What I say is the truth.

The atmosphere in the Konoha camp became tense, waiting for what would happen next.

Everyone's gazes converged on Danzō, the commander-in-chief, anticipating his reaction to Luo Lei's display of power and the death of three of his Root ninja.

Aware of the attention on him, Danzō stepped forward, stopping in front of Luo Lei, his gaze fixed on the young man.

"Luo Lei," he began, his voice clearly heard throughout the camp. "You've proven to be... more than you appeared." He paused. "Deceiving the entire village, even me... is an impressive achievement."

With a cold smile, he continues. "Hiruzen will be pleased to know we possess such a formidable ninja." His tone suggested that he, personally, was far from pleased.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed.

Danzō's voice turned cold. "However, your power doesn't exempt you from responsibility. You've killed three of my Root ninja." Opening his single visible eye fully. "I demand a justification for your actions, Luo Lei. Otherwise..."

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Before he could finish, in an instant, fifteen Root ninja appeared, surrounding Luo Lei in a perfect circle.

".....Justification?" With his gaze fixed on Danzō, an arrogant smile appeared on his face. "Oh, Danzō-sama, do you really need me to explain it to you? Your precious Root ninja conspired with Sunagakure. They ambushed me, thinking they could get rid of me so easily."

His tone was light, almost amused, but charged with a threat that made several of the ninja present instinctively step back.

Danzō, his face reddening with anger, roared: "Absurd! How dare you accuse my ninja of treason? Stop making up excuses for your actions."

"Excuses?" Luo Lei let out a laugh. "I don't need excuses, Danzō. What I say is the truth. But, you know what? It doesn't matter if you believe me or not."

Suddenly, a crimson glow flashed in his eyes.

"For years I've held back, growing in silence, fearing I'd be eliminated before I could develop." His voice became deeper, more threatening. "But now... now I have the power that should have always been mine. I no longer need to hide."

The Root ninja surrounding him tensed, their hands instinctively moving towards their weapons.

Luo Lei ignored them, his attention fixed on Danzō.

As for who betrayed him?

Maybe it's someone from the Konoha council, maybe it's a Sunagakure spy hidden in Konoha, maybe it's someone else, but it doesn't matter.

He will kill them all...

At that moment, Orochimaru, who had been watching the entertainment, felt a shiver run down his spine. Every cell in his body screamed danger.

"Everyone, fall back! Now!" he shouted urgently.

Swish! Swish!

Without hesitating for a second, Orochimaru was the first to disappear, quickly followed by the other Konoha shinobi.

Although some hesitated momentarily, survival instinct came first and they obeyed the order.

Danzō, sensing the imminent danger, took a few steps back while warning him.

"Luo Lei, think carefully about what you're doing," his eyes narrowed. "This is the Konoha camp. Are you really considering a rebellion here, now?"

With false concern, he said, "Attacking me would be an unforgivable mistake. Not only would you face severe punishment, but you'd be repudiated by all of Konoha." And to threaten him. "Remember Sakumo. His fall should be a lesson to you."

Internally, he was trying to understand Luo Lei's true intentions.

The accusation of treason against Root seemed like a deliberate provocation, but would he really dare to attack the leader of Root, the commander-in-chief of the camp, the hidden hand of Konoha?

However, in the blink of an eye, all hell broke loose.

Luo Lei's eyes glowed with a crimson light, and before anyone could react, a heat ray burst from them.

The closest Root ninja didn't even have time to scream before his head exploded in a cloud of blood.

The smell of burning flesh filled the air, causing nausea in the witnesses.

"What the hell is that?!" shouted one of the Root ninja.

Luo Lei smiled with his now red eyes. "Root has betrayed Konoha," he declared. "And the sentence is death."

The Root ninja, trained to be emotionless subjects, found themselves paralyzed by shock.

That moment of doubt cost them dearly.

Luo Lei moved, his body becoming a blur of speed. Heat rays burst from his eyes in rapid succession, piercing everything in their path.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Screams of agony filled the camp as Root ninja fell one after another.

Some were split in half, their torsos separating from their legs in a rain of blood and entrails. Others received smoking holes in their bodies, the flesh around the wounds charred and bubbling.

The surviving ninja, desperate, tried to counterattack.

"Katon: Karyūdan!"

"Fūton: Shinkūdama!"

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"

Three powerful jutsu were launched at Luo Lei: a roaring fire dragon, a cutting wind ball, and a serpentine water dragon.

But he didn't even try to dodge. With a defiant smile, he launched himself directly at the attacks.

CRASH!

A shockwave shook the camp, knocking down tents and sending debris flying in all directions.

When the dust settled, Luo Lei was still standing, his clothes singed but his body intact.

The Root ninja's eyes widened in horror. "Impossible..." one whispered, his voice trembling.

Luo Lei appeared in front of them in a blink. "To hell with you," he said.

FZZZZT! FZZZZT! FZZZZT!

Heat rays pierced the air. The ninja's screams were drowned out by the sound of exploding flesh.

In seconds, only their headless bodies remained.

________

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