Danzo's confidence shattered instantly.
He had expected Shiki to be strong but to wipe out an entire elite ROOT squad in moments?
Even Danzo knew he didn't have that kind of power.
"Run."
It was pure instinct — fear kicking harder than logic.
Danzo vanished with Body Flicker, darting into the trees.
"Earth Roll."
Shiki didn't chase.
He simply waved an arm.
The ground surged like a living thing.
Hundreds of streams of rock burst upward, twisting and flowing like huge serpents, cutting off every escape route.
"Peng! Peng! Peng!"
Danzo skidded to a stop.
The entire forest around him… had transformed.
The ground warped and reshaped.
Rock streams writhed through the air like beasts.
Some even formed jaws and roared at him.
"What… is this technique?!"
Danzo's face went pale.
And then...
A shadow drifted above him.
Shiki floated effortlessly in midair.
"F-Flying Ninjutsu…?"
The flying alone could shock a normal ninja.
But the earth itself obeying his will — twisting, rising, attacking — that was something even Danzo could barely process.
It wasn't elemental ninjutsu.
Not Kekkei Genkai.
Not anything from Konoha's records.
He was trapped in a cage of living stone.
No escape anywhere.
Danzo clenched his teeth.
Running was impossible now.
"…Just what are you?"
He stared at Shiki, who hovered unbothered, hand resting lightly on his sword's hilt.
Shiki smiled down at him.
"Think of it as a Kekkei Genkai. Anything I touch… becomes mine to control."
Danzo's eyes widened.
"Contact… control?! That's absurd."
A Kekkei Genkai like that would break the balance of the entire ninja world.
No wonder Shiki could fight the One-Tail head-on.
With time, someone like him could even challenge the Nine-Tails.
And he was still so young.
Danzo inhaled sharply.
A decision was made in his heart.
If this monster grows any further… Konoha will—
"This is for Konoha," he said quietly.
He tucked his hand toward his stomach.
Shiki's eyes lowered lazily.
"Don't bother. Put away that Four-Symbol Seal."
Danzo froze.
His breath caught.
"…You—how do you—?!"
The Reverse Four-Symbol Seal was ROOT's final taboo.
A forbidden jutsu he had stolen from the Uzumaki clan — a suicide seal that would drag everything in a wide radius into his own body, killing both the caster and the target.
Not even the Third Hokage knew Danzo had it.
Yet Shiki called it out instantly.
"Honestly, Danzo," Shiki sighed, "even your secret suicide move is predictable."
Danzo felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Shiki snapped his fingers.
"Enough. Reset."
BOOM. Rumble—!
The warped earth began shifting back — rock streams crumbling and settling, the ground returning to normal as if time rewound itself at Shiki's whim.
Danzo watched in dread.
Just how much could this boy change with a single gesture?
Shiki landed lightly on the restored ground.
"The scenery's nice," he said calmly. "Good place to die, don't you think?"
"You—!"
Danzo barely took a step before the earth answered Shiki again.
Dozens of stone spikes erupted upward in an instant.
Too fast for even a Kage-level ninja to counter.
Danzo's eyes were still wide in disbelief when the final spike pierced his chest.
Even in death, he was staring at Shiki as if still asking...
How…?
Shiki sheathed his blade.
"Pathetic."
A kage-level ninja… completely helpless before him.
ROOT? Gone.
Danzo? Gone.
No dramatic announcement.
No one left to witness it but the river and trees.
Shiki turned away without looking back.
He rose into the sky and headed toward the village.
Konoha Gate
A soft thud marked his landing.
"Lord Shiki?"
The two gate guards blinked, confused.
Wasn't he assigned a special mission?
Hadn't he left only half a day ago?
"The mission's finished," Shiki said, tossing the scroll lightly in one hand. "I'm heading back."
The two chunin nodded with admiration, completely oblivious.
"As expected of the Golden Lion! Even special missions end in record time for you!"
"Lord Shiki, do you need to report to Hokage-sama?"
Shiki paused.
His smile widened — a touch too bright.
"Oh, I'll report to him," he said.
"Trust me… Hokage-sama will be thrilled."
The chunin simply nodded politely.
"Of course! Hokage-sama will definitely be happy to hear it!"
Shiki walked past them with a quiet chuckle.
Happy? He might die from shock.
But I suppose that's his problem, not mine.
And with that, Shiki returned to the village — leaving behind two utterly unaware guards who had no idea what kind of storm was about to hit Konoha.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.