Cool and warm droplets splashed through the air.
The Root Jōnin instinctively used the Body Flicker Technique, putting distance between himself and the source. As he reached up to wipe his face, he expected to feel water—but what he saw was different.
His hand… blood red.
The liquid that had sprayed across his skin wasn't just water—it was the blood of his comrades.
"You… you…!"
The mission leader, a veteran of Root, faltered. His breath hitched.
Because…
One of his subordinates, the shinobi who had stood back-to-back with him mere moments ago… hadn't dodged in time.
That Root shinobi now lay lifeless on the ground—his head, however, had rolled several meters away.
Taking a deep breath, the leader—Nebukune Jin—forced himself to regain his composure, his voice steadying despite the horror before him.
"Your Excellency… you misunderstand."
He tempered his tone, suppressing his agitation.
"We hold no grudge against you. We don't even know who you are. Why would we harm your family?"
At that moment, Nebukune made his choice.
Fighting back was futile. Survival meant enduring.
"Captain, we… we—"
Another Root ninja stammered, his voice trembling.
But before he could finish, a sharp glare from Nebukune silenced him.
"No enmity with me?"
The boy chuckled darkly.
"Is this what Root has been reduced to? Such hypocrisy?"
With a flick of his wrist, his nichirin blade—its steel kissed by blood—whipped through the air, sending crimson droplets scattering.
"We are all from Konoha, so I'll give you one chance."
His voice was calm, almost indifferent.
"Tell me… where is Danzō?"
A surge of chakra erupted from his body, his presence suddenly overwhelming, suffocating.
Through the mechanical rat he had sent ahead, Kazuki had sensed the assassination attempt on his parents. He had rushed over at full speed.
Before arriving, he had his suspicions.
The attackers… they were most likely from Root.
But he hadn't been completely certain.
Now, speaking to these shinobi, watching their reactions—he wanted to confirm it.
Nebukune steadied himself, suppressing his rising fear. He couldn't afford to let Kazuki's presence overwhelm him.
At a time like this, he had to play dumb.
"Your Excellency, truly, you misunderstand. I don't know what you're talking about—"
In the suffocating darkness of the night, an icy blue light flashed.
The blade gleamed, cutting through the shadows.
Blood and shimmering water mixed, swirling in the air.
The Root Jōnin leader… was dead.
Kazuki flicked his sword again, casting away the last remnants of filth from the steel.
His gaze shifted.
The last remaining Root shinobi trembled, his legs threatening to give out beneath him.
"I—I—"
His voice cracked.
Three Jōnin.
Three against one.
And yet, within seconds, his two comrades had perished.
This wasn't a shinobi.
No, the boy standing before him… was a monster.
A being more terrifying than the Nine-Tails itself.
A Jōnin, completely powerless to fight back—annihilated in an instant.
This wasn't human.
It was something far worse.
"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
"Please! Don't kill me!"
"I—I used to be with Root, but I left! I swear!"
Kazuki's merciless efficiency had shattered the final Jōnin's will.
Completely… and utterly.
Between duty and the fear of death, he made a choice.
Without hesitation, he chose the latter.
Turning towards Kazuki, he shouted loudly:
"Danzo-sama is at the old Genbu base, about five miles to the west!"
"You… you're right. The target of Danzo-sama's orders… was your parents…"
The only surviving Root ninja gasped for breath, his voice trembling.
"Please… spare my life!"
Hearing this, a smile formed on Kazuki's lips.
"What a group of…"
Kazuki glanced at the Root Jōnin before nodding in mock praise.
"You're not bad. You're quite good."
Seeing Kazuki's seemingly pleasant expression, the Root ninja's heart filled with hope.
"Then, my lord, you…"
Before he could finish, Kazuki had already moved.
Suddenly—
The Root Jōnin felt his vision shift and spin.
"You… you can't kill me! I…" he stammered, panic filling his voice.
But before he could finish—
Zheng!
A flash of azure blue light from the Sun Blade sliced through the air.
A moment later, his severed head hit the ground.
Let him live after revealing Danzo's location?
Kazuki sneered.
These people had targeted his family. How could he possibly let them go?
"…Danzo… the old Root base…"
Muttering under his breath, Kazuki considered his next move.
Just then, the mechanical mouse in his palm transmitted new information—
Nearly twenty enemies were closing in on him.
A few minutes earlier, at the old Root base…
Danzo stood in the dimly lit stronghold, summoning the remaining Root forces.
In addition to the men supported by Shimura Jogawa, Danzo had gathered his operatives, waiting for the right opportunity—ready to retrieve the one who had stolen the Scroll of Seals.
But even the most calculated plans could be undone.
Shortly after his squad was sent to kidnap Kazuki's parents, an immense surge of chakra erupted nearby.
Danzo's expression darkened.
He knew—this mission had gone awry.
Kazuki had returned.
Danzo clenched his teeth.
How had Kazuki learned about his plan? About the abduction?
No matter—the reason no longer mattered.
With Kazuki back, the Anbu forces Sarutobi Hiruzen had deployed to retrieve the Scroll of Seals would be significantly weakened. That meant the scroll would be as good as his.
What Danzo didn't know, however, was that Tsunade had secretly joined the Anbu under Kazuki's command.
As for holding Kazuki's parents hostage to control him?
That plan had already crumbled.
For someone like Danzo—who always sought stability—retreating was the best option. If he pushed forward recklessly, he risked exposing even more of his secrets.
But among the squad sent to capture Kazuki's parents, there was one individual Danzo absolutely had to rescue—
Shimura Jogawa's son.
Jogawa had already lost nearly half of his fortune to Kazuki. And as for his son…
He had lost an arm—shattered by Tsunade and Kazuki's sister, Tenten, during training.
A father's grudge, a son's hatred—both burned fiercely.
When Danzo announced the mission, Shimura Jogawa's son had been the first to volunteer. He had insisted on taking part in the kidnapping—desperate to exact revenge with his own hands.
Danzo had little choice but to allow it.
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