Chapter 20: Identity Exposed
When it came to assassination, Root were the true professionals.
Aburame Torune's Rinkaichū technique commanded nano-sized insects that destroyed cells on contact, rendering conventional defenses worthless.
He possessed extraordinary patience too. Knowing the Uchiha Sharingan granted superior dynamic vision, he'd remained hidden in darkness, motionless, silently releasing a single swarm of Rinkaichū that crawled toward the treetop where Yasushi perched without a sound.
Even as Konoha shinobi fell one after another on the battlefield, their situation deteriorating rapidly, he hadn't shifted position even slightly.
His objective was crystal clear: complete Danzo-sama's assigned mission and kill Uchiha Itachi.
Everything else was irrelevant.
If Susanoo had been active, perhaps Uchiha Itachi could have blocked the Rinkaichū. But who kept Susanoo manifested during non-combat situations?
Once the Rinkaichū bit Uchiha Itachi, even if it didn't kill him outright, he'd lose half his life. Even if immediate elimination proved impossible, they could grind him down slowly until death.
Under normal circumstances, his tactics were sound.
The problem was the Uchiha Itachi before him was a fraud.
The Rinkaichū toxin was indeed unparalleled. Even if Tsunade herself arrived, detoxification wouldn't come easily.
But Uchiha Yasushi's awakened Mangekyo ability was the White Rabbit of Inaba, a healing-type power that absurdly converted chakra into Yang Release.
Yang Release, chakra dominated by physical energy, represented Life Creation itself. It could directly replenish vitality, completely defying logic.
With sufficient Yang Release power, creating organs and regenerating limbs was trivial, let alone healing wounds or neutralizing toxins. Child's play.
His Mangekyo ability was practically the natural enemy of all toxin-based powers.
A complete counter to the Aburame clan.
The instant the poison took effect, Yasushi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, restoring control over his body.
When the Root ninja appeared to assassinate him, Yasushi's thought sparked action. Blood-red chakra erupted like a volcano, instantly condensing into a half-skeletal form before covering itself with muscle and armor in the blink of an eye, protecting him completely.
The sharp blade scraped against the energy armor, producing an ear-piercing shriek that stabbed at eardrums. Sparks scattered everywhere, yet couldn't leave even a scratch on Susanoo.
The Root ninja, realizing the assassination had failed, tried to retreat. A massive hand came whistling through the air carrying fierce wind, hammering down like a collapsing mountain. Even the air compressed into visible ripples.
With a wet thud, the Root ninja was pounded into a pulp. Blood burst like fireworks, shattered bone and minced flesh embedding deep into the ground, painting everything within several meters with gore.
Yasushi flicked his wrist, using a blade to slice off a small chunk of flesh from his leg, tossing it aside casually.
The flesh instantly turned purple. Upon hitting the ground, it released purple vapor like smoke. Vegetation withered and carbonized at visible speed, even the soil turning an eerie purple-black.
The nano-sized poisonous insects were simply too toxic. He couldn't completely expel the toxin from his body in time. With major combat imminent, he'd simply contained all the poison within that chunk of flesh and cut it away.
Without the Rinkaichū interference, the wound glowed jade-green. Muscle fibers writhed and interwove like living things. The missing flesh immediately regenerated under Yang Release nourishment, restoring completely in moments. The new skin was more delicate than a baby's.
Watching the swarm of Root ninja charging from hiding, Yasushi covered his face with one hand, blocking the insane light flickering in his Sharingan, and broke into wild laughter filled with endless hatred and fury.
"Hahahaha..."
"I knew Danzo wouldn't pass up this opportunity! Sure enough, he sent more people to their deaths!"
"That Aburame Ryoma who died before clearly didn't get his intelligence back!"
"Your Aburame insects have absolutely no effect on me!"
"Oh, right—his disgusting bugs couldn't even breach my defenses, so he had no intelligence to reference."
"But now you should know, Aburame Torune!"
Aburame Torune's face darkened, completely unmoved by the provocation. His eyes remained ice-cold, his expression beneath the mask frozen like a lake in winter, as though devoid of all emotion.
He stared intently at Yasushi's Mangekyo for a moment before frowning.
"You're not Uchiha Itachi. Who are you?"
"Hmm?" Yasushi tilted his head curiously, lips curving into a playful arc. "Why do you say that?"
"I've seen Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan before. Your pupil pattern is completely different."
"Ah, so that's it!" Yasushi nodded with sudden understanding. "Uchiha Itachi wouldn't casually reveal his Mangekyo Sharingan. Even the Ino-Shika-Cho trio didn't catch this flaw. But you know it very clearly, so..."
His gaze turned equally cold, voice gradually deepening. Killing intent solidified like substance in his eyes, and the surrounding air seemed to thicken considerably.
"You were the one who led the blockade outside the Uchiha compound that night, weren't you?"
"Of course—you're Danzo's right hand, his most trusted subordinate."
"He wouldn't trust Uchiha Itachi. He definitely made you responsible for ensuring everything went according to plan. You probably had orders to gather intelligence on Uchiha Itachi while you were at it, right?"
"Discarding tools after use—that's Danzo's specialty!"
Sensing the surging killing intent emanating from Uchiha Yasushi and the bone-deep hatred in his voice, Aburame Torune added fuel to the fire with a nod, speaking flatly.
"The evil Uchiha should have been purged from the village long ago."
That statement was the spark that detonated the fury in Yasushi's heart completely.
"Hahaha... How wonderful—'the evil Uchiha!'"
Yasushi felt killing intent boiling in his chest, impossible to suppress any longer. He covered his face again, laughing madly, the sound growing increasingly deranged and desolate.
Aburame Torune simply stood watching, not launching an attack.
He knew Susanoo consumed enormous chakra. The longer time dragged on, the more advantageous for him.
The laughter gradually subsided, but Yasushi didn't lose his rationality and charge forward in a death struggle as Torune expected. Instead, he smiled strangely.
"Say, Aburame Torune, I almost forgot—you and Yamanaka Fu were good friends."
His smile gradually twisted, corners of his mouth stretching to unnatural angles. His blood-red eyes flickered with diseased light, filled entirely with vengeful pleasure.
"Your friend was killed. I wonder what you're feeling right now?"
"Ah?"
He tilted his head exaggeratedly, feigning confusion, though his eyes brimmed with cruel amusement.
"I've heard Root members must sever all emotions, unable to possess normal human feelings, or they're considered failures."
"By that standard, you and Yamanaka Fu should have been eliminated long ago!"
"Now that I've cleaned house for Danzo, he should thank me!"
"Hahahaha..."
He laughed madly, spreading both arms wide. The Mangekyo in his eyes had rotated to their extreme.
Under this deranged mental stimulation, the chakra fluctuations around him grew increasingly violent. Susanoo began slowly advancing toward its third form. The external chakra energy condensed more solidly, legs faintly beginning to manifest.
Having his painful spot exposed by Uchiha Yasushi, Aburame Torune couldn't remain detached this time.
His body trembled slightly as he slowly removed his gloves and outer clothing, revealing bare skin that rapidly turned purple.
The Root ninja behind him, seeing this state, immediately retreated far away like fleeing plague, terrified of being contaminated by the nano-sized poisonous insects covering his body.
Aburame Torune's Rinkaichū didn't distinguish between ally and enemy. Contact meant certain death for them.
"Well then, whether or not you're Uchiha Itachi, you're definitely Uchiha clan remnants."
"Killing you doesn't violate Danzo-sama's orders."
"In that case, there's no need for more words. Let our hands do the talking."
The final word barely left his lips before Aburame Torune's figure transformed into purple lightning, charging forward for close-quarters combat with Yasushi.
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