Chapter 37: Entrapment, Raging Pillars Of Fire
Aided with the Sharingan’s dynamic vision and the Byakugan’s piercing vision, Uchiha Tonan, who was at a corner in the yard, could see dense chakra spots coming at him after Aburame Ryosuke used a secret technique.
When the chakra was just about to shoot into the soles of his feet, he began running along the courtyard walls, avoiding the insect tide. He also kept throwing kunai at Ryosuke.
Faced with the attacks, Ryosuke deftly jumped a few times and dodged them perfectly.
“Difficult little brat, it all ends here!”
Ryosuke felt confident as he silently made seals. To ambush Tonan, he made another insects horde lay in wait at the front, as the earlier continued the chase from behind. The insects waited quietly on the ground, covered under the house’s shadow.
As long as Tonan ran a few steps forward, this group of insects would trap him in an encirclement along with the insects behind.
Stomp
Tonan stamped his foot on the ground.
Just now, Ryoichi had just finished his seals.
“Secret Technique – Insect Sphere.”
“Ah!”
Tonan saw the insects in front and shrieked. He was enveloped by the insects that pounced on him from all directions. Under Ryosuke’s command, in just a few moments, the parasitic bugs frantically attacked Tonan’s chakra and devoured it all.
Once it was all done, Ryosuke came closer to Tonan and the parasitic insects flew back into his body. Without a moment’s delay, he wanted to knock Tonan out and take him to Root.
After all, a live capture would earn him higher points in the assessment, and a qualified tool must always try to complete its task perfectly.
Just as Ryosuke raised his hand, a violent warning came from the parasites that had returned to his body.
“No! Another genjutsu!”
Ryosuke unraveled the genjutsu again and saw a wooden sculpture instead of Tonan on the ground.
“Where is he?!”
Ryosuke calmly analyzed the situation, eyes constantly scanning his surroundings. But he found nothing. There was barely even any sound. Silently, a large shadow appeared on the ground, and in reflex, Ryosuke raised his head to look at the roof.
Tonan was standing where Ryosuke stood earlier with the cold moon behind him. Against the moonlight, his face was not clear, but the crimson Sharingan stood out in stark contrast.
Coo coo
Several dark bird-shaped figures landed on Tonan’s shoulder, also revealing the red Sharingan.
“Make sure to follow the right person in your next life.”
Tonan looked down at Ryosuke. Slightly raising his left hand, he swiftly made several seals with his right hand. The moment his left hand moved, a crisp light flashed across the courtyard.
“What’s that?!”
Under his mask, Ryosuke’s expression showed horror for the first time.
“Fire Style – Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!”
Boom
A fire snake slithered along with the chakra wire and speedily headed towards the courtyard. During the fight, Tonan had used fuma shuriken to spread chakra wires all over the courtyard. Ryosuke’s current predicament was similar to an insect caught in a web, struggling to escape.
“Damn it!”
Watching the flames stretch all over, Ryosuke didn’t use his insects. Instead, he was forced to run to the spot where the fire was yet to spread.
“If he wants to burn me alive with these flames, then he can dream on!”
But Tonan’s move was too conspicuous. The Uchiha clan would surely be alerted.
“Mission… failed. No! I’ll die if I fail! As long as I can escape this fire, I’ll have the opportunity to complete my task.”
Not far from the Uchiha district, Aburame Torune’s figure appeared on top of an electricity pole. The burning flames reflected in his eyes.
“Is the plan…going to fail? One more minute left. If you don’t finish the brat off by then, don’t blame me.”
In fact, regardless of whether this mission was a success or not, Torune knew that Ryosuke was likely to die today. When the Anbu get serious, they’re sure to find out the culprit, even if it was one of their own.
Danzo sent Torune specifically to ensure Root was not implicated. From the very beginning, his name never appeared on Root’s list. Whether Ryosuke completed this mission or not, the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal would still trigger and destroy Ryosuke’s brain in an instant.
The curse would also dissipate after his death, leaving no trace behind for any investigation to bear fruit.
At this time, the ninja in the Uchiha district’s center also noticed the commotion and dispatched towards Tonan’s residence. The Great Elder and Uchiha Fugaku rushed to the front of the crowd.
“Damn it, who’s it?” Fugaku’s face was grim. The Great Elder too looked gloomy. He couldn’t help but regret not convincing Tonan to move near the district’s center.
Ryosuke was just about to escape from the net of flames. Chakra wire, after all, was expensive and limited. There was no way Tonan could cover the entire courtyard.
“You little brat, I’ll kill you!”
Under the mask, Ryosuke’s eyes were cold to the extreme. Clearly, this failure caused the usually straight-faced him to be very irked.
As he ran, his hands formed seals to release a powerful jutsu that could kill Tonan in one fell swoop.
“Watch your strength. Don’t destroy those eyes.” Ryosuke reminded himself.
Meanwhile, when Tonan watched Ryosuke run away from the flames, the corner of his lips curved slightly.
The fish was in the net.
In the next moment, as if the ground was pulled from under Ryosuke’s foot, he felt he was stepping on air.
“This is…a trap!”
Ryosuke would never have thought that someone would actually set up a trap in their own home. At once, he thought of escaping using the Insect Transformation Technique.
But at this moment, Tonan moved. His left hand tugged sharply, as he flung more kunai with his right hand. The kunai and the fuma shuriken with the attached chakra wire had just fallen mid-air when they were hit by the incoming kunai, helping them regain momentum.
Tonan leaped up and pulled the net formed by the chakra wire towards Ryosuke.
“Do it!”
Ruthlessness flashed past Ryosuke’s eyes and he continued performing the Insect Transformation Technique to escape from the sea of fire. Even if he was going to lose a large number of insects, it was safer than falling into an unknown trap.
Tonan narrowed his eyes slightly. He could see through Ryosuke’s intentions from the flow of his chakra alone. He formed more seals with his right hand.
“Lightning Style – Ground Travel.”
Crackle
Electrical arcs flashed around the fire in an instant as the whole net shrunk. This stopped Ryosuke from performing the Insect Transformation Technique. The parasitic insects were too densely-packed. They would be electrocuted. In the best-case scenario, they would be paralyzed and in the worst-case, they would be burned down.
All happened in a flash, and in that moment’s hesitation, Ryosuke lost his footing and fell into the trap. Tonan immediately covered the trap’s opening with a large net of fire and lightning.
Splash
The sound of water rang out.
“Am I in water? Is this brat planning to electrocute me to death in water? It’s over…”
Under his mask, Ryosuke was horrified. But in the next moment, his fear and despair intensified. That was because he discovered he did not fall in water but oil.
He could no longer use his insects even if he wanted to. They would be stained by the oil, and there was both fire and lightning above…
Sizzle
Looking up, Ryosuke saw dazzling fire and arcing lightning at the entrance of the trap. And around him were several explosion tags that were currently burning…
Rumble
Following an earth-shattering explosion, fiery pillars of fire rocketed from the trap, venting towards the night sky.
Half of Konoha could see the rising flames.
