章節 118: Kaima Capture Begins
As fate would have it, their time spent idling in the village to accommodate the protagonist's role in triggering the plot with the female supporting character had resulted in a missed opportunity. They had arrived too late to secure a boatman, for none were willing to venture out past early evening due to the recent sea demon incidents.
Consequently, Shino and Ino found themselves left with no choice but to embark on their own adventure, obtaining a boat to paddle across the darkening waters.
The evening wore on, and as the moon rose, they patiently waited for Naruto, who had disappeared in pursuit of the damsel in distress, and Anko, who seemingly found solace in indulging in dango at a local shop.
Anko's behavior was hardly surprising. There was no way she would spend the entire day recalling her missing memories about her past with her teacher. Naturally, her true calling lay in gathering valuable intelligence... at the dango shop.
So there they were, Shino and Ino, left alone in the fading light - a setting that could easily be mistaken for a romantic date. However, the original Shino was known for his stoicism, rarely taking any effective actions during missions, even with Anko's assistance in pairing the two.
But the transmigrated Shino was different. Equipped with the knowledge gathered by months of monitoring, he skillfully played his part. Treating the mission as if it were a dating sim, he carefully selected optimized dialogue choices to win Ino's favor.
Yet, even as Shino engaged in conversation, he didn't waste a moment. Behind the scenes, secret preparations were underway. His zergs and bugs had infiltrated the research base, discreetly gathering valuable data and arranging ambushes to facilitate his future actions.
Water-oriented bugs had been deployed, their presence disseminated in the nearby ocean, while the bugs within Shino's own body were replaced with those optimized for ocean combat and travel.
"Oh, Shino, I never knew you were so talkative and funny," Ino remarked, her voice filled with genuine surprise and amusement. "Unlike those other boys, one after another, causing more trouble than they're worth. And seriously, where did he go – that Naruto!? And Sensei too!"
Ino's words, a mixture of compliments and complaints, resonated beside Shino as they waited patiently at the docks.
Night had fallen, casting a blanket of darkness over the surrounding waters. Shino had made significant strides in bonding with Ino, but he knew he couldn't rush the process. There were still more events to come, opportunities to deepen their connection throughout the mission...
As Naruto and Anko finally arrived, the group boarded their small wooden boat, with Naruto eagerly volunteering to take up the task of paddling, probably to serve as an apology for his prolonged absence.
As the boat glided across the water, Shino's gaze shifted towards a distant rooftop, where two silhouettes observed them from afar. They were Kabuto's former teammates from the Chunin exams, the Hidden Sound spies - one who had suffered defeat at the hands of the plagiarizer and the other who lost to an opponent, who had been smashed by Shino himself... twice.
Though they held no particular significance, Shino was still interested... in their dead bodies. So, Shino didn't make an effort to alter the course of events.
Soon, the beautiful, serene night sea extended in every direction. Sailing on the dark ocean was inherently risky, but at least their boat wasn't named the Titanic.
Still, it didn't spare them from the assault by Yoroi and Misumi, the Hidden Sound duo.
Misumi's elastic arms emerged from the depths, latching onto the oar and effectively immobilizing the boat, while Yoroi conjured a swirling vortex, intending to engulf them.
In a display of low IQ, Naruto mistakenly believed they had hit a rock, while Anko instructed the group to steer the boat away from the whirlpool... despite knowing the boat was trapped. It was clear their situation was dire.
Unlike in the original scenario, Shino refrained from rushing to Naruto's aid. He knew it would be futile, especially since his clone possessed considerably less strength than his main body.
Instead, his focus shifted to Ino, his vision scanning the holographic displays as his underwater radars detected the indistinct outlines of their hidden enemies in the ocean depths.
Observing Shino's inaction, Ino grew puzzled, but she still rose to her feet, offering her assistance. It was at that very moment that Shino sensed a disturbance in the water currents below - an unmistakable sign of an impending ambush!
Swish! A long arm shot forth from the depths, wrapping around Ino like a tentacle, clearly favoring her over Shino in its choice of target.
Yet Shino was prepared. With a firm grip on Ino's arm, he allowed himself to be pulled along. Ino screamed as she was hoisted into the air, while Shino maintained a calm gaze as they were drawn into the treacherous ocean.
The force of the currents buffeted against Shino's transformed body, with his water-resistant bugs forming a protective layer to shield his non-water-oriented bugs from harm.
Breathing was a non-issue for Shino's clone, as it did not require air because he had bugs that could produce air. Thus, the rapid descent into the depths presented no obstacle.
Sadly, Ino was not as fortunate. Her mouth opened in shock, unwittingly ingesting water as her eyes remained fixed on Shino. Desperate for air, she tightly clung to his wrist, an instinctive action of a drowning person.
However, the enemy had no intention of drowning them. Their goal was to render them unconscious by slamming them against the jagged rocks on the ocean floor.
As the arm forcefully drove them downward, Shino strongly pulled Ino into his embrace, allowing his own body to absorb the impact.
Naturally, he did not lose consciousness. Even if his head had been crushed, he would not succumb to unconsciousness, let alone a mere bump.
Realizing its failure, the arm released its grip. It seemed to possess an uncanny ability to discern its favored opponents, intentionally ignoring Shino.
Meanwhile, in Shino's protective embrace, Ino gazed at him with concern, her eyes widening as she struggled to catch her breath. Suddenly, she saw Shino's face draw nearer, and a soft sensation locked her lips, her eyes widening in shock after realizing their situation.
But, her initial shock soon gave way to relaxation as her eyes fluttered closed, her mouth responding, greedily devouring the precious air provided by Shino.
With a soft puff, two heads emerged from the surface of the ocean. Shino clambered out, finding his footing on the water's surface, controlling his chakra to let him stand firmly upon the ocean surface.
Then, Shino extended a hand towards Ino, who hesitated for a moment as her gaze lingered on his face, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. Eventually, she reached out and grasped his hand, allowing him to pull her up.
"That... Shino... that was..." Ino's voice faltered as she attempted to address the situation, her face still flushed with embarrassment.
Shino met her gaze calmly and spoke in a composed tone, "It was urgent. Saving you was my top priority."
"You! How could you- ah moe!" Ino shot him a glare, clearly dissatisfied with his response. However, when her eyes shifted to the ongoing battle, her concern overshadowed any lingering embarrassment from their exchange.
On the other hand, Shino displayed no discernible emotional fluctuations. To him, it was merely a kiss - neither his first nor his main body. If Ino were to discover that she had been kissing a swarm of bugs, she would certainly not harbor any special feelings.
Oh, but she would never know, not until it was too late. Heh.
Surveying the scene, Shino observed Naruto engaging in playful antics with two small toads instead of summoning his shadow clones as distractions.
Meanwhile, Anko showcased her formidable prowess worthy of a jonin, accentuating her ample assets as she unleashed the Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique, unleashing a wide-range stream of fire that cooked the ocean's surface and incinerated a water clone.
But then, Anko was caught off guard from behind by Misumi, only to be swiftly kicked from behind by Naruto, who was subsequently dragged underwater from beneath by Yoroi.
Shino could have intervened, continuing the ambush chain and launching a surprise attack on Yoroi from behind with his bugs, but he refrained. After all, the next chapter of the unfolding narrative was the love story scripted for Naruto.
And so, the unconscious form of Naruto drifted in a whirlpool spawned by the enemy, a deliberate method to delay their investigation, transforming the protagonist into Naruto of the Whirlpool.
In truth, the original Shino could have rescued Naruto with his bugs, even while carrying Ino. However, he chose not to.
Now, the transmigrated Shino still took no actions. Not only that, he even restrained Ino when she attempted to employ the Mind Destruction Jutsu against their foes. After all, the ones standing in plain sight were mere clones; the true adversaries lurked hidden beneath the water's surface.
Anko made no move to save Naruto either. As a Jonin, she possessed the strength to shield Ino from an explosion, yet she appeared apprehensive about rescuing Naruto from a whirlpool that hadn't even drawn Naruto's blood.
Such glaring loopholes, a characteristic of fillers.
And thus, Naruto drifted unconscious at the ocean's depths, his head lightly tapping against a rock, jolting him awake. In his hazy state, he vaguely savored the memory of his kiss with Isaribi, the diver girl they had encountered earlier in the village.
As Shino watched the unfolding events from his hidden base, a sense of excitement stirred within him. He commanded Karina, his queen performing cleaning duties, "Karina, make sure to record all of this. Ensure that it is captured in high definition. It will serve as perfect blackmail material in the future."
[As you wish, Shino-sama,] Karina responded dutifully.
A chuckle escaped Shino's lips as he affectionately petted Karina's head. Her face puffed with jealousy due to his interactions with Ino. "Good girl," he remarked, seeking to reassure her. "Don't be jealous. I have no interest in her young self. There's still plenty of time before I bring her in."
With a soft pop, Karina lifted her head, her tongue gliding over her lips to remove any lingering residue. She retorted, "But she will be brought in eventually. Humph. Shino-sama's greed and lust are insatiable."
Drawing Karina closer, Shino enveloped her in his embrace. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he whispered into her ear, "I know I can be bad, but no matter how bad I become, you will always be my queen."
The tickling sensation of his breath against her ear caused a faint blush to grace Karina's cheeks. She relaxed, leaning against Shino's chest, her voice reflecting a mixture of helplessness and exasperation as she replied, "It's unfair when my dear speaks like this. It's unfair!"
Shino lingered over Karina's lips for a moment, his voice coaxing, "So, my queen, will you forgive me?"
Filled with affection, Karina gazed into Shino's eyes, closing her own as she accepted his embrace. "Hmm."
As the two lovers bonded in their secret base, within the walls of a small, dilapidated wooden house, Naruto also experienced the protagonist's special treatment.
Like an immortal fallen from grace in a cliche Chinese novel, Naruto was taken in by a village girl who tended to his injuries with meticulous care. Soon, he regained consciousness, nurtured and fed by the village girl and drawn into her tragic backstory, which bore striking similarities to his own.
From rescuing the village girl to sharing a kiss to their similar backstories, they embodied the essence of a cliche couple.
Unfortunately for Naruto, his true love was the one who had stolen his first kiss. Despite all that the village girl had done for him, he could only give Isaribi the good person card.
And thus, their brief romance ended before it could truly blossom. It was the end. The end of this story.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票