Underground base. Lab.

The newly upgraded lab room was dimly lit, with only the soft glow of bioluminescent creep illuminating the shelves upon shelves of glass containers filled with various insects, fungi, and other organisms.

Shino was poring over a thick, leather-bound holographic tome in his vision. His glasses glinted in the dim light as he traced a finger over a particularly interesting diagram of a Karina's face.

Thanks to the upgrade in her lifeform, her face has become an epitome of beauty. Though it bore resemblance to the original Karin, a touch of refined elegance had been added to her features, granting her a feel reminiscent of a mature and beautiful scholar.

This beauty was now serving him... as his secretary.

And man, was she good. Shino really had to commend her for performing her duties so well, allowing him to finally unlock a whole new development route.

With Karina defending his secret base and his main body, Shino felt less apprehensive about the possibility of his zergs being discovered.

Thus, he saw this as an opportunity to devote his time to strengthening his army, honing his skills, and perfecting his database.

So, ever since the birth of Karina, Shino had lifted the constraints on some of his mutated drones, unleashing them into the vast and limitless expanse of the Naruto world.

Of course, this was just an initial reveal of the zerg army and wasn't a full-blown invasion. Their only mission now was to stealthily scour for books and scrolls, adding precious knowledge to his database.

Still, he was well aware that these drones could become a prime target for hunting. So, he took extra precautions and set up covert measures to prevent it from ending up in the hand of others.

Thanks to the new talented Karina under his beck and call, these branches in his development posed no issues.

Naturally, these weren't the only goals on his agenda.

As he suspected that he may have become a subject of interest to some cunning masterminds, Shino's intuition urged him to accelerate his efforts in all aspects.

Thus, his diligent drones had also intensified their biomass harvesting in the training grounds of Konoha.

As a result, they've begun to enter the line of sights of the ninjas.

Shino knew all too well that the frequent return of his drones to the same location could jeopardize the secrecy of his base.

So, to prevent his covert base from being discovered, Shino devised a network of smaller creep biospheres, scattering them across the subterranean world under Konoha to act as temporary storage containers for his drones to deposit their precious resource.

Thanks to this, his main body only had to go collect his harvest once a month or less, reducing the risk of his main base getting discovered.

Of course, the risk still exists on his main body, but this work-around was their best solution for now.

Needless to say, safeguarding his main body was paramount to Shino. So, they made sure to reduce the risks to the minimum.

With the assistance of Karina, it wasn't difficult to secure the area before any harvest.

With these routines in place, their life has fallen into a rhythm of grinding hard, and progress was visible, especially in their base.

As their base was their lifeline, Shino and Karina worked tirelessly to improve the defense of their biosphere.

The walls were fortified and the security measures were upgraded to ensure that no one could discover their hidden location.

Now, even if an intruder manages to penetrate the biosphere, it's still a question if Karina would let them leave alive. Even the filial scheming son may fall if he delved too deeply. Perhaps the only exception would be the number one actor with his buggy Kamui ability.

Naturally, Shino wasn't going to mention the powerful foes who could pose a threat to his base with their raw destructive force. After all, they might have a hard time finding their way to his hidden lair. His great focus on anti-detection security measures were not for nothing.

The biosphere's security upgrade was just a precursor to what Shino had in mind.

A small expansion that he had planned for a while was now underway. Many rooms had been optimized with enhanced functionalities, and a few new rooms were also constructed.

One of the new rooms was this second lab, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment he found and repaired from an abandoned lab near Konoha.

The abandoned lab had many useful scientific equipment, many still functioning properly despite their lack of maintenance.

Since its owner had recently left Konoha and won't be coming back any time soon, Shino was determined to not let these equipment rot. So, he 'borrowed' them permanently. Thank you, Uncle Snake- Ahem.

And these equipment were certainly put to good use almost immediately.

Shino looked up, turning his attention to a large glass chamber in the corner of the room. Inside, a small, humanoid figure was suspended in a thick, nutrient-rich solution.

It was a younger replica of himself, but with a twist - it had the signature red hair of the Uzumaki clan.

This was one of Karina's new abilities as a queen. She could create fleshly clones using his essence and biomass, but the results still left much to be desired.

"Karina, is there any problems to note on the clone?" Shino asked, absentmindedly returning to flipping through the pages of the virtual book, but his eyes betrayed a bit of heated desire.

[Lord Shino, the clone did not deviate from the predicted trajectory of growth. The genetic code of Lord Shino's zerg body is adapting well to the Uzumaki bloodline. Progress is steady and this biological shell is nearing its completion. Once the clone entered the aforementioned stage of stability, Lord Shino can proceed to upgrading your bloodline.]

Shino could sense the build-up of excitement, yet he maintained his composure and asked. "Are you sure this clone has no consciousness and soul? If it has a soul, there will be many complications..."

[Karina is positive. Although Karina can clone Lord Shino with his life essence, Karina still doesn't have the ability to give the clone a soul. This will require further research in the future. Um, if any signs of consciousness is detected, Karina will notify Lord- Umph...]

Shino's gaze deepened into a dangerous intensity as he peered through the virtual book, where there was a stunning figure with lustrous purple and red locks, her eyes widened in astonishment.

Gulp. Gulp. The intense swallowing caused her to irresistibly become the focus of his attention, and he didn't hesitate to give her even more attention...

After a few moments, Karina languidly rose to her feet, arching her back and showcasing the alluring contours of her body. As she stretched, she licked her lips, cleaning and savoring the remnants of her previous activities. "Shino-sama, the extraction has been completed."

Eh? What extraction? For research of course! Shino's eyes fixated on Karina's lips, one of her ultimate research tools.

Karina's lips curled into a playful smirk, ignoring Shino's smoldering gaze. She swayed her hips seductively and sauntered over to the chamber.

Placing her hand on the chamber, some opaque fluid seemed to be injected into the chamber. It wasn't long before it was absorbed by the growing clone.

Karina peered into the chamber. "This clone has both Shino-sama's essence and mine? Wa- That's incredible!"

Throwing a seductive glance over her shoulder, she licked her lips invitingly.

Ohoh. Interesting. It appears she's up for a little game.