"Whoosh!"
Shimura Naoto's second Vacuum Bullet instantly fired right after the first.
Kairen immediately ignited the alcohol clinging to his body. The crackling sound of insects roasting rang out as the Lightning Release ninja was engulfed in flames.
Seizing the moment, Kairen performed a roll, dodging Shimura Naoto's Vacuum Bullet attack.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Shimura Naoto unleashed another Wind Release, dispersing the dense black smoke.
"Cough… cough…"
Kairen spat out several mouthfuls of blood and quickly looked at the wound on his right shoulder—several meridians had been pierced.
Gritting his teeth, the cursed seal on his neck accelerated its corruption of his body. The black markings on his body multiplied, spreading across his face and radiating even more ominous chakra.
Kairen's ears caught a loud, furious shout: "Human Bullet Tank!"
He quickly turned. A massive sphere covered in kunai was charging—anyone it pierced and spun would be shredded like dough.
"Ha!"
Kairen shouted, gripping the hilt of his sword.
The cursed seal's power flowed into his hands. His arm muscles bulged, and his superhuman strength merged with the sword.
The Human Bullet Tank crashed down like a meteor, and Kairen swung his sword in a fierce downward slash.
"Bang—"
Sparks flew. Kairen poured more chakra into the sword while the alcohol in his gourd wrapped around the chariot.
Igniting it, he roasted Akimichi alive.
The Nara clan's shadow tendrils emerged again from the darkness.
Kairen sprouted wings and flapped, flying at low altitude.
"Secret Technique: Release!"
Akimichi canceled his secret technique, rolling on the ground to extinguish the flames.
"Watch my forty-meter sword!"
Kairen raised the massive blade and descended from the sky.
The force of the drop, combined with the superhuman strength, made it feel as if the sword would snap in his hands.
The Earth Release ninja instantaneously appeared, striking the ground: "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Ah—"
Kairen kept growling lowly, charging straight at the earthen wall. In an instant, he smashed it open and swung the massive sword downward.
"Akimichi, watch out!" Nara shouted, spreading his hands.
But it was too late. Kairen aimed to kill Akimichi, paying no heed to anything else.
The Lightning Release ninja appeared instantly, while Aburame Tatsuma launched an insect orb attack.
Their attacks stacked against Kairen. His eyes glowed red, and with his entire body covered in markings, he looked like a demon from hell.
He slashed with unstoppable force, even creating massive wind pressure that tore through the dense air.
One downward strike, and blood sprayed. Akimichi was sliced clean in half by Kairen's blade.
Eyes closed, no sound escaped.
"Fumio—"
Nara's eyes widened, unconsciously speaking Akimichi's real name under the sun.
He realized only now that he had never truly integrated with Root. Being intelligent meant absolute rationality, being decisive.
He agreed with Danzo's Root ideology, believing only emotionless ninja were qualified.
Root ninjas had no names, no emotions, no past, no future. Only missions mattered, silently supporting Konoha like roots buried deep in the earth.
Only when Akimichi was sliced in half did Nara realize that the more someone coldly insisted they had no emotions, the more they actually cared.
The fire of rage blazed in Nara's heart. Forming hand seals, he infused his jutsu with Yin chakra.
His shadows transformed into black spikes, lashing at Kairen.
Kairen still had the parasitic insects gnawing at his chakra and a Lightning Release ninja blocking his sword.
Nara's shadow spikes struck like venomous snakes. Kairen's Byakugan saw it all. He injected raw strength into the sword, sending the Lightning Release ninja flying while leaping into the air.
At that moment, Shimura Naoto's killing technique surged skyward: "Wind Release: Crushing Harm!"
The wind cannon, like a white hurricane, screamed through the air.
Kairen rotated his wings, preparing to dodge Shimura Naoto's attack.
Unexpectedly, the weakened Yamanaka launched a mental assault: "Mind Body Switch Technique!"
Invading Kairen's mind, it froze him for a split second.
But as Yamanaka's spirit was slowly obliterated by Kairen's multiple personalities, his mental energy dwindled.
Only a murmur remained: "…I've come to join you!"
Kairen leapt sideways with a fierce movement. The wind cannon sliced through his left shoulder, tens of thousands of tiny wind blades shredding it to pieces.
Gritting his teeth, he instantaneously vanished into the forest.
…
All spectators using various techniques concluded unanimously:
A ninja who lost a hand loses at least 50% of combat ability. In other words, Kairen was basically dead.
At the Hokage building:
Danzo exhaled: "That's about enough. It took ten Jonin to subdue him. My Root can't withstand this kind of abuse!"
He stood, leaving the building to see Kairen's corpse with his own eyes, to dissect it carefully and determine if he was truly human.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched silently as Kairen wrapped his left stump in bandages.
He quietly took a drag from his cigarette, looking complexly at the scene. Then he stood and instantaneously moved toward the Forest of Death.
"Summoning Technique!"
Orochimaru formed hand seals, and a brown serpent appeared in the forest, ready to retrieve his body.
In the dense woods, a Nepenthes pitcher appeared on an inconspicuous tree. The green-haired man murmured: "Lost a hand?!"
Kairen hid in the treetops. Excessive blood loss had weakened his cursed seal. Pale, he observed the movements below.
Only five Root Jonin remained, and his chakra was low, with a severed arm.
Looking at the sky, the pain in his consciousness made it impossible to judge the time or whether the upgrade had completed.
But no system sound had triggered, so the upgrade was surely incomplete.
An insect crawled along a treetop, emanating faint chakra.
"Detected!"
Kairen sighed, then gazed at the flames spreading in the forest, a ruthless intent flashing in his eyes.
"I'm going to burn down the entire Forest of Death!"
Forming the Tiger Seal with his right hand, he split into three shadow clones. The clones dispersed into the forest, setting fires continuously.
In an instant, thick flames erupted, smoke billowing. A single spark could trigger a massive disaster in this primeval forest.
A swarm of insects attacked from the treetops. Kairen's alcohol ignited, consuming the insects in flames.
Below, the remaining five Root Jonin slowly encircled him.
Shimura Naoto wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, a feral smile on his face:
"Kairen, out of tricks now? If so, come down and extend your head nicely. I'll make sure you stay in one piece."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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