Tiger Roar

Whoosh.

Without a word, Dan took a single step and crossed more than ten meters, his heavy fist driving straight toward Aburame Ryoma.

His fist rippled as he activated the Yin Release Phantom Body Technique again.

Just as expected, Aburame Ryoma fell for the Genjutsu and stood motionless.

But the next second—

With a thud, Dan felt as if his fist had struck nothing but air.

Looking closely, he saw that Aburame Ryoma's body had turned into countless tiny black insects, pouring out from beneath his hood, through his sleeves, and down his trouser legs.

They swarmed onto Dan.

Insect Clone Technique.

It was a trap Aburame Ryoma had laid.

In no time, half of Dan's body was covered in black Kikaichū. They clung to his skin, trying to pierce it with their sharp mouthparts and inject him with poison.

Dan was utterly unafraid. He simply gave his body a casual shake, making every muscle tremble as he released Chakra.

Like a rooster ruffling its feathers.

With that simple shake, he stunned and killed every Kikaichū on his body. They pattered to the ground in a shower.

Aburame Ryoma's attack wasn't over.

Countless insects surged through the woods from every direction, layer upon layer, surrounding Dan like black waves.

As it turned out—

The four Root Ninja from earlier had only been there to hold Dan off, giving Aburame Ryoma time to breed his swarm and prepare his ultimate move.

Dan had Steel Body.

But his greatest weakness was that he relied on physical combat alone and had no large-scale attacks at his disposal, such as the Uchiha's Fire Release Ninjutsu.

Because he was a Ninjutsu Insulator.

Aburame Ryoma had seized on this weakness and used the Insect Swarm Tactic, leaving Dan unable to fend off the swarm with his fists and feet.

The insects would surge at him one after another until they buried him completely, then crawl into his body through his nose, mouth, ears, and even his eyes.

They would eat him until nothing remained.

Faced with the deadly trap his enemy had set, Dan suddenly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He puffed out his chest, drew in his stomach, and lifted his entire abdominal cavity.

He formed a Vacuum Abdomen.

The next second—

"Roar!"

He let out a ferocious cry that echoed through the woods and sent countless birds flying.

Buzz.

As Dan roared, a wave of sound spread out from him in every direction, sweeping through the swarm.

Tiger Roars in the Forest.

Using a unique method of vocalization, Dan added the vibrations of his Chakra and transmitted destructive energy in the form of sound waves. These further resonated with the surrounding air, amplifying the technique's power.

It was similar to the Ninjutsu used by the Otogakure ninjas in the Original Work.

The hardest part of this Howling Technique was that the user needed exceptionally powerful vocal muscles. Otherwise, their throat would give out before they could master it.

For Dan, that was no problem.

Whether it was his triceps, biceps, or even his "one-head muscle," from his sphincter muscles to his throat muscles, he had faithfully followed the revelations of the Muscle God and trained every one to its limit.

With all 639 muscles in his body, Dan could always fight in ways that defied expectation, catching his enemies off guard.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Wherever the Tiger Roar's sound waves passed, the ground looked as though it had been plowed. Wave after wave of Kikaichū flipped onto their backs, and countless more died from the vibrations.

The surviving insects seemed to receive some kind of command. They quickly turned around and vanished into the depths of the woods like a receding tide.

Aburame Ryoma had escaped.

"What a cautious fellow. No wonder he's from the Aburame Clan."

Dan sighed.

The Aburame Clan wasn't famous, but Dan considered them a group no one should ever underestimate.

Their Kikaichū Technique combined offense, defense, healing, poisoning, and reconnaissance. It was practically all-purpose. And every clan member was painstakingly cautious, fond of hiding in the shadows to ambush people.

In the Original Work—

Uchiha Shisui was poisoned by the venomous insects of an Aburame ninja named Fruit Fly. By the time he realized what had happened, the poison had spread throughout his body, leaving him no choice but to jump off a cliff and take his own life.

Obito Uchiha was also attacked by Aburame Torune's nanoscale venomous insects and had to sacrifice one of his arms.

During the battle just now—

Aburame Ryoma had stayed hidden the entire time, observing Dan's abilities as he prepared his killing move. Even when he retreated, he never revealed his real body.

He had been cautious to the extreme.

But—

Dan was cautious too.

He hadn't revealed too much of his strength either, especially his Substitution and Time Stop. If Aburame Ryoma noticed anything suspicious, it would cause trouble for him later.

It was time to leave.

Dan gathered the bodies of the four Root Ninja and took out a scroll he carried with him, spreading it out on the ground.

This kind of scroll was specially designed to store corpses. All it took was a dose of Chakra to activate the technique.

"Poof!"

The bodies turned into white smoke and entered the scroll. Dan then sped off in one direction.

Konoha, Root Base.

Danzo and Uchiha Itachi, one old and one young, had been waiting for nearly an hour.

Danzo sat calmly in a chair with his eyes closed, resting, completely unconcerned that anything might go wrong.

Itachi stood to one side, staring gravely toward the base entrance. Though he didn't believe his uncle could be killed so easily, he couldn't help feeling anxious.

And as time passed, his anxiety only grew.

"Itachi, are you still clinging to wishful thinking?"

Danzo's voice suddenly rang out.

He saw through Itachi's naive hopes and ruthlessly shattered them:

"The elite squad I sent out was made up of Root's finest. Among its members were people specifically suited to counter Uchiha Dan's abilities. And Ryoma went with them. You should know what that means."

Itachi shuddered at his words and swayed, nearly losing his balance.

He hadn't expected Danzo to be so ruthless.

Never mind the elite squad. Aburame Ryoma was Root's second-in-command. He had once served as Danzo's bodyguard alongside Orochimaru, and his strength was on par with the Sannin.

Only then did Itachi realize—

His uncle was probably doomed this time.

Danzo was pleased by Itachi's reaction. He put on a sigh and continued:

"Though I promised to give you Uchiha Dan's body, if Ryoma gets involved, your uncle might not even be left in one piece. Ah, all we can do is hope Dan doesn't put up too much of a fight. Don't you agree?"

At his words, Itachi looked nearly hopeless, his face ashen.

Through the torment of waiting—

After an unknown amount of time, a figure appeared at the Root Base entrance. Aburame Ryoma had finally returned.

"Lord Danzo." As soon as he returned, Aburame Ryoma dropped to one knee and lowered his head.

"Speak."

Danzo frowned at the sight, suddenly sensing that something was wrong.

Aburame Ryoma raised his head and glanced at Itachi. After hesitating for two seconds, he reported the truth:

"We... failed."

What?!

Danzo and Itachi were both stunned.

Silence.

After Aburame Ryoma spoke, Root Base fell deathly quiet. No one said a word.

Crack, crack.

Danzo tightened his grip on his cane. The veins on the back of his hand bulged as he furrowed his brow, on the verge of exploding.

The atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.

At that moment, Itachi came to his senses, bowed politely to Danzo, and said coolly:

"Lord Danzo, the Anbu have other matters to attend to. I'll take my leave."

Without waiting for Danzo to answer, he turned and walked straight out.

He hadn't shown Danzo the slightest courtesy.