The Tech Tree Was Finally Unlocked

Aburame Tetsumaru returned to the rebuilt camp. After passing layer upon layer of coded signals and document inspections, he finally met Orochimaru.

"My lord, this is Hokage-sama's reply."

Orochimaru accepted the letter. Since it had already been inspected by Anbu ninja, he casually opened it, glanced over it, and set it alight.

Watching the paper burn, Orochimaru curled his lips into a smile and asked, "Tetsumaru, what do you want this time?"

Aburame Tetsumaru smiled as well and said softly, "There's a question I simply cannot figure out. I need Lord Orochimaru to enlighten me."

Two months earlier, Aburame Tetsumaru's gamble had succeeded. He had become Orochimaru's first subordinate.

No joke—truly the first.

In Konoha's thirty-second year, Orochimaru was only twenty-two. He was far too young and had only just proven his individual strength. This time, he had taken over Jiraiya's position as deputy commander of the Land of Rain army. The Hokage had arranged for him to compete with the commander for control of several thousand elite ninja.

Jiraiya had worked tirelessly in the Land of Rain for two years and earned tremendous prestige, but he had also proven that no matter how great one person's reputation was, they could not command an entire army alone.

Orochimaru's political instincts were not poor. He understood that he had to establish his own circle before he could use trusted subordinates to control an army of thousands.

That was when the trouble of his young age became apparent. Ninja older than Orochimaru could not bring themselves to pledge allegiance to a junior, while he did not think highly of any ninja younger than himself. That was until Aburame Tetsumaru approached him of his own accord.

What Aburame Tetsumaru wanted in exchange for loyalty was safety and knowledge, which perfectly matched Orochimaru's values. He was deeply satisfied with this arrangement.

After the Earth–Rain Allied Forces attacked Konoha's main camp, Orochimaru reassigned Aburame Tetsumaru's squad as his personal unit. They handled his protection and delivered orders, along with certain high-difficulty missions.

Depending on the difficulty of the mission, Orochimaru taught Tetsumaru something each time: ninjutsu techniques, Chakra cultivation methods, Chakra form cultivation, nature transformation cultivation, and more.

Whenever Aburame Tetsumaru acquired knowledge, he digested it quickly. After completing the next mission, he would ask Orochimaru about the difficult points he did not understand, greatly satisfying Orochimaru's desire to teach.

Gradually, their exchanges ceased to be limited to Orochimaru teaching him alone. Through his questions, Aburame Tetsumaru unknowingly conveyed an entirely new system of understanding. Though that system was still immature, its rigorous logic and grand framework astonished Orochimaru.

Their exchanges grew increasingly frequent and soon extended beyond ninjutsu and Chakra. Biology, history, myths and legends, politics, economics, military affairs—they spoke about nearly everything, and their relationship gradually became closer and more familiar.

Even Jiraiya and Tsunade believed Orochimaru might be taking on a second disciple. Yet both parties firmly denied it and continued doing as they pleased without the slightest concern.

Aburame Tetsumaru openly stated that his goal was immortality. Orochimaru, on the other hand, had not yet developed such a firm ambition. What he wanted was to master every ninjutsu and pursue the mysteries of Chakra.

They were not master and disciple, but comrades with common interests who recognized each other's ambitions and walked the same path for the time being. In their eyes, a relationship between comrades was far purer and more intimate than that of master and disciple or husband and wife. There was no need to add an awkward layer of relationship that would only interfere.

Beyond their relationship as comrades, their alliance also brought many concrete benefits, so they became quite closely connected.

Orochimaru gained a fairly powerful subordinate, allowing him to directly involve himself in many practical affairs and assess candidates for other subordinates. This greatly accelerated the establishment of his own power base.

Aburame Tetsumaru no longer had to worry about being assigned overly dangerous missions. Orochimaru carefully selected his tasks, giving him missions of appropriate difficulty that were easy for him to carry out.

Even Uchiha Kei and Kurama Yun felt that life had become more orderly. They no longer complained about being passively drawn into Orochimaru's faction.

The two also exchanged their respective bodies of knowledge, though naturally, each held some things back.

Orochimaru gained knowledge such as genetic hypotheses and species classification systems, which played a guiding role in systematizing his research. The Chakra and ninjutsu knowledge Aburame Tetsumaru received was even more important, directly filling the gap in practical experience within his Chakra system. Its value was comparable to the steel industry obtaining ten thousand alloy formulas.

Both of them were quite satisfied.

Aburame Tetsumaru's greatest discovery was the Chakra Rune, but the ninjutsu knowledge he could access was insufficient to support his research into Chakra Runes. As a result, all his ideas and hypotheses concerning Chakra Runes lacked practical verification.

Empirical summaries from specific ninjutsu experiments were indispensable. Without such data, it was like the periodic table lacking the chemical properties and molecular weights of the various elements.

Aburame Tetsumaru could not even arrange the runes he had collected in the most basic sequence, much less create some kind of periodic table.

The ninjutsu knowledge Orochimaru taught Aburame Tetsumaru had been passed down from the Third Hokage. The Third Hokage had learned from the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, whose knowledge came from the Senju Clan's thousand years of accumulation.

The Senju Clan was the foremost ninjutsu clan in the Shinobi World. They were renowned for their enormous Chakra reserves. More Chakra meant they could use ninjutsu more times per day than others, making them natural ninjutsu grinders.

A millennium of accumulation by the bloodline clan most skilled in ninjutsu could be said to have comprehensively collected every variation and application technique related to ninjutsu and Chakra.

This was the critical missing link in Aburame Tetsumaru's knowledge system, as well as the foundation for all research. He had even considered gritting his teeth and learning every ninjutsu himself.

It was a stupid method, but also the most effective one.

In his previous life, the older generation had spent sixty years painstakingly repeating every alloy experiment foreign countries had already conducted for the sake of their nation's steel industry. Over three generations, they finally gathered enough alloy formulas and independently rose to the pinnacle of the world.

With Orochimaru filling in this missing link, it felt like a Rabbit getting a mouthful of milk from the Soviet Union. From then on, Aburame Tetsumaru soared into the skies.

What exactly had Aburame Tetsumaru gained that allowed him to rise so suddenly?

First, he completely figured out the functions of more than forty runes, as well as the effects of linking multiple runes together. At last, Aburame Tetsumaru could write some runes into insects' bodies, achieving unprecedented enhancement effects.

Second, he wrote the runes into his own body. With the Chakra Grand Circulation as its core, he created the Secret Technique: Domain Barrier. Within the thousand-meter range covered by the barrier, he could transmit Chakra to every insect, finally escaping the limitation that insects had to touch his body to be enhanced.

Then, he further improved the Aburame Secret Technique. By combining Insight, insect senses, and Chakra's radiation effect, he perfected the Secret Technique: Domain Barrier, sharing all senses with every insect inside the barrier, like a god's-eye view spanning a spherical radius of one thousand meters.

Within this range, Aburame Tetsumaru could share the perception of every insect, command every insect as freely as his fingers, and fill any insect with Chakra at will.

After becoming slightly familiar with it, he quickly became proficient. It was even like riding a bicycle—he did not need to think about how to grip the handlebars or maintain balance while pedaling. He only needed to think of what he wanted, and the insects responded precisely like extensions of his limbs.

He finally understood what it meant to say: "I am the Insect Swarm."

The Secret Technique: Domain Barrier was the first true tech point he had unlocked on the Swarm Tech Tree.

Another major breakthrough was that Aburame Tetsumaru had used Cockroaches as a template in the laboratory. Combining Snake Style biological knowledge with rune editing, he created Larvae—the Larvae that crawled around near the Mother Hive, ready at any time to cocoon, pupate, and hatch into whatever insect was needed.

Larvae were not to be underestimated. Aside from the Mother Hive, they contained the most advanced technology. They were the foundation that allowed the Zerg to employ swarm tactics, solving the problem of reproduction speed.

Although Aburame Tetsumaru's Larvae were still incomplete versions and could not yet hatch all of his insect types, the problem of efficient reproduction had already been solved. From then on, he no longer had to worry about money when drowning enemies beneath an insect tide.

After finishing his exchange with Orochimaru, Aburame Tetsumaru returned to the tent where he lived, greeted his two subordinates, and distributed the mission bonuses.

After more than three months of Aburame Tetsumaru's tutelage, Uchiha Kei's skin had grown thicker and he had become increasingly mature. He could already tailor his words to whoever stood before him.

All three of them knew that Uchiha Kei's maturity meant he would soon leave the Aburame Squad and become a Chunin captain like Aburame Tetsumaru.

Kurama Yun's departure would come even sooner. She would leave the Aburame Squad tomorrow because she had no choice but to retire.

Bloodline Disease was a terminal illness that plagued ninja from powerful Kekkei Genkai clans. Kurama Yun had contracted this terminal illness after awakening her Kekkei Genkai, causing her personality to split and her body to weaken.

After more than a year of hard fighting on the battlefield, Kurama Yun had won considerable renown for her clan, but her Bloodline Disease had also erupted completely. There were now eleven personalities within Kurama Yun. The little girl who was her primary personality had become so weak that she could not remain conscious for four hours a day.

Furthermore, Kurama Yun's Kekkei Genkai had grown increasingly powerful. Her excessively strong Yin Release Kekkei Genkai had destroyed her body's balance, causing severe lesions in both her heart and lungs. The stomach problems caused by sleeping rough and eating poorly could not be ignored either.

In short, as Kurama Yun's Genjutsu rapidly improved, her life gradually approached its end.

The wealthy Kurama Clan hired Princess Tsunade to examine Kurama Yun. Tsunade confirmed that she was unfit to continue as a ninja. If she retired immediately and returned to the village to rest properly, she could live a few more years.

The Aburame Squad was about to disband, and Aburame Tetsumaru felt somewhat reluctant. Though the three had schemed against one another and gotten along poorly at first, after fighting side by side for three months, they had still built a great deal of camaraderie.

After dividing the money, Aburame Tetsumaru suggested, "How about we hold a barbecue tonight? We can treat it as an early farewell for Kurama."

Kurama Yun was delighted and clapped her hands. "Sure, sure! I love barbecue the most."

That cloying voice proved the speaker was the murderous Kurama. Uchiha Kei and Aburame Tetsumaru jumped three feet into the air, dodging two Shuriken. Uchiha Kei hurriedly retreated farther away, while Aburame Tetsumaru darted forward and, with lightning speed, gave Kurama Yun a fierce knock on the forehead.

"Ahhh~~~"

Kurama Yun clutched her head and squatted on the ground, her eyes brimming with tears. She pursed her lips, wanting to cry but not daring to.

Uchiha Kei and Aburame Tetsumaru both breathed a sigh of relief. They were lucky; she had switched back to the girl who was her primary personality in one go. However, as her personalities grew ever more numerous, the girl Kurama's temperament had become increasingly withdrawn and fragile.

"Don't cry. I prepared some juice for you, and chicken legs too."

After spending quite some effort coaxing the girl Kurama, the three successfully lit a bonfire and began their barbecue party.

"Cheers." x13

Whenever there was a party, freeloading bastards were bound to show up. In the end, the Aburame Tetsumaru Squad's gathering turned into a group event for four squads.

Uchiha Fūka was the first to raise his cup. He congratulated his cousin Kei on soon becoming an independent captain, lamented that he had also become a Chunin but had no chance to become a captain himself, and harshly criticized his own captain.

His captain was called Mitsui, a commoner ninja without a clan name. Hearing that, he immediately subdued him and viciously punished Fūka by drilling his knuckles into Fūka's temples.

The Ino-Shika-Cho group of Nara Kaya, Akimichi Daito, and Yamanaka Yu had luckily suffered no casualties and remained intact. At present, all of them had been promoted to Chunin as well.

It was rare for their classmates to gather together, and they were most concerned about the situation of their other companions. They began exchanging information.

"Hyuga Tokuma was transferred to the east. He should be fighting against the Land of Water."

"Has anyone seen Inuzuka Tsuyoshi lately?"

Aburame Tetsumaru raised his hand and said, "I saw him and Ku two and a half months ago, in the Land of Rain."

"Nara, do you have any news?"

Nara Kaya shook his head regretfully. "No. I don't know where he was transferred to. His clearance level has been quite high lately. I guess he might be carrying out an important protection mission."

A stretch of silence followed. Aburame Tetsumaru said, "Looks like we've been lucky. None of us encountered any danger."

He raised his fruit juice and said with a happy smile, "Everyone being safe is worth a toast."

"Cheers!"

Everyone gulped down their fruit juice, and the atmosphere became lively again.

The party continued until two in the morning before the dozen or so people finally had their fill of fun and went their separate ways.

After extinguishing the fire, Aburame Tetsumaru had no desire to clean up the mess. He left the wreckage behind and returned to his tent, intending to get a good night's sleep.

Early the next morning, people from the Kurama Clan arrived. They brought a retirement application signed by the Hokage, the commander, and Orochimaru.

Aburame Tetsumaru carefully inspected the documents brought by the Kurama Clan and their identification. Even then, he woke Kurama Yun to identify them herself.

After making every possible preparation, Aburame Tetsumaru woke Uchiha Kei, and the two saw Kurama Yun off together.

"We'll meet again in Konoha."

"See you in Konoha."

Kurama Yun was currently controlled by the girl Kurama, her primary personality. She sobbed with tears and snot streaming down her face, making a promise. "When the war is over, I'll treat everyone to barbecue. I promise you can eat until you're full."

Uchiha Kei laughed heartily. "Don't worry. We won't break the promise."

Aburame Tetsumaru also smiled happily and said, "When the time comes, we'll bring our own friends and have a proper feast."

After coaxing and persuading her, they finally sent Kurama Yun away. Both men breathed a sigh of relief.

"Kei, when are you leaving?"

"Right now. There's no need to find another time."

"Alright. Take care."

"Take care."

The Aburame Squad was disbanded.