Each Person's Training

"You came."

In the woods, Old Man Shion spoke gloomily.

"I came."

"You didn't have to come."

"I know, but I came."

"Since you came, prepare yourself."

"I was prepared for that long ago."

"Then prepare to face true hell."

"Wait." Mimi said, "I haven't made up my mind yet. As for secret techniques, it feels like you don't have anything worth teaching me."

Training would delay a great deal of her research.

Earlier, Old Man Shion had not given her any chance to refuse.

"Naive. You still have much to learn, and I'll be strict with you." Old Man Shion gripped his walking stick and said fiercely.

"I don't have a problem with it." Mimi looked at the three old men and smiled. "I'm just afraid you grandpas will drop dead from exhaustion halfway through."

Mimi had never intended to participate in this sort of training.

"Don't worry. We're not dead tired yet."

Old Man Shion asked, "Mimi, what do you think is most important to the Aburame clan?"

"Chakra?"

The scale of one's Chakra determined the scale of the Insect Swarm. Obviously, that was incomparably important.

"It seems you have your own understanding, but it isn't deep enough." Old Man Shion said, "Our clan has always been called all-round ninjas. What matters most to us is overall ability, meaning there can be no obvious weaknesses in any area."

"Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu. As a member of the Aburame clan, the first thing you must learn is how to break Genjutsu."

"If companions are nearby, they can break the Genjutsu for you. But what if there are no companions?"

"Kikaichū?" Mimi asked.

"Then if you yourself are caught in Genjutsu and the Kikaichū have no instructions, how will they break it?"

"Simple. Set preset instructions. Every ten seconds, have the Kikaichū disrupt the Chakra in my body. That can protect against accidentally falling under Genjutsu." Mimi said.

"Insect Princess, you truly are the most talented member our clan has ever produced."

Old Man Shion nodded in satisfaction and said, "Preset instructions are a very practical technique. You need to master it through your own experience. I never expected you to develop the Kikaichū to this extent."

"However, there is an even simpler method: pain." Old Man Shion said, "When facing Genjutsu, have the Kikaichū in your body stimulate pain in your Flesh Body beforehand to break it."

Simply put, it meant having the Kikaichū bite herself to stay conscious.

Mimi nodded to show that she understood.

"But these methods alone cannot guarantee that you won't fall under Genjutsu, especially Uchiha clan Genjutsu. Pain is unreliable too."

Old Man Shion definitely had some deep grudge against the Uchiha clan.

"So?" Mimi asked.

"So don't rely on your own eyes. Rely more on the senses of the Kikaichū."

"Genjutsu doesn't work on insects!"

To Mimi, that was simply instinct.

Even during her little game with the Third Hokage earlier, she had never relied on her own eyes.

"That concludes Genjutsu. With your talent, you'll easily develop the Genjutsu abilities of the Kiyanchū."

"Insect Princess, what Ninjutsu did you choose?"

"Earth Release Hardening Technique, Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique, and Wind Release Vacuum Sphere." Mimi said.

"Smart choices." Shion said, "Attack, defense, and escape. Just as expected of my granddaughter."

"Ordinary clan members aren't allowed to learn Release techniques, but Insect Princess, you are an exception."

"There is nothing left in the clan's secret techniques for you to learn. Only your age and Chakra limit you."

"Release techniques can strengthen your ability to respond." Old Man Shion said, "On the battlefield, prioritize survival. Don't expose yourself lightly."

That was excessively cautious.

"As for Release techniques, the clan has little research into them. Insect Princess, you may learn them, but don't delve too deeply. Focus more of your energy on modifying the Kikaichū."

"So next, what we will mainly teach you is Taijutsu."

"Old Man Shion." Mimi said, "Does the clan really have such a thing as Taijutsu?"

"Taijutsu isn't anything profound. Ordinary clan members simply have no use for it. But you, Insect Princess, are going to become one of the strongest. Taijutsu cannot be your weakness."

"There's no need to learn ordinary Taijutsu." Mimi said, "Senju's Steel Fist Style and the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist Style aren't techniques that can be learned easily."

In Mimi's view, it was enough to stand far away and have insects bite people. Whether it was fist techniques or Shuriken Technique, neither was necessary.

Besides, her combat range was far greater than that of ordinary clan members.

Then Mimi glanced subtly at Insect Sister, who was squatting beside her like a little dog.

"I can send Insect Sister out. Look at her, she seems especially good at fighting. She should be able to buy me enough time to run away."

"I told you to survive on the battlefield, not to run away at every opportunity!"

"You'll learn this Taijutsu whether you want to or not. Stop talking nonsense!"

Old Man Shion roared and made as if to raise his walking stick.

"You have the final say." Mimi replied. "Then let's begin. Hurry up and finish so I can go home for dinner."

"Hmph!" Old Man Shion said, "Shiki will teach you Taijutsu. He is the best fighter in the clan."

"Insect Princess, you've already hatched Shiki's poisonous insects, right?"

"Mm." Mimi raised both hands for the three grandpas to see.

All ten of her fingernails were a dark, nearly black purple, looking exceptionally dangerous at a glance.

"As expected of my granddaughter!" Old Man Shion nodded in satisfaction.

Nano Kikaichu differed from Kikaichū. Because they were so tiny, there was no need to deliberately create a Nest inside the body.

They could reside anywhere in the body.

Mimi mainly had them reside beneath her fingernails. She could even trim her nails while she was at it.

"Shiki, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Big Brother, let me say something." Old Man Shiho said to Mimi, "Insect Princess, the Nest is a very important technique. It allows you to carry a large number of Kikaichū. You're still young, so there's no need to rush. Once you're an adult, you can build a Nest in your body all at once."

"I understand, Grandpa Shiho." Mimi nodded. "I'll start working on it once I get back."

"No rush. Establishing a Nest comes with a period of weakness, which would be detrimental to your training at this stage." Shiho said.

"It's fine, Grandpa. I've already mastered the Healing Technique. Any damage caused by the insects will be repaired very quickly."

Even so, it would not be a simple task. There was no way she could finish it anytime soon.

And it would hurt. A lot.

When Kikaichū dug tunnels, they always relied on their mouthparts.

Even Mimi was no exception. At most, she could give herself an anesthetic injection to make herself more comfortable.

Clan members had to use Chakra while directing the Kikaichū to build a Nest, so they could only endure it. They absolutely could not numb their bodies.

Mimi only needed a thought. As long as she remained conscious and prevented the Kikaichū from gnawing through her heart or something, it would be fine.

"Look at my memory. I forgot about your control over insects. As long as you know what you're doing, it's fine."

"If there's anything about Ninjutsu you don't understand, you can come find me."

Old Man Shiho added that at the end.

"Shiki, go ahead."

At that, Shiki stepped forward, removed his gloves, and revealed a pair of purple hands.

"Insect Princess, it would be easy to die fighting me. Since you have mastered the Nano Kikaichu, that danger is greatly reduced."

As he spoke, Shiki removed his armored shirt, exposing a body of lean, solid muscles.

"When Nano Kikaichu slaughter each other on a microscopic battlefield, the only thing that can determine victory between us is Taijutsu."

"My requirement for you is simple. Defeat me head-on without using Kikaichū, and your training will be over."

An ordinary member of the Aburame clan would not have such beautiful muscles, because Kikaichū built Nests inside their bodies.

Many bodily tissues had their structures damaged to some extent by Kikaichū.

Therefore, it could be seen on the surface.

For example, her mother Yumi had a small chest because her mammary glands had been damaged in childhood, causing incomplete development.

Mimi had gone hungry for a while when nursing, so she remembered it clearly.

Since Shiki had acquired poisonous insects early and his body had not been damaged by Kikaichū, he had trained himself into such a muscular physique.

Old Man Shiki pressed his hands together and suddenly let out a low shout.

Immediately afterward, purple Nano Kikaichu crawled all over his body, turning his entire body dark purple.

"Did you understand?"

"Mm."

Mimi nodded, pressed her hands together in imitation, and since she was clothed, nothing could be seen from the outside.

Only her hands could be seen, likewise covered in purple.

"Insect Princess, the Kikaichū." Old Man Shion said from the side.

Without any visible movement, swarms of Kikaichū flew away from Mimi, a dense black mass vanishing into the woods.

Old Man Shion nodded in satisfaction.

"It hurts when my insects bite you, so make sure to defend your entire body."

"Thank you for the reminder, Grandpa Shiki."

"Come!" Old Man Shiki let out a low roar.

Mimi assumed an attacking stance.

She knew absolutely nothing about Taijutsu, so there was naturally no grace to it.

After thinking for a moment, Mimi simply charged in recklessly.

At worst, she would get beaten up.

Mimi rushed forward.

Mimi flew back.

She crashed onto the hard ground.

It was completely an adult beating up a child.

Mimi bared her teeth in pain.