The Shadow of the Root, the Salamander's Deadly Fragrance

Naruto: Starting from the Rinne Sharingan

Chapter 10: Shadow of the Root, The Salamander's Deadly Fragrance

Following the intelligence provided by Gen, Su Ye pinpointed a secret base of the Root organization located in the eastern outskirts of Konoha. Transforming into a sparrow, he perched on a treetop outside the base perimeter, using the X-ray vision of his Rinne Sharingan to scan the structure below. The base consisted of three levels of underground fortifications, with the outer layer protected by a "specialized Anbu barrier" capable of disrupting sensory perception. Inside, the patrolling ninja all wore the same black trench coats as Danzo, with kunai engraved with the character for "Root" hanging at their waists.

A barrier that disrupts sensory perception... Su Ye's brows furrowed slightly. The pale purple tomoe of his Rinne Sharingan rotated, beginning to analyze the flow of chakra within the barrier. He discovered that the core of the barrier was located in a secret room on the second underground level; once the core was destroyed, the barrier would fail.

Just as he prepared to activate Heavenly Hand Power to infiltrate, a faint, lingering fragrance suddenly drifted into his nostrils. The scent carried the fishy odor of a salamander, yet it was mixed with a cloying sweetness capable of paralyzing the nerves. Su Ye's pupils constricted, and he immediately retreated from the area—this was a variant of the signature poison technique of Hanzo the Salamander, "Salamander Poison"!

Has someone discovered me? Su Ye felt a surge of vigilance, his Rinne Sharingan rapidly scanning his surroundings. From the flowerbeds on the east side of the base, a woman wearing a Root trench coat slowly emerged. She had long, blonde hair like Ino, but her face was covered by a half-mask resembling a salamander, and her exposed arms were covered in black salamander tattoos.

"A little mouse from the Konoha Anbu, hiding your head and showing your tail isn't very fun." The woman's voice carried a hint of languor. She raised her hand gently, and countless tiny salamanders crawled out from her tattoos, transforming into a toxic mist that drifted toward Su Ye.

"Salamander Ino!" Su Ye recognized her instantly—an artificial weapon created by Danzo, who had fused the cells of Hanzo the Salamander with Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu. Not daring to take the toxic mist head-on, he immediately activated "Substitution Technique + Kamui." As his body turned into smoke and vanished, his consciousness slipped into the Kamui dimension, and a second later, he reappeared in the dense forest on the west side of the base.

Yet, the toxic mist seemed to possess a life of its own, bypassing the trees to continue its pursuit. Salamander Ino giggled, "My 'fragrance' is inescapable, you know~" She formed hand seals, "Mind Transfer Jutsu: Salamander Specialized Version!"

A bizarre surge of chakra instantly invaded Su Ye's consciousness, attempting to seize control of his body. Su Ye gritted his teeth, the mental resistance of his Rinne Sharingan erupting instantly. The pale purple tomoe spun like a windmill, repelling the invading chakra entirely. He countered with hand seals: "Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

A massive wall of fire swept toward Salamander Ino, but she did not dodge or retreat. The salamander tattoo on her body suddenly opened a giant maw, swallowing the flames whole. "It's useless; my salamander can devour any ninjutsu~"

Su Ye's gaze sharpened, realizing that conventional ninjutsu was ineffective against her. He suddenly activated Heavenly Hand Power, swapping positions with the ground beneath Salamander Ino's feet! Caught off guard, Ino's body plunged into the earth, exposing a vulnerability. Seizing the opportunity, Su Ye activated "Shadow Clone + Heavenly Hand Power," and three clones appeared simultaneously around Ino, each thrusting a kunai toward her limbs.

"Interesting." Ino chuckled, her body suddenly dissolving into countless small salamanders, dodging all attacks before reforming in place. The tattoo on her arm writhed again, and this time, the salamanders that emerged lunged directly at Su Ye's clones—the clones bitten by them instantly dissolved into pus, leaving not even a trace of chakra behind.

An immortal salamander... Su Ye was deeply shaken. His Rinne Sharingan rapidly analyzed her weakness: the core of the salamander tattoo was located at her heart. Destroying it would strip her of her poison abilities.

However, Ino was clearly aware of her own weakness, keeping her heart hidden behind the salamander mask throughout the battle. Su Ye took a deep breath and suddenly split into five clones, simultaneously launching "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu," "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu," "Lightning Style: Lightning Kirin," "Earth Style: Earth Flow River," and "Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"

The five elemental ninjutsu erupted in unison, completely submerging Salamander Ino. She let out a cry of pain, the salamander tattoo on her body writhing frantically as it attempted to swallow all the ninjutsu. Su Ye seized this gap, his main body activating Heavenly Hand Power to swap positions with the salamander mask covering Ino's heart!

"Puchi!" The kunai pierced accurately into Ino's heart. The salamander tattoo on her body instantly lost its luster, and the toxic mist dissipated along with it. Ino looked at Su Ye in disbelief: "You... how could you possibly find my core..."

Su Ye did not answer, rushing quickly toward the barrier core on the second underground level. He knew that dealing with Ino was only the beginning; inside the Root base, there had to be evidence of Danzo's collusion with the Akatsuki.

When he destroyed the barrier core and infiltrated the third underground level, the sight before him made his pupils shrink—countless incubation tanks held corpses resembling the Pain Deva Path, each with the "Root" mark engraved on their foreheads. In the center of the tanks, Danzo stood before a massive Rinnegan device, staring at a figure clad in the red-cloud robe of the Akatsuki.

"Mr. Madara, the bodies you requested are ready." Danzo's voice carried a note of triumph. "Once these Pain corpses are integrated, you will possess the true power of the Rinnegan."

The person beneath the red-cloud robe let out a low, raspy laugh: "Danzo, you truly did not disappoint me. But before that, let's deal with this uninvited guest first."

Su Ye looked at the familiar red-cloud robe and the Rinnegan, his heart sinking heavily—standing opposite Danzo was none other than Uchiha Obito!