Chapter 401: Sorry, You Can't Give Me What I Want
"Lord Venom, aren't you going to eat?"
"Forget it. Give my portion to the kids here instead."
"Lord Venom, you're such a good person."
It wasn't because he was a good person. It was because he couldn't swallow anything.
He didn't know why, but no matter what he ate, it all tasted rotten. Yet, when he looked around and saw the children happily devouring the food he had given them, their blissful expressions told him one thing—he was the only one having this issue.
Shikamaru was alone in his room.
"Everything tastes like sewage!"
"There has to be something that tastes right!"
Venom enveloped Shikamaru's body.
"Something warm… moist… soft… and yes, stimulating…"
Shikamaru's mind gradually came to a halt, and his memories drifted back to that day, in that city corner, where he crouched on the ground and, as if he had lost all reason, devoured a human being.
"No—I can't go on like this…" Shikamaru dropped to his knees, the Venom suit gradually receding. "Wait… I think I smell something… it's like it's right on the tip of my tongue…"
"Didn't expect Venom to enhance its host's sense of smell."
"Orochimaru!"
As the door swung open and the voice reached him, Shikamaru immediately sprang to his feet.
"No, I'm Clone No. 4 of Lord Gray Wolf."
Clone No. 4 of Gray Wolf replied, tightly gripping a child's head in his right paw. The child stared at Shikamaru in disbelief, his eyes seemingly asking why Shikamaru hadn't protected him.
Venom instantly reformed over Shikamaru's body. Without a word, he prepared to fight Clone No. 4 of Gray Wolf.
There was no way Shikamaru would believe this guy was here to deliver supplies.
"I'm going to kill you!"
With his long crimson tongue out and mouth wide open, Shikamaru lunged at Clone No. 4 of Gray Wolf.
In response, Clone No. 4 tossed the child's head toward him.
By instinct, Shikamaru's tongue wrapped around the thrown head and pulled it into his mouth.
Since they were mid-fight, Shikamaru had no time to think about it.
"Wood Release: Silent Binding Technique!"
Tree branches burst from the ground—not growing, just erupting—and in the instant before Shikamaru could reach Clone No. 4, they tightly bound his powerful body.
Shikamaru was completely immobilized.
"What the hell are you trying to do?!"
Shikamaru shouted while baring his fangs at Clone No. 4.
"Nothing. Just here to collect some data on you."
As Clone No. 4 replied, Shikamaru suddenly broke free of the wooden bindings and slammed his massive fist into Clone No. 4's body.
He smashed through the wall and flew straight out.
"You're not getting away!"
Standing beside the hole in the wall, Shikamaru launched the shadow from his palm, chasing after him by leaping across nearby buildings.
"Wood Release: Wooden Stake Technique!"
Midair, Clone No. 4 turned to face his pursuer. A giant tree erupted from his right claw and crashed into Shikamaru, knocking him out of the sky.
"You're not getting away either!"
Just before hitting the ground, Shikamaru's shadow lassoed around Clone No. 4's leg, dragging him down as well. Both slammed into the earth with a tremendous crash.
"What's going on?"
People nearby began to cautiously gather.
"Everyone, get out of here—NOW!"
Climbing to his feet, Shikamaru shouted to those around him.
"It's Lord Venom!"
"Wood Release: Piercing Sprout Technique!"
Clone No. 4 slammed his palms to the ground, causing deadly wooden spikes to erupt from below, impaling those who couldn't escape in time.
"Run for your lives!!"
Panic finally set in as the crowd scattered in all directions.
Shikamaru immediately launched another attack, trying to interrupt Clone No. 4's technique.
"Ninja Art: Shadow Web Technique!"
Clasping his hands together, Shikamaru sent out a web-like spread of shadows from beneath his feet.
"I… can't move!"
Clone No. 4 realized something was wrong.
Shikamaru stood tall again.
Once cast, Shadow Web didn't need repeated hand seals to maintain—but the downside was that it continuously drained his chakra while active.
"Ninja Art: Shadow Spike!"
The shadow beneath Shikamaru's hand turned sharp and shot toward the immobilized Clone No. 4.
"Wood Release: Tree Wall!"
A row of interwoven wooden vines shot up in front of Clone No. 4, blocking the shadow spike.
"He didn't even use hand signs?!"
"Guess it's about time I used my true power," said Clone No. 4 as Shikamaru stared in disbelief.
"What?!"
"Sage Mode!"
This Sage Mode—an imitation created by Orochimaru through curse mark experiments—was developed outside of the Three Great Sacred Grounds. Yet, when combined with Gray Wolf's natural ability to absorb nature energy, it was functionally no different from true Sage Mode.
Clone No. 4 broke free of the shadow web. Seeing his technique fail, Shikamaru released the jutsu, no longer willing to waste chakra.
"Great Awe Heavenly Dragon, Venerated Earth Treasury, Prajñā Buddhas, Prajñā Bāmākōng!"
Golden light shimmered faintly across Clone No. 4's back, revealing a tattoo of a golden dragon curling across his fur.
Even Gray Wolf's body couldn't withstand the pressure of using this technique directly. He could only cast it after entering Sage Mode: Great Awe Heavenly Dragon.
Shikamaru instinctively raised his arms to shield himself as a golden dragon came barreling toward him.
The impact drove him back, step by step.
"What?!"
A voice suddenly echoed in Shikamaru's mind. Though it was the first time he'd heard it, he immediately knew—it was Venom speaking to him.
Venom was a living being.
"I'm leaving."
"Now?! No—absolutely not! You can't leave me now!"
Of all the things Shikamaru expected, he never thought Venom would say: "Sorry, you can't give me what I want."
The golden dragon slammed into him, hurling Shikamaru through the air. Venom protected him one final time—then detached and withdrew from his body.
"No! Come back!"
As Venom departed, hunger crashed into Shikamaru like a wave. His body went limp. Vision fading, strength gone, Shikamaru lost consciousness—he hadn't eaten anything in a long time.