Konoha, a hidden underground cave.
This was one of Miki's Hives, a dark environment where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
The Swarm was born here.
At this moment, the entire Hive was silent.
There was only the slight sound of the Queen Bugs moving.
Their bodies were bloated, with large, tender white 'bellies', measuring nearly ten centimeters long, which was already very large for small insects.
They couldn't move on their own; their huge bellies were filled with one egg after another.
They were modified from ant queens and could produce almost all of Miki's bugs, except for Slugs.
Their average lifespan was thirty years, and their egg production varied depending on the type of egg.
The Summer Red Soldier's production was a thousand per day.
And this high production relied on...
Chakra.
Without Chakra, the normal daily production was a dozen eggs.
In nature, species that lay thousands of eggs at once require a lot of time and resources to nurture those eggs.
Like Insects, these Queen Bugs could also consume Chakra, relying on the Insects's ability to lay eggs rapidly.
When not laying eggs, they were in standby mode, and the Eve Swarm would regularly feed these Queen Bugs.
However, when productivity was at its maximum, the situation was different.
In another Hive, some bugs began their work.
This was an underground dark river, where pervasive acid mist had turned the area into a dead zone.
Stepping into this place, simply breathing would be fatal, but in a wide pond, large and small rotten logs floated.
Normal creatures could not survive here; only Slugs could.
Question: What does Slug Sage eat?
Ordinary food?
That is the correct answer.
But the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest lives in an acid mist environment year-round, a place rarely visited by living creatures, and the food required for her enormous size is a terrifying number.
Analogous to the enormous blue whale, thirty-three meters long and weighing one hundred eighty-one tons, it consumes millions of krill daily, weighing about two to five tons.
That's over eighteen hundred tons a year.
This is an appetite that would give the current Miki a headache.
Not to mention the Slug Sage's volume.
The Slug Tsunade summoned when she was six years old was about fifty meters in size, already a behemoth.
With Tsunade's current ability, she can summon a giant Slug nearly two hundred meters long.
But this size is only one-tenth of the Slug Sage's true body.
With such an enormous size, and not hunting, what does Slug Sage eat?
Microorganisms?
Fungi?
Even these tiny things cannot easily survive in an acid mist environment.
The Slug Sage relies on Natural Energy to survive; therefore, she produces Sage Mode Chakra.
Miki's Slugs also have this ability; Sage Mode Chakra cannot be easily utilized, but Miki only needs Chakra.
Natural Energy can be converted into Chakra, but Slugs cannot do this; absorbing Natural Energy can only produce Sage Mode Chakra.
So, what if they don't absorb Natural Energy?
As the production chain started, the Eve Swarm first began to nervously transport large amounts of stored resources.
That is, meat.
Then, it was fed to the Slugs.
Food rained down from a hole above the pond, falling into the acid pond.
Acid is heavier than water; the thick acid quickly sinks to the bottom, while the water's surface is less acidic, and the meat floats on the surface.
The entire pond began to boil, and Slugs from the bottom surfaced; these little guys shared the meat slices.
These were Little Devil Slugs.
Normally, they lived on nothing, so they were very happy to finally have a feast.
While happy, they also had to work; their bodies began to produce Chakra, without mixing in Natural Energy, and the Chakra was transmitted to a distant location as soon as it was produced.
This happiness would last a long time, but it would also come with a bit of pain.
Namely, mental fatigue.
The more they ate, the more tired they became.
When one Slug got tired of eating, another took its place.
A continuous stream of Chakra was produced and delivered to the designated location.
The Hive where the Queen Bugs resided.
First, the Barrier was raised.
Forbidden Jutsu: Jar Poison Technique.
This Barrier, improved by Miki, had the function of accelerating cell division.
At the energy output nodes of the Barrier, the cute Little Devil Slugs, curled up in a ball, received Chakra and immediately began to work, maintaining the Barrier's operation.
More Chakra was directly transmitted into the Queen Bugs' bodies.
At this moment, large groups of Queen Bugs in the Hive were producing at full throttle.
Each Queen Bug stayed in her small compartment, extending in neat rows, like a beautiful farmland.
Miki was making good use of her racial talent for farming.
At this time, the Queen Bugs' huge, tender white abdomens rapidly wriggled, and changes within them intensely unfolded; eggs quickly formed, followed by their expulsion and laying.
And on the paths between the 'fields', the Eve Swarm moved nervously and busily, running into each compartment, carrying away the eggs produced by the Queen Bugs.
The neatly organized transport teams flowed like an endless stream of traffic.
One direction moved towards the Queen Bugs, while the other carried the eggs towards the Barrier.
The eggs were dropped into pits by the Eve Swarm, then passed through the Barrier with a plop, sinking into the water and settling at the bottom.
Accelerated cell division would promote the rapid hatching of the eggs.
Summer Red Soldier did not have the convenient ability of Insects to rapidly hatch into adults.
Therefore, she needed nutrition.
A large amount of nutrition.
These resources were also transported by the Eve Swarm, and more resources were continuously on their way.
They were then thrown into the Barrier.
Some specialized Eves, with wings that had not fallen off, like busy bees, constantly flew back and forth above the Barrier, evenly scattering food.
A long time ago, ants and bees were the same species; evolution caused them to diverge.
And Eve merely rediscovered one of her ancient abilities.
Underwater, the eggs burst, and a large number of Summer Red Soldier larvae hatched, instinctively searching for food.
Food was everywhere; there was no need to search.
These larvae are called naiads, belonging to aquatic insects, a collective term for dragonfly nymphs.
Also known as mosquito destroyers.
Depending on the species, the time required for adulthood varies; short ones take two to three months, longer ones one to three years, and the longest take seven to eight years to fully mature, undergoing eight to fourteen molts during this period.
Then they crawl out of the water and become dragonflies.
Miki chose this species for its stronger physique, with an adult stage of three years.
It could be served at the dinner table.
Without this Barrier, it would be impossible for them to become cheap combat power.
As cell division accelerated, the naiads rapidly went through their growth period.
Driven by instinct, they continuously fed frantically.
Until they became adults, crawled out of the water, transformed into Summer Red Soldier, and took flight.
After flying out of the Barrier, they landed in a part of the Hive.
These were rows of tall, upright racks that could accommodate a large number of Summer Red Soldier in a limited space.
The Eve Swarm climbed on the racks, spitting out honeydew to feed the Summer Red Soldier, replenishing their expended energy.
Through generations of replacement and rapid evolution, this entire behavioral pattern was deeply etched into the Summer Red Soldier's genes, like a program.
No longer needing Miki's careful guidance, it could complete an entire automated production.
Although for Miki, it was just a matter of thought.
The Hive was brewing, like a wound-up war chariot, roaring dully as it started.
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