Aburame Ryoma stopped speaking and clasped his hands together.
A massive cloud of parasites erupted from his sleeves, surging forward with a sharp, whistling roar as they rushed toward Aburame Shiki.
"Ryoma-senpai seems displeased that I've been chosen as Shimura Danzō's prospective disciple," Aburame Shiki murmured, the faint smile on his lips slowly fading. "But that's alright. If I defeat him here, that should prove my resolve."
A violent storm of insects swirled up around him. His own parasite swarm clashed head-on with Ryoma's in midair, the two clouds colliding with a hiss that sounded almost alive.
Countless insects fell like dark rain, carpeting the ground.
For a moment, the two swarms were locked in perfect equilibrium. Ryoma's insects were stronger — enriched by years of chakra nourishment and careful selection by a seasoned jōnin — but Shiki had forced his own swarm into overdrive by burning through their vitality.
It was a brutal method… but it created a temporary stalemate.
"Arrogant brat," Ryoma muttered under his breath. "But his strength… it's real. No wonder he dared to brag about becoming Shimura Danzō's disciple."
Ryoma, once the Aburame clan's renowned prodigy, felt unexpectedly overshadowed.
In the next instant, Aburame Shiki shot forward like a black streak.
"But your combat experience is still lacking," Ryoma whispered to himself. He saw through Shiki's straightforward charge immediately.
"Aburame Shiki, Root's greatness isn't something you can understand yet. A shinobi's battle isn't as simple as brute force. You have a long way to go."
Ryoma's figure blurred — he appeared behind Shiki and chopped the boy's neck with a clean, efficient hand-strike.
"It's over."
His strike was precise enough to render even a trained genin unconscious.
Pain shot through Shiki's body, but even as he staggered, he turned and slashed with a kunai.
Ryoma tilted his body and let the attack pass harmlessly by, then drove a heavy kick into Shiki's chest. Shiki tumbled across the ground, rolled several times, and forced himself back to his feet.
"Your physical resilience is better than I expected," Ryoma admitted. "It seems your clan's training wasn't wasted. But it still isn't enough. Now follow me obediently."
Ryoma relaxed. The battle was decided.
But Shiki… smiled.
A strange, unsettling smile.
Ryoma froze for half a heartbeat. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Damn it…"
A faint dread spread through his chest — though he couldn't identify why.
He made a decisive move, lunging to finish the fight quickly.
Shiki didn't retreat. He watched Ryoma charge forward with calm, almost mocking eyes.
And then—
Ryoma's body stopped responding.
He collapsed face-first into the dirt.
"Th-this is… a phosphorus bug?!"
Purple discoloration was already spreading across Ryoma's skin. His voice trembled, filled with disbelief.
As a prodigy of the Aburame clan — and later, a Root operative — he had attempted to cultivate phosphorus bugs many times.
And he had failed every single time.
He knew better than anyone how impossible they were: microscopic poison insects that theoretically shouldn't even exist.
But Shiki had done it.
Ryoma's limbs shook uncontrollably as the neurotoxin locked his body in place.
"Impossible… Even if you succeeded in raising a phosphorus bug, what about your parasite swarm?"
Shiki crouched beside him.
"Ryoma-senpai, don't run from reality. Who ever said parasite bugs and phosphorus bugs couldn't coexist?"
As he spoke, Shiki revealed the combined insects — his parasites now stained with a dangerous violet sheen, merging with the phosphorus bugs. They looked both mesmerizing and terrifying.
Shiki extended a single finger and tapped Ryoma lightly.
"Secret Technique: Poison Reversal."
The phosphorus bugs withdrew instantly from Ryoma's body.
Ryoma staggered to his feet, still shaky, staring at Shiki with a mixture of disbelief and admiration.
"Your talent… far surpasses what I imagined. Perhaps you truly are worthy of becoming Danzō-sama's disciple… and carrying his will."
"Of course," Shiki replied lightly. "For Ryoma-senpai, the right hand of Danzō-sama, to lose to me — doesn't that prove my value?"
He added with an arrogant tilt of his head:
"As for Root, it's just a tool of Danzō-sama. It can't contain someone like me. A single grain of sand is nothing compared to my potential."
Ryoma's eyebrow twitched. Good grief… he thought. He dares say this only because he caught me off-guard. But he didn't deny it.
"I'll return and report everything to Shimura Danzō-sama. The final decision will be his."
After resting a moment, Ryoma straightened, gave Shiki one last long look, and disappeared into the forest with silent speed.
"Please do, Ryoma-senpai. I sincerely hope we'll work together."
Shiki waved after him.
He didn't breathe a full sigh of relief until Ryoma's chakra signature disappeared from the range of his insects.
"Finally… gone."
Ryoma Aburame was a true elite jōnin. He lost only because he underestimated Shiki — and because he lacked information. That was all.
If it had been a real, prepared fight, even Shiki's hybrid insects wouldn't guarantee victory.
Now, all he could do was wait. If Danzō agreed to take him as a disciple, perfect.
If not, Shiki would keep raising his value until Danzō had no choice but to accept him.
If that path failed… there was always Namikaze Minato. But Minato still had years before becoming the Fourth Hokage — far too slow for Shiki's ambitions.
Especially with the Third Great Ninja War approaching.
Spirit Transformation Technique… Edo Tensei… Hashirama Cells… Shiki wanted to say to Danzō outright:
"If you don't abandon me, I'd happily call you my adoptive father."
But for now:
"I need to train. Study human anatomy. Show my value through strategy and skill. I can't waste another day in the academy… If I want peace to train, I should request early graduation."
Aburame Shiki walked back toward the Aburame compound.
He returned home and resumed filtering and eliminating weaker insects in his garden, guiding the growth of larger parasite strains.
Thankfully, the primitive Gu system he carried allowed him to record data from superior insects and replicate their traits across new generations.
Only then could he advance so quickly.
"Alright… progress is good. But I can't neglect the cultivation of ordinary bugs. In reconnaissance or assassination, they make all the difference when it matters most."