NOVEL NEXT Chapter 84: Sweet End
Naturally, the fruits of their relentless experiments was much more than just a video game character-like clone.
With the bug clone's ability to use ninjutsu, each clone now had the basic capabilities to handle most troubles, without factoring in his other trump cards such as his plague or zergs.
The ninjutsu bug clones were also flexible enough to perform auxiliary feats - ones the previous insect clones could never do. An example would be sealing content through the enclosing technique, instead of only being limited to unsealing through a trigger, such as unrolling the scroll.
Thanks to these newly instated conveniences, Shino finally has a more efficient method to collect samples of new gene data, one with much less risk of compromising his base of operations than having batches of zergs converge back to Konoha.
Plus, these clones didn't have to hide and plunder like his zergs. So, they will have much more freedom when roaming outside of Konoha.
"Hey, maybe we can send our clones to start a business. Start a shop somewhere? Or a cult?"
"Shino-sama, we can't just freely deploy clones because each clone requires computation power to maintain. Just the Six Sage clone alone will already delay countless research projects. We even have to keep these two clones dormant most of the time, and can at most temporarily deploy one of them on collection duty when required. Otherwise, our research may come to a standstill due to limited computation power."
Sigh. Karina was like a killjoy, but her words were right.
Don't think these clones were simple to construct. Each one had a lot of variables that had to be optimized and managed, from mass of the clone to shape to chakra flow to bug population. All of these requires constant computation that hogs up a part of their network.
Therefore, even though they technically had infinite clones as long as their bug population can keep up, they could only keep a limited number running due to limited computation power.
It was like having a server that only had limited slots due to being hosted on a potato.
Seeing the silent Shino's contemplating face, set aglow by the moonlight, Karina whispered another warning to prevent him from throwing caution to the wind.
"Shino-sama, please also note that we are using our main consciousness this time, and this poses a risk if these clones are targeted. It's best to use these clones through the system's control. Stability, that's the creed Shino-sama always abides by."
"I know." Shino's hand reached out, bridging the chasm between them to tenderly caress Karina's head, communicating his affection, "But, even if it is just once, I wanted to give you something you deserve, Karina."
Under the canopy of stars, their fingers intertwined once more.
Shino leaned in closer, his voice a gentle whisper. "Karina, I want you to know you are not just a tool for me. In you, I have found a partner, a confidante, and a love I never thought possible. With you, I feel my future is boundless, and I want to face the world, the universe, and even the multiverse... with you by my side."
"…" Karina's face was stiff with astonishment as the weight of the unexpected words brimming with affection was thrown at her.
Shortly after, a long suppressed surge of emotions gushed forth, compelling her to lower her head in silence.
Shino's gaze never left her, fixating upon the delicate, trembling figure before him, waiting for her response.
After choking back some sobs, Karina looked up, her eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, meeting his.
Her hand reached up, caressing his face with unyielding tenderness, "Shino, you had been my light from that moment in the forest, and filled a void within me that I never knew existed. With you, I have discovered a new emotion I didn't know I possessed. I will stay by your side eternally, not just to serve you, but just to be with you."
Her response was the key to his heart. In a magnetic convergence of souls, their eyes locked with an intensity that defied the boundaries of comprehension, brimming with a blend of devotion and desire.
With a tempest of emotions swirling between them, their faces drew closer and closer...
And so, under the watchful eyes of the stars, they sealed their bond with a tender kiss - a promise to navigate the shadows together, to protect each other, and to cherish the love they had found amidst a world of chaos and uncertainty.
When their lips parted, Karina's face was colored with a cute blush.
Her eyes, still shimmering with a kaleidoscope of emotions, never left him as she removed her glasses, her slender fingers guiding the temples of her glasses down her face in a slow, indelible path until they delicately nestled upon her bewitching lips, which whispered a promise he couldn't escape from.
"Shino, this new experience was too exhilarating and Karina can't hold back any longer. My dear, how about we go home to discuss more... in-depth?"
A mischievous glimmer danced within Shino's eyes, his lips curling into a tender smile. He raised his hand, gently rapping Karina's forehead with a knowing touch, "Alright, silly girl."
Then, Shino wrapped his arm around Karina's slender waist, drawing her close. His hand languidly raised up, aiming towards the heavens, as if summoning an unseen force. A single thread shot forth from his sleeves, piercing through airspace, reaching toward the vast, empty expanse above.
There was nothing there, yet his thread seemed to have connected with an ethereal anchor, becoming taut with an unseen weight!
Shino's grip tightened, his eyes locking onto Karina's.
The command was sent out. Immediately, the couple was lifted up from the ground, as if they were fish on the thread that was reeled in by an unseen hand.
The world below grew smaller, its details blending into a mosaic of fading colors.
Soon, Shino and Karina vanished through an invisible layer, leaving behind subtle ripples in space, like whispers in the fabric of reality.
Thanks to the disturbance from the ripples, the outline of an obscured, bloated sac came into view, hovering ominously amidst the sky!
Yet, its camouflage bugs quickly readjusted to maintain its seamless integration with the sky, allowing the creature's form to be hidden from prying eyes once more.
Unaware of the horror above, the world below continued its daily affairs while the invisible apparition began its silent journey towards a destination known only to its creators.
Meanwhile, in their secret home, the main body of Shino faced the fervent passion of his beloved, a fiery assault holding a tempestuous intensity that surpassed all prior encounters!
The consequences of his sweet tricks were dire, to say the least...
Thus, the sun completed its cyclic dance across the sky, marking the passage of almost a week.
A weakened Shino harnessed the life-giving essence of his own biomass, infusing his body with renewed vigor.
Observing the slumbering enchantress beside him, a murmured curse couldn't help but escape from his lips, "Damn. So, she had always been holding back. If it wasn't for these events akin to fillers in a story, I wouldn't have known. Seriously, how did the fastest man alive handle the Uzumaki fox with his endurance? I need some quick tips."
The sleeping beauty lost in her dreams radiated a peaceful, satisfied aura, yet a subtle trickle of drool betrayed her subconscious desire for more, as if her slumbering mind was still waltzing amidst visions of delectable delights, a feast reserved solely for her ethereal fantasies.
Shino's hand, imbued with gentle tenderness, erased the remnants of her slumbering indulgence before irresistibly tracing a path across the beautiful contours of her face.
"Well, as long as you are happy. I don't know what the future holds, but you will certainly hold a place in my heart, a weight beyond the limitations of what a mere filler can convey."
Shino hugged the sleeping beauty, his eyes shuttering closed as a veil of tranquility settled upon him, savoring the precious rest time found within this ephemeral refuge, recharging for the ceaseless storms their existences would bring.
Unbeknownst to her lover, a beautiful smile blossomed upon the slumbering beauty's lips and she instinctively nestled closer within the comforting sanctuary of her lover's embrace.