Chapter:45

"Root?"

Asuma frowned slightly. Something about this situation felt off.

At first, he thought these Anbu were just here for a routine investigation, but they immediately attempted to arrest the boss without any explanation.

This was completely different from what the Third Hokage had told him.

"Didn't the old man tell me to befriend the owner of the Golden Egg Shop? So why is the Root causing trouble today?"

At this moment, Asuma still assumed these Anbu were acting under the Hokage's orders.

He had no idea that this was actually Danzo's doing behind the scenes.

Although Asuma was a renowned Jōnin, he had only recently returned to the village and wasn't fully aware of Danzo's past actions.

But Kakashi, on the other hand, immediately understood what was happening.

Having once been part of Root himself, he had firsthand knowledge of Danzo's ruthless and manipulative nature.

Danzo claimed to act for Konoha's good, but in reality, everything he did was to satisfy his own ambitions.

He had even collaborated with foreign ninjas to assassinate the Third Hokage, just to seize power for himself.

A despicable man…

But even knowing all of this, Kakashi couldn't interfere.

After all, this was a power struggle between Danzo and the Hokage.

As an Elite Jōnin, it wasn't his place to intervene in the politics of Konoha. His duty was simply to do his assigned job.

Besides—

Kakashi highly doubted these Root ninjas would stand a chance against the boss of the Golden Egg Shop.

He had personally experienced Haruto's terrifying aura and knew exactly how powerful he was.

For someone like Haruto, dealing with a few Root operatives would be no different than squashing insects.

And just as Kakashi predicted—

The moment the Root ninja moved to attack, they were completely immobilized by an invisible force.

They were unable to move—trapped beneath Haruto's suffocating aura.

"What?!"

The leading Root ninja's eyes widened in shock.

"What is this pressure?! Is this man… at a Kage's level?!"

A chill ran down his spine.

Haruto chuckled, his sharp gaze landing on the frozen Root operatives.

"So it was you guys last night, huh? The rats who tried sneaking onto my rooftop?"

The Root leader's face visibly tensed.

He had attempted to break into the shop the previous night.

When he found the front door impassable, he had tried to sneak in through the roof—only to discover that the entire shop was protected by an unknown force.

Believing no one had noticed, he had retreated.

But now—

Haruto had clearly known all along.

"He noticed us?! Even though we were only there for a few minutes?!"

His forehead broke into a cold sweat.

"Such terrifying perception!"

"Haha, are you surprised?" Haruto mocked, his expression indifferent.

"This is my territory."

"Did you really think your pathetic tricks would escape my notice?"

"How naïve."

His voice was casual, but the underlying menace was undeniable.

"You're just a bunch of lowly Root operatives—and yet you dare to act so arrogantly in my shop?"

"You people really don't understand the meaning of death, do you?"

Seeing that their cover had been blown, the Root ninja dropped all pretense.

The leader narrowed his eyes and said coldly:

"Haruto, is it? I suggest you release us now."

"Otherwise, if you anger Danzo, the consequences will be far beyond what a mere shop owner can handle."

"Oh?"

Haruto's lips curled into a wicked smirk.

"Are you… threatening me?"

The Root ninja scoffed.

"I'm simply advising you."

"For your own good—"

SNAP.

Haruto casually snapped his fingers.

BANG!

A muffled explosion rang out.

One of the Root operatives suddenly exploded into a bloody mist—vanishing instantly.

His flesh and bones disintegrated, leaving nothing behind.

"?!?!"

Kakashi and Asuma's eyes widened in horror.

They had known Haruto was powerful—

But this?

To kill a Root ninja instantly, without even moving a muscle?

It was beyond comprehension.

This was one of Danzo's elite operatives—trained in stealth, assassination, and resilience.

And yet—

He had been killed like an insect.

Cold sweat dripped from Kakashi's forehead.

"I… actually thought about fighting this man earlier?"

The very idea sent chills down his spine.

If he had made a move back then—

He would have ended up exactly like that Root ninja.

Asuma's hands tightened around his kunai.

On one side were Konoha's Root forces.

On the other side was the man his father specifically told him to befriend.

He was stuck in between, not knowing which side to take.

Meanwhile, the Root leader stared in disbelief.

"You… you dare kill a Root ninja?!"

"Are you insane?!"

He gritted his teeth.

"We only came to escort you for questioning! If you cooperated, there wouldn't be a problem!"

"But now, you've just committed treason against Konoha!"

"Danzo-sama will never let you live!"

"Danzo?"

Haruto's laugh was cold and mocking.

"That old fossil?"

"The man who hides in the shadows, manipulating others like a coward?"

"If he dares to step out of his little rat hole, I'll make him regret ever being born!"

His voice was filled with disdain.

SNAP.

Haruto snapped his fingers again.

BANG!

Another Root ninja instantly exploded, his blood splattering onto the floor.

"You—!!"

The Root leader trembled in fear.

This wasn't normal ninjutsu.

Haruto had simply snapped his fingers—and his men had died instantly.

What kind of horrifying technique was this?!

Was it Space-Time Ninjutsu?

"No! Impossible!"

"Even the Second Hokage couldn't kill so easily with space techniques!"

"Who is this monster?!"

At this moment—

The Root leader realized one thing.

He was completely outmatched.

The man before him wasn't just some shop owner.

He was a force of nature.

And now—

Haruto turned his gaze toward him.

"And as for you…"

End of the Chapter.

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