The air in the cave turned cold in an instant, as if it were winter.
The three masked figures didn't have a single trace of warmth that living people should possess.
They just stood there, like three emotionless stone statues, yet the killing intent emanating from behind their masks was so thick it felt suffocating.
Minato Namikaze's blond hair seemed to lose some of its luster in the light of the torches.
He stepped forward, firmly positioning himself between his three still-stunned students and the enemy.
"We are Konoha's Eleventh Squad."
Minato's voice was calm, but anyone could sense the weight behind it.
"Following the orders of the Third Hokage, we're here to investigate the disappearance of the merchant caravans."
"Everything we see here will be reported directly to the Hokage, without omission."
His words were clear.
We're the Hokage's men; we've seen what we shouldn't have, but we're taking this straight to the top.
If you dare to act, you'll be going against the Hokage.
The lead masked figure tilted his head slightly.
He seemed to be thinking.
The cave fell so silent that only the suppressed breathing of the monsters in the iron cages could be heard.
"The Hokage's orders…"
The masked figure spoke, his voice dry, as if he hadn't used it in a long time.
"They mean nothing here."
His hand slowly moved towards the short blade on his back.
"Root's rules supersede all."
"Eliminate all witnesses."
As the last word fell, three dark figures moved simultaneously.
Fast.
Impossibly fast.
The lead one lunged straight for Minato.
The other two, like cunning wolves, arced around, their target being the three young Genin behind Minato.
To capture the leader first.
If they couldn't kill the king, they'd kill the prince.
Minato's gaze turned cold as the ice of the Land of Iron in that moment.
He didn't retreat.
He charged head-on at the lead masked figure.
A flash of gold and a black phantom collided instantly.
The clang of metal rang out like a torrential downpour exploding within the narrow cave.
But the other two masked figures had already bypassed him and were upon the three Genin.
"Scatter!"
Roy barked.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the force of a command, snapping Tokuma and Yakumo out of their shock instantly.
The past month of training hadn't been wasted.
Tokuma's body moved almost instinctively.
He didn't charge forward but instead stepped back, spreading his arms like a wall, shielding Yakumo and the cages behind him.
"Byakugan!"
Veins bulged around his eyes.
The masked figure charging at him transformed into a mass of high-speed chakra in his vision.
"You're not getting past!"
Tokuma roared, assuming a Gentle Fist stance.
The masked figure ignored him entirely, his short blade tracing a treacherous arc, aiming directly for Tokuma's throat.
The strike was fast and ruthless, devoid of any unnecessary movement.
This was Root's way of fighting.
Only to kill, never to show off.
Tokuma's heart seized, but he didn't dodge.
He forced his shoulder forward, meeting the blade head-on.
*Schlick.*
The sound of the blade piercing flesh.
Blood instantly stained his clothes.
But at the same moment, he seized the man's wrist.
"Yakumo!" he roared through the pain.
He didn't need to call out.
The moment Tokuma engaged, Yakumo had already begun forming hand seals.
Her face was pale, her body trembling.
Yet her eyes were intensely focused.
"Genjutsu: Narakumi no Jutsu!"
An invisible wave silently enveloped the two masked figures.
It wasn't a high-level illusion.
Against Root operatives, who were trained in counter-interrogation, its effect was negligible.
But Roy needed only that negligible instant.
The masked figure held by Tokuma faltered for only a fraction of a second.
The other simply felt a moment of dizziness.
That was enough.
Roy moved.
He didn't go to help Tokuma.
His target was the second masked figure, the one momentarily disoriented by the illusion.
He glided along the cave wall like a weightless leaf, silent and swift.
Raiha was already in his hand.
The masked figure shook off the genjutsu quickly.
Seeing Roy charge, a hint of mockery surfaced on his face.
A mere Genin, daring to attack *me*?
He swung his blade at Roy's neck.
He expected to see a terrified brat.
Instead, he met a pair of unnervingly calm eyes.
Roy didn't dodge.
Just a moment before the man's blade could reach his neck.
He drew his own sword.
Raiga.
Its pitch-black blade reflected no light in the dim cave.
He didn't block.
With a strange, deceptively slow yet deceptively swift angle.
He thrust his blade forward.
The two blades didn't clash.
Raiga's edge, like a knife through tofu, silently sliced through the opponent's finely forged steel short sword.
Then, it sliced through the man's wrist.
There was no feeling of cutting through bone.
Only a sensation of… smoothness.
The masked figure froze.
He watched, helpless, as his right hand, still gripping the broken blade, fell to the ground.
The cut on his wrist was seared black.
"Aaaargh—!"
A bloodcurdling scream finally erupted from his throat.
It was the first sound from the enemy in the cave.
The balance of the battle shattered with that scream.
Tokuma seized the opportunity, landing a heavy Gentle Fist strike on the chest of the opponent before him.
On the other side, Minato and the lead masked figure also separated.
A shallow scratch had appeared on Minato's body.
And the masked man's chest bore a spiraling, indented wound.
A Rasengan.
The lead masked figure glanced at his comrade with the severed hand, then at the one coughing blood from Tokuma's strike.
He knew the mission had failed.
The Yellow Flash was more troublesome than the reports suggested.
And his three seemingly unremarkable students were far from ordinary Genin.
Especially the brat with the black blade.
What the hell was that thing?
"Withdraw."
He uttered a single word.
The other two masked figures acted without hesitation, pulling out smoke pellets and smashing them to the ground.
Thick smoke instantly filled the entire cave.
Minato didn't pursue.
He knew chasing Root ninjas in obstructed visibility was suicidal.
When the smoke cleared.
The three masked figures were gone without a trace.
Even the severed hand had vanished.
The cave fell silent once more.
Only the three cold corpses and the scattered wreckage remained.
Tokuma clutched his bleeding shoulder, gasping for breath.
Yakumo, her chakra depleted, slumped to the ground.
Roy silently sheathed Raiga.
Minato walked over to them.
He quickly tended to Tokuma's wound.
Then, he stood before Roy.
He looked at Roy.
Then at the pitch-black blade at his waist.
"Roy."
"That sword of yours, and that technique you used."
"From now on, use them only when absolutely necessary, and never in front of others."
His tone was grave.
"Especially not in front of our comrades in the village."
Roy looked up at his teacher.
He saw in his teacher's eyes a deep wariness.
And also a flicker of… concern.
"I understand."
He nodded.
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