Huh? The terror of a father?

Admittedly, both Sōkyū Hatake's reaction speed and the power of Pikachu's attacks had caught Root off guard.

But the Root ninja had now reacted, and he had Sōkyū Hatake restrained. Now he could complete the mission.

What about the Root ninja who had died?

Sorry, but the concept of comrades simply did not exist in the minds of Root members. Each person was an independent individual, and each had only one goal: to complete the missions Danzo assigned!

So after that Root ninja died, the other barely felt a ripple in his heart.

Now that he had completed the mission, he would be the one returning to report!

In other words, he would get another chance to show his face before Danzo!

At that thought, a flash of wild delight crossed the Root ninja's eyes!

"Come along quietly, Sōkyū Hatake. Lord Danzo has business with you," the Root ninja said bluntly, then tightened both hands and hauled Sōkyū Hatake up.

"Heh, you really are... confident! Pikachu! Thunder!" Sōkyū Hatake sneered. Pikachu was still right there in his arms!

"What?! You're still in contact with me! If your summoning beast uses Lightning Release ninjutsu, you'll get caught in it too!" The Root ninja's pupils shook violently. Why did this little brat's moves defy all common sense?

Instinctively, the Root ninja tried to let go of Sōkyū Hatake's hands!

But Sōkyū Hatake would not miss this opportunity. He clamped both hands around the Root ninja's hands, while Pikachu stood ready in his arms!

Bzzzt!!!

After a piercing crackle, a bolt of yellow lightning descended from the sky, engulfing Sōkyū Hatake and the Root ninja!

Bzzzt!!!

Watching the Root ninja's body continue to twitch on the ground, Sōkyū Hatake coldly flung his corpse aside.

Didn't expect that, did you? My Pikachu's attacks don't affect me at all!

Looking at the two corpses on the ground, Sōkyū Hatake found it rather amusing.

Danzo really looked down on him, sending only two Chunin-level Root ninja. Otherwise, Jonin-level fighters would not have fallen for his scheme so easily.

But at that thought, Sōkyū Hatake narrowed his eyes.

It seemed Danzo's desire to get his hands on him had not diminished in the slightest.

He had even resorted to such underhanded methods. Looking toward Konoha, Sōkyū Hatake's gaze gradually turned cold.

Since you've already made your move, killing two of your subordinates isn't going too far, is it?

But... Sōkyū Hatake clenched his fists. I still need to work hard on improving my strength...

[Ding!]

[Congratulations to the host for killing two Konoha Ninja. You have earned 200 points!]

[Ding!]

[Detected that the host now possesses points! Points shop unlocked!]

[This system update will last 24 hours. All other functions will remain available during this time!]

Sōkyū Hatake paused at the system notifications that suddenly appeared. This was great. Killing others earned him points too. It seemed he would be able to take care of plenty of things perfectly from now on.

Still, this update required 24 hours. Sōkyū Hatake did not dwell on it and bent down to start looting the bodies.

Hmm, money, and some ninjutsu scrolls too.

This really is pretty nice.

Then, once he finished looting, Sōkyū Hatake put both corpses into the system space.

He could not bury them on the spot now. That would leave far too obvious a trace, and Danzo would certainly not overlook those clues and would follow them back to him.

In other words, all Sōkyū Hatake could do now was take the two corpses away, then briefly clean up the traces around him.

But he could not linger too long. After all, the commotion just now had been considerable, and it would soon draw people over.

Sōkyū Hatake quickly finished tidying up the surroundings, then used Soru to leave the area.

Ten minutes after Sōkyū Hatake left, figures began appearing there.

"Lightning Release chakra? Was there a battle here just now?" An Anbu ninja arrived at the scene. What lingered in the air was unmistakably Lightning Release chakra!

"Lightning Release? People from Kumogakure?" Another Anbu ninja came over, looking around coldly.

"Not certain, but judging by this pure Lightning Release chakra, probably."

"Damn it! They've already made it this far?"

"Report to Lord Hokage immediately!"

Of course, Sōkyū Hatake knew nothing of what happened there. After racing all the way back, he arrived at the entrance to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Uncle Teuchi! One bonito ramen!"

"Coming right up! Just a moment!"

Teuchi's voice came from the kitchen, and he began cooking the noodles.

"Sōkyū! And... Pikachu!!!" Ayame came out from behind the counter and threw herself straight at Pikachu.

But Pikachu was on Sōkyū Hatake at that moment, so it instantly turned into Ayame throwing herself onto Sōkyū Hatake!

"Uh, what???" Feeling the contact against his body, Sōkyū Hatake suddenly became rather flustered.

Doesn't Ayame have any, you know...?

"Little Sōkū, do you want cilantro and scallions... hmm?" Teuchi was just coming out to ask Sōkyū Hatake's preference when he saw his daughter clinging to Sōkyū Hatake.

For a moment, Sōkyū Hatake felt a terrifying aura emanating from Uncle Teuchi.

Huh? The terror of a father?

"Little Sōkū, Ayame, what are you doing?" The large cleaver in Teuchi's hand trembled slightly. Had someone stolen my little girl right under my nose?

Although his daughter was only three, this was unacceptable to Teuchi, who doted on her!

"Ahem, Uncle Teuchi, let me explain. Ayame only came over for Pikachu." Trembling, Sōkyū Hatake lifted Pikachu up, along with Ayame.

Luckily, my arm strength is pretty decent.

Seeing that Ayame was only hugging Pikachu, Teuchi's gaze instantly softened considerably, and he slowly lowered the bone cleaver in his hand.

"Oh, so that's it. Little Sōkū, I really misunderstood you. Just wait, I'll give you some extra bonito in a moment~" Teuchi said, turning and walking into the kitchen.

For some reason, Sōkyū Hatake felt a chill run through him.

Uncle Teuchi... isn't going to poison me, is he?