Three Dead, One Wounded, Tenzō Escapes

"What should we do? Why does it feel like the flames are making this guy even more excited..."

The Root ninja standing on the left looked nervous and could not help recalling Shimura Danzō's instructions before they had set out:

"This mission is extremely dangerous. If that man does not resist, then my guess is correct—his ability has a major flaw. If not... then you will be in grave danger."

"Should we retreat?"

The Root ninja codenamed Gale asked.

"I don't know. There was no record of this ability in the intelligence. It doesn't seem like an ordinary Fire Release ninjutsu... His eyes haven't changed, and he hasn't used Wood Release either..."

The Root ninja codenamed River tried hard to recall Uchiha Sen's file.

"Is it a new ability? How about we test it with Water Release? Don't scare yourselves. We haven't seen either the Sharingan or the Wood Release recorded in the file."

The Root ninja in the middle spoke firmly. There was no reason to flee without fighting. As Root ninja, they had to risk their lives to complete the mission!

Uchiha Sen walked forward step by step, his powerful presence pressing down on every Root ninja present.

[Reminder: Host's experience time remaining: 1:29. Please resolve the battle as soon as possible.]

"You're telling me what to do?"

[I'll **** you, you ****! Fight or don't fight, I don't give a ****! Once the time runs out, see if I give a damn about you!]

"Today, I'll let you see the power of Dragon Slayer Magic!"

Ignoring the system's furious cursing once again, Uchiha Sen pointed at the three men and shouted.

At the same time, he gathered his momentum and said in a low voice:

"Hey! Fire Dragon's..."

As Uchiha Sen spoke, the flames around his body surged upward. Judging by their sheer presence alone, they already crushed the Fire Release the three men had unleashed together moments ago.

That whole display made the three Root ninja a little nervous. They gripped their kunai tightly in one hand and readied themselves.

"Listen up. I don't have Water-nature chakra. The three of us will stand together. You two use Water Wall in a moment—one in front and one behind. I'll form an Earth-Style Wall in front of us. We should be fine!"

They began dividing up the work. After all, the man before them was not someone to be underestimated.

"Here he comes! Get ready!"

Seeing Uchiha Sen's momentum reach its peak, one of them shouted, and all three formed hand seals at once.

"Tiger—Snake—Tiger—Snake—Tiger—Snake, Water Release: Water Wall!"

"Horse—Ram—Monkey—Rooster—Dog—Boar, Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Two walls of water and one wall of earth rose up. Yet when the group saw Uchiha Sen again, they immediately started cursing inwardly.

Uchiha Sen's aura abruptly changed as he shouted:

"Fire Dragon's Saliva! Ptooey! Ptooey, ptooey! Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! Toot toot toot toot~"

Damn it! They had been played!

"Pfft~"

Haku, who had been watching from the rear, could not hold back her laughter.

"Lord Sen is way too mean... Hehehe."

"Damn it, I can't take this anymore. Gale, attack from the left. I'll attack from the right. River, circle around behind him. Move! If this keeps up, we'll run out of chakra before we defeat him!"

With a flicker, one of them took the lead and charged in from the right. Gale, who was responsible for the left, immediately threw dozens of shuriken with both hands, while River circled wide around Uchiha Sen. The three formed a triangular encirclement around Sen.

"Hmph, a bunch of little punks."

Uchiha Sen looked at the incoming shuriken with utter disdain. How could toys used by children possibly hurt the great warrior of the planet? Back at Chongguang Psychiatric Hospital in Blue Star Headquarters, he had been the strongest!

Without wasting any words, the three moved in perfect coordination and rushed forward, attacking Uchiha Sen from three directions.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade."

As the words fell, the flames that had covered his body gradually faded and sank into his skin.

Seeing this, the three Root ninja were overjoyed.

Huh? The flames around that guy seem to have disappeared!

What a chance. He must be exhausted!

Ordinarily, maintaining such a high concentration of chakra was already difficult for a normal ninja. More than a minute had passed since the battle began. After a brief discussion, all three came to the same conclusion without even needing to say it aloud: Uchiha Sen had exhausted his chakra!

"Oh no! Has Lord Sen run out of strength?"

Haku watched the battlefield anxiously, but her worry quickly vanished.

Uchiha Sen had not run out of strength. The flames that had just disappeared ignited again, fiery serpents coiling around both his arms and continuously extending downward, forming two sharp blades of fire.

Then Uchiha Sen moved his feet wildly, his body spinning at high speed. As his body rotated, the flaming blades gradually lengthened into a vortex-like slash of fire.

"Oh no, run!"

The three were stunned by the overwhelming force. The expanding vortex of flame was like a starving beast opening its bloody jaws. Before they could retreat, it swallowed all three in a single bite.

After the storm passed, the three lay scorched black on the ground, completely unable to move. They still had a breath left in them. Sen had not dealt a killing blow, but that did not mean Haku at his side would spare them.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three ice needles pierced the backs of their heads with perfect accuracy. With just one strike, all three were dead beyond saving.

"They're still fighting over there? Zoro's gotten a lot weaker lately."

Sen looked somewhat displeased. Judging by the aroma drifting from the riverside, the braised beef would be ready in about another minute.

[Ding! Experience card time remaining: 00:50.]

[Ding! Temporary mission: Root Pursuit Squad. Current completion progress: 3/4.]

Uchiha Sen clasped both hands together and raised them above his head, gradually gathering a massive fireball. After a moment, he shouted in Zabuza Momochi's direction:

"Zoro! Move!"

The sudden shout from behind caught Zabuza off guard.

Who was Zoro?

Wait, Zoro seemed to be him!

When he turned back, he saw a huge mass of flames hurtling toward him.

Holy crap!

Body Flicker Technique!

"Whoosh!"

Acting on battle instinct, Zabuza Momochi immediately used the Body Flicker Technique. Chakra burst from beneath his feet, and he darted at high speed into the open space on the right.

"Hmph!"

Tenzō also noticed the commotion behind him. When he looked again, three charred corpses had appeared on the ground. There was no need to guess that they were members of his squad. Then a massive fireball came flying straight at him.

There was no time!

"Water Release: Breaking Torrent!"

Water gathered in Tenzō's right hand. With a sweep of his arm, it transformed into a small waterspout that rushed straight toward the fireball.

The clash between water and fire ended before it even began. Sen's flames were not ordinary flames formed from chakra. The moment Tenzō's Breaking Torrent drew close, the intense heat evaporated it into white smoke.

"What?!"

Though shocked, Tenzō rapidly formed hand seals and slammed both hands onto the ground.

"Earth Release: Earth-Flow Rampart!"

Having witnessed the fireball's power, Tenzō used even more chakra and created an Earth-Flow Rampart thicker and sturdier than an Earth-Style Wall, pressing his body against the earthen wall.

Damn it. It seems Lord Danzo's guess was wrong. The target has many methods. Aside from the Wood Release and the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai recorded in the file, he is also highly proficient in Fire Release. The enemy outnumbers me. I have to bring this information back and report it to Lord Danzo!

After pondering for only a moment, Tenzō immediately got up. With several flickers, he vanished into the forest.

Afterward, the fireball blasted through the earthen wall and exploded, but Tenzō was nowhere to be seen. Seeing the enemy flee, Zabuza conducted a brief search before looking behind him, only to discover that Sen had already run to the riverbank and started stuffing himself...

That guy really had nerves of steel...

But it really smelled amazing~

Haku's cooking was getting better and better~

[Ding! Mission complete. Mission reward issued: Heaven-Defying Gambling Luck.]

[Because Beyond-Limit Experience has been activated, the system has entered a cooldown state. During this period, only its most basic functions can be maintained. Host, you're on your own!]

"Whew, Haku, hurry and bring me the melon. A bite of melon and a bite of meat is the tastiest way to eat, haha~"

[...Stay alive... and act like a human.]