"Is this kid insane?"
The two Root shinobi burst out laughing as Sanada Kazama spread his arms wide and welcomed the onrushing Water Dragon Bullet head-on.
But the laughter died in their throats the very next instant.
Instead of being torn apart, Kazama absorbed the massive torrent of water completely into his own body.
A crisp mechanical chime echoed in his mind.
Ding! Successfully absorbed B-rank Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet. Congratulations, host, you have obtained A-rank ninjutsu—Water Style: Severing Wave! The technique is automatically imbued with Mystic Yellow Flame damage.
Host needs to absorb just one more ninjutsu to unlock the second Heavenly Flame: Beast Spirit Fire!
Kazama's eyes lit up.
"So that's how it works? I just obtained the Mystic Yellow Flame, and now with one more absorbed jutsu, I can awaken another—Beast Spirit Fire."
Meanwhile, the two Root operatives were reeling. At first, they had thought Kazama's ability was limited to absorbing Fire Release. But now… he had devoured a Water Release head-on.
How were they supposed to fight that?
They had never seen anything like this before. No one had.
"There's no such thing as a shinobi who can absorb ninjutsu! Just… what are you?"
Their voices thundered with accusation, but their hearts were already gripped with panic. They tried to keep calm, dragging out time, hoping the earlier clash had drawn attention.
If reinforcements came, they could pin the blame on Kazama, claim he was an enemy spy, and dispose of him before the truth got out.
But Kazama's voice cut through their thoughts, sharp as steel.
"I am the one who will avenge the Sanada clan!"
With that, he unleashed his newly gained jutsu.
"Water Style: Severing Wave!"
Before the Root shinobi could react, Kazama spat forth a concentrated stream of water, so fast it became a gleaming blade.
In less than a heartbeat, it sliced clean through the first Root operative's body, splitting him in two.
But it didn't end there.
Kazama's attacks carried the searing power of the Mystic Yellow Flame. Even the water he conjured burned with its devastating heat.
The bisected corpse ignited at once, reduced to ash in an instant.
The sudden, brutal death sent a chill through the second Root shinobi's veins.
This was supposed to be the dead-last of the Academy, a boy not even worth the title of genin. And yet here he stood, wielding both Fire and Water Release—and worse, blending them into something altogether unnatural.
The shinobi's eyes widened in horror.
"A water jutsu that carries fire damage? Is this… a kekkei genkai? A bloodline limit that fuses elements together?"
The thought alone froze his courage.
If Kazama possessed such a bloodline limit, and could absorb and nullify ninjutsu, then there was no chance of victory.
"Now… it's your turn."
Kazama's eyes burned with vengeance. One by one, the killers of his clan were falling to his hands. The satisfaction in his heart was indescribable.
To the surviving Root ninja, Kazama no longer looked like a boy at all. He had become death incarnate.
"I… I have to call Lord Danzō for reinforcements!"
He moved quickly, creating a clone to rush Kazama, while his real body slipped away into the distance.
But Kazama's cold voice followed him.
"You're not going anywhere. Water Style: Severing Wave!"
He spat another deadly jet of water. The blade-like stream tore straight through the charging clone, ripping it apart—then continued unbroken, piercing the fleeing shinobi's body far away.
The Root operative collapsed lifeless to the ground, a hole burned clean through him.
Another execution. Another soul consigned to the flames.