At this very moment, on the other side of Konoha Village.
After effortlessly dealing with the three enemy ninjas before him, Uchiha Itachi was about to lower his head to examine one of the corpses when—
Puff!
The body suddenly exploded, and a thick cloud of poisonous gas burst forth!
Left with no choice, Itachi immediately retreated several steps back.
When the poisonous mist finally dissipated, Itachi discovered that the three corpses had completely melted away, leaving nothing behind, as if they had never existed at all.
"Hmm? This is Root's handiwork!?"
Itachi instantly sensed that something was wrong. Only then did he realize that their plan to infiltrate the Hidden Rain Village—himself, Kakashi, and the others—had likely already been leaked.
And Danzō had seized this opportunity, ordering his subordinates to masquerade as ANBU members and assassinate them in the chaos.
Although this was far from the first time Danzō had pulled such tricks, the thought that Uchiha Peak had only just joined ANBU—and lacked experience distinguishing such deception—made Itachi's heart leap into his throat.
"Peak… please don't let anything happen to you."
Leaving those words behind, Itachi immediately dashed forward at full speed, heading straight toward the place where the Root members were most likely lying in ambush.
At the same time, Kakashi and the others had also seen through Danzō's scheme. After dealing with the Root operatives targeting them, they too rushed toward Ning Feng's location!
Quietly following behind the three Root reserve members, Ning Feng's smile grew increasingly pronounced.
To others, this might have been a deadly crisis—but to Ning Feng, it was an invaluable opportunity to level up at lightning speed.
"Captain, what exactly is our mission this time?"
While leaping rapidly through the trees behind the three fake teammates, Ning Feng asked curiously.
The fake captain glanced back at him, clearly surprised that there could be such a chatterbox within ANBU.
"Didn't you listen when ANBU assigned the mission?"
"This is an infiltration mission. We're to successfully sneak into the Hidden Rain Village and investigate its secrets."
"Once we obtain some intelligence, we'll return and report."
"Oh! Got it!"
Ning Feng nodded as if he fully understood. At the same time, the crimson glow of his two-tomoe Sharingan grew ever more intense.
Suddenly—seizing the moment when the fake captain's attention wasn't on him—Ning Feng's sharp kunai flashed toward one of the Root reserve ninjas at blinding speed.
Before that Root ninja could even react, Ning Feng's blade had already ended his life—silently, without making the slightest sound.
Pshhk!
Amid the sound of spurting blood, the Root reserve ninja collapsed into a corpse, exploding into piles of equipment, materials, and ninjutsu scrolls!
"Congratulations! You have successfully defeated a Chūnin across levels! You gain double bonus experience!"
"You have obtained 20,000 EXP!"
"Level up! You are now Level 22!"
As the crisp system notifications rang out, Ning Feng instantly lunged toward the second Root reserve ninja.
This time, however, the opponent was at least a Chūnin. The moment he sensed mortal danger, he raised his kunai—
Clang!
—blocking Ning Feng's fatal strike head-on.
"Hmph! I didn't expect you to see through our disguise!"
"And you even managed to get one of our teammates killed!"
Only now did the fake ANBU captain realize what was happening. He landed on the ground and turned around.
The remaining impostor followed suit, landing beside him, both of them fixing icy gazes on Ning Feng.
In truth, the two were deeply puzzled—how had Uchiha Peak figured out that they were impostors?
As this thought crossed their minds, they tossed aside their ANBU masks and replaced them with Root masks.
"Lord Danzō ordered us to leave you alive," the lead Root ninja said coldly.
"But now, that's impossible. You know far too much."
As he spoke, a massive chain appeared in his hand. In an instant, lightning chakra surged along its length, making the chain look terrifyingly sharp and deadly.
Meanwhile, the other Root ninja produced three enormous Fūma shuriken. Lightning chakra likewise crackled around them, radiating lethal power.
"Hmph."
This was Ning Feng's first time facing opponents at or above Chūnin level. Even so, he felt no fear whatsoever.
With a cold snort, Ning Feng charged straight at the lead Root ninja.
But before he could close the distance, the massive chain whipped down toward him like a bolt of lightning!
Clang!
Ning Feng blocked with his kunai. What followed was a storm of relentless chain attacks—fierce, unyielding, and imbued with lightning chakra that made every strike razor-sharp.
Even a glancing hit would have meant being sliced clean in two.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of metallic collisions rang out. Ning Feng's kunai was already covered in cracks.
If not for his Sharingan—its terrifying perception allowing him to read every movement—the chain would have pierced his body long ago.
"Hahaha! My chain technique is the best in all of Root!"
"It's so fast that no one can dodge it!"
The Root ninja laughed arrogantly and was about to swing again—
When suddenly, a brilliant flash split the sky.
Amid a sharp zzzzzt sound, Ning Feng descended from above, lightning roaring in his hand—Chidori!
As expected of a Chūnin, the Root ninja swung his chain at lightning speed—
Clang!
—easily blocking Ning Feng's attack.
At the same moment, the other Root ninja prepared to unleash his Fūma shuriken and end the battle—
But the Ning Feng falling from the sky suddenly turned into bubbles and vanished without a trace!
"Wait—Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!?"
The lead Root ninja instantly realized something. His face changed drastically as he spun around—
And Chidori pierced straight through his body from behind!
"Congratulations! You have successfully defeated a Chūnin across levels! You gain double bonus experience!"
"You have obtained 20,000 EXP!"
"Level up! You are now Level 23!"
Another set of system notifications rang out.
Ning Feng's level rose once again, his overall attributes surging higher.
"So this… is the true power of Chidori?"
Looking at the violent sphere of lightning in his hand—capable of tearing through anything—Ning Feng finally understood just how terrifying Chidori truly was.
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