From Shiraishi's perspective, the situation in the field wasn't exactly clear.
Although it was a two-on-two situation, Ayane had already lost her combat capabilities. The remaining chakra in her body was probably barely enough to activate her Byakugan, let alone attempt to fight with Gentle Fist.
He had taken down two Root ninja with a preemptive strike, but of the remaining two, one was the captain, undoubtedly a jonin-level ninja.
The other person, being able to join Root, was certainly not a simple ninja either.
It would be very difficult to kill them again by taking advantage of their carelessness.
After the previous scene, their vigilance must have reached its peak.
The anger in the eyes of the two Root ninja opposite them had subsided into calmness after their initial shock. Although their gazes were even colder, and they wished to kill Shiraishi immediately, they also had to consider Shiraishi's completely unknown strength, so they couldn't act rashly.
The member next to the Root captain suddenly extended his palm, and a large number of black insects flew out from his sleeve, surrounding Shiraishi from all directions.
The Aburame clan? Shiraishi thought to himself.
Seeing the opponent fight with insects, Shiraishi knew which clan they belonged to.
In Konoha, only the Aburame clan possessed such insect-based secret techniques.
This clan was allocated a forest in Konoha specifically for cultivating battle-suitable insects. These insects varied in species and characteristics, excelling at reconnaissance, defense, and offense.
It was said that there were even more special poisonous insects, and if one was touched, things would become very troublesome.
Seeing the black cloud of insects enclose him in an irregular shape from all directions, Shiraishi didn't panic too much. His body directly disappeared from its original spot.
The insects circled the spot where Shiraishi had vanished, hovering for a moment in the air before beginning to swarm towards Shiraishi's new position.
In Shiraishi's eyes, the flying speed of the insects was only relatively fast, but compared to his own speed, their movements were actually quite clumsy.
Therefore, escaping the insect attack was not difficult.
However, his opponent was not just the Aburame ninja; the captain was the strongest among the four.
Sure enough, he could see Shiraishi's movements. He drew a ninja sword from his back, gripping it with one hand and forming a hand sign with the other.
Shiraishi's eyes narrowed slightly.
Strands of insignificant light wind swept around him.
Shiraishi sidestepped the blade, swinging his own blade towards him.
The captain ninja's eyes flashed with cold light. He brought his sword back, making contact with Shiraishi's ninja sword.
Shiraishi's ninja sword gained a crack, and the opponent's ninja sword produced a very strange sound as it cut through the air.
That sound was like a pebble scraping across glass, sharp and ear-piercing.
"Konoha Style Kenjutsu: Tremor!"
Shiraishi frowned, subconsciously tilting his head, but his face was still cut open.
Not only his face, but his calves and arms were also cut by invisible blades.
Wind? Shiraishi, failing to land a hit, immediately retreated, deep in thought.
Looking at the ninja sword in his hand, he estimated that a few more hits would break it.
Seeing Shiraishi retreat, the captain ninja tightened his grip on his ninja sword and bravely pursued him.
Shiraishi had no choice but to continue dodging, and then he heard that strange sound again, the piercing, ear-splitting sound of a sharp pebble scraping across glass.
"Did he avoid it?"
The captain ninja saw that Shiraishi had dodged very timely this time, perfectly avoiding all the invisible blades of air, so his voice carried surprise.
His heart also grew more astonished.
Staring at the calm-faced Shiraishi, he couldn't tell what kind of formidable kid he was, yet in just one instance, he had seen through his swordsmanship.
Such a guy is also friends with an Uchiha. I must obey Danzo-sama's will and eliminate this threat as soon as possible, the captain ninja thought to himself.
"You are the first person to see through my swordsmanship so quickly."
Although they were enemies, the captain ninja still didn't hesitate to praise Shiraishi's talent.
Shiraishi, however, said very modestly, "It's nothing. I've just had some understanding of wind-style swordsmanship, and those blades of air, they're triggered by sound, aren't they? I've happened to see similar attacks before."
"Is that so?"
If one ignored the coldness in their tones, it would seem as if the two of them were simply having a casual chat between friends, so relaxed and at ease.
"While it's a shame the second attack was ineffective, it might be a good thing for you, because this way you can die less painfully."
The captain ninja naturally let his ninja sword hang straight down, giving up the fight.
Shiraishi was slightly stunned, and then the wounds previously cut open by the blades of air suddenly gushed out a large amount of blood, spraying into the air, and his body collapsed weakly.
"What a pity. If a young ninja like you had truly submitted to Danzo-sama, you would surely have been greatly valued in the future. But the path you choose, you must grit your teeth and stick to it to the end."
The captain ninja put his ninja sword back on his back, sighing as if in regret.
"Your biggest mistake was challenging me in swordsmanship. In Konoha, only White Fang can surpass me in swordsmanship."
Shiraishi's strength at such a young age made the captain ninja feel great pity.
Not only that, he was also a very rare medical ninja. If he could truly join Root and serve, then their great cause at Root might be completed even faster.
To usher Konoha into a new era.
An era where Root ruled Konoha.
"Shiraishi-kun!?"
Seeing Shiraishi's body fall weakly, Ayane's expression changed dramatically, and she ran towards Shiraishi.
The captain ninja did not stop her.
Because with such injuries, no one could possibly still be alive.
Once struck by his blades of air, his chakra would settle within the enemy's body for a period, then be guided by a jutsu formula to attack from within, completely eliminating them.
However, this move consumed a large amount of chakra, so it was a trump card only used against powerful enemies.
And in his opinion, Shiraishi was worthy of experiencing this technique.
"There's no need to grieve for a friend's passing, little girl of the Hyuga clan. At least in the mission records, you will be heroes. Of course, in the form of bravely fighting against the Sand ninja and dying of exhaustion."
This was perhaps the greatest mercy.
It was also the darkness that Root bore.
The captain ninja walked towards Ayane, the killing intent in his eyes reaching its peak.
This time, he wouldn't be careless again.
He just needed to retrieve the Uchiha's Sharingan, then secretly dispose of the three bodies, and the mission would be complete.
"Captain! Watch out!?"
The Aburame ninja seemed to sense something and urgently shouted at the captain ninja.
"Hmm?"
The captain ninja tilted his head slightly, looking at his subordinate in confusion.
Then he felt a chill at the base of his neck.
A black shadow was close at hand, then flew past.
A cut.
Blood spurted out from it.
The captain ninja couldn't scream. He just clutched his deeply wounded, constantly bleeding throat, twitching and struggling on the ground.
Shiraishi, panting, came to the captain ninja's side, dragging his blood-soaked body, staring at him with a wary gaze.
When those strange air currents entered his body, Shiraishi keenly sensed them with natural energy, so he used natural energy to protect his vital organs in advance. When the blades of air detonated, his injuries were much shallower than expected.
Shiraishi squatted down, hooked a kunai from his ninja pouch, aimed it at the captain ninja's chest, and stabbed him fiercely, mercilessly ending his life.
"I personally don't like being a hero. I'll humbly yield that title to you."
Then, Shiraishi looked at the last Root ninja with cold eyes.
The other party was completely intimidated by Shiraishi's aura. He heard the sound of him nervously swallowing, and the hand controlling the insect cloud was trembling.
Ayane felt relieved when she saw Shiraishi was fine.
Because Shiraishi's sudden feigned death wasn't revealed beforehand, Ayane thought Shiraishi had really been killed.
Shiraishi-kun is still so good at deceiving people, Ayane complained inwardly.
Mainly, the scene of him gushing blood just now was too terrifying. Generally speaking, in such a situation, no one could possibly still be alive.
Yet Shiraishi had sprung back up, alive and kicking.
Now, there was only one enemy left.
Ayane also stared at this last Root ninja with fierce eyes.
"You go."
Shiraishi suddenly said.
As soon as these words left his mouth, not only Ayane, but even the Root ninja looked at Shiraishi in surprise.
"Let me... go?"
The other party seemed a little disbelieving that Shiraishi would say such a thing.
"I'm injured now, and I'm not confident I can take you down. And you don't want to die here, do you? So, how about we both stop? After all, you still need to report the situation to your superiors, don't you?"
Shiraishi tried to persuade him patiently.
Ayane was stunned for a moment, seemingly understanding something, and tacitly agreed to Shiraishi's idea.
The Root ninja was even more incredulous. At this time, if he were truly very weak, Shiraishi should adopt a more assertive stance.
Yet Shiraishi frankly stated that his injuries were severe, and the Root ninja hesitated.
To be honest, although he wanted to avenge his fallen comrades, the pressure Shiraishi put on him was simply too great.
Indeed, stopping now would be very beneficial for both sides.
He wanted to confirm again: "Are you really willing to let me go?"
"Ah, I already said, I'm seriously injured now. At most, we'd both be gravely wounded and die together. I still have decades of life to enjoy; I don't want to die so young. So, a ceasefire is the best outcome."
The Root ninja calmed down and took a deep breath.
He began to retreat. Seeing that Shiraishi didn't react, Ayane also stood obediently to the side, taking no action.
After retreating more than ten meters, Shiraishi and Ayane still didn't react. Only then did the other party believe Shiraishi's words and left using the Body Flicker Technique.
About three to five seconds after he left, Shiraishi suddenly collapsed, gasping for breath, his face contorted in pain, his skin deathly pale.
The captain ninja's swordsmanship just now had caused him extremely severe injuries.
If he didn't have natural energy, he would probably be a corpse by now.
"Are you okay?"
Ayane quickly came over to support Shiraishi, asking with a worried expression.
"I'm fine. It will take some time for my chakra to recover. During this time, I can't use medical ninjutsu."
Shiraishi panted, forcing a smile.
Ayane nodded, just about to help Shiraishi back.
Footsteps came from behind.
It was the Root ninja, who had returned.
Seeing Shiraishi's extremely weak state, he immediately understood everything.
"So that's it, was that also a trick just now? You're a devious kid, I almost fell for it. If I hadn't come back, you might have actually escaped this calamity."
Ayane's body stiffened.
Cold sweat also appeared on Shiraishi's pale face.
"Haha, are you really not afraid of me anymore? I killed your captain, you know."
Shiraishi tried to salvage the situation with something.
"You, kid, probably never spoke a true word since you were born. Sorry, because of your character issues, I don't trust a single word you say anymore."
The Root ninja looked at Shiraishi with an all-knowing gaze.
"Hey, hey, isn't that a bit too sarcastic? I—"
Shiraishi was still trying to use his words to mislead the Root ninja, to lead his thoughts into a dead end, and resolve the current crisis.
However, the other party was very confident in his own conjectures, and every word Shiraishi spoke was met with complete distrust.
"Insect Sphere!"
A black cloud of insects sped over, very quickly.
Shiraishi roughly pushed Ayane aside, but when it came to himself, he could only barely dodge, rolling on the ground.
He ignored the insects and quickly rushed towards the Root ninja.
The Root ninja wouldn't let Shiraishi have his way. He then released a large number of black insects from his sleeve again, creating a thick, solid barrier in front of him.
The Root ninja had already envisioned Shiraishi being surrounded by insects and then eaten clean, a miserable sight.
His heart was filled with dark feelings of wanting violent revenge.
The sound of footsteps came from behind.
After the Root ninja turned his head, a ninja sword quickly sliced across his neck.
Along with the spraying blood, the ninja sword, already on the verge of breaking, finally snapped in half under the strain.
The blood-stained broken blade fell, sticking straight into the dirt.
The sound of the broken blade hitting the ground rang out, and the Root ninja's body also fell at the same moment.
He stared at Shiraishi with unwilling and resentful eyes, eyes that wouldn't close. He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say, 'You're lying again.'
Shiraishi, still panting, squatted down and closed the Root ninja's unseeing eyes, letting out a soft sigh.
"Sorry, I'm just such a despicable person. You're right, every word I said to you was full of deception. But isn't the reason you fell into the trap precisely because you yourselves believed you were making the most correct judgment?"
Ayane, watching this scene from the side, wore an expression of not knowing what to say.
Should she call him despicable, or describe Shiraishi's character as terrifying?
His injuries were indeed severe, but not so severe that he couldn't fight.
He just wasn't 100% sure he could kill the opponent, so he set up a deceptive trap, letting the enemy judge for themselves, verify for themselves, and then come to a conclusion they thought was correct.
If you don't trust the enemy's words, then trust the judgment you've verified yourself.
Only at the last moment did he realize that it was still a meticulously designed trap by Shiraishi.
This was the first time Ayane had seen ninja battles conducted in such a way.
If Ruri's fighting was simple and brutal, then Shiraishi's fighting was a deceptive battle.
Neither flashy nor beautiful, full of malice and baseness.
I actually believed in such a person without question; I'm probably beyond saving, Ayane pitied herself.
Shiraishi lay ungracefully on the ground. Now he truly had no strength left.
"What a terrible day. Root, huh, I'll remember you..."
Whispering these words, Shiraishi finally closed his eyes in exhaustion, wanting to rest for a while.