159 The Rebellious Snake

Aburame Ryoma's target wasn't Simu, but Hanzo, who was barely clinging to life.

If he could destroy Hanzo's brain, there would be no evidence linking Root to Amegakure.

Danzo would escape the charge of plotting against a Konoha hero.

With that in mind, Aburame Ryoma's resolve hardened.

For the shinobi of Root, nothing was more important than Lord Danzo.

"Trying to erase the evidence?"

Simu lifted his mace with one hand, his Conqueror's Haki erupting into dark red lightning.

"Mighty Country!"

A pillar of terrifying thunder surged forward, obliterating the swarm of destruction bugs in an instant.

The energy was so overwhelming that the insects were reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.

But the attack didn't stop there

The blazing thunder pierced the air and shot straight toward Aburame Ryoma.

In a flash, a dozen Root ninjas appeared beside him, raising multiple earthen walls to intercept the attack.

The barriers barely held, stopping Simu's casual strike at the last moment.

"If you're so eager to destroy evidence… I won't hold back."

The moment he spoke, Simu's figure vanished.

"So fast—!"

Before Aburame Ryoma could react, Simu had already appeared in the middle of the Root forces.

His mace, crackling with thunder, came crashing down.

Boom!

The ground shattered instantly, sending a powerful shockwave that blasted the Root ninjas into the air.

Aburame Ryoma's body was suddenly wrapped in a mass of insects, stabilizing his stance before he could be thrown away.

But in the very next second—

Simu appeared right in front of him.

A devastating kick, glowing with golden lightning, came crashing down!

The iron beetles behind Aburame Ryoma instinctively swarmed to the front, forming a protective shield.

These insects, which fed on iron ore, were known for their tough, steel-like bodies—strong enough to withstand most cutting attacks.

But against Simu, they were completely useless.

His blinding speed carried unstoppable power.

Like a golden spear, his kick pierced straight through the insect shield—

And slammed Aburame Ryoma deep into the ground!

The other Root ninjas tried to rush in, but

Jiraiya stepped forward before they could act.

As Simu's teacher, he naturally trusted his abilities.

Besides, he had no fondness for the Root operatives.

"If you don't want Danzo's name to be ruined for nothing, then stand down."

Jiraiya's warning carried weight—after all, he was the commander of Konoha's forces in this battle.

However, Aburame Ryoma refused to be captured so easily.

If Hanzo was successfully brought back to Konoha, it would deal a devastating blow to Danzo.

Even Root itself could suffer severe consequences.

But against Simu and Jiraiya, he had no chance of winning.

That left him with only one option.

"I obey the order, kill Hanzo at all costs!"

With those words, he ripped off his shirt.

Five hexagram symbols were tattooed across his upper body, Four on the sides, one in the center.

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed instantly.

He recognized it immediately: The Four-Symbols Sealing Technique!

A forbidden jutsu, only activatable upon death A sealing technique on par with the Reaper Death Seal.

People always said Root ninjas were fanatics And now, Jiraiya realized just how true that was.

Blood trickled from the corner of Aburame Ryoma's mouth.

Aburame Ryoma's body swelled rapidly—then exploded violently.

The hexagram symbols detached from his body, floating in the air like ominous seals.

The endless resentment within him erupted, transforming into pure darkness that spread in all directions.

"Run!" Jiraiya shouted urgently.

Simu didn't need to be told twice.

In a flash, he grabbed Jiraiya and disappeared.

The ink-black darkness consumed everything Ground, air, rocks…

Nothing survived.

A pitch-black sphere expanded, growing over ten meters wide

Anything caught inside would be completely erased from existence.

Rather than a sealing technique, it was more like a forbidden self-destruction jutsu.

From a safe distance, Simu let go of Jiraiya.

"That was close... almost got me."

 He patted his chest, still feeling the lingering fear.

Jiraiya rolled her eyes, annoyed.

"With your speed, even if that seal was five times bigger, it still wouldn't touch you, you slippery fish."

Simu scratched his head and said casually, "Let's deal with the rest of these Root ninjas."

His eyes turned sharp with a dangerous glint.

Realizing the situation was hopeless, the Root ninjas scattered, rushing toward the surrounding forest.

After all, if even Aburame Ryoma's self-destruct seal failed against Simu, their best option was to retreat and report back to Danzo.

Some, in desperation, charged at Katsuyu Immortal, hoping to take down at least half of their enemies.

But under Simu's Observation Haki, none of them stood a chance.

Laser beams cut through the air. Each shot precise and deadly, taking them down one by one.

By the end, only five survived.

Inside the cage, Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan exchanged glances, their hearts filled with unease.

If they are not students of Teacher Jiraiya, will they be killed easily like these ninjas? 

"Simu, don't worry. I'll make sure to seek justice from Sarutobi sensei!" Jiraiya said, his expression complicated as he looked at his students.

As their teacher, he couldn't ignore the injustice they had suffered.

Simu simply shrugged.

The old man Sarutobi doesn't have much authority left over Danzo

With the Third Hokage's personality, at best, he'd give Danzo a verbal warning.

Would he even strip Danzo of his command over Root? Unlikely.

Rather than relying on the Third Hokage, Simu knew he had to rely on himself.

As for the Revolutionary Army, they weren't a threat for now.

The priority was fixing Konoha's internal problems.

Just like that, a major battle ended without a trace.

Jiraiya's forces returned to Konoha, their initial momentum now subdued.

Meanwhile, deep within the Hidden Leaf Village, Danzo was furious.

He hadn't been this enraged since founding Root.

"Hanzo and Ōnoki, those two old fools!"

"Even with over 10,000 ninja and both of them combined, they still couldn't kill a single Hanyū Simu?!"

Danzo slammed his crutch against the ground, the sharp crack echoing through the room.

The force was so strong that the crutch snapped in half.

Leaning back in his seat, his face twisted with rage.

"Fine, they couldn't kill him. But Hanzo actually let himself get captured by Hanyū Simu?!"

As the leader of Amegakure, Hanzo had no curse mark.

If the Yamanaka Clan got their hands on him, they could extract everything.

His secret dealings with Rain Shinobi Village, plotting to eliminate a Konoha hero—would be exposed.

And that wasn't even the worst part.

His human experiments, the people he had taken from the Land of Rain...

Once Anbu started digging, even more of his secrets could come to light.

Danzo's chest rose and fell rapidly.

But years of experience allowed him to regain his composure.

Anger wouldn't solve anything.

Danzo sat back, tapping the armrest lightly.

"Inform Orochimaru. Tell him that our fates are tied together."

He slowly stood up, gripping a new crutch, and began walking toward the Hokage's office.

The Root ninja vanished into the shadows.

…..

Orochimaru's Laboratory

After hearing the report, Orochimaru's golden snake-like eyes narrowed.

A dark, unsettling aura filled the room.

Even the battle-hardened Root ninja felt uneasy.

"I understand. You may leave."

As the ninja disappeared, Orochimaru let out a slow, hissing sound.

"Trying to drag me down with you, Danzo?"

He stood up and quickly began gathering his research.

Orochimaru sealed away key information into a scroll.

As for his most valuable experimental subjects, he had already transferred them to a base outside Konoha before this mission.

"It's finally happening. It's not perfect, but it will do."

Standing on the rooftop, he gazed over Konoha, his eyes lingering on the Hokage Rock in the distance.

This was where he had grown up.

Once, he too had been swept up in the Will of Fire, dreaming of becoming Hokage like his teacher—dedicating himself to Konoha.

But as the years passed and the battlefield revealed its horrors, his understanding deepened.

He saw the truth.

The so-called Will of Fire was just an illusion.

And Hokage?

Nothing more than a pawn in a political game.

The world was shrouded in darkness.

Life itself was fragile… fleeting.

And so, Orochimaru stepped onto a path of no return—human experimentation.

He sought to unravel the mysteries of ninjutsu and the secrets of the world.

But the human body was weak. Even the strongest would wither away by seventy or eighty.

That was nowhere near enough time.

If he truly wanted to reach the pinnacle of ninjutsu, he needed immortality.

Only through immortality could he unlock the ultimate truth.

He sighed.

"It's finally time to leave."

Konoha had sheltered him, but it had also chained him.

To achieve immortality, human experimentation was unavoidable.

But his teacher, the Third Hokage, had ban it.

If he wanted to continue his research without limits, he had only one choice—leave Konoha.

Danzo's predicament had presented him with the perfect opportunity.

But before he left…

"There's still something I need to take with me."

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED

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