17 Exposed?

Shino couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He had always prided himself on being stealthy and efficient, but now he couldn't help but wonder if he had slipped up.

After a little thought, he understood. There was no way for the Jonin in charge to really leave the Genins in a dangerous situation without supervision.

Perhaps she really did go to solve a powerful enemy, but not before she left means to ensure that they were safe.

Although the anime had never shown Kurenai using it, but it's possible that she had left a shadow clone behind. After all, it was highly probable that the shadow clone was part of the kit of a skilled Jonin. Even if not, skilled Jonins must have mastered other methods to gather intelligence from afar.

Shino adjusted his glasses and secretly peeked his teacher who was chatting with Kiba and Hinata. It seems that she doesn't pay much heed to his new bug… or perhaps she just didn't mention it.

Maybe this was how the Jonins really are. They won't meddle in the secrets of their Genins, especially if the Genins come from a big clan.

Only a bad old man would play nasty tricks and extend his hands once he sniffs any signs of secrets.

But he had to be more careful, more vigilant. He couldn't afford to let his guard down, even around Kurenai Sensei.

The ninja world is cruel, and there were many dangerous ninjutsu techniques that were morally wrong. The Aburame clan bugs were an example as their bugs could consume the enemies from within and suck enemies into a hollow husk.

But, this was a means of combat and sustenance. Other ninjas may find it disgusting, but it was acceptable.

Perhaps she has seen him consuming corpses with his Zergs. She probably did not mention it be cause she acquiesced, but Shino knew this would only be the case if he doesn't overdo it.

If he were to unscrupulously harvest all the corpses in battle, Kurenai sensei would most likely warn him to stop. It wasn't because she couldn't stand it. It was for his own good.

Bugs that treat human corpse as a food source has a high chance of a horrific backlash, resulting in out-of-control bugs that consume its host!

Of course, his own bugs were under his absolute control thanks to his Zerg Dominator system. So, the chances of this happening was nil.

But he knew that he couldn't reveal this secret to anyone else. To the outside world, bugs that consume corpses were a ticking time bomb, prone to turning on their controllers at any moment.

The risk is only higher for Genins, who shouldn't have the strength to control their bugs perfectly, even if they were from the Aburame clan.

And if he shows no problems even after his bugs' constant consumption of corpse, then any Jonin will notice a problem, a problem worth reporting. Most likely, it would be a good report, recognizing him as a genius, but that in itself turns into a bad thing once the report gets into the hands of the suspicious old man living in the dark.

So, it wasn't worth risking his exposure due to his greed. He just needs to be steady for now, and harvest bit by bit. He would continue to push the boundaries of what was socially acceptable, until his Zerg army has grown strong enough to let him break free of his restrictions.

But, what truly needed to be hidden was his Zerg spawning power. He knew that any Jonin who caught wind of his unorthodox methods would report it immediately.

Even Kurenai sensei will definitely report him to the Hokage if she discovers that he could instantly spawn such powerful insects within moments through the merging of insects. That was clearly not normal, and a Jonin may be able to see the potential dangers in it.

And if his report ends up on the Hokage's table, then it means it also ends up in the hand of stinking old Mr. McSnatcher. That would be bad news.

Recalling his actions, Shino had a bit of cold sweat.

Originally, he was debating whether to only bring one drone and keep some biomass to spawn another when needed. Fortunately, he decided to crowd two drones in one box.

Due to Shikamaru's reminder, he decided to be cautious, spawning the bugs beforehand and treat the extra bug as weight training. Now, it actually indirectly saved him some trouble.

Shino stood at the edge of the battlefield, gazing out at the sea of corpses that lay before him. The air was thick with the stench of death, and the ground was slick with strange bodily fluids. It was a gruesome sight, one that would turn the stomach of most people. But for Shino, it was a treasure trove of resources for his beloved bugs.

He glanced over his shoulder at his teacher, Kurenai, who was surveying the battlefield with a look of grim determination on her face, pondering how to handle the corpses.

"Kurenai Sensei," he said, bowing respectfully. "May I request permission to use some of the corpses..."

His words trailed off, but as if knowing what he wanted to ask, Kurenai nodded and replied, her eyes never leaving the field. "Yes, but be careful, Shino. We don't know what kind of diseases or poisons these corpses might be carrying. And remember, your bugs can become unpredictable if they consume too much human flesh."

Shino bowed again, showing his gratitude for her warning and secretly thanking her for indulging his unorthodox behavior. He knew that Kurenai was only looking out for him, and he respected her greatly for it.

Kiba, who had been listening to their conversation, wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Ugh, that's so gross," he said, his lip curling in distaste. "Why do your bugs have to eat dead people, Shino? Can't you just give them something else? I thought your bug clan feeds bugs with chakra."

Shino shrugged, adjusting his glasses. "That is true for my normal bugs, but I've tamed a new variant that requires-

"Whoa, I get it. There's no need to explain. It makes me icky when you talk about bugs. You feel the same, don't you, Hinata?"

Hinata twiddled her fingers, peeking at Shino. Her kind self didn't allow her to blatantly say hurtful comments.

"Shino-kun is very skilled at controlling his bugs," she said quietly. "I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, I still think it's gross," he grumbled, before turning his attention back to the battlefield.

Shino, meanwhile, had already sent his drone out to harvest a few corpses. He watched as it skittered across the ground, its sharp mandibles tearing into the flesh of the fallen warriors. It was a gruesome sight, but to Shino, it was also beautiful in its own way.

As the drone returned with its haul, Shino discreetly touched it to collect his harvest before letting it return to harvest. Still, he marveled at the efficiency of his Zerg, the way they could strip a body clean in a matter of minutes.

Kurenai watched him with a mixture of contemplation and concern. This was the first time she had seen this type of bug. Was it a newly developed variation of the Aburame clan?

She didn't know and didn't mean to delve into it. Big clans have their own secrets, and prying into them will result in unnecessary trouble. However, she made a mental note of the event.

After harvesting a couple of corpse, Shino noticed that there were no special discovery in their brains. It seemed that the all traces of secrets will perish with the death of its controller. Fortunately, he made the decision to harvest the giant zombie's brain before Kurenai sensei gave the enemy a bento.

Unfortunately, it wasn't known if their genes were destroyed whilst withering, but Shino was barely able to harvest any new gene data from them. At most, he acquired more variations of normal human gene data.

These zombie corpses didn't provide much besides biomass. In fact, even the harvested biomass was less than normal humans.

So, Shino wasn't greedy and stopped when he harvested around 250 biomass. This may seem little, but in fact, it was a windfall and is almost pushing the boundary of what Kurenai sensei can accept. Even with this amount, she was already concerned over the dangerous appetite of his drone.

Fortunately, he prevaricated her by using the excuse that these corpses were lacking in nutrients, which was clearly observable due to their withered bodies.

After Kurenai cleaned up the corpses by sealing some into scrolls while destroying the rest, they left the battlefield and began the return journey. On the way back, Kiba continued to grumble about the "gross" behavior of Shino's bugs.

Hinata, meanwhile, remained silent, lost in her own thoughts. But Shino walked with a sense of purpose, his mind already churning, coming up with plans for using his abundant harvest of biomass.

This time, his harvest exceeded his imaginations! An abundant amount of resources, plus special upgrades!

His glasses seemed to glint with anticipation as he recalled the intriguing organism that his Zerg acquired from the giant zombie's brain.

Due to the Zerg conveying its desire, an evolution was expected. What was truly unexpected was that he would personally benefit from it! Not only that, he gained a new Zerg structure as an ability, the infestation pit!

Shino adjusted his glasses as a sly smile appeared on his face.

"With this… things will get very interesting."