Chapter 39: Kabuto's Strength
The first Jōnin sent to capture Shiki Uzumaki had finally arrived! The Chunin around him couldn't help but feel relieved, because the newcomer was Hyūga Tanaka!
"Lord Tanaka! We never expected you would come personally. It seems this mission will end very soon!"
"That arrogant brat must have finally used up all his luck, right?"
"Lord Tanaka's mission failure rate is zero!"
Immediately, waves of praise filled the air.
However, Hyūga Tanaka felt somewhat annoyed. He had no patience for flattery from these "weaklings"—after all, to the weak, anyone with power seemed formidable.
He shifted his gaze back to Shiki, who was still darting around, when something suddenly didn't sit right with him.
"Shiki Uzumaki?" Tanaka asked with slight suspicion.
As a particularly gifted child within the Hyūga Clan, he'd been carefully cultivated by Danzō since childhood.
Although he understood Danzō's intentions and sought to uncover the true secrets of the Byakugan by breaking the Cage Bird seal,
he didn't care. To him, the Hyūga were a race doomed to inferiority from birth—there was nothing in it for him emotionally.
In fact, Tanaka even regretted that the Binding Seal was too strong—so strong that even Danzō couldn't break it.
To Tanaka, Danzō was practically the only man who had ever changed his fate.
No matter what, now he was Danzō's subordinate. He no longer needed to humbly protect everything about the Main House. He only needed to devote himself entirely to "Root" [his elite faction within the Hidden Leaf].
Compared to being forced to serve in the Branch Family without any status or respect, he much preferred how things were now.
He once put it this way: "Those who crawl out of a sewer still hope it's just a puddle of mud."
Whether that analogy was appropriate or not, for him, the Hyūga Clan was that sewer—the place that caused him endless hatred.
Yet "Root" was the mud pit that let him feel alive and valuable.
This time, he was temporarily dispatched to chase down Shiki Uzumaki. Although he and Shiki had never crossed paths before, he had gone so far as to study the boy's file in detail.
From the information he gathered, Shiki Uzumaki was a child possessing extraordinary chakra reserves.
But now, observing the current "Shiki Uzumaki," there wasn't even a hint of such a trait, which naturally raised his suspicions.
That was why he voiced his doubt aloud.
Yet "Shiki" merely cast him a teasing smile without breaking stride. In fact, he sped up slightly.
Now that a Jōnin had entered the fray, things were about to get even more interesting!
Seeing Shiki act so arrogantly, completely disregarding the presence of a Jōnin, one furious Chunin beside Tanaka shouted angrily, "Stop right now! Otherwise, don't think you can escape! Even if you do escape, you'll become nothing but a Rogue Ninja!"
Hmph? A Rogue Ninja?
Shiki couldn't help but smirk at being labeled a Rogue Ninja.
Kabuto Yakushi had played just about every role imaginable—except that of a rogue ninja.
Back when he carried out missions in other ninja villages, no one had ever called him a rogue ninja like this before.
Because—
he was originally just a spy!
Seeing that Shiki still refused to listen to any persuasion, the members of "Root" took action.
[Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!]
They opened with a B-ranked Water Release jutsu!
For most chūnin, even pulling off a B-ranked ninjutsu is a huge challenge.
But in Root, it was barely seen as more than a basic move.
In fact, most chūnin within Root possessed abilities surpassing those of regular jonin in one or two aspects.
However, because of other flaws, they weren't quite fit to be jonin.
A massive water dragon surged toward "Shiki." Dodging such an attack was practically impossible.
Without extraordinary ninjutsu, almost no one could imagine such a massive flow of water appearing inland.
And that wasn't even all—under such freezing weather conditions, the outer surface of the water dragon had formed a thin layer of ice, making its appearance even more fearsome.
Yet, Shiki didn't seem to notice this roaring, powerful water dragon. Instead, his gaze passed through it to a seemingly empty patch of land beyond.
"Indeed, jonin are far more interesting."
Just as Shiki finished speaking, someone suddenly burst forth from the water dragon, moving with lightning-like speed.
[Gentle Fist: Tremor!]
Boom!!!
Shiki appeared to be heavily struck to the ground. However, as "Hyūga Tanaka" was about to step forward for a closer look, suddenly a sharp sensation crossed his face.
Almost by instinct, he bent his body sharply backward.
Then he saw "Shiki's" hand swiftly slash past his face, cutting off several strands of his hair.
Sure enough, the "Shiki" he had hit earlier was merely a disguise using the substitution technique.
But at this moment, "Hyūga Tanaka" seemed to finally realize something.
"That's not right! You're definitely not Shiki Uzumaki! Who exactly are you?"
"It seems you've finally figured it out. So this game can't go on much longer either." Kabuto Yakushi finally admitted his deception openly.
Still, he did not release his Transformation Jutsu.
"Probably in a while, some more jonin will arrive. Shiki Uzumaki, I can only help you this far. What comes next depends entirely on yourself."
Hearing these words spoken so brazenly by the man in front of him—as if dismissing his ability—"Hyūga Tanaka" couldn't help but feel angry. He replied, "Do you really believe your abilities are sufficient to withstand my arrival here until reinforcements from 'Root' come?"
Kabuto laughed, smiling unusually innocently. Yet that very smile allowed nearly everyone to sense the sinister abnormality hidden beneath that innocence.
"You're Hyūga Tanaka, huh? Oh wow—you really are kind of cute. Just like an old childhood friend of mine who used to guess my thoughts like a psychic—or a fool. Although, your thinking is far too simple indeed."
He paused briefly, then continued, "To be honest, I'm thinking of ways to make sure you won't even get the chance to scream for backup."
Actually, they wouldn't even have the chance to tell the truth. And trust me, you don't wanna risk messing with my partner — that's not something you'd want.
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