There were 12 enemies against the 4 from the sound, a 3-to-1 advantage, but the enemies soon discovered that numerical superiority wasn't very useful.

  Ranmaru affected them with Genjutsu, the subtle kind that was difficult to get rid of, it was like adding another layer over reality. It was an extremely difficult Genjutsu to break free from, enemies appeared where there were none and the real enemies appeared where there was nothing.

  Karin, on the other hand, did not advance into direct combat, she was a more valuable support asset than a fighter. She had been taught not to fear fighting, but not to take unnecessary risks. Her chains accelerated toward her enemies, faster than ever, binding them with precision and sealing their chakra.

  Suigetsu and Sasuke, on the other hand, charged forward with everything they had. Sasuke, with his Sharingan, was faster than ever and Suigetsu, unconcerned about the damage, brandished his giant sword as if it were a twig. They were like wolves entering a flock of sheep.

  Kimimaro simply watched as what was supposed to be a fight turned into a slaughter, mainly because of Ranmaru.

  Except for two whom Karin arrested, the other 10 were either killed or committed suicide.

  Those who were captured by Karin were only saved because Ranmaru noticed early and put them under a genjutsu, otherwise, they would have swallowed poison capsules.

  Kimimaro approached the two and removed the poison capsules from their mouths, but as he did so, he saw a familiar black symbol on their tongues. -Root of Konoha...- he said irritably.

  Sasuke frowned, standing beside him. -Root?

  -Yes, subordinates of one of Konoha's elders, they probably came looking for you.- Kimimaro explained lightly.

  -I've never heard of that.- Sasuke said irritably.

  -No wonder, the root is extremely hidden, acting like the darkness of Konoha...- Kimimaro sighed as he spoke. -Come on, we have to go back to the village and report.

  Sasuke seemed annoyed and thoughtful, but he didn't deny it.

  -Captain, what about the merchants and the merchandise?- Karin asked, pointing to the full carts and the mutilated bodies of the merchants scattered on the ground.

  Kimimaro looked at it and said. -Seal what you can, take it back.

  Karin nodded, pulling a scroll from the ninja pouch at her waist.

  //-//

  Jugo soon discovered what had happened, which surprised him somewhat because of the Root's courage. Kimimaro's group wasn't weak, in fact, the four of them together could face a group of jonin head-on and win, not to mention Kimimaro himself.

  He didn't dwell on it too much, he was expecting it, but he didn't know Danzo was so impatient.

  He knew that trying to extract information from those Root ninja wouldn't do much good, so he transformed them into werewolves and, for the first time in this world, used his curse power, sending a gift back to Danzo.

  -Let's see if he's lucky enough to survive.- Jugo thought, laughing inwardly.

  Jugo set the matter aside and focused on Utakata. His relationship with Tayuya was improving, but both were stubborn in their own way and it could take years for something to truly ignite between them. Jugo didn't want to wait that long to obtain a functional fighting force.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Thus, Jugo began searching for a new Jinchuriki for the Six-Tails and he soon settled on an extremely suitable target.

  Kimimaro.

  Loyal, strong and moreover, Kimimaro has practically reached the pinnacle of what he could achieve with his Kekkei Genkai.

  Kimimaro's personality is also a factor. Kimimaro is very pure, for him, it was never a matter of right or wrong, but of fulfilling Orochimaru's objectives, or now, Jugo's.

  If Jiraiya or Tsunade had found Kimimaro, he might have been raised to become a benevolent young man, but it was Orochimaru who found him.

  Even now, if Jugo asked Kimimaro to never kill anyone again, he wouldn't ask why, he would simply agree calmly. This wasn't because he's a werewolf completely loyal to Jugo, but because that's who he is.

  Kimimaro sees himself as an instrument, a weapon, his entire being lives for another person.

  It's sad, but for a Jinchuuriki, it's the right mindset.

  For tailed beasts who have difficulty trusting, Kimimaro's simple and straightforward personality is the best type to connect with. With Jugo to keep things under control, Kimimaro has a great chance of becoming a perfect Jinchuuriki.

  With the decision made, Jugo called Kimimaro and presented his idea. Kimimaro agreed completely. Jugo knew that Kimimaro would agree to anything he asked, but Jugo felt nothing but indifference from Kimimaro.

  He was to be the host of Saiken, the six-tailed beast, but for him it was as if he wasn't.

  Jugo was never interested in becoming a Jinchuuriki, having an inner companion seemed... irritating. Jugo preferred to be himself, besides, even the power of the Ten-Tails is laughable compared to that of a true god, let alone a Jugo who could become a Great Old One.

  Thus, Jugo did not delay and began preparing the new seal for the Six Tails, not only using sealing techniques, but Jugo also mixed in a sealing ritual from the Chained Path. To complete this sealing, he summoned Karin and Orochimaru to help connect everything.

  //-//

  Meanwhile, in Konoha, a few days later, the Root werewolf duo had arrived.

  The ninjas weren't stopped, but were taken directly to report to Danzo.

  -Ko, Jin, what happened?- Danzo asked calmly, his only visible eye half-closed, without anger at the absence of the other subordinates. If the operation was a success, the punishment would be lighter, if not, heavier. As for the reward? The reward is not being killed directly and being able to continue serving him.

  But behind the masks, the two did not respond, instead, their bodies began to tremble slightly. Danzo, who had already been through three ninja wars, knew exactly how insidious the enemies could be.

  His eyes widened as he leaped away, the ANBU hidden in the darkness quickly jumped to attack Ko and Jin, but the next moment, black blood oozed from both of them through every orifice, but it didn't stop there, as Danzo moved further away two explosions rang out.

  Jin and Ko's bodies exploded in a mist of black blood, from this mist, thousands of grotesque flying insects buzzed as they swarmed around. The ninjas were shocked, with no time to defend themselves. One of them was stung, only to begin bleeding black blood and explode as well, increasing the number of insects.

  At this point, Danzo was already alarmed and had understood the mechanism of this strange Jutsu, being bitten by the insect not only guaranteed death, but also increased the number of insects!

  The Anbu, proficient in fire style, were already burning the insects, which fortunately could be burned, screaming, but the number of victims increased, increasing the number of insects.

  Danzo no longer cared about him and ran outside, closing the heavy stone door, he began to seal it while banging his hand against the door.

  Seals began to advance as the entire room became completely sealed.

  Danzo stopped, still hearing the persistent buzzing behind the stone door, his single, narrow eye still visible.

  He wasn't thinking about the dead subordinates, he was thinking about whether he could get Torune to control those insects.

  Imagine using this on a battlefield.

  It would be a massacre! Danzo was already imagining thousands of uses for these little guys when a loud sound followed by a tremor that shook the very foundations of the earth followed.

  Fortunately, Danzo's seal held, but the wall still trembled as dust fell from the ceiling.

  Danzo narrowed his eyes, swallowing hard, he didn't dare open the door to check. Perhaps this was a tactic to spread more of these insects.

  He called Torune and removed the seal from his arm before daring to open the seal again.

  The room was charred, nothing remained but black ash and sand. Danzo narrowed his one eye and sighed. Outwardly, his face hadn't changed much, but inwardly, he had increased the danger level facing Otogakure.

  Of course, his desire to destroy it only increased.