Chapitre 131: S-Class Traitor
Inside the Hokage office, Tsunade sat at her desk, a serene expression on her face as she gently stroked the slumbering TonTon in her lap.
Entering the office, Shizune placed a cup of tea on the desk, her gaze falling upon the tranquil Tsunade. She spoke in a soft voice, tinged with uncertainty, "Tsunade-sama?"
Tsunade looked up, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "What's the matter?"
Shizune hesitated for a moment before continuing, "It's just that Tsunade-sama seems unusually calm... Considering the danger posed by Shino Aburame, I thought you would be more concerned."
Tsunade lifted the cup of tea, taking a sip in a composed manner before responding, "You know me well, Shizune. Yes, I am worried, but it is during times like these that I must maintain my composure. Allowing emotions to cloud my judgment at these moments could be the straw on the camel's back."
The office lapsed into silence as Shizune retreated to the side, creating space for Tsunade to contemplate in solitude. They had recently received Tenzo's report, confirming Shino Aburame's betrayal and his subsequent escape, along with undisclosed secrets involving Danzo.
Although Tenzo's report contained valuable information, it failed to provide conclusive evidence of the extent of Shino Aburame's danger.
In fact, the report hinted at Shino secretly alerting them to the perils posed by Danzo. It could even be seen as a retaliatory strike against Danzo, but for them, it was potentially beneficial in some sense.
However, Tenzo couldn't confirm the precise threat of Shino's genjutsu ability. After all, he wasn't a specialist in that field.
Their most skilled genjutsu master in the village was gone, leaving them dependent on the return of the special jonin with resistance against some... genjutsu. The anticipation weighed heavily in the air as they awaited his arrival.
Not long later, a knock echoed through the room. "It's Hatake Kakashi," came the voice from outside.
"Enter," commanded Tsunade, her posture straightening as she set down her tea and clasped her fists, prepared to receive the report. "Tell me your assessment of his abilities."
Kakashi stepped into the room, his gaze focused yet troubled. He began his report, providing detailed accounts of their encounters and summarizing his thoughts without divulging too many personal details. Despite the careful delivery, his analysis shed light on the situation for Tsunade.
After a moment of silence, Tsunade summarized, "So, you're saying that the Aburame boy possesses a genjutsu ability capable of unknowingly ensnaring numerous ninjas within a designated area. Its limits remain undetermined due to the brief contact, but this genjutsu is so convincing that even your Sharingan can't discern it. However, it doesn't inflict any harm on the victims?"
"Yes," nodded Kakashi, emphasizing, "But I must correct you, Godaime. It's not that the genjutsu is devoid of harm; it simply doesn't cause physical injuries. Instead, it inflicts a more insidious type of danger - mental trauma."
Tsunade studied Kakashi silently, her eyebrows arching in curiosity. "Mental trauma? You mean...?"
Kakashi let out a sigh, pausing momentarily before responding, "It delves into the depths of the victim's darkest memories, manipulating and confusing them. This genjutsu targets the very essence of one's being, the human heart."
"The heart, huh?" Tsunade mused, her thoughts drifting to unpleasant memories. She pressed on, seeking further elucidation. "Can you provide more details?"
"I'd rather not," Kakashi bowed his head, his refusal evident.
Those words conveyed the gravity of the situation to Tsunade. Her frown deepened, and she clenched her fists tightly, her narrowed eyes displaying determination. "It appears that the danger posed by Shino Aburame far surpasses our initial expectations. Initially, due to his retained bonds despite his betrayal, I had only planned to designate him as an A-rank traitor for his theft of confidential Anbu secrets. But with this ability alone..."
Tsunade's gaze turned fierce as she swept her gaze towards Shizune, issuing a commanding order. "Shizune, issue a notice. Raise his bounty and declare Shino Aburame as an S-rank rogue ninja!"
"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune replied firmly, nodding to Kakashi before hastening out to carry out Tsunade's directive.
Kakashi scratched his mask thoughtfully, his gaze drifting to the window. "Then, I'll take my leave, Godaime."
Tsunade nodded, offering a final reminder as she watched Kakashi depart. "If you encounter any problems related to this matter, do not hesitate to come to me. You know my area of expertise."
Kakashi paused briefly, then waved his hand as he continued walking. "I will."
Suddenly, panicked cries from Shizune resounded from outside. Bam! The door swung open forcefully as an orange blur rushed into the room, colliding with Kakashi and tumbling onto the floor. Kakashi looked down blankly at his fallen student. "Naruto, what are you doing here?"
"Kakashi-sensei? No- wait- I don't have time to talk to you- Tsunade-oba-chan! You've made a mistake! Shino can't be- mmmfphh!" Naruto's angry protest was abruptly silenced as Kakashi covered his mouth, his arm wrapping around Naruto's neck.
Raising his hand, Kakashi used his eye to display a smiling face to Tsunade as he spoke, "Godaime, I'll handle Naruto. Please attend to your duties; we won't disturb you further."
With that, Kakashi dragged the struggling Naruto out of the Hokage's office, leaving Tsunade to helplessly rub her forehead and shake her head. "First, with the Uchiha kid, and now… Tch- Had I known, I wouldn't have made a bet on that bug brat. Now, Naruto will be difficult to handle. Only Jiraiya knows how to handle this noisy brat, but he's currently-"
Smack! With a resounding smack, Tsunade's voice was abruptly silenced.
In the cramped darkness of the Overlord, Shino observed the holographic display before him, now void of sound. His gaze shifted to a nearby monitor, where Karina had just pulled up footage of an Anbu removing the sound bug from the outer walls of the Hokage building.
Soon, even the video feed of the Hokage building vanished, its last footage was the sight of a young, audacious ninja brat crushing the bug with his bare hands. Shino shook his head in mild disappointment. "It seems Konoha can be quite efficient when they put their minds to it. We may need to devise new methods for gathering intelligence from Konoha, especially since my foreknowledge of the plot may no longer be reliable."
Seated beside Shino, clinging to his arm, Karina surveyed the scene before her, exhaling softly before speaking. "My dear, it's uncommon for you to go to such extremes. Are you certain your actions aren't a bit drastic this time?"
As Shino cast his eyes upon his meticulously crafted masterpiece, held captive in the air by his adamantine chains, he sneered. "Not even close. This can only be considered a mere appetizer. The way I intend to play in the future will become even more drastic. If there truly is a world consciousness set on targeting me, then I want to ensure that it becomes so busy with repairing the world line due to my disruptive actions that it has no time to deal with me directly."
"In that case, Shino, wouldn't it be more effective to eliminate someone significant, like Hinata?" Karina teased, a mischievous smile playing on her lips as she observed the disoriented Kurenai, hanging upside down, her movements momentarily halted by the weight of their conversation.
Kurenai, awakened from her daze by the mention of Hinata's name and troubled by their discussion, paused her rhythmic motions, trembling slightly as she sought to interject.
As his anger had reached its crescendo, Shino forcefully gripped Kurenai's head, guiding her towards him as he sought to comfort her through his actions and words. "Yes, I originally intended to do so, but at that last moment, my instincts warned me of a lethal danger, as if the gaze of an entity capable of posing a deadly threat to my life was fixated on me. I knew I couldn't continue, so I altered the trajectory at the last moment, resorting to our backup plan. Once I made that decision, I felt the threatening sensation fade away, and even after all the information I divulged regarding the other villains afterwards, that sensation did not return."
Karina clutched her own body, seeking solace and safety within herself, her tone laced with concern as she ventured to ask, "So... it truly exists. But what could it be? The world itself? The Six Path Sage? Or someone akin to an author of a story?"
Shino's response was curt and tinged with uncertainty. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it's evident that this entity won't concern itself with the petty tricks I employ against others, as long as I refrain from eliminating crucial characters."
Pressing onward, Shino continued to drive his point home, revealing his dissatisfaction and a sense of helplessness. "Unless I am strong enough to confront this enemy head-on, I will remain bound by these conditions. However, even within these constraints, there is a lot of room to work with. So, unless I am pushed into a dead end, I don't want to cast caution aside and break the jar because that will be the true end game. But in the meantime..."
A deep, satisfied groan escaped Shino's lips as his eyes gleamed with pleasure, his declaration resounding with a sense of newfound sovereignty.
"I held back before because the knowledge of the future plot was an advantage, but since it is confirmed that I am being targeted regardless whether I forbear or not, then screw the future. If it gets messed up, then so be it. As long as it can please me, I will play all sorts of tricks in order to get the benefits I want. Even without killing important plot characters, I can also let those behind the scene know that I wasn't any pushover, that if they mess with me, I will also cause them trouble!"
Karina's excited gasps reverberated through the confined space, her sultry voice flattering Shino. "Haha... My dear, so manly."
"Don't utter such cringe lines," Shino retorted, finally releasing his hand from Kurenai as he raised one hand to playfully tap Karina's head, a hypocritical gesture that betrayed his enjoyment of the flattery.
His gaze then shifted towards Kurenai, who did her best to contain his fury, soon opening her crimson lips, a sight that pleased Shino enough to reward her with gentle petting, he spoke softly. "You see, if you had agreed to my method of subjecting Asuma to an endless loop where he would witness your death repeatedly, none of this would have been necessary. Alas, I let you handle Asuma, but the results was unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, it's good you're finally willing to learn. So, I will temporarily promote you to handle the relatively easier task of being a cleaner."
As Kurenai stepped foot on solid, fleshy ground once more, she swallowed as a mix of nervousness and excitement filling her before she obediently knelt down, her crimson gaze fixed on Shino. Then, her black hair began to sway gently as she conveyed her 'happiness' over her promotion to him.
Observing this scene and sensing the emergence of a new technique, Shino closed his eyes, delving into deep thought, his voice hoarse as he turned to Karina. "Are we there yet?"
Karina, who leaned against Shino, looked up with a rosy hue on her face. She replied, "Soon. Haha... But if my dear hasn't had enough, I can slow down our flight."
Shino shook his head, one hand running through Kurenai's smooth black hair while the other tested Karina's patience. He declared, "No need. We still have unfinished business. I haven't forgotten the true cause of our current predicament. Therefore, we must prepare a fitting return gift for the snitch, one that ensures he doesn't have the spare time to snitch on us again."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone