Upon completing the synthesis, the parasitic bug and the strand of red hair vanished, replaced by a blood-red parasitic bug.
Shigeo Aburame suddenly felt dizzy, accompanied by a deep sense of exhaustion.
"I didn't expect this synthesis to consume so much chakra."
Fighting off the urge to pass out, he quickly stored the newly synthesized parasitic bug within his body.
But then, something unexpected occurred.
As soon as the red parasitic bug entered his body, it began releasing a massive surge of chakra, which coursed through his meridians and spread throughout his body.
The wave of chakra jolted the drowsy Shigeo Aburame awake, a glimmer of excitement flashing in his eyes.
"The synthesis cost nearly ten times the chakra of the soldier-parasitic bugs, but the return... It's nearly a hundredfold. My hypothesis was correct!"
He had been reminded of this potential during the moment Nagato used his Rinnegan to kill that Iwagakure shinobi. Shigeo realized that Nagato had transplanted Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan, a tool notorious for its chakra consumption.
Even Kakashi, a Jonin, struggled with the chakra drain of just one Sharingan transplanted from Obito. Given that the Rinnegan is the ultimate form of the Sharingan, its chakra demands would naturally surpass those of the ordinary Sharingan.
This underscored the incredible amount of chakra Nagato's body must possess.
"And to think, just one hair was enough to synthesize such a powerful parasitic bug. If I were to synthesize them all..."
Excitement surged in Shigeo's chest at the thought.
He immediately retrieved the strands of red hair he had cut from Nagato earlier. With a face full of anticipation, he began synthesizing.
As more and more red parasitic bugs entered his body, the previously depleted chakra pathways rapidly filled.
It was as if a dried-up riverbed was suddenly flooded, the rushing water nourishing the parched earth and further expanding the channels.
The influx of chakra reinvigorated Shigeo, but the tearing pain caused by the expansion of his chakra pathways made him wince and grit his teeth.
To ease the discomfort, he hastened the synthesis of more red parasitic bugs, hoping to burn off the excess chakra. However, the newly synthesized bugs only returned even more chakra to his meridians, intensifying the flow.
For the first time, Shigeo experienced what it felt like to have an abundance of chakra. It was equal parts agony and ecstasy.
When he finally synthesized the last strand of red hair into a red parasitic bug, Shigeo stepped out of his room and bit his finger to prepare hand seals.
"Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram... Summoning Jutsu!"
*Boom!*
A massive plume of white smoke erupted in the clearing.
As the smoke dispersed, a giant toad adorned with a necklace engraved with the kanji for "Loyalty" appeared before Shigeo.
**Gamahiro!**
Shigeo recognized the toad immediately. It was the same one that had brought the scroll when Jiraiya first taught them the Summoning Jutsu.
Gamahiro was immensely powerful. In the original storyline, Jiraiya had used him to defeat Ebisu, a Special Jonin, with ease.
Summoning Gamahiro now confirmed that Shigeo's chakra levels had reached the standard of a Jonin.
"I did it!"
Feeling the once-surging chakra within him now stabilizing, Shigeo allowed himself a satisfied smile.
Previously, he had avoided practicing the Summoning Jutsu due to its high chakra demands. The constant need to maintain his parasitic bug colony left him with little chakra to spare for anything else.
Now, with a superior replacement in the form of the red parasitic bugs, Shigeo finally had the freedom to revisit this life-saving technique. He hadn't expected to succeed on the first try.
"Phew... Looks like I do have some talent for spatial ninjutsu after all!"
Admiring the giant toad before him, Shigeo exhaled deeply and patted Gamahiro on the back with a grin.
"Hiro, thanks for coming. You can head back now. Give my regards to the elders and the two sages for me!"
"Ribbit!"
With a hearty croak, Gamahiro acknowledged the request before disappearing in a puff of white smoke. Shigeo then turned back toward his house.
Around noon, Jiraiya returned.
He was alone; Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were still training hard elsewhere. Their determination was evident.
Seeing Jiraiya back, Shigeo began preparing lunch.
With limited ingredients on hand, the meal was simple. Shigeo measured out two bowls of flour, mixed it with some clarified wood ash water, and kneaded it into dough. He then pulled it into thin noodles, boiled them, and served them in a simple miso broth.
Placing a bowl of the finished miso ramen before Jiraiya, Shigeo was surprised when the older man waved it off.
"Don't worry about me. Take it to Yahiko and the others first. They're probably starving in the cave up ahead."
"Got it!"
Shigeo nodded, packed two bowls of ramen into a food box, and headed out to deliver them.
Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato were practicing diligently, their sweat-soaked forms a testament to their hard work.
Seeing this, a small smile crept across Shigeo's face as he knocked on the food box.
"Take a break, everyone. Lunchtime! Today's menu: ramen!"
Opening the box, he distributed the steaming bowls of noodles to the trio.
"Wow, it smells amazing!" Yahiko exclaimed, grinning as he held his bowl. "I was starving!"
He immediately began slurping noisily, savoring the taste.
Nagato and Konan, on the other hand, each thanked Shigeo quietly before starting to eat.
Halfway through the meal, Yahiko suddenly pointed at their bowls.
"Hey! Why do you two have chunks of meat in yours while mine's all veggies and radishes? Shigeo-senpai, you must've eaten my meat on the way!"
*Thwack!*
Before Yahiko could finish his accusation, Shigeo delivered a swift flick to his forehead, leaving him wincing in pain and tearing up as he looked at the older boy.
"You…! That means I was right!"
"Right, my foot!"
Shigeo raised his hand to hit him again, causing Yahiko to quickly shield his head and back away. The sight made Nagato and Konan burst into laughter.
Nagato, still chuckling, pushed his bowl toward Yahiko.
"Here, Yahiko. You can have mine."
"Uh..."
Yahiko was momentarily speechless, while Konan handed her bowl to Shigeo.
"Shigeo-senpai, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Please, take mine!"
"Ha, no need!"
Shigeo waved her off with a smile and gently ruffled her hair.
"You eat, Konan. I'll share with Jiraiya-sensei back at the house. You're too thin; you need the extra nourishment."
"Okay… Thank you, senpai!" Konan blushed and nodded.
Yahiko couldn't help but interject, "I'm thin too! I need meat!"
"Then go figure it out yourself!" Shigeo snapped, glaring at him. "After training, you're going to the river to fish. If you come back empty-handed, don't blame me for skinning you alive!"
"Ugh…"