Unexpected Expenditures

As Shino assessed the holographic interface, displaying his depleted essence supply, a sense of frustration washed over him as he groaned over his cold and tight financial situation. "Damn, our experiment to devour Fu's soul with Yakumo failed, and I almost thought we wouldn't be able to assimilate the seven tails. Who could have expected assimilating the seven tails alone would require this much essence. And the tailed beasts are already the weakened versions, split from the god tree meant for harvesting by the Otsusuki… It seems we need to reevaluate the powerful beings like Kaguya."

As Shino sensed the specially modified hatchery within his system space, its grotesque surface adorned with abnormal lesions of white skin, Shino finally felt a sense of relief knowing Chomei was obediently contained within.

Their original goal was simply to acquire a chakra generator for their bugs. As his bug army grew in scale, relying on zerg batteries to generate chakra solely for feeding the bugs became inefficient. Shino's intention was to cultivate more bugs to feed his zergs and generate biomass, not the other way around.

Thus, Shino had set his sights on the tailed beasts. While any of them could have served his purpose, he ultimately chose Chomei. Not only did it possess an insect-like form, but its Jinchuriki, the naive Fu, was an easier target compared to the other Jinchurikis.

However, various circumstances had forced Shino to delay this acquisition. But now, he had finally secured Chomei. After carefully extracting and subduing the tailed beast, sealing it within their container, the assimilation process could finally commence.

Shino had initially considered attempting to merge Chomei directly into his own body, hoping for instant assimilation. Yet, he ultimately decided against taking such a risk.

While it would grant him a powerful energy source, it would come at the price of painting a conspicuous target on his back. And he won't be able to hide since he couldn't enter the system space himself.

Furthermore, Shino didn't want any of the others to take on this risky endeavor either. The potential failure of assimilation could restrict their access to his system space, which may delay his follow-up plans.

So, Shino and his team devised a way to house Chomei in a separate container, a zerg under Shino's absolute control. That way, he could hide the sealed Chomei even if he fails to bring it into his system space.

After numerous experiments and trials utilizing the tailed beast chakra secretly collected from Gaara and Naruto in the past, they ultimately settled on a hatchery as the optimal solution – one with the highest chance of success in meeting their intended goal.

And the ultimate goal of this intricate scheme was to create a biomass generator hidden within Shino's system space. Chomei, the chakra generator, would not only provide a food source for his bugs, which could in turn serve as nourishment for his zergs, but it would also thwart the intentions of certain villains.

Since they were targeting him, Shino would disgust them by disrupting their plans.

Furthermore, Shino felt a sense of security knowing that unless a Six Paths sage or a more powerful entity emerged, his system space would remain impregnable and undetectable. Even Tobi, with his Kamui ability granting him access to any location in the world, would be unable to reach a different space except his own.

And if he enters by some miraculous coincidence, Shino harbored little concern. If anyone entered his world… it would be akin to a ship entering the Bermuda triangle of the legends. If they weren't careful, their ship may capsize.

In conclusion, this endeavor was both a pain and a pleasure for Shino.

Pain because it demanded the expenditure of all the essence he had diligently accumulated, solely for the assimilation of this strange chakra lifeform!

Chomei's consciousness far surpassed their initial expectations. Even though they had accounted for many of its abilities as displayed in the anime, as a multi-consciousness entity, the tailed beast's true power eluded their comprehension.

The Creation of All Things technique was truly not simple, as the lifeform it birthed even exhibited a resistance to the zerg's assimilation process!

Had there been no progress, they might have given up in the face of this inexplicable power. Alas, they could sense and monitor the progress being made, driving them to persevere.

And even though it wasn't a direct attack, this was also their confrontation against the higher existence. If they couldn't even do this much, then Shino should just give up and await the villain's predetermined fate arranged for him.

Thus, once they commenced the assimilation process, they couldn't stop. It became a high-stakes gamble, with Shino relentlessly adding more chips in the hopes of not letting his investment go to waste and winning everything back.

Fortunately, Shino's accumulation from is prior hard work and the additional efforts exerted during Chomei's assimilation proved fruitful.

With the majority of his accumulation spent, he successfully assimilated Chomei before keeping her into his system space, gaining a biomass passive income stream and transforming his system space into a self-sustaining world.

With everything proceeding smoothly and no unforeseen accidents, Shino couldn't help but be surprised that his capture of Chomei had gone unnoticed by the masterminds orchestrating the events.

Of course, he was well aware that Takigakure had gone into a frenzy searching for Fu in secret, but he wasn't concerned. The leader of Takigakure seemed hesitant to alert other villages to the fact that their Jinchuriki was missing.

Nevertheless, Shino knew he couldn't allow things to remain as they were. After all, he had other plans.

"Now, we can proceed to the next step of the plan," Shino declared, his excitement reaching its peak and causing a surge of throbbing within him due to the pressure regarding their upcoming plan.

After all, the true target this time had always been one person, and Chomei had merely served as bait for their upcoming scheme, a dangerous one yet Shino still furiously drove forward with relentless ambitions.

Unfortunately, this time, even Karina was too exhausted to respond, sprawled on the bed next to Kurenai.

And soon, on an ornate table in the room, Ying readily accepted his ambitions, despite his rough planning.

"Master..." Ying's sultry voice resonated in the room as her hands caressed Shino's face.

Gazing down at the masked beauty's tempting lips, Shino's voice became hoarse as he spoke, "You know that permission belongs to your mistress alone."

"Ying understands..." Her hands now lowered, her emotions hidden behind her mask, yet her face turning to the side to avoid his heated gaze spoke of her disappointment.

But, Ying soon snuffed out her disappointment, returning to her role as a demoness.

Clasping her hands over her chest in a prayer-like gesture, the demoness faced the edge of the table and opened her alluring mouth, inviting him with a soft whisper, "Master, then please let Ying's mouth under its permission."

With a dark grin, Shino freed himself from his tight predicament and approached the side of the table, taking the plunge into the cold pool and enjoyed the soft fluid movements as he cooled off at his own pace.

As he reminded Ying of her permissions, Shino cast a glance towards Karina, who observed them with an approving smile. "Are you satisfied, my little goblin?"

Karina let out a slight giggle before responding through their connection, not wanting to break the game they were playing.

[Shino, you know I wouldn't mind. It's just you setting up rules for yourself and them. You make me play the bad guy, but in reality, you're the one who's truly bad.]

Hearing Karina's teasing tone, Shino's eyes grew deeper as he became rougher, thoroughly enjoying the rules of their game. "So, Karina, is everything ready?"

With a pout, Karina replied, "Naturally. After all, it seems my dear is quite impatient."

"Of course. Her utility value is incredibly high," Shino grinned, his gaze sweeping over Ying's pale skin and petite figure.

"True," Karina nodded in agreement as she sat up. "We have researchers, but I am the only manager. With our growing army, it's becoming more and more challenging to handle everything alone. Kurenai alleviated some of the burden, but she isn't suited for this field. According to the data we obtained from spying on the Hidden Rain village, we discovered their excellent management. It's evident that the so-called god cannot be the manager, as he hasn't even revealed himself to his citizens. Instead, it's the angel who is well-known. It's clear who the adept number-one-employee of the year is."

Shino nodded, adding, "In addition, she possesses something we truly desire-"

His words came to an abrupt halt as he failed to resist the suction force and a grunt of satisfaction escaped his lips.

After a moment of silent bliss, Shino continued his heart-pounding explanation, delivering the remnants of his desires deep into his audience, "All those explosive tags... They are both a source of wealth and a deadly weapon. Imagine equipping all our zergs with them. With her, all of our zergs can become a cost-effective alternative to our suicide zergs such as banelings and scourges. Despite their lethal death thrall, banelings are too slow to catch up with ninjas, while scourges have difficulty detecting ninjas. And using them as manual traps is too restrictive."

Shino observed Ying swallowing multiple times in excitement as she clearly understood the possibilities. Karina's eyes also gleamed with anticipation as she approached Shino. "I understand, Shino. There's no need for further excuses. If my dear wants her, then I will acquire her for my dear."

Demonstrating her commitment, Karina sealed their agreement with a passionate kiss, ensuring Shino could trust her words. As Shino indulged in the blissful sensation that engulfed him both above and below, he couldn't help but be filled with excitement about the future that awaited them.

As Karina parted slowly from Shino, Ying considerately interjected, "Master, mistress, it's ready."

Hearing Ying's reminder, Shino grinned as he scooped Karina up in a princess carry. "Since that's the case, let Operation Paper Folding commence. Karina, set the chess piece we buried into motion."

"Already on it, my dear... Ahn... Ha... Ha..." As Karina's melodious voice reverberated through the room, Shino then commanded Ying, "Prepare your teacher. She will also need to contribute. After all, our bait may attract not just one fish... There may be many, and..."

Shino's eyes sparkled with a dangerous, fiery glint. Perhaps, his bait might even attract a shark.