"Who's there? Come out!" Just as Sora was preparing to leave, he sensed someone slowly approaching him.
Yet even after Sora spoke, no one answered or emerged from hiding.
"Sword Technique—Draw and Slash!"
Seeing the hidden figure ignore his warning, Sora lost his patience and swiftly drew his sword, unleashing a powerful slash.
A dazzling silver-white sword energy over ten meters long surged forward, slicing every tree in its path into two halves.
Boom!
Dozens of massive trees collapsed one after another, crashing onto the ground a hundred meters away.
Witnessing such overwhelming swordsmanship, the hidden figure panicked and hurriedly executed a substitution jutsu, narrowly evading the attack. Yet even then, a thin line of blood trickled down from his nose, evidence that he hadn't completely avoided injury.
"Stop! Don't attack! I'm here to deliver a message!" Seeing Sora preparing to attack again, the man quickly called out in panic.
He stood fifty meters away, hands raised to demonstrate he meant no harm.
This piqued Sora's curiosity. The messenger was completely covered in black fabric, concealing his identity entirely. Clearly, he wasn't from Konoha. Who else could be seeking him?
Sora sheathed his sword and asked, "Who are you, and what message do you have for me?"
"I'm Shiwu Iwamura, one of the elders of the Exchange Center!" Seeing Sora's cold smile, Shiwu Iwamura hastily continued, "Someone wants to place a bounty on your head. We can provide the information, but only if our past conflicts are forgiven!"
This decision was collectively reached by the Exchange Center members. Sora's rapid rise was unstoppable, and they were utterly helpless against him.
If he had been like the elderly Kage from the Five Great Shinobi Villages, wielding such strength at an advanced age, they wouldn't have been so fearful. But this person wasn't even ten yet!
Already possessing such strength, once he turned twelve and began his rapid growth period, heaven only knew what kind of monster he'd become!
To survive, the Exchange Center had no choice but to seek reconciliation.
"Hah, if you'd found out I wasn't as strong as you thought, you'd probably have come up with a different excuse," Sora mocked, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Never, never!" Shiwu Iwamura quickly bowed his head, "We came to negotiate sincerely."
Shiwu was merely an elite Jōnin, and the person before him was terrifyingly powerful. If Sora got angry, killing him would be effortless. Shiwu clearly valued his life more than the fate of the Exchange Center.
"Enough chatter. I'm short on time—get to the point!" Sora grew impatient.
Noticing Sora's annoyance, Shiwu Iwamura quickly admitted, "It's Danzo Shimura from Konoha. He placed a bounty of one hundred million ryō on your head, but we didn't accept!"
Taking a breath, he continued, "He plans to ambush you when you return to Konoha, and even invited us to participate. What do you think?"
"Fine," Sora nodded lightly. "But if you cross me again in the future, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
After delivering this threat, Sora didn't wait for Shiwu's response and calmly departed.
Truthfully, he held no deep grudges against the Exchange Center. The previous attacks against them were more of a venting than actual hatred.
After all, the Exchange Center was simply a platform—someone paid money, and they listed a bounty. They weren't specifically targeting him.
Having killed enough already, sparing them was inconsequential, especially now that they'd brought useful information.
He wasn't bloodthirsty; otherwise, he'd have already massacred the ninja world to bolster his strength.
"But Danzo, since you're actively courting death, don't blame me. I was already wondering how to get rid of you, and here you come, delivering yourself straight to my door!"
The thought of eliminating this troublemaking scapegoat pleased Sora immensely.
Taking his time, eating and relaxing along the way, Sora eventually reached Ushimura Village, not far from Konoha.
Upon entering the village, he immediately sensed several hostile gazes directed at him.
When he turned to look, those watching quickly pretended to busy themselves with their stalls.
With a disdainful smirk, Sora decided against entering further and turned toward the nearby forest instead.
Those individuals were obviously Danzo's spies. If they fought in the village, innocents might be harmed, so it was better to handle things at a distance.
"Come on out!"
"Hahaha, Sora! You're truly reckless, daring to lure us out alone!"
Hearing Sora's voice, Danzo emerged from hiding, accompanied by twenty-three ninja. His smile was vicious and sinister.
"You little brat, you've ruined so many of my plans! Today, you'll pay the price!"
After speaking, Danzo waved his hand. "Attack! Kill him!"
Sora had to admire Danzo's resourcefulness. Even though Root had long been disbanded, Danzo still managed to assemble twenty-three Jōnin-level subordinates—impressive indeed!
However, most of these ninjas weren't from Konoha. He wondered briefly where Danzo had found them, then quickly dismissed the thought.
No point in worrying—kill Danzo, and the trouble would disappear anyway.
"Allow me to demonstrate my newly learned jutsu!" Sora smirked darkly and threw out dozens of kunai.
Seeing this, Danzo's expression instantly twisted in horror. Those were special Flying Thunder God kunai!
"Be careful! It's the Flying Thunder God—!"
But before he could finish, a flash of violet light flickered past. In an instant, all twenty-three Jōnin clutched at their throats in vain, desperately trying to halt the torrent of blood.
Their efforts were futile, and within seconds, they all collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
"Minato took out fifty Jōnin in a second, and here I am only managing twenty-three. Danzo, why didn't you bring more people?"
"Y-you! How could you have learned the Flying Thunder God Technique?! Impossible!"
Danzo wasn't upset about losing his men—he was terrified!
Without these subordinates, even with his arm filled with Sharingan, escaping wouldn't be guaranteed.
"There's still a chance… Yes, there's still hope! He doesn't know about Izanagi! If I play it right, I can definitely kill him!" Danzo's expression grew increasingly twisted as he schemed furiously.
"Heh." Sora eyed Danzo with amusement. "Are you wondering how to use Izanagi against me?"
What a joke. Knowing the plot, if he still fell into Danzo's tricks, Sora might as well give up living.