Naruto: The Ninja World's Life Buyer

Chapter 183 Counterattack Outside the Rules, Bone Release: Bone Forest Cutting!

I walked out of the management building.

The sunlight was blinding.

Sosuke straightened his collar.

"Three million taels, plus the equipment costs for fifty mercenaries—that's no small expense—"

The dragon horse behind him was calculating in a low voice.

"Ryoma".

Sosuke's lips curled into a cold smile.

"These fifty mercenaries I hired aren't just for show."

"What do you mean?"

"Those people are all wandering ninjas recruited by the Sawtooth Clan in the Land of Rain. There are a few spies from the Fuma Clan mixed in among them."

"Sending them into Konoha's front-line troops is like inserting my eyes and ears into the regular army. This is a legitimate infiltration."

Longma felt a chill run down his spine.

This man calculated three steps ahead for every single step he took.

What appears to be a forced loss is actually part of a strategic plan.

"Let's go back to the Kikyo House."

Although the crisis was over, Sosuke did not relax.

This incident reminded him that as long as he remained within Konoha's system, this kind of threat from the rules would continue endlessly.

He must retaliate! Retaliate outside the rules!

Deep underground in Konoha, at the base of the roots.

Danzo Shimura has been in a bad mood lately.

The destruction of the black iron mine not only cut off his source of income, but also dealt a severe blow to his authority.

"Lord Danzo."

A ninja wearing a bird-beak mask is kneeling on the ground.

Owl. Danzo's most trusted weapon.

"Has the intelligence been confirmed?" Danzo's voice was sinister.

"Confirmed."

The owl's voice was completely flat.

"In the Misty Valley, at the border of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire, an unrecorded vein of chakra-conducting metal ore has been discovered."

"According to our scouts, it was discovered by a few wandering merchants while fleeing the war. They dare not mine it and are urgently looking for buyers to sell it. No major forces have intervened yet."

Danzo narrowed his one eye slightly.

Chakra conduction metal. This is hard currency, a strategic resource even more precious than gold.

If we can capture this mine, not only will the funding gap at the base be filled, but we can even double our troop strength.

This is an opportunity.

Once he controls this mine, he will no longer need to suffer in front of Hiruzen.

"Owl".

"exist.

"

"Take your squad. Make sure you control that source of information, and then—take over the mine."

Danzo's eyes were fierce.

"This operation is top secret. I don't want anyone but your men to know about it alive."

"Even that wandering merchant who discovered the mineral vein—after the transaction is completed, he must be disposed of."

"Yes."

The owl accepted the order.

He stood up, his black trench coat fluttering in the cold wind.

As an elite member of the Shimura clan, he inherited Danzo's will—for the prosperity of the Leaf Village, the roots must draw nourishment from the darkness, regardless of whether that nourishment is stained with blood.

Outside Konoha Village.

A small team of four quietly left the village.

They leaped through the dense canopy of trees like a group of gray ghosts.

Xiao Chong was at the very front.

Beneath his mask were a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.

As one of Root's top combatants, he is skilled in Wind Release and assassination techniques, and Danzo implanted a special cursed seal in him, which allows him to unleash power beyond his limits in a short period of time.

"Captain, Misty Valley is two kilometers ahead."

The sensory ninja behind him reported in a low voice.

"There are no unusual chakra reactions around. It's very quiet."

"Stay vigilant."

"It's a cold voice," Xiao said.

"The quieter it is, the more careful you should be."

"7

They sped up.

Misty Valley, as its name suggests, is shrouded in a thick, grayish-white fog year-round.

The rocks here have an eerie blackish-red color, the vegetation is sparse, and occasionally you can see a few animal skeletons.

Xiao led his team to land on a boulder.

According to intelligence, the wandering merchant should be waiting for them in the abandoned hut at the bottom of the valley.

"Get out of here."

The four of them drifted down like falling leaves.

However, as they landed at the bottom of the valley, the owl suddenly stopped.

Not right.

It's too quiet.

The abandoned hut was just ahead, the door open. But there was no wandering merchant inside.

There wasn't even a trace of human life.

"Spread out! Be on alert!"

Xiao shouted in a low voice, and instantly reversed his grip on the short knife in his hand.

Just then.

"Da, da, da."

A steady sound of footsteps came from the depths of the mist.

The voice was unhurried, each step firm and steady, as if strolling in one's own backyard.

Xiao turned around and stared at the source of the sound.

The fog was billowing.

A tall figure slowly walked out.

He was wearing a loose white robe, with an ancient style, somewhat like the training clothes of the Hyuga clan, but even looser.

"Hinata—a clan?"

Xiao recognized the other party.

"Hyuga wins?"

As a high-ranking member of Root, he had naturally seen the information on the core personnel around Sousuke.

The Hyuga branch family member who was once paralyzed, then miraculously recovered, and shone brightly on the battlefield.

Why are you here?

Xiao's voice was icy, his killing intent already locked onto his opponent.

Hyuga Katsu stopped in his tracks.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Those were a pair of eyes so pure they were chilling. No impurities, no emotions, only indifference.

Although Hyuga Masaru suppressed the erosion of the Divine Tree's will with Gentle Fist, his temperament was indeed changed. He was filled with a divine indifference.

"I'm waiting for you."

"Wait for us?"

Xiao's heart sank.

A trap. This so-called intelligence about the mineral vein was a scheme set up by Takaya Sousuke from beginning to end!

"Sousuke Takaya—what does he want? Does he want to kill us here? Is he declaring war on Root?"

Xiao gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, and wind-style chakra began to condense on the blade.

"No, the Takaya Trading Company is not yet ready to declare war on Root."

Hyuga Masaru shook his head.

"However, weeding can still be done."

"The Root's reach has gone too far, and Lord Danzo has been quite restless lately. So, he needs to be shown some leniency."

"Arrogant!"

The owl, enraged, laughed instead.

"Just you alone? A branch family member of the Hyuga clan? Even if you're strong, you'll still fail against the elite members of Root!"

Xiao waved his hand.

"Kill him! Leave no survivors!"

Since it's a trap, let's fight our way back!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The three elite members of the Root Sect vanished from their spot in an instant.

They worked together seamlessly, with one person leading the attack, another flanking from the side, and a third using earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic or technique) to infiltrate underground.

This is a sure-kill formation.

The Root member in front, wielding a poisoned kunai, thrusts it straight at Hyuga Masaru's heart.

"Too slow."

Hyuga Katsu stood still, without even striking a pose.

The moment that root member rushed in front of him.

Hyuga Masaru raised his hand.

He didn't use any pressure point techniques. He simply slapped the target, like swatting a fly.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The man's chest caved in instantly, and he was sent flying backward as if he had been hit by a battering ram.

boom!

He crashed into the rock wall and turned into a pile of minced meat.

Sold out instantly.

"What?!"

The Root forces, attacking from the flank, were utterly shocked. This power—was it Tsunade-level monstrous strength?!

His long sword was already aimed at Hyuga Katsu's neck, and he couldn't stop his momentum.

"when!"

A crisp sound of metal clashing.

The long sword struck Hyuga Masaru's neck, sparks flying.

But Hyuga Katsu was completely unharmed.

Beneath his skin, a layer of grayish-brown periosteum emerged.

Those high-density bones are far harder than steel.

"How is that possible—"

Before the Root member could even be shocked, Hyuga Katsu had already grabbed his wrist.

"Click."

His wrist was crushed.

Immediately afterwards, five sharp finger bones suddenly popped out from the tip of Hyuga Masaru's finger.

puff!

Five finger bones pierced directly into the man's chest at the base of his neck.

"you----"

The Root ninja coughed up blood, his eyes filled with terror. This was not the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan! This was a monster!

"There's one more."

Hyuga Masaru threw the corpse off his hands.

He lifted his foot and stomped heavily on the ground.

"Steel-Gentle Fist - Tremor!"

Boom! ...

The earth is cracked.

A terrifying shockwave traveled down the ground.

"ah!!!"

A scream came from underground.

The root lurking underground was shattered inside by the shockwave.

Just over ten seconds. Only a few seconds.

All three elite subordinates that Xiao brought were killed in action.

Xiao stood there, cold sweat pouring down his face beneath his mask.

He finally understood why this man had survived that battlefield teeming with monsters.

This is not human. This is a killing machine in human skin.

"Is this... the modification that Sousuke Takaya did for you?"

Xiao took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"It seems the intelligence underestimated the businessman's madness."

He slowly formed a hand seal.

"However, don't think that killing them will make you stronger than me."

The hawk has made its move.

He was very fast, and in a flash he appeared behind Hyuga Katsumi.

He channeled his chakra into the chakra blade in his hand, and a three-meter-long wind blade extended out, slashing straight at Hyuga Katsumi's back.

This is his ultimate move; it can even cut rocks in two with a single strike.

Hyuga Katsu did not turn back.

His back skin suddenly split open.

A thick, grayish-brown bone suddenly grew out and blocked the wind blade.

"Zzzzzzz—!!!"

A harsh, grating sound.

The wind blade cut halfway into the bone and then got stuck.

"What?!"

Xiao's eyes widened.

He witnessed an incredible scene.

The grayish-brown bone... wavy.

At the break in the bone, a viscous liquid was secreted; it was a high concentration of Yang Release chakra.

It is rapidly healing wounds, and even—absorbing the chakra from the wind blade!

"What the hell is this?!"

The owl tried to draw his knife, but found that it was "bitten" by a bone.

"This is a tribute."

Hyuga Katsu slowly turned around. His white eyes coldly stared at Owl.

"A tribute to that realm—a realm I may never reach."

Rumble!!!

The ground began to shake.

A chakra storm erupted from Hyuga Masaru's body.

Countless grayish-brown bone spurs grew wildly from the rocks beneath his feet.

They are not like ordinary bones, which grow straight. They are like branches and vines, branching, intertwining, and growing wildly.

This is a combination of the Corpse Bone Pulse and the Wood Release characteristics.

Bone Release: Bone Forest Cuttings!

"not good!"

Xiao Song opened his sword and leaped backward desperately.

The corpses of his two men were pierced by countless forked bone spikes and hung in mid-air.

Moreover, what's even more terrifying is...

The bone spurs piercing their bodies were drawing away their chakra like tree roots.

In just a few seconds, the two corpses turned into mummies.

"Absorb chakra—"

The owl landed on a distant tree branch, its vest soaked with cold sweat.

This looks so much like—the legendary Wood Release!

Hyuga Katsura stood amidst the bone forest.

He pulled the wind blade that was stuck on his back and crushed it with a casual gesture.

"Ready? It's your turn next."

Hyuga Masaru's figure disappeared.

Instantaneous movement technique.

In Xiao's perception, it was as if a high-speed war chariot was crashing into him.

Don't underestimate me!

After all, Xiao was the captain of the Root.

He suddenly ripped open his shirt, revealing his chest.

There, a black curse mark was engraved.

That was a special cursed seal bestowed by Danzo, a forbidden technique that could overdraw one's life force in exchange for a burst of power in a short period of time.

"untie!"

Black curse marks instantly covered his entire body.

Owl's chakra surged, boosting his speed and power to a whole new level.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Dayama!"

He opened his mouth and spat out an air cannon compressed to its maximum, aiming straight for Hyuga Katsu's face.

Hyuga Katsu did not dodge.

He extended his right hand. His hand was covered with a thick layer of bone armor with growth ring-like patterns.

boom!

The Vacuum Jade slammed into his palm, creating a shockwave.

Hyuga Katsu only took half a step back. His palm was completely unharmed.

"How is that possible—"

Xiao was in despair.

This was simply a battle on a completely different level. His opponent's defense, regeneration, and destructive power completely overwhelmed him.

"it's over."

Hyuga Katsu appeared before Owl.

His right hand was clasped together, with five grayish-brown bone spurs protruding from the fingertips.

"Gentle Fist Technique - Bagua Collapse Palm".

puff!

A palm struck the owl's chest.

A muffled thud. The owl's body froze.

In that instant, five bone spurs pierced his chest cavity. Then, the bone spurs branched, grew, and spread throughout his body.

Like tree roots sinking into the soil.

In an instant, the owl's internal organs, meridians, and bones were shredded into fragments by these wildly growing bones and then filled with them.

He didn't even get to say his last words.

The person had been transformed into a bone sculpture—a human body sculpture covered from the inside out with grayish-brown bone spurs.

Hyuga Katsu withdrew his hand.

Connection severed.

The "bone sculpture" stood on the ground, its eyes wide open in death.

"call----"

Hyuga Katsuya breathed a sigh of relief.

The bone spurs on his body slowly retracted, and his skin healed.

The white in his eyes shone even brighter.

The chakra he had just absorbed was nourishing his body.

"Mission accomplished."

Leaf, root base.

"Click."

The teacup in Danzo's hand suddenly shattered.

He sensed the owl's aura disappear through the curse seal.

"Dead?"

For the first time, Danzo showed a hint of panic.

Owl went with a small, elite squad. Moreover, Owl was an elite member of the Shimura clan, possessing the strength of an elite Jonin, and also enhanced by a cursed seal.

How could they have been completely wiped out so quickly? They didn't even send back a single piece of intelligence?

"Takaya Sosuke————"

Danzo gritted his teeth as he muttered the name.

He finally realized that it was a trap.

Moreover, it seems that the businessman who has been openly doing business and charity has secretly amassed a terrifying power.

Danzo gripped his cane tightly.

"Looks like I need to speed things up too."

He looked into the depths of the base.

There, another forbidden experiment is taking place.

Regarding the Sharingan and the ultimate fusion of Hashirama cells.

"Only by mastering that power can we suppress all of this."