Shota quickly dealt with the root shinobi that could use beast scroll jutsu. With just two remaining root shinobi, it was quite easy to deal with him with the last remaining Shota's shadow clone helping him out.
After that, Shota looked at the last remaining person of the Root squad sent by Danzo.
The kenjutsu man of the group was on his knees, breathing hard, his mask cracked from the earlier fight. Blood dripped from cuts on his arms and legs.
His sword lay broken on the ground. Shota's binding cloth held him tightly around the torso and thighs, keeping him from standing or reaching for any hidden weapons.
"And now it's only you and me," Shota said in a calm, almost bored voice.
The man tried to speak, but the cloth tightened around his chest, cutting off his words. He glared through the broken mask. His eyes were wide with pain and anger.
Shota stepped forward slowly. He picked up a kunai from one of the dead Root shinobi's body. The blade was still clean except for a thin line of blood near the tip. He twirled it once in his fingers, then walked closer to the kneeling man.
The Root shinobi struggled against the cloth. He tried to twist his body free. He tried to kick out with his legs. Nothing worked. The high-grade chakra cloth was too strong for him. Without his chakra, he had no way to reinforce his muscles or break free.
Shota stopped in front of him. He looked down at the man for a moment. Then he moved.
He brought the kunai down in a quick, precise motion. The blade sliced cleanly through the man's right foot, cutting through tendon and bone. The man screamed.
The sound was raw and high. Blood poured from the wound instantly. The foot flopped uselessly to the side, still attached by skin but no longer functional.
The man's scream turned into a choked gasp as Shota struck again. This time the kunai cut deep across the man's left palm.
Shota was not proud of this but he had learned in his new life as a shinobi that his morals did not matter if he had to protect himself, his loved ones and his village. And for that he had to send a message to Danzo that him and Suna can be cruel to him if he messes with them.
The blade went through the hand from one side to the other. Fingers twitched helplessly. Blood ran down the man's wrist and dripped onto the ground. The palm opened like a flower, exposing muscle and tendon. The man's scream broke into sobs of pain. He tried to pull his hand away, but the binding cloth held him still.
Shota stepped back. He wiped the kunai on the man's cloak and dropped it beside him.
'I am glad that I picked up the binding cloth jutsu. With my anti-gravity field, it's really overpowered. It is the most versatile thing. In just this fight, I have used it for offense, defense, and even tactics like leaving explosion tags on my enemies' bodies during this battle. It can also be used to restrict enemies.'
Shota looked at the scattered pieces of binding cloth all over the battlefield. Some were burned. Some were cut. Some were torn. He sighed.
'It can extend like Orochimaru's snake hands too. It can also seal people if required. In the future, I can apply even more fuinjutsu seals rather than only explosion seals on the binding cloth at different places and use them. I wonder why there is no other shinobi that uses it for anything other than sealing.'
He released a long sigh as he looked at the damaged cloth.
'The only downside is that it's really expensive. Most of my pay from missions is going into maintaining a large amount of binding cloth. I am pretty sure that the prices have become higher because I keep on buying whenever binding cloths hit the market.'
Shota shook his head. He looked at the disabled Root shinobi again.
'So much money wasted. But it would be all worth it now.'
Shota had decided to give Danzo a big blow by taking out three of his Root jōnin. They were also from clans. Shota was sure that the clans did not give their children to Danzo just like that.
Jōnin took large amounts of resources and time to make. Losing three of them would hurt Danzo badly. It would hurt Root. Danzo would suffer fifty times the loss that Shota felt from the damaged cloth. It was a good trade.
He walked closer to the Root man and removed his mask.
The man's face was pale. Sweat mixed with blood. His eyes were wide with pain and fear. He looked ready to bite his tongue off despite the agony he was currently experiencing. Shota could see the muscles in his jaw tense. The man was loyal. He was trained to die rather than talk.
Shota spoke softly.
"Now now, don't go and kill yourself. I am not going to interrogate you."
The man looked blankly at him. His breathing was shallow and fast.
"Oh, you might be wondering why I am not asking the typical question of who sent you?" Shota asked playfully.
The man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I am not asking this because I already know it, little minion of Danzo."
The man's eyes widened at that. He tried to school his expression, but the shock was clear. Shota had named his master. He had named the one person Root feared more than death.
Shota reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sealed letter. He had prepared it earlier.
"Go and crawl to your daddy Danzo and give him this letter. And tell him Kazekage sends his regards."
Shota crouched down so he was eye level with the man.
"And say that if he makes a move against Suna and his schemes somehow use Suna, then Kazekage is going to cripple him further. The Third Tsuchikage just took one of his arms. He would take the other two and maybe his tongue too."
Shota's voice was low and cold. His baby face made the threat sound almost innocent. That made it worse.
"Of course I and the Kazekage know that your boss would not stop with this. So remember to give him that letter. I am sure that it would convince him."
Shota stood up. He walked a few steps away and began picking up the scattered pieces of his binding cloth. He gathered every usable scrap. He sealed them into a small scroll for repair later. The damaged parts hurt to look at. So much money gone.
He gave a once-over to the battlefield. Three dead Root jōnin. One crippled and alive. The clearing was silent except for the man's ragged breathing.
Shota turned back to the disabled Root shinobi.
"I will leave the cleanup to you and your buddies. We don't want the Hokage to find out about the ass-kicking that I gave you guys, do we?"
He waved casually.
And with that, Shota disappeared.
--------Author Notes---------
Y'all can now read the next 15 chapters of the fanfic on my pat*reon.
https://pat*reon.com/Charizard6
[No star]
Thankyou for your support!