c35 - Empty, Abandoned
The situation had reached a point of mutual restraint. Unfortunately for Aburame Torune, his combat style, relying on his nano bug techniques, was precisely the type Yuuji could counter effectively. No matter how advanced or impressive Torune's insects were, they were still mere bugs, inferior lifeforms at their core. Under the relentless assault of Yuuji's nuclear radiation cloud, they had no chance of surviving.
"Ah! My body… What is happening to my bloodline power?" Torune groaned in agony, collapsing to his knees.
The special protective suit he wore began to fail under the intense heat emanating from his body, and large, grotesque pustules began to grow uncontrollably. As Torune writhed in pain, his body seemed to break down, and he felt his life force draining away with every passing second.
Yuuji looked down at the suffering man, a mixture of pity and indifference in his eyes. "Senior Torune, you understand the danger of your nano bug weapon, yet you still chose to use it against me. I didn't want to go this far, but it seems you forced my hand."
Torune's body continued to distort painfully, his internal structure visibly breaking down. Yuuji's expression remained calm, even as he recalled how Torune's descendants, after being revived by Edo Tensei during the Fourth Great Ninja War, had become ruthless weapons of war. Their technique—the nano bug swarm—was an extremely dangerous weapon capable of overwhelming a village. The idea of using such a weapon had been deemed highly dangerous by the Aburame clan, especially since it was impossible to control once activated.
"Yuuji, you think I'll stop because of a little pain? I'll complete Lord Danzo's mission, even if it costs my life!" Torune hissed, his voice filled with madness. His skin split as the poison overwhelmed him, his blood splattering in all directions. Desperation consumed him. Though he knew his body was failing and his dreams of being a ninja were now beyond reach, his duty to Root and Danzo still held him captive.
With agonized determination, Torune activated a forbidden technique he had developed. A small barrier spread out from his body, forming an eerie, pulsating force field.
Yuuji raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What's this?" he mused. "A forbidden technique?"
"This is a forbidden technique I developed," Torune rasped, his eyes burning with resolve. "Yuuji, you're a genius, but you shouldn't reject Lord Danzo's invitation... Let's die together!"
The air around them began to fill with a strange, pungent odor, and the atmosphere thickened with an unnatural pressure. Yuuji's eyes flickered with realization. "So this is it. You're using a barrier to create a breeding ground for your insects... But this technique of yours is far from perfect."
Yuuji's voice was almost disappointed as he observed Torune's incomplete technique. Though effective, the method Torune employed to create an environment for his nano bugs was flawed. It had been used by Torune's Edo Tensei-revived descendants, and while it was a formidable biological weapon, it required precise control to be fully effective.
Torune trembled as he attempted to summon a new swarm using his remaining strength, hoping to breed the bugs inside his own body. The idea was simple: sacrifice himself, allowing the swarm to fill the air and consume everything in their path. But Yuuji's overwhelming radiation cloud destroyed the nano bugs before they could even reach him.
The swarm, like Torune himself, was obliterated almost instantaneously. Torune collapsed to the ground, his body limp, as if struck by a heavy blow. His once proud technique had failed.
"This technique could have been dangerous," Yuuji said, his voice cold. "But you were too naive."
Yuuji slowly began forming a seal, preparing to end it. The situation seemed almost certain—Torune had no more tricks up his sleeve. However, at the last moment, a figure appeared outside the barrier. A calm voice echoed through the tension-filled air.
"That's enough, Yuuji. Torune has already paid a sufficient price."
Shibi Aburame stepped forward, his presence immediately separating the two combatants with a wave of swarming parasites. The barrier of insects dissolved as Shibi's intervention prevented further bloodshed.
Yuuji retracted his radiation, the overwhelming power subsiding. "Seriously, Shibi-sensei, I only came here to visit, and I find myself in the middle of all this..."
"I apologize," Shibi's voice was measured and low. "It seems the hospitality of the Aburame clan is lacking today."
Torune, still writhing in pain on the ground, couldn't contain his frustration. "Shibi! You saw everything! Why didn't you help me? This... this evil brat, with his cursed bloodline, should never have been allowed to live—"
"Enough," Shibi interrupted, his voice stern. He stepped closer to Torune, his expression darkened with disappointment. "You should not have used the nano bugs against Yuuji. The technique has been classified as forbidden from the moment you were born. And to use your own body as a breeding ground for the insects... you've broken every rule of the clan."
Shibi's voice was filled with sorrow and anger as he gazed at Torune. "You've become unrecognizable. This technique you've developed can't tell friend from foe—it's far too vicious. The fact that you're here, doing this for Danzo, it pains me."
Yuuji stood quietly as Shibi chastised his former comrade. He had seen the violence of Root firsthand, but this was the first time he had witnessed someone from his own clan degrade so far.
Shibi turned his back and took a deep breath. "This matter ends here. I'll report to Hokage-sama. The best outcome will be that no one dies today."
Yuuji nodded, recognizing the quiet finality in Shibi's tone. "Understood."
Without another word, Shibi led Yuuji away, leaving Torune writhing on the ground in a sea of his own despair.
As Shibi and Yuuji walked away, Yuuji glanced back at Torune, his expression unreadable. Once they were out of earshot, he knelt beside the still figure of Torune, checking for any remaining insects or surveillance devices. Satisfied there were none, he whispered in a voice only Torune could hear.
"I respect Lord Danzo. I don't mind working for him, but I won't join Root blindly. You made the wrong decision from the beginning."
Yuuji stood up and left, following Shibi.
Torune lay motionless, his empty eyes staring at the sky, as the once-promising ninja's fate was sealed.
---
Some time later, Root's ninjas arrived, silently retrieving Torune and carrying him back to their base.
In the dark, cold underground headquarters of Root, Danzo stood, expression unmoving as he looked down at the broken form of his former operative. The severe burns and pus-covered wounds left no trace of the man who had once been a promising agent.
A medical ninja approached and whispered a few key details: "The body's cells have died, the tissue is collapsing, and the nano bugs have been completely eradicated."
Danzo listened in silence. There was no trace of sorrow or empathy in his eyes—only the cold indifference of a man who had long since abandoned any emotional attachment.
Torune, now barely recognizable, pleaded one last time. "Lord Danzo, I can't... I can't serve you anymore…"
Danzo did not respond. He turned his back and left, his footsteps echoing in the silent room. Root's ninjas followed him, their heads bowed in respect.
Left alone in the darkened space, Torune's eyes, now vacant and devoid of hope, stared at the ceiling, the weight of his failure crushing him. The last shred of purpose he had once had—his loyalty to Danzo—had evaporated, leaving only the hollow echo of abandonment.
....
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