"What the hell did you do? How can you absorb my Fire Release?"
Kato Taka's eyes went wide in disbelief as he watched his own jutsu being swallowed up by Sanada Aran.
"I don't owe you an explanation," Aran replied coldly. "Because in my eyes… you're already a dead man."
With the system in hand, the world itself belonged to him. That was Aran's true state of mind at this moment.
Hearing those words, Kato Taka suddenly felt that the boy standing before him was no longer the same useless Sanada Aran he had once known. There was an oppressive, terrifying pressure radiating from him—something he had never felt before.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Aran's hands flashed through a sequence of seals, and the moment he exhaled, three massive fire dragons burst forth, roaring as they tore through the air. They spread left, right, and center, all charging toward the Root operative.
"Shit!"
Seeing the so-called failure of the Sanada clan unleash such devastating Fire Release, Kato Taka could only curse in shock, unable to find any other words.
"Help me! Hurry!"
He shouted desperately to his two companions while trying to dodge, but the flames Aran had released were no ordinary fire. Infused with the strange power of the Xuanhuang Flame, their destructive might was multiplied several times over.
Before the other two Root shinobi could even react, Kato Taka was engulfed completely. In the blink of an eye, his body was reduced to ash.
"You little brat… how dare you—"
The two remaining Root members stared at the scene in horror. This so-called waste of the Sanada clan had just unleashed a B-rank technique, the Dragon Flame Bullet, and killed their comrade instantly. Their hearts pounded with dread.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully using Dragon Flame Bullet for the first time. Reward: Infinite Chakra Constitution!"
Aran's lips curled. "Now it's your turn."
He had been worried that his limited chakra reserves would prevent him from spamming the Dragon Flame Bullet. But now, with infinite chakra granted by the system, all restraint was gone. He could finally unleash ninjutsu without limit.
At that moment, the sharp sound of whistling wind echoed from afar—three figures approaching fast.
"Damn it, the ANBU must be coming! Retreat!"
"Retreat? Do you really think you can escape?"
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bullet! Dragon Flame Bullet! Dragon Flame Bullet!"
In one breath, Aran unleashed three more Dragon Flame Bullets in succession.
His philosophy was simple: there isn't a single enemy that can't be handled with one Dragon Flame Bullet. If there is—then just use another.
Now, with infinite chakra, he was free to follow this creed without hesitation.
Nine blazing dragons, each infused with the terrifying might of the Xuanhuang Flame, roared through the battlefield. The fleeing Root operatives, though skilled and fast, were utterly powerless before the overwhelming fire. Within moments, their bodies were reduced to nothing but ash, completely erased from existence.
Even though they were capable shinobi, against the power of the strange flame, they hadn't stood a chance.
It was at this moment that three masked ANBU arrived at the scene.
Because both Root and ANBU wore masks, Aran couldn't immediately tell if these newcomers were friend or foe. His eyes narrowed, and with a roar, he allowed the Xuanhuang Flame to surge across his body, ready to strike.
The intense heat rolling off him made the three ANBU stiffen in alarm. They had never witnessed such a fearsome jutsu before.
"Wait! Don't misunderstand!" one of them shouted quickly, raising his hands. "We are not your enemies—we're ANBU, sent to provide backup!"
Hearing this, Aran paused mid-hand seal. He knew ANBU served directly under the Third Hokage. That meant they weren't aligned with Danzō, and thus, not his enemies.
"Forgive us," one of the masked shinobi said solemnly. "We arrived too late…"
When they turned their eyes toward the remains of the Sanada clan's grounds, regret and frustration flickered in their gazes.
"Little brother… was that Dragon Flame Bullet just now cast by you?" one ANBU asked carefully. Though he had seen it with his own eyes, he wanted confirmation. After all, Dragon Flame Bullet was a B-rank ninjutsu typically only mastered by jōnin. And yet the boy before them hadn't even graduated from the Academy. How could that be possible?
"Yes," Aran said without hesitation. "That was my jutsu."
"Impossible…"
The three ANBU glanced at each other, stunned. The destructive power they had just witnessed wasn't the work of a child—it was the work of a monster-level genius.
"This is no ordinary boy," one thought, trembling inwardly. "This is a prodigy the likes of which the village sees once in a century…"
"I need to meet with Lord Third immediately," Aran declared firmly.
"Understood. We'll take you to him right away," one of the ANBU responded.
In truth, even if Aran hadn't requested it, they had already intended to escort him to the Hokage. With strength that rivaled elite jōnin at such a young age, how could they not bring such a genius to the Hokage's attention?