"You're here."
In the woods, Shiyū said grimly.
"I'm here."
"You didn't have to come."
"I know, but I came."
"Since you're here, be prepared."
"I've been ready for that for a long time."
"Then, prepare to face true hell."
"Wait." Miki said, "I haven't thought it through yet. For secret techniques or whatever, I feel like there's nothing you can teach me."
Because training would delay a lot of her research.
Previously, Shiyū had given her no chance to refuse.
"Naive, there's still a lot you need to learn. I will be strict with you." Shiyū said fiercely, leaning on his cane.
"I have no problem with it." Miki looked at the three old men and smiled, "I just worry that the grandpas will die from exhaustion halfway through."
Miki originally didn't want to participate in this kind of training.
"Don't worry, we're not going to die from exhaustion yet."
Shiyū asked, "Miki, what do you think is most important for the Aburame Clan?"
"Chakra?"
The scale of Chakra determines the scale of the insect swarm, which is obviously incredibly important.
"It seems you have your own understanding, but it's not deep enough." Shiyū said, "Our clan has always been known as all-around Shinobi. What's most important for our clan is comprehensive quality, which means no obvious shortcomings in any aspect."
"Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu. As an Aburame, the first thing you must learn is how to break Genjutsu."
"If you have companions, they can break Genjutsu. But what if you don't have companions? How do you break it then?"
"Insects?" Miki asked.
"Then, when you yourself are caught in a Genjutsu, and your Insects have no command, how do you break the Genjutsu?"
"Simple, preset commands. Every ten seconds, have the Insects disrupt the Chakra within my body. This can guard against accidentally falling into a Genjutsu." Miki said.
"Mushi-Hime, you truly are the most talented individual our clan has ever seen."
Shiyū nodded in satisfaction and said, "Preset commands are a very practical technique. This technique needs to be mastered skillfully based on one's own experience. I didn't expect you to develop the Insects to this extent."
"However, there's an even simpler method: pain." Shiyū said, "When facing Genjutsu, preemptively have the Insects inside your body stimulate physical pain to achieve the goal of breaking the Genjutsu."
Simply put, it's just letting the Insects bite herself to stay awake.
Miki nodded, indicating she understood.
"But these methods alone are not enough to guarantee you won't fall into Genjutsu, especially the Genjutsu of the Uchiha Clan. Pain isn't reliable either."
Shiyū must have some deep hatred for the Uchiha.
"So?" Miki asked.
"So, don't rely on your own eyes. Rely more on the Insects's perception."
"Genjutsu has no effect on bugs!"
For Miki, this was instinct.
During the simple game with the Third Hokage earlier, she hadn't relied on her own eyes at all.
"That's all for Genjutsu. With your talent, the Flamebug' Genjutsu abilities will be easy for you to develop."
"Mushi-Hime, which Ninjutsu did you choose?"
"Earth Release Hardening Technique, Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole, Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere." Miki said.
"A clever choice." Shiyū said, "Attack, defense, escape. Truly my granddaughter."
"Ordinary clan members wouldn't be allowed to learn Earth Release, but Mushi-Hime, you are an exception."
"The clan's secret techniques no longer have anything for you to learn. What limits you is only your age and Chakra."
"Earth Release can enhance your means of response." Shiyū said, "On the battlefield, prioritize self-preservation. Don't expose yourself easily."
That's too cautious.
"As for Earth Release, the clan doesn't have much research. Mushi-Hime, you can learn it, but don't delve too deeply. Focus your energy more on the modification of the Insects."
"So next, what I will mainly teach you is Taijutsu."
"Shiyū." Miki said, "Taijutsu? Does the clan really have such a thing?"
"Taijutsu isn't some profound thing. It's just that ordinary clan members don't need it. But you, Mushi-Hime, to become the strongest, Taijutsu cannot be your weakness."
"Ordinary Taijutsu, there's no need to learn it, right?" Miki said, "Neither the Senju's Strong Fist style nor the Hyuga's Gentle Fist style are techniques that can be easily learned."
In Miki's opinion, it was enough for her to release bugs from a distance to bite people. Neither fist fighting nor shurikenjutsu were necessary.
And her combat radius was much larger than that of clan members.
Then, Miki subtly looked at the Insect Sister crouching beside her like a puppy.
"I can release the Insect Sister. She looks like she can fight really well. She can buy me time to escape, right?"
"I told you to preserve your life on the battlefield, not to run away at any time on the battlefield!"
"You're going to learn this Taijutsu whether you like it or not, stop talking nonsense!"
Shiyū roared, raising his cane as if to strike.
"You're the boss." Miki replied, "Then let's begin. Let's finish quickly so I can go home and eat."
"Hmph!" Shiyū said, "Shihu will teach you Taijutsu. He's the best fighter in the clan."
"Mushi-Hime, you've already hatched Shihu's poisonous bugs, haven't you?"
"Mm." Miki raised her hands, showing them to the three grandpas.
Her fingernails were a purplish-black color, looking extremely dangerous at first glance.
"Truly my granddaughter!" Shiyū nodded in satisfaction.
Parasitic Minute Bugs are different from Insects. Because of their tiny size, there's no need to specifically create a bug nest inside the body.
They can reside anywhere on the body.
Miki mainly had them reside under her fingernails. When she had nothing to do, she could even trim her nails.
"Shihu, it's up to you now."
"Big brother, let me say something." Shihō said to Miki, "Mushi-Hime, the bug nest is a very important technique. It allows you to carry a large number of Insects. You are still young now, so there's no need to rush. When you're an adult, you can build the nest inside your body in one go."
"I understand, Grandpa Shihō." Miki nodded and said, "I'll start that work when I get back."
"No rush. The establishment of the bug nest will have a period of weakness, which is not conducive to your current training." Shihō said.
"It's okay, Grandpa. I've already mastered the Healing Technique. The damage caused by the bugs will be repaired quickly."
Even so, it wasn't a simple task and couldn't be completed in a short time.
Moreover, it would be very, very painful.
Insects digging holes have always relied on their mouthparts.
Even Miki would be no exception. At most, to make herself more comfortable, she would inject an anesthetic.
Clan members had to use Chakra while simultaneously commanding the Insects to build the nest, so they could only endure the pain and absolutely could not numb their limbs.
But Miki only needed to move her thoughts. As long as she stayed conscious and prevented the Insects from gnawing on her heart or anything, she would be fine.
"Look at my memory, I forgot your control over bugs. It's good that you know what you're doing."
"If there's anything you don't understand about Ninjutsu, you can come to me."
Finally, Shihō said.
"Shihu, you go."
Hearing this, Shihu stepped forward, took off his gloves, revealing a pair of purple hands.
"Mushi-Hime, fighting me would easily lead to death, but since you have mastered Parasitic Minute Bugs, the danger is greatly reduced."
Saying this, Shihu took off his upper armor, revealing a strong, muscular physique.
"When Parasitic Minute Bugs clash on the microscopic battlefield, the outcome between us can only be decided by Taijutsu."
"My requirement for you is simple: defeat me head-on without using Insects, and your training will be over."
Most Aburame Clan members wouldn't have such a fine set of muscles. This was because of the Insects nesting inside their bodies.
Many bodily tissues were somewhat structurally damaged by the Insects.
Therefore, it could be seen on the surface.
For example, her mother Yumi had small breasts, a developmental deficiency caused by damage to her mammary glands when she was young.
Miki had been quite hungry during breastfeeding, so she remembered it very clearly.
And because Shihu had poisonous bugs early on, his body was not damaged by Insects, so he developed a beautiful set of muscles.
Shihu clasped his hands together and let out a fierce roar.
Immediately after, his entire body was covered in purple Parasitic Minute Bugs, turning him deep purple.
"Did you understand?"
"Mm."
Miki nodded, imitating him by clasping her hands. Her clothes hid the effect on her body.
Only her hands could be seen to be similarly covered in purple.
"Mushi-Hime, Insects." Shiyū said from the side.
Without any visible action, a swarm of Insects flew off Miki's body, a vast dark cloud disappearing into the woods.
Shiyū nodded in satisfaction.
"Being bitten by my bugs is very painful. You need to prepare your entire body for defense."
"Thank you for the reminder, Grandpa Shihu."
"Come!" Shihu roared.
Hearing this, Miki assumed an offensive stance.
Taijutsu? She had no skill at all, so there was no aesthetic to her movements.
After thinking for a moment, Miki simply charged forward recklessly.
The worst that could happen was getting beaten up.
Miki rushed forward.
Miki flew back.
She fell onto the hard ground.
It was completely like an adult beating a child.
Miki grimaced in pain.