo, as his mission information hadn't been tampered with. The problem lay with the other three who had fallen into Root's trap.
Jiraiya had no idea how Root would act and how they might deal with Sakumo's three subordinates.
Regardless, it was his own mistake that had led the three into this situation.
But who could have imagined that even the ANBU, directly under the Hokage, would have spies planted by Root?
Jiraiya really wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to thoroughly investigate Root.
Even the ANBU, entrusted with secret missions and the safety of the Hokage, could not afford any mishaps.
However, considering his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi's, compassionate nature, he probably wouldn't do much beyond giving a verbal warning.
"Please don't worry like this, Jiraiya-sensei, maybe they have good luck on their side. All we can do is find them as quickly as possible, whether they are alive or not."
Minato consoled Jiraiya.
"I know, I'm just venting. Now, only the bottom of the cliff ahead remains unsearched. I've been there before with Tsunade and Orochimaru; the terrain is quite complicated. Minato, make sure you don't stray too far from me."
"Yes."
Minato nodded seriously.
Although he believed in his own abilities, compared to Jiraiya, who was a high-level Jonin, he still had many immature areas.
"I hope nothing happens to those three. Otherwise, the Uchiha clan..."
Jiraiya was not ignorant of the current situation in Konoha. The Uchiha clan, as the number one prominent family in Konoha, had several high-level Jonin with three-tomoe Sharingan. Just one of them was troublesome enough, but if they united, they could easily suppress all other ninja clans outside of the Senju clan.
In contrast to the moderate and gentle attitude of the Hyuga clan, the Uchiha were mostly a group of unruly and difficult-to-tame individuals.
If they were angered, they could do anything.
Thinking of this, Jiraiya mentally cursed Danzo inside and out.
...
It was already early morning, but the thick fog above the deep valley prevented sunlight from penetrating below, causing only a faint halo of light to scatter within the mist.
Inside a pitch-black cave, there was only a burning fire that dispelled the surrounding gloom and cold.
On the stable ground of the cave, Rui had her eyes closed at the moment, tightly gripping her chest. Her face showed a great deal of pain, gasping for breath with difficulty. Her exhalations were weak, as if her life was at risk.
A tremendous and violent chakra still lingered within her, which was the power of the "Senjutsu" technique.
"How is she?"
Ayane asked with concern.
This weak state of Rui was something she had never seen before.
Her pale face resembled that of a corpse, and her labored breathing made it seem as if her life could slip away at any moment.
However, considering the destructive power of the previous Fire Release jutsu, it was not surprising that there would be such aftereffects.
Although the power of that Fire Release jutsu was not yet comparable to the Tailed Beast Chakra, it was still an invincible force that ordinary ninja couldn't withstand.
Senjutsu, huh? Ayane sighed in her heart.
She couldn't help but greatly admire Rui's boldness and felt somewhat inferior in comparison.
Under those circumstances, being able to fuse natural energy and chakra was incredibly difficult.
Yet, Rui had achieved this, though it was barely, and had effectively used Senjutsu. That was an undeniable fact.
"It's quite troublesome; I need to perform a surgery immediately. Help me restrain her."
Shiroshi took out a scroll from his ninja tools pouch, unraveled the seals on it, and a medical kit appeared on the ground, containing all the necessary medicines and surgical tools.
Even with his exquisite medical ninjutsu, there was still a certain degree of risk. However, in the current situation, the longer they delayed, the more likely they would miss the best timing for the operation.
Therefore, he had no choice but to take the risk and perform the surgery.
"I understand."
Ayane knelt down beside Rui and firmly held her body with both hands.
Shiroshi took a deep breath, and then, to Ayane's surprised gaze, he rolled up Rui's clothes, exposing her snow-white belly. He kept rolling up the clothes until they reached her chest.
Ayane's face immediately turned red.
"Don't get distracted, just hold her down," came Shiroshi's calm voice.
"Uh," Ayane lowered her head, her face even redder.
Shiroshi paid no attention to Ayane's wandering thoughts and placed his palm on Rui's exposed abdomen.
Shiroshi closed his eyes, briefly sensing the situation, then opened his eyes, his expression growing more serious.
The chakra and natural energy within Rui's body were in great turmoil, especially the natural energy. It was originally in a gentle and stable state, but due to the sudden fusion with chakra, the power of Senjutsu went out of control inside Rui's body.
To ensure Rui's safety, the natural energy had to be extracted from her body. However, the problem was that the natural energy and chakra were now mixed together, making the separation process risky.
Although Shiroshi had conceived the final form of the surgery, he had never actually performed it. It was merely a hypothetical scenario.
If it were only about the natural energy, Shiroshi could easily handle it. But when it came to removing chakra from the body, it was a different and much more dangerous situation. The success rate was uncertain.
This was the only surgery he had encountered since becoming a medical ninja that had an indeterminate success rate.
He hoped that his past experimental data and the final form of the Senjutsu wouldn't have too much discrepancy.
On the other hand, the safest option would be to extract both the natural energy and chakra from Rui's body, which was the simplest and most effective way to get her out of danger.
The problem was that Shiroshi wasn't sure if removing the chakra from the body would lead to actual death or if it would only be a hypothetical outcome.
If he removed both the natural energy and chakra, and even if he restored the chakra afterward, Rui might still not wake up, which would be embarrassing.
If this hypothesis proved to be correct, solving Rui's current situation would be much easier. The root cause of her current state was the fusion of natural energy and chakra, leading to the Senjutsu running wild. By removing both energies, Rui could be freed from danger.
Shiroshi started the surgery by injecting a drug into Rui's body. After the injection, her complexion improved significantly, although she was still weak and gasping for breath. But compared to her previous state, she was much better.
Seeing this, Shiroshi began the surgery.
During the procedure, Rui struggled violently a few times, but Ayane firmly restrained her.
This allowed Shiroshi to concentrate solely on the separation jutsu.
Rui groaned in pain as the procedure continued. Despite the anesthesia, the intense pain was difficult to bear.
As time passed, Rui's condition gradually improved. A slight flush of red returned to her face, and her breathing became steadier.
Shiroshi let out a sigh of relief. Although he hadn't completely separated the Senjutsu chakra, most of it had been disentangled. The next step would be to extract the natural energy from Rui's body.
Once they returned to their camp and had all the necessary equipment, they could safely remove the remaining danger.
Shiroshi's palm began to emit a deep green light as he used the separation jutsu to extract the natural energy from Rui's body.
Just then, they heard the sound of footsteps outside the cave, causing both Shiroshi and Ayane to slightly change their expressions.
Ayane quickly activated her Byakugan with the remaining chakra in her body to survey the situation outside.
"Who is it? Sand shinobi?" Shiroshi asked.
"No, it's Root's shinobi," Ayane replied, gritting her teeth.
If it wasn't for Root's shinobi, the three of them wouldn't have ended up in such a dire situation.
While the pursuing squad of Sand shinobi had been mostly dealt with by them, they hadn't expected Root's shinobi to keep tailing them.
"They were able to avoid your Byakugan before because they knew its range is five kilometers. They have a lot of intelligence about us," Ayane said.
"Do they know everything?"
"No,otherwise, the ANBU directly under the Hokage would have contacted me."
Shiroshi analyzed calmly.
Based on Rui's initial intelligence, although Root was a branch of the ANBU, the leader wasn't the Hokage himself but another high-ranking elder of Konoha, Danzo Shimura.
The intentions of the enemy were still unclear to Shiroshi.
Whether they were aiming to eliminate Sakumo's team leader, Sakumo Hatake, or they were after the three of them, Shiroshi couldn't tell.
"What do we do now?" Ayane didn't know what to do. With her limited chakra reserves and the fact that she hadn't yet undergone natural energy training, she couldn't offer much combat power.
"Go out and meet them. Rui is out of danger, and it doesn't matter if the surgery is interrupted."
Shiroshi concluded the medical ninjutsu, leaving Rui in the cave.
Ayane nodded and walked out of the cave with Shiroshi.
Outside, four figures stood, the same Root team that had encountered Shiroshi and the others at the beginning.
They wore masks with an uncomfortable, cold color, their eyes devoid of any emotion, like machines.
They stood in a row, motionless, their gazes fixed on Shiroshi and Ayane.
As one of them raised their hand, preparing to attack, Shiroshi took action first.
His attack wasn't aimed at the Root shinobi, but at Ayane.
He pressed Ayane face down and twisted her hands behind her back.
"Shiroshi-kun!?" Ayane was startled. Exhausted, she couldn't react in time and was pinned down by Shiroshi.
Shiroshi spoke with a helpless tone, "Can't you see the situation now? I didn't expect you to be such a foolish woman. I don't want to die with you all; I want to live my life properly."
After saying this, he looked at the four Root shinobi and said to their leader, "I am a medical ninja, the least threatening and the most useful among us. I am willing to join you, whether you control me with genjutsu or poison, I don't want to die. Give me a chance, how about it?"
The leader of the Root squad was genuinely considering it. Indeed, as Shiroshi said, he posed the least threat, and they were currently in need of a medical ninja for their forbidden human experimentation.
As for whether Shiroshi would betray them, it wasn't even worth considering. Once he joined Root, freedom or any other choice would be out of his hands.
"I appreciate your self-awareness; I'll give you a chance."
The leader threw a shuriken, which landed near Shiroshi's feet.
"Kill the woman under you."
"Alright."
Without hesitation, though a fleeting struggle flashed on his face, it was soon replaced by a fierce expression.
Shiroshi picked up the shuriken and aimed it at Ayane's neck, preparing to strike.
However, a kunai flew over, knocking the shuriken out of Shiroshi's hand.
Puzzled, Shiroshi looked at the Root shinobi. It was one of them who interrupted his attack.
"Your determination is commendable, but killing a fellow ninja from your village so easily isn't good."
The leader of the Root shinobi spoke with extreme hypocrisy.
After all, inheriting the bloodline limit of the Byakugan, even if it's from a branch family, a living specimen is much more useful than a corpse.
Moreover, Ayane had very little chakra left in her body; she posed no threat at all.
"Understood. I don't want to bear the infamy of killing my own comrades either."
The leader of the Root squad was very pleased with Shiroshi's recognition of the situation.
He believed that Shiroshi would become a competent medical ninja for Root.
Having such faith would make it easier to survive in this world.
Two Root shinobi walked towards Shiroshi. He willingly stepped aside, raising his empty hands in a gesture of complete compliance, showing no threat.
"I didn't expect you to be like this. It's amazing how much trust Rui and I had in you."
One of the Root shinobi took out a rope and restrained Ayane's hands again. Ayane glared at Shiroshi with anger.
"Compared to staying alive, this doesn't really matter. This era is terrible. Unlike you guys born into prestigious clans, I have to achieve everything through my own efforts."
Shiroshi didn't want to argue with them.
The other Root shinobi also moved behind Shiroshi and prepared to tie his hands with a rope.
Swoosh!
Before he could react, a blade appeared out of nowhere and pierced through the Root shinobi standing beside Ayane, piercing his heart without mercy.
The blade was pulled out, now stained with crimson.
At this moment, the rope that was restraining Ayane's hands was also cut, freeing her.
With a blood-stained ninjato in his hand, Shiroshi smiled gently at the remaining two Root shinobi, "How about that? My swordsmanship isn't bad, is it? Although I can't compare to Sensei Sakumo's, it's still enough to surprise you all."
"You little brat!"
This is impossible!
His chakra should have been nearly depleted by now!
Moreover... can a medical ninja have such a fast speed?
He is a medical ninja, right?
Not everyone can reach this level, even among high-ranking ninja.
Is this guy the most troublesome one among the three? The leader of the Root squad was shocked beyond measure.
But after the shock came anger.
Shiroshi's smile remained on his face, showing no other emotional changes.
"It's unexpected. I can actually see anger in your eyes. I heard that Root's shinobi are nothing more than machines programmed to complete missions... but can machines also feel emotions? Please don't show me that expression, because my anger far surpasses yours now."
(Chapter End)