Root Base.
"Lord Danzo!" Aburame Ryoma shouted anxiously as he caught the unconscious Danzo.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of Root ninjas flashed out from the shadows, weapons already drawn. As tools raised by Root, even with Danzo unconscious, they wouldn't act recklessly on their own.
They were waiting.
After all, even if Danzo had fallen, Aburame Ryoma was still here. With a single command from him, they would charge forward without hesitation—even if the result would only be their deaths.
"Stand down!"
After handing Danzo over to a medical ninja, Ryoma instantly appeared in front of Yoru, roaring at the others.
He understood clearly—
If these Root ninjas rushed Yoru, not a single one of them would survive.
Even though rage burned in his chest, he could only grit his teeth and swallow it.
At the command, the Root ninjas put away their weapons and retreated back into the darkness.
"Oh? As expected of Root… truly like tools," Yoru remarked, his tone seemingly sincere—but the disdain in his expression was unmistakable.
"Yoru-sama…" Ryoma's face turned ashen. Yet he didn't dare act arrogantly like before. The pain of his severed arm still lingered vividly in his memory.
He knew—
Killing him would be effortless for Yoru.
"May I ask why you came to the Root base and caused such destruction?" Ryoma asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Oh?" A hint of interest flashed in Yoru's eyes.
"And who exactly are you?" he said, looking down at him as if at an insect. "Do I need to report my actions to you?"
Ryoma had prepared himself, expecting Yoru to at least bring up Danzo's attempt against him—
But he never imagined—
That Yoru would simply dismiss him like this.
Rage surged within him.
Veins bulged across his face as humiliation consumed him.
As an elite Root ninja, aside from Danzo, everyone treated him with respect. Never—never—had he suffered such contempt.
"Is there a problem?" Yoru tilted his head slightly, his interest deepening as he looked at Ryoma, who burned with anger yet dared not speak.
"N-No problem… Yoru-sama," Ryoma forced the words out through clenched teeth.
Hatred filled his heart.
He wanted nothing more than to throw Yoru into his swarm of insects—to let him be devoured alive.
But he couldn't.
Because if he tried—
The only outcome would be his own body sinking into magma, erased without a trace.
"Good," Yoru said with a faint nod, a trace of approval in his eyes. "You actually managed to endure it. Seems like Danzo's subordinates aren't all idiots."
"Then pass a message to Danzo. The feng shui here isn't very good. Tell him to move somewhere else."
"Otherwise—"
Sizzle!
Yoru's entire body suddenly transformed into crimson magma!
Molten liquid dripped from every part of him, turning the ground beneath into a searing hell. A suffocating pressure surged outward.
Ryoma stared in horror.
A terrifying thought flashed through his mind.
Could it be—
Yoru himself… was magma?
He couldn't accept it.
If that were true—
Then everything made sense.
His insects entering Yoru's body… only to be instantly annihilated.
It was no different from sending them into a sea of lava.
The Aburame clan's greatest strength—
Was completely meaningless before him.
"Y-Yes… Yoru-sama…" Ryoma replied, his will to resist utterly shattered.
Seeing his compliance, Yoru lost interest in continuing the massacre.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still the one in power. Acting recklessly wouldn't benefit him.
He wasn't like Danzo—
He wasn't that stupid.
Ryoma stood there in a daze, staring at the scene.
The massive magma fist had dissolved into countless streams of molten rock, turning the entire base into a crimson inferno.
The heat was suffocating.
He couldn't even tell—
Whether the moisture on his back was cold sweat from fear…
Or sweat from the unbearable heat.
The Root base—
Was destroyed.
…
When Yoru returned home—
He saw three anxious figures waiting for him.
Tsunade stood nearby, comforting them.
Not far away, ANBU ninjas were searching the area.
Earlier, when the three girls saw the destruction in the courtyard—and Yoru's room blown apart—yet couldn't find him anywhere—
Panic had overtaken them.
Konan had nearly burst into tears.
Thankfully, Mikoto stayed calm enough to act.
Kushina rushed to find Tsunade.
Mikoto reported the situation to the village.
When the village learned that something had happened to Yoru—
They immediately realized this wasn't something they could handle.
The matter was reported directly to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He took it seriously—
Dispatching elite ANBU to investigate.
"You three…" Yoru looked at the pitiful expressions on their faces and sighed with a wry smile.
He should have told them beforehand.
"Yoru-sama, it's good that you're safe," one ANBU said respectfully, bowing slightly. "We still need to conduct further investigation. You—"
"Take your people and leave."
Yoru cut him off coldly before he could finish.
"Yoru-sama! This is—" The ANBU raised his head, about to mention the Hokage's orders.
But when he met Yoru's gaze—
A chill ran down his spine.
Cold sweat instantly broke out across his back.
That killing intent…
It felt like death itself was staring at him.
"…Understood. Yoru-sama, we will take our leave."
Terrified, the ANBU didn't dare stay any longer.
"Leave what you're carrying."
Yoru's voice was calm, yet his presence locked onto them completely.
The ANBU froze.
Under their captain's command, they obediently took out all the ashes they had collected from the courtyard and placed them down.
After bowing once more—
They left in a somewhat disheveled state.
Yoru watched them go, his gaze flickering.
After a moment, he ignored it and turned his attention back to the three girls.
He gently comforted them.
But beside them—
Tsunade's gaze made him smile helplessly.
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