Shisui's Challenge

"What?"

The Mist Village leader turned his head and saw Karot looking at him with a smile. He quickly dodged, leaving a skid mark on the ground.

"Good reaction," Karot commented.

"Inhaling too much white mist is bad for the body. Let's disperse it."

With that, Karot waved his hand, and the dense fog covering the forest dissipated.

"Is this something a human can do?"

The remaining ninja were shocked. The Mist Village leaders dropped their weapons.

"Huh?"

A large question mark appeared in Karot's mind.

"We surrender."

The four men readily laid down their arms and surrendered. They weren't stupid; they knew that with Karot's ability to disperse the mist, resistance would be futile. Surrender was the best option. They couldn't escape, and they couldn't win, so surrender was the only choice besides death.

"Why don't you resist again? Resist."

Karot said with a sincere expression.

The four men tied their own hands and stood before Karot to show their resolve.

Seeing that the situation was irreversible, Karot could only order Might Duy and the others to escort the prisoners. He also collected the seven ninja swords, which would be bargaining chips in negotiations with the Mist Village. They couldn't let the Mist Village leader summon them back.

Afterward, Karot led Might Duy and the others back to the camp. The Leaf Village ninja, upon learning that Karot had captured the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, erupted in joy. The gloom of recent days lifted. The Leaf Village had been struggling in the Mist Village war, but now Karot's capture of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had dealt a heavy blow to the Mist Village. Thus, the Leaf Village ninja lined up to welcome Karot.

"Lord Karot."

"Lord Karot."

"Red Demon."

Karot waved his hand as he walked, and the more he gestured, the more enthusiastically the Leaf Village ninja shouted.

"Lord Karot."

Shisui called out respectfully.

"Shisui, I'll leave the rest to you."

Karot was exceptionally skilled at being a hands-off leader. All administrative matters in the camp were handed over to Shisui, while he focused on slacking off. With that, Karot vanished.

"Senior."

Shisui's words trailed off, as the person was already gone. Who was he talking to?

From Might Duy and the others, Shisui learned the whole story, especially how the eternally Genin had killed two elite Jonin. He found it absurd because Might Duy's reputation was already immense, and this sudden change was hard to accept. When he finally heard that the Mist Village leader had surrendered willingly, he was numb. In the past, it was always a fight to the death, but now they were surrendering? Where was the ninja spirit? This made Uchiha Shisui extremely interested in Karot's strength.

Two days after Shisui reported the news, a team of Leaf Village ninja arrived in a hurry and left just as quickly. They brought the Leaf Village's commendations; Might Duy was specially promoted to Jonin for his outstanding performance in battle. As they left, they took the seven ninja swords and the four men. Due to severe injuries from using the Eight Gates Formation, they were also taken back to the ninja village for treatment, along with a letter from Karot.

Since Karot captured the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the Mist Village had been quiet, with no activity on the border. It was said that the Mist Village wanted to negotiate with the Leaf Village and were making a gesture of goodwill. However, none of this concerned Karot. He continued his daily routine of fishing and taking walks, appearing like a retired old man. He would have been even more fitting if he had a thermos in his hand.

"Senior Karot, I want to duel you."

After enduring for another half a month, Uchiha Shisui finally made his request to Karot.

"Oh, why do you want to challenge me, Shisui?"

Karot asked, while his thoughts were:

Did I slack off too much? Is Shisui trying to quit? Should I be more restrained in the future, handle some administrative tasks, and appease him? Children are easily appeased.

Just as Karot was about to voice his thoughts, Shisui said:

"I want to witness Senior Karot's strength and test my own limits."

Uchiha Shisui was well aware of the Uchiha clan's awkward position in the Leaf Village. They lived proudly within the village but had never truly integrated. It was manageable during wartime, but after the war, what would become of the Uchiha? This question constantly troubled Uchiha Shisui. Karot's appearance offered a potential path for the Uchiha. His immense strength and lack of prejudice towards the Uchiha clan made him an excellent potential ally. Therefore, Shisui wanted to gauge the depth of Karot's power to add weight to his considerations.

"The genius of the Uchiha clan, the Body Flicker Shisui. Then I shall test your limits."

Karot was also intrigued by Shisui's challenge. He wanted to witness Body Flicker Shisui's "Kotoamatsukami," the strongest genjutsu in the ninja world. Most importantly, Karot was bored and wanted to stretch his muscles. In the entire camp, only Shisui could provide him with a decent spar.

The two arrived at an empty clearing.

"Begin, Shisui."

Karot fully displayed his benevolent side.

"Alright."

Shisui didn't hesitate and immediately attacked, forming hand seals and activating his ninjutsu. He created several clones. These weren't like the Clone Technique or the Shadow Clone Technique; the user could freely switch between the real body and the clones. This was the Body Flicker Technique of Body Flicker Shisui.

"Be careful, Senior Karot."

Shisui didn't hold back and charged forward. His sharp blade repeatedly attacked Karot's vital points.

Karot channeled his Ki into his index finger.

"Clang, clang, clang."

He continuously blocked Shisui's attacks.

"Is this Karot-senpai's Kekkei Genkai?"

News of Karot possessing a Kekkei Genkai spread widely after he killed the Eight-Tails. This was also Shisui's first time witnessing it, as his glowing index finger blocked all of Shisui's killing moves.

Seeing that he had not caused Karot any harm, Shisui jumped back, forming hand seals in the air.

"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique."

A massive fireball descended from mid-air towards Karot.

Karot opened his palm, and an energy sphere shot out, directly shattering Shisui's giant fireball.

"He doesn't need hand seals. That means all my ninjutsu releases will be a step behind him."

Shisui pondered countermeasures while fighting.

The tomoe in Shisui's Sharingan began to spin, and the scene before Karot's eyes changed. Shisui vanished, replaced by a variety of delicious foods, their aroma constantly tempting Karot. This was Karot's first experience with genjutsu, and he wanted to test it out to see how it differed.

Genjutsu not only affected his vision and sense of smell but also worked through hypnotic suggestion, making you believe what you saw was real.

"I really don't want to leave here."

Karot muttered to himself. Although the genjutsu affected Karot's vision, it was still easy for him to leave if he wanted to. He could easily break the ninjutsu by disrupting the caster's chakra flow. Finding the caster was simple because everyone's Ki was different, allowing Karot to locate him with ease.