Konoha—the homeland of the Aburame clan.
Aburame Shiki waited quietly within the clan compound.
For him, the coming ceremony would determine the beginning of his entire long-term plan.If he succeeded, the path ahead would open smoothly. His growth would snowball, his power rising rapidly. Becoming a jōnin would be almost guaranteed.
Before the Fourth Ninja War, when combat power had yet to skyrocket across the world, a jōnin still held immense value—essential support pillars of the five great villages, high-tier combatants, and political influencers. Every Hokage candidate needed the approval of the jōnin council. Their status alone showed that they were among the rulers of the village.
Unless they committed severe crimes, jōnin were rarely removed. At worst, they would be pushed out of the inner circle and reassigned to dangerous border regions—left to survive or perish on their own.
A different kind of punishment, but never an official one.
If Shiki failed, he still believed he could succeed eventually, but the early stages would become messy and difficult. Many parts of his plan would need to be rethought from scratch.
Soon, Aburame Shiwei returned, and beside him walked Aburame Shihei, the current host of the Phosphorus Insects.
Their families had been acquainted for years. The Aburame clan wasn't large—far from it—and nearly everyone was related in some way.
"It's still not too late to give up," Aburame Shihei warned sternly. "Once the Phosphorus Insect ritual begins, it cannot be stopped. If you fail, the consequences will be severe."
He truly did not want Shiki to accept the Phosphorus Insect ritual.
Even if one succeeded, the cost was high.You couldn't attend the ninja academy.You couldn't play freely with friends.You had to maintain distance from ordinary people at all times.
Isolation. Loneliness. A life apart from others.
"When I first saw the Phosphorus Insect," Shiki said calmly, "I felt drawn to it—like it was the only one meant for me. I'm willing to devote my entire life to raising it."
He no longer flinched when speaking such dramatic words. Compared to the lengths he was willing to go for power, flowery declarations were nothing.
"Let's begin," Aburame Shiwei said with a nod. "I'll be watching. If anything goes wrong, I'll stop the ritual immediately."
Aburame Shihei removed his gloves. A deep violet hue crept across his palms, staining them until they looked almost unnatural.
"Be cautious," Shihei warned. "These Phosphorus Insects have just split. I haven't fed them yet, so they aren't under my control."
He tapped his purple-covered fingertip against Shiki's forearm.
A spreading violet stain pulsed outward from the point of contact—then halted.
At that precise moment, Shiki released the power of the Original Gu, allowing it to assimilate the Phosphorus Insect the instant it touched him. Even with his limited chakra reserves, the Original Gu was more than enough.
Shiwei nearly intervened the moment the purple began spreading, prepared to cut the transformation short—but when the discoloration abruptly stopped, he let out a long breath of relief.
It had worked.
The Phosphorus Ritual was notoriously risky. Parasite bonding took half an hour on average. Phosphorus Insects—shorter-lived, fiercer, and more aggressive—usually turned violent long before that.
Before the host even had a chance to adapt, it was often too late.
But now the purple stain receded, fading completely as the Phosphorus Insect sank into Shiki's body.
Moments later, Shiki nodded.
"Master Shiwei, Uncle Shihei… the ritual succeeded."
His expression was calm, but inside, a thrill surged through him.With both the parasitic insects and the Phosphorus Insect, he now had the power to execute his plans.
"The Phosphorus Insects are incredibly powerful—but equally dangerous," Shiwei said, putting away the kunai he had prepared as a contingency. "I originally intended to send you to the academy, but now… that won't be possible. You'll have to train within the clan."
If Shiki had failed, Shihei would have gathered the berserk insects, and Shiwei would have severed any tissues infected with purple. A brutal but effective emergency measure.
"But I still have my parasitic insects," Shiki said, raising his hands.
A cluster of parasitic insects appeared on his left palm—while his right hand turned completely purple.
"How… how is that possible?!" Aburame Shihei exclaimed.
As a Phosphorus host himself, he knew better than anyone how aggressive the insects were.Shiki being able to withstand them was one thing.But allowing them to coexist with parasitic insects?
Impossible.
The Phosphorus Insect should have devoured the weaker parasites instantly.
Shiwei was stunned. "Shihei—contact Shiki's parasites with your Phosphorus Insects."
Shihei bit his lip, then reached out, touching a few of Shiki's parasites.
The result was immediate: every parasite he touched fell to the ground, dyed purple and lifeless.
"It's not Shiki's parasites that are unusual," Shiwei concluded. "It's Shiki himself."
He turned to Shiki. "To what extent can you control the Phosphorus Insects?"
Shiki pressed his palms together, as if performing a dramatic hand sign.The parasitic insects on his left hand flew to him—only to turn purple within seconds, completely assimilated.
They gathered into a pulsing sphere of violet insects between his clasped hands.
Shiwei and Shihei stared, speechless.
Both were experts—one the next clan head, the other the Phosphorus host. They understood exactly what this meant.
This was a qualitative transformation in parasite destructive power.
No enemy could afford to be touched.
Even Obito Uchiha, in the original timeline, had to abandon his White Zetsu arm after a single encounter with Phosphorus Insects.
And Shiki was fusing that power into his parasites.
If not for Shiki's current chakra limitations, he would already possess the combat ability of a special jōnin.
"Shiki… your control over insects is beyond anything in our clan's history," Shiwei murmured.
If Shiki could command Phosphorus Insects not to attack parasites, then he could command them not to attack anything—even upon direct contact.
That level of control was unprecedented.
"Let's test their power."
Shiwei released a swarm of standard parasitic insects toward Shiki.
The violet-coated parasitic insects rose from Shiki's hand, surging forward to intercept.
The two swarms collided.
In an instant, Shiwei's insects were dyed purple and fell motionless to the ground.
The battle was over before it began.
Shiki's violet parasites achieved absolute dominance.
Shiwei expected this outcome, but seeing it firsthand still shook him.
"Given Shiki's abilities, this is the best possible result," Shihei said after a long silence.
He exhaled. "Tomorrow, Shiwei and I will personally guide your training and ninjutsu. Rest for today."
Shihei nodded in agreement.
Aburame Shiki's potential had earned him the clan's full support.