Chapter 400:
Shikamaru knew his capabilities were limited. Even with Venom's enhancements, there was no way he could save everyone here by himself.
Most importantly, there was the issue of his current state.
Because he had been wearing the symbiote suit continuously for the past few days, Shikamaru had become acutely aware that something was wrong with him.
Insomnia.
Irritability.
Cravings for flesh and blood.
Talking to himself.
This condition had persisted for nearly two weeks. While it had been deeply unsettling at first, Shikamaru had gradually adapted to it, and the situation no longer seemed quite so dire.
Thanks to not needing sleep, Shikamaru found himself with a lot of free time to do many things. Most of the time, he was patrolling and defending this temporary survivor settlement. He had become the de facto hero guarding the city. In fact, the city had even been renamed after him—it was now called Venom City.
But to Shikamaru, protecting this city was a serious challenge. The attacks from puppet scientific ninja tools, the problem of overpopulation, the issue of limited resource distribution—
Shikamaru knew these conditions would eventually lead to the city's collapse. Venom City was destined to fall into ruin.
No—signs of collapse had already begun to appear.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Hand over the food!"
"No! My kid is still hungry!"
In a dark alley, a man and a woman wrestled and struggled.
This city was gradually turning into a trash heap. The number of filthy, despicable people was increasing.
"Hey! Cut it out!" shouted Shikamaru, who happened to be passing by.
"Hah? If you don't want to die, then get lost, you idiot!" the man shouted as he yanked the woman's hair and pinned her to the ground. Glaring at the suddenly-appearing Shikamaru, he snarled, "The food is mine. If you want some, go rob someone else!"
"No, please—I have children at home who are still hungry!" the woman pleaded, pressed to the ground.
Shikamaru could feel his mood darkening.
"Give the food back to her."
"No way. What are you gonna do about it, huh?"
The man defiantly shoved food into his mouth as he spoke.
"What am I gonna do?" Venom began coiling around Shikamaru's body, making his frame swell with monstrous power. "How about now?"
"V-Venom-sama…"
The man dropped the food he had been about to eat, his body trembling as he hastily backed away from the woman.
The woman quickly scrambled to her feet, picked up the fallen food, and nervously kept her eyes on both the man and Shikamaru.
Although she knew Shikamaru was the city's protector, someone like her—living at the very bottom—could only approach everything with caution.
"Relax. I'm not here to take your food. You can go," Shikamaru said, clearly reading her thoughts. He felt a mix of exasperation and amusement.
Still keeping her guard up, the woman cautiously walked past Shikamaru. The instant she was past his hulking form, she broke into a run and fled the scene.
"Now, it's your turn." Shikamaru turned toward the man. "It's just the two of us now."
"V-Venom-sama, please! I'm begging you—spare me just this once!"
The man fell to his knees, trembling and groveling for mercy.
Due to the deteriorating quality of life, rumors and resentment toward Venom's rule had begun spreading throughout the city.
Some of the rumors were false, but some were true. For instance: the mayor of Venom City supposedly needed to consume large quantities of fresh flesh daily.
"Fine. Just answer me one question," Shikamaru said, staring at the man who had now lost all his former bravado. "Don't you have any children?"
"…"
The man's face shifted as he realized something was wrong.
"Answer me!"
"…"
The man scrambled backward, trying to flee in panic. But Shikamaru raised a hand and fired out a black shadow, which coiled around the man, yanked him through the air, and dragged him right in front of Shikamaru.
He was suspended upside down, face-to-face with Shikamaru.
Gazing into the terrifying visage of Venom's snarling face, the man trembled uncontrollably.
"Little punks like you who destroy the city always piss me off… so much I wanna bite your head off!"
"Please, no—don't—"
"I'm gonna eat your head… like jelly!"
Venom opened his gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth. His long, crimson tongue dragged across the man's cheek.
Shikamaru swore—he really had only meant to scare the guy. That was all he ever did.
But this time, he accidentally bit down.
The man's skull crumpled like tofu between Venom's fangs. Blood poured from the lifeless body, splattering onto the ground and painting it red.
By the time Shikamaru came to his senses, it was already over. He had finished eating. Only some filthy, blood-soaked clothes and bits of guts remained, reeking with the stench of death.
"What… what have I done?" Shikamaru clutched his head in agony and dropped to his knees. The symbiote withdrew from his face, revealing his regret-filled expression. "No… I need to get out of here… fast…"
But Shikamaru's brilliant mind quickly recalibrated.
What's done is done. Regret was useless now. What mattered was what to do next.
The world outside was filled with murderous puppet weaponry. Only he could protect the people here. So… the fact that he had eaten someone must never be revealed.
It's fine. He was just a scumbag. No one's going to notice he's gone.
Shikamaru pulled himself together. He quickly cleaned up the remains of his grisly meal. Venom crept back over his head, and with a flick of a shadow strand to the rooftop, he launched his powerful body into the air.
As if nothing had ever happened, Shikamaru resumed his patrol through the city. There was no revulsion, no guilt. In fact, he felt surprisingly good—refreshed, even. The exhaustion and anxiety that had been weighing on him were suddenly gone.
But Shikamaru had been too naive.
Someone had witnessed the entire scene of him devouring the clone.
Underground, in the Land of Water—
Orochimaru stared at the screen, watching Shikamaru vanish into the distance. The corners of his mouth curled upward.
Ever since learning that Venom had appeared in the surface testing zones, Orochimaru had been closely monitoring it. What he hadn't expected was that the person bonded with Venom… was Shikamaru.
Once something happens the first time, it tends to happen again. Just like Tsunade and her gambling, Orochimaru was confident Shikamaru would soon devour a second clone.
"Skynet, record the data."
"Yes, Gray Wolf-sama."
Skynet's data projection flickered as it recorded the newly acquired information on Venom.
"Also, send my No. 4 clone to Venom City."
"Yes, Gray Wolf-sama."