### **[The Larva]**
Shikane poked the fat, jade-green larva sunbathing in his windowsill planter. It wriggled lazily, exposing its translucent underbelly before going still again. Pathetic.
This worm was the sole "reward" from his Talent Card's recent upgrade to *Blue* rank—alongside fragmented memories of **Kidō** spells, useless in a world without Reishi. Yet Shikane saw potential.
*"If I can't cast Kidō… I'll reinvent it."*
**[Unknown Larva]**
**Quality:** White+
**Traits:** *Extreme adaptability, high mod potential.*
**Skills:** Wriggle. Eat. Spin silk.
**Note:** *Current combat power: Zero. Feed it well, mad scientist.*
Shikane smirked. This thing was a blank slate. A living *canvas*.
His mind flashed to Mayuri's **Sōgyo no Kotowari**—a poison-spewing biomechanical horror. *That's the blueprint.* But first, he needed the Akimichi clan's **Yang Release** secrets to amplify the larva's size.
*Easy enough.*
The Ino-Shika-Chō alliance meant favors flowed freely. A request from the Nara heir? The Akimichi would comply. After all, who'd fear a glorified caterpillar?
---
### **[Academy Days]**
The next morning, Shikane slouched in his seat at the Konoha Academy, ignoring Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's droning speech about *"the Will of Fire."* His gaze drifted over the class:
- A silver-haired boy (**Kakashi**) reading porn under the desk.
- A green-spandex-clad kid (**Might Guy**) doing one-handed pushups at 200 RPM.
- A cloaked, glasses-wearing loner (**Shino Aburame**) radiating "don't talk to me" energy.
And then… the *specimens*.
Uchiha. Hyūga. Even a tiny **Kurenai** practicing genjutsu on her eraser.
*Their bloodlines… their DNA…*
Shikane's fingers twitched. The Mayuri Card pulsed hungrily in his mind, whispering: *Take samples. Dissect. Experiment.*
He gripped his desk. *Not yet.*
"—*The flame's shadow nourishes new leaves!*" Hiruzen concluded, met with cheers from starry-eyed students.
Shikane yawned.
As a Nara, laziness was expected. No need to fake enthusiasm. Let the Uchiha brood and the Hyūga preen. His role was to observe… and *plan*.
---
### **[Aftermath]**
That night, Shikane sketched blueprints by candlelight:
1. **Larva Growth Serum** (Akimichi steroids + Nara shadow enzymes).
2. **Chakra Silk Armor** (larva secretions + Fire Release chakra threads).
3. **Bio-Poison Glands** (inspired by Sōgyo no Kotowari's neurotoxins).
A system alert flickered:
**[New Research Path Unlocked: *"Puppet Master"*]**
**Progress:** 5%
**Reward:** *Larva Mutation: Venomous Stingers (Draft)*
Shikane's lips curled. *Soon.*