Hyuga Mio returned to her cold, empty home. Looking at the photos of her parents on the cabinet, she remembered that her parents, like most young Ninja parents in Konoha, had died on the battlefield during the First Shinobi World War, sacrificing themselves to protect Main Family members.
After a long time, Hyuga Mio turned the photos face down, took out the scroll Orochimaru had given her, and read it over and over until every word of its content was imprinted in her mind. She then walked into the kitchen, lit the gas, and burned the scroll that absolutely could not be seen by the Main Family members.
The flickering flames reflected in her eyes, like a prairie fire ignited by a single spark, burning fiercely.
The Main Family's oppression of the Branch Family ends here!
Are there no powerful Ninja in the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family?
There are!
But they are forced to submit to the Main Family due to the Caged Bird Curse Mark, obeying their commands. Should they harbor any rebellious thoughts, the pain brought by the Caged Bird Curse Mark awaits them, which the Main Family euphemistically calls a 'punishment.'
Orochimaru didn't know what Hyuga Mio intended to do. Uninterested in the Hyuga Clan's Main Family and Branch Family system, she was engrossed in research and cultivation, occasionally having to make time for writing manuscripts.
How could she have time to pay attention to what might happen to the Hyuga Clan because she had removed the Caged Bird Curse Mark and improved it?
In the hot summer, the Laboratory maintained a comfortable temperature, isolating the scorching heat outside.
After extensive research, Orochimaru had long thoroughly understood the Kikaichu, even discovering a secret of the Aburame Clan's control over them.
Chakra's essence is a product of the balanced fusion of spiritual energy and physical energy. Kikaichu, which feed on Chakra, can absorb physical energy from Chakra as their required nutrients, while the remaining spiritual energy is the secret to the Aburame Clan's symbiosis with the Kikaichu.
This is like the queen ant of ants and the queen bee of bees. The Aburame Clan makes themselves the kings of the Kikaichu, thereby manipulating them at will. To put it simply, it's a collective consciousness, where each Kikaichu is like a part of the Aburame Clan's body.
The reason the Aburame Clan is so taciturn and never expresses any emotions is precisely because their expressed emotions would affect the Kikaichu within their bodies.
Rather, those Aburame Clan members who become Ninja are all individuals who can control their emotions very well. Inability to control emotions means an inability to achieve symbiosis with Kikaichu from the start, and thus an inability to become a Ninja who uses the family's secret techniques, unless they abandon the family's secret techniques to become ordinary Ninja.
In the vast space beneath the research facility, Orochimaru cultivated the results of transplanting insect genes into Kikaichu eggs.
After repeated failures, Orochimaru first transplanted Desert Ant genes into Kikaichu eggs. After several generations of reproduction, she selected the eggs with the most excellent genes and subsequently transplanted Double-Tailed Scorpion and giant centipede genes.
The insects bred not only fed on Chakra but also preyed on other animals to supplement their required nutrients.
"This isn't a Kikaichu anymore, is it?"
Orochimaru looked at the massive insect with powerful mandibles surpassing those of a Desert Ant, a pair of huge pincers, and a thick carapace covering its body, yet it hadn't lost its ability to fly. Its rear had two tails strikingly similar to a scorpion's.
Apart from its deep green compound eyes, which were like those of a Kikaichu, under Orochimaru's transplantation of different insect genes and cultivation, the current Kikaichu could no longer be called a Kikaichu.
"It's decided, from now on, I'll call you Chimera Bug!"
Orochimaru looked at the Chimera Bug crawling towards her, completely unafraid. These Chimera Bugs had grown up being fed her Chakra and various foods.
The Chimera Bug possessed a certain level of intelligence; it was no longer a mere insect but an existence that could serve as a Summoning Animal.
There were about a dozen Chimera Bugs living here. Given enough time to reproduce, their numbers could multiply several times over in a few years.
When Orochimaru transplanted the Double-Tailed Scorpion's genes into the Kikaichu eggs that already had Desert Ant genes, the number of eggs laid by the insects drastically decreased.
Instead, the hatched insects were stronger and had more tenacious vitality.
Orochimaru believed this was the Kikaichu's genes absorbing genetic information from other insect genes to evolve itself, becoming a higher-level life form.
Of course, not many succeeded in evolving. Out of tens of thousands of eggs, only a handful successfully hatched, and even fewer produced the next generation.
This is the unchangeable essence of survival of the fittest, natural selection, from ancient times to the present.
It's worth noting that female Chimera Bugs are stronger, while males are significantly smaller, more beautiful in appearance, and have pretty patterns on their carapaces.
According to Orochimaru's observations, the Chimera Bug's method of reproduction was more akin to primitive humans.
If a female Chimera Bug fancied a male Chimera Bug, she would charge forward aggressively, use her large pincers to lift him, and carry him back to her nest. The male Chimera Bug also seemed quite fond of strong females capable of carrying them home and was very willing to become a family bug with them.
Chimera Bugs could also secrete two types of liquids. One was a viscous mucus used for nest building.
The other was a liquid that accelerated cell division and wound healing. In this liquid, Orochimaru detected the presence of Yang Release Chakra, indicating its medicinal value. If sold, it could fetch a considerable amount of money.
In other words, the Chimera Bug is a Summoning Animal that naturally possesses Medical Ninjutsu, is robust and difficult to kill, has impressive self-healing abilities, and most importantly, can carry people in flight!
Aside from its fierce appearance, it was simply a perfect Summoning Animal.
Orochimaru believed that the Chimera Bug's abilities might be related to its evolutionary environment. After all, based on her experiments, the experimental eggs either lost vitality or exploded with a 'bang.'
Successfully hatched and continued to the next generation, the insects naturally evolved according to the environment. Additionally, to increase the number of hatched eggs, she tried to strengthen the eggs with Yang Release Chakra.
Various coincidences combined to bring the Chimera Bug into existence, and Orochimaru did not believe that the Chimera Bug could be replicated.
Therefore, she could not provide the Aburame Clan with a method to cultivate Chimera Bugs, though she could give them a few.
"How should I introduce you to Konoha?"
Orochimaru sat on the back of an exceptionally strong Chimera Bug, pondering how to showcase her achievements in the Village. She couldn't keep them living here indefinitely.
Thinking about the underground Laboratory she had built beneath her house to keep it hidden, Orochimaru figured out how to introduce the Chimera Bugs. Before that, she needed to do some preparatory work, packing up the valuable items in her house.
The female Chimera Bug beneath Orochimaru's butt was the strongest of all the Chimera Bugs. Calling it the Chimera Bug King wasn't out of the question, and its intelligence was also higher than the other Chimera Bugs.
The Chimera Bug slightly arched its body, its hard abdominal carapace like rows of abs, and let out a chirping sound as if expressing something.
"You feel good living here? Tsk tsk tsk, that's because you haven't seen the colorful outside world yet."
Orochimaru patted the Chimera Bug's hard carapace. She didn't want to continue feeding the Chimera Bugs herself. It would be good to hand them over to her subordinates to feed and use as their Summoning Animals. The Mangrove Forest in the Land of Waves would be a perfect habitat for the Chimera Bugs.
Moreover, considering the Chimera Bug's abilities, it was equivalent to a competent Medical Ninja who could only treat external injuries.
"Hmm…"
Orochimaru's gaze swept over each Chimera Bug, finally settling on a pair of Chimera Bug mates. They happened to be a couple.
If she gave them to the Aburame Clan, the Aburame Clan would surely cherish them, wouldn't they?
Although they were a bit large and had high Chakra requirements, they weren't that difficult to raise!
Sensing Orochimaru's gaze, the Chimera Bug mates trembled slightly and prostrated themselves on the ground in submission.
Just one pair wasn't quite enough, so she decided on another pair. Orochimaru then looked at another pair of Chimera Bug mates.
Orochimaru first used the Flying Thunder God Technique to send the four Chimera Bugs to the underground Laboratory beneath her house, then made a trip to the Iburi Clan territory, and finally returned home.
Orochimaru packed up the important items in her house, sealing them in a scroll. Looking at the photo of Tsunade in a nurse's uniform and the group photo of the entire Sarutobi Squad on her desk, she picked them up, sealed them in the scroll, and then entered the underground Laboratory to begin her plan.
Boom—!
The ground vibrated violently, and then people on the street watched in shock as Orochimaru's house sank downwards, then collapsed.
Dozens of dark figures rushed towards Orochimaru's house at extreme speed. Members of the Uchiha Military Police Force were at the forefront, activating their Sharingan to look at Orochimaru's house, which had been reduced to ruins in the distance.
Iburi Clan Territory
"Does everyone understand what to do?"
Chiriu looked at his clansmen. They had been rehearsing for over an hour for this moment, all to express their concern for Orochimaru-sama.
"Let's go, Chiriu Clan Head!"
An impatient person couldn't help but urge.
"What's the rush? We need to arrive after the Anbu."
Chiriu said, turning into smoke and disappearing from the spot. Everyone else also turned into smoke, their target being Orochimaru's house.
Hokage Building
Hiruzen Sarutobi sprang to his feet, looking in the direction of the loud noise.
"What happened?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked sternly at the ANBU Ninja.
"Hokage-sama, Orochimaru's house collapsed."
The ANBU Ninja reported what he had seen.
"What?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face changed drastically. He didn't even bother opening the window, smashing through it and rushing towards Orochimaru's house.
Root Base
Bang—!
Danzo Shimura abruptly stood up, knocking his desk askew as he did so. He reached out and grabbed his subordinate's collar.
"What did you say?!"
"Danzo-sama, Orochimaru's house... collapsed..."
The Root Ninja had no choice but to repeat himself.
"Gather everyone and come with me to Orochimaru's house!"
"Yes! Danzo-sama!"
The Ino–Shika–Chō clans also rushed over after hearing the news that Orochimaru's house had collapsed.
Aburame Shisuke led several Aburame Clan Ninja to the scene; Orochimaru's house suddenly collapsing was no small matter.
Seeing so many people rushing over, the Inuzuka Clan members rode their Ninja dogs and followed to join the commotion.
"Enemy attack?"
Members of the Uchiha Military Police Force activated their Sharingan and saw four enormous creatures in the ruins, perceiving the Chakra flowing within them!
"What... what is that?!"
A member of the Uchiha Military Police Force exclaimed.
"Are those what attacked Orochimaru's house?"
The ground shook, and with a boom, four enormous insects with huge pincers and two tails like scorpion stings flew into the air.
"Cough, cough, cough—!"
Violent coughing sounds came from the back of one of the insects.
"I see Orochimaru! She's on the back of that huge bug!"
A member of the Uchiha Military Police Force pointed at one of the four insects.
"What kind of bugs are these?!"
Akimichi Torifu saw the huge bugs flying in the air from a distance, his face muscles twitched, and he let out an exclamation.
Are they bugs cultivated by the Aburame Clan?
"That is...!"
Aburame Shisuke looked at the flying insects, a look of shock on his face.
"Could it be, those are new species cultivated by Orochimaru?"
When Aburame Shisuke finished speaking, his voice carried a hint of tremor and disbelief. He truly couldn't imagine how Orochimaru managed to cultivate small bugs like Kikaichu to be so large!
The four Chimera Bugs slowly landed on the ground, facing the surrounding ANBU Ninja. Three of them protected the Chimera Bug carrying Orochimaru, adopting a vigilant stance. Their massive pincers opened and closed, revealing sharp serrated edges that no one wanted to be caught by.
"Orochimaru-sama! Are you alright!"
A large amount of smoke condensed, and the Iburi Clan members looked at Orochimaru on the back of the Chimera Bug with anxious concern. If they weren't worried about harming Orochimaru, they would have subdued these four bugs first.
"It's good that she's alright..." Danzo Shimura breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Orochimaru was unharmed. He walked to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side, giving him the opportunity to speak.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Danzo Shimura, understanding his meaning. He looked at Orochimaru on the back of the Chimera Bug and asked, "Orochimaru, what exactly happened here?"
"These are Chimera Bugs I cultivated using the Aburame Clan's Kikaichu."
Orochimaru patted the male Chimera Bug's back, soothing its emotions. She wiped the dust from her face, making her entire small face look like a calico cat.
Seeing Orochimaru's calico cat-like face, Danzo Shimura almost couldn't hold back. When had the usually mature and steady Orochimaru, who was like a little adult, ever been so disheveled? It was truly too amusing.
"I raised them in the basement, it's just when they came out..."
Orochimaru blushed awkwardly and said with difficulty, "I forgot their size..."
Everyone fell silent for a moment after hearing Orochimaru's words. Looking at her calico cat-like face, they couldn't help but laugh.
The most excited, of course, was the Aburame Clan!
Aburame Shisuke never expected that in such a short time, Orochimaru not only cultivated a new species.
The cultivated Chimera Bugs were so enormous, and just from their large pincers and two scorpion-like tails, it was evident that they were combat-oriented insects.
"Orochimaru! Are you alright!"
Tsunade arrived, faintly shimmering with lightning, and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Orochimaru was unharmed. She noticed that nearly a hundred Ninja had gathered around, including many Anbu, and also Root members dressed similarly to Anbu, though she didn't recognize them.
"It's just that my house was knocked down by these two naughty big guys."
Orochimaru jumped down from the Chimera Bug's back, and Tsunade carefully checked if she was injured.
The two pairs of Chimera Bug couples who were forced to collapse Orochimaru's house: ... Afterwards, Aburame Shisuke learned about the Chimera Bugs' habits and their primitive mating method. What he didn't expect was that Chimera Bugs were actually special ability summoning animals, not just ordinary combat insects.
For the Aburame Clan, who could communicate with insects, this was truly like finding a treasure!
With this pair of Chimera Bug couples reproducing generation after generation, it wouldn't be many years before their Aburame Clan could each have a Chimera Bug summoning animal!
Not to mention that the healing fluid secreted by the Chimera Bugs also had medicinal value; the Aburame Clan had truly hit the jackpot! All they did was provide Orochimaru with some Kikaichu and they received such a rich reward.
Everyone present, upon learning of the Chimera Bugs' abilities, looked at the Aburame Clan with envy.
Finally, it's your turn to envy my Aburame Clan!
Aburame Shisuke felt their envious gazes and could hardly conceal his inner excitement. To prevent the Kikaichu within him from going out of control, he strenuously suppressed his emotions.
No, I can't laugh at a time like this. I must hold it in, I mustn't laugh.
Aburame Shisuke couldn't hold it in any longer and still burst out laughing.
This unprecedented fortune had finally fallen upon the Aburame Clan!
Is there really a need to be that happy?
Seeing Aburame Shisuke laugh, everyone understood the value of the Chimera Bugs that Orochimaru had cultivated.
Even the usually taciturn Aburame Shisuke, who never showed any emotion, was laughing so happily.
Who wouldn't know that the Aburame Clan had stumbled upon a huge advantage?
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura also didn't expect that Orochimaru could cultivate a summoning animal with special abilities using the Aburame Clan's Kikaichu.
They hadn't taken it seriously before, thinking Orochimaru was just simply interested in Kikaichu, and after some research, she would move on to other things. Who could have imagined she would cause such a huge commotion and even provide the Aburame Clan with a remarkably good summoning animal?
The Inuzuka Clan members looked at their Ninja dogs, who were more like family than partners, and couldn't help but wonder what new species Orochimaru would cultivate if she researched their clan's Ninja dogs.
The Ninja dogs seemed to sense their thoughts, shaking their heads repeatedly and moving away from them.
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, who arrived late, found that everything was already over. They truly missed out on all the excitement.
After this incident, everyone in Konoha witnessed how much Konoha valued Orochimaru and how high her prestige was in the Village. She was a true celebrity and superstar in Konoha!
Conversely, the "culprits" who caused the commotion in Konoha received little attention, just like the frequently ignored Aburame Clan. The two pairs of Chimera Bug couples were also ignored.
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