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"Lord Danzo, the two giants have decided their match. Should we move in now?"
The trusted Root ninja's reminder snapped Danzo out of his daydream—himself in the Hokage's robes, standing atop the world.
He looked ahead. Sure enough, the crimson and violet giants had vanished. The battle was over. A winner had been decided.
"Good."
Excitement flickered across his face. Without hesitation, he crushed the small white snake hidden in his sleeve.
It was Orochimaru's messenger snake. Crushing it sent the signal: begin.
Danzo swept his gaze across the many Root operatives surrounding him and raised his voice.
"Proceed according to the original plan. Invade the Uchiha compound. Leave no one alive. Men, women, children—kill them all."
"Collect as many Sharingan as you can. Prioritize three-tomoe. The more you bring me, the greater your reward."
He paused, then added coldly,
"And find that brat, Uchiha Akira. I want him alive if possible. Break his limbs if you must. As long as he's breathing."
"Anyone who spots him reports to me immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
The Root ninjas answered in unison, eyes gleaming with brutal anticipation.
Raised through merciless training, they craved bloodshed. Slaughter—especially of defenseless civilians—only sharpened their hunger.
Just as they were about to vanish in a flurry of Body Flicker techniques—
A dark shape plummeted from the sky, hurtling straight toward them.
"Hm? What is that?"
One Root ninja looked up, confusion etched across his face as the shadow rapidly filled his vision.
The next instant—
BOOM!!!
It hit like a meteor.
The ground convulsed. Stones blasted into the air. Dust swallowed the clearing as massive spiderweb cracks tore across the earth.
A gigantic crater yawned where the impact struck.
The unlucky Root ninja at ground zero was flattened into paste.
Those too slow to dodge were blasted backward, coughing blood as the shockwave tore through them.
Then a deep, domineering voice rang out.
"I heard you were looking for me. No need. I'm here."
Akira rolled his neck and stepped out of the crater at an easy pace.
"Who are you?" Danzo barked sharply. "How dare you cause trouble in Konoha!"
The man before him was a towering figure—well over two meters tall. His hair cascaded wildly, nearly reaching his feet. Thick muscles bulged beneath a tight purple outfit, stretching the fabric to its limit. A pair of sunglasses hid his eyes.
No need to guess. This was a powerhouse.
More importantly, he wasn't anyone from Konoha.
And judging by the direction he'd fallen from… the Uchiha district.
Had they hired outside help?
Danzo narrowed his eyes.
"You don't need to know," Akira said, loosening his shoulders like he was warming up before a workout. "After I crush your arms and legs, you'll figure it out."
"Hmph. Whoever you are, walking alone into my encirclement is suicide."
By now, the Root shinobi had regrouped and surrounded him completely.
Thud.
Danzo struck his cane against the ground. The signal to attack.
The next second—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three figures shot forward.
One came straight at Akira, blade raised high. Two more flickered behind him, swords poised for a backstab.
Akira didn't even glance behind.
He swung a casual backhand.
Smack!!
Boom!!!
The ninja in front of him exploded from the waist up. Flesh and bone burst outward in a gruesome spray. His sword shattered into fragments. His legs collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Blood splattered across Akira's clothes, staining them red. He didn't blink. It was like he'd just swatted a fly.
The two attackers behind him faltered at the sight.
Still, they poured more strength into their strikes, trying to cleave the muscular giant into three pieces.
Clang!Clang!
Their blades struck his back—
—and rang like steel slamming against iron.
"What?!"
Behind their masks, their faces drained of color.
They tried to retreat.
Too late.
Two massive hands clamped down on their heads.
"You think you can sneak me and just walk away? Cute."
He lifted them like chickens, one in each hand, feet dangling.
With a savage grin, he bent his arms inward—
Smash!!
Like two watermelons colliding at full force, their skulls burst. Red and white splattered everywhere.
Akira flicked the blood from his fingers and sneered.
"Stop sending trash one at a time. Save me the trouble. All of you, come at once."
He folded his arms and scanned the circle of shinobi with open contempt, like a butcher surveying livestock.
Suddenly—
Bang!
The ground between his legs exploded as a Root ninja shot up from below, kunai in hand.
Earth Release. He'd tunneled underground without anyone noticing.
Slash!
Under the moonlight, the black blade gleamed coldly as it thrust upward with a very specific target in mind.
"Looking to die."
Akira's eyes hardened. Sure, their attacks couldn't hurt him—but that didn't mean he'd let anyone take a shot there.
He lifted his foot—
—and stomped down.
Crunch!!
With overwhelming force, the ninja's head was crushed straight into his own torso in a grotesque collapse.
Before Akira could even finish dealing with the shameless ambush—
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A storm of kunai and shuriken rained down from every direction.
"Don't bring kids' toys to my fight," he said flatly. "They won't help you."
He didn't even bother moving. Arms crossed, he stood there and let them come.
Clang clang clang clang!
Countless blades struck his body—
—and bounced off like they'd hit a steel wall.
"Ordinary metal won't work on you," a Root ninja shouted from somewhere in the dark, "but explosions might!"
That caught Akira's attention.
Several of the kunai trailing toward him were attached by thin wires—
—to explosive tags.
"Noticed a little late, huh?" someone laughed wildly. "Too bad. Your arrogance ends here. Go to hell!"
With a chorus of crackling fuses, the tags ignited—
—and detonated.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
"..."
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