The Earth Release ninja quickly swallowed a soldier pill, then slammed both hands against the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
In an instant, a ten-meter-tall wall of earth surged up from the ground.
Kairen's sea of fire roared forward, and in the blink of an eye, the wall turned to ash.
"Earth Flow Wall! Earth Flow Wall! Earth Flow Wall!"
The Earth Release ninja continued casting, releasing several more Earth Flow Walls in succession to block part of the fiery waves.
The Water Release ninja formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Water met fire, gradually calming the raging inferno.
But the flames still surged like a storming sea, forcing the Water Release ninja to use a large-scale jutsu.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
In an instant, a massive wall of water ten meters high surged forward.
"Crashhhh—"
Water and fire clashed with a thunderous roar, and the rising steam gathered into a thick mist, creating a scene no different from the effects of the Hidden Mist Technique.
This kind of world, where one couldn't even see their own hands, was perfect for Root ninjas—they were trained assassins, accustomed to carrying out missions under cover of darkness.
Having lived in the dark so long, their hearing had become exceptionally sharp, allowing them to perceive every subtle movement around them.
But Kairen had an even greater advantage—his Byakugan.
"Byakugan—activate!"
"Watch out!"
The crows in the sky caught sight of a red gleam cutting through the mist and immediately called out to warn the Root ninjas below.
Kairen's Byakugan locked onto the poison-using ninja among them. Ahead, a Water Release user tried to block his path.
Power surged into Kairen's fist as he threw a single punch straight into the Water Release ninja's chest.
Not even the Sage of Six Paths could save him now!
The Water Release ninja felt as though he had been trampled by dozens of wild bulls, then crushed into the ground. In the next instant, Kairen's monstrous strength ripped through his body.
That overwhelming, violent power tore his organs apart, bursting him into a cloud of blood mist.
Kairen dashed forward again. With a flicker of motion, he appeared in front of the poison ninja and grabbed him by the collar.
The poison ninja shouted at the top of his lungs, "He's here! He's with me!"
"Wind Release: Tornado Hurricane!"
A spiraling storm blew through, scattering the thick white mist.
In an instant, the Root ninjas could see everything on the ground.
In the distance lay a severed head, its eyes wide open even in death, surrounded by shattered organs—entrails, intestines, and other unrecognizable parts of the Root's own men.
They averted their eyes at once, focusing instead on the figure at the center.
"Don't move! Or I'll kill him!"
Kairen had one arm locked tightly around the poison ninja's neck.
Shimura Naoto shouted without hesitation, "Use large-scale attack jutsu! Kill that brat!"
He quickly formed hand seals, chakra gathering in his chest.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
A fire-style ninja also formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Ninjutsu: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
"Earth Release: Earth Spear Gun!"
"Super Beast Imitation Drawing!"
The Root ninjas didn't care if their attacks killed their comrade along with Kairen—after all, that was their tradition!
Kairen stripped the Root ninja's clothes off and created a falcon-shaped shadow clone. Then, carrying the poison ninja's garments, he took off skyward.
"Hundred Transformations: Bumblebee!"
Kairen's body shifted into the form of a giant bumblebee.
Revving his wings like an engine, he shot straight out of the encirclement of jutsu.
But even then, a few attacks grazed him as he escaped.
...
When the chaos finally died down like wind fading away,
Kairen leaned bare-chested against a large tree, looking down at a wound on his leg—a mere graze from the shuriken shadow clone, nothing serious, and thankfully not laced with poison.
But then, he frowned as he looked at his hand, tinged faintly purple.
"I've been poisoned!"
The poison ninja's entire body was laced with toxins—when Kairen grabbed him, the poison had already seeped into his skin.
Up in the sky, the crows noticed the change in Kairen's chakra and immediately screeched a warning to the Root ninjas below.
"That brat's been poisoned!"
"Hahahaha!"
Shimura Naoto burst into laughter, turning toward where the crow pointed. He saw Kairen, his complexion pale, trembling slightly.
"Moku Kairen, you've been poisoned by Root's toxins! Let's see how you keep dancing now—you're finished!"
The poison invaded his entire body.
"Cough... cough..."
Agonizing pain tore through Kairen's insides as if insects were gnawing at his organs. He spat out blood.
But the searing pain didn't make him frown—it only filled his face with wild excitement and bloodlust.
Kairen stood, eyes burning with madness he'd never shown before.
"Since life has reached its end... then let you all witness my final performance!"
He clasped his hands together, and a towering surge of chakra blazed up once more—his aura climbing higher and higher.
Until now, he had always held himself back—watching, calculating, restraining.
But now? He didn't care about anything.
He just wanted to fight. To bathe in blood. To let the world feel pain.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Root! Come! Let's see if your 'roots' are bigger than mine!"
...
Such a fierce battle in the Forest of Death naturally caught the attention of the great ninja clans and the Jōnin of the village.
When they saw that the Hokage hadn't mobilized any ninja, they immediately realized—it must be a special operation by Root or the Anbu.
The clan elites hid along the outer perimeter of the Forest of Death, observing the source of the disturbance.
"Byakugan—activate!"
Hyūga Hiashi opened his Byakugan. Through sheer chakra vision, he could see Kairen's immense chakra. His heart trembled.
"A ten-year-old child with chakra this enormous?" he muttered.
Kairen's chakra was at least ten times greater than his own. What in the world had that brat been eating?
Beside him, Uchiha Fugaku activated his Sharingan, watching the flow of chakra in the distance.
Hearing Hiashi's murmuring, his hand clenched slightly.
"So this is the Senju clan... the ones who fought the Uchiha for a thousand years."
He sighed softly. "What a pity. The last surviving descendant of the Senju Clan Sage Body... will perish in the darkness of Root."
Hiashi glanced at him. "Aren't you happy about it?"
Everyone knew the Uchiha and Senju clans had been enemies for centuries.
Fugaku shook his head. "I only feel pity. The descendants of the clan that built this village are being slaughtered on the orders of the higher-ups. Do you think they'll ever trust the Uchiha?"
Hiashi fell silent.
Then Fugaku continued, "Your Hyūga clan has always behaved obediently in the village. You may not care for power, but one day, the higher-ups will betray you too."
"Look at that boy. His bloodline limit could have grown strong enough to stop an entire war..."
"But the higher-ups said 'kill him,' just because he wasn't under their control."
Hiashi took a few steps forward.
"Don't try to turn me against the higher-ups. The Hyūga are not reckless hotheads like your Uchiha clan."
"For us, continuity is everything."
Fugaku snorted coldly and said nothing more, keeping his eyes fixed on the chaotic flow of chakra deep within the Forest of Death.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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