The tension was palpable.
"Protect Lord Danzo!"
"Assassin!"
"Stop right there, you reckless scoundrel!"
The Root operatives barked out furious commands as they moved to protect Danzo.
In mere moments, seven of them formed a protective wall around Danzo, while the others glared at Kazuya with anger in their eyes.
"Heh..."
"He does cling to life," Kazuya thought with disdain.
Danzo, as always, was quick to let others die for him. His first instinct when facing a powerful opponent was to send his subordinates forward as fodder while he remained safely in the background, pretending to have everything under control.
What a hypocrite.
At least Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, would step up when things got serious.
But Danzo? He always stayed in the shadows, only stepping out to dodge blame. He ran away when the Gold and Silver Brothers attacked, hid during the Nine-Tails assault, and tucked his tail when Pain invaded. Sure, his excuses were always convincing, but the truth was he was just terrified of death.
Such a coward.
Kazuya stayed silent, his eyes cold as they scanned the Root operatives surrounding him. His sheer presence filled the room with a palpable sense of fear. The operatives could feel the overwhelming pressure radiating from him, a chilling reminder of their imminent doom.
"Don't be afraid!" Danzo shouted coldly. "There's only one of him. He won't dare go all out. Take him down!"
"Yes, Lord Danzo!" the Root operatives responded in unison, with ten of them charging at Kazuya while five remained to guard Danzo.
Kazuya's eyes glimmered with excitement.
Finally, some action!
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
With a series of hand seals, boom!
A massive fireball exploded in the room.
"What terrifying power!" Danzo was taken aback. He had only read about Kazuya's abilities in reports, but now, witnessing it firsthand, he finally grasped the magnitude of Kazuya's strength.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
The Root operatives were quick to react, using their jutsu to block the incoming fireball.
But the difference in chakra power was too vast.
Boom!
The fireball tore through all the defensive jutsu in an instant, exploding into a blast of heat and steam.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The intense heat forced the Root operatives to retreat from the collapsing room.
"Not bad," Kazuya mused as he deftly moved through the debris, his expression calm beneath his mask.
[You have gained 50 Chakra Points.]
[You have gained 50 Chakra Points.]
[You have gained 80 Chakra Points.]
[You have gained 100 Battle Experience Points.]
[You have gained 30 Water Release Proficiency Points.]
[You have gained 40 Earth Release Proficiency Points.]
One after another, waves of golden light surged into Kazuya's body.
These Root operatives weren't weak; most were at least elite Jonin or higher. They made for decent experience sources.
"Take him down!" Danzo growled.
Kazuya had humiliated him in front of his men, and if he didn't handle this situation, his subordinates would start doubting him. Danzo couldn't afford to let that happen.
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"
Hearing the command, several Root operatives drew their blades and kunai, rushing Kazuya with reckless abandon.
Despite their fear of facing a superior opponent, their fear of Danzo was even greater.
"Kill!!" they shouted, more to psych themselves up than anything else.
Ten operatives launched their attack, each one an expert in combat, their blades and kunai glinting dangerously as they targeted Kazuya.
In an instant, the air around Kazuya was filled with flashes of steel, each attack coming within a hair's breadth of hitting him.
Ninja combat in close quarters was always deadly.
Only the strongest could abandon chakra conservation and unleash jutsu recklessly. The majority had to rely on their weapons and skill in hand-to-hand combat.
But no matter how relentless the attacks, none of the blades managed to touch Kazuya.
He was like a reed swaying in the wind, moving effortlessly between strikes.
Each kunai and blade missed him by a fraction, leaving only the faintest traces in the air.
"Enough of this," Kazuya grumbled.
Did they think he was here for a sword fight?
Under his Level 5 Taijutsu Mastery and enhanced reaction speed, these Root operatives moved as if they were stuck in slow motion.
It was a waste of time.
Whoosh!
Kazuya suddenly pulled back, creating some distance between him and the attackers.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
With rapid hand seals, he unleashed a torrent of dragon-shaped flames that roared through the air, engulfing the operatives.
"What a terrifying fire release jutsu!" Danzo's face twisted in shock.
It seemed the reports were true. Kazuya had indeed reached Kage-level strength.
And not just any Kage-level—he was strong.
"His chakra control is better than mine," Danzo thought, gritting his teeth.
A true genius.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
"Water Style: Water Wave!"
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
The Root operatives capable of using Water Style frantically unleashed their jutsu, trying to counter the raging firestorm Kazuya had summoned.
[You have gained 50 Water Style Proficiency Points.]
[You have gained 40 Water Style Proficiency Points.]
[You have gained 100 Chakra Points.]
[You have gained 100 Chakra Points.]
[You have gained Jutsu: Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu.]
[You have gained 1,000 Skill Experience in Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu.]
[Your Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu has leveled up to Level 2 (0/1,000).]
Golden orbs of light erupted from the Root operatives as they launched their attacks.
Beneath his mask, Kazuya's expression finally softened a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.
Finally, these new "XP bags" had learned to work diligently. It was truly touching.