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The Land of Grass.
A small ninja nation wedged between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth—one that had never truly controlled its own fate.
Deep in the forest…
Four figures flickered through the trees at high speed.
"Up ahead is the Iwagakure outpost line. Stay sharp," said the squad leader from Root, Kaito Sarutobi. Dressed in standard Root gear with a bird mask covering his face, his voice was low and commanding.
Their mission this time was to retrieve intel from a Konoha spy planted inside Iwagakure.
"Stop. Hide!"
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
The four instantly vanished into the dense forest, concealing themselves as they scanned their surroundings.
"…Something's off."
From the shadows, Kaito's eyes swept the area, alert and suspicious.
Even though this was technically the Land of Grass, Iwagakure had long since pushed its defensive line into this territory to guard against Konoha.
As for whether the Land of Grass objected?
Iwagakure didn't care.
In the ninja world, strength was the only thing that mattered.
"There are usually Iwa patrols around here…" Kaito muttered, frowning. "So why is it empty today?"
The unease grew stronger.
Then—
Dozens of kunai, each tagged with explosive seals, shot toward them from all directions.
They'd been discovered.
"Move!"
At Kaito's command, the Root ninjas blurred into motion, darting away to safety.
Boom—boom—boom!
Explosions roared, flames erupting skyward.
Out of the forest stepped more than a dozen Iwagakure ninjas, dressed in red uniforms with stone headbands. They slammed their hands onto the ground in unison.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow!"
The ground shattered into fine sand, surging forward like a tidal wave to swallow the Root operatives.
But Root ninjas were Konoha's elite—hardened survivors of countless battles.
After a brief moment of chaos, they steadied themselves, each using their own techniques to evade the encroaching sand.
Then they counterattacked in coordinated formation.
Despite being outnumbered, their combat strength was formidable. They met the Iwa forces head-on, neither side giving ground.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Wave."
Kaito leapt from a towering tree, effortlessly dodging incoming shuriken. Midair, his hands flashed through seals, and he exhaled several razor-sharp wind blades.
Slash!
Two Iwa chūnin were cut clean in half at the waist.
Blood sprayed through the air as they died instantly.
Kaito was one of the top jōnin of the Sarutobi clan in Konoha, highly valued by Koharu Utatane. To further temper his abilities, he'd been sent into Root for training.
"Ahhh!"
An Iwa jōnin let out a furious roar, eyes burning with rage.
His squad had only eleven chūnin besides himself—each one a precious asset to the village.
Losing two in an instant was a heavy blow.
Killing intent surged from him as he charged straight at Kaito.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon!"
Chakra burst from his body. The ground churned, forming a massive earth dragon over ten meters long. It reared its head as if roaring, then lunged at Kaito.
But Kaito was too fast.
He slipped aside with ease, avoiding the attack entirely.
"Earth Style: Swamp Flow!"
As if anticipating that the dragon alone wouldn't be enough, the Iwa jōnin had prepared a follow-up.
"Damn it!"
Kaito's feet sank into the swamp—he was stuck.
The earth dragon bore down on him.
In that instant, his hands flew through seals.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
A dozen violent gusts erupted, shredding the earth dragon into pieces and continuing forward to engulf the Iwa jōnin.
"What?! Such powerful Wind Style!"
The Iwa jōnin didn't dare underestimate him. He quickly formed seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
Three thick stone slabs rose in front of him.
But what he didn't expect…
Kaito's wind blades tore straight through all three layers.
The remaining gusts sliced into his body, cutting him apart.
He collapsed into a pool of blood, his body riddled with fatal wounds—bones visible through the gashes.
Both were jōnin.
But the gap between them was enormous.
That was the nature of Root—warriors forged from piles of corpses.
Few in number, but terrifyingly strong. Even with superior numbers, the Iwa ninjas couldn't match them.
Besides, Kaito had extensive experience fighting earth-style users, making him especially effective against them.
Elsewhere, the battle between the remaining Root and Iwa forces was evenly matched.
But once Kaito finished his fight and joined in…
The balance shattered.
The Iwa side collapsed like dry clay.
In less than five minutes, every last Iwa ninja was wiped out.
"Leave no survivors," Kaito ordered coldly.
Any survivor meant potential leaks.
The Root members moved in, finishing the wounded—kunai slashing throats, piercing hearts. The scene turned brutally bloody.
A minute later…
Every Iwa ninja was dead.
With the threat eliminated, the Root squad didn't leave.
They were waiting for someone.
Yakushi Kabuto.
A Konoha spy embedded within Iwagakure.
The defensive line stretched over a hundred miles, and this was just one outpost. The nearest reinforcement point was far away, so there was no immediate danger of backup arriving.
And even if they did…
Root could always turn the tables with traps.
"Captain Kaito, you're incredible!" one Root ninja said excitedly, unable to hide his admiration.
Kaito's strength had long been recognized by Danzo, who personally trained him after he awakened wind-nature chakra. He was even being considered as a future personal bodyguard.
Tap… tap… tap…
Footsteps echoed through the forest.
A figure emerged.
He wore the standard Uchiha uniform, arms crossed, dark eyes sharp and luminous.
Uchiha Fugaku.
Kaito's gaze turned cold as he stared at him.
"Captain Fugaku… why are you here?"
Fugaku was the head of the Konoha Military Police.
Leaving the village required Hokage approval.
And Root had received no such intel.
Which meant…
Fugaku had come here on his own.
And now he stood right in front of them.
The Root ninjas instantly grew wary.
Fugaku's gaze was like lightning—cold and piercing. He spoke slowly, each word clear.
"I came to hunt Root."
"…Hahaha!"
Kaito burst into laughter.
Young and full of confidence, he believed that even if he couldn't defeat Fugaku, he could at least escape safely.
"Kill him!" he ordered.
Root and the Uchiha had always been at odds. And with Root's recent actions against Uchiha clan members, their relationship had hit rock bottom.
Kaito wanted Fugaku dead—to earn merit in front of Danzo.
"Captain… that's Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head. Maybe we should plan this out first—"
One Root ninja hesitated.
The infamous "Wicked Eye" reputation still carried weight.
"You questioning my judgment?!"
Kaito snapped, slapping the man across the face. The ninja swallowed his anger, saying nothing.
The rest stayed silent.
Kaito was volatile, short-tempered, and obsessed with achievements. His subordinates feared him.
"Kill Uchiha Fugaku!"
"Kill!"
At his command, all Root members charged forward.
And in that moment—
Fugaku's Sharingan shifted.
From three tomoe…
into a spiraling pattern.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
He looked at them and spoke one word.
"Shackles."
The Root ninjas froze mid-motion, like puppets with their strings cut.
Fugaku's left Mangekyō ability—within a certain range, everything except himself would be frozen for three seconds.
He called it:
Shackles.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A roaring sea of flames poured from his mouth.
Several Root ninjas screamed as they were swallowed by the inferno.
"Anyone who lays a hand on the Uchiha…" Fugaku said coldly, eyes burning, "whether Root or ANBU… will meet the same end."
One jōnin.
Three elite chūnin.
Losses like that…
would make even Danzo's heart bleed.
"....."