Intruder

Tsunade's office was engulfed in a suffocating atmosphere of paperwork. The Hokage herself, with a dispirited expression etched upon her face, sat behind her desk, buried under stacks of mission reports and administrative documents.

Her assistant, Shizune, stood nearby, her gaze fixed upon Tsunade, determined to compel her to focus on the daunting pile of work that demanded their attention.

The peaceful tranquility of the village was shattered by a sudden rumble, which echoed through the walls of the Hokage Tower. Tsunade's ears perked up, and her weary eyes widened with excitement. She shot up from her seat, nearly causing a cascade of papers to topple to the floor.

"What was that, Shizune?" Tsunade asked, her voice brimming with curiosity.

Shizune, her expression stern and unwavering, turned her attention to an Anbu operative who had appeared before them. The masked ninja bowed respectfully before reporting, "Hokage-sama, we have received reports of a series of rumbles originating from the Forest of Death. It could be an earthquake or an underground explosion, but we're still investigating the source."

Tsunade's heart skipped a beat. The Forest of Death held countless memories and secrets, and any disturbance within its depths sent shivers down her spine. Her sense of duty and adventure stirred within her, urging her to investigate the mystery herself! It was definitely not because she wanted to avoid work!

Without a moment's hesitation, Tsunade declared, her voice brimming with determination, "I need to go and see what's happening, Shizune. It could be a serious threat to the village."

However, before she could even take a step towards the door, Shizune's gaze transformed into a daunting glare that stopped Tsunade dead in her tracks. Shizune crossed her arms and leaned forward slightly, her voice taking on an icy tone.

"Tsunade-sama, you know very well that you have a mountain of paperwork to attend to," Shizune said, her tone firm yet tinged with exasperation. "The village's affairs cannot be put on hold because of a small rumble. We have capable shinobi handling the investigation. Your duty lies here."

Tsunade sighed, deflated. She knew that Shizune was right, as much as she hated to admit it. The burden of leadership weighed heavily upon her, and she understood the importance of fulfilling her responsibilities as Hokage. Reluctantly, she sank back into her seat, her excitement momentarily extinguished.

"You're right, Shizune," Tsunade grumbled, her voice tinged with frustration. "I guess I'll have to trust the Anbu and hope they resolve this quickly."

Shizune's stern expression softened slightly, sensing her mentor's disappointment. She placed a gentle hand on the pile of documents and offered a sympathetic smile.

"I know it's not easy, Tsunade-sama," Shizune said softly. "But as Hokage, your primary duty is to make sure the village runs with no problem, and sometimes that means making sacrifices. The paperwork can't wait."

Tsunade nodded begrudgingly, acknowledging the truth in Shizune's words. Deep down, she understood the weight of her position and the necessity of prioritizing the village's welfare above her personal desires… at least most of the time.

Tsunade relented, her tone laced with resignation. "Alright, Shizune. If I knew this position wasn't a good thing, I would just make a bet with it-"

"Tsunade-sama!"

"Okay, okay. Shizune, you don't have to worry so much about my bets. You know I will eventually win everything back..."

Feeling Shizune's glare bore into her, its intensity growing with each passing moment, Tsunade's nonchalant demeanor took an abrupt turn, morphing into one of utmost seriousness, "Keep me updated on the situation in the Forest of Death. I want to know the moment there's any progress."

Shizune nodded, her expression softening. This was the Tsunade-sama she respected. "Of course, Tsunade-sama."

Outside of Konoha, in his secret lab shrouded in an air of tension, Shino listened to the banter of the new Hokage and her assistant while a holographic screen displayed a footage - the smoking ruins of the biosphere harvest point.

Karina stood besides him, her expression a mix of determination and concern.

"What happened, Karina?" Shino inquired, his voice laced with worry. "I could feel the explosion from afar. Did they finally find traces of us?"

Karina turned to face him, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of relief and exhaustion. "We've had an infiltration, Shino," she explained, her voice carrying an undercurrent of urgency. "An unknown enemy managed to locate and breach our biosphere harvest point beneath the Forest of Death. Initial analysis point to a white Zetsu presence."

"White Zetsu?" Shino's eyes widened, a mix of surprise and anger flickering across his face. "As expected, we can't underestimate that black hand's investigation abilities. They've already begun searching for us? Fortunately, we've taken every precaution to keep the location hidden, and left decoy biospheres out in the open."

Karina sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Shino-sama, I thought you were too cautious before. But now, Karina knows Shino-sama is right. Karina still couldn't believe there are such highly adaptive creatures, even with the Shino-sama's records in the database. There was too little data regarding the full extent of its capabilities in comparison with our zerg abilities, and its difficult to calculate whether it would pose a threat, until now."

Shino's fists clenched at his sides, his determination evident. "So, this is why we must always remain cautious, even if others tell us it is not necessary. We don't want our boat to domination to capsize before it reaches its destination. Karina, did you handle the situation as I prescribed?"

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Karina's lips. "I activated the fail-safe we had installed in the biosphere. The entire structure was rigged with explosive zergs and bugs. It blew the enemy and the harvest point to smithereens."

"Was there any leftovers of its body we can collect?" Shino's inquiry slipped from his lips, laced with a sliver of hope.

Karina's head swayed ever so slightly in response. "No, Shino-sama. Either the intruder escaped or it was cleanly incinerated. No unknown substances were found even after the zergs consumed all residues at the site."

Shino didn't show too much surprise, his mind still processing the gravity of the situation. "But what about the loss? How much biomass did we lose?"

Karina's eyes turned somber as she responded, her voice tinged with regret. "Approximately 6% of the biomass we had harvested was destroyed in the explosion. Moreover, our biomass harvesting efficiency has been reduced by 2%. It will take a significant amount of time and resources to create another harvest point."

Shino's brow furrowed in contemplation, his analytical mind working overtime. "I understand the cost, Karina, but sometimes deterrence is necessary. We must keep the secrets of our creeps away from the hands of our enemies. If they were to learn how to counter our methods, it would pose a significant threat to our cause."

"Understood, Shino-sama. I have factored the loss into the implementation of our projects. Should we pause some projects to conserve biomass for the Six Paths project?" Karina's voice dripped with intrigue as she conjured a holographic display in the air, illuminating the hidden depths of their project list once again.

"Yes, the Six Paths project is crucial to our expansion to the ninja world beyond the walls of Konoha. Pause the deciphering of the incomplete Thunder God seal and the summoning contract research. Also, delay the Uchiha blood cultivation, let's get the first flesh clone into action before we focus on personal upgrades."

In a voice laced with unwavering confidence, Shino issued a directive to Karina, followed by a tantalizing hint of curiosity as he questioned, "By the way, Karina, have you analyzed and created a suitable template according to my ideas?"

"Yes, Shino-sama." Karina's voice, laced with an alluring air of confidence, resonated with unwavering affirmation as she summoned a captivating 3D holographic model, materializing in the air before them.

"Using Kidomaru's body, the cultivation of the essence clone had already begun. The Kidomaru template and appearance has been modified according to Shino-sama's specifications. The location of the web creation had been altered, the extra hands have been removed, and it has been imbued with our accumulation of genetic codes in the fields of perception and anti-detection."

"Good." Shino's words dripped with fascination and admiration as he praised Karina, his eyes locked onto the mesmerizing model brimming with intricate details, his finger deftly tapping the screen to seamlessly transition between its dual forms - one adorned in casual attire, the other clad in a strange full bodysuit. Finally, there was an extra easter egg, triggered under certain conditions. "What about its character?"

"Its AI-CAP, or AI Character Assistive Program, is still being implemented within the system space. Once the clone is completed and forms a connection to the system through Shino-sama's essence, the AI-CAP will be integrated into the clone, controlling the puppet body from the system space and granting it a pseudo personality, but the necessary computation power is still required to automate the clone. Naturally, the specifications of the personality matches Shino-sama's request – a tailored-made dark persona that harmonized with the unforgiving nature of the cruel ninja world."

Karina's voice held an air of intrigue and anticipation as she delivered her report, her hand unveiling a mesmerizing 3D holographic screen that materialized into a brain-shaped structure, its contours formed by intricate lines of code.

Mysterious symbols of an unknown language continuously emerged, seamlessly integrating into the evolving neural framework.

Karina's voice, tinged with a captivating vulnerability, pierced through the air as she cautiously acknowledged a flaw lurking within the design. "However, without manual control, the clone may be rigid in some unexpected situations not recorded in the database. Although the core system won't be affected, the clone will also be susceptible to disturbance from genjutsu."

"Good enough for now." A mysterious smile played upon Shino's lips, his gaze locked on an unseen horizon, as he discerned the delicate balance of their development, his voice cloaked in an intriguing blend of certainty and enigma when he finally spoke again.

"The AI-CAP will always be upgrading along with our growth, and the clone will also contribute to this once it is deployed. As for the genjutsu issue, we can temporarily resolve it with the chakra disruption network in the database. We just need to monitor the clone and manually trigger it when we discover the clone being under the influence of a genjutsu. Oh, by the way, the clone's strength had been enhanced, right?"

"Yes, Shino-sama. But it is impossible for us to grant it a permanent strength enhancement with our current abilities. Instead, the clone will be able to temporarily enhance its strength when necessary, at the cost of a large consumption of biomass."

"Close enough." Shino's anticipation swelled within him, igniting his imagination like a smoldering ember, his mind dancing with vivid images of the iconic character he had envisioned. "Continue the cultivation of the clone, I look forward to its debut."

"So, Shino-sama, what name should we give it?" Karina's voice, laced with a tantalizing hint of anticipation, resonated with a captivating allure as she posed her question, her interest simmering just beneath the surface.

"Three names,"A breathless hush filled the air as Shino lingered in suspense, before declaring, "Tobey, Peter, and..."