I Need Time to Adapt to Being the Insect Swarm

Watching Uchiha Kei leave, Aburame Tetsumaru suddenly felt playful. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Kei, give it your all! Don't disgrace the great name Uchiha Kei!!"

Uchiha Kei: (°ー°〃)

It took him a while to snap out of it, only to discover that his captain had already vanished. Uchiha Kei flew into a rage. Damn captain, always saying things no one could understand.

He viciously raised his middle finger, then suddenly remembered that his captain had taught him that gesture too. He froze for a moment before bursting into hearty laughter, laughing so hard that tears came out.

After laughing enough, Uchiha Kei wiped away his tears and happily set off on his own path.

Farewell. I hope everyone stays safe.

Having sent off his last team member, Aburame Tetsumaru became a commander without troops. He silently activated the Secret Technique: Domain Barrier. This secret technique was triggered by inscribing runes onto the chakra pathways within his body, requiring no hand seals at all.

The method of inscription was still the crudest possible one: he commanded Kikaichū to burrow into his body and bite out the rune patterns. Inscribing eight runes was no easier than opening chakra pathways in his face back then. The horrifying soreness, pain, itching, and numbness were practically hellish. After finishing the first rune, Aburame Tetsumaru could no longer bear it.

Fortunately, the remaining seven runes were not inscribed on his head, so he used anesthetics without hesitation. To his utter surprise, the anesthetic relieved the pain but failed to stop the soreness and itching. That agonizing sensation was unforgettable.

Yet inscribing the runes was merely the easiest first hurdle. The wounds healed within a day, and once the secret technique had been successfully activated, he entered an even more difficult stage.

The human eye was the most effective sensory organ, responsible for receiving eighty percent of outside information. Therefore, suddenly losing one's eyesight caused extreme inconvenience in daily life.

So what happened when one suddenly gained thousands or tens of thousands of eyes?

Just as absolute darkness and absolute brightness both meant blindness, suddenly gaining thousands of eyes also caused tremendous inconvenience.

Several years ago, Aburame Tetsumaru had linked to a Dragonfly's vision through the Aburame Secret Technique. The vision of thousands of compound eyes had made him dizzy and nauseated, to the point that he vomited on the spot. He had been unable to adapt for a long time, and only solved the problem by relaying it through the Snail-type Eye of Truth.

The Secret Technique: Domain Barrier was even more powerful than the Aburame Secret Technique, yet its side effects were somewhat smaller. Of the eight runes that activated the secret technique, four coordinated visual signals, while one handled hearing and touch.

However, no matter how it was processed, the combined vision of thousands of eyes was fundamentally different from the original vision of two eyes. Aburame Tetsumaru had to adapt to it himself. There was no shortcut.

Aburame Tetsumaru moved forward one stiff step at a time. In his vision, he could simultaneously see front, back, left, right, and countless surrounding angles. Every nearby person, every leaf, blade of grass, clump of dirt, and more flooded his senses. There was too much for him to process. Only after confirming his own condition did he dare take another step. Only by moving this slowly could he avoid falling.

This was already much better. On the first day, Aburame Tetsumaru had not even been able to sit up. He had felt as though he had spun in place eight hundred times, unable to distinguish up from down.

His bodily sensations told him he was lying down, but visually he was walking, jumping, even flying. Those were the sensations of the insects sharing their vision, confusing his own perceptions.

Fortunately, the Secret Technique: Domain Barrier could be turned off, giving Aburame Tetsumaru a chance to catch his breath. The problem was that the secret technique's runes had been inscribed onto his chakra pathways. Once his chakra reached a certain speed, it activated automatically.

How could he fight anyone in this state? Forget fighting—if he ran too fast and his chakra suddenly activated the secret technique, he could slam headfirst into a tree and kill himself.

"I am the Insect Swarm. I wonder what Kerrigan felt like. Was she as miserable as I am?"

Aburame Tetsumaru walked step by step to Orochimaru's tent. The moment he thought of lifting the flap and entering, a swarm of flying insects darted over and lifted the tent flap.

Only half a second later did Aburame Tetsumaru step inside. This reaction where the insects moved faster than his hands was also something he needed to slowly adapt to.

Orochimaru naturally noticed Aburame Tetsumaru's changes. He chuckled. "I sensed your chakra approaching from so far away, yet you took so long to get here. Your face is so pale too. What happened?"

"Lord Orochimaru, I need to request leave."

"And your reason?"

Aburame Tetsumaru explained with a bitter smile, "It's a long story. Do you have time now?"

Orochimaru tossed aside the pen in his hand, sat upright, and said, "Of course. If something has happened to a subordinate I value, it naturally takes priority."

"Besides, these documents are all boring nonsense. It makes no difference whether I read them or not." Orochimaru glanced irritably at the stack of documents more than a foot thick.

After the events two months ago, Orochimaru had gained a great deal of real authority. But power struggles were not only about who had more popular support; they were also about whose faction was stronger—who had more capable subordinates.

The commander had arrived with an entire established staff, far surpassing Orochimaru, who had been all alone. It had been easy for him to drown Orochimaru in a sea of paperwork and gradually reclaim most of the authority.

This was only thanks to Aburame Tetsumaru taking the initiative to join him, bringing a group of Chunin and Jonin under Orochimaru's command. Otherwise, he would not even have documents to approve and would likely have been dragged off to serve as a figurehead again.

Thus, Orochimaru had time. He was also curious about the condition of his first subordinate, so he led Aburame Tetsumaru into his laboratory. After closing the door, he listened as Aburame Tetsumaru slowly explained.

Before a Shinobi World scientist like Orochimaru, complete concealment was one thing, but once he began explaining, there was no way to hide anything. So Aburame Tetsumaru began with the Ninjutsu Bug.

Ninjutsu Bugs, Chakra Runes, the Chakra Grand Circulation, rune inscription, a new secret technique, and the predicament of sensory confusion.

As Orochimaru listened to Aburame Tetsumaru's account from his discovery of the Ninjutsu Bug onward, his eyes gradually lit up and his mouth opened wider and wider. By the time he heard about the Chakra Grand Circulation, the disbelief on his face had slowly turned into astonishment.

It took a full hour and a half before Aburame Tetsumaru finished explaining his predicament.

"Incredible, truly incredible..." Orochimaru muttered. "Tetsumaru, you have opened up an entirely new ninja path. No, it goes beyond that. I do not even know how to describe it. In any case, it is extraordinary."

The more Orochimaru thought about it, the more excited he became. Unable to restrain himself, he stood and paced in circles. "You have given me a difficult problem. How could I possibly not learn such knowledge? I must learn it."

"But what can I offer in exchange? What kind of knowledge could be exchanged fairly for something so precious?"

Aburame Tetsumaru had considered this long ago and named his price. "Lord Orochimaru, you can trade ninjutsu, forbidden techniques, and Sealing Techniques. To me, that knowledge is also priceless."

Orochimaru paused, then burst into laughter. "Of course, of course. I was foolish. The value of knowledge varies from person to person. The knowledge I possess is more valuable to you."

"Then I will exchange forty ninjutsu, three forbidden techniques, and two Sealing Techniques for your Chakra Runes, Rune Steam Room Technology, and Chakra Pathway Technique."

"Deal!"

"What ninjutsu and forbidden techniques do you want?"

"The Shadow Clone Technique, the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, the Four Symbols Seal, and the Sealing Object Technique."

"Oh? They are all very practical techniques. No problem."

Orochimaru turned and picked up a sheet of paper, beginning to write as he spoke. "Come find me tonight. I will have the scrolls for these techniques ready."

He handed the completed paper to Aburame Tetsumaru. "Also, your leave is approved. One month should be enough for you to adapt to this new state. Do not stay on the front lines. Tomorrow, return directly to the village with the supply unit."

Aburame Tetsumaru accepted the order. It was indeed proof of Orochimaru's signed approval for him to return to the village, along with proof of one month's leave. He hurriedly blew on it to ensure the ink was dry, then solemnly put it away.

"Lord Orochimaru, I'll go make preparations and come back tonight to make the exchange."

"Go." Orochimaru rubbed his hands excitedly. "Close the door for me. I can't wait to try out my new inspiration."

That night, Aburame Tetsumaru successfully completed the exchange with Orochimaru. Orochimaru had even thoughtfully sealed the dozens of scrolls into a single Sealing Scroll, making them easier for Aburame Tetsumaru to carry.

The journey back to the village also went smoothly. No bothersome encounters or battles occurred.

However, when he got home, he discovered that no one was there. Neither of his parents was home. After asking the neighbors, Aburame Tetsumaru learned that both had gone out and were apparently not even in the village.

With no other choice, Aburame Tetsumaru tidied up the house himself and bought food and daily necessities again, mostly emergency rations.

While shopping, Aburame Tetsumaru found Konoha's markets thriving. Goods were plentiful, and the streets were packed with people. As expected of the core of a war machine, the economy became active as soon as war began.

Once everything was ready, Aburame Tetsumaru began his adaptation training. Every day before dawn, he climbed Hokage Rock and activated the Field Barrier before the rising sun.

Training wholeheartedly in a safe environment with large stretches of uninterrupted time was indeed extremely effective.

In just five days, Aburame Tetsumaru had basically adapted to the barrier state. He had also adapted to the insects replacing his hands and could clearly specify whether he wanted to use his hands or the insects.

What came next was slow, painstaking work: gradually adapting to both his normal state and his barrier state until they became second nature.

He used the remaining time to study ninjutsu and forbidden techniques. As for Sealing Techniques, he would set them aside for now. There was far too much foundational knowledge required, and one month was not enough to learn much.

On the seventh day, a letter arrived from the Land of Rain front lines. It turned out to be a letter from his father. They had happened to miss each other on the way to the Land of Rain, and the letter had been sent back by a ninja.

After making two rounds, it had finally reached his hands.

The contents of the letter were simple. His father informed him that his mother had been drafted to serve at a field hospital being established in the east, while his father had also been drafted for a mission in the Land of Tea. They might be away from home for over a month.

After reading the letter, Aburame Tetsumaru was in a terrible mood. Hadn't they agreed not to draft an entire family? What was this supposed to be?

To hell with the Will of Fire. To hell with the Hokage.

The Second Shinobi War had been going on for two years. The Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Mizukage had all appeared on the battlefield, yet only the Hokage and Raikage had not. The problem was that Kumogakure was merely skirmishing with the Land of Water and had not entered a true state of war. It was only natural for the Raikage to stay off the front lines. If he went, would that not mean they were about to escalate into a full-scale conflict and inevitably provoke a fierce reaction from the Land of Water?

The Hokage, on the other hand, truly had no excuse for staying off the battlefield. He had not moved when war began with the Land of Wind, nor when war began with the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth. Now that war had also begun with the Land of Water, Konoha was fighting on three fronts, and he still had not moved.

Yet no one could criticize him. After all, he had sent his own son to the battlefield. What could anyone say?

Pah. Aburame Tetsumaru thought bitterly, my entire family has been dragged onto the battlefield, and you only send one son. Besides, as a top-tier Kage-level ninja, how could the effect of you crouching in the village to manage affairs compare to the effect of wielding your combat power on the front lines?

The key issue was that even the logistics and supplies were not particularly well organized. The front lines still lacked clothing and food, while deliveries of the wrong supplies were commonplace.

What was Sandaime thinking? What exactly was he hesitating over?

Once you deal with those old relics from the Warring States Period, you should hurry up and retire. Otherwise, you will definitely end up, just like in the original story, becoming a disaster for the nation and its people.

Forget it. There was no point thinking about such frustrating matters he could not intervene in. Time to learn ninjutsu.

First came the Shadow Clone Technique he had dreamed of for so long. After years of longing, the cheat-like Divine Technique taught by countless fanfics was finally in his hands.

This ninjutsu truly seemed made for chakra monsters. Aburame Tetsumaru mastered it proficiently in a single day.

Contrary to what the scroll stated, it did not split chakra exactly in half. A Shadow Clone had a limit to the amount of chakra it could bear. Once that limit was reached, no more chakra could be poured into it. Forcing it would cause the technique to fail.

After testing, without drawing chakra from the Grand Circulation, Aburame Tetsumaru could create four Shadow Clones at maximum capacity. At the lowest chakra threshold, he could create fifteen Shadow Clones.

The most praiseworthy part was that when the Shadow Clones dispersed, they returned their memories, experience, and knowledge. It truly deserved its reputation as a cheat-like Divine Technique. More importantly, Aburame Tetsumaru did not feel uncomfortable.

Moreover, perhaps because his mind was fully mature and he could rein in every thought, Aburame Tetsumaru's Shadow Clones did not possess strange personalities. A cause for celebration.

On the twelfth day, he mastered the Multi Shadow Clone Technique. This technique required chakra from the Grand Circulation to perform. He could create more than thirty Shadow Clones at once, and if they were dismissed quickly, the returning experiences put considerable pressure on Tetsumaru.

It truly was a forbidden technique. By that logic, if hundreds of Shadow Clones were instantly destroyed, the sensations of death transmitted back could indeed pose a deadly danger.

By the twenty-fifth day, Aburame Tetsumaru had finally mastered all the ninjutsu. Orochimaru had selected these forty ninjutsu with care: mainly Wind Release, supplemented by Water Release and Fire Release, along with several Earth Release techniques. They perfectly suited Aburame Tetsumaru's needs.

It could be said that most of the ninjutsu Aburame Tetsumaru had gathered from the Ninja Academy and his clan, including the techniques he had clumsily worked out and randomly modified himself, had been eliminated.

For the final five days, Aburame Tetsumaru planned to rest properly, enjoy some delicious food, and tend to his insects.

When Aburame Tetsumaru activated the Field Barrier in his own home for the first time, he was dumbfounded.

"What is going on?"