War Prep

"Ahh~" Karina playfully raised a chopstick towards Shino's mouth, offering a saucy winter melon chunk. He obediently enjoyed the taste of the food delivered to him. "Mm. It's been a while since I had mom's braised winter melon with minced pork."

Karina picked up a piece of pork with her chopstick and closed her eyes in pleasure as she savored it. "Mm. Mom does cook well. Don't worry, my dear. When I went to ask mom about the mirage technique, I helped her cook and made sure to learn the recipe."

"Oh, good." Shino nodded happily before asking, "So, what did mom say?"

Kurenai, sitting at a nearby tea table and drinking sake, perked up her ears as her red eyes turned towards Karina, her interest piqued.

Karina shook her head with disappointment. "I thought it would be a lead, but mom said it was passed down from the ancestors, along with a couple of other techniques. I've collected them into the database, but the rest are rather fragmented, and this mirage technique was the most complete."

She pulled up an interface displaying a list of the incomplete techniques and slid it over to Kurenai, who looked on with interested eyes.

Karina continued, "However, mom did warn us to be careful because your ancestors are a bit special. There is a curse on their bloodline that results in their low presence. The curse worsens when any member with the bloodline tries to stand out, even affecting close relatives. Mom said her presence has been a bit higher recently, and it's not a good thing for us."

"Really..." Shino fell into deep thought as he took another bite of the food, his hand subconsciously petting the head of Ying, who was enjoying her special meal of sausage. "That would explain some things, but why is our bloodline so special to be rejected by the world?"

Recalling something, Karina bit on the chopsticks and replied, "Perhaps your ancestors are aliens? But then again, so is the ancestor of chakra, and technically all ninjas are outsiders. It doesn't seem like this world would target foreigners that badly."

Shino's eyes twitched slightly as he muttered, "Maybe the world really did. After all, Kaguya was sealed away, and the tragedy in Boruto happened."

The lounge fell into silence, the only sound filling the room being deliberate eating sounds as they continued to enjoy their meal.

"Damn, and with my zergs in the mix, no wonder I'm so heavily targeted. Although father told me that the Aburame clan had been shut out from the recent news, he did mention that the true perpetrator behind the mobilization this time is Danzo. And knowing him, it can't be a good thing, especially with his possible connections with those villains of Akatsuki." Shino's frustration laced his voice as he stood up, his hands reaching out to grip the smooth locks of brown hair, ready to send his specially prepared meal to the moon.

As he vented his frustration wantonly, Shino consumed the winter melon chunk delivered to his mouth. After swallowing, he asked, "It never feels good to let that bad old man have the initiative. Have we found Danzo's hideout?"

Karina nodded as she offered a bite of rice to Shino's mouth, "During our last raid on Konoha, we failed to infiltrate Root, but I have confirmed the location of their hidden base. Konan's ring had also been recently planted in his base."

"Good." The room fell silent with the exception of the muffled voices coming from the full mouth enjoying its meal.

Soon, Shino grunted, his movements coming to a halt. After a long pause, he released his hand and sat back down, his gaze shifting from the alluring sight of Ying to the masked Yakumo leaning on the side of the couch like a doll. "If only Yakumo were as lively as you, Ying."

After swallowing her meal in excitement, Ying leaned forward to lick the utensils clean before responding, "Master, don't mind Yakumo's cold treatment. But if cold treatment is what master enjoys, Ying can do it even better."

"Indeed, your cold treatment is really good... better than someone," Shino uttered as he shifted his gaze towards Konan, who sat across from Kurenai. Her expression remained neutral as she focused on drawing and applying seals to her newly upgraded paper ability - strengthened through the integration of the genetic data of the special wood used in making the paper for sealing scrolls.

Floating in the air beside her were pieces of white paper that automatically folded themselves into a variety of origami shapes based on the templates displayed in the holographic interface within the corner of her vision.

At the same time, there were holographic documents hovering in her main field of vision, allowing Konan to mentally write up detailed reports of her duties, keeping track of logistics in a refined, traditional format.

Of course, since these documents are created and stored on a virtual database, one could say that this was Konan's method of going 'paperless'.

The benefit of this?

Karina had always been keeping track of all data, but most data are kept as floating variables or in their raw forms as visual and audio formats.

After all, Karina didn't have enough time to organize all the data, especially since she had other important duties to attend to, such as research or real-time monitoring and filtering of world events collected by their zergs. So, most data were aggregated and stored in the database in its raw format, while Karina only prioritized parsing the ones according to their current needs.

The rest were archived, many left unseen and unorganized.

Now, with Konan, the other leftover data are gradually being organized in a readable format, ready to be printed or distributed if ever necessary.

Konan's personal analytics and comments were also included, providing another level of insight to their data, bridging connections between different events, and bring their attention to details that may have been overlooked. This would ensure many tiny details, that may have been deemed coincidences, won't be missed so easily in the future.

This wasn't something they had ordered, but a personal habit of Konan. As an experienced manager of an entire ninja village, Konan brought many benefits to her new job without the need of any extra training.

Of course, 'special' training was still necessary to ensure this new employee met the company's standards.

As he recalled a recent training session, Shino's heated gaze fixated on Konan's lips, soon sensing his own reinvigoration. Sensing his intense stare, Konan briefly turned her cold gaze towards him, letting some white paper gather to form a paper wall between them to block out his gaze before returning her attention to her work.

With a gentle touch, Karina redirected Shino's gaze towards her, stuffing a piece of braised pork into his mouth. "Shino, I won't let you touch her under my watch."

Playfully blinking his eyes, Shino replied, patting the sitting Ying's head, "Okay, I understand, my little goblin."

Feeling the coolness envelop him once again, Shino's mind cleared as he turned his gaze towards Konan, her figure clearly displayed by the holographic x-ray vision Karina considerately provided. "Karina, how is the message we sent to our friend in Amegakure? After learning the 'truth' about the masterminds behind Yahiko's death, has there been any indication that the secret cooperation between Amegakure and Konoha has been terminated?"

Karina sampled a piece of winter melon before responding, "Not at the moment, Shino. We planted Konan's ring near the Root base, and he should have sensed it. Adding on to the message delivered by Konan's paper butterfly, he should have believed the 'truth'. But it seems he is not foolish enough to confront Konoha head-on. It appears that my dear's plan to give Konoha some trouble has failed."

Shino chuckled, his eyes fixed on Konan. "Is that why she is so willing to send the message? Because she predicted his reaction? But I would have expected the man who calls himself God to be more aggressive and impulsive, but his reaction was different. Why? Hmm… Did he hesitate because Konan is not there to defend his main body? After all, they both never trusted Zetsu and Madara, and it's even more impossible now."

"Perhaps. But isn't it better this way, my dear? After all, if Pain were to attack Danzo, it would affect Konoha, and your parents are still there," Karina reasoned, feeding the last bite of the bento to Shino.

As he swallowed the final morsel, Shino declared, "Well, I already gave them an escape route."

Handing the empty bento box to a zerg for disposal, Karina voiced her concerns, "But, Shino, are you sure it's okay to reveal Torune's presence in the capital?"

Leaning back, Shino encircled his arm around Karina's waist. "It's fine. With Torune now, he shouldn't be willing to betray, especially not my father and mother. Although we didn't assimilate Torune, we freed him from his cursed seal, and with his bugs completely under our control, the risk of betrayal is low. And even if he does return to Danzo, we will know firsthand and it may even bring us some benefits as his bugs would unknowingly be our spies. Alas, so far, there have been no signs of this. So this retreat route should be safe. It was originally prepared for us, but since I didn't use it, it can be the last act of filial piety for them."

Wearing a worried expression, Karina asked, "But what if they choose not to use it?"

Shino sighed, exasperated. "If the time comes and they truly want to remain loyal to Konoha and not escape, then I can only honor their decision."

Karina tenderly caressed Shino's face, offering comfort. "Don't worry, Shino. Even if your family is gone one day, we will always be here for you."

Shino felt a wave of gratitude for Karina's presence, yet he couldn't help but playfully rap her forehead with his hand. "Don't set any death flags. 'Always' is the favorite phrase that unscrupulous authors like to bury with their plot holes."

Karina playfully rolled her eyes and gently patted Ying's head as a signal. "My dear is worrying about nonsensical things again. Instead of concerning yourself with existences beyond the fourth wall, why not focus on our upcoming battle? There have been no signs of our base being discovered, but there's a 76% chance that we are the target of this operation…"

"Don't ask how I came up with that arbitrary number and just consider it the power of AI. But, I can ensure you it is highly accurate although the main battlefield is not confirmed. It could be our base or our growing cult in the capital. However, given Amegakure's mobilization, the former seems more likely because our base is near the borders."

Shino smiled softly. "Well, it's fine if they come. Most of the important components of our base are already stored in the system space, and we can leave at any moment. If we manage to escape, they won't be able to chase us down. After all, the war tools we provided to the other villages for free should come in handy. Can they remain idle once they notice Konoha's mobilization? Even if they can, accidents may occur. Heh."

"Indeed." Karina wore a mischievous smirk as she straddled Shino's lap, observing Ying move to the back to dutifully massage Shino's shoulder. "As my dear said, 'free' is the most expensive. Since they received our gifts for free, they will eventually work for us. The zergs placed under their ninjas' controls could 'accidentally' lose control and become a trigger for conflict. And if there is war... it will serve as our perfect breeding ground."

"Yes, and it will also hinder Konoha from pursuing us." Shino wrapped his arm around Karina's waist, his grin widening. "Of course, we still need to deter those who are targeting us. Last time, it seems we didn't display enough strength. So, this time, if they come, we just need to show them that we aren't someone they can mess with. Then, our lives will enter a period of peace. During the remaining time of this two-year time skip, we can prepare for the final battle that will truly determine our future."

Kurenai, who had been listening to Shino's declaration, sighed inwardly, but she refrained from attempting to dissuade Shino from the upcoming fight, as her vision now extended much further. She is now fully on Shino's side.

However, a tinge of worry still lingered in her heart as she studied the fragments of otherworldly techniques. Would everything truly unfold as Shino wished? Or will there be… unexpected developments?