Uchiha Gin's actions stunned the three individuals.
They watched as he fell downward.
The swarming mass of insects on the ground engulfed him.
It looked like suicide.
"That's fine. I'll knock him out and take him with us," the man with black hair coldly stated.
The sea of insects below was under his control, and naturally, he could control the intensity, ensuring that only unconsciousness would result.
Though he couldn't understand why this Uchiha would make such a choice.
The outcome was already determined.
There wouldn't be any mistakes this time.
"Don't let him pass out so easily. Let him suffer a bit," the female ninja gritted her teeth. This was the first time anyone had called her an ugly hag. How could she just let him go?
"Root ninjas need to eliminate emotions," the man with yellow hair spoke in a cold tone, rejecting her suggestion.
At Root, it wasn't just positive emotions that had to be erased—negative emotions were eliminated as well.
Shimura Danzo believed that ninjas without any emotions were the best ninjas and the most useful tools.
He would use any means necessary to wipe out the emotions of these ninjas, though there were always some who couldn't be changed so easily.
Listening to the orange-haired man, the female ninja could only obey.
"Understood."
She wasn't the team leader. Root operations had to strictly follow the orders from above.
Otherwise...
She shivered, thinking of the severe punishments within Root.
Though she knew the punishments were serious, she couldn't help but feel resentment.
She hadn't joined Root just to become a puppet. She had joined to satisfy her thirst for bloodshed.
But after becoming a member of Root, she regretted it.
Unfortunately, once you joined, there was no way out.
"Minoru, bring him up," the man with orange-yellow hair called out.
But there was no response.
The woman and the man with orange-yellow hair both turned toward the man from the Oil Girl Clan, Minoru.
Minoru clasped his hands together, his body trembling slightly. If they removed his mask, they would see beads of cold sweat on his face.
Something was wrong.
It was a long time before they heard him speak.
"My insects... are dying!"
He could feel the insects he had controlled dying in large numbers, and he couldn't fight back.
"What!?"
Both of them looked down in unison.
They saw a red flow of energy moving through the sea of insects below.
At first, it was subtle—just a faint light.
As time passed,
The red glow grew brighter and more pronounced.
At the same time, large groups of insects began to shrink and fall off, as if their blood and flesh were being drained.
Soon, the ground was covered with a mound of insect corpses.
At this moment,
A hand emerged from the top of the mound, red chakra swirling around it. Slowly, the hand closed into a fist.
Then, the massive surge of red chakra exploded outward.
"Boom!"
A violent wind tore through the air, causing the clothes of the three to flap loudly.
The power was evident.
The large, dried-out insect bodies were blown away by the strong gusts.
And from the wreckage, a figure emerged.
Gin stood amidst the sea of insects. His clothes had been completely devoured by the insects, leaving nothing behind.
The red chakra surrounded him like a tangible force, and his eyes were completely white, the pupils gone.
"Eight Gates! Modification! Six Paths Sage Mode!"
Gin lifted his head to look at the three.
His eyes were entirely white, resembling a demon that had crawled out of hell.
"What kind of technique is this!?" Minoru's voice was hoarse. This level of chakra was terrifying.
It was like a Jinchuriki's power.
Although they didn't know who the Jinchuriki in the village was, they were sure it wasn't the person in front of them.
The next moment,
"What are you looking at?"
Gin's voice slowly came from behind the three.
The three of them quickly turned around, their pupils shrinking, and leaped backward, taking position on another tree, looking toward where Gin had just stood.
Gin was now standing in midair, his feet seemingly walking through the air.
Six Paths—Moon Step.
The three felt an eerie sense of visual distortion. Despite focusing on Gin below, they couldn't see how he had moved behind them. It felt as though there were two of him.
Such speed...!
"You!"
The woman wanted to speak, but before she could, her figure vanished from where she stood. In the distance, Gin had placed one hand on her face and pressed her into a tree.
It was as if an image had been cut out of time.
A sharp sense of disconnection.
"Boom!!"
The sound only came after, as the massive force of the impact created a deep crater in the tree trunk, which couldn't support its weight and slowly began to fall toward the ground.
As the woman's mask shattered, her delicate face was revealed, and her eyes rolled back as she fainted.
This strike was not easy to endure.
"Retreat!!" The man with orange-yellow hair quickly ordered.
He wanted to leave the woman behind and retreat immediately. The strength displayed by the opponent was overwhelming, and only an elite Jonin would stand a chance.
But the next moment...
The two men froze in place, not daring to move an inch. Cold sweat dripped down their faces behind their masks.
Gin had appeared between them, one arm casually draped around each of their shoulders.
Like a close friend.
"Where are you two going? Let me escort you."
Upon hearing Gin's voice, Minoru's eyes widened in terror. Such speed... what kind of Taijutsu could achieve this?
He was still just a Genin.
Uchiha clan...
What kind of monster has emerged from their ranks!?
Before Minoru could think any further, Gin pushed hard on the back of their heads, causing their faces to collide with one another. Their masks shattered instantly, and their faces slammed together with a dull thud.
Both of their noses were bent out of shape, and they passed out.
Gin casually tossed them toward the woman ninja's direction, and they collided together, tumbling into a heap.
A faint breath between them showed that they were still alive.
Though Gin was tempted to kill them, doing so would cause too much trouble.
It was well known that Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen were closely allied.
A mere Genin like Gin couldn't influence the situation on his own.
It was better to let them live. That way, there was room to maneuver.
He would remember this grudge for now.
Gin lightly landed on the ground.
He ignored the three, instead turning his attention to the distant direction.
In the fading light of dusk, a shadow appeared from afar, followed by the person it belonged to—Orochimaru, who walked slowly toward him.
"Orochimaru," Gin said, his face expressionless as he looked at the man approaching.
"Is the show... entertaining?" Orochimaru nodded, his face unchanged.
"It's quite good, though I didn't see you activate your Sharingan. But this fascinating technique of yours has been quite the spectacle."
The moment Gin had been attacked, Orochimaru had noticed and appeared at the scene of the battle.
However, instead of intervening, he had chosen to watch from the sidelines.
Gin had only noticed Orochimaru hiding after the battle began.
Orochimaru's purpose wasn't to test Gin's strength.
He had only hoped to see Gin activate the Sharingan in a life-or-death situation.
After all, for the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan was essential to increasing one's power.
The extreme emotions generated by the life-or-death crisis would trigger the Sharingan. Orochimaru was aware of this, having studied the Second Hokage's research notes.
Unfortunately for Orochimaru, Gin did not activate the Sharingan, but instead, he showcased this astonishing technique.
It wasn't a total loss for Orochimaru.
Gin smiled maliciously, a wicked grin on his face.
"Orochimaru, aren't you afraid I'll kill you right now?"
His strength now was incredible. He wasn't sure if he could take on the Kage-level individuals, but he had confidence in defeating elite Jonin.
Besides, Orochimaru had promised to protect him, yet now, he was just a spectator.
Who's right and who's wrong? Gin didn't care.
After all, he had no sense of ethics.
Orochimaru remained unfazed, his smile never fading.
"The chakra you've absorbed can keep you going for about a minute. What are you going to use to kill me?"
He flicked his snake-like tongue across his lips.
Gin's current strength was temporary, and it wouldn't last long. Orochimaru had already analyzed the situation.
Gin narrowed his eyes.
He scrutinized Orochimaru. From the state Gin had just been in, it was clear that even an elite Jonin couldn't defeat him.
Unless... Gin had surpassed elite Jonin.
Now, that would be interesting.
Orochimaru had probably already reached the peak of his future power.
The peak Orochimaru could match Sarutobi Hiruzen in a direct confrontation.
What would that mean for the future?
(End of Chapter)