This kid...
Seeing that the training he arranged had absolutely no effect on this newcomer, Tatsuma Aburame's expression turned extremely unsightly.
As a veteran of Root, was he really going to be stepped on by a rookie on their very first day?
If he couldn't even handle a newcomer, how would Lord Danzo view him?
Would he think he was useless? Would he completely lose Lord Danzo's trust and favor from then on?
Anything but that!
"Increase the intensity!"
"Fire all the kunai at once!"
Tatsuma Aburame suddenly barked the order.
However, the Root ninjas responsible for operating the mechanism hesitated.
"Lord Tatsuma, these are the newcomers Lord Danzo personally values. If something goes wrong..."
Tatsuma Aburame might be losing his mind, but they didn't want to follow him into madness. That would get them killed by Lord Danzo.
Of course, for these Root ninjas, dying at Lord Danzo's hands wasn't the hardest thing to accept; the hardest thing was losing Lord Danzo's trust!
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma Aburame regained some of his composure.
"Just avoid his vital points."
"Yes, sir."
This time, his subordinates did not resist the order.
Over a hundred kunai were instantly aimed at Simu's body, but without exception, they were targeted at non-vital areas such as his arms, shoulders, and buttocks.
In other words, if Simu simply stood still and endured it, he would likely be fine.
But Simu wanted to show off his talent to Danzo Shimura this time, so how could he stay still?
He had no intention of slowly working his way up through the ranks in Root.
Only by displaying enough talent could he obtain more investment and secure more resources.
After all, the Hidden Leaf was the number one village in the shinobi world; it held plenty of treasures that Simu coveted.
For instance, the vast variety of secret techniques and various Kekkei Genkai...
Under Tatsuma Aburame's command, over a hundred kunai were triggered instantly, falling all at once like a violent storm.
Since they were fired simultaneously, Simu could not continue his previous tactic of using one kunai to block another in such a short window of time.
In such a cramped space, the sheer volume of kunai left Simu with nowhere to hide.
It appeared his only choice was to stand there and get stabbed.
Tatsuma Aburame narrowed his eyes slightly. It was high time he dampened this newcomer's arrogance to make it easier to mold him into Lord Danzo's desired shape later.
However, things did not go as he expected.
The moment the kunai were triggered, Simu raised both hands.
Under the shocked gazes of all the Root ninjas and Jia, Simu slammed his palms together in front of his chest.
Immediately after, the training ground beneath his feet shattered. Countless trees and vines burst through the soil, forming a thick circle of shrubbery around Simu that easily blocked all the kunai.
Furthermore, the rapidly growing roots actually forced apart and shattered the surrounding walls where the kunai launching devices were attached!
"This is... Wood Style!"
Tatsuma Aburame's hand tightened on the railing, even trembling slightly.
As for Jia, his small mouth hung open, wide enough to fit an entire egg.
It was true that they both possessed Wood Style chakra and could theoretically use Wood Style ninjutsu.
But that was only in theory!
Possessing Wood Style chakra meant you met the prerequisites for learning and using its techniques, but it didn't mean you already knew how to use them.
To successfully release a Wood Style jutsu, besides having the Kekkei Genkai and the chakra, one must ultimately master it through learning and practice!
Both Jia and Yi had only just obtained the Wood Style Kekkei Genkai; where would they have learned the jutsu?
In the entire shinobi world, only the Hidden Leaf possessed Wood Style ninjutsu!
The Wood Style jutsu Simu had just released caused a massive commotion.
At the very least, the entire training ground had been torn apart by the giant roots, completely ruined.
The Root ninjas inside the base thought they were being invaded. They gathered around the perimeter of the training ground with weapons drawn, ready for a fight.
Even the leader of Root, Danzo, who had not long since departed, appeared there leaning on his cane.
As soon as he appeared, the Root ninjas on both sides quickly bowed their heads, naturally clearing a path for him.
Danzo looked at the destroyed training ground, the towering trees on the field, and the newcomer, Yi, who stood in the center of the trees with an innocent face. Danzo's expression turned slightly grave.
"What happened here?"
His voice was incredibly majestic, causing many Root ninjas to instinctively lower their heads.
Tatsuma Aburame was also feeling quite panicked as he prepared to explain the start and end of the matter to Lord Danzo.
But Simu spoke first.
"Lord Danzo, Senior Oil-Ma Dragon-Woman has publicly violated the code of Root by using his real name within the base. It is clear his heart does not truly belong to Root. He has failed to carry out the core philosophy of 'No past, no future, only the mission, loyalty to Root, and becoming the anonymous roots of the Hidden Leaf.' He has betrayed his convictions, lacks discipline, cares only for personal interests, and possesses no resolve to sacrifice everything for you and the Hidden Leaf..."
Listening to Simu's non-stop accusations, Tatsuma Aburame's expression went from disdain to paleness, eventually showing a hint of terror. The look he directed at Danzo was filled with such fright he nearly knelt down to confess: "I didn't! That's not me!"
Simu babbled on and on, then stared at Tatsuma Aburame and said, "To protect the peace of the Hidden Leaf, to follow Lord Danzo's orders, and to implement the will of Root, such a person who betrays his convictions and ideals should be killed!"
Ruthless!
Too ruthless!
The surrounding Root ninjas looked at this newcomer with a trace of wariness.
If you told these Root ninjas they were cowards who feared death, they would only smile. But if you labeled them as traitors to Root and Lord Danzo, they would truly find life worse than death!
That was exactly the situation Tatsuma Aburame found himself in.
Fortunately, Danzo spoke up in time. "Enough, Yi. Ma-Woman—ahem, Tatsuma has been with me for a long time. I am well aware of his loyalty. You need not say more."
He then turned his gaze toward Tatsuma Aburame. "However, the regulations of Root must not be broken. Tatsuma, use your codename from now on."
Tatsuma Aburame breathed a sigh of relief and said hurriedly, "Yes, sir!"
Actually, he had his own codename, [Poisonous Insect]. It was just that he was a veteran of Root and Danzo's most trusted right-hand man, so Danzo never really scolded him for using his real name.
In a sense, it was a form of recognition for him as the second-in-command.
But now that Lord Danzo had said this...
Could it be that he really suspected him?
Damn it, I really did push my luck.
Tatsuma Aburame was now filled with deep regret. Had he known, he would have taken the initiative to use his codename long ago.