Uchiha Kin's sudden movement startled the three Root operatives.
They watched as he plummeted downward, disappearing into the writhing sea of insects below.
It was practically suicide.
"Good. I'll knock him out and take him away," the black-haired man said coldly.
The swarm of insects was under his control, so he could adjust their intensity—just enough to render someone unconscious.
Though he didn't understand why this Uchiha had made such a choice, the outcome was already decided.
This time, there would be no mistakes.
"Don't let him off so easily. Make him suffer," the kunoichi hissed through gritted teeth.
No one had ever dared call her ugly before. She wouldn't let this slide.
"Root operatives must purge all emotions," the blond man countered icily.
In Root, it wasn't just positive emotions that had to be erased—negative ones were no exception.
Shimura Danzō believed that a true shinobi was a tool devoid of all feeling, and he employed every method to strip his operatives of their humanity.
But some emotions were harder to extinguish than others.
The kunoichi clenched her fists but ultimately relented.
"Understood."
She wasn't the squad leader. In Root, orders were absolute.
Disobedience meant…
A shudder ran down her spine at the thought of Root's punishments.
Yet, despite knowing the consequences, resentment simmered within her.
She hadn't joined Root to become a mindless puppet. She'd wanted an outlet for her bloodlust.
Now, trapped in this life, regret gnawed at her.
"Aburame, bring him up," the blond man ordered.
Silence.
He and the kunoichi turned to the masked Aburame clansman.
The man stood rigid, hands clasped together, trembling slightly. Beneath his mask, sweat poured down his face.
Something was wrong.
After a long pause, his voice came out strained.
"My insects… they're dying!"
He could feel his kikaichū perishing en masse—and he was powerless to stop it.
"What?!"
The two operatives whipped their heads toward the swarm below.
A faint red glow pulsed through the sea of insects, barely noticeable at first.
But with each passing second, the light intensified, burning brighter and brighter.
The insects withered, their bodies shriveling as if drained of life, collapsing into lifeless husks.
Soon, a mountain of insect corpses piled on the ground.
Then—
A hand shot out from the top of the carcass mound, fingers curling into a fist wreathed in crimson chakra.
A deafening explosion of red energy erupted outward.
"BOOM!"
A shockwave of wind tore through the trees, whipping the operatives' clothes violently.
The sheer force sent the dried insect corpses flying, revealing the figure standing at the epicenter.
Kin stood amidst the devastation, his clothes completely devoured by the swarm.
Thick, blood-red chakra cloaked his body like a second skin. His pupils had vanished, leaving only eerie white voids in their place.
"Eight Gates Formation: Modified! Six Treasuries Immortal Thief!"
He lifted his gaze toward the three operatives.
His hollow eyes stared through them like a vengeful spirit clawing its way from hell.
"What kind of technique is this?!" Aburame's voice cracked with disbelief.
The sheer volume of chakra was monstrous—comparable to a jinchūriki.
But the village's jinchūriki was someone else entirely. This wasn't supposed to be possible.
Then—
"What are you looking at?"
Kin's voice slithered into their ears—from behind them.
Their pupils shrank to pinpricks as they spun around, leaping back to another tree in panic.
Kin stood suspended in midair, his feet treading on nothing.
Rokushiki: Geppo (Moon Step).
A visceral sense of disorientation gripped them. They'd been watching him the entire time—how had he moved behind them without them noticing?
It was as if reality itself had skipped a frame.
This speed—!
"You—!" The kunoichi barely managed a word before—
CRACK!
Her body vanished from sight.
One moment she was there; the next, Kin had her face slammed into a tree trunk with enough force to crater the wood.
The impact sent the tree toppling.
Her mask shattered, revealing delicate features before her eyes rolled back, unconscious.
That single strike wasn't something a normal human could withstand.
"Retreat!!" the blond operative barked, already preparing to abandon his teammate.
This enemy was beyond them. Only an elite jōnin could handle this.
But before they could move—
They froze.
Cold sweat drenched their masks as Kin materialized between them, arms draped over their shoulders like an old friend.
"Where do you think you're going? Let me walk you out."
Aburame's breath hitched.
What kind of taijutsu allowed for this kind of speed?!
And this monster was just a genin?!
What the hell had the Uchiha clan spawned?!
His thoughts shattered as Kin shoved their heads together.
THUD!
Masks splintered. Noses broke.
The two operatives crumpled, unconscious.
Kin tossed their bodies unceremoniously onto the kunoichi's limp form, leaving the three in a tangled heap.
Faint breaths confirmed they were still alive—barely.
Killing them would've been easy, but the repercussions would be severe.
Danzō and Hiruzen were, for all intents and purposes, allies.
A genin like him couldn't afford that kind of heat.
This grudge would have to wait.
Kin landed lightly on the ground, then turned his gaze toward the treeline.
A shadow stretched across the forest floor as its owner emerged from the dusk.
Orochimaru stepped forward, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Orochimaru," Kin said flatly.
"Enjoy the show?"
Orochimaru nodded. "Passably entertaining. I'd hoped to see your Sharingan, but this technique of yours… quite the spectacle."
He'd sensed the ambush the moment it began and had followed the battle from the shadows.
Kin had only detected him thanks to his heightened state.
His goal hadn't been to test Kin's strength—but to force the awakening of the Sharingan through mortal peril.
According to the Second Hokage's research, extreme emotions could trigger its evolution.
A pity Kin had defied expectations yet again.
Still, witnessing this technique made the exercise worthwhile.
Kin's lips twisted into a vicious grin.
"Orochimaru, aren't you afraid I'll kill you right now?"
In this state, he was confident he could crush even an elite jōnin.
And after being left to fend for himself, he wasn't feeling particularly forgiving.
Right or wrong didn't matter.
He had no morals to begin with.
Orochimaru didn't so much as flinch.
"That borrowed chakra won't last more than a minute. How exactly do you plan to kill me?"
His tongue flicked out, serpentine.
He'd already dissected the mechanics of Kin's technique.
Temporary power.
Limited duration.
"Kin-kun."
"Tch. Busted." Kin exhaled sharply as the crimson chakra dissipated.
His legs gave out, sending him crashing onto his backside.
Six Treasuries Immortal Thief—his eighth and newest technique.
Originally conceived to enhance recovery and chakra synthesis, its complexity rivaled even S-rank ninjutsu.
Without his instant mastery, mastering it would've taken years.
The technique cycled chakra through six vital organs and eight chakra pathways, allowing him to drain an opponent's energy or accelerate his own regeneration.
It could even forcibly open the Eight Gates—albeit at a cost ten times greater than the original.
The Aburame's insects, though individually weak, had provided enough collective chakra to fuel the transformation.
But this was a one-time trick.
Without another massive energy source, he'd never replicate this feat.
"Even if you could sustain that state indefinitely, you'd still be no match for me," Orochimaru mused.
Kin's eyes narrowed.
In that form, only someone beyond elite jōnin level could challenge him.
If Orochimaru was already at his peak…
That changed things.
Prime Orochimaru had once stood toe-to-toe with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
What did that mean for the future?
(End of Chapter)