Inside the eighth slot resided the Erosion Bugs. These were an elite strain derived from the Corpse-Blight Bugs—or more accurately, a hybrid created by crossing them with the original Kikaichu and inducing mutation.
They possessed all the fundantal abilities of the Abura's parasitic insects but with terrifying reproductive speed.
They were omnivorous to an extre; if starved, they would devour soil and ore just to sustain themselves.
While they lacked elental attributes or toxins, their unstable genetic structure made them prone to further mutation, which Shisui considered their greatest asset.
In the ninth slot were the Stink-Blight Bugs, a premium variety Shisui had selected after extensive experintation.
These were a mutated branch of Erosion Bugs that had been fed massive amounts of toxic and putrid fungi. After long-term directional induction and ti-accelerated evolution, they beca a stable, specialized breed.
Their only drawback was the cost; Shisui could only cultivate about a hundred at a ti, and the energy cost of a single one was equivalent to five thousand ordinary Erosion Bugs.
The tenth slot contained the Floating Bugs. Their full technical na was the Arc-Skeleton Vacuum Moisture Insect.
Their sole purpose was to regulate internal air density, assisting in flight when used alongside the Insect Carpet Jutsu.
They were large, hollow, and stark white. They were the gentlest of his swarm, requiring only water to survive.
However, they were also the most genetically stagnant, aning they had zero potential for further mutation or evolution.
The remaining two slots were empty. These ten species represented Shisui's entire biological arsenal.
The Purge and the New Direction
"The Great Insects can be retired," Shisui thought. He wasn't sure if his "golden finger" would ever expand beyond twelve slots, but since it hadn't changed in years, he had to manage his inventory strictly.
Great Insects were easy to breed on short notice; keeping them in a permanent slot was a waste of space.
With a ntal command, he moved the hundred specins into the main chamber of the Petri dish, decomposing so into raw materials and converting others into pure energy.
Next, he adjusted the internal environnt of the dish. It was ti for a new experint.
Half a year ago, Shisui realized he had hit a bottleneck. His bone structure had set, his body was maturing, and his chakra growth had stagnated.
Chakra is the 1:1 refinent of spiritual energy and physical energy. Slow growth ant his physical vessel was reaching its natural limit.
To break through, a ninja usually has two paths: Spiritual Transcendence or Physical Reconstruction.
In terms of the body, the Hidden Cloud's Lightning Style Armor was a half-asure aid at cell stimulation; otherwise, one had to look toward body modification—but Orochimaru hadn't yet begun his deep dive into the "truth of life."
As for spiritual training, thods were virtually non-existent in the ninja world. Most relied on life-and-death combat to temper their will, or a fanatical "Ninja Way" to force a breakthrough.
Shisui didn't have that temperant, nor did he want to rely on such inefficient thods. He wanted insects to do the work.
He envisioned two types: one to boost the mind, and another to catalyze physical evolution—a "food" insect whose biological byproducts or flesh could be consud to rewrite his DNA.
A Thousand Years of Trial and Error
He chose the physical route. Over the last six months, he had already screened a dozen strains with high life-force.
They worked on lab mice, but the side effects were nurous. Now, with a thousand years of accelerated ti at his disposal, he began a rigorous selection process.
Shisui injected a massive amount of life energy into the Petri dish and pushed the "Fast Forward" button.
Year 30: Fifteen strains were completely wiped out. In the hyper-competitive life-energy environnt, only five self-sustaining species remained.
Year 100: One species began "regressive" evolution. Instead of storing nutrients, it evolved heavy armor and jagged claws, wasting energy on infighting for hive dominance. Shisui manually erased them, reclaiming the energy.
Year 200: The other four species underwent irreversible mutations. They stopped stockpiling life energy and began arming themselves with biological weapons.
"A failure," Shisui sighed. "Though not a total loss. I've identified five potential foundations."
Just as he was about to reset the environnt, every insect in the Petri dish suddenly underwent a massive physical collapse. He slowed the ti flow to investigate.
The culprit was a microscopic organism that had been hitching a ride inside the other four species. It had mutated, causing the hosts to liquefy.
These organisms were hyper-prolific; upon the death of a host, they sward the next. Most hosts died, but a tiny fraction underwent a strange tamorphosis.
"A parasitic mutation?" Shisui frowned. Then it hit him. This wasn't a bug. It was a virus—a byproduct of the insects' own genetic instability.
Under accelerated ti, the virus iterated at a blistering pace. His original "God-Body" prototypes were unrecognizable. Most had devoured each other or dissolved, leaving only two results:
Paired Soft Parasites: Microscopic, twin-linked organisms. Their purpose was unclear, but their chakra signature suggested they were likely failures.
The "Chiras": Large, grotesque insects with mixed traits. They were bloated with concentrated life energy. Shisui couldn't be sure what would happen if he ate them.
And then, there was the Virus itself.
Shisui preserved the original virus in one of the empty slots. He kept the two mutated insect types in the other remaining slots for future testing. If they were useless, he'd wipe them later.
The main chamber of the Petri dish was cleared, returning everything to a state of raw energy. Shisui checked the gauge. He had 500 years of "Original Energy" left.
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