Mutual Destruction

The sudden appearance of Namikaze Minato, who had already died, left everyone momentarily stunned.

Everyone except Aburame Torune.

For a Root ninja, completing the mission was the most important thing. Nothing else mattered.

The Root ninja killed by Shinra Tensei didn't matter. The Fourth Hokage's sudden "resurrection" didn't matter, either.

The only thing that mattered was completing Lord Danzō's mission: killing that evil Uchiha!

So, just as Uchiha An turned his gaze toward him, Aburame Torune immediately launched a surprise attack.

A complete Susanoo was normally an ability one could only use after attaining the Eternal Mangekyo. Uchiha An had forced it into existence through the unique nature of his Dojutsu, but the price was an enormous Chakra drain.

First, he'd been blown up by a human bomb in an enclosed space. Then, after releasing the Nine-Tails, he'd been caught in Konan's Explosive Tag bombardment, which hadn't spared him in the slightest.

To reduce the area exposed to the blasts, he'd had no choice but to cancel Susanoo again. Relying on the powerful insight of his Mangekyō Sharingan, he'd dodged Konan's rain of Explosive Tags.

Then Pain had entered the fray, and Shinra Tensei had attacked everyone indiscriminately. Of course he hadn't summoned Susanoo to shield the people of Konoha from harm at that moment.

As a result, when Aburame Torune launched his surprise attack, Uchiha An had no Susanoo protecting him. His defenses were at their weakest.

However, the powerful insight of the Mangekyō Sharingan let him spot Aburame Torune in time as he closed in. In the rush, he quickly drew his sword and blocked.

With a clang, their swords collided. A purple stain spread rapidly from the point of impact, covering most of the blade in the blink of an eye.

The Nanobugs were multiplying at an incredible speed!

Uchiha An hurriedly let go of his sword and flung it away. He whipped his left hand out, sending a Shuriken at his enemy to throw him off, then leaped backward to create distance and summon Susanoo.

But Aburame Torune knew that once Susanoo was activated again, he'd lose his chance for good. So he ignored the Shuriken that pierced his body and doggedly pursued Uchiha An.

He punched and kicked, even throwing his body into him. Every attack was made with the grim resolve to die alongside his opponent. All he wanted was to get the Phosphorus Corrosive Insects on his body onto Uchiha An.

Seeing how single-minded his enemy was, Uchiha An immediately abandoned the idea of activating Susanoo. He didn't use any Ninjutsu, either; he simply kept hurling Shuriken at him, one after another. Every Shuriken precisely avoided vital spots, deliberately prolonging this cruel game of cat and mouse.

In no time, Aburame Torune was covered in Shuriken like a porcupine. Blood streamed down his body, and he was covered in wounds.

Yet he didn't say a word. He just kept his head down and attacked relentlessly.

But the Taijutsu he'd always prided himself on held no secrets from the powerful insight of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Whenever he swung his sword or kicked, Uchiha An could predict the trajectory of his Taijutsu and dodge with ease.

"Ha ha..." Uchiha An laughed heartily and sneered, "Hey, you don't really think I became a Jōnin purely because I'm an Uchiha, do you?"

"Whether in Taijutsu, Genjutsu, or Ninjutsu, Uchiha Jōnin are among the handful of people standing at the pinnacle of the Ninja World!"

"Too bad..."

The sight of the clan grounds strewn with corpses that night rose once more in Uchiha An's mind. His blood boiled, and his anger and hatred became impossible to suppress. His Chakra began to run wild.

His voice rang with deep-seated hatred as he roared.

"The hypocritical Sarutobi Hiruzen, the ruthless Shimura Danzō, the jealous clans who couldn't stand seeing others excel, the ignorant ordinary ninja, and the apathetic villagers of Konoha..."

"You all joined hands and brought about the destruction of the Uchiha Clan!"

"You... all deserve to die!"

Uchiha An's Sharingan spun wildly, and the cold aura around him grew even heavier.

The Sharingan was a broken Kekkei Genkai, too. The amount of Yin Release Chakra was entirely affected by one's mental state; the more extreme the emotions, the stronger the Chakra tended to be.

In his fury, Uchiha An's desire to toy with Aburame Torune vanished.

His killing intent surged like a breached dam, impossible to hold back.

He rapidly formed Hand Seals, opened his mouth, and spewed out a dragon of fire. It surged toward Aburame Torune with a deafening roar.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

What's more, when he'd thrown the Shuriken earlier, he'd attached a specially made transparent wire to one of them.

Using the wire as a conduit, he'd made it impossible for Aburame Torune to dodge this Ninjutsu attack.

But Aburame Torune hadn't even tried to dodge. Taking advantage of the moment Uchiha An had paused to spew out his Ninjutsu, he'd given up all defense and poured all his Chakra into the Phosphorus Corrosive Insects before throwing himself at him.

"Whoosh!"

The instant the flames struck him, Aburame Torune caught fire, blazing like a human candle. Purple toxic smoke billowed through the flames, filling the air with a pungent stench of burning flesh.

Yet wreathed in flames, he charged out of the inferno and reached Uchiha An as he'd intended. He grabbed Uchiha An by the arm.

"Got you!"

Aburame Torune's voice was so hoarse it barely sounded human, but it carried the wild joy of victory.

He clung tightly to Uchiha An, releasing Chakra in a frenzy to drive the Phosphorus Corrosive Insects on his skin to multiply rapidly and crawl toward him.

Before their eyes, Uchiha An's arm began to turn purple, little by little.

At the same time, two more Root ninja suddenly appeared behind Aburame Torune and charged in, heedless of their lives. A glow from burning Explosive Tags flared beneath one of them, while the other rapidly formed Hand Seals.

"Earth Style: Earth Prison Dome!"

The ground shook violently. The familiar stone walls of the prison rose from all sides once more, trapping the three of them inside.

Uchiha An snorted. The Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes spun wildly, and his upper-body Susanoo appeared again. As it burst through the cramped stone prison, it sheltered both him and Aburame Torune within its rib cage.

At the same time, a flash of his blade swept toward Aburame Torune.

But Aburame Torune focused solely on making the Phosphorus Corrosive Insects multiply. He didn't even try to dodge the attack, only shifting his body slightly.

"Squelch!" Blood sprayed as the blade fell. Aburame Torune was cut in two from shoulder to hip. Even after he collapsed, he kept his eyes fixed on Uchiha An, wanting to see how he would die.

"Boom!" The self-destructing ninja reached Susanoo and blew himself up while clinging to it.

But this stone prison had been maintained by only one ninja, and it was too small. Susanoo had already burst through it.

Without the stone prison to contain it, the explosion's power was severely diminished.

However, this time there were far more Explosive Tags than before. They still sent Susanoo rocking violently, covering its armor in cracks.

Blood tears streamed from Uchiha An's left eye, and he was gasping for breath.

Most importantly, because of the explosion, Uchiha An had to devote all his strength to maintaining Susanoo's defense, leaving him unable to resist the Phosphorus Corrosive Insects. Nearly half his body had already turned purple.