Natural Enemy

After returning home, Shiraishi Yoshijo did some training before heading out to buy groceries.

Passing the graduation exam was certainly something worth celebrating.

At noon, Shiraishi Eizawa did not return home.

Shiraishi Yoshijo finished the meal by himself, then went out to buy more groceries.

After training for the entire afternoon, he started cooking again.

At eight o'clock in the evening, Shiraishi Yoshijo stared blankly at the table full of food.

Shiraishi Eizawa still hadn't returned home.

The food had already gone cold, so he took it to be reheated.

At ten o'clock, a sound came from the front door.

Shiraishi Yoshijo hurried to the entryway and bowed.

"Welcome home, Uncle Eizawa."

Shiraishi Eizawa was quite surprised: "You haven't slept yet?"

Entering the house and seeing the table full of food, Shiraishi Eizawa felt a complex mix of emotions.

He had grown up after all.

After sitting down, he picked up his wine cup and downed it in one gulp.

"It was my negligence; I should have returned earlier on such an important day."

Shiraishi Yoshijo picked up the wine bottle to pour him a drink.

"I didn't wait long, and besides, I'm the one who can't help much with matters around the house."

"It is best that you can understand me."

The two of them, one pouring and one drinking, quickly emptied the bottle.

"Speaking of matters at home, there is something I would like to ask your opinion on."

"What is it?"

"I am thinking of selling this place entirely and moving to the Takemoto clan's territory. What do you think?"

This topic made Shiraishi Yoshijo fall silent.

"I understand. You should make the decision, Uncle."

"Don't say that; I want to hear your thoughts."

"It sounds good. This place is desolate and remote, not as lively or prosperous as over there. Plus, it's very close to the hospital, which will be very convenient for me in the future."

Shiraishi Eizawa looked at him deeply and changed the subject.

"To be honest, I am very happy that you were able to defeat the Aburame today, but try to avoid fighting the Aburame in the future."

Shiraishi Yoshijo asked in confusion: "Why?"

"Because they are our natural enemies."

Natural enemies?

Shiraishi Yoshijo was stunned.

"The Aburame's Kikaichū are a significant counter to our Summoning Butterfly. Let me give you an example: if only secret techniques are used, an Aburame genin can fight against our jonin."

Hearing this, Shiraishi Yoshijo couldn't sit still.

Isn't a genin fighting a jonin the privilege of a protagonist?

Are the taciturn Aburame really that powerful?

Shiraishi Eizawa sighed: "Don't think I'm joking. In fact, the Aburame clan counters almost all summoning clans."

"There used to be many summoning clans in the Land of Fire, and most of them were defeated by the Aburame. Before Konoha was established, we would abandon our missions whenever we encountered them."

The importance of missions to a ninja goes without saying.

"Is the gap between the Shide and the Aburame that large? We can't even engage them in battle?"

"It's not that we can't fight, but that the cost outweighs the gains. Our clan's Summoning Butterfly requires money to cultivate, while their Kikaichū use the human body as a nest; they not only reproduce rapidly but can also undergo super-evolution."

"In a battle against the Aburame, the casualties of our Summoning Butterfly are often heavy. This not only leads to a significant decrease in the strength of our clansmen but also incurs financial losses. Even if the mission is completed, it cannot make up for such losses."

"The Aburame do not have this drawback. No matter how many bugs die, it does not diminish their strength."

"We have suffered too many losses at the hands of the Aburame. Fortunately, they joined Konoha after it was established; otherwise, we might have had to move our entire clan to another country."

Shiraishi Yoshijo recalled the strange reactions of the people in the audience today and began to smile bitterly.

"Since the Aburame's Kikaichū are so convenient, don't they have any weaknesses?"

"Their clansmen are very few."

Shiraishi Yoshijo was thoughtful: "Does the inheritance of the Aburame's secret techniques carry the risk of death?"

Shiraishi Eizawa nodded and said, "Our clan has experimented with using one's own body as a nest for insects before, and the mortality rate was nearly one hundred percent."

Thinking of the drawback where his own Butterfly Seed devoured his lifespan, Shiraishi Yoshijo sighed and said, "It's not easy for anyone."

Come to think of it, Shiraishi Yoshijo had never summoned a Summoning Butterfly to this day.

"Uncle, I should be able to summon butterflies now. How do I do it?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo still hadn't figured this question out.

The summoning scroll he signed could only summon Ninja Butterfly, but the Summoning Butterfly simply wouldn't appear.

Moreover, he had never seen Shiraishi Eizawa perform hand seals when summoning a Summoning Butterfly.

So the question remained: how exactly was a Summoning Butterfly supposed to appear beside the user?

"You can summon them as long as you communicate with the Butterfly Seed inside your body."

Shiraishi Yoshijo had never communicated with the Butterfly Seed inside him.

He didn't think a human and a butterfly could have any common topics of conversation.

Furthermore, could a human really communicate with a different species?

He had always remained skeptical.

Let's give it a try, he thought.

Chakra began to surge toward the Butterfly Seed within his body.

Once Shiraishi Yoshijo had the intention to communicate, he arrived in a magical space.

It was a vast, white space, with a single cocoon standing there in solitude.

"You've finally come."

Who is speaking? Shiraishi Yoshijo looked around.

There was nothing here but that cocoon.

Shiraishi Yoshijo approached the cocoon and discovered that it was covered in dense, intricate formulas.

Is this a sealing jutsu?

"It is not a sealing jutsu; it is a Space-Time Transfer Jutsu."

The voice spoke thus.

Shiraishi Yoshijo was stunned. He poked the cocoon with his finger a few times and probed, "Are you the one talking to me?"

"Of course."

Hmm.

Shiraishi Yoshijo fell into deep thought. This wasn't scientific.

"Chakra is the bridge that connects the heart. Once you had the intention to communicate with me, you naturally became able to hear my voice."

The voice was ethereal and indistinct, impossible to identify as male or female.

Shiraishi Yoshijo tilted his head, his heart filled with doubts.

He hadn't even spoken aloud, yet the Butterfly Seed knew what he was thinking.

Mind reading?

"Idol, I am inside your heart; of course I know what you are thinking."

It actually called me an idiot.

This was the first time Shiraishi Yoshijo had ever been called an idiot.

"If you've got guts, come out. See if I don't beat you to death."

"Do you really want me to come out?"

"What, are you afraid to come out?"

"I am quite willing to come out, but are you sure you want me to?"

"Why do you have so much nonsense to say?"

"If I come out, you will die."

Hearing the word "die," Shiraishi Yoshijo lost his composure.

"What do you mean I'll die if you come out?"

"Cocoon Binding Technique."

Hearing the name of this suicidal jutsu, Shiraishi Yoshijo shivered and immediately understood.

"No, no, no, please don't come out. You're the boss; I'll make sure to raise you nice and plump from now on."

Confirmed: this was a species he couldn't afford to provoke.

"Did you come here because you want to summon a Summoning Butterfly?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo nodded hurriedly.

"Understood."

The black seal on the cocoon began to glow, initiating the technique.

"Alright, once you leave this space, you will see the Summoning Butterfly."

How do I leave?

Shiraishi Yoshijo looked around the space, his face full of confusion.

"You really are an idiot. I just told you that chakra is the bridge that connects the heart; you just need to think about leaving."

Called an idiot again.

I'll endure it.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a swarm of butterflies fluttering around him.

He extended his finger, and several butterflies landed on it.

Shiraishi Yoshijo tilted his head, curiously examining these butterflies. How was he supposed to command them?

With his mind or with chakra?

Let's try.

He pointed at a white butterfly and said, "Play dead!"

Shiraishi Eizawa sat to the side, his eyelids twitching as he watched him give such an order to the butterfly, but he said nothing.

The butterfly flapped its wings twice and then dropped straight to the ground.

Shiraishi Yoshijo was delighted; he quickly leaned down to the ground and blew a puff of air at the butterfly.

The butterfly was blown quite a distance away without moving an inch.

Truly amazing.

"Get up."

Shiraishi Yoshijo gave another command.

The butterfly that had been playing dead flapped its wings and flew back up, landing on his hand.

"Uncle, this is really fun. By the way, what kind of abilities do they have?"

"Ordinary Summoning Butterflies only have the ability to absorb chakra. Their consciousness is simple, and their life cycle is very short."

"The three special types of Summoning Butterflies you are cultivating will take at least half a year before they can be summoned."

"How do I send them back?"

"The old way: communicate with the Butterfly Seed."

Shiraishi Yoshijo arrived in that space once again.

He looked at his own hands and then slapped himself across the face.

"Ouch."

Did my physical body come in here?

"Idiot, this is your consciousness. I have already sent the Summoning Butterflies back."

"Old man, this mind-reading ability of yours is practically a bug. Can I use this ability?"

"Call me Dad."

Nani?

Shiraishi Yoshijo's mouth twitched. You're pushing your luck, aren't you?

"This is truly strange. 'Old man' is a generation higher than 'Dad.' Wouldn't you be taking advantage if I let you call me Dad?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo was dumbfounded.

It was strange enough that the Butterfly Seed could talk to him, but it actually wanted him to call it Dad?

Raising a father inside my own body?

Hey, what kind of weird things am I thinking about!

Shiraishi Yoshijo flatly refused: "Impossible."

"Then just call me Jo. Don't think I don't know what you mean by calling me 'Old man'."

Shiraishi Yoshijo: "..."

Has this Butterfly Seed become a spirit?

And 'Jo'...

Thinking of the Ninja Butterfly Qiu, which his father had transformed into, the name was also taken from the last character of his father's name.

Can butterflies really turn into people?

This question appeared in his mind once again.

"Butterflies are not humans; a butterfly is just a butterfly. In a sense, my heart is connected to yours, and I know everything you think, but I am a different species from you. I hope you do not misunderstand."

Shiraishi Yoshijo became interested: "Then why do my clansmen treat you all like family?"

"Human thoughts are hard to understand. We have never had such thoughts; after all, we are different species, and the structure of our emotions is different."

"Then what exactly does our clan count as in the eyes of you Ninja Butterfly?"

"If I were to describe it using your human language, it would probably be parents."

Parents, huh?

It really is a bit like that.

The Shide Clan raised the Ninja Butterfly, granting them different abilities and longer lifespans.

Calling them their parents is not an exaggeration at all, but...

"Since you treat me as a parent, then why did you just ask me to call you 'daddy'?"

"That has to do with my personality. Well, or rather, this is your personality; after all, everything I am comes from you."

Shiraishi Yoshijo was left dizzy. I made myself call it 'daddy'?

What a lunatic.