〖8:00 PM〗

The ant clones you sent underground to search for White Zetsu have now multiplied to over hundreds of thousands. At the same time, all White Zetsu within Konoha have been completely purged by them.

In fact, with a single command, you could unleash this swarm to devour every living thing in the shinobi world, turning it all into nourishment for yourself.

But you chose not to.

Instead, you petrified and sealed the ant army, preserving it for later use.

At your current stage, gathering meaningful intelligence is far more valuable than blindly chasing power.

After all, you've reached the end of the ninja path. Even if you force a few more steps forward, the gains would be negligible. What matters now is discovering paths to power outside the traditional shinobi system.

...

Meanwhile, deep within the forest near the Aburame clan's territory, the buzzing of insects fills the air.

A giant, pitch-black mantis clad in a chitinous armor flits through the shadows, deftly dodging the attacks of the Parasitic Destruction Insect. With each counterattack, its razor-sharp forelimbs slice the insects cleanly in half, cleaving through swarms with surgical precision.

Soon, other variations of the Parasitic Destruction Insect join the fray—some using venom, others gnawing with their mandibles, and some even unleashing corrosive chakra.

One had to admit, though the Aburame clan might not be physically powerful, the insect variants they cultivated were infused with all sorts of unique chakra types.

In a matter of moments, you had already collected dozens of chakra variants.

The mantis clone's behavior didn't go unnoticed for long. Members of the Aburame clan began to converge on the area—this forest was a key breeding ground for their insects and could not be compromised.

However, as they approached, the mantis clone quickly processed the battle data it had gathered and then vanished, flitting away at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Hidden among the trees, the mantis clone used its accumulated combat experience to continually optimize its fighting style.

At the same time, it began modifying its own body based on the structural data of the Parasitic Destruction Insect.

Soon, subtle changes occurred—on top of the heavy scythe-like arms it already possessed, a new pair of sleek, razor-thin blades sprouted, acting as auxiliary limbs.

...

〖9:00 PM〗

Tonight was a sleepless one for Konoha.

A massive mantis had begun infiltrating the compounds of various shinobi clans, specifically targeting taijutsu specialists.

Though it never delivered killing blows, it drove these ninjas into a corner, forcing them to reveal all their techniques and even their hidden trump cards.

Then it would abruptly retreat.

No ninjutsu or taijutsu could breach its defenses, and its own attacks were pure, unadulterated taijutsu—leaving no trace of chakra behind.

Its movements were so fast, tracking it was nearly impossible.

Time and again, after a brief rest, the mantis would strike again—each time employing techniques it had copied from the ninja it previously fought.

Some sharp-eyed sensory and recon-type ninjas even noticed that with every new appearance, the mantis's body would change—its structure becoming more optimized for killing.

This was precisely your intention.

The ant, mosquito, and mantis clones—each had their distinct roles:

Ant clones possess the ability to devour biomass and multiply rapidly. They boast immense Strength and decent defenses. A single ant clone could exploit the physical frailty of a human body and successfully ambush a Kage-level shinobi. Once they reach critical mass, they could spread across the entire shinobi world—achieving true invincibility and turning ninja into livestock.

Mosquito clones are equipped with powerful Magnet Release scanning abilities. They can fly at high speed without making a sound. Their specially-modified proboscis is strong enough to pierce through even the Lightning Chakra Mode of the Third Raikage. They can instantly extract chakra and bloodline data from shinobi and store it in their abdomen, which has a built-in system for refining and condensing the contents.

The mantis clone—the one you're currently using—is the strongest and most versatile of them all.

Its body is covered in an exoskeleton as tough as the Shikotsumyaku at its peak. It evolves by fighting all types of combatants—ninja and non-ninja alike—gathering data on combat styles.

It then iterates, analyzes, and upgrades its structure and tactics.

In this way, it is constantly evolving into a perfect killing machine.

You chose the mantis for one reason: the human body is still far from the ideal structure for pure slaughter.

Thus, you decided to start with insects—to iterate, refine, and eventually apply the perfected form to your own body, pushing your all-around combat capabilities to their absolute peak.

These three insect clones also represent the three paths you've been exploring beyond the traditional route to godhood:

Devour everything—build power through sheer accumulation until it transforms qualitatively.

Gather bloodlines—construct the web of Kekkei Genkai and trigger qualitative evolution.

Master every combat style in existence—reach enlightenment through universal battle synthesis.

Controlling all three types of clones simultaneously—down to micro-managing their every move—is also an excellent method of training your Spirit stat.

And in doing so, you also utilized certain puppet-controlling abilities granted by the Tenseigan.

It's a great way to get hands-on practice with your newly-acquired Tenseigan powers.

...

〖10:00 PM〗

Chaos engulfed the entire village.

Even the Uchiha clan wasn't spared—just one elusive mantis clone wreaking havoc inside their compound was enough to send everything spiraling out of control, all while collecting combat data from Konoha's best.

What began as confrontations limited to taijutsu specialists soon expanded into general combat. You started testing the mantis against all kinds of opponents, believing that using pure taijutsu to counter ninjutsu might be the path to reaching the pinnacle of close-quarters combat.

And you weren't trying to kill the defeated ninjas.

By sparing them, they would naturally refine their skills—and in doing so, potentially create new, inspired techniques.

Techniques that, the next time you fought them, could be collected and fused into your arsenal.

In short: as long as you keep using appropriately-powered clones to fight ninjas across the shinobi world, and then test yourself against their tactics in return, you can iterate endlessly...

Until the shinobi world is no longer capable of keeping up with your progress.

...

But right then, Hiashi Hyuga grew furious.

The mantis had yet to test itself against the Hyuga clan, and he took that as a personal insult.

In a sudden burst of overconfidence, he sought out Hiruzen Sarutobi and formally requested permission to engage the creature in battle.

Unfortunately for him, Hiruzen wasn't available.

Because your real body was already inside Hiruzen Sarutobi's office—planting a "will-die-for-you" mental branding via Kotoamatsukami.

Even if you left, Hiruzen would no longer be capable of defying your will.

You also implanted a "Spirit Orb" generated by the Tenseigan inside his body, turning him into your perfect puppet.

Now, whenever you want, you can log in to his Ninja World Online account. And if you get bored? Just leave it under Kotoamatsukami auto-management.

...

〖11:00 PM〗

You arrived at Root and took Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan from Danzo's hands.

Then, just as you did with Hiruzen, you used Kotoamatsukami and the Tenseigan to seize control.

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