Aoyama Ryuyun tucked the mission scroll back into his pack, then formed a single hand seal.
With a flicker, his figure blurred and vanished.
"Was that… Lord Liu Yun?"
"What incredible speed! I couldn't even see him move!"
The guards at Konoha's gate stared in awe.
They didn't understand the conspiracies brewing within the village.
All they knew was that Aoyama Ryuyun was strong—so strong that even their eyes couldn't follow him.
Ryuyun stopped only once he reached his destination.
The Land of Fire's border stretched before him—lush forests, flowing rivers, and distant mountain peaks.
It was no wonder the other Hidden Villages coveted it. The very air here felt alive, overflowing with nature's vitality.
By contrast, Sunagakure's territory—ninety-five percent barren desert—was a world of sand and wind.
Their envy of Konoha's fertile lands was only natural.
Ryuyun stood near a quiet riverbank, admiring the calm surface for a brief moment before speaking aloud, his tone laced with mockery.
"Since you're already here," he said, "why not come out and greet me properly, Lord Danzō Shimura?"
The forest responded with slow, deliberate applause.
Clap... clap... clap.
"This level of perception," came Danzō's cold voice, "truly worthy of the Golden Lion."
Under the canopy's shade, Danzō Shimura stepped forward, flanked by two Root operatives on either side.
Even without looking, Ryuyun could sense the chakra signatures surrounding him—more than fifty in total.
At least twenty of them radiated Elite Jōnin-level chakra.
It was practically Danzō's entire Root force.
Ryuyun smiled thinly. "Funny. Hokage-sama's orders were for me to investigate reports of enemy movement near the border. So tell me, Lord Danzō—are you the enemy I was meant to find?"
His tone was teasing, but his eyes were sharp.
Danzō ignored the provocation.
"You're a clever man," he said flatly. "So you already know why I'm here."
The old war hawk's expression softened into something resembling confidence.
"With your strength, Aoyama Ryuyun, you could be more than just another pawn. Join Root," he said, "and I'll make you my second-in-command."
It was a tempting offer—power, authority, influence.
Second only to Danzō himself.
But Ryuyun's lips curved into a wide grin. Then, laughter—cold and cutting—spilled from his throat.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Danzō frowned, his irritation rising. "What's so funny?"
Ryuyun's laughter slowed to a chuckle. He tilted his head slightly, eyes glinting with amusement.
"Tell me, Danzō," he said softly. "Do you really think a lion would ally itself with a rat?"
Danzō's face darkened instantly.
To Aoyama Ryuyun, Danzō was exactly that—
a creature hiding in Konoha's shadows, scurrying through the gutters of politics and deceit.
A lion had no reason to share a den with vermin.
"You…" Danzō hissed. "You dare compare this old man to a rat?"
His one visible eye gleamed with killing intent.
He raised his hand.
At once, shadows flickered across the treeline—dozens of Root operatives emerged, forming a perfect encirclement around Ryuyun.
"I'll give you one more chance," Danzō said, his tone like ice. "Join Root… or die."
Over fifty Elite operatives.
Every man bound by the Tongue Binding Seal.
Together with Danzō himself, their combined firepower was enough to crush a small nation.
Even the Third Raikage had fallen to sheer numbers.
Surely, Danzō thought, no man—no matter how skilled—could stand alone against them.
Ryuyun smirked faintly. "Then why waste words? You came here to kill me anyway."
His hand fell to the hilt of his sword.
With a clean, ringing shing, the blade left its sheath, gleaming gold under the sunlight.
"Attack!" Danzō barked, slashing his hand through the air.
The Root operatives moved instantly—precise, coordinated, and utterly fearless.
"When I implant the Tongue Binding Seal on you," Danzō sneered, "you'll learn obedience."
His men didn't hesitate. Conditioned to follow orders without emotion, they rushed in as one deadly wave.
"Zanpa!"
A blinding flash of gold streaked across the clearing.
Clang!
A single slash—swift and fluid—tore through the first Root ninja to reach him.
Before the body even hit the ground, Ryuyun's second sword, Sakura-ju, was already drawn.
Dual blades in hand, his aura erupted—dense, oppressive, overwhelming.
The air itself seemed to ripple around him.
"Let's see what this Root you're so proud of can really do," he said coldly.
"Lion's Roar—Beast King Slash!"
ROAR!
Golden sword aura exploded outward in the shape of a roaring lion, its fangs gleaming with condensed chakra.
The ground split beneath its force as it tore toward the incoming Root operatives.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Dozens of voices echoed as the Root ninja weaved seals in perfect sync.
Massive stone walls erupted from the ground—thick, reinforced, layered in chakra.
But it wasn't enough.
The golden lion slammed into the wall and shattered it into rubble, the explosion of force knocking several ninja backward.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Flame Technique!"
The battlefield ignited with elemental fury—wind-fed firestorms roaring across the riverbank.
The synchronized combination jutsu reached S-rank intensity, engulfing Ryuyun in an inferno.
BOOM!
Danzō watched the sea of flames, lips curling into a thin smile.
"Hmph. No matter how strong one man is, he can't stand against sheer numbers."
Even the Third Raikage—praised as the strongest spear and shield—had fallen under a tide of thousands.
How could Aoyama Ryuyun hope to fare better?
But as the smoke cleared, Danzō's confidence faltered.
From within the scorched clearing, a structure of hardened stone jutted upward—an earthen dome, perfectly intact.
Its surface shimmered faintly with chakra.
Aoyama Ryuyun stood at its center, untouched, both swords still gleaming in his hands.
Visit patreon.com/Akeyno to get 30+ chapters