— Instead of showing me how to use them, shouldn't you first explain clearly what they are? Just saying you want to sell some bugs that can store chakra wouldn't convince anyone.
— You should trust me more. If I say something is useful, it definitely will be. I won't rip you off.
Beneath his glasses, Shino looked skeptical.
Although Yashin's contributions to the Aburame clan had been more than impressive so far, the price in return was always a complete and blatant rip-off.
If it weren't for the fact that his father believed the pink-haired had potential and was worth spending a little extra to win his favor, Shino would never have made a single deal with him.
Seeing that the Aburame wasn't saying a word in pursuit of his trust, Yashin clicked his tongue before speaking again.
— Anyway, it's about ants. More specifically, honey ants from the Land of Wind. That damn desert is a treasure trove, and you guys only pay attention to the bugs you find in the forest. Sometimes I wonder if you really are that incompetent.
No matter how mild-mannered Shino was, even he might feel annoyed if someone disparaged his clan in such a way; however, Yashin didn't even give him a chance to voice his complaints.
— One visit from a merchant from the Land of Wind, and I've already done more with the bugs from that place than you have in recent years. Looking at it that way, I think I should charge you more.
The look of disgust and the subsequent sigh of a misunderstood genius set Aburame's teeth on edge.
— Well, that can wait. As I was saying, they're honey ants, but with the difference that they no longer store nectar for the colony—now they store chakra. Since you lunatics are always short on chakra because you modified your bodies so your bugs can live inside you, these insects will surely be useful to you. Besides…
— W-wait. Wait a moment.
Ever since he hinted that he'd modified an insect to be capable of containing chakra, Shino was unable to follow Yashin's words.
How many members of his clan hadn't tried to create something like that, and now his arrogant desk mate was offering it to him on a silver platter for the modest sum of tens of millions of ryō.
Shino didn't know whether to shake his hand or punch him.
"How did you manage something like that?"
The question, though ridiculous, slipped out involuntarily.
— A little chakra stimulation here and there on the right specimen. Nothing impressive. Besides, don't be surprised by something so trivial—the best part is yet to come.
— There's more?
Shino's incredulous murmur was drowned out by the clinking of glass vials, tossed from the wide sleeves of Yashin's montsuki.
Dozens of ants with disproportionately large abdomens and mandibles were confined inside each container.
— The ones with white, slightly shiny abdomens are the ones you can use as batteries or firecrackers. The rest…
Instead of continuing to speak, Yashin's chakra stirred, causing the countless insects inside the jars to begin writhing.
Soon they began to emerge one by one.
Shino didn't need him to tell him what was special about the other ants.
His senses, though not particularly keen, were sufficient to identify the natures contained within the abdomens of those insects.
— What do you think? The five chakra natures inside the social stomach of some insignificant bugs. Isn't my price quite generous?
Although Shino, recalling the exorbitant price Yashin had mentioned, wanted to refute his brazen question, he realized he couldn't.
for something his clan had spent generations searching for, the price was more than generous.
However, he was sure that had nothing to do with the pink-haired's generosity, if such a thing even existed within him.
Most likely, he didn't know how much those ants meant to his clan.
And Shino, as his good friend, didn't plan on telling him either.
Otherwise, he was sure that Yashin's appetite would only be satisfied if he demanded all of the Aburame lands along with every living thing on them, including the insects.
After swallowing hard, Shino was finally able to give an answer.
— This… is really impressive.
— Right? But it's not all roses. Even though I tried to fix it, the problem with the ants' mobility is still there.
Shino had noticed it from the start.
Every step the tiny insects took was laborious.
Even if their variants capable of containing chakra natures had offensive capabilities, they wouldn't be able to accomplish anything at that speed.
Even so, their value remained immense.
— However, since I couldn't fix their speed, I thought of adding some trick that could compensate for it.
As soon as the dozens of ants gradually began to turn translucent, to the point of disappearing, Shino's eyes bulged as if they were about to burst through the inner surface of his glasses.
— H-how…?
This time, he wasn't even able to voice his question.
— Why are you so surprised? This was the easiest part of modifying these bugs.
Despite his nonchalant words, Yashin's satisfaction was still evident in his tone and smile.
— They're simply using a version of the D-rank invisibility jutsu adapted for them. If you look closely, you can still see their shadows on the ground. There are too many flaws, but at least they're useful for dealing with the riffraff.
— … Insects using jutsu.
— Why not? Ants already possess chakra. They just need to shape it, and they could perform any technique they want.
— That's impossible.
— Are you talking about hand seals? Sometimes you guys are so clueless it's ridiculous. Hand seals aren't necessary to cast any jutsu; they merely serve as a crutch to help shape chakra in specific ways. The only thing that has ever mattered is chakra manipulation. Objectively speaking, if you have enough control, you wouldn't need any hand seals to use ninjutsu. However…
Yashin's smug smile turned into a complicated grimace.
He couldn't continue his smooth rant.
He found it repulsive to have to explain something he knew was impossible for him to put into practice—or rather, to demonstrate to its fullest extent.
Perhaps his greatest pride in this life was his chakra control; even so, casting a jutsu without any kind of gesture or hand seal remained an insurmountable hurdle.
According to the supposed continuation of this fiction he was inhabiting, only those Otsutsuki phenomena were capable of such feats.
He tried to imitate them, but failed.
It wasn't a matter of talent.
Most likely, it was simply genetics.
He even tried replacing the hand seals with other body movements, but in the end, he realized that only a blessed monster like Indra could achieve something like that.
Not wanting to think about it any further, Yashin let out a sigh and shook his head, before resuming his explanation.
— Well, whatever. The point is that all it takes is a specific chakra configuration. The Uchiha's genjutsu is the perfect example of this. Those red-eyed bitches just have to channel their chakra into their eyes, and their dojutsu takes care of the rest. No hand seals or any other nonsense. The ants… you could say they're doing the same thing. I moved some of their organs to force the chakra they contain to circulate in a certain way once I command them.
Shino's silence dragged on for a long time.
Even so, Yashin was no longer in the mood to smile smugly.
— Um… can you do the same with other insects?
— I thought you were an Aburame, not an Akimichi.
However, upon seeing the slight blush on Shino's ears, Yashin pushed all trivial thoughts aside.
— Of course I can do it. Just find enough insects with transparent body parts, or better yet, get me a Byakugan. Imagine how much I could accomplish if I had those eyes.
The Aburame didn't dare to reply.
He didn't even know how many problematic things his friend had said in the last few minutes.
—Anyway, I didn't bring you here to teach you, but to show you what these things could do."
—What? Are there more?
Before Yashin could answer, a scream as sharp as it was short erupted from around the corner of the hallway.
Shino immediately rushed over to see what was going on, but when he arrived, he didn't know whether to be more surprised by seeing the second-year student who had faced off against Yashin the day before, by the countless ants slowly crawling up his slumped body, or by the disastrous state of his legs.
— Don't you think it's awesome?
Yashin's casual question from behind answered most of his questions.
— Is this…?
— You weren't following along, so I thought I'd use this to show you what bugs filled with elemental chakra can do.
Despite the boy's pitiful condition, Shino immediately focused his eyes on the wounds on his legs.
— Fire Chakra, second- to third-degree burns. Lightning Chakra, extensive cellular damage, plus burns and possible widespread nerve damage. Wind Chakra, minor cellular damage and deep cuts. Earth chakra, also cellular damage, plus it likely damaged the tenketsu in the area. Water chakra—though at first I thought it was useless—when mixed with poisons and injected by the ants, it's quite effective, as it accelerates how quickly the poison spreads through the body. By the way, all the ants must bite and inject the chakra they contain to cause this level of damage. That's why they're still a bit useless. But they're certainly much more than what the members of your clan have achieved.
Every word made it all seem even more implausible.
However, he knew Yashin wasn't lying.
He never did.
He was beneath him, in his own words; yet Shino was certain the pink-haired hadn't found a good enough reason to set his pride aside.
— Yashin Haruno.
Shouen's hate-filled voice snapped the Aburame out of his thoughts.
— Why does he seem to hate you so much?
Yashin shrugged before leaning toward the collapsed boy and answering.
— I made him fight to the death against his brother and then urged him to eat him.
Shino didn't know how to respond.
Yashin's casual statement had left him horrified, but the nonchalance in his tone and his casual manner of guiding an ant to bite the boy prevented him from processing what he had just heard.
In the end, he could only ask the simplest question.
— Why?
— Why what?
— Why be so cruel?
Even though he didn't laugh, Yashin's contemptuous smile said enough.
— Cruel? Isn't that exactly what the Aburame do to perfect their kikaichū? No, actually, they should be much crueler. And yet you boast that nothing is more important to you than your bugs, but when it comes time to fight, you use them for what they are—insects, or you could also call them tools. This guy had the misfortune of not being anything precious to me, so now he's just a simple experiment.
…
"Hahaha… don't you think that's a bit much for a mere brat?"
…
Yashin completely ignored the voice in his head.
So what if Shino was a kid?
He'd better learn not to ask that kind of pointless question now, while he was still young enough for others to put up with him.
Turning his full attention to Shouen, the pink-haired opened his mouth once more.
— Hey, brat. Tell me, did that old man Danzo give you something yesterday so you could take my hits?
— Yashin… Haruno. I'm going to kill you.
— Really? Want to bet?
Although the boy reached out to grab Yashin's ankle, Yashin simply lifted his foot to step on him and kick him in the face.
— These idiots always ramble in their final moments. Anyway, what did you think of the ants? Even though they're not much, I'm sure they can handle trash like this up to the Genin level, don't you agree?
— You… are you going to kill him?
— No, it's too much trouble. Or maybe you'd like to lend me your clan's influence to deal with this waste.
Shino didn't answer, but his refusal was evident in the few visible contours of his face.
— Tch. You Aburame are so boring sometimes. If only you had half the guts of that ancestor of yours who dared to modify his body to be inhabited by the kikaichū, you'd be the most important clan in this damn ninja world by now.
— Do you even know who that ancestor was?
— No clue, but there must be one, right?
No matter how hard he thought about it, Shino couldn't refute Yashin's words.
However, he wasn't about to agree with him entirely either.
— In any case, there's no way the Aburame clan could be the most important clan in the world with the Uchiha and the Hyuga around.
Instead of rushing to reply, Yashin let out a loud laugh.
His friend's idea struck him as truly ridiculous.
— You give those colorful-eyed freaks too much credit. Besides, if anyone can stop them from rising above the rest, it would be me, not the Hyuga or the Uchiha. After all, you know I can interfere with any member of your clan, don't you?"
Yashin's crooked smile made sweat soak the Aburame's back.
Not because it confirmed what he and his father had already suspected, but because of the pink-haired's confrontational attitude in the face of his clan's distrust.
After all, setting aside his experiments and knowledge of how they use kikaichū, it was only natural for the Aburame to have reservations about an outsider capable of interfering with one of their members' creatures, even if he had helped create that very kikaichū.
After all, if he's capable of interfering with one of their already-bonded kikaichū, what's to stop him from doing the same to the others?
However, instead of acting cautiously, Yashin decided to shatter that veneer of normality.
Even so, Shino didn't know how to treat the younger Haruno.
After all, besides being his friend, he hadn't shown any signs of having bad intentions either.
Even now, he was still trying to sell him something that would only benefit his clan.
Still…
— Don't overthink it. I'm not interested in messing with such boring people.
With nonchalance, Yashin leaned down until his hands touched the ground, before beginning to call all the ants back inside his montsuki.
— Really, that ancestor of yours must have been a true lunatic. I would have liked to trade a few blows with him.
— May I ask how the Aburame could possibly be above clans like the Hyuga or the Uchiha?
Perhaps wanting to put a stop to Yashin's strange mutterings or release the tension he'd been harboring, Shino decided to blurt out the first thing that came to mind.
— Do you really dare to ask that? They can control any creature on this planet. With enough planning and manpower, they could wipe out all life. Diseases, plagues—what civilian could stand up to them? And without civilians, what can ninjas do? What can the defenseless children of those ninjas do when a mosquito infects them with one or more deadly viruses? If you want to take it further, they could even disrupt the pollination cycle and wipe out all biodiversity. There are so many ways, and all you do is play at being ninjas.
Although he already knew what his partner was like, Shino was still shocked by everything he had just heard.
It was unthinkable.
The ideas.
The evil behind them.
And above all, the mindset that had conceived them.
Tired of lecturing Aburame, Yashin grabbed the furious and helpless Shouen by the collar of his shirt and dragged him toward the window.
Almost out of habit, the Aburame followed him as well.
Upon reaching the edge, it didn't take him long to notice the scene unfolding in a secluded corner of the courtyard.
— Are those…?
— A bunch of clowns.
Despite his words, the youngest Haruno's eyes sparkled with genuine interest.
"I wonder how they'll react if I throw this piece of trash at one of them."
"You're not really afraid they'll catch you?"
After checking once more on Shouen's pitiful condition, Shino couldn't help but ask with a touch of irony in his tone.
After everything the pink-haired had done and said, the matter of the child trapped in his hands no longer seemed as abhorrent to him as it had at first.
— After yesterday's fiasco, if they'd wanted to do something to me, I wouldn't even be here talking to you. Unfortunately, it seems that this bastard's business wasn't enough for the Third Hokage to be determined to eliminate me.
Unable to understand his thoughts, Shino simply let out a resigned sigh, while continuing to watch his teammates' desperate fight in the courtyard.
It wasn't until the situation seemed to be reaching a desperate point and his partner let out a soft chuckle that the Aburame looked away.
—Looks like it's my turn. Make sure you keep your eyes wide open.
Leaving those words behind, Yashin opened the window and tossed Shouen toward one of the Hyugas, all the while bursting into uncontrollable laughter.