Chapter 17: Complete Domination!

Haru bent down to pick up a long sword from the ground, then straightened up and looked at the three ROOT ninjas in front of him.

Having effortlessly dealt with seven members of the ten-man team, the remaining ones posed no threat at all.

"What's the matter? Not going to continue?"

Haru said contemptuously, stepping on a stone underfoot and kicking it away without hesitation.

Whoosh!

With the explosive power of his chakra, the stone shot forward like lightning, striking one of the ROOT members in the left eye.

Bang!

The ROOT ninja instantly lost vision in his left eye, stumbling backward in an attempt to regain his balance, but the force of the stone quickly injured his brain, causing him to collapse.

For a moment, Kakashi stood frozen in place.

Even with his Sharingan, he barely caught the speed of that stone.

In terms of accuracy, speed, and power, it far exceeded that of a regular jonin.

It's worth noting that although he had served in the Anbu for years, he was still aware of the situations in the village.

He couldn't remember when such a terrifying genius had appeared in the ninja academy.

Haru was simply more formidable than Uchiha Itachi.

Especially considering his fighting style; if he hadn't been taught by anyone, it would be even more alarming.

Just as Kakashi was unconsciously pondering these thoughts, Haru brushed past him and charged at the remaining ROOT members.

Seeing this, the remaining ROOT ninjas had no choice but to abandon their tussle with Kakashi and turn to attack Haru.

But compared to Haru, their strength was simply insufficient.

Haru narrowed his eyes. Before he crossed over, he had particularly enjoyed playing table tennis, even making it into the provincial team at one point.

To put it mildly, Haru's dynamic vision was far superior to that of the average person.

Noticing two ROOT ninjas attacking him from the left and right simultaneously, Haru remained calm. He swung the sword in his hand to force one of them back.

Then, turning sharply, he released the long sword and used one hand to palm forward, utilizing his height advantage to strike the opponent in the abdomen.

Bang!

With a dull sound, the ROOT member flew backward like a kite with a severed string.

Thanks to the chakra he had gathered in his palm, the impact was far greater than a regular attack.

In less than a breath, the overwhelming force crushed the internal organs of the ROOT ninja.

Meanwhile, the ROOT member who had previously been feigned out by Haru thought he had seized an opening. He stepped forward with his right foot, gripping his blade tightly, aiming for Haru's kidney, and thrusting fiercely.

"Ahhhh!"

The ROOT member let out a beast-like roar, his speed and strength reaching their peak in an instant.

He could do it!

"Watch out!"

Kakashi thought this was bad; Haru's offensive was too intense, leaving him unable to turn in time.

If Haru didn't dodge the blade, his left kidney would be pierced.

Realizing this, Kakashi quickly formed hand seals, preparing to use the Water Dragon Technique to push the attacker back.

But in the next second, Kakashi froze.

Thanks to his Sharingan, he could easily capture details that ordinary people wouldn't notice.

Although Haru hadn't turned around, he had a smile at the corner of his mouth.

'He is smiling!'

'Could it be...'

'A feigned attack?'

Haru's exaggerated fighting style was designed to expose his own flaws, enticing the opponent to strike without hesitation.

It was all part of a setup!

Thud!

The ROOT ninja's blade pierced through Haru's left kidney.

Bang!

A cloud of white mist suddenly spread outwards. Instead of Haru being seriously injured, he turned into a piece of wood.

The ROOT member's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Substitution Technique?"

Kakashi instantly realized that this guy had planned everything from the start!

Haru had made the opponent think he had caught an opportunity, thereby exposing his own flaws!

The gap was too large!

Even if Kakashi hadn't arrived in time, these ROOT members wouldn't have been able to harm Haru in the slightest.

Their strength difference had never been on the same level from the very beginning.

This was...

Complete domination!

"It's over."

Haru's voice echoed again as he appeared behind the ROOT ninja, snatching a kunai from his waist and then piercing the ninja's carotid artery before delivering a swift kick to his kidney.

Bang!

The ROOT ninja rolled several times before finally coming to a stop, his neck wound quickly robbing him of breath and heartbeat.

Kakashi swallowed hard, standing frozen for a moment, as he recovered from the shock.

The battle instincts, techniques, that baiting attack, and decisive killing blows...

If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he would never have believed such a young talent existed, but today, he had indeed seen it.

And it was undeniably real.

Under the gaze of his Sharingan!

Perhaps Haru would surpass his teacher.

The Fourth Hokage...

Minato Namikaze!

"Obito, did you see that…" Kakashi swallowed hard, whispering to himself.

When Obito was still alive, he (Kakashi) had been called a genius by his peers, teachers, and even the Third Hokage.

At Haru's age, he had already become a jonin and made significant achievements during the Third Shinobi World War.

But looking at Haru before him, Kakashi suddenly felt that if he had possessed such strength at that age, perhaps Obito wouldn't have died.

If Obito hadn't died, then Rin would...

"Kakashi."

Haru clapped his hands together, confirming the state of the ROOT members.

No survivors left.

"How do you plan to deal with these ROOT members?"

Regardless, Kakashi was a captain of the Anbu, while Haru was merely a student of the ninja academy.

It was clearly better to leave the handling of the bodies to Kakashi.

Kakashi's thoughts returned to reality. He glanced around, lowered his headband to cover his left eye. "What happened today, I will report to the Third, and then handle it properly."

"Okay, that works." Haru nodded, indicating his understanding.

Although he had faced an assassination attempt from the ROOT, considering the current situation in Konoha, the Third Hokage would probably just be angry for a moment; he wouldn't punish Danzo for Haru's sake.

In fact, Haru felt that the reason Sarutobi Hiruzen could maintain his position as the Third Hokage was that he was far more complex than he appeared.

For example, before and after the Uchiha massacre.

Every time in the discussion meetings, Sarutobi always acted deferentially toward Danzo, Koharu, and Homura.

But what happened after Itachi wiped out his clan?

Sarutobi launched a direct counterattack, placing the blame squarely on Danzo. He not only stripped him of his advisory role but also disbanded the ROOT, integrating them into his own Anbu.

This maneuver was nothing short of brilliant.

All the good reputation belonged to Sarutobi, while the dirty work fell to Danzo.

Thus, at this critical moment, Sarutobi would definitely choose to turn a blind eye to this matter.

But just then, a sudden scream echoed from a distance.

"Ahhhh!"