Leisurely laying on the couch in the base's lounge, Shino exuded an undeniable aura of comfort and content as he issue his command. "Karina, show me the significant parts of the harvest."

A holographic display promptly materialized before Shino's eyes.

The screen danced with ethereal brilliance, with a labyrinth of interesting titles spilling out to fill the digital canvas like a list. Each line, a breadcrumb leading to untold secrets and hidden knowledge recorded by Karina, beckoned him to explore their depths...

Inducing his desires of exploration further was the new dynamic wallpaper that served as the background of the holographic display.

It was a breathtaking vista of a purple and red waterfall, cascading down a fair white surface – smooth with the exception of two palm-size rocks embedded on its surface. Glistening on their surface was a damp sheen, most probable due to the waterfall's unceasing flow.

The wind also claims its contribution, causing the waterfall to undulate rhythmically, harmonizing with an arousing ambient beat – the sound of the waterfall as it came crashing down upon the surface below, over and over again.

This scenic backdrop along with its pulsating beats was certainly intriguing, and Shino couldn't help but immerse himself in the mesmerizing visuals and information displayed on the virtual interface.

"S-Shino-sama, t-these are the content relevant to o-our current plans." Karina's response emerged with a subtle quiver, her words laced with an unmistakable tremor, as though a secret trembled upon the precipice of her tongue, yearning to break free.

Feeling how hard it was... to understand the in-depth details with just a list alone, Shino handed the sorting to Karina, "Was there anything we were looking for?"

As Shino posed his question, the holographic interface responded in kind, highlighting an array of illuminated titles that popped out in a synchronized dance of light.

New screens emerged like ethereal apparitions, their translucent forms hovering effortlessly beside the central display, as if eager to divulge their scrollable contents.

"U-Unfortunately, the Scroll of Seals was not part of the ha-harvest, and there wasn't any hi-highly classified documents. But there was discovery of journals and notes of Sarutobi Hi-Hiruzen's development of ninjutsu. There are also books with details and diagrams on the ninja body. These will be he-helpful for our research."

"Oh? Is that all?" Shino sat up with interest, his hands reaching out with purpose, deftly grasping the velvety edges of the jade table. With a controlled motion, he turned it over, setting it up and ensuring its stability on all fours.

Shino expertly maneuvered the holographic screens, suspending them effortlessly above the smooth white expanse.

The contrast in color between the screen and table immediately granted him a heightened clarity to focus on the intriguing content displayed before him.

"Yes, this works perfectly." A surge of excitement coursed through his veins.

His fingers clutched the legs of the table and he began digging into the secrets.

With every gesture of his body, the holographic interface responded, unfurling a tapestry of intriguing diagrams and information for him to explore.

Like a master conductor leading an orchestra of knowledge, Shino's baton served as the signal for the scrolling of the documents, his gaze fixated on the contents scrolling up and down with seamless precision.

[Lord Shino, these are some of the journals detailing the Third Hokage's personal evaluation of notable ninjas of the village, including ninja school students. On the smaller screen, there are some clues to the location of Root spread through multiple documents…]

"Eh? Root, huh? Finally found some traces." With an insatiable curiosity burning within him, Shino's gaze intensified as he roughly dug into the details of Root, delving deeper into the abyss of hidden knowledge, eliciting a muffled cry.

Hearing the deliberate suppression, Shino's fingers danced across the underside of the table, exploring the intriguing twin knots he had discovered, most likely left intentionally during the craftsmanship of the table to contribute to the natural beauty of the piece of artwork...

Strangely, it was very soft and smooth... belying the secrets at play.

Not wanting these secrets to be hidden any longer, Shino gave the command, "Karina, there's no need to talk through the system when you can speak directly."

"U-Understood S-Shino-sama- ha- ha-" Before him, Karina's subtle, muffled laugh resonated, echoing through the air and tickling Shino's senses.

Hmm? Why is Karina laughing? Did he say something funny?

"Finding Root…" With a surge of electricity coursing through his veins, Shino was suddenly reminded of another carefully crafted plan, concealed in the shadows and awaiting its moment to manifest, "That reminds me, what is the progress of Operation Furofuki?"

"Ha… ha… ha..." It seemed something had tickled Karina's funny bone.

As the surge of electricity subsided, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake, Shino still didn't receive any response except her incessant gasping after laughing too much.

"Karina?" Shino couldn't understand her humor, and frustration coiled within him. Feeling the mounting storm of emotions, he could only forcefully overturn the table with anger and muted the system's superfluous audio, "Fine. You may respond with the system."

[Uff- Lord Shino, the progress of Operation Furofuki is still low. 23% of Aburame clan members have been infiltrated. Only 2% could be fully controlled at anytime. Target Furofuki still has no signs of discovery. No insects have infiltrated Root yet. According to the final feedback from the insects, they have been brought to a hidden lab before being dissected.]

"Root. Still so cautious, but will being cautious let you find anything?" Shino's eyes betrayed a hint of schadenfreude as he let his hands trace through the silky purple-red river, praising nature's beauty in his heart.

[Mm. Lord Shino, Karina will dispatch more bugs to search for clues of Root's location based on the hints of the documents. Regarding the target Furofuki, we currently do not have the necessary drones to carpet search the Jofuku mountains for her location. We've controlled a tainted batch of insects in the Aburame clan, but these still failed to lead us to the forest or its source. Some drones have already been stationed in the nearby villages to gather intel on the location of Jofuku Forest. But there are no results so far…]

"Oh. Good enough. What about the progress of the flesh clone?" Shino's eyes were filled with anticipation and excitement as he felt the impending arrival of his new source of power.

[Lord Shino, the Uzumaki Clone is nearing its completion, and it should be ready by the end of the day or sooner.]

"Oh? Then, it seems that we should try to speed up the progress." With calculated intent, Shino released the muted audio, his hands arranging the table with purpose, ready to put into motion the effective plan that had already taken shape within the depths of his mind.

This time, the plan was produce without Karina's input because strangely...

"Ha… Ha…" She still seemed to be afflicted with the mysterious laughter contagion.

Still laughing? Seriously, Shino couldn't understand what was so funny. Did he miss the joke in between the lines?

So, Shino's form leaned in, drawn towards the holographic interface like a moth to a flickering flame. Like a master detective, he located the anomaly within the blocks of texts, the lines he believed were the cause to the laughing issue.

These lines seemed to be written in messy small font, so Shino grasped the table legs, spreading them apart before pulling them closer. With each pull, the distance between himself and the holographic interface diminished, bridging the gap between observer and observed.

With the table now in perfect alignment, Shino did not hesitate to enter the world in between the lines, hoping an in-depth exploration would allow him to discover the jest that eluded him...

"Anh~ Ha... Ha..."

"Haha. You like it rough like this, don't you?"

"Ha... Ha... yes..."

In the realm where time weaves its intricate tapestry, a pivotal moment approached...

"It's time!"

"Anh~ S-Shino-sama~"

The culmination of meticulous effort had arrived, the flesh clone was ready to be used!

It was finally time for Shino to embrace the legacy of the Uzumaki. What new abilities will be bestowed upon him?