324. Two Jinchuriki

In the dark, sunless depths of Konoha's Root headquarters, two figures slowly made their way to the training ground.

Both wore gray-white standard flak jackets and masks bearing the symbols of Root, corresponding to the codenames [Horse] and [Dog].

That's right, standing face-to-face on the training ground were Konoha's two jinchūriki, aside from the Nine-Tails—Aburame Ryoma and Hatake Kakashi.

It had been half a year since they became jinchūriki.

During this time, both Ryoma and Kakashi had been working hard to adapt to the presence of the tailed beasts within them.

Ryoma had an easier time, as he already had experience being a jinchūriki, though he had switched from the Five-Tails to the Seven-Tails.

While it took some getting used to, the insect-like appearance of the Seven-Tails felt oddly familiar and comforting to Ryoma, a member of the Aburame clan.

Kakashi, on the other hand, took a bit longer to adapt, but the results were still decent.

His relationship with the Five-Tails, Kokuō, wasn't as awkward as one might expect.

They maintained a respectful distance, coexisting peacefully without interfering with each other.

This suited Kakashi's personality well.

Asking him to immediately cozy up to the Five-Tails was simply out of the question.

Regardless, after six months of training, it was time to thoroughly test their progress.

At that moment, another figure appeared in the center of the training ground, standing between Ryoma and Kakashi.

"Today, let this old man see how far you've come," Danzo said, leaning on his cane as he addressed the two.

His tone was filled with anticipation.

It was clear that Danzo was eager to personally gauge the growth Ryoma and Kakashi had achieved over the past six months.

Kakashi and Ryoma exchanged a glance, both surprised.


They had assumed this would be another routine sparring session between the two of them.

They hadn't expected their opponent today to be Danzo himself...

To be honest, if anyone else had claimed they could take on two jinchūriki at once, they would have been laughed at.

But when Danzo said it, no one could doubt his sincerity. He truly had the ability to do so—and he had proven it more than once.

After a deep, mutual glance, Kakashi and Ryoma both assumed combat stances.

"Then we'll have to trouble you, Lord Danzo!" Kakashi said.

As soon as he spoke, a crimson glow flashed through the left eyehole of his mask.

Kakashi had immediately activated his Sharingan to its highest speed, allowing him to better track Danzo's movements.

Without hesitation, he pressed his hand to the ground.

"Boil Release: Steam Rush!"

Scalding hot steam erupted from his mouth, surging toward Danzo like a tidal wave!

Danzo, however, simply raised his hand calmly.

A dense mass of Fire Release chakra gathered in his mouth before erupting into a sea of flames that collided head-on with the incoming steam.

For a moment, the entire training ground was engulfed in thick white steam, obscuring everyone's vision.

Not only that, but the steam was filled with glittering golden scales, designed to disorient the enemy.

"Heh, trying to block my vision with the Seven-Tails' scales, are you?" Danzo chuckled with interest.

The scales released by the Seven-Tails carried trace amounts of chakra, effectively disrupting various sensory ninjutsu.

Even the Byakugan, hailed as the strongest sensory ninjutsu, would only see a hazy blue field when looking at these scales.

Of course, that was true for ordinary Byakugan users. Danzo's [Heavenly Eye] not only had a wider range but also greater penetrating power.

The Seven-Tails' scales could only minimally affect him.

Still, Danzo found it commendable that Ryoma had considered this tactic.

"So, after blocking my vision, what's your next move? A surprise attack?" Danzo mused, standing still and choosing not to take the initiative.

Sure enough, a sharp, piercing sound filled the air as countless kikaichū swarmed out of the steam and scales, converging on Danzo from all directions.

"New breed, huh? Each one is packed with terrifying chakra," Danzo muttered before lightly tapping his cane on the ground.

"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"

As a surge of chakra spread from his feet, thick trees sprouted from the ground, rapidly expanding outward from Danzo's position.

In an instant, a small forest had formed!

The kikaichū, upon colliding with the trees, triggered violent explosions.

The shockwaves and flames destroyed many of the trees.

Not only that, but the new breed of bugs cultivated by Ryoma had chitinous shells that split apart upon exploding, turning into sharp fragments that shot out in all directions like shrapnel.

Countless fragments became deadly projectiles, riddling the surrounding trees with deep holes.

It was easy to imagine the damage such fragments would inflict on human flesh.

This was Aburame Ryoma's new breed of kikaichū, meticulously cultivated with the help of various resources—Explosive Bugs!

The idea, similar to a fragmentation grenade, was inspired by none other than Danzo himself.

The prototype for the bugs was developed by Hiruko using his chimera beast technology, then refined, selected, and incubated by Ryoma using the Seven-Tails' chakra.

It had to be said that the Seven-Tails was the most compatible tailed beast for Ryoma—bar none!

Not only did it provide ample chakra for incubating the kikaichū, but it also accelerated their growth and evolution, making them even more powerful.

In a way, the Seven-Tails seemed tailor-made for the Aburame clan.

With the Seven-Tails, Ryoma could cultivate a wide variety of bugs in a short time.

Perhaps he could even replicate all the ideas Danzo had suggested...

If a stable tailed beast inheritance system could be established, the Aburame clan might even grow into a super clan like the Uchiha in the future.

Back to the battle.

Ryoma's carefully cultivated Explosive Bugs failed to break through Danzo's Wood Release defense.

But he didn't give up.

Instead, he gathered the bugs in one place, preparing for the next attack.

As the forest continued to be consumed by the kikaichū and explosions, a large amount of steam began to gather.

With a sharp crack of thunder, Kakashi made his move.