In the pouring rain, a visible air bubble expanded rapidly, its surface bristling with a fine, needle-like mist.
The eyes of the Konoha and Kumogakure shinobi reflected blinding firelight, as if a fountain of flames and sparks had erupted right in front of them.
Right before the surge of fire swallowed the Konoha group, Akimichi Dōtō spun around, turning his broad back to the explosion.
"Multi-Size Technique!"
Akimichi Dōtō roared with determination, his voice cutting through the deafening blast.
At the exact same moment, two other voices rang out together.
"Summoning Technique!"
"Rotation!"
Boom!!
It was like a miniature sun had detonated right in front of them. The intense flash and roar left everyone momentarily blind and deaf.
In that sudden silence, a violent wave of heat slammed into them. The shockwave shattered every window in the inn.
Shards of wood and stone shot outward in every direction, whistling sharply through the air. Anything caught in their path would have been pierced clean through like paper.
Yet the Konoha shinobi were simply hurled into the air, as if struck head-on by a charging elephant. They tumbled backward through the night before crashing down outside the inn.
Crack! Crunch!
The sickening sound of bones snapping filled the air as pain surged through their bodies. They lay sprawled on the ground, groaning, ears ringing and vision spinning.
The explosion had come without warning and ended just as quickly. About ten seconds later, the thick black smoke began to settle and the tremors finally subsided.
"Ugh!"
Aburame Ryūma coughed up a mouthful of blood and clutched his chest, feeling as if all his internal organs had shifted out of place.
After a long moment, his darkened vision slowly returned from a field of white static. The first color he saw was orange—the lingering glow of flames.
His hearing came back next, filled with the crackle of burning debris and pained moans.
"Cough, cough! What the hell just happened?"
Thick smoke stung his nostrils as he struggled to his feet. He looked toward the collapsed inn and spotted the charred remains of a massive insect carcass.
That was his summoned beast.
If he hadn't stayed alert and instinctively used the Summoning Technique in time, he—who had been standing so close—would likely be dead or crippled right now.
And there were two others who had been even closer.
Crack!
A blackened arm thrust out from the rubble, then violently shoved aside broken bricks as its owner climbed free.
It was Akimichi Dōtō, who had been closest to the blast.
Having used the Multi-Size Technique, he had taken the full brunt of the explosion and shielded everyone behind him.
Without him standing in front, the others wouldn't have simply been thrown back—they would have faced the blast directly.
Thud!
The effort of crawling out seemed to drain the last of his strength. His shrinking body pitched forward and collapsed. The skin on his back was covered in blackened, swollen burns.
Still, as a member of the Akimichi clan renowned for their body-expansion secret techniques, he hadn't died from the close-range blast. He had only suffered severe internal and head trauma that left him unconscious.
In contrast, the Kumogakure shinobi inside the inn had not been nearly as fortunate.
Thick black smoke and white steam filled the ruined building like a heavy curtain. Waves of heat distorted the air, blocking the Konoha ninja's view.
But soon, a figure came flying backward out of the dense smoke and crashed beside Aburame Ryūma with a pained grunt.
When Ryūma saw who it was, his eyes widened in shock.
"Hyūga Kumokawa?!"
How was that possible? The guy had been standing right next to the explosion—yet he was still alive?
He was covered in dirt and blood, with cracks across his exposed skin from ruptured capillaries, but he showed no serious burns.
A long slash had torn through his clothes across his chest, looking more like it came from a sharp weapon than flying debris.
"You…"
Seeing Hyūga Kumokawa struggling in obvious pain, barely able to stand, Aburame Ryūma suddenly remembered the shout he had heard right as the explosion went off.
Rotation. By releasing a massive amount of chakra from the body's tenketsu points and spinning it like a top, it could deflect all physical attacks.
How had this overlooked branch member actually mastered the Hyūga clan's secret main-house technique?
"Cough, cough!"
Two vicious gashes marked Hyūga Kumokawa's face. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Aburame Ryūma's arm, rasping urgently, "Ryūma-senpai, quickly take Dōtō-senpai and get out of here! That guy from Cloud still hasn't—"
Before he could finish, a hoarse, terrifying roar cut him off.
"You bastards! I'll kill every last one of you!!"
A black figure burst out of the smoke right after the words.
The figure was barely recognizable as human anymore—just a charred corpse still smoldering, reeking of burnt flesh.
Yet he was still alive, enduring unimaginable agony. His entire body was covered in third-degree burns that had driven him nearly mad with pain.
The iron sand falling around him had blocked most of the explosive force, but it couldn't protect him from the searing heat.
"Wait! Hold on!"
Aburame Ryūma instantly realized the danger. Still badly injured and barely able to move, he shouted desperately, "Calm down! It wasn't us! We were caught in it too! Someone's deliberately trying to provoke a fight!"
Toroi paused, his rage momentarily checked as his eyes swept over the similarly incapacitated Konoha shinobi.
But just before he could calm down, eight black figures suddenly flickered into view from all directions.
They were the Root shinobi who had come with Aburame Ryūma and had been hiding in the shadows.
"Don't attack!"
Seeing Toroi grip his shuriken tightly, Aburame Ryūma shouted at once.
Two of the Root members rushed to treat the unconscious Akimichi Dōtō, while three others stood tensely on either side of Toroi, watching him warily.
But the remaining three stepped directly in front of Aburame Ryūma and, without hesitation, hurled their kunai at Toroi in unison.
"You…"
The sight made Aburame Ryūma's eyes widen in horror. He had never expected the Root ninjas to ignore his orders.
The other conscious Konoha ANBU looked at him with sudden suspicion, instantly realizing his true affiliation.
No wonder… that familiar cold aura. So Aburame Ryūma really was one of Root's people?
With that realization, the Konoha shinobi immediately assumed that his shout of "Don't attack" had actually been a coded signal for the Root members to strike once Toroi lowered his guard.
"It's Root… No, it's Danzō! Danzō doesn't want the negotiations to succeed—he's trying to start a war between the two villages!" The same thought flashed through their minds.
They couldn't be blamed for thinking so. As ANBU, they knew all too well about the "Darkness of the Shinobi" and his history.
But Aburame Ryūma himself knew the truth clearly—he had given no such order to attack!
Nearby, Hyūga Kumokawa kept his head lowered, his face half-hidden in the shadow cast by the firelight.
"Treacherous Konoha dogs! You really were planning something!"
Seeing the kunai flying toward him, Toroi's last shred of hesitation vanished, replaced by overwhelming fury. He finally made his move.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the same instant, Toroi hurled three massive shuriken from his hand. They whistled sharply through the air!
The razor-sharp edges tore through the rainy night. Two of the giant shuriken not only deflected the incoming kunai but instantly sliced the three Root ninjas clean in half at the waist.
And the final giant shuriken…
The two Root members supporting Akimichi Dōtō felt their hairs stand on end. In their peripheral vision they saw the shuriken hurtling toward them from behind. An overwhelming chill gripped them, freezing their bodies in place.
But in the next instant, a figure appeared right in front of them.
Eight Inner Gates — Second Gate: Gate of Healing.
Open!
Hi guys, I just wanted to let you know that the rewrite for the Supreme Overlord project is officially ongoing now. If you want to read it, feel free to check out my second account.
Since this account got shadowbanned and I can't really interact with anything anymore, I decided to upload it on my second account instead: Elenea. (I'll leave a comment under this post so it's easier for you guys to find my second account.)
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[Father of the Evil Gods]
Synopsis:
In Zoroastrianism, the Mother of the Evil Gods is the source of all sin and darkness!
It is said that she created the Six Archdemons: Malice, Chaos, Aging, Betrayal, Weakness, and Destruction!
After obtaining the Authority of the Mother of the Evil Gods in the Little Garden, Saigou became the Supreme Being in the world of Overlord;
Surrounded by the Overlord, the Witch of the Void, the Archon of Teyvat, the Sage of Gensokyo, the Satan of DxD, and the Creator of the Demon Pillars;
Saigou was certain that he had firmly established his name as the Evil God;
And so, he must shout at the top of his lungs - God is dead!
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If you're curious and want to read it, feel free to check out my second account.