Exposing His Identity

There was no denying it: when it came to assassination, Root were the professionals.

Aburame Torune's Phosphorus Corrosive Insects were a nanoscopic form of insect manipulation. A single touch was enough to infect their target and destroy their cells, rendering ordinary defenses useless.

He was also extremely patient. Knowing the Uchiha's Sharingan gave them powerful dynamic vision, he stayed hidden and held his position, quietly releasing a small swarm of Phosphorus Corrosive Insects. They crawled soundlessly toward the treetop where Uchiha An was.

Even when the Konoha shinobi were in dire straits on the battlefield and one after another fell in battle, Torune didn't move an inch.

His objective was clear: carry out Lord Danzo's orders and kill "Uchiha Itachi"!

As for anything else, it had nothing to do with him!

If Susanoo had been active, "Uchiha Itachi" might have been able to keep the insects out. But who kept Susanoo active when they weren't fighting?

Once "Uchiha Itachi" was bitten by the insects, he would likely lose half his life, if not die outright. Even if Torune couldn't finish him immediately, he could wear him down little by little until he was dead.

Under ordinary circumstances, his strategy couldn't be called wrong.

But the problem was, this "Uchiha Itachi" in front of him was an impostor!

The Phosphorus Corrosive Insects' poison was truly unmatched. Even Princess Tsunade would likely have trouble curing it.

But as luck would have it, the Mangekyō ability Uchiha An had awakened was "Inaba's White Rabbit," a healing ability that could convert Chakra into Yang Release on an absurd scale.

Yang Release was a form of Chakra driven primarily by physical energy. It represented "creation of life" and could directly replenish a person's Life Force. It simply defied reason.

With enough Yang Release, creating organs and regenerating limbs were trivial matters. Healing injuries and curing poison were even easier.

In a sense, his Mangekyō ability was the natural enemy of every poison-based power.

It was a perfect counter to the Aburame Clan!

The moment he was poisoned, Uchiha An activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and regained control of his body.

When the Root shinobi emerged to assassinate him, Uchiha An's thoughts stirred. Blood-red Chakra erupted like a volcano, instantly forming a half-body skeleton. In the blink of an eye, it was covered with muscle and armor, shielding him completely.

The sharp short sword scraped against the energy armor, letting out a piercing shriek that stabbed at the ears. Sparks flew in all directions, but the blade couldn't leave so much as a white mark on Susanoo.

Realizing his assassination attempt had failed, the Root shinobi tried to flee. But a massive hand came roaring down, trailing a fierce rush of wind. It struck like a collapsing mountain, compressing the air into ripples visible to the naked eye.

With a splat, it crushed the Root shinobi into a lump of flesh. Blood burst out like fireworks, while bone fragments and minced flesh were driven deep into the ground. The earth within several meters was splattered with blood, flesh, and bone.

Uchiha An flipped his wrist and used his short sword to cut a small piece of flesh from his leg. He casually tossed it aside.

The flesh turned purple in an instant. When it hit the ground, it released a haze of purple vapor. Plants withered and turned to charcoal before their eyes, and even the soil became a strange purplish black.

The Nano Poison Insects were so toxic that he couldn't purge them from his body completely right away. With a major battle looming, he had no choice but to confine the poison to that piece of flesh and cut it off.

With the Phosphorus Corrosive Insects no longer interfering, a shimmering green light rose from his wound. His Muscle Fiber writhed and interwove like living creatures, and the missing flesh immediately grew back under the nourishment of Yang Release. In an instant, he was as good as new, his freshly grown skin even softer than a baby's.

Watching the group of Root shinobi charge out of hiding, Uchiha An covered his forehead with one hand, hiding the madness flickering in his Sharingan. Then he burst into laughter, his voice filled with boundless hatred and fury.

"Hahaha..."

"I knew Shimura Danzō wouldn't pass up this opportunity. Sure enough, he sent more people to their deaths!"

"Looks like that Aburame Ryoma who died earlier didn't get the intel back to you!"

"The Aburame bugs have no effect on me!"

"Oh, right. Those disgusting bugs he raised couldn't break through my defenses, so he had no intel to give you anyway."

"But now you should know, shouldn't you, Aburame Torune?"

Aburame Torune's face darkened, but Uchiha An's taunts didn't rile him. His eyes remained cold, and the expression beneath his mask was like the surface of a frozen lake—utterly emotionless.

He studied Uchiha An's Mangekyō for a while before frowning and asking,

"You're not Uchiha Itachi. Who are you?"

"Hm?" Uchiha An tilted his head in puzzlement, a teasing smile on his lips. "Why do you say that?"

"I've seen Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan before. The pattern in your eyes is completely different."

"Ah, I see!" Uchiha An said, as if he'd just realized something. "Uchiha Itachi doesn't use his Mangekyō Sharingan carelessly. Even the Ino-Shika-Cho trio didn't notice that discrepancy. But you know all about it, so..."

His gaze turned cold as his voice dropped lower. Murderous intent seemed to solidify in his eyes, and the air around them grew thick.

"You were the one who led the force that blockaded the Uchiha District that night, weren't you?"

"Of course. You're Danzo's right-hand man, the one he trusts most."

"He wouldn't trust Uchiha Itachi. He must have assigned you to make sure everything went according to plan. You were probably supposed to gather intel on Uchiha Itachi while you were at it, too."

"Using someone and then throwing him away—that's Shimura Danzō's specialty!"

Feeling the increasingly turbulent killing intent radiating from Uchiha An, and the bone-deep hatred in his voice, Aburame Torune added fuel to the fire with a nod. "The evil Uchiha should have been purged from the village long ago."

Those words were like a fuse, setting off the fury in Uchiha An's heart.

"Hahaha... Evil Uchiha, is it?"

Uchiha An felt murderous intent surging through him, impossible to suppress. He covered his forehead and laughed wildly again, his laughter growing more deranged and desolate.

Aburame Torune stood there watching without launching an attack.

He knew Susanoo consumed a great deal of Chakra. The longer he dragged things out, the better his chances.

The laughter gradually died down, but Uchiha An didn't charge him in a fit of rage, as Torune had expected. Instead, he began laughing in a strange, unsettling way.

"Hey, Aburame Torune, I almost forgot—you and Yamanaka Fu were friends."

His smile twisted, his lips stretching into an unnatural grin. A sick light gleamed in his blood-red eyes, full of vengeful glee.

"Someone killed your friend. I wonder how that makes you feel?"

"Huh?"

He tilted his head theatrically, wearing a puzzled expression, though his eyes were full of cruel amusement.

"I've heard that people in Root have to be cold and heartless. You're not allowed to have normal emotions, or you're considered a failure."

"By that logic, you and Yamanaka Fu should have been eliminated long ago!"

"Now that I've helped Danzo clean house, he ought to thank me!"

"Hahaha..."

He threw his arms wide, laughing maniacally. The Mangekyō in his eyes spun at full speed.

Under the stimulation of his frenzied emotions, the Chakra surging through him grew more and more violent. Susanoo began to advance toward its third form. The Chakra surrounding his body became denser and denser, and it looked as though legs were about to grow from it.

With Uchiha An having hit the sore spot in his heart, Aburame Torune could no longer remain calm.

His body trembled slightly as he slowly removed his gloves and took off his outer robe, baring his skin. It quickly turned purple.

Seeing him like this, the other Root shinobi hurriedly retreated to a safe distance, as if avoiding a plague. They feared getting contaminated by the Nano Poison Insects on his body.

Aburame Torune's Phosphorus Corrosive Insects couldn't distinguish friend from foe. Anyone they touched was as good as dead.

"Well, whether you're Uchiha Itachi or not, you're still a remnant of the Uchiha Clan."

"Killing you won't go against Lord Danzo's orders."

"Since that's settled, there's no point wasting words. Let's settle this with our hands."

The moment he finished speaking, Aburame Torune's figure became a streak of purple lightning as he charged in to fight Uchiha An at close quarters.