Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 286 Some things are either cultivated from childhood or...

Two hours later, the three arrived at a charred ruin. Amidst the crumbling walls, the outline of what was once a large clan's settlement could still be vaguely discerned, now reduced to desolation.

"Is this... the place where the Tsuchigumo clan once lived? Were they massacred? How brutal." Orochimaru looked around and said with great interest.

However, upon arriving at this location, Maria Ozawa's expression turned grim: "My senses... are becoming blurred. It seems like that aura permeates everything, yet I can't pinpoint its exact location..."

That's not her fault. Although the blindfolded girl is a Shadow-level spirit, the person who placed the seal is clearly of a higher level, so it's already quite an achievement that they were able to track her down to this place.

As the blindfolded girl's illusory image dissipated, Maria Ozawa staggered, beads of cold sweat appearing on her forehead.

Controlling such a spiritual entity is extremely taxing on her. Even with the gifts from the two, her strength cannot be improved overnight.

"This place seems to have been completely burned." Orochimaru used his toe to clear away a patch of scorched earth, bent down to sniff, and then looked up at Shisei Aburame, a glint of light flashing in his golden eyes. "And... I think I smell insects."

He turned his head and looked at Aburame Shicheng, seemingly expecting an explanation: "It's your bug."

Aburame Shisei nodded: "Yes, they are my bugs."

He reached out and grasped at something as if holding a wisp of invisible energy, a slight smile playing on his lips: "However, it's not my 'current' insect."

Orochimaru listened in bewilderment, and before he could ponder it further, Aburame Shisei chuckled and said, "As expected, they come from the future. This is truly... a great gift delivered to our doorstep."

Travel through time!

Orochimaru was shocked, and then a strong desire to investigate arose within him.

However, seeing Aburame Shisei lost in thought, he didn't dare to disturb him, but patiently waited quietly.

Aburame Shisei stroked his chin, head bowed in thought. As a transmigrator familiar with the original story's plot, he naturally knew that the underground dragon veins possessed the power to traverse time.

Since my present self knows this, my future self must also know it. Therefore, the destruction of the Earth Spider clan is probably part of my own plan.

What message will I want to convey in the future?

The Earth Spider Clan... Natural Energy... Forbidden Technique: Wrath of Heaven... Is it a natural energy biased towards the earth element?

Perhaps the clues to cultivating the next immortal insect are hidden here. Since it's an earth spider, the most suitable host is undoubtedly a spider-like creature. The Wrathful Sky should also be one of the keys, but it has probably already been taken away.

So, how do we obtain it?

Aburame Shisei pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked at Orochimaru: "Speaking of which, the Tsuchigumo clan briefly served Konoha in their early years, didn't they? Could the remains of their powerful comrades from the Warring States period be found in Konoha's memorial monuments or old cemeteries?"

"You want to... use the Impure World Reincarnation technique?" Orochimaru immediately understood.

Aburame Shisei nodded and said, "Help me find the soul of that powerful figure. Since the body is gone, his soul should still be lingering in this land."

"Those who travel through time are truly thoughtful!" Orochimaru chuckled deeply, his eyes flashing with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. "They seem to be destroying traces, but in reality, they are transmitting information. Shicheng-kun, to go to such lengths to achieve your goal... your future self is truly frightening."

"Then how can you be sure whether he traveled through time or whether he is a part of the timeline of history?" Aburame Shisei came to a startling conclusion: "If time could be changed so easily, then the cause and effect of this world would have been in chaos long ago."

"So it should be a completely closed loop."

Orochimaru froze on the spot, staring unblinkingly at Aburame Shisei, then said, "Was this an inevitable outcome? The causal relationship of time is truly terrifying!"

"They thought they had changed time, but in reality, it was their presence that put the future on the right track."

"Where are we going now?" Maria Ozawa didn't understand anything and looked blank, so she couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

Yu Nu Zhicheng looked towards the northwest, and suddenly he seemed to sense something. He reached out and grabbed at the air, laughing as he said, "Loulan, the dragon vein."

-

On the other side, the full moon shone brightly, illuminating the countless stars in the night sky.

A young man hurries through the dense forest, his feet planted firmly on tree branches, his arms outstretched behind him, maintaining the most primitive running posture.

He hadn't used this kind of long-distance running for a long time and was no longer used to it.

However, right now, they had no choice but to speed up—if they didn't hurry, they would miss it, and dawn was about to break over there.

Two hours later, he finally emerged from the forest and entered the land of wind, a desert region.

Just then, the scene he least wanted to see still happened: the sky turned a pale white, the morning sun illuminated the entire desert, and waves of heat rose up.

"Damn it, I was still a step too late!"

He felt a pang of self-reproach, but this was mostly due to the unexpectedness of the situation.

The journey to the dragon vein should have taken only half a day, but the winged insects we were carrying died this time!

Winged insects have always been docile and controllable, and in the future, they will be an essential means of transportation for almost everyone. Only the Uchiha clan, who can use space-time ninjutsu, don't really like to use them.

He personally hatched and raised this winged insect when it was very young, so it can be said that it has nothing to do with the insect demon.

He clearly had a long life ahead of him, but he died inexplicably two hours ago, as if someone was controlling him from behind the scenes.

In that instant, a sense of foreboding washed over him.

At that moment, he gripped the crystal pendant around his neck, something his mother had given him before he set off.

He brought the pendant to his lips, leaned in, and gently kissed it, saying, "Lucky pendant, bless me."

If he had known this would happen, he should have devoted himself to studying the Flying Thunder God Technique.

He muttered these thoughts to himself, but he didn't regret them.

Although he did not learn space-time ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God Technique, he mastered all of his mother's and father's techniques, and even learned his great-grandfather's techniques, as well as more advanced sealing techniques.

Dispelling the strange feeling in his heart, he continued to exert force with his feet, recalling the galloping techniques he had learned, and continued to traverse the desert.

Now, he just hoped the Uchiha guys would wait for him a little longer.

He inwardly marveled at Uchiha's good fortune; he had drawn a lucky lot, meaning he only needed to destroy one summoning beast and wouldn't have to bear any guilt.

At the same time, they secretly prayed that there would be more time. They hoped that the children wouldn't run into Minato Namikaze's team.

Because it was only after Minato Namikaze's team finished their operation that the Time Insects appeared in the Dragon Vein.

That means that Aburame Shisei may have also noticed the dragon vein recently... and he may have arrived after that day.