Beneath the Hidden Leaf, at the Root's base.
"Danzō said you are a child without emotion, so from today onwards, you will be in Root. I don't need Danzō's permission; I have the right to force you to join Root."
Li Xing showed no reaction to Danzō's words. In Li Xing's current world, Danzō was merely a talking blood skull.
Li Xing's eyes had been corroded by poison gas, rendering him blind. He could now only see the world through the Clear World vision.
"It seems your eyes are ruined, which makes you useless," Danzō said coldly, motioning to the side. Two ANBU immediately moved to eliminate Li Xing.
However, in the next second, Li Xing tore out both their hearts with his bare hands, crushed them, and remained standing still.
Li Xing's movements were swift, leading Danzō to believe that even blind, Li Xing could sense his surroundings. Cold-blooded and ruthless, he was the perfect pawn.
"It seems you aren't completely blind. From now on, your codename will be Star."
Li Xing still did not reply, nor did he show any respect to Danzō. However, Danzō was pleased; suppressing emotions was precisely what Root needed.
"It appears you have no emotions at all, which is for the best. You just need to obey orders."
Danzō then planted a cursed seal on Li Xing's tongue to prevent him from speaking, and walked away, instructing a Root member to take Li Xing to change clothes. Danzō did not notice that the cursed seal he had just planted disappeared quickly.
From then on, Root gained a new member, clad in a Kitsune mask.
...
Almost three years passed in a flash. Li Xing had been engaged in constant killing. His life now felt like moving from one cage to another, being used as a tool for murder.
The endless slaughter had made Li Xing weary, to the point where after every mission, he would visit a hot spring to cleanse the karma of his killings.
Finally, one day, Danzō gave Li Xing a mission: to monitor the Nine-Tails and, if the opportunity arose, to assassinate Orochimaru.
Li Xing accepted the mission and reported to the Hokage's office.
"Oh, so you're the new member of Team Seven. Take off your mask," Tsunade said lazily from her chair.
However, when Li Xing removed his mask, Tsunade and Shizune were shocked. Wasn't this the child who massacred the Ghoul's Casino three years ago? Tsunade, still suffering from her hemophobia then, had a vivid memory of that event.
"So it's you! I never expected you to be a member of Root, that old man Danzō..."
Tsunade then informed Li Xing of the meeting point for Team Seven. She couldn't be bothered with these matters anymore; after all, Danzō wouldn't provide personnel out of the goodness of his heart.
...
"Are you my teammate for this mission? Ah! You're Li Xing! That's great, I thought you were dead. I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. Do you remember me?"
Naruto was the second to arrive. Seeing Li Xing's face, he immediately became talkative. At least the teammates for this mission knew each other.
But in Li Xing's eyes, Naruto was just a rather special skull. Li Xing didn't say much.
Soon, Sakura also arrived at the meeting point. Seeing Li Xing, Sakura froze for a moment, then rushed forward to embrace him, tears streaming down her face as she repeatedly uttered words of thanks and apology.
"You're... Sakura..." Although Li Xing was blind, he could still see Sakura's appearance. Perhaps it was Ghoul Sakura, or perhaps it was Sakura Haruno; Li Xing could no longer distinguish.
"It's me, I'm Sakura."
After releasing Li Xing, Sakura looked at his face and noticed his eyes were gray. She then waved her hand in front of him.
"Li Xing, your eyes? Was it the poison from that time? I'm sorry, I caused this."
Sakura clearly felt she had been a burden, causing Li Xing to lose his eyesight, and was filled with guilt. In reality, Li Xing had harmed himself. If he hadn't kept Ghoul Sakura, if he hadn't followed the teachings of Beichen Yidao, perhaps none of this would have happened.
Li Xing shook his head and said, "I can see. I can see your appearance, your cherry blossom-colored hair."
"Li Xing, you really can't see? I'm so sorry. If I hadn't left without permission back then, you wouldn't have become like this protecting Sakura..."
Naruto also apologized to Li Xing. All three of them took the blame upon themselves. However, Li Xing didn't have many emotions, except for a special feeling towards Sakura.
"It's good to see you all getting along harmoniously. I am the captain of the new Team Seven, Yamato."
Yamato was the last to arrive. After a brief introduction, the four of them headed to the Tenchi Bridge to search for Orochimaru.
...
On the way to the Tenchi Bridge, they passed through a town. Without a second thought, Li Xing headed towards the hot spring inn.
"Hey! Li Xing, you can't see, don't wander around! It's not that way!" Naruto quickly called out to Li Xing, telling him not to run off.
"No, I want to take a bath," Li Xing replied indifferently and continued walking.
Naruto was about to tell Li Xing that they were on a mission and could only bathe after it was completed, but Yamato suddenly stopped Naruto.
"Since that's the case, let's go together. We still have plenty of time."
...
Although it wasn't a co-ed bath, Li Xing could still see the scene in the women's bath next door. A group of blood skulls surrounded Sakura's pure white body. Li Xing's body temperature gradually rose, and his heart beat faster than usual. For Li Xing, who lacked emotions, this was incredibly novel.
After the bath, they had dinner. Sakura pulled Li Xing outside, wanting to chat. However, it was mostly Sakura who spoke while Li Xing stared blankly at her.
"What is emotion? Someone once told me that a complete person must have emotions. I don't understand. What is that, and how can I obtain it? Sakura, do you know?"
Suddenly, Li Xing asked such a question. Sakura's heart felt as if it had been pricked. Li Xing, before her, was devoid of emotion.
"I don't know how to obtain it either. I just think that if someone is very important to you, and that person makes you act strangely, then you might have already obtained it."
"Is that so?" Li Xing suddenly recalled the time he killed Sakura. He had shed tears then, and his heart had ached intensely. Or perhaps it was the feeling he experienced during the hot spring.
"Is this emotion?" Li Xing couldn't help but curl his lips upwards, revealing the first smile of this lifetime.
Sakura was instantly mesmerized. Li Xing's smile was truly beautiful. The usual Li Xing was always expressionless. Seeing him smile for the first time, Sakura felt as if spring flowers had bloomed, and she was lost in a sea of blossoms.
...
Upon reaching the Tenchi Bridge, Yamato, disguised as Sasori and hidden within the puppet Hiruko, met Kabuto, one of Orochimaru's subordinates, on the bridge.
After a long exchange, Yamato drew a kunai, intending to capture Kabuto. However, Orochimaru suddenly appeared before them, startling Yamato. Kabuto then struck Yamato with a hand chop, shattering Hiruko and revealing Yamato's true form.
The members of Team Seven, hidden in the shadows, instantly appeared beside Yamato. Before anyone else could speak, Li Xing was already behind Orochimaru and Kabuto, his sword drawn.
Kabuto's head immediately hit the ground. Orochimaru, being cunning, used a substitution jutsu, shed his skin, and prepared to escape.
"Muga Ichi Tou!"
In the next second, Li Xing appeared behind Orochimaru and, with a vertical slash, cut Orochimaru in half. This was a move Li Xing had used before against Muzan, integrating it with nature. The slash would transform into a technique that countered the enemy. For example, if the enemy was fire, this slash would become water; if the enemy was water, it would become ice.
Under this technique, even the resilient Orochimaru could not escape. Orochimaru struggled for a few moments on the ground before dying.
"Mission complete."
Li Xing slowly sheathed his sword and began walking towards the Hidden Leaf.
Everything happened so quickly that everyone was bewildered until Li Xing departed, and they finally reacted.
Yamato and Naruto walked towards the bodies to search for any important intelligence. Sakura, watching Li Xing's cold-blooded demeanor, hesitated for a moment before chasing after him.
...
"Li Xing! Li Xing! Wait for me! Where are you going? I'll go with you." Sakura caught up to Li Xing and grabbed his hand.
"To soak in a hot spring, then back to the Hidden Leaf."
"You just now..." Sakura didn't finish her sentence. He had just been so cold-blooded, and now he was going to take a bath. Sakura didn't know what to say.
"From the moment I had memories, I've been receiving assassination missions. Until now, I've grown tired of killing. But I don't know how to do anything else besides kill. So, after every kill, I go to a hot spring."
It was rare for Li Xing to speak so much at once. Sakura was almost taken aback by the drastic change. However, she now understood Li Xing's inner turmoil.
"Then, can you promise not to kill anymore from now on?"
"And if someone tries to kill me, I can't kill them either?" This was the most critical question in Li Xing's heart, the very reason he had wiped out the Beichen family.
"If someone tries to kill you, I will stand in front of you and protect you! If I'm not there, then you absolutely must not die. Even if you accidentally kill someone, I will atone with you."
Sakura was desperate, saying words that sounded like a confession. However, Li Xing didn't understand their meaning.
"Okay, I promise. Do you want to soak in the hot spring together? When I was soaking earlier, I looked at your naked body, and my temperature rose, my heart raced. I think this is the emotion you spoke of? It means you are very important to me, right?"
Sakura blushed intensely and playfully hit Li Xing, "Idiot!"
...
As Li Xing and Sakura immediately returned to the Hidden Leaf, Danzō suddenly intercepted them. Danzō looked at Li Xing's smile with displeasure.
"Star, it seems you've gained superfluous emotions from your trip. Have you forgotten Root's creed? Why didn't you continue monitoring the Nine-Tails? Was the mission completed?"
"The mission is complete. Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto are dead. Sakura returned with me."
Danzō breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Orochimaru was dead. He then looked at the two, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Suddenly, over a dozen Root members emerged from the side. Danzō intended to silence them and bury the secret forever.
Sakura quickly stepped forward and engaged the Root members. However, Sakura was unarmed and fought with her fists, quickly sustaining injuries. Seeing this, Li Xing instantly drew his sword, and everyone present, except Sakura, had their heads severed.
"Li... Xing..." Sakura was stunned. She had promised to protect Li Xing, but in the end, Li Xing had protected her. And Li Xing had said he didn't want to kill anymore, but now he had...
"I'm sorry. Seeing you injured, I couldn't control myself."
With tears in her eyes, Sakura caressed Li Xing's face, "Let's leave together! Let's find a place without killing and live there."
Li Xing didn't care about such things; it was the same wherever he was. However, now, Li Xing wanted to live wherever Sakura was.
Then, Sakura gouged out one of her eyes. "Star, I caused you to lose your eyes. I'll give you my eye. Let's go see the world together, and I will help you find your emotions."
Li Xing embraced Sakura around her waist, pressing his forehead against hers. "Okay. However, I think I already have emotions. Sakura, even though I am blind, I can still see your appearance. You are the most important person to me..."
(Let this special chapter conclude here. The aftermath will be Li Xing and Sakura rebelling from the Hidden Leaf, living together until their deaths. The original concept was that Xing could not transform into a demon, but instead use Blood Demon Arts in his human form, being just an ordinary mortal.)