Everyone, Move Aside—I'm About to Show Off

Boom boom boom, thud thud thud.

Behind the advancing Aburame Squad, powerful Earth Release ninjutsu erupted wave after wave, making the ground tremble constantly.

Aburame Tetsumaru suddenly froze. The Ghost-faced Moth he had left behind had encountered a group of Kikaichū, and his feet unconsciously slowed. Kikaichū meant members of his clan were nearby.

They were members of the Aburame Clan, his closest kin. Should he stay and lend them a hand?

Hmm, after sensing them carefully, these Kikaichū felt unfamiliar. I should keep running.

Then a slender, agile Ninja Dog entered the Ghost-faced Moth's field of vision.

"Ku!" Aburame Tetsumaru blurted out the Ninja Dog's name.

Inuzuka Tsuyoshi was here too!

Aburame Tetsumaru stopped, set down the sack on his back, released Juyuan, then gave him two injections of paralytic drugs followed by two more injections of sleeping medication.

Uchiha Kei's eyes twitched. With such a massive dose, could this rogue ninja even survive?

After administering the drugs and tying up the sack again, Aburame Tetsumaru casually tossed it to Uchiha Kei. Uchiha Kei instinctively reached out and caught it, only to be spun around by the weight of more than a hundred pounds before crashing to the ground.

Uchiha Kei: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ

"You two, take the loot and prisoner back. I'm going to support the battlefield."

With that, Aburame Tetsumaru vanished with Shunshin, without wasting a second.

"Captain~~!!" Uchiha Kei flipped the sack over and shouted while half-kneeling on the ground, a hint of panic in his voice.

Watching his captain disappear without a trace, Uchiha Kei stood there dumbfounded. Slowly, he turned his head toward Kurama Yun. After hesitating for a long while, he finally asked, "Um... do you know the way back?"

"Huh?!"

Kurama Yun blinked her large watery eyes, looked at the sky, then at the ground, her eyes rolling twice before she finally replied, "I remember. It's very simple."

"Whew..." Uchiha Kei let out a huge sigh of relief, then looked helplessly at the large sack that had flattened him. How was he supposed to carry this thing?

Should I just kill him and bring back his head? I heard that worked about the same?

Uchiha Kei's itching hand ultimately did not draw his blade. It had been less than a day since the captain had grabbed his head and shaken him around. The intimidation was still strong.

After handing all the miscellaneous items he was carrying to Kurama Yun, Uchiha Kei gritted his teeth and hoisted Juyuan onto his shoulder. A thirty-eight-kilogram teenager carrying an adult who weighed over fifty kilograms made the veins on his forehead bulge.

No matter what, they had to get moving. They were only two or three kilometers from the Iwa Ninja ambush site. It was not safe.

Meanwhile, Aburame Tetsumaru reached the battlefield in just one minute. By then, Inuzuka Tsuyoshi and an Aburame ninja had circled around for a rear assault, making the Iwa Ninja's combined ninjutsu impossible to maintain. However, the Konoha Ninja had already suffered heavy losses.

The battlefield was currently divided into two areas. At the front, sixteen Iwa Ninja were besieging seven Konoha Ninja. Surprisingly, the Konoha Ninja's primary ninjutsu was also Earth Release. Layer upon layer of Earth Style Walls rose up, not only blocking the incoming boulders but also disrupting the tremors caused by Iwa Ninja techniques like Earthquake and Earth-Splitting Palm.

At the rear battlefield, four Iwa Ninja were pursuing Inuzuka Tsuyoshi and an Aburame ninja. The two had no coordination whatsoever and were each fleeing for their own lives, leaving them in constant danger.

No, to put it bluntly, every Konoha Ninja here was in grave danger.

Aburame Tetsumaru immediately made his decision. Though he had little sense of belonging toward the Shinobi World and usually seemed detached, his feelings for his family, classmates, and clan were undeniably real.

He could not simply watch his friend Inuzuka Tsuyoshi die before his eyes, especially when he had the ability to help. He was not that cold-blooded.

Aburame Tetsumaru pulled a Locust from his sleeve. With both hands, he gripped the sharp spike on its head, and blood immediately began flowing from his pierced palms.

Then he extracted an enormous amount of Chakra from the Chakra Grand Circulation. The dense Chakra was so concentrated that it was visible to the naked eye.

Summoning Technique: Insect Tide Summoning

As a cloud of white smoke burst forth, Aburame Tetsumaru summoned twenty massive Insect Hives at once, each two meters tall. Then one hundred sixty thousand insects poured out, surging toward the battlefield where Inuzuka Tsuyoshi was fighting.

Aburame Tetsumaru manipulated thousands of Summoning Threads, directing the insects into separate groups, adjusting their attack directions, surrounding the four Iwa Ninja, and launching their assault.

The scale of the Summoning Technique had been too immense. Every ninja present sensed the Chakra fluctuations, and the Iwa Ninja immediately realized that Konoha had received powerful reinforcements. They reacted at once.

Two Iwa Ninja split off to attack the two Konoha Ninja, while the other two turned around, formed hand seals, and cast Earth Release ninjutsu.

Earth Release: Rock Hail Bullet

Earth Release: Rock Bullet

Thumb-sized Rock Hail Bullets and waist-high Rock Bullets shot into the Insect Tide. The ninjutsu tore house-sized holes through the swarm, shattering forty or fifty insects to pieces.

At that moment, Aburame Tetsumaru ground his teeth, his face twisted in fury. Did they think he was straining too hard?

No, not at all. He was upset about the money.

The two Iwa Ninja immediately realized they had used the wrong ninjutsu. Against such an enormous swarm, they should have used Earth Style Walls or Earth Prison Dome to defend with all their strength, not counterattacked.

The gaps in the Insect Tide were filled in less than half a second. In the next instant, the swarm engulfed the two Iwa Ninja, and even their screams were drowned out by the roaring insects.

The other two Iwa Ninja immediately used ninjutsu to flee. The Iwa Ninja at the front battlefield also realized something was wrong. They abandoned their attack on the Konoha Ninja and began constructing defensive positions on the spot with Earth Release ninjutsu.

By the time the fortresses formed from five Earth Prison Domes were completed, the two fleeing Iwa Ninja had also entered their defensive position. Eighteen Iwa Ninja began their counterattack.

Earth Release: Earth-Splitting Palm

The ground heaved without end, fissures opening and closing continuously. Every time they closed, an unknown number of Giant Insects were buried, their fluids even spraying out from the cracks.

Earth Release: Rock Hail Explosive Bullet

Dense fragments of stone descended over the Insect Swarm like a net. After knocking down vast numbers of flying insects, they exploded, scattering broken limbs and torn wings everywhere.

Why was there an Explosion Release ninja among them?

How the hell was he supposed to deal with this?

Iwagakure's Earth Release ninjutsu was quite ineffective against insect swarms, but there were two exceptions: Explosion Release and Lava Release, both rare Kekkei Genkai ninjutsu.

The last time he had encountered the Jinchuriki Rōshi, Lava Release had left a deep impression on Aburame Tetsumaru. His insects had nearly been wiped out entirely at the time.

Explosion Release was no slouch either. As a powerful area-of-effect Kekkei Genkai ninjutsu, skilled Explosion Release users were especially adept at dealing with insect swarms. Just like now, one Rock Hail Explosive Bullet had blown two or three hundred Giant Insects to pieces.

The other Iwa Ninja were not idle either. They also did their best to use the ninjutsu most suited for dealing with Giant Insects.

Earth Release: Rock Hail Bullet

Wave after wave of shattered stones rushed at the Insect Swarm. Each barrage inflicted devastating casualties, somehow forcing the swarm's advance to a halt.

Aburame Tetsumaru took a deep breath, then another. Every second of this stalemate saw hundreds of insects killed. That was all money.

Don't panic. Don't panic. Hold on a little longer. They'll be dead soon enough!

The Iwa Ninja had withstood the Insect Tide's assault, which also meant they had stopped moving. Now it was time for the trump card.

After seven seconds of flight, fifty Combination Insects had finally accelerated to maximum speed. They dived from the sky, exploding one hundred meters above the ground and driving their front spikes deep into the rock walls of the Earth Prison Domes.

Some Combination Insects that had approached from favorable angles even pierced through the rock walls, injuring the Iwa Ninja inside.

Following the previous field test, Aburame Tetsumaru had made final adjustments to the Combination Insects. He embedded Explosive Tags in their spikes, using the Explosive Tags' power and blast radius to make up for the Combination Insects' lack of attacking precision.

Half of those fifty Combination Insects had Explosive Tags installed, averaging five for each Earth Prison Dome fortress.

"Detonation." Aburame Tetsumaru spoke softly. All five Earth Release fortresses were destroyed by explosions. In particular, the Combination Insect that had pierced a rock wall detonated the sealing formula inside its horn within the enclosed space, instantly killing the four Iwa Ninja inside the fortress.

Aburame Tetsumaru watched the flames from the Explosive Tags and shed tears of frustration. At that moment, he even forgot about the insects' value. After all, Explosive Tags were even more expensive.

Two hundred fifty thousand ryō had just vanished. I have to find an alternative to Explosive Tags.

Aburame Tetsumaru did not lack insects capable of exploding, such as Landmine Insects.

However, Landmine Insects were too large. One was as long as an adult's upper arm and weighed four kilograms. Combination Insects simply could not carry explosive insects that heavy.

Combination Insects could explode on their own, and their explosive force already represented the maximum weight they could carry. Adding any more weight would severely affect their speed, range, and, most importantly, armor-piercing capability. That would not be worth it.

The surviving Konoha Ninja were no fools. The moment they saw the Iwa Ninja's turtle shells break, how could they let such a rare opportunity pass? They immediately unleashed a barrage of attacks. The dazed Iwa Ninja, still reeling from the explosions, were sent spraying blood as they were almost entirely killed or wounded.

The battle was over.

After cleaning up the battlefield and taking stock, there had originally been sixteen Konoha Ninja caught in the ambush. Only six had survived until victory. Fortunately, Inuzuka Tsuyoshi and the Aburame clansman were among the lucky ones.

The Iwa Ninja had almost been completely wiped out. Fifteen corpses and two prisoners were counted, meaning three Iwa Ninja had likely escaped earlier. There was nothing to be done about that. Ninjas who specialized in Earth Release would certainly know Earth Release: Fish in the Mud. Once they saw things turning bad and burrowed underground, there was simply nothing anyone could do.

Since records began, only the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, had been able to counter Earth Release: Fish in the Mud. His unique Wood Release Kekkei Genkai could unleash countless roots to strangle his enemies. Hashirama's immense Chakra ensured that the range and depth of his Wood Release far exceeded anything Iwa Ninja could reach.

Apart from the two friends, the Konoha survivors included one Anbu ninja, two Root Ninja, and one Chunin named Ota—the expert whose Earth Release was even more skillful than the Iwa Ninja's.

The Anbu ninja was not permitted to reveal his identity, so he silently treated his own wounds.

The Root Ninja were managed even more strictly. They had even moved far away from the other Konoha Ninja, keeping a considerable distance.

Aburame Tetsumaru could not be bothered with them either. Especially since he had exposed some of his abilities in front of Root, though not much. Still, he worried that Shimura Danzō might cause trouble later.

He wondered whether that classic scene would ever take place in the Hokage's office in Konoha.

Clapperboard, action.

Danzo slammed the table.

Danzo: Hand Aburame Tetsumaru over to me. Root will train him into the sharpest blade.

Hiruzen: Impossible!

Danzo: You'll regret this!

Hiruzen: I am the Hokage!"

Danzo slammed the door and left.

Clapperboard, cut.

If he ever got to witness it with his own eyes, then this reincarnation would not have been in vain.

The four Konoha Ninja exchanged intelligence. The Aburame clansman was called Aburame Dairen, also from a branch family of the Aburame Clan, and his captain was Chunin Ota.

Ota's squad had been tasked with pursuing the rogue ninja Juyuan. They were one of the competitors Aburame Tetsumaru had guessed at, while another competitor was Inuzuka Tsuyoshi's squad.

Unfortunately, the two Genin of Inuzuka Tsuyoshi's squad had died during the ambush. Even he himself had only narrowly avoided being sniped by Rock Iron Cannon, nearly suffering a complete wipeout.

After resting for a while, the Anbu and Root Ninja had already left.

"How rude. They didn't even say goodbye," Inuzuka Tsuyoshi muttered indignantly.

He was a ninja with more seniority than Aburame Tetsumaru, so he could naturally guess that this mission to hunt the rogue ninja had most likely been bait cast by Root. Yet their operation had leaked, and the Iwa Ninja had turned the tables by setting an ambush, dragging him into it as well.

Not only had the mission failed, but all his subordinates had died. He was in a deeply depressed mood, so how could he possibly look kindly upon Root and Anbu ninja?

Aburame Tetsumaru kept quiet about his squad having completed the mission. He had no interest in getting beaten up.

No matter what, the mission was over. The surviving ninja had to return separately, receive punishment or rewards, and then continue on to their next mission.

Aburame Tetsumaru stood on the battlefield carpeted with insect corpses and severed limbs, seeing the three ninja off. As they left, their faces were full of confusion. Why was this kid staying in this foul-smelling battlefield instead of leaving? What was he planning?

Of course, he was going to recover resources.

Everyone, move aside. I'm about to show off.

Skillfully extracting Chakra from the Chakra Grand Circulation, he sent visible Chakra soaring into the sky, leaving the three ninja who had not gone far away staring in stunned disbelief.

Aburame Tetsumaru used the Summoning Technique to summon more Insect Hives.

Of the twenty empty Giant Insect Hives, half were used to hold the surviving insects, while the other half were used to store resources from the dead insects.

Ten small Insect Hives released more Mole Crickets, Gold-Eating Insects, transport Cockroaches, and other Work Insects. They rushed forward in a swarm and quickly covered the insect corpses scattered across the ground.

As the rustling sounds of chewing began, the insect corpses were broken down. Precious metals and fresh insect meat were transported into the Giant Insect Hives for storage, while the remaining waste was buried directly underground to prevent an epidemic. After all, they were still within the Land of Fire.

From a distant hill, Inuzuka Tsuyoshi watched the Insect Tide surge and churn around Aburame Tetsumaru. As it rolled over the earth, the ground covered in multicolored insect corpses was turned upside down, leaving behind only a stretch of soft black soil.

Then Aburame Tetsumaru put away all his insects, released the Summoning Technique, and swiftly left the battlefield.

After watching the entire process, Inuzuka Tsuyoshi let out a long breath. So Tetsumaru was still Tetsumaru. Having found his own unique path, he was still the strongest among all their classmates.

Before dawn, Aburame Tetsumaru returned to camp. To his surprise, his two subordinates were nowhere to be found.

Where were they?

Aburame Tetsumaru was full of confusion. There was no way to search for them, so he could only wait patiently.

In a forest southeast of the camp, Uchiha Kei shouted in despair, "Do you even know the way or not?!"

"Of course I do. We just need to head a little farther west, and we'll reach the camp." Kurama Yun confidently pointed in the direction ahead.

By then, the brilliant red sun had completely risen above the horizon, illuminating the entire sky. Blue skies and white clouds made for a rare day of good weather.

Uchiha Kei looked despairingly at the sun, then at Kurama Yun's left cheek, reddened by the morning sunlight. He pointed in the direction she was indicating.

"Kurama! The sun is already up, and you're still pointing south while saying we should go west?"

"Really? You're not lying to me?"

Uchiha Kei: ┗|｀O′|┛Awooo~~

Kurama Yun: ╰(°▽°)╯