Ch 57: The Root is Finished

Chapter 57: The Root is Finished

"Hiroki!" the Nara clan ninja shouted in grief. Most members of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio are closely bonded, and it was clear these two were teammates.

But although he cried out, he quickly retreated. The Nara clan is known for its calm and intelligence—if even the Akimichi, known for their brute strength, had been taken down so easily, rushing in now would be suicidal.

"Strange... no one from the Yamanaka clan? Their mind techniques are pretty troublesome," Ayaan muttered with a hint of doubt. Still, he didn't dwell on it. With a wave of his hand, a thick cloud of Yami Yami no Mi darkness spread forward. Even though the Nara ninja tried to dodge, the fruit's intense gravitational pull caught him mid-escape. His chakra twisted and spiraled out of control before he was dragged into the black mist and spat out unconscious moments later.

Unbeknownst to Ayaan, a Yamanaka clan ninja had already attempted a mental attack on him. Hiding in the shadows, the Yamanaka ninja clutched his head in horror.

"What kind of monster is this?! His spirit is like a black hole! Damn it, my mental strength was shredded instantly!"

Ayaan, whose body had transformed through the Yami Yami no Mi, didn't even notice. His spiritual resistance was so strong that the attempted mental infiltration was not only repelled but absorbed, making him feel slightly more refreshed instead.

Having dispatched the last of the opposition in the area, Ayaan used his Observation Haki to sense several lurking ninjas. However, he ignored them and moved toward the Root base.

There wasn't much time. Once the Nine-Tails was subdued, Konoha's full attention would shift to him. He didn't fear a direct confrontation—but unnecessary trouble wasn't on his to-do list.

As he neared the Root base, a rustling noise interrupted his thoughts. A group of emotionless, masked shinobi appeared, blocking his path. At the same time, his Observation Haki detected a large force approaching from behind. Leading them was a bandaged man with a familiar chakra—Shimura Danzō, the infamous leader of the Root, also known as "Konoha's Darkness."

"Wasn't he supposed to be watching the Uchiha compound? Why is he here now?" Ayaan clicked his tongue. But it made sense. If his secret base was under threat, Danzō would abandon any scheme to protect it.

He had only gone to the Uchiha to stir suspicion and avoid the Nine-Tails' rampage. But if his labs and secrets were exposed, the fallout would be far worse. Danzō wasn't protecting the village—he was protecting himself.

The Root shinobi charged forward without hesitation. Ayaan frowned, then snorted as black mist billowed out. All ninjutsu and weapons were immediately devoured by the darkness. Screams echoed for a moment before silence returned. When the mist cleared, only withered husks remained.

Against Root shinobi, Ayaan didn't hold back. They were brainwashed tools—shells of human beings long stripped of their will.

Danzō, who had been running forward, suddenly froze. A chill ran down his spine.

Even he would struggle to take on a dozen Root operatives working together. But Ayaan had wiped them out with a single wave of his Yami Yami no Mi-infused darkness.

This was no ordinary threat.

"Who are you?" Danzō called out, now standing at a safe distance atop a nearby rooftop. "The Nine-Tails has escaped its seal. Are you responsible for this?"

"Don't try to pin that on me," Ayaan replied calmly. "This was obviously the work of your Uchiha clan."

The Uchiha clan's Mangekyō Sharingan was visible in the Nine-Tails' eyes—something any sensor or eyewitness could confirm. He was simply stating the obvious, though his delivery made it sound like he had insider knowledge.

Danzō remained silent for a moment, then tried a different tactic. "So... do you bear a grudge against Konoha? Or are you here for a bounty? You must be the infamous bounty hunter... the Black Shadow Ninja."

Sharp as expected, Ayaan thought. Danzō was clearly gathering intel, trying to stall.

But Ayaan wasn't interested in conversation. The longer he stayed here, the more enemies would arrive. Without a word, black mist surged from his hand like a storm.

Danzō's expression darkened. He knew that the Yami Yami no Mi darkness could absorb anything—ninjutsu, projectiles, even chakra itself. He leapt away instinctively.

The Root ninjas behind him also scrambled, scattering in all directions.

Ayaan sneered. Raising his hand, he slammed it to the ground.

"Dark Cave Road!"

A vast tide of black mist erupted beneath him, rapidly expanding until it swallowed several kilometers of Konoha's surface. From the sky, one-tenth of the Hidden Leaf Village vanished under a sea of shadows. Buildings crumbled as they were consumed.

Luckily, most civilians had already been evacuated to shelters. Ayaan wouldn't have used this technique if innocents were around.

"No—attack him, now!" Danzō shouted from a rooftop, panic in his voice.

But even that was futile. The intense gravitational pull of the Yami Yami no Mi absorbed chakra from anyone within range. Many ninjas tried to cast jutsu—only for their chakra to go haywire inside their bodies, triggering internal backlash. Some coughed blood and collapsed, vanishing into the mist. Only elite shinobi could resist the pull long enough to fight.

Yet even they couldn't penetrate Ayaan's defenses. His metallic body, enhanced by Armament Haki, shimmered under the attacks. Explosions echoed, but when the smoke cleared, he stood unscathed.

As more buildings collapsed into the abyss, the Root base was finally within reach. Ayaan withdrew his hand, the massive void of darkness beginning to recede.

"Tch... that was exhausting," he muttered. The strain of using Dark Cave Road on such a wide scale was heavy—even with his enhanced stamina and chakra reserves.

Still, it was worth it.

The entire Root facility had collapsed into the void. All its secrets, hidden chambers, and forbidden experiments were now his.

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