46: Thunder Valley, the purpose of 'roots'

The high-speed spinning Secret Art: Insect Wall Technique, the dull thud of a clan junior being instantly killed and hitting the ground, was like a heavy hammer striking the masked leader's heart.

He almost cried out that familiar name, but years of Root training forced him to suppress the urge.

Even so, his mind still inevitably experienced a violent tremor.

The Insect Wall's rotation frequency, as a result, experienced a clear stagnation that was almost imperceptible to others, but incredibly clear in Tang Yan's eyes.

Now is the moment!

A cold glint flashed in Tang Yan's eyes, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was pushed to its limit, his figure blurring like an invisible, formless wisp of smoke in the night, silently cutting into that fleeting gap.

The Tang Blade in his hand, under the frantic infusion of Xuantian Skill's internal energy, trembled slightly, and a chilling, intimidating sharp point lit up at the tip, like the most distant and deadliest star in the night sky.

"Pfft!"

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a faint sound, almost imperceptible, like a sharp blade cutting into rotten wood.

This sound, however, was like the whisper of the Shinigami, clearly entering everyone's ears.

The Tang Blade precisely pierced into an almost non-existent weak point in the Insect Wall exposed by the stagnation—a momentary field void that was bound to occur when countless parasitic insects rapidly rotated and shifted positions due to the caster's unstable mind.

This void was extremely small and extremely short; if Tang Yan's grasp of the timing hadn't been absolutely perfect, it would have been impossible.

Above the blade tip, the invisible Qi Poison had already spread, drilling madly through that imperceptible flaw, directly eroding the masked leader's Chakra and life essence.

"Er-ah—!"

The masked leader let out a shrill, inhuman wail, his voice filled with unbelievable pain and fear. He could feel that the parasitic insects connected to his mind were emitting desperate cries, then one by one losing their vitality.

The pain of this connection being forcibly severed and then being poisoned by the backlash made his entire body tremble violently.

The indestructible Insect Wall, as if injected with the most potent corrosive agent from within, rapidly spread spiderweb-like cracks from the point where the Tang Blade pierced. The massive black insect armor first trembled violently, then collapsed with a crash.

Countless parasitic insect corpses, corroded and twisted by Qi Poison, scattered, falling to the ground and covering the surrounding area, emitting a nauseating, strange smell that was a mixture of burnt odor and sickly sweetness.

The swarm dispersed, revealing the masked leader's true form.

The mask on his face had already cracked, revealing a young face contorted by extreme pain, his eyes wide open, staring fixedly at Tang Yan, a hoarse, bellows-like sound coming from his throat, before he finally knelt weakly, then completely collapsed to the ground, no longer making a sound.

"Boss!"

"Leader-sama!"

The remaining Root Ninja were terrified at the sight, their livers and guts splitting, their souls leaving their bodies.

Their proud leader, who had never failed, had actually died just like that? Died at the hands of an unknown youth?

"Nice work! Yan, you killed another Jonin!" Zi Luo punched his fist excitedly, giving Tang Yan a thumbs-up, an undisguised smile on his face. The previous tension and suppression were swept away.

Qian also breathed a sigh of relief, gently fanning her iron fan, but her eyes beneath the fan remained vigilant, carefully observing every possible shadow to prevent the enemy from having any further tricks.

With the leader dead, the remaining Root Ninja's last psychological defense completely collapsed.

They were no longer emotionless killing machines, but had reverted to ordinary people who could feel fear and despair.

"Retreat! Quick, retreat! Scatter and run!"

One of them shrieked, his voice changing pitch, and turned to flee into the forest, even forgetting the most basic coordinated retreat.

Another frantically formed hand signs, seemingly wanting to use the Body Flicker Technique, but due to excessive panic, his Chakra couldn't even stabilize.

But Luo's cold, crimson single eye had already locked onto every one of their movements.

Sand Binding Coffin was activated again, and the sand on the ground suddenly erupted, transforming into several hideous giant hands that arrived first, precisely grabbing at the Ninja attempting to escape.

"No!"

"Ah—!"

Screams rang out one after another, as the quicksand giant hands easily crushed their resistance, capturing them one by one. Some were tightly gripped and unable to move, while others were mostly enveloped by sand, only their terrified heads exposed.

In a flash, apart from the few additional corpses on the ground, not a single one escaped.

Tang Yan did not stop; since the enemies were partially controlled, he had to ensure nothing went wrong.

His figure was like lightning, the Tang Blade in his hand trailing a deadly trajectory under the moonlight, directly rushing towards a Root Ninja whose ankle was clutched by a sand hand and who was struggling in terror.

"Pfft!"

The blade tip lightly touched, striking precisely at the throat. The Ninja's eyes widened, and his struggling movements abruptly ceased, with only a thin line of blood seeping from the lower edge of his mask.

Tang Blade Horizontal Performance had reached perfection in his hands.

For the next target, the Tang Blade changed from a thrust to an upward slash, a silent arc of light cutting open another Root Ninja's chest armor, and wherever the internal energy reached, the internal organs were shattered.

The person collapsed into the quicksand without even a grunt.

Tang Yan's movements were clean and precise, without a hint of unnecessary flair, as if he were merely removing insignificant obstacles.

Although one Root Ninja was trapped by a sand hand, the fierce light in his eyes had not extinguished; he seemed to still want to put up a desperate fight.

Qian gently flicked her fingertips, and a tiny bit of cactus pollen quietly shot out, as she softly chanted, "Thousand Cactus Genjutsu: Weaving Dreams."

The Root Ninja's body suddenly stiffened, and the mask on his face could not conceal the drastic change in his eyes.

He began to wildly wave his arms, screaming at the air, "No! Don't come closer! Monster! Get away!" The scene in his eyes had become distorted; perhaps his companions' corpses had turned into vengeful spirits, or perhaps everything he cherished was collapsing before his eyes.

Fear completely destroyed his will, and he began to violently bang his head against the ground, producing dull thuds, until his forehead was a bloody mess and he made no further sound.

Qian gently fanned her iron fan, her expression calm, as if she had merely brushed away a speck of dust from the fan's surface. "What a fragile mind," she murmured, without a hint of pity or mockery in her tone.

"Taste this! Wind Release 'Scythe Wind Slash'!" With her low cry, a Scythe Wind Slash appeared out of thin air, whistling and transforming into a yellow shadow, combining with the fierce Wind Release Ninjutsu, rushing towards a Ninja suspended in mid-air by a sand hand with a sharp cutting wind sound.

"Rip!"

Several parallel blood marks burst open on the Ninja's body, his screams drowned out by the sound of Sickle Weasel's sharp claws tearing.

Immediately after, Zi Luo's body lowered, activating Sunagakure Style Taijutsu, and he glided along the ground like a ghost, instantly appearing before another Ninja pinned to the ground by a sand hand.

He simply and directly delivered a hand chop, striking precisely at the back of the opponent's neck.

"Crack."

The sound of bone cracking was clearly audible.

The last Root Ninja watched his companions die tragically one by one, already scared out of his wits, unable to even beg for mercy, only trembling violently within the quicksand's confinement.

Zi Luo walked up to him. "It's over." He swung his iron fist, clean and decisive.

"Uh..."

The last sound was completely swallowed by the yellow sand.

The ground was a mess; besides insect corpses, there were the bodies of Root Ninja, scattered haphazardly, with various gruesome deaths, some even disfigured beyond recognition.

Inside the valley, the wind whimpered, carrying a strong, lingering scent of blood, mixed with the faint aftertaste of the earlier poisonous mist, forming a nauseating odor.

A young Sunagakure medical Ninja could no longer stand it and rushed to the edge of the rock platform, bending over and retching violently.

The other trapped medical Ninja, only now, seemed to be struggling awake from a nightmare.

Their expressions were dazed, their eyes blank as they looked at the scene below, like a Shura field, and then at Tang Yan, Zi Luo, Qian, and the puppet 'Luo' radiating a fierce aura, standing proudly among the corpses. For a moment, their throats felt choked, and they couldn't utter a single word.

"It's... it's over?" Another younger medical Ninja leaned against the rock wall, his legs still involuntarily trembling, his voice filled with the exhaustion and disbelief of surviving a catastrophe.

Leading them was a voluptuous, beautiful female medical Jonin, about thirty years old, named Yezuki.

She forced herself to be calm, trying to steady the violent heaving in her chest; her heart had almost leaped out of her throat just moments ago.

At this moment, her gaze towards Tang Yan was extremely complex, containing gratitude for escaping death, shock at the young man's terrifying strength, and an unmistakable hint of awe.

"Thank you... thank you all for saving us!" Yezuki was the first to react, taking a deep breath, and leading the few medical Ninja who could still move down the platform, bowing deeply to Tang Yan and the other two.

The others followed suit, their gratitude evident.

"Fifth Squad, ordered to rescue." Tang Yan sheathed his blade, the blade free of any bloodstains under the moonlight, his voice calm, as if he had merely completed a most ordinary mission.

Zi Luo grinned, proudly patting the dust off his hands, and then tidying his somewhat disheveled clothes: "No problem, no problem! These Konoha brats, they look fierce, but they're actually not tough at all!" He even kicked a nearby Root Ninja's corpse, as if checking if the opponent was truly dead.

Qian, on the other hand, took a step forward, her gaze softening slightly, and asked with concern, "Yezuki Jonin, how are your conditions? Do we need to hurry back to the front-line command post?"

Yezuki's face showed a hint of bitterness, and she pointed to several companions who were slumped on the ground, their faces pale: "A few people were poisoned by insects, and their Chakra was also excessively depleted, but I have already given them preliminary treatment, so their lives should not be in danger. It's just..."

She paused, the grateful expression on her face quickly replaced by solemnity.

"In our team, there was an Anbu member responsible for escort, code-named 'Shidu.' Before he fell unconscious, he intermittently mentioned some... very strange, or rather, very terrifying things."

"Strange things?" Tang Yan's eyebrow imperceptibly twitched, and he looked at Yezuki.

"Yes." Yezuki nodded vigorously, her voice involuntarily lowering, as if the name carried some kind of magic, "He said... Konoha's 'Root' organization seems to be carrying out a highly secret plan, related to a special 'forbidden energy,' and he was disoriented at the time, only repeatedly muttering one word... it sounds like... 'Moryo'?"

Moryo?

Tang Yan's heart suddenly stirred; this name, deep in his sealed memories, was indeed closely linked to some ancient and evil forbidden power.

An ominous premonition quietly arose.

"How is 'Shidu' now?" Qian asked further.

"Still unconscious, but I have temporarily sealed the spread of the toxins in his body with acupuncture, and also given him an antidote pill, so he should wake up soon," Yezuki replied, then systematically directed her subordinate medical Ninja to begin treating the injured and tallying the remaining supplies. The valley was once again filled with a busy yet oppressive atmosphere.

Tang Yan's gaze slowly swept across the chaotic battlefield, his Purple Demon Eyes quietly operating, everything in his vision meticulously clear, no clue escaping his notice.

He observed the death conditions of each Root Ninja, trying to find more clues.

Suddenly, his gaze swept past several twisted corpses and landed on a relatively secluded rock crevice in the canyon.

There, someone seemed to be lying still.

He walked over slowly and crouched down.

It was the corpse of a Leaf Ninja, dressed in an Anbu uniform that was slightly different from the other Leaf Ninjas, but his death was even more bizarre.

The blood in this corpse seemed to have been completely drained, and his skin had an extremely abnormal waxy yellow color, shriveled and inelastic.

Even more chilling was that his exposed skin was covered with countless tiny holes, like pinpricks, dense and numerous, as if gnawed by countless tiny insects, yet no insect remains were visible.

This method…

Tang Yan's pupils slightly contracted. This was by no means an ordinary combat casualty; it was more like an execution.

This was a more secretive and malicious assassination method using parasitic insects within the Aburame Clan, specifically used to deal with traitors among “their own people” or targets that needed to be completely erased without a trace.

Corpses dealt with by this secret technique would quickly decompose completely, leaving no trace.

It seems that the Root’s people were indeed active in this vicinity, and their methods were so unscrupulous that they showed no mercy even to their own kind.

Their objective was probably not as simple as just this medical unit sent to aid the front lines.

“Yan, look over there!” Qian’s voice suddenly came from behind him, with a hint of urgency. She was pointing to another direction in the canyon, in the depths of the shadows where the moonlight could barely reach, where wheel tracks were clearly visible.

Yueye also walked over, her face still showing lingering fear, her voice tight from memory: “Before we encountered those Leaf Ninja’s ambush, we had seen a team from afar. Their equipment was far more superior than these ambushers, and their movements exuded a… how should I put it, a chillingly well-trained murderous aura that was on a completely different level from these Ninjas we’ve dealt with.”

She swallowed and continued: “They were escorting a box, made entirely of some unknown black metal, with densely packed and extremely complex sealing runes engraved on its surface. I was far away at the time, but I could vaguely feel that the air around the box was somewhat distorted, and there seemed to be faint Lightning Release Chakra flowing and overflowing between the runes.”

“They were in an extreme hurry, almost flying, heading straight into the deeper parts of the canyon. That area, we Sunagakure have always called ‘Raiming Valley’, and it’s an area the Village strictly forbids approaching.”

Raiming Valley?

Thoughts raced through Tang Yan’s mind. This place name, combined with Yueye’s description of the lightning aura emanating from the box…

Raiming Valley, named for its special geographical environment that causes constant thunderstorms, has an extremely chaotic magnetic field.

But it also produces a rare ore called “thunderclap stone,” which cannot be stored in scrolls.

This ore itself contains extremely pure and violent lightning-attribute power, which has immeasurable value for the creation of energy cores for mechanical puppets, or for the amplification of certain special Lightning Release Ninjutsu, and the forging of special weapons.

The Root organization went to such great lengths, even sacrificing an elite insect user squad as pawns to execute blocking and silencing missions, just to cover another even more elite team delving into Raiming Valley. That mysterious metal box, in all likelihood, was inextricably linked to “thunderclap stone,” and possibly even… was the ultimate goal of the Root’s secret operation this time.

Or, was all of this related to the “Moryo” that Shitou mentioned?

“Inside Raiming Valley, thunderstorms are frequent, the terrain is treacherous, and the magnetic field is chaotic, making it extremely dangerous for Ninjas. There were once predecessors who tried to explore it deeply but failed to return safely, which is why it was designated as a forbidden area by the Village. I never thought that Konoha’s people would dare to venture in,” Yueye added with lingering fear, clearly deeply impressed by that place.

The rescue operation was successfully completed, and the news that the Fifth Squad had swiftly annihilated the Konoha Root’s elite insect user squad and successfully rescued the Sunagakure medical unit quickly spread back to the Wind Barrier front-line command post through Yueye and other survivors.

Those Sunagakure Ninjas who had previously harbored more or less suspicion or a wait-and-see attitude towards Tang Yan, this young captain with a mysterious background who had been parachuted in, now tacitly chose to remain silent. Some who had privately discussed Tang Yan being too young and perhaps unable to command respect even felt their cheeks flush.

Strength, especially the overwhelming strength displayed on the battlefield, is always the fastest and most direct way to earn a Ninja’s respect.

Upon returning to the command post, they were met by Ryosuke, the veteran Jonin with a severed arm, who had just recently regarded Tang Yan with a rather cold and scrutinizing attitude.

Completely different from his previous professional demeanor, Ryosuke’s face was now beaming with an almost enthusiastic smile. His sole remaining arm nearly clapped Tang Yan’s shoulder off, full of force.

“Captain Tang Yan! Well done! Truly magnificent!” Ryosuke spared no praise, his voice booming, “Kazekage-sama has already received the preliminary battle report through emergency channels and is very, very satisfied with your performance in this rescue mission!”

Zi Luo winked beside him, making an exaggerated mouth shape at Qian: “See, this is what you call a slap in the face with strength.”

Ryosuke enthusiastically pulled Tang Yan aside, lowering his voice, his eyes carrying a meaningful look that only those on the inside could understand: “Kazekage-sama’s intention is that regarding the matter of ‘Raiming Valley’, you can ‘act at your discretion’. As long as you ensure your own safety and that of your squad, feel free to investigate. The Village will be your strongest backing. Whatever support you need, as long as I can mobilize it here, just say the word!”

The attitude of the command post had undergone a complete 180-degree turn, with astonishing speed.

Ryosuke not only praised Tang Yan profusely and showed great concern, but also proactively provided more detailed internal intelligence on “Raiming Valley,” even including some earlier failed exploration records.

“The magnetic field there is indeed chaotic, and heavenly thunder often strikes without warning, making it impossible for ordinary Ninjas to delve deep for long. There’s a legend that deep within the valley, there might even be an ancient ruin that hasn’t been fully explored, but it’s extremely dangerous, and no one has ever been able to confirm it,” Ryosuke said, pointing at the mark on the map, his expression also becoming more serious.

“Thank you, Jonin Ryosuke.” Tang Yan nodded, accepting the map and materials, already having a plan in mind.

Should he follow the original plan, lead his squad to rest briefly, and then continue with regular front-line patrol and support missions, or choose to delve into that more dangerous area, which might very well hide something, an unexpected opportunity, in Raiming Valley?

This didn’t seem to be a choice that required much hesitation.

The “Heart of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits Mechanism” that ran through everything… ten of them needed to be collected, and everything, as if by an invisible hand, was being pushed towards those unknown perilous places.

Just as Tang Yan was pondering, a medical Ninja rushed over, his face showing unconcealed joy.

“Lady Yueye! Captain Tang Yan! Lord Shitou… he’s awake!”

Everyone’s spirits lifted, and they immediately hurried to the makeshift medical tent.

Inside the tent, Anbu member Shitou’s face was still as pale as paper, his lips cracked, but a hint of clarity had returned to his sunken eyes.

With Yueye’s full-force treatment, at the cost of a large amount of Chakra, coupled with the precious antidote, he was finally pulled back from the brink of death.

Seeing Tang Yan enter, he struggled to rise from the makeshift stretcher to express his gratitude, but Tang Yan gently pressed him down with a raised hand.

“No need for formalities. How are you feeling now?”

“Thank you… Jonin Tang Yan… for saving my life.” Shitou’s voice was terribly hoarse, like a worn-out bellows, but the gratitude in his tone was incredibly sincere. “Those Root bastards… cough cough… cough…”

He suddenly coughed violently, aggravating his injuries, and cold sweat seeped from his forehead. Yueye quickly stepped forward, skillfully patting his back to help him breathe.

Zi Luo pouted beside him: “Tsk, ‘Root bastards,’ I like that description.”

Tang Yan waited for Shitou’s breathing to calm slightly, then cut straight to the point: “Shitou, you intermittently mentioned ‘Moryo’ and the Root organization’s secret plan while you were unconscious. Can you elaborate? Don’t leave out any details.”

Shitou’s breathing calmed slightly, but when he heard the word “Moryo,” his eyes suddenly became incredibly solemn, even mixed with a hint of uncontrollable deep fear, as if recalling some extremely terrifying scene.

“Root… they… they are deep in Raiming Valley, seemingly trying to use the constant lightning power there, and a special ore they call ‘thunderclap stone,’ to… to try to unseal, or rather, control something called ‘Moryo’!”

“Moryo is an extremely ancient and evil entity. Legend has it that it…” Shitou said here, his fear intensifying in his eyes, “Once it is released from its seal, or controlled by Root with some evil method, the consequences… are unimaginable! I fought to the death to escape from their secret base and relay some fragmented information…”

Shitou’s words were like several thunderclaps consecutively exploding in everyone’s hearts. Even Zi Luo, who was usually fearless, rarely put away his playful expression, his brows slightly furrowed: “Resurrecting an ancient evil entity? Those Root guys really think the world is too peaceful.”

Yueye’s face turned pale. As a medical Ninja, she had also heard legends of various forbidden powers, and the name “Moryo” indeed represented ill omens and disaster.

Tang Yan stood on the sand dune of the temporary camp, his gaze deep as he looked towards Raiming Valley.

In the distant sky, thick dark clouds, like solidified ink, heavily pressed down on the mountains, with faint silver snake-like electric lights rapidly shuttling and flashing within the clouds, reflecting the sinister outline of the canyon below, as if foretelling a storm far more perilous than a natural thunderstorm was about to arrive.

Danzo of the Root, that man hidden in Konoha’s deepest shadows, what crucial role was he playing in this long-brewing conspiracy?

Was the so-called “thunderclap stone” really as simple as an ordinary ore used for forging or charging?

And was this “Moryo,” confirmed by Shitou, somehow deeply and unknowingly connected to the “Heart of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits Mechanism” that the All Things Creation Box had repeatedly hinted at?

Tang Yan’s black hair gently fluttered in the increasingly strong mountain wind, his eyes calm and sharp, but deep within, flames seemed to burn silently.

He felt that he was one step closer to a secret so immense that it could shake the entire Ninja World.

This time, he would not let the clues slip through his fingers again.