Mere grains of sand are not even half as good as me.

Chapter 14 Mere grains of sand are not even half as good as me.

Without further ado, Aburame Ryoma clasped his hands together.

It released a massive swarm of thousands of parasitic insects, which rushed towards Aburame Shiki with a whooshing sound.

"It seems that Ryoma-senpai is unhappy that I want to become Shimura Danzo's disciple, but it doesn't matter. Defeating Ryoma-senpai should prove my determination."

Aburame Shiki's smile slowly faded, and a massive swarm of parasitic insects appeared around him, incredibly ferocious.

Aburame Shiatsu's swarm of parasitic insects clashed with Aburame Ryoma's swarm of parasitic insects, and a fierce battle ensued.

Large numbers of parasites fell from the sky and covered the ground.

The two groups of parasitic insects were locked in a stalemate in the air.

Aburame Shiatsu's parasite is still a bit inferior to Aburame Ryoma's parasite.

After all, Ryoma Aburame was a Jonin. He fed the parasitic insects with chakra for a long time and spent a long time selecting powerful parasitic insects.

However, Shiichi Aburame compensated for this by having the parasite overdraw its life force.

This led to a stalemate in the battle between the two sides.

"Arrogant brat, but his strength is not weak. No wonder he dared to boast that he would become Lord Shimura Danzo's disciple."

Aburame Ryoma was amazed. He was a genius of the Aburame clan, but compared to Aburame Shiatsu, he seemed ordinary.

Aburame Shiki suddenly charged toward Aburame Ryoma, his speed leaving only a black shadow in his wake.

"However, I still lack combat experience."

Seeing Shiatsu's clumsy attack methods, Ryoma Aburame thought to himself.

"Shiichi Aburame, the greatness of Root is beyond your comprehension at this stage, and the battles of ninjas are not as simple as you think. You still have a long way to go."

Ryoma Aburame quietly appeared beside Shiki Aburame and delivered a swift and decisive chop to Shiki's neck.

"it's over."

Ryoma Aburame made his decision; in his judgment, this attack would knock Shiichi Aburame unconscious.

Aburame Shiichi appeared to be in great pain from the knife strike, but he still turned around and used a kunai to slash back.

Ryoma Aburame slightly turned to dodge the attack, then kicked Shiki Aburame in the chest.

Aburame Shiki was kicked away and rolled several times on the ground before standing up.

"Your physical abilities have exceeded my expectations. It seems the training from the Aburame clan hasn't been wasted. But it's not enough. From now on, you'd better follow me obediently."

Ryoma Aburame gradually relaxed, feeling that the outcome was already decided.

But a strange smile appeared on Shiki Aburame's face.

Seeing Shiki Aburame's eerie smile, Ryoma Aburame felt a chill run down his spine, realizing he had made a fatal mistake.

"Damn it!"

A vague unease crept into Ryoma Aburame's heart, yet he couldn't pinpoint what the problem was.

Without hesitation, Ryoma Aburame charged toward Shiki Aburame, wanting to finish the fight quickly.

A smile appeared on Shiki Aburame's lips as he watched Ryoma Aburame rushing towards him.

As Ryoma Aburame charged toward Shiichi Aburame, he suddenly lost control of his body and fell heavily to the ground.

"This is... a phosphorus worm?!"

Aburame Ryoma looked at the purple spreading across his body and said in shock.

Ryoma Aburame's tone revealed disbelief.

As a genius of the Yumei clan, he had tried using phosphorus rotten insects before, especially after adding them to the roots. He tried using them many times, but he never succeeded.

That's how he realized how difficult it was to successfully raise phosphatidylcholine bugs.

Nanoscale poisonous insects are no joke. Theoretically, such insects should not exist, and it's unknown how the Aburame clan managed to cultivate them.

Ryoma Aburame was attacked by the Phosphorous Beasts and lay on the ground trembling slightly, having lost control of his body.

"Impossible! Even if you successfully bred the phosphorus-borne disease insects, what about your parasitic disease insects?"

"Ryoma-senpai, don't run away from reality! Who says parasitic worms and phosphorus worms can't be kept together?"

As she spoke, Yu Nu Zhiyi combined the parasitic worm and the phosphorescent worm, covering the parasitic worm with purple, making it appear exceptionally mysterious and dangerous.

Shiki walked up to Ryoma Aburame and lightly touched him with his index finger.

"Secret Technique: Poison Touch Recovery"

Aburame Shiki pulled the Phosphorous Waste Bugs back from Aburame Ryoma's body.

Ryoma Aburame struggled to his feet, looked at Shiki Aburame, who had combined the parasitic insects and the phosphorescent insects, and nodded in approval.

"Your talent surpasses my expectations. Perhaps you truly have the potential to become Lord Danzo's disciple and inherit his will."

"Of course! I defeated Ryuma-senpai, Danzo's right-hand man. Doesn't that prove my worth?"

"As for the root, it is merely Danzo's tool, and cannot contain me. It is but a grain of sand, not even half as much as I am."

"Only Danzo's disciple can show my magnanimity."

Ryoma Aburame's lips twitched as he listened to Shiichi Aburame's words. Goodness, you only dare to say that because you tricked me, but he didn't refute it.

"I will go back and report to Lord Shimura Danzo, and leave your request to him for a decision."

After resting for a while, Aburame Ryoma stood up, gave Aburame Shiitsu a deep look, and quickly disappeared into the forest.

"Then I'll leave it to Ryoma-senpai. I really hope to work with Ryoma-senpai."

Shiki Aburame waved to Ryoma Aburame as he left.

Only after Aburame Ryoma completely disappeared and Aburame Shiki's insects could no longer sense Aburame Ryoma's chakra did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"They're finally gone."

Ryoma Aburame was a true elite Jonin. He underestimated Shiitsu Aburame and, due to insufficient intelligence, was tricked by Shiitsu's Phosphorous Beasts.

That's how he easily failed.

Of course, for Ryoma Aburame, for Root, and for Danzo Shimura, a loss is a loss, and that's why there was no lingering.

If it were a head-on, real battle, even if Shiichi Aburame combined the Parasite Bug and the Phosphorous Bug, it would be hard to say who would emerge victorious.

The best outcome is to see how things go. If Shimura Danzo is willing to accept him as a disciple, that would be the best result.

If they were unwilling or there was no news, then he could only continue to demonstrate his value. Until Danzo Shimura was moved.

If this path is blocked, then we can only rely on Minato Namikaze, but it took him a long time to become the Fourth Hokage.

This would hinder Aburame Shiichi's plan for rapid growth.

Several years were wasted, especially during the perilous Third Shinobi World War.

With his Spirit Transformation Technique, Impure World Reincarnation, and Hashirama Cells, Shiitsu Aburame now wishes he could just say to Danzo Shimura, "If you don't abandon me, I'm willing to become your godfather."

"Sigh, I have to practice ninjutsu, learn about the human body, and scheme to prove my worth. I can't stand being in this ninja academy for even a day. I'll just have to sit here for a while longer and then apply for early graduation."

Aburame Shiki slowly walked into the territory of the Aburame clan.

Yu Nu Zhiyi returned home and continued to screen and eliminate the insects in the yard generation after generation, selectively breeding parasitic insects.

Fortunately, with the help of the Primal Gu, the information of the best parasitic insects can be recorded and then assimilated into other parasitic insects.

This allowed Shiki Aburame to make significant progress in a short period of time.

"Keep it up. Every little bit helps. Don't neglect the cultivation of ordinary insects either. They can be surprisingly effective in key moments, whether for reconnaissance or assassination."

(End of this chapter)