Chapitre 138: Cruel Fate
In the lab, Kurenai's piercing crimson gaze moved across the screens, each one displaying the team of Karina clones meticulously performing surgeries on the villagers delivered by the spiders. The process resembled an assembly line as explosive zergs were implanted into the unsuspecting victims.
A subtle tremor passed through Kurenai's eyes as she voiced her concern, "Are you absolutely certain this method can truly control them?"
Seated nearby, Karina had her eyes closed, seemingly unaffected by any remorse. Her response was calm and calculated, devoid of hesitation. "Shino made it clear that we cannot resort to massacring the villages near our base. So, this is the optimal method left to us."
Kurenai's expression remained impassive as she offered a cautionary warning, "But we must not underestimate the means of ninjas or the complexity of the human heart. Isn't this approach too risky?"
Karina slowly opened her eyes, a sly smile dancing upon her lips as she met Kurenai's gaze. "There will always be risks in every endeavor. However, I have already arranged gruesome punishments to deter any potential resistance and reduce the risk. And if there are still problems even then…"
Karina's tongue slid seductively across her lips, her eyes filled with a twisted longing as her voice took on a tone laced with a touch of madness. "Then, we just need to turn them all into biomass."
Kurenai felt a chill course through her heart as she stared at Karina. It was in this moment that she realized the woman who willingly submitted to Shino's every whim, like an infatuated girl, harbored a dangerous and deranged side within her. Was this the path she too would eventually tread?
Sensing Kurenai's internal turmoil, Karina's eyes flickered briefly before her demeanor returned to normal. Her hand reached out to caress Kurenai's face, offering a soothing reassurance. "Fear not. No matter how crazy we may become in the future, we will forever remain Shino's obedient toys. Our existence revolves around pleasing him and ensuring his well-being. But if anything were to happen to Shino one day..."
Karina's features twisted, her voice chilling as it echoed through the lab. "A world without my dear has no reason to exist. Don't you agree, my sister?"
As Kurenai absorbed Karina's words, a tempestuous emotion churned within her. Her primal instinct resonated with the dark sentiment, whispering her agreement. "Yes. Such a world deserves to perish."
Startled by her own proclamation, Kurenai felt a shock ripple through her being. Yet, instead of disgust, she found an odd sense of acceptance. The thought, which contradicted her original conscience, now felt strangely natural.
"Good." A gentle smile graced Karina's face as she closed her eyes once more. "I will tie up the loose ends here, selecting sacrifices to serve as examples for the rest. While I do this, you can assist in the clean-up. Shino must be nearly finished by now."
With a silent nod, Kurenai rose from her seat, bidding farewell to the lab and making her way towards the prison compound.
As she stepped into the dimly lit prison and approached Yakumo's cell, a strange sensation enveloped her. The confines of the nearby cells seemed to shift and warp, transforming into a bustling Japanese restaurant.
Her crimson gaze flickered, taking in the intricate details of the illusory domain.
Unlike Shino's previous domain, the coverage now was only a small pocket around the cell in reality, but it had expanded into a vast dining establishment for those ensnared within its grasp.
The manifestation of the powerful genjutsu that Shino plundered from Yakumo was evident, showcasing the mastery he had achieved in manipulating and controlling it.
Knowing full well that size doesn't mean everything, they had devised methods to adapt the domain's coverage, ensuring efficiency in combat situations of smaller scale. It would be too wasteful to employ a large domain to trap a single enemy as it would be like nuking one champion with a field of hundreds of Teemo shrooms.
So, their focus now lay in refining the domain's power, compressing it to its limits in an attempt to grow the interior illusory world, and altering its shape to extend the domain's reach in reality.
Through the optimized plans, Shino tirelessly practiced, honing his skills to achieve the ultimate goal, a domain that could extend like a strip, covering long distances within a confined area, allowing Shino's domain to capture enemies hiding far away and pull them into a vast illusory world.
Truly, the power this bloodline limit granted was already formidable in Yakumo's hands, but in Shino's possession, it transformed into something far more dangerous… in many senses.
And now, Shino was training his ability to compress the domain.
With her keen genjutsu mastery and her zerg connection with Shino, Kurenai sensed his presence and approached the room.
As she arrived, the sound of repetitive noises and gasps drifted from within, causing a blush to creep onto her face. However, she maintained her composure as she slid open the Japanese shoji door, casting her crimson gaze upon the scene before her. With measured steps, she entered the room and quietly closed the door behind her.
Approaching the table, Kurenai's eyes swept over the masked Yakumo, who was sprawled against the wall nearby. She then directed her gaze downwards, locking eyes with the real Yakumo, a silent greeting passing between them. Yakumo's voice quivered as she spoke, addressing her teacher, "Kurenai sensei… uh… no… don't look… uh..."
Silently, Kurenai settled herself into a graceful posture, folding her legs neatly beneath her. Her hand reached out, gently grasping Yakumo's hand, offering a wordless reassurance through her firm grip.
Observing the scene, Shino's glasses seemed to glimmer as he quickened his pace, determined to complete the meal he had prepared.
"No… uh… not in front of… Ku-Kurenai sensei… uh..."
Soon, with a low groan, he fed a portion of the meal to Yakumo before stepping back, allowing the remainder to settle on the tablecloth before him.
"Ahh… in front of Kurenai sensei…"
After admiring the sight momentarily, Shino turned his attention towards Kurenai, moving closer to her. "So, Karina sent you to clean the dishes?" he quipped.
Kurenai looked up at him, nodding softly as she continued to comfort Yakumo with soothing gestures. "Let me handle the rest," she assured her.
Kurenai then slipped her hands out from Yakumo's firm grasp, letting Yakumo's hand hang limply as she shifted her body slightly, turning to the side. Shino's gaze remained fixed on Kurenai's red eyes as she parted her seductive red lips to report on the operation. Her tongue trailed from bottom to top before delving into the intricate details of the critical point of the mission.
As he listened to his teacher's beautiful voice reporting to him, Shino's eyes briefly wandered to Yakumo, who stared at her teacher with a dazed expression. It was a sight that motivated him to delve deeper into the matter, uncovering the hidden details of the operation that Karina had already meticulously documented in the system database.
Soon, Shino grasped the full extent of their accomplishment. While his command was to take care of Hacho village, Karina had gone beyond expectations, completing an additional long-term mission that was already logged in his to-do list. Tonika village was now also completely under their control.
Of course, this achievement came at a cost. A significant number of their loyal spider clan members had been sacrificed, and unlike the resilient zergs, the population of these insects would require some time to recover.
But it was a sacrifice deemed worthwhile. Karina had seized control of the village, already devising strategies to access the tower, all while meticulously adhering to Shino's directive of avoiding a massacre that would draw external attention.
And what she had accomplished now was not a mindless massacre, but a calculated form of deadly control.
Each villager's life was intricately bound to the others, forcing them to comply to their demands... until their dying breath. Though the villagers were still able to go about their normal daily lives, they now bore the heavy weight as accomplices who must assist in preserving their secret. Any breach would result in the punishment of the entire village.
And Karina, ever prepared, had arranged a gruesome feast, complete with a bloody red balloon popping event, to educate these innocent villagers on the dire consequences of disobedience.
"Hmm. I wonder if there are any foolish enough to drag everyone down with them. But it matters not. At most, it would be an interesting pass-time show," Shino mused, his words devoid of sympathy or remorse.
Despite his human origins, Shino understood that he had transformed into something entirely different. He was now a zerg. In the vast cosmos, where the rule of the jungle and the dark forest theory prevailed, all those who were not the same race were enemies.
Even beings of the same kind could become enemies in the face of interests. Plundering was the universal theme, and weakness was a sin.
Even the Naruto world was not exempt from this reality, having been targeted by the Otsusuki, a cosmic clan that cultivated trees to harvest worlds. However, this world was fortunate enough to have encountered someone like Kaguya, whose brain twitch led to the birth of her sons and her own sealing away by the very same sons.
While this was a rare case, it showed that not all cosmic clans were inherently malevolent.
But for the Zergs, who were born to be plunderers, all beings, even other Zergs if they existed, would inevitably turn against them and become enemies. Zergs could universally be labeled as a calamity.
Therefore, as a Zerg, Shino had no time to concern himself with treating humans kindly.
After all, his future would be bleak if he doesn't use all possible unscrupulous means to grow. He might not even make it to the ruthless cosmic stage if he worries about every tidbit.
So, Karina's approach fully aligned with his own tastes.
Of course, this didn't mean he would recklessly exterminate all humans. Humans were still valuable resources in his eyes. There were still countless geniuses... and beauties that he could assimilate to bolster the power of his own Hive.
And to achieve this goal, his own power had to grow accordingly, especially now that he had embraced his role as a full-time villain.
"Obtaining this ancient super weapon is just one of many steps. Its usability remains uncertain, but I won't be foolish enough to utilize it until I understand the consequences. After all, there are too many examples in stories regarding villains who capsized their own ship due to recklessly employing weapons without understanding the backlash of its usage," Shino contemplated as he stared at the sparse data of the tower that Karina had acquired from the mind of the Tonika village chief.
"The purpose of the tower is unclear, but it is evident that it is not of this world. Its true function remains unknown. It may even secretly serve as a beacon for an alien civilization. Although I crave strength, caution will always be my creed unless circumstances force my hand. Ohh..."
Shino cast a brief glance down at Kurenai, who diligently completed her report. "And of course, some crooked thoughts can sometimes get in the way, but it is also a welcome distraction."
After all, he acknowledged the importance of certain habits in maintaining his emotions.
Without such habits, he risked becoming an emotionless overlord consumed solely by the desire to devour the universe, potentially losing himself in the process and forsaking the valuable memories of his previous life - memories that could help him avoid predictable, cliche death flags.
As Kurenai savored the final morsel of the dessert he had prepared, Shino praised her, his fingers gently brushing against her alluring red lips. "Good job, Kurenai sensei," he commended, entrusting her with the ongoing tasks at hand, "I'll leave it to you here."
With a swift turn, the bright and vibrant restaurant gradually faded away, replaced by the somber atmosphere of a dimly lit and well-furnished prison cell. The figure of the masked Yakumo, once leaning against the wall, vanished as Shino departed.
But, Yakumo lay sprawled on the cold table, only finding solace in Kurenai's comforting embrace. Her gaze remained fixated on her teacher, her voice laden with exhaustion as she inquired, "Kurenai sensei, how much longer must I continue doing this?"
Kurenai hesitated for a moment, her red lips quivering slightly as she brought the spilled remnants of the meal towards Yakumo's lips. With a touch of bitterness in her voice, she assured, "Sensei would never harm you, Yakumo. Sensei can do it, so can you. Eat more, don't let it go to waste. It's good for you."
A sensation of helplessness coursed through Yakumo, her body trembling slightly as a solitary tear trailed down her cheek. In silence, she obediently lapped up the leftovers.
Strolling in the corridor outside, Shino's eyes were fixed on the captivating broadcast, purposefully displayed by Karina. A chuckle escaped his lips as he sensed his recovery thanks to Karina's assistance. "Damn Karina, you can't even let it rest for a moment, can you?" he mused aloud. "But perhaps after everything is over. The next event... I must participate to ensure nothing goes awry."
After all, up next will be the White Zetsu Crush event.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone