On the way to the Root base, Uchiha Shisui gained a whole new understanding of Uzumaki Naruto's strength.
Every time Naruto passed a location that might be a Root stronghold, he casually created a shadow clone, then immediately rushed toward the next one without stopping. Each clone had combat power above that of a chūnin.
One man… forming an army.
That wasn't something you could achieve without the chakra of a tailed beast.
And releasing that many shadow clones at once—wouldn't the feedback overload fry his brain when they dispelled?
…Or had Menma-sama simply gotten used to it?
After several hours, Naruto and Shisui finally arrived at the Root base.
The entrance was sealed behind a massive boulder, layered with barrier techniques to block detection. No surprises—this had to be the main lair.
Naruto gathered chakra into his palm and smashed the boulder into dust with a single punch, then charged straight inside.
"Menma-sama—watch out for the explosive tags—!"
Shisui barely finished speaking before he saw Naruto sprint straight across a carpet of detonating tags, casually outrunning the explosions before they could even trigger properly.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Even outrunning explosions was one thing—but doing it this casually?
Shisui was speechless.
After all that chaos, the tunnel didn't even collapse.
At this point, he just assumed it was another ridiculous "Menma-sama ability." The Uzushio ninjas were probably used to this kind of nonsense already.
Every so often, their leader would suddenly master a new elemental technique—and not just master it, but instantly push it to jōnin level, complete with advanced chakra nature transformations.
Totally normal. Absolutely reasonable.
…Yeah, right.
Not long after, the two were stopped by a Root jōnin—an elite from the Aburame Clan.
Long before Naruto and Shisui arrived, he had already filled the entire area with microscopic parasitic insects. These nano-sized venomous bugs could enter the body through breathing and kill from the inside.
After spotting them, Aburame Ryoma sneered.
"I thought I'd at least catch someone from the Akatsuki… but it's just the leftover Uchiha."
"Ready to die together?"
As he spoke, he activated the mechanism sealing all exits.
Then he tore open his clothes, revealing his body covered in densely packed explosive tags—and charged straight at them.
Naruto didn't even blink.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Drawing on the Three-Tails' chakra, Naruto created a massive surge of water out of thin air. The impact blasted Ryōma backward, completely soaking him.
The explosive tags fizzled uselessly.
Naruto walked up calmly, crouched down, and said:
"This is your limit? If that's all you've got… you're not stopping us."
Despite everything, Naruto still showed a basic level of respect for a jōnin-level opponent.
Ryōma, however, wasn't done.
With a final effort, he released every parasite in his body at once.
A swarm of deadly insects surged forward—
—and were instantly incinerated by Shisui's Fire Release before they could even get close.
"…Looks like that last move didn't do much," Naruto said lightly. "Tell us where Danzo is. We're not your enemies."
Ryōma forced an ugly smile.
"The moment you stepped into this base… you were already infected."
"Those cute little bugs are eating your organs and chakra as we speak."
"You won't last long."
Naruto opened his palm, letting a few crushed insect remains fall.
"You mean these?"
"They were shredded by my chakra the moment they got inside. And Shisui here? He's got his own ways to deal with them."
Ryōma stared in disbelief… then let out a quiet sigh.
"Danzo-sama… and the Hokage… should've dealt with traitors like you sooner…"
"They never should've let you grow this strong."
The moment he finished speaking, he activated the parasites in his brain—
—and committed suicide.
Shisui exhaled slowly.
"Thanks to you, Menma-sama. If you hadn't warned me earlier, I might've already been hit."
"That was Aburame Ryōma… Danzo's right-hand man. An elite jōnin."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Elite jōnin? I thought he was just a special jōnin."
Then he smirked.
"But Shisui… stop pretending. With the second-stage curse seal, those bugs wouldn't have done shit to you anyway. Natural energy isn't something they can digest."
Shisui gave a helpless smile.
"…Even so, I didn't expect Ryōma to die here."
"Why follow Danzo? He's already a traitor."
Naruto shrugged.
"Ideals. Conviction."
"You don't survive in Root without believing in something twisted. And there'll always be people willing to die for it."
"…I see."
Shisui nodded, then frowned.
"Menma-sama… with Ryōma dead, our lead on Danzo is gone."
Naruto shook his head and pointed ahead.
Shisui blinked.
There had been a wall there just a moment ago.
Now… there was a passage.
"…What the—?"
Naruto just smiled.
That passage had been buried under several meters of rock. Without mastering Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode, even he wouldn't have sensed it.
But now?
All it took was a bit of Sage Art—Inorganic Reincarnation.
Problem solved.
...
Meanwhile, in the Land of Wind, deep within the desert—
A cold night wind blew across Shimura Danzo's face.
After spending the day eating sand like a miserable old lizard, he had chosen to travel at night, aiming to reach an oasis for rest as quickly as possible.
As he crossed a dune, his expression darkened.
The Root base… had been attacked.
Worse—Ryōma had disobeyed orders and died instead of leading a diversion.
That was bad.
Very bad.
Even though the escape route had been destroyed, there was still a slim chance the enemy could trace him.
If they locked onto his position somehow…
He needed to move faster.
His destination: the ruins of Rōran (Loulan).
The Dragon Vein there contained energy comparable to a tailed beast.
If he could control it—
The Wood Release Project would no longer suffer from energy shortages.
He could even use that power to replicate Sunagakure-style puppets and build an army.
That was why he had chosen the Land of Rivers as his base in the first place.
But now?
With Uzushio and Amegakure hunting him, he didn't have time for careful development.
This would be his final gamble.
Break the Dragon Vein's seal.
Use his Mangekyō Sharingan to control it.
And become its Jinchūriki.
With that thought, Danzo gathered Wind Release chakra and glided across the desert sands.
Before long, the massive ruins of Loulan came into view.
Beside them—
A small oasis.
Danzo didn't even glance at it.
His eyes locked onto the tallest tower in the ruins.
And he moved forward without hesitation.
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