"Mushi-Hime, has your body finished nesting?"
Chewing on sugar snap bugs, old man Shiyū asked.
"No." There was nothing to hide, Miki shook her head.
Nesting, as it was called, was digging insect tunnels inside the body.
"As expected." The three old men exchanged glances, then looked at Miki and asked, "How did you do it?"
It was a bit troublesome to explain, so Miki just took off her clothes.
Inside her clothes, layer upon layer of Insects were densely attached, and the same was true on her young body.
Because the clothes she usually wore were a bit large, there was no noticeable difference from the outside.
"Tsk tsk tsk, how amazing, the swarm didn't riot." Old man Old Man Zhihui exclaimed, "This is completely without nesting!"
"Didn't your old man's secret teachings tell you how to do it?" Old man Shiyū asked.
"It was explained," Miki said, "but there wasn't enough time."
Yes, there wasn't enough time. At Miki's age, just nesting alone would take two to three years.
The body would be ravaged by insects, then heal, repeating the cycle until the insects established a stable nest within the body.
It was a painful and time-consuming process.
"Moreover, the efficiency is too low, and I don't need this method."
"Most clan members at your age, let alone having combat power, those who can walk out of bed are considered geniuses," Old Man Zhibao said.
"During the Warring States Period, the clan would begin nesting in infancy, so that by five or six years old, they would have a certain level of combat power to assist with intelligence gathering and other tasks. The consequence was that most had relatively short lifespans," Old Man Zhihui said.
"There's no other way. Infants and young children cannot independently suppress the Insects, causing the Insects's nesting behavior to be somewhat crude, leading to incomplete internal bodies and subtle internal injuries. Historically, many people had half their hearts eaten away. This period is very dangerous."
"And after the Insects nest and recognize their master, the Aburame Clan learns to control the Insects," old man Shiyū said. "During this period, depending on each person's aptitude, it can take two or three years for the fast ones, or five or six years for the slow ones, to make the insects obey commands as if they were an extension of their own arm."
"So, when we heard the rumors, the three of us unanimously agreed it was impossible!"
"If it were a Bloodline Limit, it would be even more impossible!"
"Mushi-Hime, do you know why?"
Miki shook her head. She knew very little about the history and background of the Aburame Clan.
"If this thing were a Bloodline Limit, our clan would have had it a long time ago."
Miki suddenly looked at old man Shiyū.
Old man Shiyū looked at Miki.
"I see, Insects."
Old man Shiyū smiled and said, "If a Bloodline Limit is a Ninjutsu that combines Earth Release with Earth Release, carved into the genes and passed down to descendants, then Insects is a creation that combines Yang Release with life, also carved into the genes and capable of being passed down to descendants."
"The only difference is that Bloodline Limit families carve into their own bloodline, where one wrong step leads to many wrong steps, while we carve into the insects, allowing for ample trial and error."
"They all say the Hyuga Clan all possess the Byakugan, and our clan all possess insect users. In terms of intelligence gathering, it's still unknown who will emerge victorious."
Their Byakugan is different.
Miki opened her mouth, but didn't speak.
Never mind, the old man wouldn't believe it anyway.
"Our Insects are the pinnacle of Yang Release, a miracle of life."
To some extent, Insects are indeed very perfect, but they are absolutely not diverse enough.
"So, does our clan have the technology to modify Insects with Yang Release?"
Miki asked.
If so, it would save Miki a lot of trouble.
"No." Old man Shiyū answered with a definite no.
"It's not us who wield Yang Release, it's the Insects."
That instinct to absorb Chakra and convert it into life force is carved into the Insects's genes.
"We are merely the ones who control the Insects, the brains that have coordinated the Insects's evolution for thousands of years. It's impossible for us to awaken a Bloodline Limit."
Who exactly are the Insects then?
Miki opened her mouth. Isn't this just a parasitic capitalist lying on the Insects's labor?
However, nature is truly wonderful. This is a typical symbiotic evolution.
It's hard to say who parasitizes whom.
The Insects want to eat without working, and the Aburame Clan wants to earn money without working; the two hit it off perfectly.
Miki put on her clothes, returning to her usual appearance.
"So, how did your grandfathers' special Insects come about?"
"Well, one day they just suddenly became like this," Shiyū said. "However, it's clearly related to the Insects's autonomous evolution."
"Old Man Zhihui had a serious illness when he was a child. After Old Man Zhihui recovered, he had all these poisonous insects on him."
"However, there have been other clan members who suffered serious illnesses, and historically, a few had situations similar to Old Man Zhihui's, but such special cases are too rare."
It's a matter of probability in natural selection. Either glorious evolution or death with the host. The Insects were also desperate.
Quite clearly, more failed.
They turned into those tiny insects, seemingly for detoxification.
"When he was little, Old Man Zhihui almost died from his own insects, but luckily he was saved by sheer luck."
Miki nodded. The insects went berserk, a normal situation.
"As for Old Man Zhibao, he inherited the Insects of a previous clan elder."
"And my Insects, having fought alongside me my entire life, are clearly still evolving and haven't reached their final stage."
"Inheritance?" Miki asked with some confusion, "So, there are some that cannot be inherited?"
"That's right, Old Man Zhihui's poisonous insects and my insects are both very difficult to inherit."
"Why?" Miki asked, though she had a rough guess.
"Nesting is a very important first step. Most clan members gradually become part of the Insects swarm in this subtle way."
"In other words, without nesting, you can't control the Insects. Mushi-Hime, you are an exception."
"And we need to produce Chakra for the Insects to feed on. So, what happens if Chakra is not produced?"
"If it weren't for the secret teachings summarized by our clan through generations, and our clan's physique, outsiders attempting to use Insects would be eaten."
"And after nesting, the Insects will remember their master's aura. Even among the same clan, transplanting another person's Insects carries the same risk."
"Old Man Zhihui's poisonous insects are especially dangerous to clan members. The first step, surviving the Insects entering the body, is very difficult to accomplish. While Old Man Zhibao's Parasitic Giant Insects is relatively much less dangerous, many in the clan have inherited it throughout history."
"And you, Mushi-Hime, with your dominant control over the Insects, can easily inherit the secret treasures left by our clan through generations."
At this point, Shiyū couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.
"Mushi-Hime, you will become the most terrifying Mushi-Hime in Aburame history, no, in Ninja World history!"
"Hahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Under her mask, Miki curled her lips.
He laughed too villainously.
It made him seem like a mere minion.
"And then what, seize the Hokage position?"
Miki asked indifferently.
"Do you want to be Hokage?"
Old man Shiyū asked Miki back.
"Not at all."
Miki said.
"Whatever you do, I won't be around to see it when you grow up, and no one can stop you," old man Shiyū said. "Do whatever you want."
"Then I'll unite the Ninja World," Miki said.
"Mushi-Hime, terror cannot dominate people's hearts," old man Old Man Zhibao said earnestly.
"I'm joking," Miki said blandly. "Old man Shiyū, what do you want from me?"
"I just want to see my descendants grow up safely and happily, and for the family to flourish," old man Shiyū stood firm, looking at Miki and saying seriously, "And not become a useful tool in someone's hands, unable to even strongly refuse."
"Your uncle Shiron's talent is too mediocre; he'll only ever be a mere Elite Jonin his entire life."
"After we old folks die, facing a behemoth like Konoha, the clan will have no other option but to remain silent to survive."
This old man is not just an ordinary sensible person.
Later, when Danzo demanded people from the Aburame, the then-Aburame Clan Head couldn't say no.
Even if it was his own son.
If it weren't for his cousin from the same clan intervening.
He would have had to pretend he never had that son.
"I promise you."
Miki said seriously.
"Hahahahahahaha."
Old man Shiyū let out a hearty, unrestrained laugh.
"Starting tomorrow, the three of us old folks will teach you how to cultivate. But first, go get your little darlings. Our predecessors left us quite a few formidable little darlings, but we've always suffered from having no one to use them."
"I'm really looking forward to it."
Miki smiled.
When she spoke of 'little darlings,' her tone warmed.
She was truly, very, very much looking forward to it.