Gekko Senjitsu

Led by Itachi, the three of them entered Root's underground base without incident.

The guards at the gate heard footsteps approaching from ahead.

They drew the ninja swords from their backs and went on alert. After all, Root's ninjas would not return to Root so openly.

The footsteps in the darkness drew closer and closer.

Finally, through the darkness, the guards saw the newcomers' faces clearly.

"Senya Uchiha! And Fugaku Uchiha!"

"Itachi! What are you doing? Why did you bring these two here?!"

Itachi's next move gave them the answer.

In the blink of an eye, the Sharingan appeared in his eyes, and Genjutsu was activated instantly. The guard at the entrance froze on the spot, then drove his ninja sword straight into his own heart.

Blood splattered. The twisting agony from his heart jolted the guard out of the Genjutsu, and blood spurted from his mouth.

"Itachi... you... trai—"

Before he could finish, his corpse collapsed to the ground.

The three walked up to the gate. With a direct kick, Senya brutally smashed his way inside.

The thunderous crash alerted the other members within Root's base.

They quickly converged on the source of the noise at the entrance.

"Uchiha! I never thought you'd have the nerve to barge into Root without authorization!"

"Get them! Attacking Root is a capital crime! Kill all three of them, and even the Hokage won't be able to defend them!"

"Hold them off! I'll report this to Lord Danzo!"

An Anbu ninja in a cat-face mask immediately fled from the crowd.

Fugaku was about to attack the cat-masked ninja, but Senya stopped him.

Senya waved a hand, summoning Qianyue from the seal on his wrist, and looked at the several dozen ninjas before him.

"How laughable. This massive Root has only a few dozen Root ninjas? With so few people, you think you can take the three of us down? You're overestimating yourselves!"

"This is where your lives end tonight. In your next lives, remember to find yourselves a better leader."

"Don't keep following trash like Danzo—blind fools consumed by selfish ambition!"

As he spoke, the Mangekyō Sharingan emerged, his scarlet pupils gleaming with ill omen and killing intent.

"Burn to ashes—Qianyue!"

The blade turned, its edge perpendicular to the ground, and Senya released his grip.

As the spirit blade fell toward the ground, it transformed from its tip into blue-white flames, which rapidly spread outward in every direction.

Fugaku and Itachi also drew their ninja swords and took out kunai, launching into a slaughter as they competed to wipe out Root's ninjas.

"Watch out! There's something wrong with those flames! Use Water Release, now!"

More than a dozen Root ninjas leapt forward and stood before Senya's spirit flames, forming hand seals to use Water Release in defense.

"Water Release—Water Wall!"

"Water Release—Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Water Release—Water Shockwave!"

More than a dozen Water Release techniques rushed toward the oncoming flames.

The Water Release collided with Senya's spirit flames. Vast amounts of water were instantly vaporized, sending waves of white steam into the air.

Just as Root's ninjas thought they had stopped Senya's flames—

Suddenly!

The blue-white flames burst from the water mist, shooting toward them in the shape of arrows!

The flaming arrows pierced straight through the dozen-plus men! Spirit flames instantly spread from their wounds across their entire bodies, turning them into living torches!

"Ah! What kind of sorcery is this?! Water Release doesn't work?!"

"Ahhh! Quick! Someone, save me~!"

"The Sealing Force! Get the Sealing Force to try sealing techniques! I can't die yet! I still have to keep serving Lord Danzo!"

The wailing lasted only a few seconds before the dozen-plus Root ninjas turned to ash.

The flames formed by Qianyue burned everywhere, and the remaining Root ninjas swiftly avoided them when they saw them.

Suddenly, a transparent figure appeared behind Senya.

"Crescent Moon Dance!"

With his back to the opponent, Senya grinned. He spun around and clenched his empty hand, and a fiery blade formed from spirit flames condensed in his grasp.

"Swallow Return!"

Three streaks of blue-white fire, transformed into a combat technique, slashed at the ninja's sword from Senya's left, right, and directly ahead!

A crisp clang rang out. The opponent's ninja sword snapped cleanly in two, while the other two invisible Shadow Clones turned into white mist.

Senya's Swallow Return struck the opponent squarely in the chest. Blood sprayed from his entire chest, leaving behind three savage scars.

The struck ninja fell backward to the ground and struggled to remove the mask from his face.

Underneath was an old man nearing fifty, his temples already gray as blood continuously spilled from his mouth.

"Pfft!"

"You... what kind of swordsmanship is that...? How could one slash strike three times?!"

The old man's pupils widened. His life was rapidly draining away, yet his voice still could not conceal his agitation and disbelief.

Senya did not answer. He merely gripped the fiery blade and looked coldly at him.

"Gekko Senjitsu? I never expected you to have joined Root as well..."

To be honest, when Senya discovered that Root had a ninja with Transparent Release, he had felt somewhat displeased. At the very beginning, Gekko Senjitsu had personally come to seek Uchiha protection.

Yet even Senjitsu, whom he had personally visited back then, had joined Root. It filled him with resentment.

He turned, preparing to leave and continue attacking the other Root ninjas.

Gekko Senjitsu was on his last breath and clearly about to die, but he still forced himself upright and called out to Senya.

"Vice Clan Head Senya!"

Senya stopped, his back still facing him.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

Blood continued to pour from Senjitsu's wounds.

"Among the next generation of my Gekko Clan, Hayate is the only bloodline ninja left. He knows nothing! I beg you! Spare him!"

Using the last of his strength, Senjitsu stood up, then dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead heavily against the ground.

Blood flowed from Senjitsu's forehead.

Hearing this, Senya merely tightened his grip on the blade in his hand, the fury in his eyes burning even hotter.

"I will pass the sword technique I used just now on to Hayate."

Then he resumed his assault on Root's remaining ninjas.

Senjitsu, kneeling on the ground, lifted his head and looked at Senya's back. He smiled.

The light faded from his pupils. They slowly closed, and he toppled to one side.

Even in death, a smile remained on his lips.

Senya recalled the spirit flames, gathering them back into his hand.

Holding Qianyue in its original form, Senya began slaughtering Root's ninjas using only taijutsu and his ninja sword.

His methods were brutal and bloody.

That was right. At this point, Senya no longer pursued killing efficiency. He only wanted to vent his rage.

Only after hearing Senjitsu's words did he understand that the Gekko Clan had not betrayed him. That beast Danzo had actually brought Root to the Gekko Clan to demand people!

Though the Gekko Clan possessed the Transparent Release bloodline, their numbers were few. Once one awakened the bloodline, they would develop an innate bloodline illness, and very few bloodline ninjas could live past the age of thirty.

For many years, the Gekko Clan's numbers had dwindled. In this generation, Gekko Hayate was the sole surviving bearer of Transparent Release.

More than ten minutes later, the one-sided slaughter came to an end. Senya unleashed one final Great Fire Destruction at Root's base, burning all the bloodstains and corpses to nothing.