Beast Roar Above the Village

Shinji didn't rush.

After waiting a moment longer to confirm Danzo was far away, he used the Transformation Technique to increase his height, changed into Anbu attire, and sprinted towards the Root base!

The Root base was located underground, so it had no other doors or windows, only this underground entrance disguised by a dilapidated building.

Therefore.

This sole entrance and exit was guarded by Root ninja around the clock.

Shinji had naturally considered this as well, which was why he had activated his Mangekyo Sharingan early on during the surprise attack.

When the Root ninja guarding the entrance spotted him and called out to him to verify his identity, he immediately unleashed a Genjutsu to control the ninja.

"Take me to Danzo's secret vault!"

He gave the order.

The Root ninja, ensnared by the Genjutsu, did not act, his expression struggling.

"Huh!?"

Shinji was surprised.

He hadn't specifically cultivated Genjutsu, nor had anyone taught him its techniques. But with the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan, he had blundered his way through so far without failure.

He hadn't expected it to fail here.

He immediately realized the other party was not weak, and might have even undergone training to resist Genjutsu.

His heart tightened, and he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan again: "Take me to the secret vault!"

As his Dojutsu intensified, the Root ninja finally succumbed completely to Shinji's Genjutsu and walked into the Root base like a puppet.

Shinji, dressed as an Anbu, followed behind him like an escort.

The interior of the Root base was far larger than Shinji had imagined.

After passing through a long spiral staircase, his eyes suddenly opened up.

"This..."

Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he was still startled.

Before him was a massive, bottomless pit, like a skyscraper stretching into the earth, with rooms dug out of the rock layer on each floor.

The floors were connected by spiral staircases and rope bridges.

Even looking from afar, it involuntarily evoked a sense of oppression and fear.

"Continue!"

At Shinji's urging, the Root ninja controlled by his Genjutsu took another step.

As Shinji followed behind him, he quietly began placing Explosive Tags at key points along the way.

As they went deeper, the light sources around them grew fewer and fewer. Looking at the dark rope bridge under his feet, it felt like truly stepping into hell.

Shinji suppressed his unease, cautiously observing his surroundings.

Finally, after navigating the intricate spiral staircases and rope bridges, the Root ninja controlled by Genjutsu brought Shinji to a large door.

Shinji asked, "Is this Danzo's secret vault?"

The Root ninja nodded.

Having retreated to a safe distance, Shinji commanded, "Open it!"

The Root ninja stepped forward and pushed the door open.

Through the faint light inside the vault, Shinji saw rows of display shelves.

However, from this distance and in this lighting, even with his Mangekyo Sharingan, he couldn't identify the items on the shelves.

After a moment of thought, Shinji asked, "Are there any traps inside?"

"I don't know."

The Root ninja shook his head.

Shinji ordered, "You go in first!"

The Root ninja did not hesitate and stepped into the vault.

Sizzle

Instantly, a blinding electric light flashed on the vault's floor, engulfing the Root ninja who had stepped inside.

"Ah!"

A pained cry echoed through the passageway.

At the same time, countless warning lights embedded in the rock walls throughout the base simultaneously flashed Red Light, followed by a piercing alarm.

Shinji's heart leaped, and he quickly turned around.

Swish.

The Root ninja, who had just been electrocuted, still smoking and unable to stand steadily, shot a Kunai at him.

Shinji didn't press the issue. After dodging the incoming kunai, he immediately fled outward.

With a few quick movements, he shot out of the passage and onto the spiral staircase outside.

In just a glance, he saw that amidst the shrill alarm, several figures were lunging towards him from all directions.

He glanced back.

The Root ninja who had been electrocuted was also chasing out of the passage.

Shinji breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediately, he sprinted upward along the spiral staircase, pulling kunai with pre-attached explosive tags from the ninja tool pouch at his waist.

He then threw these kunai, one by one, towards the traps he had laid earlier.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Soon, continuous explosions rang out within the Root base.

"Is he crazy?"

"Damn it, stop him quickly!"

"Insolent!"

The Root ninja surrounding Shinji were furious.

The downward-extending structure of the Root base, while effective at preventing enemy infiltration, couldn't withstand intense internal explosions.

A single misstep could cause the entire base to collapse inward, burying everyone at the bottom.

Therefore, upon seeing Shinji attacking the base's rock walls with explosive tags, several Root ninja stopped pursuing him. They immediately stopped, formed hand seals, and unleashed Earth Style ninjutsu to reinforce the walls.

Shinji was actually trembling with fear at this moment, but with Susanoo protecting him, he could break out even if the Root base truly collapsed.

Thus, he became even more reckless, pulling out all the explosive tags from his ninja tool pouch.

"Stop!"

The Root ninja were petrified.

If so many explosive tags were detonated at once, the base might really collapse.

In that case, not only would the base be lost, but no one present would escape alive!

So, the Root ninja still pursuing Shinji also stopped in their tracks, fearing they might further provoke Shinji and lead to mutual destruction.

Shinji also stopped his action of detonating the explosive tags, not provoking the Root ninja further. Instead, he fully activated his Breathing Technique and sprinted up the spiral staircase, escaping under the furious glares of the Root ninja.

Upon reaching the ground entrance, the moment he rushed out, he also plastered explosive tags onto the walls on both sides of the entrance.

BOOM BOOM!

The fiery explosion instantly engulfed the entrance to the Root base, completely collapsing the surface structures.

Shinji, in his flight, glanced back.

Although he confirmed there were no pursuers behind him, he still didn't dare to be careless and immediately ducked into the grass.

Only after escaping to a relatively safe area did he deactivate his Transformation Technique and remove the mask from his face.

"I can only rely on Meiqiu now."

Shinji looked in the direction of the Root base, his expression grave.

Earlier, when he turned to flee and lure away the Root ninja, Meiqiu, who had been hiding in his shadow, had quietly detached itself and hidden in the shadows outside the secret vault.

This was also why, despite Danzo's secret vault being so close, he had turned and fled without hesitation.

"It has to succeed!"

He prayed silently in his heart.

Opportunities like tonight, when Danzo was away and the Root base was empty and unguarded, were rare.

If he failed this time, the now-alerted Root base would be even harder to infiltrate.

ROAR.

Just as Shinji was filled with anxiety, a distant roar suddenly sounded, followed by a beast's roar that shook the heavens, echoing over the village.

Shinji followed the sound and was stunned: "Nine-Tails!?"

First update, seeking recommendation votes and monthly votes!