Chapter 64: Annihilation of the Pursuit Squad!
Chapter 64: Annihilation of the Pursuit Squad!
"Monster...!"
The Root Anbu, watching the massive figure slowly emerge behind him, could no longer suppress the primal fear within.
Behind him, a snow-white, lizard-like creature, several dozen meters long, appeared silently. Its long tongue had wrapped around him, leaving him immobilized in mid-air.
"Chuhei, increase the paralysis effect!"
Dohei ordered calmly.
Yes, this colossal creature was none other than his other summon.
The Osaki Lizard: Chuhei!
While it didn't possess the same abilities as the short sword of Bunta, the shedding of Manda, or the splitting and healing abilities of Katsuyu, it had its unique strengths.
First, camouflage!
Its snow-white scales could change color to blend in with the surrounding environment, making it almost invisible, especially in complex terrains.
Its tongue had a natural paralyzing effect, which, while not overly powerful against similarly sized targets, was more than enough to incapacitate humans, even skilled ninja.
A natural hunter!
The Osaki Lizard was perfectly suited for ambushes in the jungle.
This was why the remaining Root ninja had all fallen silent after a single scream—they had been ambushed by this 'invisible' summon.
Chuhei was different from Taichi.
Not only was it larger and more adept at using chakra, but it also possessed special abilities.
Even facing the summon creatures of the Sannin wouldn't be a problem.
If it were Taichi, reaching the level of the Sannin's summons would still take time.
"Yes, Lord Dohei!"
Chuhei's tongue quickly secreted saliva, which had a powerful paralyzing effect, causing the Root Anbu to lose consciousness rapidly.
"Uchiha... Dohei... Danzo-sama will avenge us!"
Those were the last words of the Root Anbu.
With the final member taken care of, the entire Root pursuit squad was annihilated.
It wasn't that they were unprepared.
From the perspective of Root:
Even though Dohei had shown considerable strength during the Chunin Exams, he was still only at the level of a Special Jonin, relying more on his unique ninjutsu and taijutsu to catch them off guard.
Facing a team led by a Jonin with four Chunin, they were confident they wouldn't fail.
But who could have predicted that Dohei's strength had improved so rapidly, not to mention the presence of Chuhei, a deadly weapon.
"Before, I endured to lay low. Now, I can't even lay low anymore, so why should I keep enduring? Do you really think I'm a pushover?"
Dohei muttered to himself, looking at the unconscious Root Anbu.
Indeed!
Before, he was low-key to lay low.
But now that he couldn't lay low anymore, if he didn't take action, what would be the point of all his efforts?
No matter who came after him, Dohei would strike back. He didn't have the 'Will of Fire' to dedicate everything to the village.
The 'Will of Fire' was just words, don't fool yourself.
Because even dogs wouldn't believe in it.
Just look at the growing influence of the Hokage lineage in the village—it was clear that this was just a tool to manipulate civilian ninja into serving the upper echelons of Konoha.
But a lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth.
The 'Will of Fire' course at the Ninja Academy was mandatory, and it had indeed misled many.
Here, he specifically pointed out the Uchiha clan, where the stronger the natural talent, the easier they were to be misled.
What a tragedy!
While Dohei vented his frustrations, Chuhei used its tongue to swallow the few Root ninja who were only unconscious, not dead.
Don't misunderstand!
It had no taste for human flesh.
Instead, it was storing these Root ninja in its stomach to keep them alive, ready to regurgitate them when Dohei needed them.
Ninja were valuable experimental subjects.
In the past, Dohei had obtained his experimental materials through Uchiha channels.
Now, he had to rely on his own resources.
And before, he could only use lower-ranked ninja for experiments; those Chunin and Jonin were out of his reach.
But with these Root ninja, he had access to higher-quality subjects.
Even though he knew these Root ninja were brainwashed and innocent in their actions.
But so what?
Tang Ping wasn't a saint and didn't care about such things. All he needed to know was that their hands were stained with blood.
He would put aside his personal morals and enjoy a life of mischief.
As long as he lacked morals, he wouldn't have to worry about being criticized for being unscrupulous.
Now that he had the power to protect himself, he began to recover some of his pre-transmigration personality traits—like being a troublemaker and a contrarian. These traits would have been suicidal without power, but with it, they became a unique charm.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
After seeing the experimental subjects being swallowed and taken away by Chubei, Tang Ping began to clean up the scene. While he couldn't completely hide everything, he could at least prevent Root from knowing the details of the battle.
Cleaning up traces was part of his training at the academy. Even though Tang Ping had slacked off before, he hadn't forgotten these lessons.
"Hmm, if I said, 'Let the flames consume everything,' it would be just right!"
Watching everything be consumed by the flames, Tang Ping nodded in satisfaction and maintained his Flame Cloak as he leaped away. He stayed in the Flame Cloak to avoid leaving any scent or traces and to guard against poisons, insects, and other dirty tricks. Shinobi weren't warriors; they had countless methods at their disposal, and many had died due to carelessness.
Of course, it was only because Tang Ping's chakra had greatly improved and he had the assistance of the Fiery Fist tool that he could maintain the Flame Cloak for the entire time.
Two hours later!
Several figures appeared at the still-warm battlefield.
"We're too late!"
The leader, an unmasked shinobi, looked surprised at the battlefield that had been reduced to charred earth by the flames. He had come to check on the capture team after they lost contact, and it was clear something had gone wrong.
"Should we pursue the target?"
A Root shinobi beside him asked.
"No, we have more important tasks. The capture mission is on hold, and I will explain to Danzo-sama!"
The leader shook his head. They had more critical village tasks and couldn't afford to waste time on Root's mission.
"Yes, sir!"
The Root shinobi had no objections. The group then disappeared from the scene.
Meanwhile!
Tang Ping had found the convoy. It was a small merchant caravan consisting of a few horse-drawn carriages, escorted by a Chunin and three Genin.
"Who's there?"
The Chunin leader sensed Tang Ping's approach but didn't attack immediately upon seeing the Konoha headband on his forehead.
"I am Konoha Chunin Uchiha Tang Ping, and I have been assigned to escort the convoy."
Tang Ping presented his mission scroll to confirm his identity. While he had no qualms about killing Root members, the mission was assigned by the village, and he had to complete it unless he wanted to defect.
In the past, he might have welcomed such a fate, but after seeing the harsh reality of the shinobi world, he no longer had those thoughts. Konoha might be dangerous, but it was safer than the rest of the shinobi world. Additionally, the village provided access to various knowledge, jutsu, and materials that would be impossible to obtain elsewhere.
For example, the materials needed to create his Clearing Agent. If he weren't in Konoha, he wouldn't be able to easily gather them, even in the other four great shinobi villages, let alone anywhere else. Those places were lucky to sustain their populations, and their commercial development was minimal, if not irrelevant to shinobi.
With his headband and mission scroll, the Chunin, named Yamauchi Satoru, relaxed.
Through their conversation, Tang Ping learned why Satoru didn't recognize him. It turned out that Satoru had been on a mission during the joint Chunin exams and thus didn't know him. The village had also suppressed Tang Ping's reputation, so only those who had seen him in the arena knew much about him.
Konoha's leadership was very skilled at controlling information. Even the White Fang had fallen victim to this.
(End of Chapter)
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