Why Did You Dare Call Me That Name?!

Aburame Ryoma had an illusion.

Akihara Kagura had clearly just joined the Root Organization, yet when the youngster spoke, he sounded somewhat like a superior in charge of Root's personnel.

He himself...

Instead, he seemed like a new recruit here for an interview?

Aburame Ryoma felt that something was off about this exchange.

After thinking for a while, Aburame Ryoma realized he had no way to answer Akihara Kagura's questions, nor could he interpret the will of Root.

If he could not solve the problem...

Then he could only solve the person who raised it.

Aburame Ryoma simply refused to continue entangling himself with Akihara Kagura and said coldly, "Brat, a senior's affairs aren't something you should concern yourself with. Just handle your own problems."

"I just don't really understand what the will of Root represents."

Akihara Kagura looked at Aburame Ryoma and raised a question. "No past, no future—then what is my life?"

"Mission."

Aburame Ryoma immediately answered him. "You only need to carry out your missions diligently. You don't need to think about what your life is..."

"Then tell me..."

Akihara Kagura raised a philosophical question. "The missions I will carry out in the future will all become the past. So do past missions have meaning? And do missions I have not yet carried out in the future have meaning?"

"..."

Aburame Ryoma fell silent.

This ninja from the Aburame clan understood Akihara Kagura's philosophical reflection, but in the end, he still chose the simplest way to deal with it. "You only need to carry out your missions diligently. You don't need to think about whether your missions have any meaning..."

"..."

Akihara Kagura could not help feeling a little impressed by him.

"Kou..."

Afraid that the little fellow would raise some more strange philosophical questions, Aburame Ryoma intended to completely cut off the brat's messy thoughts with his words.

"You are a member of Root..."

"There is no need for Root to think about such questions."

"What you need to do is forget your name, forget your emotions, forget your past, forget your future, and simply carry out the missions Lord Danzō gives you!"

"Fine, fine, I get it..."

Akihara Kagura agreed with blatant perfunctoriness.

"I hope you can do that..."

Just as Aburame Ryoma thought he had finally resolved the trouble, a fist suddenly slammed into his lower abdomen, sending him crashing heavily into the wall!

"I understand the reasoning."

Young Akihara Kagura rolled his wrist, his voice icy. "But... Aburame Ryoma, who gave you permission to call me Kou?"

"What..."

Aburame Ryoma coughed up blood, his face full of shock.

Whether in terms of status, strength, or even simple logic, Aburame Ryoma could not understand why this new recruit had ambushed him.

Most importantly...

This brat was incredibly strong, and his speed was astonishingly fast!

Akihara Kagura's physical abilities were extraordinarily terrifying. Aburame Ryoma had no idea that even Orochimaru had relied on a curse mark to restrain Akihara Kagura in order to evade the youngster's ambushes.

This Jonin, Aburame Ryoma, had not even had time to react before the youngster's ambush severely wounded him. That punch had even damaged his internal organs!

"The name Kou was given to me by Lord Danzō."

Akihara Kagura walked up to Aburame Ryoma and coldly explained why he had ambushed this severely injured senior.

"From today onward, remember this!"

"In this world..."

"Only Lord Danzō may call me Kou!"

"..."

Aburame Ryoma could not understand the youngster's train of thought.

This brat...

There was definitely something wrong with his head!

Aburame Ryoma opened his mouth and coughed up another mouthful of blood. "Kou is merely a codename, and it will also be the only codename you can use in the future..."

"But you can't call me that."

Akihara Kagura shook his head, seeming to think for a moment before saying, "If you need to find me later, call me by the name I used in the past. It isn't as though there aren't exceptions in Root who still use their former names..."

"I understand... Wait, that doesn't sound right..."

Aburame Ryoma looked at the youngster standing beside him and decided not to be influenced by the boy's way of thinking. His thoughts gradually returned to normal. "Children really are too arrogant. Perhaps Orochimaru spoiled you too much before..."

Aburame Ryoma slowly struggled free and fell from the wall, clutching his agonizing lower abdomen as he forced himself to speak through the pain. "New recruits... really do need... a lesson..."

A swarm of black insects crawled out of his mouth!

The sight was terrifying!

This was the secret technique of Konoha's Aburame clan: raising insects within their bodies and using them in battle.

"Brat, you'd better show your seniors some respect!"

Aburame Ryoma controlled the insects as they swiftly wrapped around Akihara Kagura!

"..."

Akihara Kagura's expression changed slightly.

Even tiny insects could make one's scalp tingle when they gathered in dense swarms, let alone these bizarre creatures of the ninja world!

However...

Insects were still just insects...

They were painfully slow...

Akihara Kagura planted his foot, darted around the insects, and lunged at Aburame Ryoma. He knew full well that these people's bodies were pitifully fragile!

Bang!

The youngster's fist struck Aburame Ryoma once more!

This time, however, the impact felt weightless, as though he had struck empty air. In fact, he had struck empty air—Aburame Ryoma's body instantly transformed into a swarm of insects...

"Is that... an Insect Clone?"

Akihara Kagura's eyes widened involuntarily.

Secret Technique: Insect Ball!

In the blink of an eye, the swarm completely surrounded Akihara Kagura's body. As though they had caught the scent of a feast, they frantically devoured the chakra within him!

Akihara Kagura's entire body was shrouded in a haze of insects, as if he had been wrapped in a layer of black clothing!

Aburame Ryoma's true body slowly appeared. Looking at the youngster surrounded by his insects, he sneered as he began teaching the new recruit a lesson.

"Brat..."

"Don't be frightened by the insects..."

"The moment I released the insects, I had already secretly created an Insect Clone..."

"Based on my understanding of brats your age, once a fight begins, all you will do is attack my body with your fists. Setting a trap with some low-level ninjutsu would be enough."

"Now..."

"Be good..."

Aburame Ryoma spread his hands, seemingly satisfied with the first lesson he had given the new recruit. "The chakra in your body will soon be completely devoured by my Kikaichū..."

"Then tell your insects to work harder..."

Akihara Kagura's voice came from within the insect haze. "Aburame Ryoma, have you never fed them enough?"

"What is going on?"

Aburame Ryoma frowned in surprise.

This brat had not lost the ability to resist yet?

Did this brat have an excessive amount of chakra...?

What shocked Aburame Ryoma most was whether this brat's mental fortitude was simply too strong. He was not even slightly afraid of this dense swarm of insects!

"This is taking far too long..."

Akihara Kagura extended an arm and watched as some insects that had eaten too much fell from his body. He slowly drew his conclusion.

"Insects are still just insects..."

"What insects should do is hide in the corners and survive..."

"Rather than arrogantly believing that sheer numbers can defeat an enemy whose power they cannot even begin to imagine..."

Time to sleep!

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