98. Tool

However, as he neared his target, the ANBU's arm suddenly expanded to massive proportions. 'An Akimichi!' Sora realized, barely managing to alter his trajectory. He twisted in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the giant fist, and brought his leg down in a vicious axe kick on the Akimichi ANBU's head.

The masked ninja crumpled under the force of the blow, but Sora had no time to celebrate. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he found himself unable to move. A familiar sensation crept over him, and he didn't need to look to know what had happened.

'Shadow Possession,' he thought, gritting his teeth. 'A Nara. I should have seen that coming.'

Try as he might, Sora couldn't break free of the shadow binding him. He attempted to use his chakra to create pressure and disrupt the jutsu, but it held firm.

The old man re-entered the room, a triumphant glint in his visible eye. "You do possess exceptional abilities for your age," he admitted. "However, it seems you are too arrogant. Now, let's talk about what we were supposed to discuss in the beginning."

The Nara ANBU, still maintaining the Shadow Possession, forced Sora to kneel. Despite his predicament, Sora maintained a cocky smirk, as if he were the one in control of the situation.

"My purpose in calling you here," the old man began, "was to invite you to join Root. We are a sub-branch of ANBU under my direct command. We are the ones protecting Konoha from the shadows, taking on tasks that the general ANBU cannot due to... moral constraints." He paused, letting his words sink in. "We serve the noble purpose of ensuring Konoha remains peaceful. You should feel honoured to have the opportunity to join our cause under my leadership."

The old man's eye narrowed slightly as he continued. "Seeing that you don't attend the academy, let me introduce myself properly. I am Danzo Shimura, one of the elders on the Council."

Realization dawned on Sora's face, and Danzo nodded, believing his words were having the desired effect. But Sora's next words quickly dispelled that notion.

"So, let me sum up whatever you were yapping about," Sora said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Basically, you take all the dirty work the Hokage can't do due to his public image. So, you're just a tool for the Hokage to use as a scapegoat if things go south. But you've gotten ambitious and started recruiting people under the Hokage's nose - who probably knows about this and lets it slide because it's convenient."

Sora's smirk widened as he saw Danzo's expression darken. "Seeing by your expression, I'm right. You should have started with that, no need to glorify your job. If we're playing that game, I could make the clerk at the Hokage Tower sound like they're doing a more important job than you, old man. Wake up to reality."

Danzo's face contorted with rage, and he slammed his cane on the ground. The sound echoed through the room like a thunderclap. "I think you need to learn when to bow your head and shut up kid," he snarled. "I'm doing you a favour by showing you the cruelty of our world early on."

As Danzo turned to leave the room, Sora suddenly spoke up again. "Old man, you're a grandmaster in Fuinjutsu, right?"

This caught Danzo's attention, causing him to pause and raise an eyebrow.

"Then," Sora continued, his voice taking on a dangerous edge, "you should be able to figure out how to break this barrier, right? I'd hurry if I were you if you don't want evidence of your 'noble deeds' to reach the public."

Danzo's eye widened in shock as lines of text suddenly rushed across the room, originating from Sora. The sealing formula spread rapidly, covering every surface and effectively trapping everyone inside.

"I don't think the Hokage needs a tool that has long outlived its usefulness," Sora said with a grin. And then, to everyone's astonishment, he disappeared in a puff of smoke - a shadow clone all along.

Danzo roared in rage, immediately attempting to brute force his way through the barrier. But Sora's seal held firm, resisting even the elder's considerable power.

Meanwhile, in the security room of the Root base, Sora sat at a computer console, his fingers flying over the keyboard. Behind him, two unconscious ANBU hung from the ceiling, securely bound by ninja wire.

"Damn, finally got the location of where he keeps those documents," Sora muttered to himself, his eyes scanning rapidly over the information on the screen.

As he finished his work and prepared to leave the room, a sword suddenly slashed through the air towards him. Sora's eyes widened, and he instinctively activated his Shape-shifting Jutsu, altering the shape of his head to narrowly avoid the blade.

'A Special Jounin or above,' Sora assessed quickly. 'I can't engage with them directly.'

In a flash, Sora weaved the hand signs for the Body Flicker Technique. But before he vanished, he created a Shadow Clone that immediately detonated, exploding point-blank in front of the Jounin.

Using the explosion as cover, Sora flickered away, creating a few more Shadow Clones to mislead his pursuer. As he raced through the corridors, he suddenly saw a swarm of insects rushing towards him - an Aburame's technique.

Without missing a beat, Sora threw a kunai with an explosive tag attached, detonating it in the midst of the insect swarm. He quickly changed his route, not wanting to waste time dealing with an Aburame without the proper countermeasures.

But as he rounded a corner, he found himself face-to-face with an Inuzuka ninja and their ninken partner, both spinning rapidly in the fearsome Fang Over Fang technique.

'How annoying,' Sora thought, his hands already forming seals. "Shape-shifting Jutsu!"

Chakra surged through Sora's arms, transforming them into drills. He met the Inuzuka's attack head-on, one drill arm for the ninja, one for the dog. The collision sent sparks flying and the sound of grinding metal echoed through the corridor.

Sensing the Aburame closing in from behind, Sora let out a resigned sigh. "You leave me with no choice."

In an instant, a Shadow Clone formed and rushed towards the ceiling. Before the Aburame could react, a torrent of liquid burst from Sora's bracers and shoulder, catching both the Aburame and Inuzuka off guard.

"That's gonna hurt," the Shadow Clone on the ceiling commented, tossing down a lighter. The liquid - revealed to be kerosene - ignited immediately, creating a wall of fire between Sora and his pursuers, the latter burning.

The Sora facing the Inuzuka dispelled in a puff of smoke, revealing itself to be another clone. The one on the ceiling quickly made his escape, leaving the Root ninja to deal with the flames.

After navigating through more corridors, Sora finally reached his destination - a heavily guarded room that likely contained the sensitive documents he was after. Two Jounin-level ninjas stood guard, their postures alert and ready for any threat.

'Damn, I'll definitely lose in a straight fight,' Sora thought, hiding nearby and assessing the situation. 'Well, let's create a seal to restrain them.'

With practised ease, Sora pulled out a scroll and began drawing intricate patterns at an astonishing speed. His hand moved in a blur, chakra infusing every stroke of the complex fuinjutsu. Within moments, he had completed a high-level restraining seal.

Creating a Shadow Clone with suppressed chakra to remain hidden nearby as backup, Sora took a deep breath and put his plan into action. He activated the scroll, sending lines of text racing towards the unsuspecting Jounin guards.

The guards' eyes widened as they sensed the incoming chakra. Their instincts kicked in immediately, causing them to leap backwards to avoid the unknown technique. But Sora had anticipated this reaction.

In the split second that the guards were distracted, Sora used the Body Flicker technique in conjunction with his Shape-shifting Jutsu. His form blurred and shifted, allowing him to slip past the retreating guards and reach the door in an instant.

Without hesitation, Sora slapped another pre-prepared seal on the door. The fuinjutsu activated, overriding the existing security measures and causing the door to swing open. Sora darted inside and quickly resealed the entrance behind him, trapping himself inside but also keeping his pursuers at bay.

The Jounin guards, having dealt with the initial sealing attempt, now found themselves unable to breach the door. The fuinjutsu already present on the wall was of a level far beyond what they could easily counter.

***

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