Aburame Shigeo remembered that in the original storyline, Naruto graduated from the Ninja Academy at the age of 12.
That meant, four years later, when his Wood-Style Parasitic Destruction Bugs reached over ten thousand in number, Naruto would have just graduated from the academy and been persuaded by Mizuki to steal the Scroll of Seals.
The timing was perfect!
"No, it's still not secure enough!"
Aburame Shigeo suddenly became serious, adjusting his sunglasses slightly.
"Four years should theoretically be enough time to cultivate enough Hashirama Cells, but what if something unexpected happens?
Even if nothing goes wrong, what if the bugs number over ten thousand, but the total chakra still doesn't reach tailed beast levels?"
Whether his chakra could reach tailed beast levels was critical to him.
This was directly tied to a special plan he had in mind.
"Even if the chakra doesn't match the Nine-Tails, it shouldn't be too far off. There can't be any room for failure; this must be absolutely secure!"
With that thought, a plan formed in his mind.
"I'll need to expand the channels for cultivating Hashirama Cells, but I can't use Akatsuki's funds. Looks like I'll have to dip into Chien's dowry."
Over the past seven years, Konan had been teaming up with Nagato on missions, accumulating a significant amount of money.
Although Aburame Shigeo was merely an "internal researcher," occasionally falsifying reports allowed him to siphon some funds from Kakuzu to pad his personal stash.
Over time, the two had saved more than 20 million ryō.
Initially, Aburame Shigeo planned to use this money as a dowry for his daughter when she got married.
But now, it seemed unavoidable.
"I need to secure my own strength first; everything else can wait. Or maybe, I could use this opportunity to sell off those streets in Amegakure managed by Yukie?"
Yukie was a former member of the "Salamander Band." Beautiful and intelligent, she also possessed great business acumen.
After Hanzo's death, Aburame Shigeo disbanded the band but kept Yukie to manage the streets and shops he had purchased.
That was only on the surface, of course.
In secret, Yukie served as a liaison between Nagato, Yahiko, and Aburame Shigeo, handling message delivery.
However, Konan mentioned that Yukie and Yahiko had been romantically involved for years but hadn't married due to their busy lives.
Aburame Shigeo felt it was time to lighten Yukie's burden to prevent her relationship with Yahiko from being delayed any further.
"Once I establish a new Hashirama Cell cultivation channel, I'll help Yahiko and Yukie settle their wedding. As for Nagato… forget it, he's a tough case!"
In the original storyline, Yahiko and Konan were a couple, while Nagato remained single until his death. Not only did he lack a girlfriend, but he didn't even have someone he was ambiguously involved with!
Aburame Shigeo once asked Nagato about his type, and Nagato's response?
"A woman who can bring peace to the Shinobi World."
Marry Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, then!
Aburame Shigeo had given up on finding Nagato a partner; the success rate was too low. It felt as futile as Orochimaru trying to obtain the Uchiha bloodline.
Any sign of success was nothing more than an illusion!
Thinking of Orochimaru, Aburame Shigeo's eyes suddenly lit up.
"I know how to establish a new Hashirama Cell cultivation channel. No… I don't even need a new one. I already have one ready!"
…
Aburame Shigeo used his ring to contact Nagato, requesting permission to return to his secret base in the Land of Fields, using the pretext of checking if Orochimaru had returned.
Upon hearing this, Sasori also applied to join the trip.
Aburame Shigeo immediately agreed.
Akatsuki had a rule: members had to operate in pairs during missions.
This was not only to improve efficiency but also to monitor each other, preventing betrayal or leaks.
Given that Aburame Shigeo's stated reason for leaving was to check if Orochimaru had returned to their old base, Sasori naturally had a reason to tag along.
Sasori, being a stickler for rules, believed that since Orochimaru had been his partner, it was his responsibility to deal with him after his defection.
In a way, this was Sasori's way of being responsible.
Aburame Shigeo appreciated Sasori's straightforward personality and didn't mind him coming along. On the departure day, Shigeo even arrived at the agreed meeting point early.
To his surprise, Sasori was already there.
Knowing Sasori disliked waiting, Aburame Shigeo quickly apologized. "Sorry for being late."
"No, you're right on time."
Sasori, controlling Hiruko, spoke in a deep voice.
"I don't like waiting, but I also dislike being waited on. Let's head out now!"
With that, he took the lead.
Seeing that Sasori seemed to have planned the route, Aburame Shigeo silently followed.
Instead of traveling along the borders of the Land of Fire, they crossed through the Lands of Grass, Waterfall, and Frost to reach the Land of Fields.
The two did not conceal their movements, encountering ninja from the Hidden Grass, Hidden Waterfall, and Hidden Frost villages along the way.
Each encounter ended in a confrontation, with their opponents annihilated.
The most unfortunate part for these ninja was that they didn't even get a proper burial.
Sasori removed their internal organs, installed mechanisms and ninja tools, and turned them into human puppets.
Human Puppets!
Aware of his own limits, Aburame Shigeo always kept his distance when Sasori worked on making these grotesque creations.
It wasn't out of pity for the enemies; he simply couldn't bear to see the corpses of fellow humans treated so cruelly.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Eventually, Sasori started to avoid working on puppets in front of Shigeo.
Not inconveniencing others was also one of Sasori's principles.
After roughly a month of on-and-off travel, they arrived in the Land of Fields.
Guided by memory, Aburame Shigeo quickly found the underground base he and Orochimaru had built.
As he entered, his eyes widened in shock.
"How is this possible?"
He had expected the base to be covered in dust and cobwebs after seven years of abandonment.
Instead, it was spotless, and the cell cultivation room he cherished was still operational.
The glass tanks were filled with green nutrient fluid, and large chunks of Hashirama Cells floated within.
Such sizable Hashirama Cells would take years to cultivate, requiring significant resources and advanced technology.
"Who could have done this? Could Orochimaru really have returned?" Aburame Shigeo wondered.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a voice called out.
"Master, you've finally returned!"
"Hmm?"
Following the voice, Shigeo saw a handsome, gray-haired man standing before him.
"Lan? It's you?"
(Chapter End)