New Bug

"Welcome back, Shino," Shibi greeted him, his eyes betraying a hint of concern, but Shino wasn't able to notice it due to the glasses.

Shino raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised to see his father waiting for him. He silently nodded toward his father. Needless to say, he knew his father had something to say.

He followed his father into the living room, where they sat down facing each other. Just two men with glasses obscuring the emotions of their eyes and a high collar obscuring the hesitant movement of their mouths. It was hard to tell what each are thinking, and there was silence for a while in the room.

"Shino, I know you're a capable ninja," Shibi began, his voice low. "But I also know that you're still young and inexperienced. Going on missions outside of Konoha can be dangerous, especially for a ninja like us who relies heavily on insects."

Shino has a stoic face, feeling slightly insulted by his father's words.

"Oh, father, you haven't seen the real power of insects," Shino couldn't help but inwardly comment at his father's remark.

The power of insects was something that his father, for all his wisdom, couldn't fully grasp.

While his father is limited to seeing them as bugs that are meant for strategic use, Shino knew that his special insects could be a combat force to be reckoned with.

In other universes, entire worlds and even solar systems were overrun by the Zerg, and insects were one of the key players in their armies.

Not only that, there are so many variations of Zergs and each one had a power buggier than the other. From mind control to traveling in the void, the potential exceeds the boundaries of a simple world!

But he kept this thought to himself, knowing that his father only had his best interests in mind. After all, as a mere Genin, he had a long way to go before he could even dream of commanding such a powerful army. Adding on to that, this ninja world was definitely not a simple world.

"I understand the risks, Father," he replied evenly. "But we both know this is a necessity as a ninja."

"I know that, Shino," Shibi said, his tone softening. "But I also want you to be safe. That's why I've prepared some storage scrolls filled with supplies for you to take on your next mission. Kunai, explosive tags, jars for bug collection, rations, bandages, ointments for wounds and poisons… oh, and a pair of glasses just in case."

Shino's eyes widened in surprise. He had never seen his father so openly worried about him before. "Thank you, Father," he said, feeling grateful for his father's concern.

Shibi nodded, his expression serious once again. "There's one more thing," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small vial containing a black insect. "I want you to have this."

Shino took the vial, examining the insect inside as his father explained.

"This is a Kochu Worm Insect, a rare and deadly insect that is tamed by the Aburame clan. They can produce a poison that will paralyze their victims and kill them a short while later. They are as imperceptible as mosquitoes yet as deadly as scorpions. Additionally, the poison disappears upon death, preventing it from being found during autopsies. I'm sure you can think of some use cases already in your mind."

"What do you want me to do with it?" he asked, feeling a sense of unease.

"Unlike the nano-size rinkaichu that requires the user to make physical contact, this insect can act independently of the body. This insect is not to be taken lightly, Shino," Shibi said, his voice grave. "It's only to be used when you're absolutely determined to kill. This rare breed is known to be difficult to control even for some high-level members of the Aburame clan. If you use it, you must be prepared for the consequences. If you fail to control it, it may even end up killing your nearby companions or even yourself."

Shino nodded, feeling a sense of dread in his gut. He had heard stories about the Kochu before, and knew that they were not to be used lightly. "I understand, Father," he said, tucking the vial away in his pouch. "I won't use it unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Good," Shibi said, his expression softening once again. "Remember, Shino, your safety is the most important thing. Don't take unnecessary risks. And… be wary of masked ninjas in black with tantos. Use the Kochu if necessary, father will take care of any problems."

Hearing the last part, Shino thought for a bit and understood who his father was warning him against. Shino nodded, feeling a sense of warmth in his chest. He knew that his father was only trying to protect him, even if he didn't always agree with his methods.

Well, if it was really those brainwashed fellas belonging to the dark side of Konoha, Shino really would not feel any guilt over using the Kochu against them. Just hope its not the poor painter boy because that may really throw the mid-story plot off the rails.

As the conversation came to a close, Shino gathered his things and made his way to his room. After sitting alone in his room, he held the vial in his hand and squinted at the poisonous bugs inside.

"I don't recall the original Shino ever using this type of bug. Such an unstable, dangerous creature that has a high chance of causing self harm… There is no way I would use it normally- but, who told me to have a system that can deal with this precise problem."

Shino had a sly smile as he communicated with his system. A surge of power was aroused in his hand. With a clench, the glass vial shattered, freeing the bugs inside. The ferocious little critters landed on his hand. Just when they wanted to spread their poison on the creature disturbing its rest, an unsettling energy swept through them and caused them to stiffen in place.

Moments later, the little critters slowly marched into Shino's body at a crawling pace. Although small, Shino was able to notice their twitching from time to time, showing their sign of struggle, but they could not break free from their controller.

Their end was inevitable. When they entered Shino's body, they had entered the nest of the Zergs. The dominating Zerg will crushed the minuscule will of the bugs as an unknown energy seeped into the little critters' bodies, altering their gene and assimilating them into the horde.

Minutes later, a bug crawled out onto Shino's hand. This time, it was completely under Shino's control with no struggle!

Not only that, its poisonous property was completely restrained as Zergs are born to adapt! With his mutated Zerg nest body, he didn't have to worry about the poison of controlled insects because they won't intermix with his other insects without his command! This was the power of Zerg control!

Shino's glasses shone with fervor. With sufficient biomass, any insects, no matter how powerful, can be dominated and permanently converted into his servant as long as it is brought into his body, the Zerg Nest. For a trifling insect like this, it didn't even require one biomass.

[Kochu Worm Abilities] Flight, Volatile Neurotoxin

[Size] 3mm [Quantity] 20 [Daily Chakra Cost] ... [Breeding Time and Cost] ...

"Not only did this update my gene pool with more data, I now have another trump card, a truly deadly killer that I can use to harvest corpses for the growth of my Zerg army. Hopefully, I won't have to use this under the observation of others, and if I do, I should be discreet and make sure all my enemies perishes. A mere Genin will appear very abnormal to have control over such a bug. It will be even harder to explain my perfect control over it, especially since its known to be difficult to control. However, I should still breed a good amount with chakra and store it in my body just in case."

Before the night ended, Shino had returned home with a box. Inside the container was his most loyal 24/7 worker. This will be his second trump card in the mission, and also his biomass converter for organic materials he wouldn't want to personally consume.

Despite the hassle of carrying such a large and unwieldy object, Shino knew it was a necessity and may end up saving his life. Who knows what would happen during the mission.

A death warrior that can be telepathically controlled can turn the tides of battle at a critical moment! Perhaps there may even be other unexpected uses.

After Shino secured a strap to the dog-size container so that he could carry it on his back, he was prepared for his journey.

As he lay in bed that night, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease about the mission ahead. He knew that he would have to be careful, and that the Kochu would only be used as a last resort.

"Well, it's not like a mere C-level task will end up being a A or S level one, right? That only happens to the protagonist like Naruto. It shouldn't have anything to do with me," Shino mused as he closed his eyes.

But no matter what happened, Shino took solace in the knowledge that his father had his back. If worse comes to worse, he will use it with no qualms. And that thought brought him a sense of comfort as he drifted off to sleep, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Tomorrow will be an important day. It was finally time for their first C-level task. It was finally time to step outside the safety of the village.

It was finally time for Team 8 to face the dangers of the ninja world… and finally time for the world to welcome the arrival of the Zerg Dominator.