CHAPTER 48
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"Bastard! Even if the Sage of Six Paths were resurrected, no one can save you today!"
In the distance, Shimura Danzō could no longer suppress his rage. He roared at the sky, his face contorted with fury.
The Root ninjas who accompanied him today were all elite jōnin — his personal forces. More than just subordinates, they were key assets in his secret bid for the Hokage seat.
What made their deaths even more painful was that every one of these jōnin was loyal to him alone, not under the authority of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Even the loss of a single Root operative stung — but now, more than a dozen had been wiped out in an instant by Ye Dou, their corpses unrecognizable, the earth soaked in blood like a crimson ocean.
"Go to hell and apologize to my men!" Danzō roared.
He momentarily forgot about Uchiha Shisui, formed six hand seals, and released a powerful jutsu:
"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku!" (Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere)
This technique, comparable in power to Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire), fired condensed wind bullets capable of slicing through trees, rock, and even reinforced steel — killing invisibly and swiftly.
As the wind bullets hurtled toward him, Ye Dou's expression didn't change. He raised his blade and slashed forward.
Boom!
Two invisible forces collided in the air. The resulting shockwave sent sand and fallen leaves scattering in all directions. Even the clouds were blasted apart, revealing the pale moon above.
In the end, the Vacuum Spheres were repelled by Ye Dou's gravity-infused slash and deflected into a different direction — toward Uchiha Shisui.
Shisui leapt away in time. He realized instantly that this was a warning from Ye Dou — a message not to interfere. He didn't attempt to flee but focused entirely on Danzō.
Without exchanging a word, Shisui and Ye Dou had formed a temporary understanding: drive away the Root forces first, then settle things afterward.
But Shisui's heart remained heavy. The trap laid by Danzō was monstrous.
What he had just witnessed was like a nightmare — Root elites slaughtered in an instant, their remains indistinguishable, reminding him of the brutal battles of the Third Shinobi World War.
But this was no illusion.
Ye Dou had truly butchered over a dozen elite jōnin, reducing them to mangled flesh. It was terrifying.
"Damn you… you bastard!"
The surviving Root operatives, though known for their ruthlessness and emotional suppression, were incensed. Years of life-and-death camaraderie couldn't be erased so easily.
Now, faced with the massacre of their comrades — not even corpses left, just scattered flesh — their killing intent surged.
"Hyaaah!"
One Root ninja, wearing a fox mask, charged in with a drawn tantō. He didn't hesitate. Rage drove his movements — he would kill the demon before him.
Ye Dou calmly discarded his damaged ninja blade. Chakra surged through the seals on his wrists.
Poof!
Smoke burst forth as a new blade was summoned into his hand. He gripped it tightly, prepared to meet his attacker head-on.
"Genjutsu: Narakumi no Jutsu!" (Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion — Hell Viewing Technique)
But just as Ye Dou lifted his sword, another Root member — wearing a dog-mask — leapt from behind the fox-masked ninja.
Ye Dou's gaze flicked toward him instinctively.
That was all it took.
His vision twisted. The battlefield vanished, replaced by a horrific scene drawn from the depths of his fears.
Narakumi no Jutsu was a basic but effective genjutsu that forced the victim to witness their worst nightmare — shattering the target's will to fight.
Nearby, a mongoose let out a sharp cry. "Ye Dou!"
The little creature sensed the danger — not from the illusion itself, but the timing.
With Ye Dou immobilized in the genjutsu, the fox-masked ninja lunged. A clean decapitation would take only seconds.
Root had moved with deadly synchronization — their hallmark.
"DIE!"
The fox-masked ninja saw victory in sight. His blade was about to strike the unguarded Ye Dou, who stood frozen in the genjutsu.
Even if he broke free at the last second, it would be too late. The kill was guaranteed.
"I won't die!"
Suddenly, Ye Dou's voice rang out. His eyes snapped open, the genjutsu shattered by his sheer will and precise chakra disruption.
He held the sword in a forward grip, tapped its tip against the ground, and whispered:
"Gravity Blade: Chaos."
[Peerless Ominous Man]
The evening wind howled. Sword intent filled the air.
In the blink of an eye, the fox-masked Root ninja was sent flying upward — as if pulled by an invisible force.
Like a puppet with severed strings, his body twisted uncontrollably in the air. He tried to resist, but his movements were no longer his own.
Why?!
He'd nearly sliced Ye Dou's head. He'd even cut a few strands of hair.
Just one more inch…
"Gravity Blade: Chaos!"
Ye Dou, now fully clear of the illusion, planted his sword into the earth. Chakra surged as he manipulated the gravitational field around him — sending the fox-masked ninja soaring high into the sky.
Cold sweat trickled down Ye Dou's cheek. Even behind the mask, tension and focus gripped his face.
He had stared death in the face.
If he hadn't disrupted his chakra flow fast enough to break the genjutsu, he would already be dead.
"I won't die!" he shouted again.
He flipped his wrist, now gripping the sword in a reverse grip. With a sharp breath, he slashed skyward.
In that same instant, he reversed the gravitational field.
The ninja who had been flying upwards suddenly plummeted.
"RAAAHH! DIE WITH ME!"
The fox-masked Root ninja, though desperate, remained fearless. With gravity crushing him from above, he roared and swung his blade downward, determined to take Ye Dou with him in a final act of vengeance.
But Ye Dou's eyes gleamed coldly. His aura flared, hair lifting from his shoulders as he poured more chakra into his blade.
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