Chapter 130: The Dragon Mother

“Detection: large-scale infusion of fire-aspected chakra. Trial mode activated.”

“Please select one of the following heroes…”

“One: Brand, the Burning Vengeance.”

“Two: Annie, the Dark Child.”

“Three: Ornn, the Fire Below the Mountain.”

“Four: Shyvana, the Half-Dragon.”

“For fuck’s sake…!”

Baimu was utterly paralyzed by indecision.

Brand was better suited to chaotic melee combat, while Ornn was not particularly suitable for this situation either.

Annie’s bear should be able to completely suppress the Giant Black Scorpion, and her cone-shaped flames were also extremely effective against the Aburame clan member controlling the insects. It could be said to be the most suitable choice.

But Shyvana’s ultimate was…

To transform into a dragon!

Who could resist such an overwhelming display of style?

Compared with those fire dragons and water dragons, the arrival of a true fire dragon would astound the entire shinobi world and draw countless admirers from far and wide.

Why did it have to be a desert?

Why couldn’t he have used this heart on the battlefield in the Land of Wind?

If he transformed into a true dragon right in front of Orochimaru, that two-faced snake…

He would probably be captured and dissected.

Still, at least he would become famous throughout the shinobi world!

“No matter what, the bigger picture comes first…”

“Annie… I’m not looking for your bear.”

“I choose Shyvana!!!”

A surge of scorching blood, hot as molten lava, poured into Baimu’s body, continuously transforming it. Hard scales began growing across his skin. The fingers of both hands grew thicker and thicker, while sharp dragon claws, keen as surgical knives, sprouted from his fingertips. On either side of his head, two twisted, curving dragon horns emerged.

“Draconic Bloodline”!!

“Mi… minotaur?”

The shinobi world had probably never seen a real dragon. It knew only abstract images and totems, so Nono mistook the horns on Baimu’s head for those of a bull.

“Idiot! You’re the minotaur! Your whole family is the minotaur! These are dragon claws! Can’t you see them?”

Baimu used his claws to rap sharply against Nono’s skull, nearly giving her a concussion.

“A fascinating bloodline limit. Though you are not an insect, if I take you back and present you to Lord Danzo, he will certainly be pleased.”

Aburame Ryoma maintained his eternally expressionless face.

“What, have you heard that ground dragon horns can cure impotence and want to send some to Danzo for treatment?”

Baimu tilted his head and unleashed a barrage of taunts.

He had really wanted to transform into a dragon right away and astonish everyone, but unfortunately, the dragon transformation ultimate required him to build up rage.

“Anyone who insults the lord… dies!”

Hearing someone insult the great leader in his heart, Ryoma reacted as though his most sensitive nerve had been touched. The usually composed Aburame Ryoma actually took the bait, drew a kunai, and charged forward.

“Lord Ryoma?!”

The other two Root shinobi were stunned. Aburame Ryoma had always controlled insects in battle. When had they ever seen him charge into close-quarters combat?

“Are you a rabbit or something? Did I hit a sore spot? Feeling sorry for your beloved?”

Baimu grinned. His taunting skill really was useful.

Ryoma was, after all, an elite jonin. The word “elite” meant that one’s ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu all had to exceed the standard of an ordinary jonin. Even if he was not skilled in hand-to-hand combat, he could hardly be weak.

He kicked the sand, sending a broad cloud of fine grains into the air to obstruct Baimu’s vision.

Baimu was indeed afraid of sand getting into his eyes. It was an utterly dishonorable move, but also a highly effective one. He had no choice but to shut his eyes and sweep out with one claw.

As though he had anticipated this, Ryoma bent low and dodged the strike, then slashed toward Baimu’s abdomen with a kunai.

Clang!

It was as if the blade had struck iron armor. The kunai scraped across the scales on Baimu’s stomach, throwing off sparks and leaving behind only a faint white mark.

-1

“What…? In this third era of shinobi, are people still wearing iron armor into battle?”

Ryoma immediately sensed that something was wrong after his attack failed. With reason reclaiming the upper hand, he hurriedly tried to retreat.

“Trying to run? Too late!”

Baimu brought one claw crashing down. The arrangement of the keratin in his dragon claws was dense enough to rival the structure of carbon atoms within a diamond.

With a crisp clang, the kunai Ryoma raised to block was sliced apart by the dragon claw as easily as glass beneath a blade. The cuts were so smooth and even that they could have been used as mirrors.

Ryoma had probably never imagined that Root’s most refined tungsten-steel kunai could be severed so effortlessly. For an instant, he even wondered whether someone in Root had been pocketing money from the equipment budget.

After that exceedingly brief moment of distraction, he rolled and twisted, attempting to flee.

“Ha! Feel the pain of being torn apart!”

“Dragon Claw Thrust”!!

Baimu shaped both hands into piercing claws and thrust them forward with brutal force, striking Ryoma squarely from behind before ripping outward.

Riiip!

The two black forms were torn apart completely, scattering into a sky full of mosaics…

No! Insects!

Damn that Aburame Ryoma.

He had known that an elite jonin would not be so easy to kill. It was an insect clone. The man’s reactions were truly fast.

The insect clone was not merely a lifesaving technique. The parasitic insects that erupted from it were like tiny suicide aircraft, swarming toward Baimu without the slightest regard for their own lives.

If he had chosen Annie, a single Incinerate would have reduced this entire swarm to ashes. The price of showing off was that he could only activate the human-form version of “Blazing Wildfire.”

The scales covering Baimu’s body ignited as though someone had drenched them in gasoline and set them alight. Roaring flames engulfed him, burning every insect that approached into…

Tiny bombs?

What the hell?!

Wasn’t fire release supposed to be the natural enemy of insects?

Shouldn’t these insects have been reduced to nothing but ash the moment they touched the flames?

What was with those crackling explosions, like an endless string of firecrackers?

Not far away, the real Aburame Ryoma appeared. He adjusted his sunglasses and took the initiative to explain.

“It is precisely because insects fear flames that no amount of cultivation can strengthen their resistance to fire. Therefore, I bred them with explosive bodies. The moment they encounter an open flame, they detonate.”

A massive cloud of insects clung tightly together, emitting a constant series of tiny crackles. At its core, high-energy reactions spread continuously like a nuclear reactor. Through the gaps, one could even glimpse the red molten glow within.

“Parasitic Insects—Explosion!”

“Damn it…”

Boom!!!

A tremendous ball of fire rose into the sky. The enormous shock wave kicked up endless sand and dust, forcing everyone to cover their faces with their cloaks.

“Did it get him?”

One of the Root shinobi stared intently at the billowing smoke.

“Of course. With Lord Ryoma’s technique, even a mountain could be blown apart.”

Another Root shinobi hurriedly began flattering him.

When the dust finally cleared, a huge crater was revealed below. Even the sand had been scorched black. At the bottom lay a motionless human figure, its flesh mangled and its body covered in burns and ruptured wounds. Blood had already soaked into the fine sand.

“Did he… really die just like that?”

Maki weakly held a blade of wind, guarding Fū’s body.

“Tch… I thought he would be stronger. I never expected to end up journeying to the Pure Land with someone like him.”

Hayakura gritted her teeth, forcing herself to squeeze more chakra from her exhausted reserves. Even if she died, she would take at least one enemy with her.

“That man… he actually…”

Nono’s emotions were terribly conflicted. He was a bastard who had kidnapped her; if he died, she would be free. So why did she feel this strange unease in her heart?

“As expected of Lord Ryoma. Leave the rest to us!”

“Wait…”

Aburame Ryoma reached into his pouch and drew two shuriken, hurling them toward Baimu at the bottom of the crater.

Thud! Thud!

Caw—caw—caw—caw—

Dozens of crows flew away, their cries harsh and raucous.

After they passed over the crater floor, there was no mangled corpse remaining—only a straw dummy with a terrified expression.

Aburame Ryoma was not the only one who knew how to use the Substitution Technique.