Chapter 6: Zerg is Born
Shino Aburame sat in his room, surrounded by the familiar hum of his parasitic insects.
Although the parasitic insects can help him convert organic matters into biomass, the insects themselves don't have a biomass storage. So, they can't help him harvest biomass outside his body.
The drone is a different story! It has its own biomass storage and can be used to autonomously harvest resources with a command!
However, unlike the Aburame clan parasitic insects that can be bred with chakra over time, the Zergs can only be created through biomass. After multiple home-cooked meals and the feast at the BBQ restaurant, Shino finally accumulated more than 50 biomass, just enough to spawn his first Zerg unit.
He had been waiting for this moment - the chance to use the Zerg Dominator system to spawn his very own drone. This was just a basic resource gathering unit, but it may be the most important unit for his development.
He closed his eyes and focused, letting his chakra flow through him. He could feel the familiar tingle in his fingertips as he directed his bugs to gather together, forming a small larvae.
This was an ability granted to him after the initial transformation into a hatchery. It was like an instinct engraved in his bloodline. He could transform the insects he control into a larvae at any time!
Unfortunately, it wasn't a one-to-one conversion ratio. A mass of bugs must be sacrificed to form a basic larvae. Perhaps this had to do with the structural differences in the chakra bugs and zergs.
Well, these technical details wasn't something Shino had the time to delve into at the moment. Maybe he can get Uncle Snake to help him out with the research in the future?
Observing the larvae in front of him, he could sense the power of the biomass, pulsing within his body and waiting to be delivered at his command. He reached out his hand and placed it on the larvae.
With a deep breath, he channeled that power into the larvae. The biomass value in his system interface plummeted as he watched the larvae grow and transform into a fully formed drone.
Eventually, the larvae collapsed inwards, disintegrating and absorbed by the newly born creature. There was no waste.
Shino couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as he gazed upon his creation. The drone was sleek and black, with sharp, angular limbs and a pair of glowing red eyes that seemed to stare straight through him.
He could feel the power of the Zerg coursing through its veins and its connection with him. The Zergs were a race born for combat and destruction. He knew that even without any training, this weak unit would become an unstoppable force when enough gather … well, at least against ordinary people.
The ninjas in this world certainly can't be measure by common sense, especially during the late game where the black hands behind the scene jump out one after another.
"Welcome to the team," Shino whispered, his voice barely audible over the buzzing of his insects. "You will serve me well."
He watched as the drone flexed its limbs, testing out its newfound strength. It scurried across the floor of his room, leaving a trail of dirt and debris in its wake. Shino smiled - it was already following his commands, and he had only just spawned it.
Checking the structures that can be built, Shino was a bit disappointed. He realized he had no blueprints for the Zerg structures, not even for the hatchery which he had transformed into. It seems he will have to unlock these in the future.
Shino then handed a prepared slice of raw meat to the drone. Shino's eyes sparkled with excitement as he observed the drone devouring the slice of raw meat. Shino then waited patiently.
Suddenly, he felt a jolt in his system interface - the meat had been converted into biomass! But, to his confusion, the biomass count remained unchanged. Something didn't quite add up.
With a curious look, he beckoned the drone to approach him. As he placed his hand on the sleek surface of the drone, he felt an electric current flow through him, and a surge of unknown energy transferred into his body. He checked his system interface and couldn't believe what he saw.
"The drone has to return to a Zerg structure to deliver the resource. And I happen to be that structure, in charge of collection and feeding," he muttered with a wry smile as he glanced at his hand.
Although he didn't seem to have the ability to spawn creep at the moment, he did discover he could convert his Chakra into special bio-energy to feed to his Zergs.
However, this energy was not used to fulfill the Zerg's hunger. The Zerg can find food to sustain itself easily. This special energy actually served as the fuel for the Zerg's self-evolution!
As long as there is enough bio-energy, all of his Zergs can adapt and some can even evolve special abilities with a slim chance!
Alas, the bio-energy he could inject was still limited at this moment and the injected bio-energy is always diminishing with time – whether there was a significant evolution or not.
Evolution is always happening passively, but there may not be a noticeable change until a certain critical point is reached. However, once there is evolution, it means that there will be a harvest for Shino. New strands of gene, a new mutation blueprint that he could apply to other Zergs, and more!
This feeding process was like irrigating his crops and waiting for a harvest!
"I assume this is the ability coming from the merging of the my chakra-infused body that has been altered by the Aburame clan bug techniques and the Zerg genes of the system. Maybe it could be the genes from the bugs that can consume chakra. Who knows. I just know that my chakra can be converted into an energy that can fuel evolution..."
Shino's glasses glinted as he pondered over the possibilities. But, the more he experimented with the drone, the more complications he uncovered. Finally, with a deep sigh, he made a decision.
This was an energy he doesn't dare to apply to himself until he has more in-depth research. Naturally, it had to be kept hidden. The drone would also have to be kept hidden, at least for now.
After all, he was essentially a new species, a blend of chakra and Zerg. He didn't want someone to be interested in his bug and trace it back to him.
After a couple more simple tests, Shino finally decided to have the drone hide himself.
"Burrow," he commanded with his thoughts.
The drone obeyed, digging deep into the ground until it was completely hidden from sight. Shino felt a rush of excitement - this was just the beginning. The telepathic communication of Zergs was definitely not just limited to a small range like his room!
His drone was finally ready to venture out into the wild and collect the precious biomass he needed to grow his army. But the risks were high. Shino's mind raced with excitement and trepidation as he plotted his next move.
"Now, I just need to sneak this drone out of the village or into the training grounds so that it can start harvesting biomass for me. Although it can harvest other resources, it will probably not be useful as I can only convert organic matter into biomass at the moment. I will also have to make sure I can be there to collect the biomass when the drone reaches its capacity of 10 units. Otherwise, my hard-earned resources would just go to waste. And I have to do all of this without being discovered. One misstep, and the drone could end up on the operating table, or worse, I end up caught in a dangerous old man's grasp."
As he crawled into bed, his mind raced with possibilities. He could imagine commanding armies of drones, sweeping across the battlefield and obliterating his enemies. He could feel the thrill of victory, the rush of adrenaline as he outmaneuvered his opponents and emerged triumphant.
Okay. Calm down. That is still far in the future. For now, he should contemplate the paths he needed to take to become stronger. The bugs hold a hidden potential, one that surpasses the fleeting moments that are shown during the anime. Their true potential lies within the shadows, waiting for someone to unlock their full strength.
However, he shouldn't show his strength too early. After all, this Konoha has a dangerous old man that loves to take away geniuses and brainwash them.
So, even if his bug capacity is full, he wouldn't arbitrarily spawn larvae with the excess bugs unless he is ready to convert them into a mobile unit or find a safe place to hide them.
A larva can't move and he can't store it within his body nor have it burrow into the ground to hide. Spawning lots of larvae will only attract unnecessary attention.
Even if the Aburame clan seem safe, Shino knew he can never be too careful with old man McSnatchy.
As he drifted off to sleep, a small voice in the back of his mind reminded him that there were more important things to worry about. His duties as a member of Team 8 could not be ignored, and he knew that he would need to be at his best if wanted to integrate into the Konoha 11.
Unknown to Shino, in another room of the house, an older man seemed to have sense something and glanced over when Shino summoned the drone. He was Shino's father, Shibi Aburame. The man's glasses glinted with intelligence before a smile appeared on his face.
"It seems you've also found your own path, Shino. As expected of my son. It wasn't wrong that you attracted the attention of that man … unfortunately-"
Shibi Aburame sighed as he seemed to gaze into the distance. His expression was one of deep sadness. Not long after, his eyes blazed with a fierce intensity as his voice firmed with determination, "He already took away one, I won't let him take you away as well."
With a flick of his wrist, hordes of buzzing creatures swarmed across the Aburame clan's compound, a feast for the ages. Insects pounced on one another, ripping apart their helpless prey.
Within moments, the bug sentries who had thought themselves hidden were overrun and devoured. The swarm flowed back into the shadows, returning the compound to its tranquility.
Shibi Aburame adjusted his glasses with a stern face as he locked his eyes on a lonely insect on the windowsill, "Tell her, although she works for him now, don't forget her roots."
As the insect took off into the air, Shibi Aburame's eyes followed it until it disappeared into the distance. The room returned to its calm silence as the man fell into deep thought.
It was unknown what scheme was brewing, but it was clear that anyone who can become a clan head is not simple.
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