"Yes, they really are failed experiments!"
Hikari nodded, looking at Shino Aburame's incredulous expression before continuing slowly. "Although they are failed experiments, they're much stronger than your previous bugs!"
With that, Hikari tapped the table, sending a strange ripple through the air.
The bugs, which had been resting quietly in their petri dish, suddenly started to stir, moving restlessly inside.
Some began gnawing at the smooth surface of the dish, but it was too slick for them to get a grip.
Crack—
Just then, one of the bugs bit through a weak spot in the dish, shattering it.
Immediately, the other bugs in the dish took notice and swarmed toward the sound.
Crack, crack.
The breaking sounds continued, growing more frequent. In just a few breaths, the entire dish was destroyed.
As the petri dish was devoured, Hikari tossed in a kunai.
The kunai was forged from fine steel. Even in a battle between high-level ninja—or even Kage-level fighters—it would not easily be damaged.
But these bugs treated it like food and began gnawing on it.
"They can even eat a kunai?" Shino Aburame was completely stunned. It wasn't just shock—this was disbelief.
Is this really the same kind of bugs he used to control? From the looks of it, they were practically invincible.
They had immortal bodies, razor-sharp teeth, and terrifying biting power.
Each of these traits alone would multiply the strength of any insect user several times over.
Yet according to Hikari, these were still considered "defective" bugs.
It was simply unbelievable!
Amid Shino's astonished gaze, Hikari explained the abilities of these defective bugs. "These bugs are considered failures because they can only combine three genetic lines: the Immortal Evil God bloodline, the Shikotsumyaku, and the Giant Tooth Bug. They cannot evolve further!"
"But… these bugs also have their advantages!"
"They can absorb chakra on their own to sustain their bodies, or they can consume other living things to maintain their vitality. Even items they can't fully digest will be expelled during the process."
As she spoke, Hikari pointed to the underside of the insects that were devouring the shuriken.
Soon, they saw a fine layer of powder forming beneath the insects. This was what the insects expelled after consuming their prey.
In just a dozen breaths, the entire kunai had been completely devoured. Hikari then tossed two more shuriken into the swarm.
"This… this is basically a meat grinder. It can crush and consume everything in front of it!" Shino Aburame said in awe, unable to hide his astonishment.
And this was only a small portion of the swarm. If there were a massive number of such swarms, it was almost unimaginable.
Wherever the swarm passed, nothing could survive. Even elite jonin would likely be overwhelmed by the swarm's devouring power.
Thinking of this made Shino excited and a little parched.
After a long pause, he finally asked the question on his mind: "Can these insects reproduce?"
If they could reproduce in large numbers, his vision could truly become a reality.
"They can reproduce in large numbers, and their speed is much faster than your previous insects!" Hikari nodded. Then her gaze turned to Shino as she continued, "But… can your body currently store that many insects?"
Although she was speaking the truth, to Shino it felt like a provocation, as if she was calling him weak.
But it was indeed a fact.
At the moment, he did not have the ability to store too many insects.
"Body storage… right. I need to hurry and learn how to expand my body storage!" Shino murmured, swallowing hard.
The Aburame clan had a special secret technique that allowed a person to open a living space for their insects. But he was still too weak to learn it. Right now, he could only store insects within his body's chakra pathways.
It was not yet enough to match his vision.
"It's okay. I know about your clan's secret techniques. You'll be able to do it in the future!" Genya patted the slightly dejected Shino to comfort him.
"Mm… thank you," Shino said gratefully, giving Genya a serious nod.
He would work hard to master it.
Genya knew the original Naruto storyline well. As the most outstanding genius of the Aburame clan, Shino Aburame could definitely handle this.
"Hikari, continue explaining the abilities of the other insects to Shino!" Genya patted Shino and said to Hikari.
At the same time, he gave Hikari a glance, signaling her to give Shino some face while speaking.
Playfully, Hikari stuck out her tongue and glanced at Shino, who had regained his confidence, then tapped on the table.
The defective insects, which had been devouring food wildly, immediately quieted down, curling into a ball as if falling asleep.
Hikari's gaze then fell on the petri dish next to the defective insects. She continued, "This is the Iron Beetle!"
"Iron Beetle?" Shino looked carefully at the petri dish, which clearly contained fewer insects than the defective ones.
The Iron Beetle, as the name suggested, had a layer of smaller, denser armor covering its body.
Could its defense really be that strong?
"As the name implies, this insect has a special armored shell!" Hikari looked at Shino's shocked expression and seriously introduced her experiment.
"Not only does it have the abilities of the defective insects, but this armor is a mutant version created by merging the genes of four special insect types. Its hardness rivals steel, and if the right genetic sequence is present, it can merge again!"
Hikari explained her creation carefully. In her eyes, an insect that could grow and evolve was a truly successful experimental subject.
"Combining the previous abilities with the strength of iron armor?" Shino muttered, but the light in his eyes never faded.
The insects weren't even at their limit yet. This was just the beginning. With the right genetic sequences in the future, his insects could become even stronger and more terrifying.
How could he not be excited?
Boom! Boom!
As Hikari tapped on the table, the Iron Beetles began to move in an orderly manner, climbing and finally forming the shape of a shield.
Judging by the behavior of the swarm, the Iron Beetles were far more disciplined than the violent defective insects and could even form a shield.
At the same time, Hikari tossed Shino a kunai.
"This?" Shino didn't understand her intention.
Hikari gestured to the shield formed by the Iron Beetles. "Stab it."
****
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