Chapter 89: Root
In a swift sequence of events, another Wood Clone executed the elimination of Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, who were currently seventy years old.
These two formidable figures, with the potential to reach eighty-eight years of age, were not granted a swift demise by Wood Clone. Instead, he subjected them to a more agonizing end, using Genjutsu Binding to immobilize them. Adamantine Sealing Chains then extended from their bodies, meticulously constricting their limbs and heads.
With calculated cruelty, Wood Clone wielded one of the chains, forcibly severing an arm from each of them, their anguished cries filling the air.
Before they could even utter pleas or inquiries, Wood Clone manipulated the remaining chains, systematically severing their remaining limbs – two arms and two legs each. Their lives eventually ended with the removal of their heads, leaving them lifeless and dismembered.
Having been absent during the Second and Third Ninja World Wars, their once formidable might had waned over the years. Their elite guardian status, earned in their youth under Second Hokage, had waned like the power of the four major moth families in the modern era.
Much like the moth families that lacked an Elite Jōnin powerhouse in contemporary times, they stood powerless against Wood Clone. Even executing a swift double illusion became an unattainable feat against his might.
Following the elimination of the major players, Wood Clone proceeded to eradicate the remaining members of the four major moth families.
Meanwhile, the major ninja clans refrained from immediately descending upon the Shimura clan's territory after Tsunade's departure. They adopted a measured approach, biding their time until Wood Clone had systematically eliminated seven or eight members.
Once the Wood Clones had accomplished their purpose, they either self-destructed using Fire Style or dispelled the enchantment, disappearing without anyone daring to challenge them.
As long as Wood Clone refrained from attacking Konoha further, it seemed that the major ninja clans were disinclined to engage him.
Witnessing the proficiency of the major ninja clans, Sato's expression shifted into an enigmatic configuration. He had initially estimated that the Wood Clones could, at best, eliminate 50% of the four major moth families' members, and perhaps optimistically reach 70%.
Sato had intended to eliminate Shimura Danzō and the Root organization before dealing with the remaining individuals himself. Yet, he had underestimated the dissatisfaction and animosity harbored by the major ninja clans towards the moth families.
Over the decades, the four major moth families' branches, aside from their patriarch, had transformed into what could be likened to the "Celestial Dragons" of the Naruto world – their lives treated with as much disregard as swine.
The realization that the major ninja clans were driven to collective action, waiting until the eleventh hour before intervening, underscored the depth of resentment the moth families had garnered.
Sato began to question the wisdom of his decision to eliminate these moth families, casting Konoha in the mold of "Sister Tsunade."
In a swift turn of events, Sato initiated his own actions. A blurred afterimage detached from his form, coalescing into a physical clone that was an exact replica, from appearance to Chakra level.
Manifesting the Second Tsuchikage's split technique, the newly-formed clone was equipped with the same physical attributes and Chakra reserves as Sato himself.
In a decisive motion, four substantial chains erupted from the clone's back, extending skyward before landing at each corner of the Root organization's subterranean base. Possessing the memories of the Third Hokage and aided by his Kagura Mind Eye-Malicious Version, and Byakugan, Sato had long discerned the location and dimensions of the Root organization's underground stronghold.
With the chains anchored in the ground, the clone swiftly performed hand seals, channeling an immense amount of Chakra. His voice resonated softly yet fervently, "Four Red Yang Formation!"
In the subsequent moment, a translucent crimson enchantment rapidly ascended from all four compass directions—southeast, northwest—coalescing into a voluminous red cuboid barrier. This enchantment's height towered significantly beyond that of the Four Purple Flame Formation, stretching upwards by at least fifty meters, providing a panoramic view of Konoha and its surroundings.
Moreover, this barrier didn't merely manifest on the surface; it extended beneath the earth's surface, preventing any attempts at subterranean entrance or exit through Earth Style techniques. The potency of this enchantment was several magnitudes greater than that of the Four Violet Flames Formation, qualifying as an A-level ninja technique, achievable only by four Kage-level experts working together.
Notably, even the evolving Gedo Statue would struggle to breach the Four Red Yang Formation, the fortified barrier woven by the four Hokages themselves. Uchiha Obito, only after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, managed to cast the Six Red Yang Formation. His execution of this advanced technique hinged on Madara's Black Receiver as a catalyst.
Although Sato had yet to master the Black Receiver, the Adamantine Sealing Chains inherited from the Uzumaki clan could fulfill a similar role. Additionally, Sato's Chakra reserves rivaled dozens of Kakashi's, more than ample for deploying the Four Red Yang Formation alone.
With the utmost barrier in place to immobilize Shimura Danzō's potential escape, Sato advanced steadily toward the Root organization's lair entrance.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique—"
As he descended into the expansive yet dimly illuminated underground base, an onslaught of voices erupted, accompanied by a barrage of kunai projectiles. Sharingan's three tomoe configuration observed these developments, while Sato kept the Uchiha Gunbai attached to his back, summoning a windstorm from Wind Style Nature Transformation to disperse the incoming kunai.
However, when a myriad of kunai neared their target, Sato's Three Tomoe Sharingan morphed into a Mangekyō Sharingan adorned with a black lotus motif. Instantaneously, translucent black Yin Chakra surged forth from his form, rapidly coalescing into a skull-shaped skeletal construct that adeptly intercepted the oncoming kunai barrage.
A series of resounding explosions reverberated within the underground recesses. The disturbance reached those above, the faint rumblings hinting at the turmoil transpiring beneath them. As the smoke and debris subsided, a scene of chaos greeted the onlookers—a terrain scarred by craters and upheavals.
Remarkably, Sato remained unscathed, untouched by the cataclysmic detonation. The transparent black skeletal formations that previously enveloped him had further evolved, shaping into a towering upper-body construct resembling a skeletal titan.
With a resolute call, "Susanoo First Form!" a pleasantly surprised voice resonated through the subterranean space. The ground beneath Sato revealed a shadowed line, a connection to Susanoo's silhouette.
Turning toward the source of this shadow connection, Sato's gaze locked onto a member of the Root organization. Clad in a black cloak and a distinctive white mask, the figure's posture indicated an active Jutsu.
This shadow linkage illuminated the individual's identity—a member of the Nara clan.
"Idiot!" Sato's lips curled with disdain as he offered a succinct evaluation of the Root member's action.
Mirroring his sentiment, the black skeletal titan experienced further transformation, its bony framework gaining flesh, and transitioning into its second form. A swift motion of its hand ensued, generating eight black tomoes that converged into a string, flung deftly toward the Root organization members.
Yasaka Magatama!