Three days later
Land of Wind
As promised, Natsumi delivered the star to the group's base and handed it over to Hōryūsai. The Natsuhiboshi was followed by the current Hoshikage. At first, Shino even thought it was an enemy attack.
Akahoshi explained to everyone that he would revoke Natsuhiboshi's status missing-nin and train him to be the Fifth Hoshikage.
At the same time, Hoshigakure canceled its Star Training and replaced it with Chakra Wing Transformation. It also formed an alliance with Nuclear Ninja Village, sending its most outstanding young ninjas to Nuclear Ninja Village for further training.
After confirming several times, everyone was certain that, although they didn't know what had happened, the fact was that Akahoshi had completely submitted to Natsuhiboshi. Adhering to the principle of not interfering in the internal affairs of other villages, they didn't intend to investigate further.
Four figures sped across the desert.
Hongshi slowly woke up on Hōryūsai's back. "It's so shaky... uh, where are we?"
All around was yellow sand and fierce winds, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Without the Hongshi Desert Boat, Temari and her companion could only walk as far as they could, and after three days of continuous travel, they were already exhausted.
"Hey Hongshi, you slept for way too long! But Hōryūsai, your stamina is amazing! You carried this big guy for three days straight and you're not tired?"
Hongshi climbed down from Hōryūsai's back. "Ah, the Shadow Clone that was traveling with Natsuhiboshi has run into some trouble."
Hōryūsai took out his water bottle and took a few gulps. "Our Nuclear Ninja Village's physical training is different from other ninja villages. This level is just average."
Temari quickly said, "Now that you're awake, this is of utmost importance. Hongshi, please use the Desert Boat to send us back to Sunagakure."
Shino looked at the map. "If we use the Desert Boat and move quickly, we can get back to Sunagakure in about two days."
The situation in Sunagakure was dire, and information needed to be relayed immediately. Hongshi understood, stating, "The greatest power source for Earth Release: Desert Boat."
Rumble
The Desert Boat reappeared, cutting through the sand at an increasingly faster pace, more than twice as fast as it had come. The group managed to Chakra attached to their feet to avoid being left behind.
After adjusting to the high speed, Shino asked, " Hongshi-kun, is the problem with Hoshigakure really resolved?"
Hongshi nodded. "Yes, they handled their own affairs."
Temari said, " Hongshi, how exactly did you break Dust Release? That's a Kekkei Tōta that surpasses Kekkei Genkai! Besides, I remember you were just a Shadow Clone. It's ridiculous that you could maintain it for so long."
Hongshi laughed heartily, "Of course it's a secret technique from our hometown, Dust Release, just a little trick."
Seeing that Hongshi was unwilling to reveal too much, Temari turned to Hōryūsai and asked, " Hōryūsai, aren't you going back to the Nuclear Ninja Village first?"
Hōryūsai stroked his beard as he received a star. "Although it's an important mission, there's no rush. I can play a little longer. Once I get back, the Fourth Elder will subject me to hellish training again."
After witnessing Hōryūsai's power, Temari greatly admired him, saying, "The ninjas of your Nuclear Ninja Village are all quite peculiar, yet they are so strong. What's their secret?"
Hōryūsai did not break the seal during his battle with Kurotsuchi, so he only used half of his strength. "Since you're so eager to know, then I'll tell you."
Shino, standing nearby, also perked up his ears, showing great interest in the strength of the Nuclear Ninja Village.
Hōryūsai raised his right index finger and said, "One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run, every day."
After a ten-second silence.
Temari tentatively asked, "That's all?"
"Hmm, that's all."
Shino said calmly, "Are you kidding me? If this is all you're capable of, you won't even be able to leave the Ninja Academy."
The physical training of the ninjas can be described as extremely brutal. Even a child like Konohamaru has to run at least fifty laps. The project that Hōryūsai mentioned is indeed nothing.
Temari sighed, "Since you're unwilling to reveal it, then forget it."
Hōryūsai chuckled, "I forgot one thing, we also need to equip it with our Nuclear Ninja Village's Scientific Ninja Tool training equipment."
"What is a cultivation artifact?"
Hōryūsai chuckled sarcastically, "Hehe, if you want to know, then join the Nuclear Ninja Village. We welcome anyone."
Hongshi stopped Temari, "Alright, alright, why talk to him about this? Come on, let's train in Wind Nature Transformation while we're back in Sand Ninja."
Temari readily accepted, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble you."
Hōryūsai laughed and said, "Great! I've been wanting to explore deeper levels of change in nature."
Shino also said, "Hmm, a change in nature? I'll join too."
Hongshi asked, " Shino- kun, don't you not use Ninjutsu? What are you doing researching nature transformation?"
Shino opened his right hand, and a blue Kikaichū crawled out. "This one is a mutated Chakra Mother Insect. It can gather Chakra and feed it back to me, so I now have a certain amount of surplus Chakra and can use Ninjutsu."
The Aburame Clan cannot use Ninjutsu because all their Chakra is used to feed the worms inside their bodies, leaving them with no extra Chakra to use Ninjutsu.
Temari with some disdain, "How much Chakra can such a tiny insect produce?"
The Chakra Mother Insect is only the size of a fingernail.
Shino solemnly said, "Never underestimate any insect, not even the smallest one."
Hongshi: "Yeah, yeah, bugs are scary."
Hōryūsai sensed the Chakra contained within the Chakra Mother Insect and was somewhat surprised. " Shino- kun, not bad. This mother insect, although its total Chakra volume isn't large, is very fast. If I'm not mistaken, it was created by Kendon."
Shino nodded. "That's right, but it's still in the early stages. There's only one of these mother insects, so it's very precious."
After undergoing genetic mutation, all the insects that Shino's insects evolved into are just individuals. Only after breeding offspring can they be considered mass-produced. At that time, there will be hundreds or thousands of Chakra Mother Insect, and the amount of Chakra they contain will be a huge number.
Hongshi chuckled lightly, "Tch, do you expect the bugs to use Ninjutsu?"
Shino surprisingly nodded. "That's right, my ideal is to enable insects to use Ninjutsu."
Imagine Shino releasing tens of thousands of mutated Kikaichū, each capable of using Ninjutsu, and each with a different elemental ninjutsu. Thousands upon thousands of Ninjutsu would flood the area, creating a terrifying scene.
Hōryūsai was thinking ahead. "However, Shino Jun, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."
"You say."
Hōryūsai pointed at the Chakra Mother Insect, "Even if every worm can use Ninjutsu, the worm's power still has its limits, so..."
Shino wasn't angry. " The Chakra of the insects cannot exceed my Chakra, otherwise I will suffer a backlash. That's why the power of the insects represents the power of Aburame."
The Aburame Clan possesses a dangerous but powerful secret art of raising Kikaichū. They are well-rounded, combining offense and defense with the abilities of perception and communication. They usually keep a low profile, but when they truly unleash their power, their influence is no less than that of other clans.
Hongshi, who had been left standing to the side, raised his right hand. "I can handle this. I'll give you a seven..."
Hōryūsai: "Get out of here, you don't know anything."
Temari and said, "Alright, alright, that's for later. Let's focus on our nature-changing training first."
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