I'll Make My Move

"Boom..."

Earth and rocks flew, trees felled, and countless Jonin attacks came suddenly. Kato Osamu dodged, and the place where he stood was already a pile of ruins.

The rubble on the ground billowed up and coalesced into terrifying earthen dragons in the fierce wind. Several earthen dragons enveloped the surrounding space, and before Kato Osamu could land, the earthen dragons rushed over and sealed him in this small space.

Several Jonin joined forces, and giant earth dragons, with impacts like massive meteorites, suddenly descended from the raging night sky. Their powerful aura, like the might of heaven, slammed the earth with a deafening roar. However, these earth dragons seemed to subtly shift the battlefield, forcing Kato Osamu to move continuously in a certain direction.

"Boom!!"

With a deafening roar, the ground within a hundred feet of Kato Osamu collapsed. As if completely unaware, he vanished from the center of the Ninjutsu, landing on a distant treetop, just as the Root ninja had hoped.

"Barrier!!!"

With a sharp shout from the Root leader, several light screens began to rise rapidly around Kato Osamu, enveloping the entire jungle. It turned out that the attacks of countless Ninjutsu were only intended to drive Kato Osamu into the barrier.

The crimson barrier, like the entrance to an abyss, radiated a captivating light. The jet-black chains that moved across the light barrier gradually made the barrier stronger and stronger. The more jet-black chains there were, the more relaxed the Root ninjas felt.

"Danzo really went all out with this level of Barrier Ninjutsu..."

Enveloped by the barrier, Kato Osamu seemed oblivious to her predicament, merely examining the barrier's walls and carefully investigating the runic chains within. Barrier Ninjutsu was rare, and even though Kato Osamu's Sealing Jutsu had reached a certain level, she still didn't know much about Barrier Ninjutsu.

Seeing that Kato Osamu had already fallen into the barrier, the Root leader could no longer hold back. With a soft shout, Root's attacks came one after another.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

Water mist shot out, waves surged, and dozens of water dragons rose from the ground, filling the entire barrier space and relentlessly attacking Kato Osamu.

Within the barrier, earthen and water dragons crisscrossed, the surrounding jungle had long since vanished, and the muddy ground had been transformed into the Yellow Springs Swamp, a place with nowhere to step.

Amidst the mist rising from the churning water, a massive, chilling bolt of lightning suddenly began to crackle and gradually revealed itself.

"What a brilliant combination Ninjutsu..."

Even Kato Osamu had to admit that these powerful Ninjutsu were something he wouldn't want to withstand head-on. Such attacks could be effective against an entire enemy army, and even an ordinary Kage would have to put in a lot of effort.

Kato Osamu pondered for a moment. Danzo's Root had disappeared for some time after some secret changes occurred in the Land of Rain. He never expected that the first attack after the reorganization of Root would be against him. Thinking this, Kato Osamu couldn't help but look in the direction of Minato Namikaze.

It seems Danzo values Minato Namikaze more than he realized, and breaking the Flying Thunder God's Cursed Seal is his ultimate goal. However, this also suggests that Minato Namikaze is truly destined to become Hokage... otherwise, Danzo wouldn't be so reckless...

"Go to hell!"

A ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the Root leader, and a massive pillar of lightning descended from the sky, turning the entire barrier into a sea of thunder. The interplay of water and lightning meant that no carbon-based life form wanted to remain inside the barrier at that moment.

At that moment, the water dragon and the earth dragon intertwined and suddenly began to move. The dragon, which had transformed into a mud dragon, stirred up storms amidst the thunder, carrying the power of lightning. The earth seemed to have turned into an ocean, with waves of earth and stone rising inch by inch. There was no place of peace left in the entire barrier.

Unfortunately, Kato Osamu wasn't a foolish Tailed Beasts; he wouldn't just stand there and take the beating. As the lightning struck and the earth trembled, a cloud of black mist seemed to appear out of nowhere and suddenly dissipated. In just an instant, it enveloped the entire barrier.

As the black mist continued to expand, everything shrouded within it suddenly fell silent, all its power vanishing. The mud dragon fell from the sky, crashing to the ground and turning into a long, narrow trail of mud. Raindrops drizzled down from the sky, no longer displaying its former power.

"Lord Tatsumi, Ninjutsu... Chakra connection lost..."

The appearance of the black mist left every Root ninja bewildered. Their own Ninjutsu had lost its connection with their Chakra; they had never encountered such a bizarre scene before.

"Hmph, it's a secret technique that can neutralize ordinary Ninjutsu..."

Xun frowned. The intelligence report mentioned some Ninjutsu that Kato Osamu had used, but he hadn't expected that this secret technique had become so powerful. How could Ninjutsu released by dozens of Jonin working together disappear so easily?

The intelligence was wrong, or perhaps he grew too fast. This black mist was definitely not something that could be destroyed with a single, powerful Ninjutsu attack, as the intelligence claimed...

"Teacher Xu, will everything be alright...?"

Watching Kato Osamu fight the Root ninjas, Yugao and Itachi Uchiha's faces were filled with worry, and they couldn't help but ask the man beside them who was likely to become the Fourth Hokage.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it..."

With a hint of melancholy in his eyes, Minato Namikaze still smiled, patted the two of them on the head, and his gaze fell on the black mist, a strange mist that he himself could not understand.

"Have you had enough fun?"

"Isn't it my turn to make a move?"

From within the black mist, a crisp sound suddenly rang out, as if piercing through space and appearing in the minds of every Root ninja. Immediately afterward, the thick black mist seemed to be parted by two invisible hands, and a bright passage suddenly appeared in the middle.

A figure stepped out of the sky, each step creating a thick black mist beneath his feet. As his figure lowered, Kato Osamu's figure gradually became more translucent in the horrified gazes of all the Root ninjas. Then, as if nothing was there, he stepped out of the barrier.

Under the bright moonlight, a handsome young man stepped out of the barrier, treading on the black mist, with a light laugh, his wispy hair fluttering in the night breeze.

At this moment, no one moved. Even though they were Root ninjas, this scene seemed to be imprinted in their eyes, leaving them mesmerized—the barrier and Ninjutsu they had placed so much hope in seemed to have caused no damage to the boy whatsoever, not even a wrinkle on his clothes...

"Kill them!"

Xun looked at Kato Osamu with a mixture of shock and doubt, but his conviction made him shout out loud.

Like a giant wave in the deep sea, every Root ninja was shaken to their core. However, Root's teachings forced them back to their senses. Suppressing their shock, they rushed towards Kato Osamu. Since Ninjutsu was ineffective, what about Taijutsu?

But only for a moment, their slightly calmed hearts trembled again. The boy landed on the ground, countless swords and blades aimed at him, yet they passed through as if nothing had touched him. He had a smile on his face, and his movements were gentle and slow, as if he were waiting for some masterpiece, intently watching the void in front of him.

Countless tiny runes began to slowly condense, and a jet-black longsword gradually took shape.

"How is this possible! How can there be such Ninjutsu!"

"Our attack is not working!"

Shuriken and Kunai rained down on Kato Osamu, but to no avail. Even fireballs, wind blades, and lightning seemed powerless against him. As the Root ninjas grew increasingly terrified, the boy simply smiled faintly and slowly grasped the longsword that had taken shape...

"It's my turn!"

Kato Osamu's voice turned cold, and he suddenly swung his sword forward. The Root, who was always invincible and emotionless, involuntarily took a step back, as if they were facing not a person, but their fear of the unknown.

"Kill!"

The sound suddenly rose in pitch, and the ground shattered simultaneously around Kato Osamu. The sound seemed to be filled with magic, causing the Root ninja beside him to be momentarily dazed before his head slowly slid off.

Kato Osamu's pace wasn't particularly fast. The boy, with a faint smile, had a ghostly blue light gleaming in his eyes, like a demon emerging from hell, reaping lives one by one.

For ninjas who haven't mastered Yin–Yang Release, Kato Osamu is fearless of any harm, but his attacks are something they cannot withstand.

"Glug..."

Even the Root ninjas, even those ninjas who are said to be emotionless, could not suppress their inner fear. Normal ninjas would not be afraid of death, but this unknown fear filled everyone's face with panic and helplessness.

"Mission failed... they all have to die!"

With his Adam's apple bobbing, Xun's expression turned ferocious. Although his shout brought some reason back to the remaining Root ninjas, everyone remained motionless for a moment, and no one chose to step forward.

"A secret technique of this caliber cannot be used recklessly; it either has a time limit or it will inevitably have a flaw..."

"Surround him without attacking, and deplete his Chakra!"

Even Minato Namikaze, hiding behind the jungle, couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive; he had never heard of such a bizarre Ninjutsu before.

Yugao and Itachi Uchiha stared wide-eyed. They knew Kato Osamu was very strong, but this was the first time they had witnessed him in battle, and their eyes were filled with even more respect.

"As expected of the Root's elite, we really can't underestimate you..."

The remaining Root ninjas surrounded him, but did not make any rash moves. Their guess was correct: the fusion of spirit and body, transforming the body into a spirit to become immune to damage, falls under the category of Yin-Yang Release Technique.

Kato Osamu cannot maintain this state consistently. Although his Chakra reserves are much greater than those of an ordinary Jonin, they are not yet at the level of the Uzumaki Clan or Jinchuriki.

"It's about time Minato Namikaze made his move..."

"A man like him, even if he is the ultimate target of the Root ninjas, he wouldn't just watch me slaughter Root all..."

"Hehe..."

Kato Osamu's understanding of Minato Namikaze seemed to be correct. Several times, Minato Namikaze was ready to make a move, but for some reason, a hint of hesitation flashed through his mind at this moment, as if he wanted the Root ninja to test Kato Osamu.

But he still seemed to be that little sun radiating warm light. The soon-to-be Fourth Hokage of Konoha took a deep breath and ultimately chose to act...

"Stop it..."

"Root ninja!"

A golden light flashed, Minato Namikaze, carrying Yugao in one hand and Itachi Uchiha in the other, suddenly appeared in the center of the battlefield.