Chapter 163: Parting Gift
Sensing his authority over his system space gradually return to him, Shino's lips curved in a slight smile as his hands instinctively reached forward and caught the beauty, her red hair shining like flames as she materialized in the air before him.
Embracing her tightly, Shino gracefully descended to the forest grounds below with his wings, a hint of concern in his voice, "You shouldn't do such dangerous things again, Karina."
Karina's lips curved in an enchanting smile as her hand reached up. As her hand approached Shino's face, his mask swiftly retracted, letting her fair hand caress his face, "As long as it's for you, Shino. No matter how dangerous it is, I am willing because I know my dear will be there for me."
Shino sighed, tightening his hold on her waist, "It's good there were no uncontrollable accidents this time, but we can't always count on that."
Karina giggled slightly, "But this time, there was already an accident, wasn't there, my dear?"
Before Shino could reply, Karina leaned in and kissed him deeply, cleaning up the loose ends.
[Swarm Leader re-establishing connection with the system…]
[Connection completed. Karina will always be ready to serve my dear.]
As their entwining tongues separated, Shino gazed at Karina with heated eyes as she licked off the remnant saliva on her lips. Her lips then curved into a teasing smile, "See? Even though there was an accident, isn't everything fine in the end?"
Shino pecked her lips again, "I just don't want anything to happen to you, Karina."
"It makes me happy to know my dear cares for me." A rosy hue appeared on Karina's face as her eyes sparkled, her beautiful legs wrapping around Shino's waist as a gap opened up in Shino's armor below, "But it makes me happier when my dear uses me. So use me as you desire, my dear."
Feeling her warm embrace, Shino grunted, trying to resist the temptation, "Not now, Karina. We still have other matters to deal with."
Karina blinked playfully, licking her lips, "Just let our army deal with them. I will ensure it is foolproof and that none will leave alive. Of course, if my dear desires, I can keep the big blonde cow and the lonely purple-hair widow."
Shino's eyes gleamed slightly, but he maintained his resolve and resisted the throbbing urge, "Karina. Stop."
Hearing his command, Karina rubbed a couple more times before her movements gradually halted, her face pouting unhappily.
Shino couldn't help but gently rub her face, concern etched on his features, "This isn't like you, Karina. What's wrong?"
Karina stared at him, her emotions bubbling to the surface. Slowly, she buried her face against his neck, inhaling his scent as her body trembled. Moments later, her soft sobs reached Shino's ears, "When I was disconnected, I-I was really scared… The thoughts kept running through my mind… What if my dear couldn't survive the siege alone without me? What if I am kept locked away in the system space and can't save my dear? What if I never see my dear again..."
"You…" Shino let out a sigh, comforting Karina by gently stroking her head.
After a while, he lowered his hand, his palm facing upwards as he channeled his powers, summoning a unique new zerg he had long devised with his system's creation function.
As if sensing his actions, Karina slowly looked up, revealing her tear-streamed face. As her tearful eyes met his, she looked away, trying to hide her face as her hands reached to scrub away the tears, "Don't look. It's ugly."
A warm smile spread across Shino's lips, "It doesn't matter. No matter what, you are beautiful in my eyes, Karina."
Lifting his hand, Shino gently grasped Karina's left hand and pulled it down. Karina was taken aback, wanting to pull her hand back, but the abrupt cool sensation of something fitting perfectly on her fourth finger made caused her to fall into a daze.
Karina could feel Shino's warm palm gently rubbing her left hand before slowly sliding beneath it, lifting her hand up.
Her eyes then locked onto her own hand, where a small worm-like creature with hard golden skin appeared, only big enough to wrap her finger.
And on the center of the worm's back was a sparkling crystal round shell, but Karina knew it was a refined composition of carbon hard enough to serve as armor.
But the most unique part was the inner band of the ring, where the special promise was engraved: Shino x Karina.
It was a diamond ring, one crafted just for Karina! A similar ring now also rests on the finger of Shino's left hand.
Watching Karina stare at the ring on her hand in a daze with no response, Shino couldn't help but ask with some trepidation, "Do you like it?"
Hearing his words, Karina snapped out of her daze, tears beginning to well up in her eyes once more.
Shino's face stiffened. Could it be, she didn't like it? Did he mess up the atmosphere because he didn't kneel down? Maybe the other parts of the process were also important?
Suddenly, Shino felt a strong force shoving him to the ground, and moments later, he groaned, overcome by Karina's intense movements. His groan was muffled as Karina's lips locked onto his, her wild passion almost overwhelming him.
Despite the wild allure, Shino managed to resist, flipping Karina over and pressing her against the ground. He firmly held her hands above her head, looking down at the beauty beneath him.
His voice was hoarse, but he tried to stay focused and clear-minded, "Karina... there's no need to be so surprised, right? I know nothing I do can escape your eyes."
With a rosy hue on her face, Karina smiled, tear stains still present, "I know. But I'm still happy. Because I've been waiting for this moment ever since my rebirth."
Shino chuckled, "It's good that you are happy. Based on your reaction, I almost thought you didn't know."
Wiping away the remaining tears, Karina teased, "How could I know? After all, I almost forgot that my dear still had a system creation function because it barely gets mentioned. So, I naturally won't know what surprises my dear will pull out just for the sake of the plot."
The couple exchanged smiles. Shino lowered his head, sharing another warm moment with Karina before pulling back. Karina gazed at him, licking her lips seductively, "Not going to finish first, my dear?"
Shino helped Karina up, his gaze shifting towards the approaching forest as if sensing the approaching enemies, "I'm afraid that before I finish, we will be disturbed. So, let's take care of them first."
"Humph!" Karina glared in the direction of the approaching Konoha ninjas, "My dear, our scattered zergs have arrived. Our big parting gift is also ready to be summoned. Since they insist on an unfair fight, we shall show them what a true number advantage is. My dear doesn't need to participate in person, let me handle the rest here."
Pressing herself against Shino, Karina whispered into his ear, "Our overlords, carrying the Flying Thunder God markers, have already settled into their positions. Our highway to escape the Land of Fire has been established. My dear, let's change our location and I will dutifully report on where the other important characters who didn't participate in this siege went."
Grinning in understanding of Karina's implications, Shino locked hands with her. His gaze then shifted towards an Akatsuki member who emerged from a swirling spatial distortion nearby. "Oh, I understand. There's no need to come thank me for staging the wonderful reunion. Have a good one, Obito."
And with a flicker, Shino and Karina vanished, leaving the man's outstretched hand grasping empty air.
Obito's crimson Sharingan blazed with anger as he stared at the empty space before him, clenching his gloved hands into a fist and smashing a hole through a nearby tree. "Aburame Shino!"
He then shifted his gaze towards the encroaching ninjas, his Sharingan briefly flashing as he retreated into the entrance of his divine space. The swirling spatial distortion soon vanished.
Not long after he disappeared, a swarm of bugs gradually rose from the ground, morphing into the form of Karina.
Sensing the hidden ninjas stealthily camping on the trees nearby, she grinned, and her palm automatically split open, letting the prepared blood spill forth. Then, she slammed her hand onto the ground, "Summoning Technique!"
Poof! A furious storm of smoke engulfed the forest, causing surging wind currents that ravaged the nearby trees.
Whoo~ The hidden ninjas summoned forth wind, blowing away the smoke. But as it cleared, their faces paled with shock.
Before them was a hulking monstrosity over 20 feet tall, multiple-times the size of their own height!
It was a giant beast on all fours, covered in a thick, heavy carapace armor with bony spikes adorning parts of its shell. Resembling a ram, two bone-like scythes protruded from its front like limbs, its blades ready to tear through enemies with ease.
This was the most powerful strain of the zerg's ground units, the ultralisk!
As if sensing the ninjas, the beast awoke from its slumber, lifting its enormous, deformed head upwards to let out an earthshaking roar that sent tremors through the forest! The roar set off a turbulence, whipping back the forest trees, and the nearby ninjas were sent flying back through the air!
The rest of the approaching ninjas dug their feet into the ground, using chakra to stabilize themselves as they raised their arms to shield their faces.
Clenching his teeth, Hiashi, with his Byakugan activated, surveyed the surroundings, "There's a lot of them coming from around us, below, and the skies... we're surrounded."
Tsunade, her blonde hair fluttering in the turbulent wind, gritted her teeth and stared at the towering beasts scattered in the forest with a solemn expression. "Tck- I really made the wrong bet on that bug brat."
Weekly Power Status
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