Hunting the Root

Chen certainly wanted to grow stronger quickly, but thinking of the system's unreliable nature, he truly dared not entrust it with anything.

Chen spent the next few days entirely in cultivation.

As for Sasuke, Chen had not seen him once since he went to meet Uchiha Fugaku.

Amidst his training, Chen passed his fourth year since arriving in the Naruto World; with the end of this year, Chen had turned five.

"System, are the Root members really nearby?"

Wearing a mask, Chen was currently lying in ambush in a remote forest in the Land of Fire.

In fact, he had been lying in wait here for three days, and as a result, let alone people, he hadn't even seen a bird.

"Rest assured, they will be here soon."

Just as Chen was about to say something, he sensed that someone was indeed approaching.

There were three of them, and their strength was unknown.

However, considering they were able to enter the Root, they were at least at the Chunin level.

"Fire Release, Dragon Flame Technique!"

The B-rank ninjutsu was unleashed, and the lead Root member was swallowed by the flames before he could even react.

The remaining two immediately dodged backward, yet two Shadow Clone appeared almost simultaneously.

"Way of Destruction No. 33, Pale Fire Drop!"

The two Shadow Clone cast the Way of Destruction at the same time, and in the next second, the two unlucky fellows were likewise killed instantly.

"It seems I overestimated these three; they only had the strength of Chunin."

"Isn't that good? It saves you from saying I'm scamming you; this system has always been very conscientious."

"I believe you."

"Believe it or not, I'll make you appear in front of Orochimaru? Anyway, Orochimaru is nearby."

"Orochimaru is nearby?"

"Yes, he's probably here to find Danzo, and these three were the ones delivering the intelligence."

Chen was speechless, feeling as though he had provoked something unclean—why did he keep running into Orochimaru?

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"

Casting Fire Release, Chen directly destroyed the bodies to avoid leaving any clues for Danzo to discover.

He opened the system to check the mission panel, only to find it was still in an incomplete state.

Clearly, they were not the only enemies.

"The real target is coming; this is the last batch."

"You aren't going to scam me, are you? There isn't an Orochimaru or some other powerhouse in there, right?"

"There is one who is a bit troublesome, but their strength isn't considered too high."

Hearing this, Chen was utterly speechless.

At this moment, Chen had already sensed someone approaching, and the other party seemed to have detected the anomaly here, heading straight toward this location.

Seeing this, Chen had no choice but to give up on complaining to the system and instead hid himself.

Before long, three Root members appeared, and one of them was actually not wearing a mask.

"How could it be him? Why is Aburame Torune here?"

The enemy who had arrived this time was none other than Aburame Torune, who could be considered Danzo's capable assistant.

"Secret Technique, Poison Mist Technique!"

Without waiting for Chen to attack, Aburame Torune launched an assault first; it was clear he had already discovered Chen.

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball appeared, instantly incinerating all the poisonous insects, though Chen's position was also completely exposed.

Two Root members rushed toward Chen from the left and right.

Seeing this, Chen did not retreat but advanced instead, the Asauchi appearing in his hand as he headed straight for the two.

"Illusion, Hell Viewing Technique!"

Just as the two sides were about to clash, Chen suddenly cast an illusion.

Although Chen's mastery of illusions was not top-tier, it still caused the two to hesitate for a split second.

It was precisely this moment of hesitation that left them unable to launch an attack.

"Flowing Fire Blade!"

With flames clinging to the blade, Chen sliced one Root member in two with a single strike, the burning corpse falling from the air.

Seeing his companion die, the other Root member remained completely unmoved, launching a counterattack against Chen with a backhand strike.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

A powerful B-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu appeared, striking directly toward Chen.

However, from the moment Chen launched his attack, he had already planned to retreat immediately.

Therefore, the moment False Darkness appeared, Chen had already activated Flash Step to leave.

Using Flash Step to dodge the attack of False Darkness, Chen simultaneously performed hand seals rapidly.

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique!"

He unleashed another B-rank ninjutsu, yet his opponent charged straight into Chen's attack.

Chen had expected the opponent to at least be injured, but when the man emerged from the flames, he was completely unscathed.

"Damn it!"

Chen used Flash Step again to create distance, but he hadn't expected Aburame Torune to seize the opportunity to rush over.

Chen was well aware that the insects Aburame Torune controlled were at a nano-scale; once they touched him, they would erode his cells.

That was an experience Chen had no desire to undergo.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

"Secret Technique: Poison Dragon Storm!"

The poison dragon formed from purple mist slammed directly into the Water Formation Wall, and to Chen's surprise, the Water Formation Wall began to turn purple.

"Damn it, I thought they could only parasitize cells—how can even Water Release not block them?"

Chen realized that Aburame Torune was different from what he had known.

However, this didn't amount to much for Chen.

Using the cover of the Water Formation Wall, Chen immediately activated the Flying Thunder God.

Chen successfully escaped, leaving Aburame Torune with a grave expression.

"This guy is strong, and that peculiar Body Flicker Technique must be the one Kakashi described. It seems we've found our target."

Aburame Torune said to the Root member beside him, who nodded in response.

"His Fire Release is powerful; even the Uchiha might not surpass him. It's a pity, though, that such Fire Release is ineffective against me."

As he spoke, the Root member charged straight toward Chen.

Seeing this, the Asauchi in Chen's hand ignited with flames once more, and he slashed toward his opponent.

"Kid, I told you your Fire Release is useless against me. As for this blade of yours, it's far too dull."

"Is that so? Who told you I was trying to cut you?"

Before the words had even faded, the flames on the Asauchi suddenly shifted, instantly transforming into a fiery prison.

"I see, you intend to use the flames to trap me. But kid, you have no way to break through my defense."

The Root member spoke, his tone filled with contempt.

"Really? Perhaps others' flames cannot break through the Earth Release: Hardening Technique, but that doesn't mean you are invincible."

"Way of Destruction No. 33: Pale Fire Drop!"

Although he had skipped the incantation, which reduced the power of Pale Fire Drop, such a point-blank attack was clearly not something an ordinary person could withstand.

Of course, this might also be because Kido did not belong to the ninja world.

The poor Root ninja was struck by Pale Fire Drop, which punched a hole through his torso and obliterated his spine; he was clearly dead beyond any doubt.

"Damn it, don't think you can leave here alive!"

As he spoke, Aburame Torune headed toward the corpse.

"Forbidden Technique: Pot Poison Technique!"