Chapter 145: System Space Discovery
As Shino made his way into Karina's lab, she cast a quick glance at him before turning her head away, a slight pout forming on her lips. Chuckling softly, Shino approached her with purposeful steps, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he whispered in a soft voice, "My little goblin is feeling jealous again?"
"I thought you were so satisfied with your new doll that you forgot all about me," Karina grumbled as she pinched his waist.
Shino chuckled, his hand snaking upwards towards Karina's chin, tilting her head gently towards him. He planted a warm, inviting kiss on her lips before pulling back slightly.
However, before he could say anything, Karina swiftly twirled around in his embrace, pushing him down onto a nearby chair. Leaning in towards him, her hot breath caressing his neck, she began to snake downwards.
In a hoarse yet composed voice, Shino reminded her, "Karina, we still have important matters to discuss."
Karina glanced up at him, her eyes filled with desire, and declared, "We can always discuss them the old-fashioned way. In the meantime, I'll make sure my dear understands..."
[That Karina is far superior to that little demoness.]
As Karina's words resonated in his mind, Shino's body trembled slightly, succumbing to the enchanting allure of the beauty that had led him into the depths of the wild as she flourished her tongue to communicate with him in a graceful language.
At this moment, Shino noticed that her words conveyed her dominance more effectively than ever before. It seemed that even Karina had honed her skills through her accumulation of data. As expected of a self-improving AI. No wonder humans fear them so much- ahem.
As Shino endured the passionate process, he didn't allow himself to be fully distracted as he brought his focus back to the matters at hand. "So, what did you want to tell me about the system space?"
[My dear, do you believe in coincidences?]
Hearing Karina's question, Shino harbored some doubts, but he shook his head subtly, his tone firm. "No, there are no coincidences. Coincidences are merely a feeble attempt by the weak to explain phenomena they cannot comprehend. Every event has a cause, whether it is man-made, natural, or even the result of an indescribable existence or laws."
[Exactly. Just like my dear, Karina also rejects the notion of coincidences. We couldn't believe that White Zetsu stumbled upon our base in such an unexpected manner. We were certain that there must have been a leak from our side. So, I ran a system diff to analyze our activities in our previous base and this one. And after a lot of data crunching, so far, I have locked onto one discrepancy.]
Shino's interest was piqued. "Oh? And what cause did you uncover?"
[There is only one thing we have not done in our new base - the usage of shadow clones. Perhaps the shadow clones may have leaked our location, acting as a beacon or a locator.]
Shino's eyes narrowed slightly. "As expected. There must be more to the shadow clones than meets the eye. How could such a convenient clone exist without a catch? There are no free lunches in this world. No wonder the system filtered them out. Perhaps it is the system's way of evading the detection of powerful beings or even the world itself."
If the world itself was behind the existence of shadow clones, it would offer a plausible explanation for several plot holes in the original Naruto series.
One such example is Naruto's ability to summon an overwhelming number of shadow clones without succumbing to mental instability.
While other Jinchuriki possessed similar chakra capacities, none of them displayed the same level of usage of shadow clones, or their variations, as Naruto did. Clearly, they knew the risks of shadow clones, and wasn't able to bear the burden of wantonly using them.
This suggests that the some other existence or the world itself may have shouldered some of the burden for Naruto, allowing him to utilize this technique without suffering the same mental strain as others.
In fact, it's possible that the shadow clones served a dual purpose. Not only did they assist Naruto in his growth and development, but they could also serve as a means for the world to monitor his progress, locate him, and present challenges tailored to his abilities.
The shadow clone technique, while a cheat in some ways, could also be seen as a chain, tying Naruto to the world's expectations and demands. This could explain why Naruto's usage of shadow clones significantly diminished in Boruto, when he was no longer the favored protagonist.
Of course, these were only mere theories. However, these speculations provided another reason for Shino to avoid using the shadow clone technique. It was a technique that carried both advantages and potential risks, and given the mysterious involvement of the world, Shino deemed it prudent to abstain from its use.
"So, this revelation resolves one of our doubts and reinforces the belief that there are no coincidences," Shino pondered aloud. "But how does this relate to the system space?"
[Mm. Shino, just as there are no coincidences in other events, Karina believes that there are no coincidences in certain aspects of your genjutsu domain as well. Hasn't my dear noticed any abnormalities? Have you not found it strange that every time your genjutsu domain instinctively activates, it projects a world infested with creep?]
Shino contemplated his established conclusion, attributing the creep-infested world to his innate zerg factor. "Isn't it simply a result of my innate zerg origin?" he suggested.
[That was our initial conclusion as well. However, after recent events, we may need to reconsider. When Karina witnessed the reappearance of the same creep-infested world during your genjutsu domain upgrade, Karina had doubts and knew it may not be a mere coincidence. Consequently, Karina delved deeper into the matter, meticulously analyzing the process. And this is what Karina has discovered...]
With Karina's words, holographic interfaces materialized before Shino, playing back the moments when he comprehended the depths of his genjutsu domain. The videos jolted his memory, eliciting a surge of excitement, momentarily destabilizing his composure and causing him to lose control.
Karina, with a mischievous smile, met his gaze, suggesting that these videos were intentionally shown to provoke him. Nevertheless, she swallowed her cheers of success as she continued with her explanation, delving into the true significance behind her display of these videos..
[Shino, take note of Yakumo's new ability to devour souls. While we can confirm that this is linked to the zerg factor, what interests me most is the fact that this ability allows the souls to reside within your genjutsu domain. This is far from ordinary.]
"Hmm?" Karina's reminder prompted Shino to contemplate the matter, recognizing the glaring inconsistency.
It dawned on him that housing the souls within his physical body was implausible. In such a scenario, the souls could easily escape or be reclaimed by the world, undergoing reincarnation. His body lacked the means to contain and retain these souls securely.
Therefore, if the souls were truly housed within his genjutsu domain, it meant that his genjutsu domain must manifest as a tangible space somewhere. Otherwise, where did all the souls go?
And this space must be special because it must be able to safely retain the souls and hide the assimilated souls from the eyes of the world, preventing them from escaping into reincarnation and forcing them to be his eternal slaves.
So, where might this space be? Shino could only think of one possibility: his system space. The same space where their biomass had remained hidden, eluding discovery for so long.
If his hidden space could conceal biomass, it was conceivable that it could also safely harbor souls, shielding them from the world's gaze and preventing their escape into the cycle of reincarnation. This implied that the space in question must be deeply concealed, serving as a sanctuary for the assimilated souls who would become his eternal slaves.
[Of course, while this discovery suggests that the souls may be stored within the system storage, it doesn't help us locate the system space itself. However, Karina has observed another key factor that might prove to be our breakthrough.]
"What is it?" Shino's eyes gleamed with renewed interest, his excitement and vigor rekindled as he stood up, ready to explore this newfound lead.
[Yakumo. Her new ability to freely dwell within your genjutsu domain is interesting, isn't it?]
With Karina's subtle hint, Shino immediately understood. How had he overlooked such a glaring loophole until now?
If the physical body of Yakumo could seamlessly enter and exit his genjutsu domain, which was most likely located within his system space, it meant that she was essentially entering and exiting his system space itself!
"It all makes sense," Shino muttered, his thoughts aligning seamlessly. "Her physical body must be stored somewhere, and it certainly can't be within my own body. When she disappeared, I didn't sense her body and the distinct essence she had accumulated merging back into me. Instead, it felt similar to absorbing biomass, vanishing into thin air after being assimilated into my being."
Shino couldn't help but feel a sense of pleasure coursing through him.
Of course, this was because he found solace in the fact that he was now closer to uncovering the entrance to the system space. It wasn't because he was glad that the essence he had given away... didn't go back into his own body. Ahem- Let's stop thinking in this direction.
[Yes, my dear. So, Yakumo is the key to assisting us in discovering the entrance of the system space. By closely monitoring her ability, we may be able to discover the connection we seek.]
Upon hearing this, Shino's movements came to a halt, his eyes burning with desire as he called out in a husky voice, "Yakumo."
In response to his summons, a phantom emerged from Shino's body, swiftly materializing into the masked Yakumo with her fair complexion, kneeling obediently besides him.
Shortly after, another phantom separated from Yakumo's form, solidifying into Ying, who knelt before them with her melodic voice reverberating in the room, "Yakumo and Ying greet the master and mistress. How may we be of service?"
Shino, his touch gentle upon Karina's fair face, traced his fingers around her full lips as he addressed Karina, his voice laced with anticipation, "Karina, is everything prepared?"
[Affirmative, Shino. Karina has made all the necessary preparations before my dear's arrival.]
With Karina's assurance, an array of bugs and sensors delicately drilled themselves into Yakumo's body.
"Good. Ying, have Yakumo enter and exit my domain," Shino commanded.
"As you wish, master," Ying responded before merging back into Yakumo's being. Gradually, Yakumo faded away as she drew closer to Shino's form.
Moments later, Yakumo reappeared. Receiving no further instruction, she vanished once more, the cycle of entry and exit commencing. Shino, too, put forth his own effort, going in and out, urging Karina to fulfill her duties, his anticipation mounting with each passing moment.
And then, Shino's fervent anticipation reached its crescendo as Karina's enticing voice reached his ears.
[Shino, I've locked onto the entrance- umph-] Karina's eyes widened, a clear sign of her astonishment over her discovery.
Jugo's abilities and natural energy. Yakumo's enhanced genjutsu domain and soul-devouring capability. And now, his newly acquired system space had been added to the equation.
As Shino observed Karina present her discovery to him, his gaze shifted to Ying, who gracefully sat beside him, her legs neatly tucked beneath her body, awaiting further orders.
As a sense of excitement tingled within him once more, Shino remarked, "It seems that the next period of time would be one filled with interesting developments."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone