Slaughtering Root! A three-year promise

His speed had more than doubled.

In his Curse Mark Stage Two form, Zuo Hao abruptly spread the wings on his back.

He became a streak of black light, appearing instantly before the Root operative who had unleashed Wind Release: Pressure Damage.

The operative had not even had time to lower his hands after forming the hand seals.

Zuo Hao pressed the fingers of his right hand together and drove them through the man's chest, his hand wrapped in the power of the Cursed Seal.

Blood and shredded flesh burst from the operative's back. His body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, smashing through three ancient trees before coming to a stop. A fist-sized hole pierced his chest clean through, and fragments of his organs littered the ground.

"Number Four!!!"

The Root operative on the right flank glared in fury, frantically thrusting his kunai at the back of Zuo Hao's neck.

Zuo Hao did not turn around.

The black wings on his back beat hard, sending the operative flying with a violent blast of wind. Then their tips turned into blades and swept across him.

A head wearing an animal mask shot into the air.

Blood gushed like a fountain.

Two moves.

Two Root operatives, dead.

The remaining two operatives retreated at the same time, putting distance between them. Beneath their masks, their expressions had turned utterly grim.

They were all veterans under Lord Danzo who had carried out countless assassinations. Between them, they had taken at least a hundred lives. What kind of enemy hadn't they seen?

But the brat before them was not human at all.

"What kind of monster is this...?"

The snake-masked operative's voice was so hoarse it was barely audible. His hand trembled slightly around his kunai.

He had not even seen Zuo Hao's movements during those two attacks. All he had caught was a flashing black afterimage, and then two of his comrades were dead.

Killed outright, without even a chance to scream.

The other operative gritted his teeth, unable to suppress the terror in his voice. "A monster! This kid is a monster!"

"Now you're scared?"

Zuo Hao's voice came from behind them.

Both men spun around, only to find Zuo Hao already standing ten meters behind them. His black wings stirred gently in the night breeze, and the Cursed Seal's markings writhed faintly across his skin like living things.

His eyes were still the same scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan, but now they held no emotion.

Only icy killing intent.

"I told you. Tonight, we settle the score."

The snake-masked operative's pupils abruptly contracted.

He saw it.

Zuo Hao slowly raised his right hand, spreading his fingers and aiming his palm at the two of them.

Pitch-black chakra gathered in his palm—the power inherent in the Cursed Seal itself.

"My eyes!!"

The snake-masked operative cried out in alarm. He could no longer see anything.

Three minutes later, all five Root operatives were dead.

Zuo Hao stood among the corpses. The Cursed Seal's markings slowly receded, and his wings folded away as he returned to his original appearance.

The three ANBU had also left to report to the Third Hokage.

Zuo Hao walked straight over to the stunned Ino and patted her shoulder, a trace of apology in his voice.

"Sorry you had to see something so bloody."

Only then did Ino snap out of her daze, shaking her head repeatedly.

He had just saved her, shielding her from a kunai and getting hurt for her sake. She was deeply moved.

Suddenly, she seized Zuo Hao's sleeve, her voice trembling slightly with excitement. "Zuo Hao, does this mean you said yes?"

Zuo Hao paused. "Said yes to what?"

"My confession! To being my boyfriend!" Ino hastily tilted her face up, afraid he would casually brush her off.

Zuo Hao looked down at her, a faint, helpless smile tugging at his lips. "Does it really matter whether I say yes?"

"It matters! Of course it matters!" Ino tightened her grip.

Zuo Hao fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "I could say yes, but you have to agree to one condition first."

Ino's eyes lit up at once. Seemingly forgetting her fear, she asked eagerly, "Really? What condition? Tell me!"

Zuo Hao looked directly into her slightly reddened eyes and spoke each word distinctly.

"If you still like me as much as you do today in three years, I'll say yes."

"Okay! It's a promise, then. Three years it is!"

The night breeze swept across the lake, carrying the cool dampness of early autumn and sending a few dead leaves fluttering between them.

Looking into Ino's intensely bright eyes, Zuo Hao suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Three years.

He had tossed out the number casually, intending to make Ino give up when she realized how difficult it would be.

At twelve, what could she possibly know about liking someone? His looks had simply gone to her head.

But she had agreed.

She had agreed too quickly, too firmly—so firmly that even he, the one inventing an excuse, felt guilty.

"It's a promise, then." Ino seemed afraid he would go back on his word.

The corner of Zuo Hao's mouth twitched.

"All right, all right." He raised his hand, hesitated, then finally rested it on Ino's head, patting her gently twice as though soothing a bristling cat. "Three years. I'll remember."

Ino's hair was softer than he had imagined. The golden strands slipped between his fingers, carrying a faint floral fragrance.

He withdrew his hand and turned toward the path beside the lake, waving to Ino without looking back. "Hurry home. Any later and your dad will be out looking for you with a search party."

"Zuo Hao!"

Ino's voice caught up with him from behind.

He paused without turning around.

"Your injury... remember to take care of it!"

Zuo Hao glanced down at his bloodstained shirt. With the Uzumaki Clan's constitution and the Nine-Tails' chakra, a wound like this had already nearly healed.

But he still answered, "Got it."

The footsteps gradually faded, and Ino disappeared into the depths of the woods.

Zuo Hao did not leave immediately.

He sat back down on the rock and reached behind him with his right hand, finding the kunai still embedded in his flesh. Wrapping his fingers around its wooden handle, he took a deep breath and yanked it out.

Blood ran down his back, staining the edge of the rock red.

He did not even furrow his brow. He casually tossed the kunai into the lake and watched it sink to the bottom, swallowed by darkness and cold water along with the corpses of the five Root operatives.

"Come out."

Zuo Hao's voice was soft, but beside the silent lake, every word rang as clearly as a blade scraping across glass.

A tall, slender figure emerged soundlessly from the shadows of the trees.

Silver hair, a face mask, and a forehead protector worn at an angle to cover his left eye.

"Good perception. You could still sense my presence with an injury that serious. It seems my earlier assessment of you was too conservative."

"Not sleeping in the middle of the night, Kakashi-sensei? Did you come all this way just to watch me pull out a kunai?" Zuo Hao turned his head, his usual half-smile on his lips. "That's a little too much concern for your student, isn't it?"

"The Third Hokage sent me. Five Root ninja are dead. There's no hiding this. Danzo will definitely make a scene at the Hokage's Office tomorrow, so be prepared."

"I can serve as your witness for what happened tonight. The Root ninja attacked first. You acted in self-defense."