"No matter, they targeted us from the beginning. Even if not here, they'd attack elsewhere," Satoru frowned at the four enemies. Yes, currently four, their chakra at jonin-level.
"Us as the target? Makes sense. These guys have jonin power—I couldn't handle them all at once," Minato felt the pressure too.
Yoshime said,
"These guys must be from the same team as that ninja we met earlier. Same vibe."
"Who are these people, Satoru?" Minato asked immediately.
"They're all from Root. Meaning, acting on Danzo's orders. Their goal: kill you and me, kidnap Yoshime," Satoru didn't explain why, but everyone understood—Satoru and Minato blocked Danzo's path to Hokage.
As for Mokuton-wielding Yoshime, Danzo naturally wanted her for his dark schemes.
"Didn't expect reinforcements. It's that brat Satoru."
"Perfect, no need to hunt them. But that guy hasn't returned. Did he fail?"
"Seems this team has a genjutsu specialist. No choice—we'll handle it. No point hiding identities now that they've figured us out," the speaker canceled Transformation Technique.
Originally masked as genin, they now revealed as Root ninja.
"Yoshime, hold one. Minato, you hold one. Leave the other two to me," Satoru said, then charged forward.
"Body Flicker Technique!" Minato blocked one Root ninja: "Your opponent is me!"
"Wood Style!" Yoshime used Wood Style to separate the Root group, pitting one against her.
Satoru, as planned, faced two Root ninja.
"One against two, no chance of victory. Surrender," one Root ninja said.
"Yeah, no matter how strong, you can't withstand our crossfire," the other added.
"Crossfire? You know that term?" Satoru smiled faintly.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Technique!"
"Wind Release: Cutting Wind Technique!"
The opposing Root ninja attacked without hesitation.
The two attacks didn't form combined ninjutsu, but their trajectories crossed, making evasion hard.
"Earth Release: Mud Wall!"
Satoru used Mud Wall to block Fire Release, but Cutting Wind Technique neatly sliced it in half.
"Cutting Wind Technique!"
"Fire Release: Mythical Phoenix Technique!"
Pursued by two Root ninja, Satoru stayed calm, moving swiftly to dodge all ninjutsu.
'This guy dodges our ninjutsu so easily?'
"We need to bind his legs! Earth Release: Great Mud Flow!!"
The two Root ninja attacked repeatedly, but Satoru always evaded. This time, Great Mud Flow bound his legs, forcing him airborne.
"In the air! He can't dodge!" One Root ninja seized the chance, forming seals: "Wind Release: Cutting Wind Technique!"
"You're dead this time!"
A person in the air can't dodge a fast-approaching attack. But that applies to normals—Satoru wasn't normal.
Satoru, Goro Goro no Mi Fruit bearer, could teleport short distances instantly.
'Too bad Danzo doesn't know my true power.'
'Even if you exhaust all your chakra, you're no match,' Satoru thought, already behind one Root ninja.
Behind the other was also Satoru—a shadow clone, naturally.
"Impossible?! Body Flicker Technique can't be used in that situation!" Both Root ninja were shocked.
The Root ninja spun, aiming for close combat to finish the "Satoru" before them.
"You have no more chances!"
"Discharge!"
Lightning enveloped Satoru's body, instantly charring the two Root ninja into corpses.
'I have instant teleport. During teleport, I used a shadow clone. My shadow clone has Goro Goro no Mi Fruit abilities too.'
'To deal with you, weakest discharge suffices. Danzo, you want me dead? Not yet!'
Satoru then targeted the remaining two.
"Great Rasengan!"
Satoru and his shadow clone dispatched the last two Root ninja in seconds.
[Congratulations, Master! Congratulations on successfully accumulating points! You have obtained one lottery draw opportunity!]
[Congratulations, Master! You have obtained Observation Haki!]
Satoru ignored the System for now, telling Minato and Yoshime,
"We're safe for now."
"There should be one more ninja. Maybe waiting nearby?" Minato and Yoshime asked.
"My perception says no enemies within two kilometers. If he planned to attack, he'd have done it just now. Since he didn't, he's not here."
"Maybe he's watching us somehow?" Satoru shook his head: "Doesn't matter."
"Let's go! Head to the central tower!"
The rest of the way, Satoru's team faced no difficulties.
Moreover, Satoru used Byakugan for scouting with minimal chakra drain.
The trio moved via Body Flicker Technique at high speed. Even encountering odd beasts or traps, they evaded quickly.
"Satoru, what does this Danzo want anyway?" Minato asked while moving.
"All because of his power obsession. He thinks of Konoha, but deep down sees it as his property."
"He's broken so many taboos his end is near," Satoru said.
Minato, Yoshime, and Satoru walked and talked. Eventually, Satoru focused on Observation Haki.
'System, Observation Haki predicts the future. Does that mean I'm immortal now?' Satoru asked.
The System replied immediately:
[Master, you're at it again. I told you, I give you the training method. How well you master it depends on you.]
Satoru nodded:
"Right. Master Observation Haki perfectly, and like Katakuri, predict the near future."
"Even short of Katakuri-level, predict enemy attacks. For a sensor ninja, it's the ultimate weapon!"