The Akatsuki members who had appeared were in rough shape themselves. They had chased the wildfire all the way here, and their faces were just as black with soot.
But compared to the battered Root members, they were undoubtedly the ones who'd had time to recover.
Karasuba had gotten so hot that he'd taken off his shirt, revealing sharply defined pectorals and abs.
He quickly formed four Hand Seals, then drew the long sword from his back.
The blade came out, and flames erupted!
Flames clung to the blade. With a single slash, a curved arc of fire, like an extension of the blade itself, surged toward Wu, the Root ninja in front of him!
Karasuba had been one of the first Akatsuki members to recognize and follow Shiba Seika, so Seika had never hesitated to share his insights into Kenjutsu with him.
Later, after obtaining ninjutsu through a deal with the Uchiha Clan, Seika taught him a number of Fire Release techniques as well.
Once, noticing that Karasuba showed real talent for both Kenjutsu and Fire Release, Seika casually suggested that he try coating his blade in flames. Every swing would blaze and explode—perhaps it would have a remarkable effect.
Seika had only said it on a whim, without giving it much thought. He hadn't expected Karasuba to come up with some insights of his own just a few days later!
Now, as Karasuba unleashed his self-created Blazing Blade Style, even the well-traveled Root ninja in Konoha stared in disbelief.
At the same time, the cornered Root members launched their own counterattack!
Luo, the most vicious member of the group, fixed his attention on Shiba Seika first.
"So you're the brat who's been scheming against us?!"
He ripped the mask from his face, shook off the sweat, and charged at Seika with a roar!
Root members weren't allowed to remove their masks while carrying out a mission, lest their real identities be exposed.
Luo's move was a desperate gamble. He'd decided he would silence the boy in front of him, no matter what!
He'd had more than enough of tonight's humiliation!
As he charged, he rapidly formed Hand Seals, calculating just how brutally he would tear the boy to pieces.
But just as he was one Hand Seal away from completing his jutsu, the calm boy in the distant firelight appeared right in front of him, as if he'd teleported!
Genjutsu!
Shiba Seika had used Genjutsu!
He'd blurred Luo's sense of distance!
It had no direct killing power, but it was unexpected and threw his opponent completely off balance!
That was how Seika understood Genjutsu: it wasn't only Genjutsu that killed with a glance that made for a good technique. Subtle deception and misdirection could sometimes prove more useful than pure destructive power!
Seika slashed at him. Because Luo had misjudged the distance, he completely miscalculated how soon they would clash, and was immediately trapped in a dilemma.
If he kept forming Hand Seals, he'd be betting that his jutsu would be faster than the blade from just one step away.
In the end, he didn't dare take that bet.
At that range, Seika's blade was both swift and merciless!
With no choice, Luo abandoned the Hand Seals, halted, and retreated. At the same time, he hooked a Kunai out of the Ninja Tools pouch at his waist and gripped it.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
A series of crisp, metallic clashes rang out through the woods.
Luo retreated step by step, constantly using his Kunai to parry Seika's blows.
At first, he hadn't taken the Rain ninja brat in front of him seriously at all.
As he parried, he still found time to taunt him.
"Could you be that Shimura Clan brat who's been missing—the one Lord Danzo is looking for?"
But after just a few exchanges, his expression grew serious. He had no choice but to draw another Kunai with his other hand, and now he was forced to alternate between the two.
His voice began to betray a note of uncertainty.
"Brat, what kind of sword style is that?! You're not from the Shimura Clan!"
A few more exchanges passed. Sweat gathered on Luo's face and the back of his head, and the drops running down his forehead forced him to squint.
He kept shifting his footing, trying to create some distance, but he never managed it.
His tone changed from uncertainty to outright fear.
"Damn brat! You really want to kill me?! Stop! Ryōma, help me!"
Yūno Ryōma could only send support from a distance with a single jutsu.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
But as a member of the Aburame Clan, most of Ryōma's strength lay in his insects. His standard ninjutsu was nothing to write home about.
Shiba Seika didn't even bother to dodge the Wind Release projectile.
The Vacuum Sphere pierced his left shoulder, but he didn't so much as blink. His right hand continued its smooth downward slash!
"Shhk!"
The blade struck Luo's left shoulder too. They'd been hit in the same place, but the damage was worlds apart!
The Vacuum Sphere had only pierced Seika's shoulder, but his blade had hacked deep into Luo's shoulder, all the way into his chest!
Luo's pupils immediately dilated.
In his daze, he finally remembered where he'd seen this kind of swordsmanship before.
"This is... White Fang's... How do you know it?"
Although Shiba Seika had never actually crossed paths with Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, he still smiled brightly at Luo. As he pulled out his blade, he made sure to twist the knife with his words.
"White Fang, all the way in the Pure Land, asked me to send his regards to everyone in Root. When you used rumors to drive him to his death, did you ever think this day would come?"
Blood gushed from Luo's split-open chest, but it couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.
In the final moment before he fell backward, he still managed to ask weakly, "How do you know? Who... are you?"
Root Jonin, codename Luo: confirmed dead!
At that moment, the Root members' already dwindling morale sank to rock bottom.
With their lives on the line, Yūno Ryōma erupted, forcing his insects to swarm toward every member of the Akatsuki who had appeared!
But in the next instant, all he heard was a perfectly synchronized trio of voices.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Ryōma swore he had never hated the Uchiha Clan's signature jutsu as much as he did now!
He hurriedly called the swarm back.
Not many insects had actually been burned to death, but he still felt intense pain all over his body.
His insects were running amok!
Even if they'd dodged the Great Fireball head-on, the flames were now spreading all around them. The rolling Fire Serpents were difficult even for a ninja to deal with, let alone the insects!
They were frantically protesting, refusing to work in such conditions.
They were even forcing him to flee, to get away from this sea of fire—or they'd turn on their own keeper.
Shiba Seika had chosen an excellent battlefield. Without this sea of fire, the few of them might not have been able to defeat Konoha's elite Jonin and Root's top commander!
"Damn it! At the very least, at the very least, we have to take out the weaker ones first. That boy who might be from the Shimura Clan and the one with the flaming sword can wait." Even in this extremely unfavorable situation, Yūno Ryōma kept desperately searching for a way out.
But then something even more despairing happened—
Shiba Seika pressed his right hand to his injured left shoulder and healed himself. Then he extended his left hand toward Masuda Ikki, who had just been wounded while doing his best to hold off the other Root members. His voice was stiff as he said,
"Bite my hand. Quickly."
Masuda Ikki didn't understand, but he didn't dare ask. He shut his eyes and bit down.
In the next instant, both sides were stunned as they watched Masuda Ikki's injuries rapidly heal before their eyes!
Yūno Ryōma's heart sank even further.
Before you continue