Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 17 Subduing Kurosaki Ichiro

Aburame Shisei stroked his chin, pondering the principle behind how this worm could enhance one's physique. He wanted to benefit from it, but he didn't want to have a worm growing inside his body.

Kurosaki Ichiro, on the other side, watched everything from the beginning without moving an inch, remaining kneeling on the ground.

He hung his head, no longer harboring any thought of resistance. He now understood perfectly well that the French side only offered him death; if he didn't resist and obeyed their orders, perhaps he would have a chance to survive.

After a long while, Yu Nu Zhicheng seemed to finally remember that there was such a person as him. He cut open the insect's abdomen again, and this time he only found three insect eggs inside.

He handed an insect egg to Kurosaki Ichiro. The man took the egg, sweat dripping down his face, and finally gritted his teeth and put it in his mouth.

Aburame Shisei formed hand seals again, allowing the insect eggs to hatch inside his stomach.

Soon, his body began to change. The calluses on his hands began to fall off, the scars on his body began to fade, his bones and muscles began to strengthen, and he even grew a little taller.

He gripped the knife in his hand, swung it forcefully, and found that his speed and power had increased significantly.

"Thank you for bestowing your strength, sir." He knelt on one knee, performing a samurai salute, a symbol of loyalty offered by a warrior.

"Get up. I'll teach you some things to increase your strength, and then you'll go out and gather intelligence for me. Don't even think about running away, because no one but me can help you suppress the growth of the insects."

Numerous parasites flew out from Yu Nu Zhicheng's sleeves: "Now take off your clothes so I can examine the changes in your body."

"Yes, sir."

Kurosaki Ichiro took a deep breath and offered no further resistance, letting the tiny insects crawl into his body through the openings.

Half an hour later, Aburame Shisei had conducted a detailed examination of the changes in his body.

First of all, his physical strength has reached that of some Jonin who are not good at taijutsu, which is more than three times higher than before.

But some things aren't calculated that way. The reason he gained so much was because he was too weak before. Besides that, his talent far surpassed the other two.

Next comes chakra, which can indeed promote the insect's continued development and metamorphosis.

The worm inside him had evolved a little compared to the previous two generations.

The insect's exoskeleton has completely degenerated into a soft skin. The segments and tentacles have not grown larger, but the original four suckers have changed to six suckers.

In addition, the brain is three times larger than before and ten times larger than the original.

"Yes, the genetic inheritance has stabilized for now. It will probably take a very, very long time to get it to continue its targeted evolution."

The space inside the petri dish can be created using primordial energy and mimicry life forms as materials, but the energy consumption is enormous. Therefore, this kind of insect can only be cultivated manually.

Currently, he has not yet fully understood which substance secreted by this insect helps the host become stronger.

However, it's not bad to use it to train and control subordinates, and to let them gather intelligence from the outside.

Aburame Shisei tucked all the parasites into his sleeves: "Now, go back and tell Mr. Ida that you encountered a wild boar in the woods and helped me chase it away. And this rabbit—"

He picked up the rabbit from the ground, saying, "It's proof of our cooperation."

As he spoke, he led the way toward the camp.

Kurosaki Ichiro put on his clothes and silently followed.

Back at the campfire, Ryuji Ida was anxiously looking around. Seeing Shisei Aburame return safely, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Lord Takikawa, are you alright? I think I heard some noise in the woods just now..."

"It's nothing," Aburame Zhicheng laughed. "We encountered a wild boar, but luckily these three helped chase it away. Look, the harvest is pretty good."

He shook the wild rabbit in his hand.

Ryuji Ida beamed with delight: "Great! I'll have someone take care of it right away!"

As for why only Kurosaki Ichiro returned, everyone is smart enough to know what to ask and what not to ask.

The servants took the rabbit to skin and clean it, and soon a roasting rack was set up over the campfire. The grease dripped into the fire, sizzling and releasing a fragrant aroma.

The wild rabbit was roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, its fat glistening enticingly in the firelight.

Keita Ida ate with his mouth full of oil, but his eyes never left Shisei Aburame.

"Brother Takikawa, you're amazing!" The boy swallowed the meat in his mouth, his voice full of admiration. "You even managed to take care of that ferocious wild boar."

"That wasn't just my achievement."

"That's amazing too!" Keita Ida's eyes sparkled, though it was unclear whether he was referring to the wild boar or something else.

"Are all ninjas this powerful? I've heard in stories that ninjas can breathe fire, release water, and even fly!"

"Some are," Aburame Shisei said gently, "but ninjutsu requires talent and diligent training."

Keita Ida hesitated for a moment, then suddenly got up and ran to his carriage. After searching for a while, he came back with a small bottle of wine in his arms.

He handed over the bottle, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "This is my father's treasured sake, which he originally intended to use to make connections after arriving in the Land of Earth... but since you saved my father and me, I wanted to give it to you."

In the land of the earth, such aged sake is highly valued, and it is a custom to exchange sake as a gift.

Yu Nu Zhicheng took the bottle; it felt slightly cool to the touch.

He opened the bottle and took a sniff. The smell wasn't particularly good or bad, but it was considered a fine sake in the ninja world, and it must be quite valuable. Even if he didn't drink it, he could collect it and sell it for a good price.

"Thanks."

"N-You're welcome!" The boy's face flushed slightly. He rubbed his hands together and stood there for a moment before suddenly mustering his courage to ask, "Brother Takikawa, can I learn ninjutsu?"

Aburame Shisei took a bite of meat and asked, "Keita, why do you want to learn ninjutsu?"

"I want to become strong, as strong as you. That way I can protect my father, protect the caravan, and never be afraid of those bad guys bullying us again."

His eyes shone like stars, a childlike innocence and longing—a longing for power, for heroes, for that dazzling world.

"My father has been doing business all these years, always having to give gifts and kowtow to others, and being threatened by ronin... I don't want that. I want to become strong and have everyone respect us."

Just then, Ryuji Ida rushed over.

"Qitai, what nonsense are you spouting?"

He pulled his son behind him and bowed deeply to Yu Nu Zhicheng, his forehead almost touching his knees.

"Lord Takikawa, I'm so sorry. The child was just being silly and didn't know any better. Please don't take offense!"

When he looked up, he was covered in sweat and his face was pale.

Aburame Shigeaki waved his hand: "Mr. Iida, there's no need for that. Children speak without thinking, I won't mind."