In the rain, a visible bubble expanded rapidly, its surface covered with a rough, needle-like mist of water.
The bottoms of the Konoha and Kumogakure ninjas' eyes reflected the glaring firelight, like a fountain gushing forth composed of flames and light.
And just as the firelight surged out, a moment before it engulfed the Konoha group, Akimichi Todo turned around, shielding the explosion's impact with his broad back.
"Expansion Jutsu!"
Todo let out a determined roar, defying the detonation.
Simultaneously, two other voices unexpectedly rang out at the same time.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Rotation!"
Boom!!
It was as if a small sun had suddenly exploded before their eyes. The blinding light and deafening roar at close range caused temporary blindness and deafness.
In the ensuing silence, a violent wave of heat rushed towards them. The explosive force instantly shattered every window.
Fragments of wood and stone sprayed in all directions, accompanied by incessant shrieks. Anyone caught in their path would have been pierced through as easily as paper.
However, the Konoha ninjas were merely sent flying instantaneously, as if struck head-on by a high-speed charging elephant, tumbling backwards through the air.
They were hurled out of the inn, crashing down in various places.
Crack! Crunch!
Bodies emitted sickening, crisp sounds of breaking bones. Intense pain surged through the Konoha ninjas as they lay groaning on the ground, suffering from tinnitus and dizziness.
The explosion was sudden and swift. About ten seconds later, the black smoke slowly settled, and the tremors gradually subsided.
"Pfft!"
Aburame Ryoma, who had crashed to the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood. Clutching his chest, he felt as if his internal organs had been displaced.
After recovering for a while, his vision, which had gone black and then white, began to return. Images gradually emerged from countless snowy specks of noise. The first color he saw was orange, firelight, the dying embers of flames spread before his eyes.
His hearing, which had been filled with sharp tinnitus, also started to recover. He could hear crackling sounds of burning and groans of pain.
"Cough, cough! What the hell happened?"
Thick black smoke invaded his nasal passages, causing him to cough. Ryoma struggled to his feet and looked towards the collapsed inn in the distance, spotting the charred, enormous corpse of an insect.
That was his summoning beast.
If he hadn't remained vigilant and instinctively used the Summoning Jutsu, being so close, he would likely be dead or crippled by now.
Moreover, two others had been even closer than him.
Crack!
A black arm emerged from the rubble, and then, with a sudden heave, a large quantity of wall debris was pushed aside as a figure crawled out from under the wreckage.
It was Akimichi Todo, who had been closest to the explosion point.
Having used the Expansion Jutsu, he had absorbed the strongest impact and shielded the others from the blast.
If he hadn't been at the forefront, the others wouldn't have just been blown back; they would have faced the full force of the explosion head-on.
Thud!
The act of crawling out of the debris seemed to drain his remaining strength. His shrinking body pitched forward onto the ground. The skin on his back was covered with black, swollen burn marks.
However, being from the Akimichi clan, renowned for their physical arts secret techniques, even sustaining such a close-range explosion didn't kill him outright. But the damage to his internal organs and brain had left him severely injured and unconscious.
In contrast, the Kumogakure ninjas who had been inside the inn weren't so fortunate.
Black smoke and white mist filled the inn like a curtain, the heat haze distorting the air, obscuring the view of all the Konoha ninjas.
But soon, a figure was seen flying backwards out of the dense black smoke, crashing down beside Aburame Ryoma with a pained grunt.
Seeing the face of the person beside him, Ryoma's eyes flew wide open.
"Hyuga Arata?!"
'How was this possible? He was that close, and he survived?'
True, he was disheveled and covered in blood, with cracked skin on exposed areas from ruptured capillaries, but there were no severe burns.
There was a bloody gash across his chest, slicing through his clothes, looking less like it was from crushed stone and more like a sharp blade cut.
"You..."
Looking at Arata, his face contorted in pain and unable to rise, Ryoma suddenly recalled the low shout heard when the explosion occurred.
Rotation: Upon suffering an attack, releasing a large amount of chakra from the tenketsu points all over the body and spinning like a top, it could repel all physical attacks.
'This unremarkable branch house boy from the Hyuga clan had actually learned a secret technique passed down within the main house?'
"Cough, cough!"
Hyuga Arata's face bore two ferocious, bloody gashes. He suddenly reached out and gripped Ryoma's arm, his voice hoarse: "Senior Ryoma, take Senior Todo and leave quickly. That Kumogakure guy isn't..."
Before he could finish, a hoarse, roaring voice, distorted to the point of terror, reached their ears, cutting him off.
"You damn bastards! I'll kill you all!!"
As the words faded, a black figure followed closely, bursting through the smoke and rushing out instantly.
The figure was barely recognizable as human, looking like a charred corpse, still emitting black smoke and even giving off a smell of cooked flesh.
But he was still alive, though living in agony, with severe burns all over his body, tormented to the point of madness.
The reason was the iron sand dripping around him, which had absorbed most of the impact but couldn't protect him from the burns.
"Wait! Hold on!"
Ryoma instantly sensed danger. Unable to move due to his internal injuries, he quickly shouted, "Calm down! It wasn't us! We were caught in it, too! Someone is deliberately provoking!"
Upon hearing this, Toroi, who was about to strike in anger, hesitated. His gaze swept over the Konoha ninjas, who were also incapacitated.
But just a second before he could calm down, eight black figures suddenly appeared from various directions using the Body Flicker Technique.
They were the Root ninjas who had followed Aburame Ryoma and remained hidden in the shadows.
"Don't fight!"
Seeing Toroi grip his kunai tightly, Ryoma shouted immediately.
Two of them instinctively moved to tend to the unconscious Akimichi Todo. Three others stood tense on either side of Toroi, on guard against him.
However, the other three figures came to stand before Aburame Ryoma and, without hesitation and in unison, hurled their kunai at him.
"You all..."
This scene made Ryoma's eyes widen in shock and fear. He never imagined Root ninjas would disregard his orders.
The conscious Anbu ninjas nearby also looked at Ryoma with suspicion and doubt, instantly realizing his true identity.
No wonder... no wonder he had that familiar, cold aura. So Aburame Ryoma really was a Root ninja?
Realizing this, the Konoha ninjas instinctively assumed that the command "Don't fight" was actually an order for Toroi to let his guard down, and a signal for the Root ninjas to "attack."
"Root... no, it's Danzo! Danzo's ambitions haven't died! He wants to sabotage the negotiations and spark a war between the two nations!" This thought suddenly flashed through their minds.
It wasn't their fault for thinking this; as Anbu ninjas, they were all too familiar with Danzo's misdeeds and personality.
But Ryoma himself knew perfectly well that he had never given any signal to attack!
Nearby, Hyuga Arata's head was lowered, the firelight casting shadows on his face.
"Despicable Konoha ninjas! You really are up to no good!"
Watching the Konoha ninjas hurling kunai at him, the last shred of hesitation in Toroi's heart vanished completely. Overwhelming rage took its place, and he finally struck.
Whir! Whir!
The moment the words fell, Toroi hurled three massive shuriken, several piercing whirs suddenly ringing out!
The gleaming, sharp blades cut through the rainy night. Two of the massive shuriken not only deflected the kunai but instantly sliced the three Root ninjas who had thrown them in half.
And the last massive shuriken...
The two Root ninjas supporting Akimichi Todo felt their hair stand on end. In their peripheral vision, they saw several shuriken flying towards them from behind. A suffocating chill enveloped their hearts, even stiffening their bodies.
But the next moment, a figure appeared before them.
Gate of Healing Open!