Not until the sparks landed on their shoulders, carrying a burnt smell, did everyone realize in horror that those weren't sparks at all!
They were the charred corpses of insects!
Kikaichū!
"Ryōma, stand down!" Danzo Shimura's face darkened as he barked at the seemingly empty forest beside him.
As soon as he finished speaking, the air near the trunk of a large tree distorted, and Aburame Ryoma's figure slowly emerged.
He lowered his head and said respectfully, "Yes."
Then, he looked up, his eyes behind his sunglasses filled with anger and deep confusion, staring fixedly at Aokawa.
This kid dared to be disrespectful to Lord Danzo!
He had intended to teach him a lesson... but how did he find out?
Aburame Ryoma's heart was in turmoil.
To avoid detection, he had deliberately suppressed the Chakra fluctuations of the Kikaichū to the minimum and scattered them in the forest dozens of meters away.
The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan was indeed powerful, but it needed to be activated to perceive Chakra.
Yet he clearly saw that the area around Aokawa's eyes was perfectly smooth, with no sign of the Byakugan being activated!
Danzo Shimura's single eye narrowed, a cold light flashing briefly.
"Aokawa, have you considered my invitation?"
Aokawa's eyes flickered as he began to make things up on the spot, "Joining the Anbu is the dream of many Ninjas."
"It's just that I previously applied to Hokage-sama, and Hokage-sama said that the Hyuga Clan's appearance is too distinctive and not suitable for undercover missions, so he refused."
"I think I might not be suitable for the Anbu."
"Hmph," Danzo Shimura snorted coldly.
"The Hokage has his Anbu, and I have mine."
"His rejection of you doesn't mean I will."
"The Hyuga Clan can't be undercover agents, but they can be guards or assassins! With your talent, once you join my unit, I would never let you do low-level chores!"
"Aokawa, don't agree!" Asuma Sarutobi, who was nearby, finally reacted and spoke up hastily.
"That isn't the Anbu! I heard the Old Man say that what he runs is an Anbu Training Department called 'Root'! It is..."
"Shut up!" Danzo Shimura turned sharply and scolded harshly.
"Asuma! This is none of your business! Has Sarutobi not taught you that when Elders speak, juniors should not interrupt?!"
A terrifying Killing Intent pressed down on Asuma Sarutobi like something physical.
Almost at the moment Danzo's words fell.
"Whoosh!"
A black shadow, like a ghost, twisted out of thin air from the side of the group, fingers forming a claw, and with a sharp whistling sound, went straight for Asuma Sarutobi's throat!
A Root Ninja!
Asuma's pupils shrank, his whole body stiffened, and he had no time to react!
However.
That hand stopped mid-air.
A faster hand, like an iron pincer, arrived first and firmly gripped the Root Ninja's neck.
It was Aokawa!
He had moved in front of Asuma at some unknown point.
"I said," his voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
"An invitation isn't handled like this."
Boom—!
Before his voice even faded, his arm suddenly exerted force.
That ambushing Root Ninja didn't even have time to scream before he was slammed violently onto the ground!
The hard ground cracked instantly, and a clear human-shaped crater appeared!
Aokawa held the man's neck with one hand, lifting him out of the pit like he was holding a small chick.
Then, without even looking, he casually tossed him.
The Root Ninja was thrown far away like a tattered sack, crashing into a large tree over ten meters away, his fate unknown.
The whole process was as swift as a leaping hare or a swooping falcon, incredibly fast.
Only now did a deathly silence fall over the scene.
Dead silence.
You could hear a pin drop.
The air seemed to solidify into a heavy block of lead, making it hard to breathe.
Asuma Sarutobi, Anko Mitarashi, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu were all frozen in place as if a Paralysis Jutsu had been cast on them.
Their eyes stared straight at the Root Ninja who had been thrown out, crashed into the tree trunk, and then slid to the ground, unconscious or dead.
Their minds were a complete blank.
That was one of Elder Danzo's men!
An Anbu!
No, it was the "Root," even more mysterious and terrifying than the Anbu!
And Aokawa... just tossed him out like trash?
Right in front of Danzo Shimura?
Asuma Sarutobi felt his heart was about to jump out of his throat.
It wasn't that he hadn't seen his father and Danzo argue, but that was ultimately political maneuvering and verbal sparring.
He couldn't even imagine taking direct action like today, and with such complete disregard for face!
Anko Mitarashi's large eyes were wide and round, her small mouth slightly agape.
The excitement and admiration from before had now transformed into a kind of awe bordering on trembling.
Cool.
So cool.
But... this was way too bold!
Danzo Shimura's single eye was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.
The air pressure around him was terrifyingly low, and a horrifying Killing Intent, no longer concealed, surged wildly toward Aokawa.
Even the wind in the forest seemed to carry a bone-chilling coldness.
Aburame Ryoma's figure reappeared, blocking the way in front of Danzo, his eyes behind his sunglasses locked onto Aokawa, his Chakra surging as if facing a great enemy.
Aokawa, however, seemed completely unable to feel this Killing Intent.
He lifted his eyelids and looked at Danzo with a calm gaze.
"Elder Danzo!"
"You seem a bit unable to control your subordinates!"
"You...!" Danzo Shimura was shaking with rage, the veins on the hand holding his cane bulging.
But in the end, he forcibly suppressed his surging fury.
A breath of turbid air was slowly exhaled from his mouth.
The murderous intent in his single eye receded, replaced by a deeper, more profound coldness.
"Young man, having ability is a good thing."
Danzo Shimura walked step by step toward Aokawa, leaning on his cane.
"But do not be arrogant because of your talent and fail to control your temper."
His voice returned to its raspy and calm tone, as if the enraged person from a moment ago wasn't him.
As he spoke, he raised his bandage-wrapped right hand, seemingly intending to pat Aokawa's shoulder as a sign of an Elder's "magnanimity."
But halfway through, he seemed to remember something and paused.
Then, he lowered his right hand and raised his left hand, which was holding the cane.
Using his index and middle fingers, he seemingly casually tapped toward Aokawa's shoulder.
The next moment.
A mass of soft blue Chakra suddenly appeared in Aokawa's palm.
His hand was as fast as lightning, and the moment Danzo's fingers were about to touch his shoulder, he accurately grabbed the other's wrist!
Hum—!
An invisible ripple spread out.
On the back of Danzo Shimura's left hand, which had been empty and appeared ordinary, dense black Runes suddenly appeared out of thin air!
Those Runes twisted like living things, emitting an ominous aura.
But under the suppression of the blue Chakra in Aokawa's palm, they struggled for only a moment before quickly dimming and receding.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"