"Kill them." The lead Root ninja ordered coldly.
Moonlight Hayate's usual smirk vanished in an instant. Even Yugao Uzuki, standing behind him, tensed at the command.
A sharp whoosh cut through the air as two Root operatives vanished, their forms flickering forward in a blur.
Before Hayate could react, they reappeared right in front of him, their tanto gleaming under the pale moonlight.
To them, eliminating two mere Chunin was effortless—a mission hardly worth their skill.
Hayate stood frozen, his body rigid as the short blades neared his throat. His pupils reflected the incoming strike, a fatal mistake flashing across the battlefield.
Move!
A glint of satisfaction flickered in the eyes of the Root assassins.
Half a day ago, they had been stationed at a classified Root stronghold, hidden miles away.
Upon receiving direct orders from Danzo's operatives, Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune, they had been tasked with eliminating all Konoha ninja in the area.
On their way to the Konoha outpost, they had come across these two—rookies in their eyes, an easy and almost amusing warm-up before the true slaughter began.
"Konoha-ryu: Mikazuki no Mai!"
A sharp battle cry rang out as a shadow leaped behind Hayate, the gleam of a katana reflecting the moonlight.
The air rippled with chakra as Yugao Uzuki struck, her blade humming with precise energy.
In a heartbeat, her movements split into three illusory clones, each slashing at the assassins from different angles.
Caught off guard by the sudden counterattack, the two Root operatives hesitated, momentarily thrown off balance.
Of course, they had heard of Konoha's sword styles—especially the famed Mikazuki no Mai technique that Hayate specialized in.
But now, under the illusion's deception, they had no time to react.
Seizing the moment, Yugao grabbed Hayate's wrist, yanking him back while simultaneously flinging several shuriken.
"Hayate! If you get an opening, run! If you can make it to the stronghold, we'll have a chance to survive!"
"Run?!"
Hayate's voice held disbelief. "How could I abandon you? If we die, we die together!"
Yugao's eyes widened slightly at his resolve.
Even in the face of death, he still refused to leave her behind.
That kind of loyalty…
But before she could respond, a hand burst out of the earth beneath Hayate's feet.
"Watch out!" Yugao shouted, instinctively jumping back.
In that instant, she realized—their previous assault had been a setup. The real attack was already in motion.
The Root captain had concealed himself underground, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Yet Hayate remained frozen, stunned and unable to react.
Originally unaware of the threat, his response had already been delayed. Now, even after Yugao's warning, it was too late.
"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu!"
The earth churned like liquid, swallowing Hayate's body up to his neck.
The moment he realized what was happening, he struggled, attempting to break free—but the jutsu had already taken hold. His chakra flow was disrupted, his movements useless.
Now only his head remained above ground, vulnerable and exposed.
Yugao's breath caught in her throat.
How—how had this happened so fast?
In the span of seconds, Hayate was already subdued.
There were still seven enemy shinobi. She was alone.
The only way to save him now was to escape and bring reinforcements.
"Little girl, now's not the time to get distracted."
A mocking voice snapped her back to reality.
Two of the Root operatives moved simultaneously, their hands flicking outward.
Twin kunai hurtled toward her in a curved trajectory—tied to them, razor-thin steel wire.
A trap.
If she miscalculated her dodge, the wire would ensnare her, immobilizing her completely.
And in midair, with no foothold—
She had no way to evade.
Her stomach tightened.
This was it.
But then—
Clang!
A single shuriken sliced through the air, knocking the kunai away in a shower of sparks.
The unexpected counterattack stunned everyone.
"What precision… One shuriken deflected two kunai at once?"
The Root captain, still lurking underground, narrowed his eyes.
Before he could process what had happened, his instincts screamed at him.
"Scan the perimeter! Kill whoever that was!" he barked.
But the moment his subordinates prepared to move, their bodies stiffened.
Terror flashed in their eyes.
They hadn't seen him move.
But suddenly—
"Looking for me?"
A voice, smooth and amused, whispered from behind the captain.
His blood ran cold.
Without hesitation, he attempted to dive underground with another earth jutsu—
But the moment he touched the soil, a surge of raw killing intent swallowed him whole.
"Gotcha."
A fist crackling with blue lightning swung down like an executioner's blade.
BOOM!
The force of the punch shattered the earth itself.
Jagged cracks webbed outward as chunks of stone flew into the air.
The Root captain's skull was obliterated instantly, splattering blood in every direction.
The remaining operatives paled.
"R-run!" one of them stammered.
They turned, attempting to retreat—
But their eyes darted wildly, searching for the attacker.
He was gone.
Vanished.
And then—
"Raijin no Ken!"
A thunderous blade cleaved through the first fleeing ninja.
His body didn't even have time to react before his head separated cleanly from his shoulders, spinning through the air.
The rest barely had time to register their comrade's death.
The figure blurred through the battlefield like a phantom.
With five flashes of blue lightning, it was over.
By the time the remaining operatives understood what had happened, their bodies had already fallen.
Six heads hit the ground in unison, rolling like discarded fruit.
Their bodies followed, collapsing lifelessly onto the blood-soaked earth.
Yugao barely had time to steady herself before finally looking at the figure who had saved them.
A young man stood amidst the carnage, lightning dancing across his body, his smirk calm and unsettling.
"It's your turn now," he said, his voice playful.
His gaze locked onto Yugao.
"You're pretty. Maybe you can entertain me?"
A chill ran down her spine.
Hayate's breath caught in his throat.
They had thought this person was their savior.
But now—
The real nightmare was only beginning.