"What is this guy...?"
Genitsu studied the man before him without giving anything away.
The Aburame Clan all favored gloomy styles, always trying to stuff themselves into the shadows.
But someone dressed head to toe in a skintight suit was rather rare.
"I have never met you before, sir. May I ask...?"
"I am Aburame Shikuroo."
The man spoke, sizing Genitsu up expressionlessly.
So this was him—the Shiranui Clan descendant, the super genius who had defeated Kakashi... No wonder Lord Danzo had taken an interest in him.
Shikuroo felt some regret. He should have made his move sooner, preferably bringing Genitsu into Root before Genitsu defeated Kakashi and made a name for himself.
It had been a miscalculation, but there was still time to remedy it.
"Ah, Senior Shikuroo. I came to visit Teacher Shibi. We had arranged it beforehand."
"When did you make this arrangement?"
"About a week ago, I suppose. He said I could come visit his home when I had time, and I only remembered today, so here I am."
"...I see."
Shikuroo nodded and led Genitsu into the Aburame Clan compound.
As a mid-sized clan, it might not have been as dazzling as the Uchiha or Hyuga Clan, but the Aburame definitely had their own confidence.
Looking around, he could often see strange insects crawling about.
"These insects are raised by clan members. Some of them enjoy basking in the sun," Shikuroo said flatly.
Well, other people walked their cats and dogs. The Aburame Clan walked bugs.
After walking for a while, the two left the residential area behind and arrived at a sparsely populated forest clearing.
"By the way, haven't we reached Teacher Shibi's house yet? I remember he doesn't live in this direction." Genitsu smiled.
Shikuroo stopped walking.
"So, Senior Shikuroo, why have you brought me to a place like this? I'm a reasonable person. We can discuss anything..."
Shikuroo turned around and said calmly, "Your talent is exceptional. You should not continue wasting it. You should go somewhere better suited to you."
"So that place is...?"
"Root, Konoha's other secret force. Its leader is Lord Shimura Danzō, one of the former candidates for Third Hokage."
"Root... I have never heard of it. I have vaguely heard Lord Danzō's name, though. He seems to be a very great man. But I refuse."
Genitsu slowly raised his head. "You brought me here for no reason, then started saying all these inexplicable things... Senior Shikuroo, is this how the Aburame Clan treats its guests? How rude."
Shikuroo said indifferently, "You cannot understand Root's greatness yet. Once you join it, you will naturally understand. You love the Will of Fire so much. Now that you have a place where you can bring even greater value to the village, aren't you interested at all?"
"Not interested. As for secret organizations, I could always find a way to apply for the ANBU. I respect Lord Danzō, but I have no interest in joining Root. Before confirming Root's internal circumstances, I will not join. But if I do not join, I cannot judge Root's circumstances. What a headache."
Genitsu tilted his head. "Also, Senior Shikuroo, don't casually put strange bugs on me. You... should be careful I don't kill you."
This was bad!
Shikuroo stopped concealing himself and swiftly brought his hands together.
"Shiranui Genitsu, I underestimated you. You could actually detect my Nano Venom Bugs..."
Shikuroo controlled a massive swarm numbering in the tens of millions, sending it howling toward Genitsu. Moreover, these Nano Venom Bugs were completely invisible to the naked eye.
"I thought your bloodline ability could only interfere at the cellular level. To think you can even sense my bugs. But now that you have noticed them, it is already too late."
Shikuroo stared coldly at Genitsu as countless Nano Venom Bugs crawled over and enveloped him. "Since you refused, I can only use other methods."
Cells ranged roughly from a few micrometers to several hundred micrometers in diameter, while the Nano Venom Bugs he had painstakingly cultivated were nanometer-scale insects—one micrometer equaled one thousand nanometers. These Nano Venom Bugs were practically a cheat-level weapon.
Countless bugs densely clung to Genitsu's body, attempting to burrow inside him and contaminate every internal organ.
The smile on Genitsu's face slowly faded. "In that case, I suppose there would be no problem if I quietly beat Senior Shikuroo to death."
"Arrogant brat."
How naive. Did he think that defeating Kakashi and possessing chunin-level strength meant he could fight nano-scale venomous insects...?
What?!
The next moment, Shikuroo's movements stiffened.
A shocking wave erupted from Genitsu's body, carrying rapidly rising heat and an indescribably destructive power.
Wave after wave of power spread outward, and the many Nano Venom Bugs died at an outrageous speed wherever it reached!
Shikuroo's proudest and strongest weapon had been completely wiped out in an instant!!
"Your power can actually do this directly?! Interfere with life at the nanometer level?!"
Shikuroo stepped forward, about to use the secret insect-control technique to completely crush Genitsu in a short time.
But Genitsu merely looked at him calmly.
"Senior Shikuroo, your life's proudest creation is utterly worthless in my eyes."
Whoosh!
At that moment, Genitsu unleashed an unprecedented cloud of nuclear radiation, likewise invisible to the naked eye, and directly controlled it as it surged toward Aburame Shikuroo.
People from Root truly were troublesome. This time, Genitsu had acted with the intent to kill.
What a pity. Aburame Torune, Fū Yamanaka's future partner and Shino's close friend, the man who would likewise master Nano Venom Bugs, no longer had any chance of being born. His father, Shikuroo, was about to be dealt with by Genitsu.
Crash!
Like raging waves.
The frenziedly reproducing nano-swarm died one after another in the unprecedentedly terrifying radiation before it could truly harm Genitsu.
This was simply a dimensional strike. Using nuclear radiation against insects—no matter how tenacious their vitality, they had to die!
Mutation? Impossible.
Once the fundamental structures of all proteins were destroyed by an unceasing, unimaginably vast amount of radiation, life itself lost any possibility of survival.
Countless microscopic particles slammed forward madly. Amid Shikuroo's sudden scream, they crushed innumerable Nano Venom Bugs like a torrential flood, then surged straight into Shikuroo's body.
At that moment, Shikuroo's body became a horrifying container for radiation. Massive amounts of radiation particles poured into him, slaughtering every cell in his body with terrifying force.
"You are finished, Senior Shikuroo..."
Genitsu watched Shikuroo collapse to the ground screaming as large numbers of cysts and pus erupted across his body.
Root had no past or future? Fine. Then he would have no future.
Every tissue in Shikuroo's body had suffered an all-encompassing assault. Reproduction was even more impossible, because the healthy cells and underlying DNA strands related to it had already sustained irreversible, permanent damage.
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