Chapter 235: The Evolving Insect [Part 1] (Patreon)

Chapter List: Naruto: Sakura Blizzard

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

"So, are we going to start now?"

Two individuals stood still for quite a while, both hesitating to make the first move. Tsubaki finally broke the silence with a tentative question.

"Shall we fight?"

Shino, wearing a high-collar coat that concealed most of his face, along with black sunglasses that obscured his expression, responded calmly.

"Sure, go ahead."

Tsubaki took a moment to gather her composure and drew the longsword from her back. She couldn't help but be a bit unnerved by Shino's uncanny presence earlier.

After steadying herself, Tsubaki brandished her longsword and charged towards Shino.

"Are you going to rely on physical attacks?" Shino pushed his sunglasses up slightly, his voice remaining remarkably calm. "If it's just physical attacks, they won't have any effect on me. You see, I've made ample preparations..."

Tsubaki's longsword swiped across Shino's chest, but in the instant it made contact, Shino's body transformed into a swarm of tiny insects, scattering in all directions.

"Ah..."

Tsubaki suddenly exclaimed in alarm, rapidly retreating to a safe distance away from the swarm of insects.

"Why are you screaming? You seem really scared!" Shino, now reformed from the swarm of insects, was perplexed when he saw the genuine fear in Tsubaki's eyes. "Why be afraid of these cute little bugs?"

"Who's afraid of bugs?" Tsubaki snapped at Shino with irritation. However, recalling the dense mass of insects just a moment ago, she involuntarily took a step back.

"You backed away when we talked about insects, which suggests you're afraid of them!" Shino pushed up his sunglasses, sounding slightly reproachful. "I find insects to be adorable little creatures, but unfortunately, many people seem to dislike them."

"It's not the insects..." Tsubaki's smile appeared forced. "I just dislike the sight of a bunch of tiny creatures crowded together."

"You..." Shino suddenly remembered a condition Sakura had mentioned to him before. "Could it be entomophobia?"

"What's entomophobia?" Tsubaki looked puzzled. Was he referring to her condition?

"Entomophobia is the fear of densely packed small objects, which can induce feelings of fear, dizziness, nausea, sweating, and tingling skin, often accompanied by avoidance behavior. It's a type of phobia!" Shino repeated what Sakura had told him and then added, "You mentioned disliking the sight of crowded tiny creatures, which seems to point to entomophobia."

"Alright, I admit it. I might have entomophobia..." Tsubaki contemplated her symptoms. Every time she saw a large group of small things packed tightly together, she felt an indescribable sense of fear, her scalp tingled, and she couldn't help but want to move away. For instance, when she saw Killer Bee transform into Gyuki with all those eye-like holes on its tails, many Hidden Cloud Village ninjas admired it, but she found those holes rather disgusting. In hindsight, it was likely due to her entomophobia.

The atmosphere between the two of them grew tense once more. Tsubaki, afflicted with entomophobia, dared not get too close to Shino, keeping a vigilant eye on him from a distance to prevent him from suddenly turning into a swarm of insects. On the other hand, Shino, who finally encountered someone who paid constant attention to him from his perspective, didn't want the battle to end so quickly. As a result, they remained motionless, gazing deeply into each other's eyes.

"What are they doing?" Sakura, observing from the stands, glanced at Shino and then at Tsubaki. She suddenly remarked, "Could these two have locked eyes on the battlefield and decided to embark on a passionate romance?"

"Your imagination needs to dial it down a notch!" Hinata shot Sakura a disapproving look. "Didn't you hear what Shino just said? That Hidden Cloud Village ninja named Tsubaki has entomophobia, and Shino's combat style..."

"Gosh..." Sakura's mouth twitched, and she shivered involuntarily. Shino's combat style was enough to make people like her, who were perfectly normal, feel uneasy up close. It was just Tsubaki's bad luck to be paired with Shino, especially considering her entomophobia. She must be feeling very uncomfortable right now.

"Hey, you two down there, are you going to fight or not?"

Someone from the stands couldn't bear the boredom of watching the two individuals stand still without taking any action.

"Do you still want to fight?" Shino asked.

"I do." Tsubaki's hand holding the sword trembled slightly, but she mustered the courage to continue the match.

"Close-quarters combat is too repulsive for me. In that case, I'll use Lightning Release for ranged attacks to find an opportunity for a decisive strike."

Tsubaki considered her options. She couldn't be sure if she could endure being grossed out again if she engaged Shino in close combat. So, she decided to stand at a distance and use Lightning Release to create an opportunity for a one-hit kill.

"Lightning Release..."

Tsubaki formed hand seals, and her Lightning Release chakra spread out, manifesting as a dazzling display of lightning.

"Do you think you can create an opportunity with Lightning Release? Unfortunately, it won't work..."

Shino's fingers moved, and a gigantic beetle emerged from the ground, blocking his path. The lightning struck the beetle, leaving its body charred, but Shino himself remained unharmed.

"Ah, blocked by bugs, huh? I've heard that the Aburame clan specializes in controlling insects in combat, and it seems those rumors are true!"

Tsubaki frowned. She formed hand seals again, releasing another Earth Walking technique with lightning, but this time, a smaller beetle emerged from the crack in the first beetle's carcass, showing some blue stripes on its body.

"Insects continuously evolve!"

Tsubaki's Lightning Release attack was once again thwarted, and the beetle died after blocking the attack. However, this time, the beetle's body looked less damaged. It was evident that her Lightning Release had a reduced impact on the beetle this time.

"What's going on?" Tsubaki was perplexed, her mouth slightly agape, unable to understand the situation.

[Read at www.patreon.com/bokuboku, without ads and support the work.]

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Next Chapter >>Chapter 236: Evolving Bugs [Part Two]