"The Sage Arts of Ryūchi Cave are mainly focused on Genjutsu and enhancing one's own abilities."
"Floating is just one of them—there's also invisibility and transformation."
"Invisibility won't be of much use to you, since you already possess the Transparent Release."
"As for transformation, you can start trying it out yourself. I'm curious to see what form you'll be able to assume."
The small emerald-green snake that Tagorihime had turned into flicked her tongue as she explained Ryūchi Cave's Sage Arts in detail to Gekko Chizan.
Ichikishimahime clicked her tongue in irritation. She was unhappy—Tagorihime had beaten her to it once again.
"That's just your specialty, isn't it, Tagorihime?"
"If it were me, I'd suggest Chizan learn the Absorption Technique. It's the Sage Art I've mastered—it allows one to absorb another's chakra using their own sage energy."
"A technique like that would suit Chizan much better."
Gekko Chizan only nodded slightly in response to the two snake princesses' teachings. He already had a good understanding of Ryūchi Cave's Sage Arts.
Each of the three snake princesses possessed different abilities.
Tagorihime had the power of shapeshifting, Ichikishimahime could absorb, and Tagitsuhime's ability lay in binding.
"Why should I have to choose?"
"I'll take all of them—that's more my style. Once Tagitsuhime returns, I'll learn all three of your Sage Arts."
"Transformation, absorption, or binding—it all feels tailor-made for me."
Who was Gekko Chizan? He was the type to never let any opportunity slip by. With Sage Arts laid right before him, how could he not seize the chance to learn?
His words left Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime momentarily stunned, but soon they both smiled softly.
"Alright, let's save the chatter for later."
"I think we're almost at our destination."
From the air, Chizan could already see flickering lights in the distance through his insect vision—it was clearly their destination.
And with his keen sight, he saw something else...
It was a sight that could send anyone with trypophobia into sheer panic.
Everywhere—the trees, the ground—was covered in dense swarms of bees...
As the Iwagakure squad approached, those bees received some kind of command and began to disperse, slowly forming a clear path for them to walk through.
"Chizan, these Kamizuru clan people seem stronger than the ones we've met before."
"And the number of bees... it's strange. They don't seem as lively as before. Instead, I feel a heavy, deathly stillness coming from them."
Chōmei frowned deeply. As a giant insect himself, he naturally understood insect colonies well—but the swarm before him gave off an incredibly unsettling feeling.
Not only he, but even the two snake princesses sensed that something was off.
"Chizan, these bees... they make me feel uneasy..."
"Yeah, me too. It's like they exist solely for killing. No... at this point, they can't even be called living creatures anymore."
With Chōmei and the two snake princesses all saying the same thing, Chizan realized his own instincts weren't wrong either.
Because he felt it too.
As they pondered in confusion, the Iwagakure squad entered the area.
One familiar face after another came into Chizan's view.
"Tōshirō-sama, I have something to report."
"Hmm? What is it?"
Iwagakure Jōnin Tōshirō stepped forward slowly, with a group of people behind him. Some bore insignias resembling bees on their shoulders—clearly elites of the Kamizuru clan.
"Tōshirō-sama, while patrolling near the border of the Land of Grass, we discovered some of the venom bees attacking their own allies."
"Hey, you—explain the situation."
"These are the venom bee corpses I recovered."
The squad captain respectfully recounted everything that had happened and presented the collected bee corpses.
Expressionless, Tōshirō turned to look at one man behind him.
"Yabachi-san."
"Yes, Tōshirō-sama."
The middle-aged man named Yabachi stepped forward with long strides, stopping before the squad captain and picking up the venom bee remains.
Seeing his movement, Chizan couldn't help but ask Chōmei,
"Chōmei, he won't be able to detect your scale powder, right?"
"What are you thinking? That bee-keeper? Seeing through my scale powder? Impossible! I—"
Chōmei snorted disdainfully. After all, who was he? He was the King of Insects! But sometimes, it's better not to speak too soon.
"Tōshirō-sama, these venom bees were being controlled. This situation is identical to what happened last year inside the Land of Earth."
"Though invisible to the naked eye, I can sense something unknown present—something that exerts a strong, guiding influence over insects."
Gekko Chizan: ...Chōmei, what was that you just said?
Chōmei: I... I must've dozed off. Yeah, that's it—I just fell asleep for a second.
Yabachi, as the Kamizuru clan chief, had spent his entire life studying bees.
The Kamizuru clan wasn't a major clan in the Land of Earth and had never received much recognition from the village. Their attempts to make a name for themselves in past wars had also failed.
But last year, when countless venomous insects appeared within the Land of Earth, he saw it as an opportunity—even though no one knew how they had emerged.
To seize that chance, he had even resorted to using his clan's forbidden technique...
And it finally led to the recognition they enjoyed today. He would not allow anyone to stand in the way of the Kamizuru clan's rise.
"Nonsense! You attacked us just because I criticized your Kamizuru clan a bit!"
"Even Nichikawa died at your hands!"
"You people who play with poisons—how vicious can you be!"
"You killed our comrades and still deny it!"
The scar-faced man shot up furiously, shouting at Yabachi, his hand twitching toward his blade.
Yabachi's face turned cold, killing intent flickering in his eyes. Sensing it, the venom bees around him began to stir awake.
In an instant, the entire forest filled with a menacing buzz.
The scar-faced man froze, his body rigid under countless unseen gazes. The pressure was suffocating—he didn't dare utter another sound.
"Enough. I believe Yabachi. After all, in all this time, the venom bees have never once gone out of control."
"The Kamizuru clan are our heroes—and one of our key forces in the assault."
Tōshirō's voice was icy. He didn't even bother to glance at the scar-faced man.
"Tomorrow morning, we launch the attack. I don't want to hear about anything like this happening again."
"Yabachi, handle the rest yourself."
Leaving only those words, Tōshirō turned and walked away. He couldn't stand being around those bee-handlers any longer—disgusting! With his superior gone, Yabachi turned his gaze back toward the scar-faced man.
But this time, the look in his eyes said it all—the man was already as good as dead.
"The rise of the Kamizuru clan will not be stopped by anyone."
The moment his words fell, the venom bees swarmed into the air, filling the forest with a deafening hum.
Screams? There were none.
Those consumed by thousands of venom bees didn't even have the chance to make a sound.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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