Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

Shibi Aburame and his two companions ordered their destruction insects to spread out in all directions, aiming to find the insect king, so they didn't hide their movements.

When the insects discovered Ye Zi and Orochimaru, the latter also immediately noticed the insects.

The black insect swarm, like a dark curtain flying through the air, stood out sharply in the green forest.

Seeing the black swarm of insects, Ye Zi and Orochimaru immediately stopped in their tracks.

"Aburame clan's insects."

Both Ye Zi and Orochimaru were from Konoha, so they instantly recognized that the black insect swarm was not a natural product of the Aoki Forest but rather the Aburame clan's insects.

Before receiving any commands, the black swarm of insects simply floated through the air, not launching an attack on Ye Zi and Orochimaru.

The presence of Aburame clan insects here was unclear—whether it was by chance or by design.

But regardless of whether it was coincidence or inevitability, since they encountered them, they had to deal with them.

All enemy shinobi they had encountered from other nations thus far only had two choices: to flee or to die.

Squeak squeak.

Threads of lightning began to surge and flicker around Ye Zi's body. He reached back to grip the hilt of his sword at his waist and drew it swiftly. The long blade was enveloped in crackling lightning.

Whoosh!

He leapt from the ground into the air and slashed at the black swarm of insects not far away. The lightning on his sword instantly extended, and the dazzling bolt swept through the black swarm, felling a large portion of it.

After the first slash, he swung the blade quickly in the opposite direction.

The black swarm of insects seemed to sense danger and attempted to scatter and evade, but Ye Zi's sword was faster. Once again, he cut down a large portion of the swarm.

After taking out a considerable number of insects with two strikes mid-air, Ye Zi landed and prepared for a second wave of attacks. He aimed to reduce the number of insects as much as possible before the Aburame clan members arrived.

At that moment, as if frightened by Ye Zi's two strikes, the black swarm of insects began retreating, moving away from Ye Zi.

It turned out that Shibi Aburame and his two companions, who had sensed the loss of many insects, quickly recalled their insects.

Orochimaru simply stood off to the side, watching silently. As long as Ye Zi was there, he wouldn't move unless necessary.

After the black swarm retreated for a moment, it came back again, this time accompanied by three individuals clad in high-collared cloaks.

Seeing the attire of those three, Ye Zi and Orochimaru confirmed their earlier suspicions: they were indeed from the Aburame clan.

Shibi and his two companions arrived at the scene, each standing atop a tree. Their bodies were coated with insect repellent, so they had no fear of the small poisonous insects in the forest.

The black swarm of insects floated around them. From their elevated position, they looked down at Ye Zi and Orochimaru, their partially obscured faces visibly changing color.

"Ye Zi, Orochimaru…"

Shibi uttered their names in a muffled tone, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

Shichi and Shihui instinctively tensed, their bodies stiff, and their gazes locked onto Ye Zi and Orochimaru with intense focus.

Every ninja in Konoha knew the names of Ye Zi and Orochimaru, along with the strength that matched their fame.

Especially Ye Zi… Even Hatake Sakumo had been defeated by this man.

"Shibi Aburame."

Orochimaru's cold snake-like eyes swept across the three of them, his expression indifferent.

Shibi was the clan leader of the Aburame clan and an elite among Konoha's jonin. In various wars, he had always played a significant role.

The Aburame clan's style was low-key, their presence not particularly strong. However, whether they were allies or enemies, even if people couldn't remember the Aburame clan's members, they would always remember the insects with their myriad abilities.

Orochimaru had commanded the Aburame clan on several occasions and was familiar with Shibi. The latter also shared a fair amount of history with Orochimaru.

Silently, the black swarm of insects floating behind Shibi Aburame began to stir, it was a sign of preparation for battle.

Due to his personality, Shibi wouldn't question Orochimaru and Ye Zi about their purpose for being there. The two of them were Konoha's rogue ninjas, while he was a Konoha ninja. Upon encountering them, his first priority wasn't to flee but to attempt combat.

Ye Zi and Orochimaru were undeniably strong, but strength was not a reason for Shibi to retreat.

One must try to know the depths of the other side.

After exchanging names, there was a brief moment of silence before Shibi seized the initiative. He controlled his insects, which soared into the air like exploding fireworks, spreading out and engulfing Ye Zi and Orochimaru like a black curtain.

Seeing their clan leader launch the attack, Shichi and Shihui steadied themselves and manipulated their own swarms of insects to flank the two from both sides, attempting to attack Ye Zi and Orochimaru from behind.

Faced with the massive shadow of insects descending toward him, Ye Zi's expression remained calm. The fine threads of lightning around him thickened to about 4 inches. The lightning streaming across his body began to take on a distinct form.

Above his head, the lightning formed a vivid dragon head. Its claws rested on his shoulders, radiating beams of lightning outward, while the lightning on his chest and back overlapped into layer upon layer of scales.

Lightning Release: Thunder Dragon Armor.

When the Destruction Bugs attacked in swarms, they could devour tangible objects in an instant—like the trees Ye Zi created with Wood Release or the rock layers produced by Orochimaru's Earth Release. If they managed to crawl onto someone, given enough numbers, they could reduce the body to scraps in a few seconds, even if the body was covered with chakra.

However, chakra nature transformations like Lightning and Fire Release, which possessed offensive properties, could effectively repel the Destruction Bugs.

Covering one's body with a layer of stone for defense would be bitten away, but something like the Thunder Dragon Armor Ye Zi now wore would deal lethal damage to the insects.

That said, the Destruction Bugs could devour chakra, even chakra transformed into Lightning Release. As long as they had sufficient numbers, they could consume and weaken the Lightning Release chakra at the cost of their own lives.

But the strength of Ye Zi's Thunder Dragon Armor was astounding. The chances of the Destruction Bugs weakening it, let alone devouring it, were slim.

Clad in the Thunder Dragon Armor, Ye Zi gripped his blade, Chijin, and charged into the insect swarm, cutting them down mercilessly as he advanced toward Shibi and his companions.

The swarm of insects that got close to him was instantly burned to char by the powerful lightning surrounding his body.

Seeing this, Shibi and his companions twitched slightly, their hearts aching.

Every member of the Aburame clan felt an involuntary pang of pain whenever they saw their insects being wiped out in large numbers.

Ye Zi's Thunder Dragon Armor was essentially the nemesis of their insects. However, Shibi and his companions didn't retreat. Instead, they calmly widened the distance between themselves and Ye Zi while controlling the majority of their insects to block his advance.

They could sense the overwhelming chakra of the Lightning Release surrounding Ye Zi, and its power was immense. Even with swarms of insects, they couldn't break through it. Still, they understood that this technique likely consumed a significant amount of chakra and required continuous output.

Until Ye Zi showed signs of running out of chakra, Shibi and the others intended to drag the fight out, hoping to outlast him and counterattack when his chakra was insufficient.

Moreover, some insects had secretly burrowed underground as a backup plan. Since targeting Ye Zi wasn't effective, they would use them against Orochimaru instead.

Compared to Ye Zi, Orochimaru's techniques were far more vulnerable to their insects.

He excelled at Earth Release and snake-based ninjutsu. Earth Release's chakra nature was easily countered by their insects, and techniques like Hidden Shadow Snake Hand were similarly ineffective against them.

Although Orochimaru was proficient in other chakra nature transformations as well, which were more than sufficient to deal with the insects, the situation was not entirely in his favor.

Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves.

Orochimaru's hands moved quickly, forming seals as he channeled his chakra. He slightly puffed his cheeks and then, as he spun on the spot, he opened his mouth and released dozens of small, spinning wind blades that shot out in all directions, slicing through the approaching swarm of insects.

The sharp wind blades moved quickly, cutting down many of the insects. However, they couldn't eliminate all of them.

Even though most of the insects were focused on Ye Zi, the number targeting Orochimaru was still significant, showing just how skilled Shibi's control over the swarm was.

Seeing that a large portion of the swarm remained, Orochimaru decisively leapt backward to widen the distance between himself and the insects, foiling Shichi and Shihui's attempt to surround him.

Next, he used a combined Wind-Fire Release technique, spitting out an immense curtain of searing flames that spread out over a wide area, covering the dispersed swarm of insects.

In an instant, the air was filled with the pungent smell of burning.

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Currently on Chapter 419 - Minato Confronts the Intruder