Chapter 266: Eye Snatching
Chapter 266: Eye Snatching
Ao was 43 years old this year and had participated in the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars. His role in Kirigakure was similar to that of Shikaku and Inoichi in Konoha. Even without the Byakugan, he was usually responsible for reconnaissance, sensory duties, and strategy. He wasn't the type like Ino, who called herself a sensory ninja but could actually pummel a Jinchuriki to the ground.
Although not a frontline combat ninja, he had survived to this day, and his combat experience was considerable. Without a second thought, he grabbed a nearby table laden with food ingredients, swung it with one hand to repel Torune Aburame, sending wood splinters flying everywhere. He retreated two steps, finally having time to draw a kunai and observe his enemies.
The attacking Root ninja were extremely silent, their ages ranging from thirteen to thirty. Torune Aburame was considered young among them at 17.
Ao noticed that Torune's all-black attire was suspicious and dared not make physical contact. He used the impact of the "Water Surge" to knock over two Root ninja, threw his kunai to force back another, then grabbed one Root ninja's ankle with one hand and their neck with the other. Lifting them overhead, he threw them towards Torune.
Torune quickly retreated, creating a gap in the encirclement. The experienced Ao judged this to be a trap and instead broke out in another direction.
He soon found himself in peril.
The Root ninja fought with no fear of death, often not even dodging his attacks.
One Root ninja entangled his arm with a chain hammer. Just as it wrapped around twice, Ao struck him in the chest with an elbow, caving in a large portion of his sternum. The Root ninja coughed up blood, but his grip on the chain remained unshaken.
"Bastards! They're death commandos?" Ao didn't know who he had offended to have such elite troops sent to assassinate him.
As a Jonin, he was decisive. He killed the Root ninja who had entangled him with two punches. The opponent was bleeding from their eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, their skull deformed, yet their hand still gripped the chain tightly. Ao ran two steps towards the side door, only to find this large appendage still attached to his arm. He shook his arm frantically, but for a moment, he couldn't break free.
The remaining eight Root ninja attacked from all directions.
A Root ninja's kunai slashed a bloody groove on Ao's shoulder. His left hand and cheek were successively injured. He quickly injected himself with an antidote, but his face turned dark, a clear sign of deep poisoning.
He fought back fiercely, punching and kicking. His right hand formed a claw, crushing the heart of one Root ninja, but he himself felt dizzy and his movements became increasingly sluggish.
"You want my Byakugan?!" Seeing several of them staring at his eye like hungry wolves, he had a sudden realization and tried to activate the pre-set technique in his eye to destroy the Byakugan.
Torune Aburame rushed forward first, slapping a sealing tag on his shoulder, causing a noticeable lag in Ao's chakra flow. In that moment of hesitation, he was stabbed twice more with kunai. Torune then cut off his right hand, disabling his ability to form hand seals.
Ao was covered in blood. Most of his injuries were inflicted by Torune Aburame, whose sharp judgment and Jonin-level taijutsu made him a difficult opponent.
Ao had encountered Aburame clan ninja on the battlefield before and knew about their kikaichu bugs, but he hadn't recognized Torune's nano-bugs. Mixed with chakra, the insects were too small, and he couldn't identify them at first.
The moment he was attacked, he had sent a signal to the village. The nearest Kirigakure outpost was ten li away. At a ninja's speed, reinforcements should arrive quickly. Even with one hand severed, he could hold on for a while longer with taijutsu.
"...You're all dead!" Through his Byakugan, he memorized their chakra signatures. As soon as the village reinforcements arrived, he could capture them and interrogate them for information.
A sudden premonition of danger arose in his heart. The battle-hardened ninja abruptly looked up at the sky.
White, snowflake-like clay rained down from above. A figure stood atop a giant flying bird, looking down on them.
Who is this? Someone from the Akatsuki?
Before Ao could get a clear look at the person's chakra, countless clay spiders exploded upon landing on everyone!
Explosions erupted one after another, lighting up the scene. The dignitaries of the Land of Water were in chaos, with women running everywhere. Ino then molded two clay owls on the spot, sending them towards Ao and Torune Aburame, one after the other.
Pure explosive clay, with no oil-based chakra added!
Ao tried to use the nearby rockery to take cover but was hit in the chest by a clay owl, which blasted a large hole.
Ao died instantly. Torune Aburame left behind an insect clone, fooling the clay owl.
He forcibly broke out of the explosion zone, intending to retrieve Ao's Byakugan, but only found Ao's corpse lying in a pool of blood. The corpse's right eye socket was a bloody hole; the crucial Byakugan had been taken by someone else.
After careful examination confirmed it wasn't a shadow clone or a transformation jutsu, but a genuine corpse, he had no choice but to issue the order: mission failed, retreat!
The news spread quickly. Ao's death in the attack sent Kirigakure into an uproar.
Numerous ninja swarmed out. Genji even dispatched Zabuza Momochi. Their objective was singular: capture the culprits, interrogate the prisoners, find the true mastermind, and then avenge Ao!
And while they were at it, retrieve the Byakugan. Yes, they considered the Byakugan their property; outsiders trying to steal it was unacceptable.
Torune Aburame escaped quickly, but his Root subordinates couldn't. They were no match for Zabuza Momochi on the open sea.
Several fought desperately, then sacrificed their comrades to ensure their own survival. Finally, Torune and two Root Jonin managed to enter the Land of Hot Water, shake off their pursuers, and return to the Land of Fire.
Of the nine-man team, two were killed by Ao at the wedding banquet, one was killed by "Deidara's" explosion, two were killed by Kirigakure Anbu during the pursuit, and one was captured alive by Zabuza.
Kirigakure obtained no information from the captive. However, following the ninja world maxim, "If you see an unfamiliar forbidden jutsu, it was definitely invented by the Second Hokage. If you don't know who committed a bad deed, it was definitely Danzo Shimura," they concluded that these nameless ninja must have come from Konoha's Root.
Genji immediately sent a letter to Konoha, requesting a joint investigation by the two great ninja villages into Ao's death.
Danzo didn't know whether to protest his innocence or what to do.
According to Torune Aburame and the other two Root ninja, Ao's eye was taken by Deidara, who used clay bombs.
Could he reveal this? Say that Deidara stole Ao's Byakugan?
Jiraiya would definitely ask, "How do you know?" Would he say his Root ninja just happened to be passing by?
Not even a fool would believe that!
Danzo was furious. Damn Akatsuki, daring to make me the scapegoat! I will not spare you!
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