I'm Going to Kill Them!

As soon as Hayato's voice fell, six figures surged from the dense forest on both sides, attempting to surround them.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Without hesitation, Hayato formed the hand seals instantly. Gathering chakra in his throat, he spewed a raging inferno from his mouth, sending a fireball nearly five meters in size crashing toward the six men.

The scorching temperature even forced Seiichi and Rin, standing beside him, to glance away.

Seiichi and Rin knew this was no time for questions and quickly formed a defensive formation with Hayato.

The six men blocking their path were struck with terror, never expecting that this Uchiha brat before them could unleash a ninjutsu of such power.

In their haste, they scrambled to dodge.

"Who are these guys?" Rin shouted aloud.

Hayato did not respond; his gaze remained fixed on the spot where they had just evaded the fireball.

These guys... they were well-trained, yet they had deliberately concealed their faces.

Small nations couldn't cultivate such individuals, and if they were from other Great Nations, something didn't add up.

Thinking of the reason for their departure and the fact that these people had clearly been lying in ambush here, Hayato furrowed his brows.

A thought surfaced in his mind: Root.

"Be careful, these guys aren't simple."

After saying this, Hayato drew the ninja sword he carried.

As the dust settled, only three figures remained in front, and Hayato scanned his surroundings.

"Attack!"

Before the dust had even cleared, a cold voice commanded.

Two figures struck from the side, their kunai aimed directly at Hayato's vitals.

"Spread out!"

Hayato roared, stomping his foot against the ground as he parried the attacks of the two Root ninjas with his blade.

[Root has been detected attacking the host and the Uchiha clan with the intent to obtain live experimental data for awakening the Sharingan; malicious intent triggered!]

Harvesting in progress...

[Harvest successful]

[Available trait rewards: Konoha Style Taijutsu (Konoha Whirlwind), Chakra increased by 0.1 Kage]

Hayato was stunned for a moment, but without hesitation, he chose Konoha Whirlwind.

Since he was in the middle of a battle, it was naturally better to have more options at his disposal.

[Passive effect active, doubling in progress; trait reward updated to: Konoha Style Taijutsu (including Konoha Whirlwind and various techniques)]

The next moment, he felt his mind flooded with memories. A figure was continuously demonstrating the kicking methods, muscle explosive power, and chakra guidance techniques of this taijutsu for him.

The three people fighting Hayato suddenly felt as if the guy before them had become a different person; his taijutsu had suddenly reached a level that made them struggle.

Hayato's eyes brightened. Although he had only chosen Konoha Whirlwind, the techniques were being instilled into him in their entirety.

Points he hadn't understood before were now fully integrated and mastered.

This passive choice was the right one!

Bang!

Hayato tapped his toes and vanished from his spot.

"Body Flicker Jutsu?!"

The Root ninja was shocked. The next moment, Hayato's figure appeared directly in front of him, his ninja sword slashing downward.

The eyes visible behind the Root ninja's mask widened as the blade sliced across his throat, and his body fell backward.

Hayato grabbed the Root ninja's head, tucked it against his waist, and vanished once more.

The two remaining Root ninjas surrounding Hayato scanned for any abnormalities; this Uchiha's speed was too fast.

Shisui of the Body Flicker!

At that moment, only one thought occupied their minds: did this guy have some connection to Shisui?

Just as the two were on high alert, Hayato appeared behind one of them like a ghost, his blade piercing under the ribs and straight through the heart.

He then withdrew his blade and launched an assault on the final survivor.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

The last remaining man seized the gap, having already completed his hand seals, and spewed several massive wind blades from his mouth.

The terrifying wind blades approached rapidly, and Hayato could feel the stinging sensation of being sliced on his face.

In the next instant, Hayato's black pupils transformed into scarlet two-tomoe.

Rumble!

The ground was struck directly by the Great Breakthrough, and a massive cloud of dust surged into the sky.

The Root ninja swallowed hard, stepping forward with extreme caution.

From that angle and distance, there was no way this Uchiha brat could have dodged.

Whoosh!

From within the dust cloud, several kunai tore through the air. The Root ninja cursed internally, but it was already too late to retreat.

Squelch—

The sound of flesh being pierced rang out, and Hayato's figure had already appeared behind the Root ninja.

"You want to use us for experiments? Do you even deserve to?"

The scarlet two-tomoe sharingan stunned the Root ninja as he turned his head. The light in his eyes gradually faded, and then he stopped breathing.

Swish!

Hayato drew his blade and decapitated the Root ninja, then promptly sealed the head; the thing still had some use.

He casually incinerated the rest of the corpse.

"Rin!"

Just then, Seiichi's heart-wrenching cry echoed from not far away.

Hayato froze for a moment, then stomped his foot and dashed in the direction of the voice.

The Root ninja from before had clearly intended to separate their squad; he had no idea what the situation was with Seiichi and Rin now.

In the dense forest, Seiichi was clutching Rin, who had just shielded him, and a single scarlet tomoe had already manifested in his eyes.

The three surrounding Root ninjas watched this, their steps closing in slowly.

The strength of an Uchiha after awakening their eyes was incomparable to before. Now that they had this data, as long as they uncovered the purpose of their mission, the task would be complete.

"Seiichi, run! Go find Hayato..."

Blood flowed incessantly from Rin's chest. He gasped for air, glancing sideways at the scarlet in Seiichi's eyes, a look of resolve surfacing in his own.

"Go!"

Exerting his last ounce of strength to push Seiichi away, Rin charged directly at the three Root ninjas closing in.

"Go find Hayato!"

Squelch!

The moment Rin rushed forward, several kunai pierced his body, yet his hands gripped two of them tightly.

As long as he could stall them for a moment longer, Seiichi would be able to escape!

The Root ninja's expression turned cold, and a kunai struck directly at Rin's neck.

"Konoha Whirlwind!"

Bang! Bang!

A voice rang out, and the bodies of the Root ninjas were sent flying like projectiles.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Hayato raised his hands to weave signs rapidly, and a fireball even larger than the previous one surged forward.

Having done this, Hayato immediately took Rin and Seiichi and fled the scene.

As the flames dissipated, the three Root ninjas gathered together.

"Wasn't that brat surrounded separately? How could he..."

Before he could finish, the Root ninja who spoke cut himself off—the fact that he had arrived here meant the other three were already dead.

"I'll go search. You two pursue them; carrying two injured people, they definitely won't get far."

Swish!

Three figures vanished from the spot.

Inside a cave, Hayato stopped what he was doing.

Rin's eyes were open, but they were hollow and devoid of life.

"I'm going to kill them!"

A hysterical voice rang out, and Hayato turned his head to look.