Just then, a Root Jonin appeared before Aburame Neri, saying in a deep voice, "Coordinate with me." The tailing Root Jonin had finally stepped in to help. Neri instantly sighed in relief.
"Excellent! Another one to kill," Kikui, however, burst into wild laughter. The next moment, his figure vanished from everyone's sight, reappearing instantly before the Root Jonin, his Asauchi slashing out fiercely.
"Such speed, such footwork... how peculiar." The Root Jonin drew the longsword from his back and parried the blow.
"Oho? You use a sword too? Interesting." Kikui hacked down repeatedly, the immense force overwhelming the Root Jonin. Seizing the moment his opponent's arms were numb, Kikui grabbed his collar and slammed his face into the ground, then began to humiliatingly stomp on him with his right foot, laughing maniacally. "Konoha's Root? Merely mediocre."
"Not just speed, but power too... it's an almost overwhelming dominance." Aburame Neri was shocked. Under Kikui's continued assault, small wounds began to appear on the Root Jonin. This Root Jonin's strength wasn't too bad, but before Kikui, he was utterly powerless.
Bang! The Root Jonin was sent flying. Kikui, as if strolling idly through a courtyard, leisurely walked towards Rock Lee.
"Did you know? I used to be a Konoha ninja too," Kikui began. "But for some reason, everything changed. Now, I possess even more terrifying power. Sometimes I wonder if this is a gift bestowed upon me by a god. I am completely different from you all. The power I possess surpasses yours."
Following the markers Rock Lee had left, Naruto rushed to the scene. He could sense several powerful chakra fluctuations, making him quite uneasy. A simple commission to deal with a rogue ninja organization had somehow involved multiple Jonin-level presences, causing the mission's difficulty to skyrocket. When he entered the rogue ninja hideout, the brutal scene before him was startling. The original members of the rogue organization were all lying on the ground, their life status unknown. One Root ninja was impaled to the wall by a sharp stone spear, a pool of blood beneath him, clearly lifeless. Rock Lee lay on the ground, bathed in blood, barely breathing; Naruto could see his chakra flickering erratically—he was on the verge of death. And in the center of the area, Aburame Neri was engaged in battle with a ninja.
Bang! She was kicked into a wall, already covered in wounds. Her opponent, however, was toying with her like a cat with a mouse, laughing gleefully.
Naruto stared intently at that ninja's attire, shocked. 'He's wearing a Shinigami's Shihakusho!'
"Shini...gami..." Aburame Neri struggled out from the wall, coughing up blood, a massive, mangled sword wound on her chest. "It's... up to you now." With that, she lost consciousness.
"Ara? Another one's here." Kikui looked at Naruto with a grin, extending his scarlet tongue to lick the blood from his blade. Kikui understood the typical nature of Root ninja. He had expected Naruto to be terrified seeing his teammates nearly dead, but unexpectedly, Naruto just stood there, completely unruffled. He could even hear Naruto chuckle softly.
Kikui felt a surge of annoyance and asked displeasedly, "What are you laughing at?"
Beneath his mask, the corners of Naruto's mouth curled up. He said softly, "Reiatsu... is it useful?"
"Reiatsu?" Kikui froze, then reacted a second later, his expression a mix of shock and anger. "Could this power be from Root...?"
Naruto didn't answer, instead leisurely drawing Kyoka Suigetsu. If it were an ordinary Konoha Jonin, Naruto might still be somewhat wary. But against a Shinigami whose Reiatsu was far inferior to his own, Naruto could achieve an overwhelming victory. To a ninja, Kikui, who had mastered Reiatsu, might possess the strength of a top-tier Jonin. But to Naruto, their Reiatsu levels were not even in the same league; he held a natural, crushing advantage. Root's spies were either dead or unconscious. At this moment, Naruto had no need to hide himself at all.
"You must have escaped during the Konoha Crush. Looks like your luck is good; you even managed to master Reiatsu." Under Kikui's horrified and apprehensive gaze, Naruto elegantly brandished Kyoka Suigetsu and easily stabbed to death the Root ninja hiding in the shadows. That Root ninja surveilling Naruto had already been under Kyoka Suigetsu's influence, and furthermore, had no defenses up against Naruto, so he died instantly under the blade. Naruto casually added a few more stabs to the corpse, then looked at Kikui and said mockingly, "You've given me an unexpected surprise, actually surviving the Hollows' pincer attack."
Naruto's words enraged Kikui. "Was it you who turned me into this?!"
"That's right!" Naruto nodded cheerfully, then his tone became somewhat regretful. "Unfortunately, I'm currently in Root, so I can't directly use your body for research. Could I trouble you... to go die?" As he spoke, a terrifying Reiatsu erupted from his body, pressing directly down on Kikui.
Clack, clack, clack. Under the immense difference in Reiatsu, Kikui trembled all over, even his teeth chattering. He half-knelt on the ground, his sword plunged into the earth for support, his face filled with terror. 'His Reiatsu... how can it be so terrifying?! I can't move, I can't move!!!'
"Reiatsu not even on par with a Fifth Seat's," Naruto sneered disdainfully, slowly approaching Kikui. The latter struggled to raise his head. Naruto kicked him to the ground. "Say, have you mastered Shikai? Show me."
"Shikai?" Kikui was completely bewildered. He circulated the chakra and Reiatsu within his body, trying to break free from the spiritual pressure. Finally, with effort, the oppressive feeling lessened considerably.
"No Shikai? Then just die." Naruto looked disappointed. With one slash, he struck Kikui, opening a wound from his chest to his shoulder, from which specks of Reishi began to leak. A Shinigami itself is composed of chakra and Reishi; they don't bleed, but when injured, Reishi flows out. Once all Reishi is depleted, they die.
"You Root bastards... you unilaterally conducted human experiments, transforming me into this inhuman, unghostly state!" Kikui staggered to his feet, gripping his Asauchi tightly, his head bowed, expression hidden, but his voice seethed with suppressed fury. "When Konoha faced a crisis, you were also conducting these experiments that defy natural justice!"
"I will not die!"
"Because I... will kill you!" He snapped his head up, countless nightly terrors flashing through his mind—that black figure he always saw in his dreams but could never touch, always with its back to him. He had asked countless times, "Who are you? Where is this?" The other never answered. This time, extreme anger finally snapped the string of reason in his mind. His consciousness once again appeared in that space. He saw the black figure's lips move. "Remember, my name is Guiying."
Consciousness returned. He looked at Naruto, his eyes filled with irrepressible killing intent. To Naruto's playful smile, he held his Zanpakuto horizontally before him.
"Root ninja... truly inhumane creatures."
"Dance, Guiying!"