43 Battle with Jonin

With each step of the Root jonin, Shino's heart beat slower and slower, his mind calmly focused on the task at hand.

As the man's foot pressed down harder on him, Shino's hand reached out, almost instinctively, and his nano-sized bugs crept up his arm, coating his palm with a deadly violet hue. The tiny insects were one of his deadly weapon, a force to be reckoned with in battle, and it was one of the cards he was willing to reveal.

A sudden burst of movement, and Shino's hand shot out towards the unsuspecting jonin, who had no time to react as his leg was ensnared in a tight grip!

The jonin stopped in his tracks, looking down at Shino with a sneer. "What are you going to do, Aburame boy? Use them to tickle me to death?" A grin spread across his face, but in an instant, the grin turned to a grimace, and his body tensed up, writhing in agony, "You!"

Puff! With a sudden puff of smoke, the enemy jonin disappeared into thin air. It was a shadow clone!

"As expected, it wasn't going to be so easy." With a composed demeanor, Shino rose to his feet, his eyes scanning the area as he prepared for his next move.

His gaze fixed on the figure emerging from the shadows of the forest, the same jonin who had been his opponent mere moments ago. "Well, well, this was really unexpected. Rinkaichu, I have some unhappy memories regarding it. It's a pity you couldn't join us. Perhaps, Danzo-sama would be very happy. Unfortunately, I would be very-"

With a flicker, the jonin vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a trail of dust and a lingering sense of unease in Shino's mind.

Shino's eyes narrowed as he scanned the area, trying to locate the real jonin. Suddenly, his bugs warned him of the incoming danger, but before he reacted, he felt a heavy weight on his back.

"Unhappy." The sinister whisper came from behind, and in a split second, Shino was sent smashing into the ground!

The jonin had reappeared behind him, and he was now standing on top of Shino, pressing him into the dirt once again.

Shino didn't respond, instead, he launched his attack. His body tensed as he unleashed a swarm of bugs that crawled out from seemingly every pore in his skin, rapidly making their way towards the enemy.

Yet, just as the deadly insects were about to strike, the jonin flickered away, leaving Shino's attack to fall short.

As the waves of bugs returned to Shino's body, his body seemingly lifted itself into a standing posture, his eyes locked onto the approaching jonin who wielded a deadly kunai.

Swish! With a swift swing, the kunai sliced through his body, severing the lives of the many tiny bugs and leaving behind a trail of destruction, but the jonin was not happy.

"Tsk- insect replica again." With lightning-fast movements, the jonin retreated while rapidly forming hand seals. "Katon: Fireball Jutsu!"

A sly grin crept across the jonin's face as he unleashed a devastating fireball. But to Shino's surprise, the attack wasn't aimed directly at him. Instead, it was directed at the seemingly empty space next to him!

Suddenly, the air shifted, revealing Shino who had been camouflaged behind a swarm of bugs. With quick reflexes, he dodged the scorching flames, his body barely escaping the inferno's reach. The fireball whisked past him, its heat blurring the air.

Just when Shino thought it was over, he felt a sudden impact, sending him tumbling across the ground.

The force of the blow expelled a swarm of bugs from his body, and he crashed into a nearby tree with a deafening sound - Bam!

"You're not as clever as you think you are, Aburame kid," the jonin spat, his foot came crushing down upon Shino's chest once more. "You can't defeat me with bugs."

Shino's eyes darted behind his glasses, searching for any weakness in his opponent's stance. His mind worked quickly, scanning through various attack strategies. And yet, his hands moved without conscious thought, reaching towards the jonin's leg with a fierce determination.

"I won't fall for the same trick twice." In a puff of smoke, the jonin disappeared, leaving a block of wood.

A sudden burst of determination overcame Shino as he struggled to his feet.

With a swift kick to the ground, he launched himself towards the jonin, his body seemingly soaring through the air with incredible speed and precision. The jonin barely had time to react as Shino closed the distance between them, his eyes gleaming with a fierce intensity!

The jonin was caught off guard by Shino's sudden burst of energy, and he stumbled backwards, giving Shino the opportunity he needed.

With an arm extended, Shino's nano-sized bugs crept up his sleeve and onto his purple-tainted hand, giving him an eerie appearance as he charged towards the jonin. The jonin dodged left and right, but Shino was relentless, his hand darting out with reckless speed, surrendering all defenses to perform a reckless assault.

Suddenly, a moment of chaos erupted as the ground beneath the jonin gave way, causing him to lose his footing!

At an unknown time, a layer of bugs had been camouflaged on the ground, patiently lying in wait until the opportune moment! Shino seized the chance without hesitation.

With the slip-up, the jonin failed to dodge the next assault. Shino's attack was already upon him, and he could only raise his hand, hoping to deflect the incoming assault!

The jonin managed to block one of Shino's attacks with his arm, but he wasn't quick enough to deflect the second. Shino's palm grazed the jonin's arm with a subtle touch, but it was enough for a swarm of nano-sized insects to spread like wildfire!

"Tsk- Not bad kid." With a menacing face, the jonin disappeared with a puff of smoke. Shadow clone again!

"But play time is over!" A scorching blaze burst forth from behind Shino, sending a wave of heat towards him.

In a split second, Shino's eyes narrowed and his mind raced as he sprang into action, dispersing his swarm of bugs with lightning-fast speed, trying to save as much as possible!

Boom! A deafening explosion shook the ground, followed by a raging inferno that swept through the area, incinerating a large swarm of bugs that escaped too slowly. As the flames were soothed by the wind, the fire eventually calmed down, leaving behind nothing but smoldering cinders on the forest grounds.

As the flames died down, the jonin suddenly appeared above the charred ground. His sharp eyes scanned the area, searching for any sign of movement amidst the cinders. "Dead?"

As surge of chakra energy enveloped him, he activated his chakra senses, but his face instantly became ugly, "No! Below-"

A sudden rumble disturbed the dirt as a horde of bugs emerged from beneath the ground. In a matter of seconds, they swarmed around the jonin, coiling tightly around his legs like living ropes.

The jonin escaped with a flicker, but the bugs on him continued to climb up his legs, swarmed over his face, biting and stinging him relentlessly. He screamed in pain, clawing at his face in a desperate attempt to get the bugs off.

A swarm of bugs gathered and morphed into a miniature version of Shino, its eerie likeness uncanny. Shino looked on as the jonin stumbled backwards, his face twisted in agony.

"You underestimated me," Shino said, his voice squeaky and cute. "You should have-"

The jonin looked up at the small Shino, his eyes filled with anger and humiliation. "You got lucky," he growled. "But you won't be so lucky next time."

Puff! He disappeared in another puff of smoke, leaving Shino standing alone in the forest. It was a shadow clone again!

Shino furrowed his brows. He was just a genin, at least on paper. Was there really any need for a jonin to be so cautious when dealing with him?

But did that jonin really think he could slip away from his grasp? A sly smile crept onto Shino's face.

In the air of the forest, a myriad of evenly distributed invisible bugs slowly became visible. As if an unseen symphony had begun, the once-invisible bugs started to dance and gather in a hypnotic display, flowing back into Shino's body from the surrounding forest.

The jonin might have sensed the chakra signatures of Shino's bugs, but there was no way he could have the ability to detect the deadly plague that they were silently spreading!

In his infestation unit, Shino had developed a new variation of the plague by combining different deadly viruses and bacteria.

This airborne strain had a brief lifespan but a swift incubation period of just an hour. The invisible bugs in the forest were the carriers of this menacing disease, capable of spreading it far and wide with ease.

As soon as the bacteria entered the victim's body, it unleashed a potent assault on their immune system. The effects varied depending on the individual's resistance, but all were struck by its deadly nature.

The bacteria, however, were short-lived and would die out in the host within half an hour or less after being incubated. If the victim survived the duration, the body would remarkably recover naturally, leaving the victim alive but forever marked by the experience.

And as for the bacteria's lifespan without a host, it was incredibly brief, lasting only a mere ten minutes before dissipating into nothingness.

A devious plan had been set in motion by Shino from the very beginning of the battle, a plan that involved this deadly plague of his own making.

Though short-lived and not deadly on its own, this airborne plague was capable of wreaking havoc on its victim, causing a deadly effect that left them at the mercy of their attacker.

In a quick-paced battle such as today's, it had the potential to impede the opponent and turn the tide in Shino's favor. Had the jonin not retreated, he may have succumbed to the plague's effects, leaving him defenseless and at the mercy of Shino… assuming Shino's bugs could avoid completion annihilation at the hands of the join's formidable power.

Needless to say, this deadly super bacteria may sound like complete nonsense in his previous world, but it was made possible in this world with the power of his zerg's infestation pit ability.

With this plague, as long as someone is breathing, they can be infected! As long as they weren't some abnormal ninja with powerful physiques, they will suffer!

Oh, but this world had too many of these abnormally powerful ninjas, some with physiques that render them completely immune to diseases. This wasn't a good world to play Resident Evil...

Of course, hidden deep within the infestation pit, lay even deadlier plagues and viruses with incubation periods of a day or more. While they were not practical for small ninja battles nor effective for powerful existences, they could prove invaluable when used to clear weaker enemies in prolonged wars.

These deadly diseases were carefully crafted by Shino, utilizing the power of the zerg's infestation ability and the assistance of Alina.

They had the potential to devastate entire armies of humans… if there weren't medical ninjas around. The results may be even worse if there was a certain immortal slug on duty.

Well, the short-term airborne variation was enough to give him the upper hand in the current battle. That's what matters.

With a determined stride, Mini Shino navigated through the damaged forest, his piercing gaze scanning the scorched earth and toppled trees for any sign of his discarded bug container.

With a sharp eye and unwavering determination, he located it in a matter of minutes. Swiftly reaching inside, he withdrew a mysterious scroll, its contents known only to him.

With a flick of his wrist, Shino unfurled the mysterious scroll, unleashing a plume of smoke that enveloped his surroundings.

As the haze slowly dissipated, a new swarm of bugs materialized on the ground, their tiny bodies laying dormant on the ground, but their slight quiver signified their awakening.

With a sudden jolt, the awakened insects started to swirl around mini Shino, merging together into a cohesive mass. The swarm grew and grew, with their collective buzzing filling the air.

And in a matter of moments, mini Shino had regained his full height, his body now pulsating with the energy of the newly acquired swarm.

As the hunger of his newly awakened insects were conveyed to him, Shino's hand stealthily reached for his drone concealed within the box. Chakra was then transferred from the drone to his bugs!

This mutated drone had the ability to convert biomass into chakra, and it served as a power source for his insect clones during his long journeys beyond the walls of Konoha!

With his bugs energized and ready to do his bidding, he strapped the bug container on his back with swift efficiency, preparing for the next phase of the battle.

The hum of wings filled Shino's ears as his bugs conveyed a crucial piece of information: the jonin's whereabouts.

"Found you."

A relaxed grin crept up Shino's face as his eyes fixated on the direction of the jonin's escape. He set his sights on his prey, his steps measured and purposeful as he pursued him.

The aftermath of the battle left the forest eerily quiet, with the scorched earth bearing witness to the intense clash that had taken place.

Gradually, the sounds of battle dissipated in the distance, along with the buzz of the insects that had gradually dispersed elsewhere in the dark forest. The only thing that remained was an unsettling stillness that seemed to permeate the air.

Suddenly, the earth wavered as plant-like spikes steadily sprouted from the ground, setting off a contrast with the charred ground and forming a perfect circle. Their sharp edges slowly reached into the air, as if trying to embrace the moonlight.

Moments later, from the center of the formation, a head emerged, revealing a strange humanoid creature with striking features. Its hair was green, and its face was split in half, with one side black and the other white.

The most peculiar aspect of the creature, however, was the venus flytrap-like extension that wrapped around its head and upper body, serving as a protective shell.

The monster's half-black, half-white face twisted into a grotesque smile as it set its sight on the direction Shino had departed. "Interesting."