Root's Midnight Attack, Drained Dry by Wood Release

The moon was dark, and the wind howled.

A few wisps of pallid moonlight squeezed through the cracks of the dilapidated window, casting mottled shadows across the floor.

The orphanage's communal dormitory was deathly silent, broken only by the rising and falling sounds of snoring.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Three muffled sounds of blades piercing bedding rang out almost simultaneously.

The three Root operatives ruthlessly drove their short swords through the "body" bulging beneath the bedding.

There was no blood, no scream.

Only an exceptionally hard, resistant sensation traveled up the blades into their palms.

The leader's heart sank sharply.

"Not good! It's a Substitution Jutsu!"

He had just begun to pull back his blade and warn his companions.

Bang!

A soft sound rang out.

The "Sen" they had stabbed instantly transformed into a rough log, its surface still bearing growth rings.

Wood chips scattered everywhere.

This was not the low-level Substitution Jutsu taught at the Ninja Academy!

"Your reactions aren't too slow."

A childish voice, carrying a hint of mockery, abruptly sounded through the silent room.

The hairs on the three operatives' bodies stood on end as they abruptly looked up.

There, on the sill of the window they had pushed open.

A small figure had somehow silently seated himself there.

Cool moonlight fell upon him, making his young face look somewhat pale.

It was their target—Sen Senju!

Sen sat with one leg crossed over the other, propping up his chin with one hand as though he were watching an utterly dreadful stage play.

A mocking smile utterly unsuited to his age rested at the corners of his lips.

"That old dog Danzo only sent three pathetic losers like you to die?"

"When did you discover us?!"

The leader's voice was hoarse, his eyes full of disbelief.

They were Root's elite, masters of stealth and assassination. Even jonin might not notice their approach.

How had this six-year-old brat seen through them in advance?

"From the moment you stepped through the orphanage gates, your chakra fluctuations were as conspicuous as three light bulbs in the dark."

Sen stretched lazily, then lightly jumped down from the windowsill, landing without a sound.

"Enough nonsense. Let's make this quick. I still need to catch up on my sleep."

The three operatives exchanged glances and instantly understood Sen's intentions.

Not only had this brat discovered them, he even dared to provoke them!

He was arrogant to the extreme!

"Kill him!"

The leader no longer hesitated, rapidly forming hand seals before his chest.

The other two simultaneously pulled kunai and explosive tags from their waists, preparing to unleash a lightning-fast strike.

They believed that even if this brat possessed an astonishing amount of chakra, he was ultimately only a six-year-old child.

Without any actual combat experience, he could never last three seconds against the combined assault of three elite operatives!

However, Sen gave them no chance to finish their hand seals or throw their weapons.

He merely looked at the three Root shinobi poised to attack and lightly snapped his fingers.

Snap.

A crisp sound echoed through the silent night.

The next moment.

A sudden change erupted!

Boom!

The room's seemingly sturdy wooden floor exploded without warning!

Amid the flying wood chips.

Dozens of dark brown roots as thick as water barrels, their surfaces covered in sharp barbs, burst from the ground like wild pythons crawling out of hell!

The roots were too fast!

So fast that even the battle-hardened dynamic vision of the Root operatives could only catch a string of blurry afterimages!

"What is this?!"

"Argh!"

Screams instantly erupted.

Before the three Root elites could even complete a single hand seal, the violent roots had tightly bound them.

From their ankles to their necks, they were wrapped completely, like three insects trapped in a spiderweb, unable to move an inch.

They struggled desperately, trying to use chakra to shatter the roots.

But the roots were far tougher than they had imagined, sturdier than steel itself.

Even more terrifyingly, once the barbs pierced their skin, they felt the chakra within their bodies draining away at a horrifying speed!

"Th-this is Wood Release!"

In his overwhelming terror, the leader finally recognized the origin of the technique.

"Impossible! The intelligence clearly said his Wood Release was completely uncontrollable!"

He let out a desperate howl.

With both hands in his pockets, Sen slowly walked before the three men hanging in midair.

He raised his head and looked at their masks, twisted with terror. His gaze was so cold that it held not a trace of warmth.

"Uncontrollable?"

Sen let out a derisive laugh.

"Looks like that old man Third Hokage successfully fooled all of you."

"But it doesn't matter."

Sen extended his right hand and clenched it in the air.

The roots binding the three men suddenly tightened, and the crisp crack of breaking bones rang clearly through the room.

"Since you came, don't even think about leaving."

A cruel curve appeared on Sen's lips, making him look like a little devil.

"Consider it making the best use of waste. Become nourishment for this land of mine."

He slowly closed his eyes and issued a command in his heart.

"System, activate Life Drain!"

Bzzzt—

A layer of eerie, faint green light instantly appeared over the dozens of roots binding the Root operatives.

An irresistible, greedy devouring force erupted!

"Urgh... ah..."

The three Root operatives could not even produce complete screams.

They could only force out agonized, broken moans from their throats.

They could clearly feel it.

The chakra and life force they had always taken pride in were being frantically drawn out through the barbs piercing their skin, like floodwaters bursting through a collapsed dam!

Their bodies withered at a visible rate.

Their once-powerful muscles rapidly shrank, while their skin lost its luster and wrinkled like dead tree bark.

Their black hair also turned gray and dry in an instant.

In only a few breaths.

Three living Root operatives, each possessing the strength of an elite chunin or even a quasi-jonin.

Were drained dry in silent terror, reduced to three light, desiccated corpses that looked as if they had been air-dried for centuries!

Sen stood quietly in place, feeling the three massive and pure sources of life essence surge into every part of his body.

The Divine Tree Origin trembled joyfully.

[ Ding! Successfully drained chunin-level life essence... ]

[ Ding! Successfully drained quasi-jonin-level life essence... ]

A stream of system notifications flooded wildly through his mind.

The exhilarating sensation of his strength rapidly increasing made him narrow his eyes.

"So this is what it feels like to level up by killing enemies. It's pretty damn great."

Sen slowly opened his eyes, and an eerie green gleam flashed deep within his black pupils.

He glanced at the three dried corpses that had completely lost all signs of life and clicked his tongue in disgust.

"They're dead already. Why leave this pile of junk around? It's bad luck."

With a thought.

The roots entangling the corpses exerted force once more.

Crack... crack...

A series of bone-crushing sounds that made one's teeth ache rang out.

The three dried corpses, along with their equipment and masks, were directly ground into the finest powder by the roots' immense crushing force.

Then, the roots slowly withdrew underground.

The powder was carried into the deep earth through the cracks in the floor.

The bodies were utterly destroyed, leaving behind not even a strand of hair.

The room returned to silence once more.

Only the devastated floor and the faint scent of blood still lingering in the air proved what had just happened.

Sen stretched lazily, feeling as though his body was filled with inexhaustible strength.

He walked to the window and looked up at the cold crescent moon.

"Old dog Danzo, I'll collect a little interest this time."

Sen's gaze turned exceptionally dangerous, like a young beast that had been thoroughly enraged.

"Next time, I'll dig up your entire Root, principal and interest included."

He had just prepared to jump back into bed and continue catching up on sleep.

When a faint sound suddenly came from the bed beside his.

Sen's heart jolted, and he sharply turned around.

Ishikawa, sleeping beside him, had somehow already sat up.

Not a trace of color remained on his chubby face.

His small eyes were wide open, and his body shook like a leaf.

Clearly, the commotion had still awakened him.

"Sen... Sen..."

Ishikawa's voice trembled beyond recognition. He pointed at the floor behind Sen, riddled with holes, his teeth chattering.

"J-just now... what was that sound? Was it an earthquake?"