"For each of the three phases, Stage Two, Stage Three, and full maturity, we should prepare multiple control groups. It'll make future analysis easier."
Garou closed his notebook with a soft snap.
The younger members of the Aburame clan were still visibly shocked by his precision, but Shibi had already moved forward, quietly initiating the transformation process.
He was used to this.
As clan head, Shibi wasn't the type to act impulsively or underestimate others.
If he hadn't already been thoroughly convinced of Garou's worth, he wouldn't have agreed to such a bold collaboration so readily.
The boy was a genius.
And more importantly, their current interests aligned.
For the Aburame clan, this was an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss. If they let this moment slip by, there was no guarantee that a fully matured Garou would still need them in the future.
As Garou concentrated on monitoring the insects' behavior, a faint shift in their physical structure caught his eye. He reacted instantly, releasing a stream of senjutsu chakra that enveloped the kikaichū undergoing transformation.
The amount of chakra began small but gradually increased.
Watching this unfold, both Torune and Muta finally grasped the full weight of the moment.
Their clan leader had made the right call.
This unique chakra… it was powerful beyond comparison.
If these insects could successfully absorb it and evolve as a result, then granting Garou a single contract with a transformed species wouldn't even be an issue.
No!
Not just one. If Garou wanted his students, or even family members, to contract with them, it would still be worth it.
If these new kikaichū became something akin to a sacred species, a summoning contract all their own, then what did a few contracts matter?
Of course, one lingering concern remained.
Who would these evolved insects truly serve?
Would they still heed the Aburame clan's commands?
That uncertainty made the elders uneasy.
But compared to the potential gain, it was a risk worth taking.
Throughout the process, Garou occasionally used his chakra threads to isolate pairs of insects from the swarm.
By the time the kikaichū began reaching their evolved states, he had already filled ten vials.
"Is it a success?" Shibi asked quickly.
Garou shook his head. "They've absorbed the special chakra, but we'll need to monitor them to see if the changes stabilize."
"Then shall we proceed to the next batch?"
"Yes. This time, we'll intervene at the third stage."
With the initial trial behind them, the group quickly settled into a rhythm.
Before long, twelve more insects, each at a different stage, were collected and placed into new vials.
Then came the mature insects.
That part was simpler.
Shibi, Torune, and Muta each summoned their kikaichū. The goal now was to see which could absorb senjutsu chakra. The ones that responded positively were set aside.
"What's next?" asked Shibi.
"This kind of transformation is gradual. It'll take time for any real progress," Garou said. "Do you have a way to track their movements once they're released?"
The Aburame clan was powerful, surely, they had something for this?
Shibi fell silent.
They could track insects, yes, but they had never needed to monitor individual mutated specimens in the wild before. No one had ever considered the need.
Garou immediately understood.
"Then we'll do it the simple way," he said. "Mark each insect before releasing them."
"Assign someone to keep an eye on them and ensure they don't leave the designated zone."
"Where should we release them?"
"The Forest of Death," Garou answered without hesitation. "Mark off an area and release them there."
"Every ten days, retrieve them and evaluate their condition. If they die or mutate, that's normal. Don't panic."
"Understood."
Shibi nodded.
Garou carefully opened the vials one by one and used chakra needles to carve micro-symbols into each insect's carapace.
The three Aburame elites watched, eyes twitching. The control required for those chakra needles was insane.
This wasn't just talent. It was skill bordering on the unbelievable.
With his work complete, Garou departed.
As he had said, this evolution would take time. There was no sense lingering here. He had other matters to attend to.
More importantly, he was running low on senjutsu chakra. His clone could no longer handle the energy intake alone. He needed to return in person to replenish it.
As Garou's figure disappeared into the distance, it was Muta who broke the silence.
"…I apologize, Patriarch. I shouldn't have doubted him. With his abilities, it's entirely possible he could crack that poison on his own."
She bowed deeply.
Shibi's gaze sharpened. "Garou isn't one to hold grudges. But you should still be cautious. He represents a massive opportunity for our clan."
"Yes, sir!"
Muta straightened, posture respectful.
"Oh, and one more thing," Shibi added. "Shino's been working with him the past few days. It seems effective. Start sending people over to train with him."
"Understood!"
—
The following day, Asuma came knocking.
He wasn't there to discuss the Aburame clan.
He had come for the written insights Garou had promised, the knowledge intended for the Fire Temple.
Garou retrieved a thick notebook.
"All of my current notes are in here."
"This much?" Asuma blinked, surprised by the size of it. After a pause, he handed the book back.
"You've seen the Sealed Iron Wall technique, right? Use the Fire Temple's sealing method to protect this."
Garou nodded, unrolling a sealing scroll. He carefully placed the notebook inside and inscribed a protective seal over it.
Only then did Asuma accept the notebook.
It contained many of Garou's hypotheses and theoretical analyses.
As for the technique Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder, Garou made no mention of it.
In truth, he had already reverse-engineered its foundational principles. All that remained was step-by-step verification.
But he hadn't pursued it further. Thousand-Armed Murder was powerful, combining offense and defense, but once deployed, the user couldn't move, relying solely on reactive counterattacks.
That contradicted Garou's core belief.
There is no such thing as absolute defense.
Victory comes from taking the initiative.
It wasn't that the technique was useless.
It just didn't align with his fighting style.
So for now, the jutsu remained impractical.
After handing over the notes, Garou also updated Asuma on his collaboration with the Aburame clan. He asked him to inform Chiriku about the project.
Asuma didn't think it was necessary.
After all, Garou hadn't revealed any deep secrets. He was merely helping to evolve a species of kikaichū.
But Garou insisted, so Asuma agreed to mention it in passing. With that done, Garou returned to the Forest of Death to continue absorbing natural energy.
Asuma released a messenger hawk to deliver the notebook and message to Chiriku.
—
The next day, Chiriku received the package.
Despite having mentally prepared himself multiple times for Garou's genius, the weight of the notebook still made his hands tremble.
It was thick.
A flood of conflicting thoughts surged through his mind.
'Has our Fire Temple's research into the "Gift of the Sages" been this shallow all along? It can't be, right?'
Still skeptical, he opened the notebook.
An hour later, he closed it gently, face blank.
He sat there for a long time, deep in thought.
'So this… is the gap between us.'
While the monks had focused on developing techniques, Garou had been dissecting the fundamental nature of special chakra.
No jutsu were listed, only notes, theories, and rigorous hypothesis testing.
One section mentioned a hypothetical state in which chakra permeated every cell of the body, creating a "fully saturated" condition.
It was just a theory, but Chiriku had trained in Thousand-Armed Murder. The logic was similar.
The difference was that Thousand-Armed Murder externalized chakra into the form of a guardian bodhisattva. Garou's theory internalized it, strengthening the self from within.
"Why didn't I think of that?"
It wasn't even a particularly complex deduction.
Garou, who had only heard fragments of information and hadn't even learned Thousand-Armed Murder, had still reached this point.
Meanwhile, the Fire Temple had clung to its sacred techniques for generations, and achieved nothing new.
A sacred art, wasted in stagnation.
Chiriku closed his eyes, shame creeping into his heart.
______________________
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