บท 73: Chapter 73: The Fourth Great Sacred Land

Shino Aburame returned home.

Standing in the courtyard, he took out the mutated insect. Although his brother, Shinho, had shocked everyone with his performance today, Shino knew he couldn't replicate it. The Aburame clan had their own way of doing things. Raising insects was their true calling.

He channeled all his chakra into his hand, guiding it toward the insect. The insect eagerly absorbed the chakra, its body slowly growing larger.

Shino exhaled. After days of nurturing, the insect had finally grown to a normal size. He now understood why the process had been so slow: the amount and quality of chakra required.

His brother, Shinho Aburame, far surpassed him in both aspects. But this only highlighted the strength of the mutated insect. Shino's chakra was sufficient to feed regular insect without issue, but not this one.

"Shino, when did you get back?" his father, Shibi Aburame, asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Just a little while ago," Shino replied as usual.

"This insect... it looks different," Shibi said, narrowing his eyes as he stepped closer for a better look.

"My brother gave it to me," Shino replied, realizing his father didn't have such an insect. It seemed his brother was looking out for him more than he thought.

"I see," Shibi said, his expression softening in realization. Having already encountered the Moonlit Gu and White Boar Gu, he was no longer surprised by such mutations.

"Make sure to take good care of it," Shibi said with a smile. "So, how did your practical class go today?"

"My brother took first place," Shino replied, ceasing his chakra input. He had used nearly all of it, leaving only a small reserve. If he continued, it would start to strain his body.

"That's no surprise," Shibi said proudly. "With those mutated insects of his, he definitely has the strength."

The honor of restoring the Aburame clan's glory truly rested on Shinho's shoulders.

"He didn't use any insect," Shino added after a brief pause. "He defeated Neji Hyūga with just one punch using super strength."

"...What?" Shibi stood there, stunned.

The Aburame clan had made a name for themselves, but not in the way he had imagined.

"Well then," Shibi said, his mouth slightly agape. "I'll be expecting you at dinner later."

After his father left, Shino prepared to put away the mutated isect. But suddenly, his eyes widened.

There was a faint but unfamiliar energy slowly being absorbed by the insect.

What is this?

Shino was certain it wasn't chakra. This energy was far more violent, albeit in tiny quantities, but its quality was overwhelming.

"I'll ask my brother about it tomorrow," Shino thought, suppressing his excitement.

At the Senju Residence.

Shinho Aburame opened the door and found Shizune in her nurse's uniform standing there. He glanced at her briefly, thinking it was a pity she wasn't wearing white stockings. Then again, that wasn't normal attire—he'd only ever seen nurses in white stockings in certain... films.

"Shizune-nee," Shinho greeted as he closed the door behind him, "Did you just come from Konoha Hospital?"

"How did you know?" Shizune asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"You're still in uniform," Shinho replied offhandedly.

"Ah, I see," Shizune said, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Since I'm here, how about I give you a check-up? Just to be sure you're in good health?"

Before Shinho could respond, Shizune had already moved closer, bringing with her the faint scent of medicine. Her expression reminded him of a mischievous Anya, equal parts devious and cute, with a hint of trouble.

"I'm fine. I'm not sick," Shinho said, shaking his head.

"Oh, come on," Shizune insisted, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Kids are prone to all sorts of issues. Just today, I treated someone with a broken bone."

"Hyūga Neji?" Shinho asked, momentarily caught off guard.

"How did you know?" Shizune paused, then realized, "Ah, you were the one who injured him, weren't you? No wonder the injuries looked familiar—it was from your super strength."

"It was during the practical class," Shinho said calmly. "I didn't even use much strength."

"..."

Shizune fell silent. If you had used a bit more strength, not even Lady Tsunade could have saved him—she'd have just thrown in the towel.

"I'll go make dinner," Shizune said, taking the chance to pinch Shinho's cheek before heading to the kitchen.

Shinho couldn't help but smirk. Three lines of conversations and she had managed to take advantage of him twice.

The next day, Saturday.

Once again, Shinho was unable to sleep in, thanks to Shizune waking him up early.

"Good morning," Shinho greeted, noting her kimono-style sleepwear.

"Your little brother's here," Shizune said with a cheerful smile.

"Shino?" Shinho responded, catching on.

"Yep, he's waiting in the living room," Shizune confirmed.

"Got it, thanks, Shizune-nee," Shinho said as he returned to his room to grab his jacket before heading to the living room.

"Brother," Shino said as he held out his hand, revealing the mutated insect, "Look at this."

"Not bad," Shinho said as he examined the insect closely.

"Take a closer look," Shino urged, cutting off his chakra input.

After a few moments, driven by hunger, the insect began automatically absorbing the surrounding energy.

Shinho's eyebrow raised in surprise. It was absorbing natural energy.

"Put it away," Shinho said, his mind deep in thought.

This mutated insect was a product of the two other mutated gu that had been soaked in primeval essence. primeval essence, after being modified by the system, was a weakened version of Sage Mode chakra, containing natural energy.

The fact that this insect could absorb natural energy was no surprise—it was logical. And it was a very good thing.

The three great summoning realms—Shikkotsu Forest, Ryūchi Cave, and Mount Myōboku—were formed because of the respective toad, snake, and slug sages who could absorb and utilize natural energy.

Now, if the insect could do the same, perhaps a fourth great sacred land would one day emerge—one for the insect tribe.

"Do you know what natural energy is?" Shinho asked, noticing Shino's expectant and curious gaze.

"I don't," Shino admitted, shaking his head.

Just as I thought, Shinho mused.

Currently, the inheritors of the three sacred lands were few and far between: Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade. And of them, only Jiraiya had barely managed to learn a flawed version of Sage Mode.

Shinho took a moment to explain the basics of natural energy.

Shino's eyes lit up with excitement. The mere fact that natural energy was more powerful than chakra was enough to fill him with enthusiasm. Though he might not know how to wield it himself, he could let his insect handle that part. If anything went wrong, he'd just replace the insect.

"Alright, I'm heading back to train!" Shino said, grinning like a child with newfound power.

Shinho nodded.

While natural energy wasn't a big deal for him personally, it was a massive opportunity for the Aburame clan. If they could develop a new Sage Mode from their insects, it could lead to unprecedented advancements.

He thought of Tsunade. She likely had records of Shikkotsu Forest that might offer valuable insights for his clan.

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[tl/n: there should be one more sacred land, where the salamander of hanzo; the demigod came from, hence the title...[the previous title was 5th great scared land] at least I thought that way, guess I was wrong.

But how could the 3 sennin lose to hanzo the salamander, if the salamander couldn't be compared with the other 3 sacred lands?! they fought 3-1 dammnit]