In the rain, a visible bubble of air expanded rapidly, its surface rough with needle-like water vapor.
The reflections of blinding flames shone in the eyes of the Konoha and Kumo ninja, like a fountain gushing forth composed of fire and intense light.
And just as the flames surged forth, about to engulf the Konoha group, Akimichi Doto turned around, presenting his broad back to the blast's impact.
"Multi-Size Technique!"
Akimichi Doto roared with resolute determination, his voice straining against the explosive din.
Simultaneously, two other voices rang out at the same time.
"Summoning Technique!"
"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"
BOOM!!
It was as if a small sun had suddenly exploded before them. The extreme proximity of the light and sound rendered everyone temporarily blind and deaf.
In the silence, a violent wave of heat rushed towards them. The force of the explosion instantly shattered all the glass.
Shattered wood and stone fragments shot out in all directions, their shrieking whine unceasing.
Anyone standing in their path would be pierced through as easily as paper.
But the Konoha ninja were merely sent flying through the air instantly, as if struck head-on by a galloping giant elephant, tumbling and flipping backward.
They flew out of the inn, crashing down in various locations outside.
Crack! Snap! Crunch!
Their bodies emitted sickeningly crisp sounds of bone fracture.
Intense pain surged through the Konoha ninja's bodies. They lay on the ground in agony, experiencing only ringing ears and dizziness.
The explosion happened suddenly and ended quickly.
Roughly ten seconds later, the black smoke slowly settled, and the tremors gradually ceased.
Pfft!
Aburame Ryoma, who had crashed onto the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood, clutching his chest as if all his internal organs had been displaced.
After recovering for a good while, his vision, which had gone from black to a field of white, began to restore itself.
Images gradually emerged from the countless snowy noise, the first color he saw being orange—the glow of flames, the lingering fire spread before his eyes.
His hearing, filled with sharp tinnitus, also began to return. He could hear the crackle of burning and the sound of moans.
Cough! Cough!
"What on earth happened?"
Thick black smoke filled his nostrils, causing him to cough.
Aburame Ryoma struggled to get up, looking towards the collapsed inn in the distance and spotting the charred, giant corpse of an insect.
It was his summon.
If he hadn't remained vigilant and reacted in time, instinctively using the Summoning Technique, he, being so close, would likely be dead or severely maimed by now.
And there were two people even closer than he was.
Crunch! Crunch!
A blackened arm reached out from the rubble, then suddenly heaved, throwing aside a large number of wall bricks as its owner climbed out from under the debris.
It was Akimichi Doto, who had been closest to the blast point.
Having used the Multi-Size Technique, he had borne the brunt of the impact and blocked the main force of the explosion.
If he hadn't been blocking the front, the others wouldn't have just been sent flying; they would have taken the full force of the blast head-on.
Thud!
The act of climbing out of the rubble seemed to exhaust his remaining strength. His shrinking body pitched forward and collapsed onto the ground.
The skin on his back was covered in charred, swollen burns.
However, this was the Akimichi clan, famous for their physical secret techniques. Even enduring such a close-range explosion hadn't killed him outright, though the shockwaves had severely injured his internal organs and brain, leaving him comatose.
In contrast, the Kumo ninja who had been inside the inn were not as fortunate.
Black smoke and white steam filled the inn like a curtain. The heat waves distorted the air, blocking the view of all the Konoha ninja.
But soon, a figure was seen flying backward out of the dense black smoke, landing beside Aburame Ryoma with a pained grunt.
Seeing the appearance of the person beside him, Aburame Ryoma's eyes widened sharply.
"Hyuga Kumokawa?!"
How was that possible?
This guy was so close, how could he have survived?
He was merely covered in dust and blood, the skin exposed outside cracked with fissures as if countless capillaries had ruptured from the shock, but he didn't seem to have any serious burns.
There was a bloody gash across his chest that had sliced through his clothes, looking less like a cut from debris and more like a wound from a sharp blade.
"You…"
Looking at Hyuga Kumokawa's pained expression and his inability to get up for a long time, Aburame Ryoma suddenly remembered the low shout he'd heard at the moment of the explosion.
Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven.
The instant before being hit, releasing a large amount of chakra from the chakra pores all over the body and spinning like a top in a circular motion, capable of rebounding all physical attacks.
Hyuga Kumokawa, this disregarded branch family member, had actually learned the secret technique passed down within the Hyuga main family?
Cough! Cough!
Hyuga Kumokawa's face was marked by two fierce bloody gashes. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Aburame Ryoma's arm, his voice hoarse. "Senior Ryoma, take Senior Doto and get out of here! That Kumo guy hasn't…"
Before he could finish his sentence, a hoarse, hideous roar of terror reached their ears, cutting him off.
"You damned bastards! I'll kill you all!!"
As the words fell, a black figure followed closely behind, bursting through the thick smoke in an instant.
The figure was no longer recognizable as human; it looked like a charred corpse, still smoking, even emitting a smell of cooked meat.
But he was still alive, even if living in immense agony, covered in severe burns, driven nearly mad by the pain.
The reason was the dripping iron sand falling around him, which had blocked most of the impact but couldn't prevent the burns.
"Wait! Hold on!"
Aburame Ryoma instantly realized the danger.
Injured internally, he couldn't move yet, and hurriedly shouted, "Calm down! It wasn't us! We were caught in it too! Someone is deliberately trying to provoke us!"
Hearing this, Toroi, who had been about to attack in fury, paused for a moment.
His gaze swept over the Konoha ninja, who also seemed to have lost their combat ability.
But just one second before he might have calmed down, eight black figures suddenly Body Flickered into the area from various hiding spots.
They were the Root ninja who had followed Aburame Ryoma and were hiding in the shadows.
"Don't attack!"
Seeing Toroi tighten his grip on his shuriken, Aburame Ryoma roared the order immediately.
Two of the Root ninja's first reaction was to go treat the unconscious Akimichi Doto.
Another three stood tense, positioning themselves on either side of Toroi, watching him warily.
However, the remaining three figures moved in front of Aburame Ryoma and, without hesitation and in unison, threw the kunai in their hands.
"You…"
This scene made Aburame Ryoma's eyes widen in shock and fear. He never expected the Root ninja to ignore his command.
The conscious ANBU ninja beside him also looked at Aburame Ryoma with surprise and suspicion, instantly realizing his true identity.
No wonder, no wonder there was that familiar cold aura. So Aburame Ryoma really is a Root ninja?
Realizing this, the Konoha group subconsciously thought the shout of "Don't attack!" was actually a coded signal meant to make Toroi lower his guard, while the real order to the Root ninja was to "attack."
Root… no, it's Danzo!
Danzo's ambition remains!
He wants to sabotage the negotiations, to start a war between the nations!
This thought abruptly surfaced in their minds.
It wasn't unreasonable for them to think this.
As ANBU ninja, they were all too familiar with the notorious deeds and personality of the "Darkness of the Shinobi."
But Aburame Ryoma himself knew perfectly well he had given no such signal to attack!
Beside him, Hyuga Kumokawa's head hung low, the shadows cast by the flames falling across his face.
"Treacherous Konoha ninja! You indeed had ill intentions!"
Seeing the Konoha ninja throwing kunai at him, the last bit of hesitation in Toroi's heart vanished completely.
Overwhelming fury took its place, finally prompting him to act.
Buzz! Buzz!
The moment he spoke, Toroi flung the three giant shuriken in his hands.
A sharp buzzing sound rang out instantly!
The gleaming, cold edges were sharp enough to tear through the night's rain curtain.
Two of the giant shuriken not only deflected the incoming kunai but also instantly sliced the three attacking Root ninja in half at the waist.
And the last giant shuriken…
The two Root ninja who had been helping Akimichi Doto felt their hair stand on end.
Their peripheral vision caught the sight of the several shuriken flying towards them from behind.
An overwhelming sense of cold dread seized their hearts, freezing their bodies stiff.
But in the next instant, a figure appeared in front of them.
Eight Inner Gates Released Formation: Second Gate: Gate of Healing.
OPEN!