Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 58 The Confession

Naoto didn't know how long he had been running or where he had run to. As the night deepened, he continued to move forward by instinct and eventually arrived at the door of Takikawa Hide's house.

He hesitated outside the door for a long time before hesitantly knocked on it.

Aburame Shicheng had already detected his arrival at her doorstep using the mimicry detection insect.

"Finally dare to face it head-on?" Aburame Shisei murmured to himself inside the insect hive. This time, he did not create a clone, but left the insect hive in his original form and entered the room.

He slowly opened the door, and Naoto looked up, meeting his gaze clearly and directly for the first time: "The changes in my body were caused by you, weren't they?"

He seemed to be asking a question, but his eyes were full of certainty.

Aburame Shisei paused slightly, but did not deny it: "That's right, it's me."

Why?

Naoto's voice became rapid.

He was suppressing his anger, not because of the changes in his body, but because he felt deceived.

"Because you possess a certain quality, I'm sorry, I took advantage of your trust and turned you into an experimental subject in my hands."

"You're not Takikawa Shuu, are you?"

"That's right, you should have realized it a long time ago," Aburame Shisei replied truthfully.

He opened the door, led Naoto into the room, and poured some concentrated, high-quality liquid from the glass.

"Want to come in for a drink? I believe this stuff will be very helpful for you right now."

Naoto initially wanted to refuse, but the rich, nutritious aroma in the cup made him swallow hard.

In the end, he took a step toward that familiar room, a step that felt like stepping into an abyss from which there was no turning back.

He walked to the table and gulped down two glasses of water, but You Nu Zhicheng calmly refilled them for him.

"Actually, you should have realized long ago that the strength and experience I have shown far surpassed that of Takikawa Hide himself."

I thought that by gradually revealing myself to you, you would come to terms with reality, but I never expected that you would trust me just like that person I used to know.

After downing several glasses of nutritional water, Naoto finally quelled his hunger. He looked up and asked, "Where is the real Takikawa-san?"

"He's dead. He was too weak and was kidnapped to a mountain stronghold. When I found him, he was already on the verge of death."

"Then why...?"

"I need a new identity to evade Konoha's pursuit. Actually, I'm not a bad person, you should know that."

For a moment, Naoto fell silent.

He could sense that their interactions were sometimes genuine, and the village had indeed been improving recently. He wasn't stupid; he could feel this positive change.

The village's barrier gradually strengthened, the soil inexplicably became fertile, and even the finest ninja tools and high-end daily necessities that only nobles could afford were quietly transported into the village through a merchant named Ryuji Ida, and the prices were very affordable, so even ordinary villagers could afford them.

Of course, besides these, there are many other unknown things: for example, some local thugs and ruffians who mysteriously disappeared suddenly in the village.

Those elderly people who died in accidents and should have been prepared for burial,

And six months ago, a group of Jonin mysteriously left the village; nearly a year ago, there was the spy rebellion in the village, and the collective silence of all the Jonin.

He took a deep breath and asked the question that had been buried deep in his heart for so long: "What exactly is inside my stomach? Did Jonin Sasaki and the others really leave voluntarily? And you... have you been controlling the village all along?"

"It's an insect, and it's related to whether I can break through my body's limits. As for Jonin Sasaki and the others, some of them are still alive. Do you want to see them?"

"So it was you who was controlling all of this. Who exactly are you? What do you want to do in this village?"

"My name is Aburame Shisei. I'm sorry to meet you in this way."

He looked at Naoto and said calmly, "As for the so-called control of the village, I didn't initially think about it. I just wanted to live here quietly, but people kept coming to bother me. Do you believe me? Some things weren't things I wanted to do; they were forcing me to do them."

"You said you... had no choice!"

Naoto felt he had heard the funniest joke in the world, but Shisei Aburame's eyes were incredibly sincere, and he had a feeling that what the other person was saying was true.

"So how long are you going to keep this under control?"

"Are they not living well now?"

Naoto couldn't answer the question. He just felt that people shouldn't live in an illusion. Life here was all fake, like a giant cage.

"No wonder, no wonder those Jonin often feel suffocated, no wonder those idle Chunin are always playing cards and drinking. Because we who are still alive have been controlled by you."

"Actually, I also want to break the barrier, but my strength is too weak. If someone accidentally reveals my whereabouts, this place could very well be overrun by ninjas and turn into hell."

"What do you want to say?" Naoto wanted to say, "Then why don't you leave here?" but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Aburame Shiseido remained silent. He opened the underground passage, turned around, and walked inside.

Naoto walked to the cave entrance, looked at the dark, bottomless cave, and finally stepped inside.

Soon after, light appeared underground, and he finally arrived at the kingdom created by Aburame Shisei.

Inside were all sorts of plants and insects: insects that emitted a yellow glow clung to the walls, insects that looked like ladybugs swam among the plants, white and gray insects floated on the water's edge, and insects that resembled rhinoceros beetles clung to the trees to suck sap.

Around the tree roots were some unpredictable insects that sometimes turned into centipedes and sometimes into lizards.

Beneath the massive tree root, an invisible scorpion lay fast asleep, its form appearing and disappearing in the distance.

"here it is…"

He stared in disbelief at the scene before him.

Aburame Shisei opened his arms: "Welcome to my kingdom, Naoto. The key to freedom for everyone in the village has always been in your hands. Are you willing to merge with the worm within you?"

"If this experiment succeeds, your chakra will break through its current limits, and combined with your unique will, it may even reach the level of a Kage. At that time, you will have the strength to protect me."

Naoto looked at the unfamiliar yet familiar face before him and suddenly asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll betray you?"

Why be afraid?

"Alright, I agree. But once I help you complete the experiment, you must release control of the village. Change the barrier to a warning system, and allow villagers to come and go freely, even relocating to towns. They shouldn't be trapped in this valley forever."