Souma wasn't worried about Tsukigiri Kazusa.
The Moonlight Clan's sword techniques were their ancestral treasure, and on top of that, they had the Second Hokage's legacy to rely on.
Even Souma himself—despite having Tobirama's swordsmanship notes in hand—was still digesting them slowly.
Tobirama was undeniably a genius.
In those notes, he wrote about combining genjutsu, ninjutsu, and kenjutsu—
Speed and precision as the foundation, with a layer of eerie unpredictability woven in.
Crescent Moon Slash, Moon Shadow, Flying Thunder God: Severing Strike…
They all followed that philosophy.
Souma didn't lack the skill to learn swordsmanship.
What he needed was time—time to transform knowledge into something uniquely his.
At the moment…
He had a small idea.
A high-speed heavy blade style.
Strip away the trickery and illusions.
Combine it with his self-created discounted version of monstrous strength.
Let the blade hit harder, faster, with explosive impact.
Once the chakra blade was completed, he could start testing the style.
But right now—
"You're going to forge the chakra blade for me next, right?"
"That's way too casual." Tenten shot him a look. "I have to test the ratio of chakra metal to ordinary metal first and figure out the optimal blend."
"Your test material is chakra wire, right? Use mine. My chakra wire is mostly support-oriented anyway. Good or bad, it won't affect much."
Tenten also had chakra metal—
A tiny amount she earned through her work designing ninja tools.
Barely enough to craft two or three strands of chakra wire.
"Uh… that's not really necessary."
"It is. Your stuff is also just test material. The final profit goes into making my blade."
…
Good point!
Tenten was instantly convinced.
Souma left Tenten's house and headed toward the Aburame compound.
The Aburame clan lived in a more remote area, backed by a huge forest.
From the outside, nothing looked unusual…
But anyone foolish enough to wander in uninvited—
Would be greeted by a cloud of kikaichū bursting out to tear them apart.
Souma found the entrance.
There were no guards, but he could already sense the kikaichū hiding in the grass on either side of the path.
If someone with hostile intent walked onto the street here, the clan's insects would swarm them before they even reached the gate.
Every clan had its own way of guarding their territory.
Souma walked inward.
Before long, insects flew toward him from deeper within the compound—
Gathering in the air, swirling, merging…
And forming the outline of a human.
Aburame Shibi.
Shibi didn't say a word.
He simply appeared for a moment, then turned and flew off in cloud-form.
…
Yep.
Classic Aburame hospitality.
Souma followed silently.
They arrived at the inner forest, where a well-constructed courtyard stood.
Shibi and two other Aburame shinobi were engaged in a heated discussion.
Only after Souma approached did Shibi stand up and gesture him over.
"Souma, these are my clansmen—Aburame Torune and Aburame Mutō."
"A pleasure."
Torune—the son of Aburame Shikuro, and one of Danzō's key operatives.
Mutō—also an elite jōnin.
Souma was technically the lowest-ranked person present.
But neither Torune nor Mutō dared put on airs.
He might be a genius.
But his talent, ability, and achievements were nothing a normal thirteen-year-old should possess.
Someone like that could not be treated the usual way.
"A pleasure. Yagyu Souma."
After exchanging greetings, Souma looked at the two over carefully.
The clan features were immediately recognizable.
"We didn't expect you to come today," Shibi said. "But this works out well. With Torune and Mutō here, do you want to start testing now? Or wait for another day?"
"…Already?"
Souma blinked.
Honestly, he came today planning only to talk—
He wanted to discuss the clan's stance more deeply before proceeding.
But…
It seemed the Aburame clan had already reached a unified decision.
This…
"If this works, then it's better to begin the cooperation as soon as possible," Torune said.
He represented one of the Aburame's main internal factions.
Shibi smiled lightly and glanced toward Mutō.
"The Medical Corps has already begun partial collaboration," Mutō added. "We think it's worth trying. We were just discussing what kind of insects to offer for experimentation."
Souma felt momentarily dazed.
A strange yet refreshing clan.
Their decisiveness was…
Hard to adapt to, but not unpleasant.
After thinking a moment, Souma said:
"Choose several kinds. This power depends a lot on compatibility. I can't guarantee which type will successfully evolve."
"Good. Come with me."
Shibi took the lead, guiding them deeper into the forest.
Once inside, he sprinkled a vial of liquid across the ground.
Souma sniffed.
"This is an attraction for insects, right?"
"…Yes. That's correct."
Did he really need to ask…?
Shibi looked faintly puzzled.
Souma thought for a moment.
"There's a certain medicinal component in this. It's similar to one of the ingredients in the poison from that previous incident."
"—?!!!"
Shibi first froze.
Then shock flashed across his face.
"You could smell that?"
"'Insect-lure herb' has a very distinct scent. The poison only contained a trace amount, so most people wouldn't detect it."
Souma explained casually.
Shibi fell silent in deep thought.
The lure herb was indeed the primary ingredient of the attractant—but what Souma didn't know was that this herb only grew in Konoha.
Almost nowhere else had it anymore.
The reason was obvious:
Root and the Aburame clan controlled its supply.
The fact that this poison contained lure herb made the culprit's identity far clearer—
Orochimaru.
Other villages could technically steal it to frame someone…
But the probability was far lower.
"I understand. Thank you, Souma."
Shibi's expression turned solemn.
Torune's expression grew even more complicated.
If Orochimaru was developing poison specifically targeting kikaichū…
Then was he aiming at the Aburame clan?
Or worse—
At Root?
"Souma, have you studied that poison?" Mutō asked, frowning slightly.
"I examined it once in the lab."
"…"
She clearly didn't believe that.
Souma didn't bother explaining. He only smiled faintly.
Shibi shook his head. "Let's set that aside for now. How should we proceed?"
"Have your insects begin the conversion process," Souma said. "I'll observe."
He wasn't about to make conclusions prematurely.
Mutō noticed the clan head didn't want to dwell further on the poison, so she remained silent and merely watched.
Soon, insects gathered around them.
These three were elite members of the clan.
With all three acting together, a portion of the wild insect swarm was quickly influenced by their kikaichū—
Beginning the gradual transformation into kikaichū themselves.
Souma activated his sensory ability and observed each change carefully.
After studying the entire process, he nodded slightly, took out his notebook, and began sketching.
The three Aburame quietly watched him.
Was he drawing the transformation stages?
"What's that supposed to be used for?" Torune asked.
He wasn't much older than Souma, so he felt no pressure asking directly.
"To identify which stage is most compatible with receiving a special form of chakra. The stages might not differ in the way I expect, but it's worth testing."
Souma drew three arrows marking the progression:
Stage 1 – Infection:
The insects become affected by the kikaichū's chakra.
Stage 2 – Mutation and evolution.
Stage 3 – Assimilation:
Originally, the different species would still fight each other, but once assimilation occurred, they stopped fighting and behaved like a unified colony.
Souma labeled this last step "Assimilation."
Then he drew two lines—one under Stage 2 and one under Stage 3.
"These two stages are worth testing separately."
Torune and Mutō exchanged looks—
Both filled with shock.
Of course they knew these things.
But those insights came from years of clan research, accumulated from generations of experience.
Souma?
He watched once.
Just once.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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