"Brat, take this!"
A ninja carrying a massive blade instantly flung out dozens of kunai, all tied with densely packed steel wires that sealed off Kairen's flight path.
Kairen folded his wings and descended toward the ground.
Another shuriken came flying. Kairen formed a ninja glove on his hand and caught the spinning weapon mid-air.
A steel wire trailed behind the shuriken. Seeing it, Kairen smirked coldly at the big-blade ninja holding the other end.
"Let me borrow your wire!"
The sword-wielding ninja's face changed in alarm.
On Kairen's side, chakra gathered in his chest. Fire-nature chakra underwent a complex transformation before compressing into a single concentrated mass. He puffed up his cheeks and exhaled!
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A blazing stream of fire surged along the steel wire straight toward the big-blade ninja at incredible speed.
In an instant, the flames engulfed him. But with a sharp "pop," the ninja vanished—replaced by a wooden log.
Kairen cursed under his breath. "Substitution Jutsu!"
On the perimeter of the joint assault stood Shimura Naoto. He was a timid man—a spoiled heir of the Shimura clan, a genuine playboy who had become a Jōnin only thanks to his family connections. In truth, his strength was that of a mere Special Jōnin.
Seeing how troublesome Kairen was, Shimura Naoto cursed quietly and signaled with his eyes to the pineapple-headed man beside him.
That pineapple head was from the Nara clan, known in Root by his codename "Nara."
Nara stepped forward, directing the Root ninjas who surrounded Kairen. He pointed toward the crows flying above and commanded,
"Release jutsu from above! Don't let him take to the sky!"
Then he turned to remind the big-blade ninja,
"Use the steel wires to block the airspace—and attach explosive tags!"
Under Nara's precise coordination, the Root ninjas' attacks grew even more organized, launching wave after wave of assaults to corner and crush Kairen.
The whistling of wind tore through the air. Without even looking, Kairen could tell it was another round of shuriken.
He flicked his fingers, and wine from his gourd surged out, wrapping around the shuriken mid-flight.
But when he noticed sparks trailing behind the weapons, his heart tightened. Instantly, he opened the first four Gates of the Eight Gates Formation, his body streaking away in a green flash.
"BOOM—!"
The explosion from the tags detonated, mixing with Kairen's wine to create a massive sphere of fire that billowed skyward, igniting several giant trees below.
"Huff—"
Kairen stood upside-down on a tree branch, gasping for breath.
His chakra reserves were indeed at the Kage level—roughly equal to ten Jōnin combined.
But flying consumed chakra. His Wine Release used chakra. Even maintaining the Byakugan drained chakra.
For someone who once spent chakra so lavishly, it was humiliating to be pushed into such stingy conditions.
He cursed under his breath. Time was running out. He had to get the antidote quickly—otherwise, Shizune and Kurenai would both be in mortal danger.
Activating his Byakugan, Kairen spotted the poison-using ninja beside Shimura Naoto. Then, glancing at the flames spreading around him, he formed a series of hand seals.
"Fire Release: Multiple Demon Lanterns!"
In an instant, Kairen's fire-nature chakra merged with the surrounding flames.
Hundreds of fiery lanterns formed in the air. With a wave of his hand, they rained down like meteors, engulfing the Root ninjas below.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
The Root defensive ninjas simultaneously unleashed barrier techniques to block the oncoming Demon Lanterns.
Kairen flapped his wings—and several steel wires whipped toward him, wrapping around his body midair.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A giant fireball erupted from his mouth, burning through the wires. Bursting free, he dove straight toward the poison ninja's position.
...
A hundred kilometers outside of Konoha, Tsunade was finally shaking off the influence of that mysterious chakra.
Her sharp instincts as one of the Legendary Sannin returned. Staring at the Hokage's secret decree in her hand, she recalled the odd behavior of the messenger ninja earlier.
With a furious punch, she shattered a nearby tree and muttered in a low voice,
"Damn it... a diversion tactic!"
Then the realization struck her—the Root's real target.
"Kairen!"
That old fool Danzō wouldn't let it slide after being humiliated by Kairen in front of everyone.
A flash of panic crossed her face. Then she remembered the dice she'd thrown the previous night.
"No... No! That he's not going to die!"
Tsunade vanished in a blur, using all her chakra to teleport at full speed toward Konoha.
"You're not going to die."
...
Kairen dove from the sky, his eyes locked on the poison ninja—just a little closer and he could seize the antidote!
But Shimura Naoto had already finished his hand seals.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet!"
His cheeks puffed out as he spat out a rapid volley of air bullets, each one sharp as a blade.
"Shu-shu-shu!" The wind bullets sliced through the air, weaving between the steel threads.
Kairen twisted his wings, spinning through the air with sharp maneuvers to evade the deadly shots.
The poison ninja refused to go down easily. With a flick of his hands, dozens of poisoned needles shot toward Kairen, sealing off every escape angle.
Kairen spun midair, the wine from his gourd surging outward to block the needles.
"Die!"
The big-blade ninja charged in from above, slashing down at Kairen.
"Ninja Art: Monster Strength!"
Kairen's hands gathered immense chakra, compressing it into his palms. He punched upward toward the incoming blade.
Bang!
The ninja's sword struck as if it had hit a steel wall. The shock ran up his arms, numbing his chest, and then—his blade shattered clean in half!
His pupils shrank. "Princess Tsunade's Monster Strength!"
"Let's see how you handle my fist the size of a sandbag!"
Kairen roared, his palms glowing with compressed chakra, the sheer power of it shaking the air. He swung straight at the big-blade ninja's chest.
If that punch connected, it would turn the man into a rain of blood.
"Secret Technique: Parasitic Insects!"
"Bzzzz—!"
Swarms of insects rushed in like a storm, clinging to Kairen's body and draining his chakra rapidly.
His movement slowed just enough for the big-blade ninja to teleport backward, dodging Kairen's killing blow.
Even so, the wind pressure from the punch grazed him, sending pain through his chest. He barely suppressed the blood rising in his throat.
He reappeared beside Aburame Tatsuma, showing no gratitude—Root operatives never did. Missions came first.
Aburame Tatsuma stared at Kairen, his voice calm but admiring.
"Such incredible talent in ninjutsu... he's completely inherited the Second Hokage's genius for technique."
"Add in that Smoke Release bloodline that nullifies physical attacks... If he matures, he could really become the Fifth Hokage!"
Nara stepped up beside him, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"He hasn't used his bloodline ability at all since the fight began. Why is that?"
Behind his dark glasses, Tatsuma's eyes gleamed. He had noticed that too.
According to intelligence, Kairen was known to rely heavily on his Smoke Release—yet now, he hadn't used it once.
When Tatsuma offered no explanation, Nara simply chalked it up to a mutation or some bloodline illness.
He even praised their leader.
"Kairen's bloodline failing like this... Danzō-sama must have foreseen this moment. As expected, he's a true visionary."
Tatsuma nodded slightly. "Perhaps."
Meanwhile, Tatsuma's insects kept devouring Kairen's chakra.
Kairen quickly manipulated the wine around his body, deepening its Water-nature transformation and increasing the alcohol's concentration—instantly poisoning and killing the parasitic insects clinging to him.