Bab 115: Kurama Bloodline
A resounding 'oom' reverberated through the air, an intangible wave erupting from the larvae, distorting the surroundings and rapidly spreading outward. However, its advance was abruptly halted by an invisible barrier.
Unbeknownst to many, four Karina clones had previously erected the Four Flames barrier, ensnaring the larvae within its confines.
Not stopping there, adamantine chains extended from Karina herself, encircling the biosphere like a tightly woven net, forming an additional barrier that thwarted the genjutsu's influence.
Simultaneously, the bugs diligently replenished Karina's chakra, while a holographic display enveloped both Karina and Kurenai, granting them true sight of their increasingly distorted surroundings. It was as if they stood within a vast expanse of creep, an alternate world brimming with biomass - an ideal haven for the Zerg.
Yet, all of this was merely an illusion, a genjutsu instinctively released to deceive the senses.
In reality, the biosphere remained unaltered, and the larvae continued to pulsate until... puff. A hand burst through the eggshell, firmly grasping and tearing it open, revealing a now unclothed Shino emerging from within.
His overall appearance remained largely unchanged, though his hair had undergone a transformation, transitioning from black to a rich, deep brown hue, still with the striking strands of purple intermingling among the mahogany locks.
Gazing down at his exposed form, Shino sighed in mild exasperation. "And I had just purchased a new set of clothes."
With a mere thought, a fresh Aburame outfit materialized around his body, a temporary garb fashioned from biomass. His trusty glasses once again obscured his eyes, completing the familiar look.
Shino then lifted his gaze, sweeping his eyes across the vast expanse of creeping distortion that extended into the unknown. A sense of closeness stirred within his heart, mingled with curiosity.
"My dear?" His attention was drawn to Karina, whose voice quivered with hesitation, her gaze fixed upon Shino.
"Hmm? I'm fine, Karina," Shino assured her, his eyes lingering on the boundless expanse of creep. A glimmer of intrigue danced within his gaze.
"Yes, naturally my dear is fine. After all, Shino is Shino..." Karina murmured, her voice filled with a mixture of relief and concern. "However, according to the plan, that entity should have also been born. Has it not?"
Shino paused, a moment of contemplation passing over him before he nodded, his attention shifting towards the larvae behind him. "It should have."
In the wake of Shino's calm mutter, the two other beauties tensed, their gaze following his fixed stare upon the larvae. Their vision shifted from the bugs' perception of reality to the illusory world of genjutsu, where they beheld the wriggling black sludge within the depths of the larvae, as if it were searching for its own form.
Gradually, the wriggling ceased, giving way to the ascent of the black sludge, taking on a humanoid shape.
Shino observed with keen interest, a tinge of anticipation pulsating in his heart. This process, unlike the others, lay beyond his control – a mystery yet to be unraveled. And it remains to be seen if the resulting demon would submit to his command.
As the humanoid figure gradually materialized, the black sludge shifted and molded, completing its form. Initially, the three onlookers maintained a semblance of composure, their vigilance undiminished.
However, as the demon's form grew more distinct, their expressions transformed, betraying a mix of disbelief and confusion, followed by a strange expression.
In accordance with their initial expectations, the demon's ultimate shape should have mirrored Shino's own, but adorned with an additional demonic features such as elongated horn and fangs. While some mutations due to his zerg factor were foreseeable, it should have remained unmistakably Shino. But now...
Kurenai's perplexed yet intrigued voice cut through the air as her crimson gaze swept over the demon's face - a mahogany wooden visage resembling a demon, with two stark white fangs protruding, and flowing mahogany locks cascading over two long horns, the ends of her hair tinged with a violet hue. "This is... Shino?"
"No… this is…" Wearing a peculiar expression, Karina cast her eyes upon the demon's body, encased in a gloomy grey kimono with violet trims, hanging loosely open to reveal the interior, a violet mesh carapace armor wrapping her petite round chest - a clear testament to the zerg factor's influence.
Soon, her voice escaped her lips, but it was tinged with exasperation and a hint of jealousy over an unrelated matter. "As expected of my dear, even his inner demon has been distorted by his powerful desires."
Shino's lips twitched, his gaze locked onto the final form of his demon. Or rather, his demoness.
Adorned with long, flowing hair - straight on one side and braided on the other, and clad in the revealing attire of a zerg queen's bikini armor that wrapped her slender assets, the demoness stood silently at Shino's side.
Though her stature fell shorter than his, she exuded an air of obedient elegance, akin to a dutiful noble young lady, yet the loose kimono, draped around her form, imbued her presence with the seductive mystique of a geisha captivating her lord.
Amidst the demonic features adorning her face, Shino discerned a glimpse of the pale white skin beneath - a striking contrast that revealed the mask-like nature of her demonic facade, a distinction different from the original Ido. The same held true for her body, where hints of her pale complexion peeked through the attire that enveloped her youthful curves, accentuating her gloomy corpse-like allure.
Engrossed in observation, Shino noticed an uncanny resemblance between her concealed countenance and the original bearer of the Kurama bloodline, Yakumo. Yet, uncertainty gnawed at him.
Determined to uncover the truth, he extended his hand, intending to remove her mask and catch a glimpse of the beauty concealed beneath.
A chill caressed his skin as his hand neared her face, but the demoness stood obediently, devoid of any evasion. His fingers grazed her mask, only to realize that it clung to her face, refusing to yield. It seemed as though the mask were a part of her, emanating an eerie, frigid aura.
Withdrawing his hand, Shino gazed at the 'Yakumo' before him, his thoughts swirling as he murmured, "So... is this Yakumo? Or is this me..."
Then, his eyes sharpened, and a command slipped from his lips, laced with a chilling tone. "Kneel."
At the sound of his command, the motionless demoness finally stirred, tilting her head slightly as she locked her gaze onto Shino. After a brief moment, she obediently sank to one knee, her movements possessing a faint rigidity akin to that of a doll or puppet.
Shino's eyes grew deep as he surveyed the demoness before him. "It appears to possess some level of intelligence, comprehending my orders. Yet, I cannot directly control it, for it seems to exist as a separate entity, detached from my consciousness."
Upon hearing his words, Kurenai's hands flew swiftly, weaving intricate seals, while chains emerged from Karina's back, both prepared to lend support if needed.
Fixing his gaze upon the kneeling demoness, a sly smile curled upon Shino's lips, betraying his intrigue. He turned to Karina and inquired, "Karina, is she connected to our system?"
The biosphere descended into a brief silence as the four individuals stood motionless, their presence enveloped by stillness. After a minute passed, Karina's sigh of relief reverberated through the air before she responded, "Yes, Shino, she exists within the system's scans, and her computational power can be utilized. However, I lack the authority to access it; only you possess that privilege, my dear, as she appears to be a part of you."
Raising an eyebrow, Shino extended his senses, tuning into his connection with the demoness before him. With a mere thought, he activated the system protocol, retrieving the computational units from the demoness.
In that moment, the demoness quivered, her form shuddering before dissolving into black sludge. A surge of power coursed through Shino's being, greatly enhancing his senses, as if they had been bolstered by the source he had tapped into. He felt the ability to split his consciousness, using his newfound spiritual power to generate up to three more clones if he desires.
Karina's timely report resonated within the biosphere, breaking the silence. "After a swift comparison and calculation, the retrieved power grants a total of three computation units! Congratulations, my dear. It seems this upgrade has surpassed our initial expectations, extending beyond the initial estimate. Besides gaining a new genjutsu ability, even your spiritual power has received a significant boost."
Shino's smile widened, his gaze never leaving the pool of wriggling black sludge before him, a clear indication of the lifeform hidden within, yet its life and death was now under his control.
With a single thought, he released his grip on one unit of his computation power, and within moments, the trembling in the black sludge intensified.
After a minute had passed, the demoness slowly emerged from the black sludge once again, her appearance unchanged. However, it was evident that her abilities had weakened due to the lack of spiritual power, evident from her slower respawn time.
Still, Shino couldn't contain his happiness. The fact that he now had control over her was reason enough to celebrate, even if it meant the sealing preparations for the final phase of the plan had gone to waste.
The initial predicted risk was the possibility of an uncontrollable dark version of himself emerging, but now, Shino had no concerns of betrayal. Instead, he had gained a formidable bloodline limit, granting him control over the very essence of life and death… well, assuming the bloodline is as powerful as depicted in the anime.
Extending his hand, Shino gently ran his fingers through the demoness's soft brown hair. She responded by rubbing her mask against his hand, akin to a loyal pet, eliciting a warm smile from Shino. He spoke in a soft voice, "From now on, you shall be my Yakumo."
Observing this exchange, Kurenai's face betrayed a mix of complex emotions. Her red eyes shifted from the Yakumo demoness to the slumbering form of Yakumo, tucked away in a corner of the biosphere.
On the other hand, Karina pouted and muttered under her breath, "Tsk, another thieving cat."
Hearing her remark, Shino chuckled and, with a sweep of his hand, he turned and appeared besides Karina. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into a comforting embrace.
And as his mahogany hair transformed back to its original black hue, the creep-infested world surrounding them gradually faded away, taking the demoness Yakumo along with it.
Karina's gaze remained fixed on Shino, scanning him as her mind processed the information.
After a brief pause, she began to relay her findings. "The upgrade did not result in any physical enhancements for my dear, but the new Kurama bloodline has granted a passive upgrade in the form of an additional three units of computation power and a fundamental talent in genjutsu. Furthermore, when the bloodline is active, it magnifies the genjutsu talent, allowing my dear to ensnare all those nearby in a realistic and lethal genjutsu, or as my dear would call it, a genjutsu domain. Within this domain, my dear can summon the little demoness, whose capabilities are yet to be determined."
Kurenai's eyes flickered with a hint of worry upon hearing this. Her concern wasn't directed towards Shino himself, but rather towards the potential implications for Konoha.
However, she quickly shook her head, realizing that mere thoughts would accomplish nothing. All she could do was hope that Konoha would not become Shino's enemy in the future, or that she could somehow convince him otherwise when the time comes.
Her gaze then shifted towards the unconscious figure of Yakumo, a trace of worry still lingering in her eyes. She posed a question, her voice laced with a tinge of hope, "Will she ever wake up?"
Karina turned her attention towards Yakumo as well, a playful smile gracing her lips. "It is uncertain how long her recovery will take, if she recovers at all." Her tone grew mischievous as she responded, And even if her spirit does recover, there is no guarantee that she will awaken. Perhaps she will grow old and pass away before regaining consciousness, unless..."
"Unless?" Kurenai inquired, a glimmer of worry and anticipation in her voice. Shino also directed his gaze towards Karina, intrigued by her words.
Karina's voice grew mysterious as she continued, "Unless she receives some stimulation and a special spiritual recovery medicine. This particular injection is typically used for a different purpose and is usually preserved in our special biotank until needed in larger quantities…"
"However, what you don't know is that when administered in fresh and limited amounts, it can also serve as a spiritual and vitality recovery medicine instead of its original intended use." She licked her lips seductively, maintaining an air of mystery. "Kurenai, I'm sure you understand the implications, but will you agree?"
As he heard this, Shino's brows twitched imperceptibly. What nonsense is Karina making up now?
A prolonged silence hung in the air as Kurenai's eyes hardened, indicating that she had made a decision. She locked her resolute gaze on Shino, her face composed but her voice betraying her anxiousness. "Please, Shino. Help her awaken."
Oh, no. Someone believed the nonsense.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone