c20: ROOT Organization Strike
"I'll let you keep tailing me. Let's see what you're really planning," Chiba thought calmly, his expression unchanged as he continued walking toward the outskirts of Konoha.
He didn't waver, moving steadily toward a remote training ground beyond the village.
"You can come out now. I've known you were following me this whole time," Chiba said, stepping into a clearing and turning back toward the dense forest behind him.
As soon as the words left his mouth, rustling came from the trees. Three shinobi clad in dark standard Root uniforms, each wearing identical blank white masks, leapt into the clearing and landed a few meters in front of Chiba.
These were operatives from Root Danzō Shimura's covert ANBU faction that operated outside the jurisdiction of the Hokage. Their current objective was clear: retrieve Hatake Chiba and bring him to Root headquarters.
Danzō had taken interest in the young prodigy, believing that if he could bring Chiba into Root early, he could mold him into a powerful tool for Konoha and for himself. Root did far more than assassination; it delved into unethical experiments, forbidden jutsu, and dark intelligence work.
Though still a child in appearance, Chiba's soul was mature. He saw through the façade of Danzō's "protection of the village" ideology. Going with these operatives would mean entering a den of shadows. He couldn't afford that.
"Well now... you've got good senses for a kid. You noticed us. Better than most genin," said the operative standing in the center, his tone flat and condescending.
"If you're calling me a kid, you'll regret underestimating me," Chiba said coolly, his stance unshaken and his eyes focused.
These Root operatives were at least chūnin-level well-trained and experienced in infiltration and assassination but to Chiba, they were just another obstacle.
"Danzō-sama requests your presence. Do not resist. Come with us. Otherwise, things will get... unpleasant," said the operative on the right, his voice sharp with warning.
They knew of Chiba's potential, but they assumed he lacked the strength to challenge them. In their minds, a child, regardless of talent, couldn't possibly defeat trained Root shinobi.
"Sorry," Chiba said with a faint smirk. "I'm busy. I have training to get back to."
"You'll regret refusing us." The lead operative gave a hand signal, and instantly, the three sprang into action, surrounding Chiba from different angles.
One drew a ninjatō a short, standard Root blade while the other two quickly formed hand seals, preparing jutsu.
"You think you can force me? That's cute," Chiba muttered, a flicker of cold amusement in his eyes.
Without warning, he activated Soru the high-speed movement technique from the One Piece world and vanished.
He reappeared directly in front of the sword-wielding operative, whose eyes widened in disbelief at Chiba's ghost-like speed.
But the operative didn't panic. Years of experience had trained him to react under pressure. With a shout, he lunged, swinging his blade in a diagonal slash aimed at Chiba's midsection.
Chiba didn't flinch. With a swift motion, he drew a shuriken from his pouch and blocked the blade.
Clang!
Sparks flew as metal clashed with metal.
The two remaining operatives were briefly stunned but quickly regrouped, changing direction mid-sprint and flanking Chiba with precision.
Using the momentum of the clash, Chiba twisted his body mid-air and activated Geppo, propelling himself upward, then striking out with a spinning roundhouse aimed at the masked swordsman's head.
The operative's eyes widened behind the mask. He had no time to react.
Smash!
Chiba's foot connected squarely, sending the man flying backward into the dirt, carving a groove into the earth as he skidded to a stop, unconscious.
Chiba didn't pause. He activated Soru again, flashing across the field to the downed operative. Flames erupted from his right palm an ability granted by the system's Mera Mera no Mi powers.
Boom!
The blast of fire slammed into the Root member's chest, sending up a cloud of dust and smoke. When it cleared, the operative lay in a crater, his body scorched and unmoving.
One down. Two to go.
The remaining Root agents froze, taken aback by how swiftly their teammate had been eliminated. They were no longer toying with a boy they were up against something entirely different.
"Don't hold back," the left operative barked. "Use ninjutsu!"
They both backed away and began forming hand seals rapidly.
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" the first shouted, exhaling a barrage of small fireballs that scattered and surrounded Chiba from multiple directions.
"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku!" the second followed, unleashing a burst of compressed wind bullets thousands of tiny blades that swirled through the air in a tight formation.
Chiba had barely landed when the combination attack closed in on him.
"Not bad," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "But not nearly enough."
He activated Tekkai the iron-body technique and braced himself. Simultaneously, he spun his body in mid-air and used Geppo to vault higher, above the overlapping elemental attacks.
The wind blades collided with the fireballs, causing a chain reaction that detonated violently beneath him, sending shockwaves through the clearing.
From above, Chiba hovered, flames coiling around his right arm.
"You think ninjutsu alone is enough to bring me down?" he shouted, then hurled a spinning flame spear toward the two stunned operatives.
BOOM!
The blast landed between them, sending both flying in opposite directions.
Chiba landed in a crouch, scanning the battlefield. One Root member was completely out cold. The other two were injured, groaning as they tried to stand.
"I suggest you crawl back to Danzō," Chiba said, walking calmly through the dissipating smoke. "Tell him I'm not interested."
Both remaining operatives knew they had failed. Worse, they now understood that this wasn't just a talented child they had attacked a force they weren't prepared for.
Chiba didn't linger. He turned his back on them and began walking toward his original training ground.
This battle had done more than test his power it had drawn a clear line in the sand.
He would not bow to Danzō.
And he would never become anyone's tool.
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