Faced with the sudden situation, Tejima Shinichi came to a halt, his eyes narrowing.
Without any hesitation, his hands instantly formed seals.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Three Shadow Clones appeared simultaneously, standing back-to-back to protect his main body in the center, coldly scanning the Ninjas who had suddenly appeared.
"Hmph!" Tejima Shinichi snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over the Ninja wearing a tanuki mask in front of him. "Who are you people... why are you blocking my way?"
The leading Ninja in the tanuki mask seemed completely indifferent to the three Shadow Clones that had appeared in an instant, and directly answered Tejima Shinichi's question:
"We are Ninjas of 'Root.' By order of Lord Danzo, we have come specifically to invite you for a discussion."
"Root?"
'Ah~ so it's the people of the Scapegoat Shadow, Danzo!!!'
Looking at the tanuki-masked Ninja who spoke, Tejima Shinichi chose to believe him without hesitation.
How could he not know about the world-famous Scapegoat Shadow of the Ninja World!
Moreover, the appearance of the other party gave Tejima Shinichi a feeling of "as I thought"!
'Interesting... truly interesting.'
Tejima Shinichi crossed his arms, leisurely sizing up the Root Ninjas in front of him. Instead of any trace of panic, his eyes were full of amusement.
Why be flustered?
In yesterday's Bell test, Tejima Shinichi had already determined his current level of strength.
Being able to rely on an inexhaustible supply of Chakra and the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu to unleash such a dense bombardment of high-level Ninjutsu, even forcing Yamato —an Elite Jonin who mastered Wood Release —to stop...
This undoubtedly proved that in terms of sheer destructive power and endurance in actual combat, he... Tejima Shinichi, had already firmly stepped into the threshold of a Special Jonin, and was even enough to look down on countless Jonin in terms of Chakra volume.
With such strength, within Konoha Village, as long as he didn't face those Kage-level existences directly or fall into an extreme situation of being besieged by a large number of Elite Jonin, he was capable of handling most emergencies, and self-preservation was more than enough.
So—
'Heh...' Tejima Shinichi chuckled inwardly. Driven by absolute confidence in his own strength, he was very disdainful of the scene before him. 'Just a few rats hiding in the shadows, are you even worthy of making me nervous?'
As his thoughts flowed, Tejima Shinichi looked around at the three Root Ninjas, his tone contemptuous:
"Root? Danzo?" Tejima Shinichi's eyebrows twitched slightly. "What kind of nonsense is this? I've never heard of these names in the Ninja manual or the Village's official organization. Hiding your faces, blocking the road to invite me... I think you look more like spies sent by another country, wanting to kidnap a Konoha Ninja!"
The leading tanuki-masked Ninja didn't seem surprised by his denial and tried to explain:
"Our existence does not need to be recorded in ordinary manuals. 'Root' is the shadow within the shadow of Konoha..."
"Enough!" Tejima Shinichi interrupted impatiently, his tone becoming even more disdainful. "What shadow within a shadow, such flowery words. I, Tejima Shinichi, am a registered Genin of Konoha, directly under the Hokage's command, and I only take orders from the Third Hokage-sama and my Jonin Instructor, Yamato-sensei! Any random cat or dog dares to come 'invite' me? What a joke!"
He took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, threatening:
"I don't care if you're 'Root', or 'Dan' or 'Zo' or whatever. Move aside right now! Otherwise, don't blame me for treating you as enemy Ninjas who have infiltrated the Village!"
Hearing this, the hearts of the three sank.
To insult Lord Danzo like this... "Tejima Shinichi," the tanuki-masked Ninja's voice finally carried a hint of chill: "Refusing the invitation is not a wise move."
"Wise?" Tejima Shinichi acted as if he had heard something ridiculous. "My fist is the greatest wisdom! Since you insist on being dogs blocking the road... Hmph! Evil Ninjas from another country, I will... personally finish you off!"
Before his voice could fade, Tejima Shinichi and his three Shadow Clones erupted simultaneously!
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Earth Release: Earth Spike Technique!"
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Four high-level Ninjutsu roared out almost at the same instant!
Massive amounts of Chakra poured out without reservation. Water dragons and earth dragons intertwined and rose into the air, stone spears erupted from the ground like a forest, and a towering waterfall crashed down like the Milky Way breaking its banks. With a momentum that could crush everything, they covered the three Root Ninjas and the large area around them indiscriminately!
"What?!"
"He dares to... in the Village..."
Even for well-trained Root Ninjas whose emotions were suppressed, facing this volley of Ninjutsu erupting directly within the Village, there was a moment of shock and being caught off guard!
The orders they received were to "invite" or "forcibly bring back" if necessary, but definitely not to cause large-scale riots and destruction in the core area of Konoha!
Tejima Shinichi's actions completely disrupted their plans!
This massive Ninjutsu range and power was simply not something a Genin should possess, let alone use in the Village!
Facing the violent Ninjutsu that attacked instantly, the tanuki-masked Ninja in front formed hand seals and pressed his hands to the ground—
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
A wall of earth rose up with a boom, trying to block the impact of the twin dragons.
"Rumble—!!!"
The water dragon and earth dragon slammed fiercely into the hastily raised defensive Ninjutsu, and the massive waterfall washed over everything!
The roar of the Ninjutsu collision sounded like a thunderclap!
The ground trembled, and water mixed with mud and gravel sprayed wildly in all directions. Nearby walls, streetlights, and a corner of an uninhabited old house were torn apart and destroyed under the impact of this violent Ninjutsu, like they were made of paper!
Dust mixed with water vapor rose into the sky. The massive commotion was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly breaking the peace of the evening.
Almost the second after the Ninjutsu erupted—
"Whoosh— Whoosh— Whoosh—"
Sharp whistles sounded from all directions; it was the emergency signal of the Konoha Military Police Force!
From a distance, several rapid air-piercing sounds could be heard. Clearly, nearby Konoha Jonin had been alerted by this astonishing Chakra fluctuation and the sound of destruction, and were rushing over at full speed!
The three Root Ninjas barely resisted or dodged the aftershocks of the Ninjutsu in the chaos. Through the permeating dust and mist, they could see Tejima Shinichi standing in place, his figure flickering in the mist. In those dark amber eyes, there was nothing but cold calculation and realization.
Things had completely blown up!
Their mission had failed.
And all of this seemed... to be within this young Genin's expectations and push!