Kaito was never one to be passive. Although the intel he received this time worried him, making him wonder if he was being used.
Such as using him to confront Sarutobi Hiruzen, or utilizing his hands to eliminate these remnants of the Root.
However, after pondering, Kaito didn't think the chances were high, especially considering the information in the intel pointed directly at the Uchiha and the Anbu.
For the intel to be effective, all of it would still require Hiruzen and his group's cooperation.
Yet in Konoha's ninja clans, apart from Hiruzen's group, no one else knew what the specifics of his deal with Hiruzen would be.
"So, it's really important who delivered this intel. This matter has to be clarified!"
Who the informant is would indicate what kind of issue this is. But before that, Kaito was willing to do something.
The hatred these remnants of the Root harbored for Kaito was easy to imagine. After all, Kaito was the one who had personally destroyed their 'home', and had killed their master.
Under such hatred, they didn't seek revenge from Kaito right away. Perhaps Hiruzen didn't want the matter to escalate further.
But now, having received this intel, Kaito would naturally not sit and wait for his death, especially as these guys were extremely proficient at assassination. He wouldn't let them off.
After all, they bore grudges against him. If the Anbu were to become his front-line adversaries in the future, Kaito might as well confront them now.
If they really made a move, then Kaito would have an excuse to wipe them out altogether!
If they didn't make a move, then Kaito would patiently wait and have someone monitor them, paying close attention to their every move.
Luckily, their hatred had completely erupted, and they attacked Kaito without hesitation!
"To attack a clan leader, and a department head at that, nobody can protect you now.
If the intel is true, what would be the situation if Hiruzen suddenly found you all dead when he wanted to use you to trouble me?"
Though it was a bit like startling the snake in the grass, he wouldn't let such a threat exist!
Cold gleams swiftly aimed at Kaito, but at the moment they were about to hit him, his body slightly moved.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
His movements were incredibly subtle and quick. No one could see how he dodged, but those Kunais didn't touch him at all; they all struck the tree behind him.
The next moment, Kaito's eyes had turned into crimson Sharingan. With a slight fluctuation of his chakra, his body shot out instantly.
His ninja sword had been drawn, his crimson eyes slightly turned, and he was already in front of the first Root ninja.
"Swish!"
Two shadows crossed. The next moment, the Root ninja in front of Kaito flew backward. Amid high-speed movement, Kaito's ninja sword precisely grazed his neck. The rain of crimson blood sprinkled onto the pure white snow, making the earth seem exceptionally bewitching.
At this moment, a Root ninja beside him had already moved in for the kill. Silently, he leapt high, his shinobi blade fiercely swinging down at Kaito!
With a gentle sweep of his eyes, Kaito had already determined the course of the attacker's strike.
With a slight shift, he ingeniously avoided the attack. His right hand, gripping the ninja blade, stabbed out at a strange angle, instantly piercing the chest of the attacker.
Nevertheless, this group of Root ninjas still silently charged towards Kaito. They didn't seem to care about their comrade's death, nor were they affected by the havoc this man had caused in the Root.
"These guys... they really don't fear death."
Kaito murmured to himself. He had seen the fearlessness of the Root before, but today, these guys seemed more resolute than those he had previously dispatched.
This made him wonder if these people were the true elites at the core of Root?
To Kaito, the most vital members of an organization were not necessarily the most powerful. Rather, they were those with unbending will.
With such people, their teachings could shape new recruits to possess the same qualities and resolve, enabling the organization to perpetuate its beliefs.
Kaito recalled his past encounters with Root, where many members displayed fear and terror, unlike the reckless bravado of those before him now.
"Perhaps Danzo was too obsessed with power, and lost sight of the essential, huh?"
Watching as three Root ninjas leapt high into the sky, their long blades gleaming coldly as they swooped down at him, Kaito couldn't help but shake his head.
The next moment, three blades simultaneously pierced Kaito's body, as if stabbing into thin air!
In an instant, the pierced body of Kaito turned into a piece of wood. The three men had no time to react as blood gushed from their throats!
They clutched at their throats subconsciously, but they couldn't stop the blood seeping through their fingers.
Kaito didn't bother with how they were doing. At this moment, he kicked the ninja in front of him away, then grabbed a Kunai that was shot at him.
He then turned to dodge an attacking ninja and dispatched him with one stroke. At the same time, he pulled an explosive tag from his ninja tool pouch and attached it to the Kunai.
Half a second later, the Kunai flew back to where it came from. With the sound of it piercing flesh, it buried itself in its original owner.
"Boom!"
Moments later, a harsh explosion echoed. Smoke, flames, and blood scattered all over the place.
There were many Root ninjas, but Kaito was still able to handle them with ease, as if he could predict any attack.
His speed was such that the Root ninjas couldn't keep up or catch him. They could only watch as Kaito, like a butterfly weaving through flowers, continuously reaped their companions' lives.
"This should be about enough."
Kaito murmured to himself. From the beginning of the battle, he had only used physical techniques to see how well he now controlled his body.
His encounter with Kakashi made him realize that, although he had improved significantly, his control was only average due to a lack of sufficient training.
He'd devoted some time to mastering this skill, aware that possession doesn't guarantee mastery. It was like the multitude of knowledge he had acquired in school, forgotten if unused, but it could not be denied that he had indeed learnt it.
After this bout of combat, Kaito could essentially determine his grasp over his body was passable, indicating his training during this time was not in vain.
Since that was the case, he didn't intend to prolong it.
His purpose here was quite simple: to deal with these people entirely before Sarutobi Hiruzen could find them vexing him.
Especially since they were the first to attack, Kaito felt no pressure in striking back. He couldn't believe that in this vicinity, there would be no Anbu keeping watch!
Activating the technique of void walk, Kaito in a flash stepped out of the range of the main forces of the Root Ninja.
His eyes with the three tomoe rapidly spun, morphing into the state of Mangekyō in the next instant!
His body was swiftly brimming with a clear blue chakra, and in the next second, the chakra skeleton appeared.
Kaito took a deep breath, immediately his chakra wildly surged, the azure skeletal giant suddenly expanded, transforming into a giant dozens of meters tall in a blink!
Yet, this was not the end. Alongside the terrifying surge of chakra, an armor set with a Tengu helmet had already overlaid his body.
The giant stood still, but an aura capable of destroying everything was sweeping the surroundings. The already chilly weather seemed to have plunged into an ice cave.
"Is this... is this really a human?"
Facing this familiar scene, the Root Ninja, determined as steel, began to waver in the face of the colossal figure far more despairing than the last encounter.
But they didn't voice their fears. They still charged silently at Kaito.
For they knew, if they didn't do something, they would truly lose any chance of avenging their masters!
"Very brave indeed. Or perhaps blindly loyal," he said.
Watching these Root Ninja, clearly resolved to die, Kaito calmly commanded the Susanoo to draw its ninja sword.
The next instant, the sword swung fiercely with a gust of green chakra, terrifying chakra erupted like a flood in the entire forest.
The terrifying blade swept up countless trees and even caused a massive crevice on the ground.
Just like the sky falling, the earth sinking.....
At the edge of the forest, several Anbu watched this in astonishment. This scene seemed familiar, but far beyond their memories.
They were trembling. They couldn't imagine how they could resist such terrifying power.
"Is this... is this really a human?"
Within Konoha's residential area, countless people put down their work.
The ground's shaking made civilians worry about an earthquake. The ninjas, however, looked dumbfoundedly at the forest to the east.
Obviously, they had realized this was no earthquake, but a battle beyond imagination!
Sarutobi Hiruzen, busy with work in the Hokage's office, also stopped everything and looked out the window.
The chakra was so strong that it was easy to identify who was fighting, but the intensity of the chakra made people's faces incredibly gloomy.
Especially the eruption of chakra from this direction, which made him feel as if he realized something.
"Could it be..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured to himself, then stood up quickly. With a body flicker technique, he disappeared from the office...
//
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