The five members of the Kugutsu clan exchanged glances. Three of them nodded, then took off at high speed, chasing in the direction the Raikage had disappeared.

The remaining two turned, their gazes falling on Shiro with undisguised contempt. "Damn it! Boss, why did you leave us here?" one complained. "It's just a little kid and an old man. Is it really necessary for both of us to deal with them?"

"Hmph! The brat is nothing, but that dog-like old man might be somewhat powerful," the other, a man with long white hair, replied. "In any case, let's end this quickly. But before we do, I have a question for them." The man shouted toward Shiro and Danzō, his voice dripping with arrogance, "My name is Jin, and I am the leader of the Kugutsu clan. You, little brat from Madara-gakure, because of your village's rise, our organization's contracts have been greatly reduced. Tell me the location of your base, and I will spare your life. What do you say?"

"Hey! Do you hear me? Speak!"

"Hello?!"

"Damn it, Mu," Jin growled, "is the kid scared stupid?"

Mu replied, "I don't know, boss. I get the feeling he's looking down on us. As if we're not even worth his attention."

No matter how loudly Jin shouted, Shiro offered no response. He didn't even look at them. He was completely lost in the lingering sensation of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his heart still pounding from the exhilarating rush of power. The feeling of that instantaneous transformation, the surge of raw energy… it was incredible. He knew that without an exceptionally strong body, activating such a mode would cause a normal person to simply explode. Shiro was secretly glad for the Hashirama cells that coursed through his veins. Without them, his small body would never have been able to handle the strain of a technique that pushed his physical abilities to their absolute limit.

"Woof! Woof!"

As he was savoring the memory, Danzō's sharp barks brought Shiro back to reality. He looked up to see that the two members of the Kugutsu clan were now standing directly in front of him.

The leader, Jin, shouted angrily, "Little brat! Do I have to twist your neck before you'll listen? Fine! This is your end."

Mu stepped forward. "Boss! Allow me! I've had enough of this kid's disrespect!" As he spoke, Mu raised his hand, aiming for Shiro's neck.

"Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"

Shiro simply looked at him, his expression cold and bored. His own hand moved slightly, and in the next instant, a sharp wooden branch shot from his arm, plunging deep into Mu's body. The branch grew wildly, twisting and tearing through flesh and bone. Mu's body was pierced in an instant, a gruesome, horrifying sight.

"Ghh!"

Before he died, Mu's pupils dilated, his eyes filled not only with fear and despair, but with a profound, uncomprehending disbelief. He never understood how the small child before him could be so devastatingly powerful.

Looking at the mangled remains of his subordinate, Jin, for all his experience, was stunned. He reacted a split second later, leaping back dozens of meters, his face still splattered with traces of his subordinate's fresh blood.

"Who in the hell is this brat…?" Only now did he understand how Madara-gakure could have risen so quickly. This child, whose hair was not yet fully grown, possessed a terrifying strength. He had killed one of his most capable men in a single, effortless instant. But that wasn't the most shocking part. The jutsu Shiro had used… it was the legendary Wood Release, genuine and unbelievably potent.

A single word filled Jin's mind: Run! The child before him was a monster, an enigma far beyond his ability to defeat. But even as the thought formed, he knew it was already too late.

A flicker of lightning, and Shiro was behind him.

Pfft!

Several sharp wooden branches erupted from Jin's body, piercing him through.

In a matter of moments, the leader of the Kugutsu clan and his trusted subordinate were dead, killed instantly by Shiro. They had not even had time to resist, no time to even truly react, before their lives were inexplicably and brutally extinguished.