Radiation could lead to unpredictable consequences in the genes of living beings, and ninety-nine percent of those consequences were extremely terrible.
However, if the power of radiation spread to insects that were tenacious, numerous, yet structurally simple—
Then things became very interesting.
The vast majority of insects would inevitably die, while a tiny handful would undergo genetic mutations and stubbornly cling to life.
Shibi, a jonin, now faced precisely such a situation. This bizarre turn of events left the completely unprepared Shibi at a loss.
"...Insects whose bodies can rapidly expand?"
"That's right. In their normal state, they are no different from ordinary insects. But once I feed them Chakra, they go berserk, devouring endlessly while their bodies expand hundreds of times over."
Inside the camp.
Shibi adjusted his sunglasses with a faint sigh. As one of only two insect-controlling clans in the ninja world, he had seen and personally cultivated countless insects.
Yet the Kikaichū he had raised for years had suddenly become like this. It was simply too strange.
Shibi looked at Genitsu's tightly furrowed face.
So it really was because they had been exposed too heavily to the poison of this subordinate of his, causing an unknown mutation?
Genitsu, was the poison you wielded... really just poison?
Shibi was highly intelligent. After spending the past two months together, he had already formed some suspicions. Perhaps this was not poison in the conventional sense.
"Sensei, I'd like to take a look at this interesting insect," Genitsu said.
Shibi directly held out his index finger. A Kikaichū the size of a grain of rice, utterly ordinary in appearance, was slowly crawling along it.
Genitsu immediately fed it Chakra.
The next instant, the insect immediately went berserk. It crazily lunged at Genitsu's palm, voraciously chewing on the Chakra. As it ate, its body expanded at an astonishing rate, growing to the size of a fist.
"I see. It really is an insect that mutated after being affected by me... Sensei Shibi, can you confirm that you've never heard of this kind of insect before?"
"I can. I have cultivated no fewer than a hundred kinds of insects, and I have never seen anything this bizarre."
Genitsu nodded slightly and thought it over. The more he considered it, the more familiar the insect seemed...
Wasn't this thing a Kidaichū?!!
Kidaichū was Shino Aburame's trump card during the Fourth Great Ninja War. He had punched a Ten-Tails clone, and several insects burrowed into it. Their bodies rapidly expanded in a short time, easily chewing the Ten-Tails clone apart from the inside out.
Just imagine that scene: a massive Ten-Tails clone being gnawed on by several enormous, terrifying black insects, then howling as it collapsed...
An insect capable of dealing with tailed beasts... had it not even been born yet at this point?
"If they can be cultivated properly, they could be used against the enemy's large summoning beasts, Sensei Shibi... This should count as strengthening one of your trump cards."
Genitsu tightly gripped the berserk giant insect with both hands.
Screech! Screech! Screech!
The huge black insect let out an irritable shriek. Its mandibles opened and closed as it viciously tried to bite off Genitsu's head.
A glint flashed through Shibi's eyes beneath his sunglasses. "Is that so? So it can be used this way. If these insects can grow even larger, if there are more of them, and if we can find a way to control them... perhaps..."
Perhaps, perhaps the Aburame Clan might also gain the means to fight tailed beasts!!
Those were tailed beasts, incarnations of calamity, terrifying masses of endless Chakra!!
Their immense size alone inspired fear in humans. Even some Kage-level powerhouses found themselves constrained when dealing with tailed beasts, lacking any direct and effective means of suppressing them.
"Large summoning beasts..." Even with Shibi's exceptional composure, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated and his breathing grew rapid.
He looked at Genitsu's meaningful expression.
"I understand, Genitsu. You truly are a junior who keeps bringing me surprises. Once we return to the village, you're welcome to visit my home. We need to have a proper talk."
"I'd be delighted, Sensei Shibi."
Genitsu smiled and nodded, returning the giant insect to Shibi before walking out of the tent.
He looked up at the gray, overcast sky.
"Though I had prepared myself for this, this outcome isn't bad. Using Kidaichū—and perhaps even more mutated insects that may appear in the future—as leverage to bind the powerful Aburame Clan to my side... that wouldn't be bad at all."
Genitsu gave a soft laugh.
Insects truly were species that mutated incredibly quickly, far faster than humans.
"Genitsu-san, what were you discussing? Did you really have to talk behind our backs?" Kazue stood outside, lightly brushing back her beautiful hair as she smiled.
Ah, the mutation speed of the human before him also seemed quite impressive. In just over a year, she had grown this much...
"No, we were merely discussing a new mission. Now it depends on Sensei Shibi's decision."
Genitsu smiled faintly.
He was not worried that someone like Shibi would betray him. This concerned the fate of his clan, a power sufficient to revitalize an entire clan and be passed down without end.
Even if the Hokage noticed something was wrong, he could forget about laying hands on the Aburame Clan's "secret technique." Otherwise, the Aburame, Inuzuka, and Ino-Shika-Cho clans—these clans with secret techniques—would never let the matter rest.
"Without realizing it, I've broadened my path again..."
"Huh? What are you talking about, Genitsu-san? I don't understand at all..." Might Guy looked at him with utter confusion.
Western Front Headquarters.
Tsunade, the nominal supreme commander of the western front, had just finished handling a pile of documents and issuing new mission assignments. She stretched hard, intending to rest for a while.
But when she looked up, she was instantly startled and instinctively assumed a fighting stance.
"Hm? What is it? Oh, it's little Shibi. When did you get here? You didn't even say anything..." Tsunade relaxed.
"..."
That was too much.
He had clearly been waiting for nearly five minutes, yet she had not noticed him at all?
Shibi adjusted his sunglasses and directly handed over a scroll. "I've come to hand over the mission. These are the heads of two Iwa special jonin and one jonin."
"Oh? As expected of Shibi. With you here, you've taken a great deal of pressure off me." Tsunade nodded in satisfaction, then plopped down into her seat, causing a violent tremor that fully displayed her magnificent presence.
"..."
Shibi lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Lady Tsunade, you misunderstand. Of these three heads, only the jonin was sniped by me. The two special jonin have nothing to do with me..."
"What? Don't tell me the rookie team you brought did it? What kind of joke is that! They may be excellent, but they're far too young. How could they kill two special jonin at that age? Shibi, you're unusually humorous!" Tsunade laughed.
"Lady Tsunade, you know me. I never joke around. Those three subordinates of mine... are outstanding, exceptionally outstanding. They are geniuses in the truest sense!"
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