Chapter 36: Konoha Crush Ends
The forest outside of Konoha was eerily quiet, save for the droning of insects. As the swarm gathered, a replica of Shino slowly formed.
Looking down at himself, Shino couldn't help but smile wryly as he watched a few stray bugs spill out from his body.
The consequences of his actions were already showing its tail. But Shino knew that he had set a course, and there was no turning back. He could only hoping that it was the right one.
"Although I have absolute control over the bugs, without the assistance of Alina, it is still difficult for me to micromanage so many bugs and condense a perfect clone to control remotely. Not only that, I won't be able to maintain the clone while I am asleep or unconscious. Hey, it's difficult to be a zerg overmind with a normal human mind..."
As the insects continued to crawl out of his body, Shino remained unfazed. He had anticipated this minor setback, knowing it would have little impact on his combat abilities.
Each of his clones had been crafted with precision, optimized with unique mutations of bugs that allowed it to surpass the capabilities of a typical insect clone.
While his insect replicas maintained a formidable combat power, they did have their limitations. They lacked the ability to harness normal ninjutsu, and their movements were not as nimble as Shino's original body which had been evolved.
Nevertheless, he had no doubt that his insect army would be a force to be reckoned with, even without Alina's asssitance.
"Well, it'll do. Let's get started. I don't want to be late and delay the plot. If Alina's calculations were correct, the Sand trio should show up at any moment, with Sasuke right behind."
In the obscured shadows of the forest, Shino adjusted his glasses and patiently waited for the arrival of the actors. Although his map system no longer had real-time updates, he could still sense the approaching actors' locations.
After all, he had covertly placed a female bug on them… Honestly, Shino realized how broken this female bug is. If he didn't have his system's zerg network, this bug would probably be his main method of tracking.
But with his advanced zerg network, he only needed to use the female bug to distinguish the special targets from all his other marked targets and bug monitors spread throughout Konoha. He could then concentrate his thoughts to sense the female bug's location through the zerg network, and he could even receive some arbitrary visual and audio intel as a bonus.
Shino's gaze flickered upwards, his glasses glinting in the filtered sunlight that crept through the forest canopy, "They're here."
With a calm and measured breath, he prepared himself for the impending encounter.
The moment Kankuro and Temari halted their movements, Shino sensed the tension in the air. It was palpable, thick enough to be cut with a kunai.
Sasuke had finally caught up to them, and it was clear that he wasn't going to let them off. Knowing Temari had already failed once, Kankuro, ever the loyal brother, offered to hold off Sasuke while Temari took Gaara to safety.
As Temari left with Gaara, Sasuke was about to eliminate his obstacle.
Naturally, that was Shino's cue.
The duo, who were about to start, vigilantly glanced at the swarm of bug gathering on the branch of a tree besides them. It didn't take long for the figure of Shino to appear. Adjusting his glasses, Shino glanced at Sasuke before declaring, "I'm your oppo-"
"You're- bug boy!" Kankuro's angry growl reverberated in the forest, interrupting him.
Shino's mouth twitched. Honestly, he seriously didn't remember Shino being interrupted left and right this much in the anime, and definitely not at this cool moment of his.
"Shino? Why are you here?" Sasuke questioned.
"I put a female insect on you. Only a female-"
"You and your bugs. Do you think you can be so arrogant after you beat me once with petty tricks? I haven't even shown you the full extent of a first class puppeteer yet!" Kankuro interrupted as he began to unfurl his puppet.
Shino could only sigh inwardly inside. Did his transmigration cause Shino to be interrupted more often than the original? Was there some mysterious force at work, altering his hostile counterparts to interrupt him?
Turning towards Sasuke, he offered, "Sasuke Uchiha, go pursue Gaara. It's because the battle-"
"Tsk- Quit yapping. I'll be your opponent," Kankuro said with an evil grin as his puppet laid on his back, ready to launch itself at its enemy.
His brows twitching with annoyance, Shino adjusted his glasses as he continued, "I'll fight him. Leave this to me."
"You're very confident. But are you going to be okay?" Sasuke said with an arrogant smirk on his face.
"No need to-"
"Hehehehe- Quit ignoring me, bug boy! You're all just fools who don't know anything."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he looked at Kankuro, but he didn't respond to his words. Instead, he took a single step forward and disappeared from sight, moving with incredible speed towards his destination.
"Naive. I don't think you've experienced true terror. Whether that Uchiha likes it or not, he'll see it… as for you… hehehe..."
Shino felt a bit tired. Maybe he should just stop talking, and speak with his actions.
"Heh. Bring it on!" Kankuro growled as a wicked grin spread across his face.
Without hesitation, he thrust his arm forward, launching his puppet into the fray.
With a simple spread of his finger, a sharp blade popped from out puppet's hand.
Swoosh! The tension in the air was palpable as Kankuro's puppet lunged forward with deadly precision. But Shino remained unfazed, his gaze steady and his mind focused. With a swift motion, the puppet's blade extended towards Shino's heart, ready to strike.
Yet in a split second, the scene turned on its head. The bugs around Shino's chest suddenly receded, leaving a gaping hole in their wake. Kankuro was left dumbfounded as his puppet's hand sliced through thin air and passed right through the hole!
"Nani?! Clone? When?!"
From the very beginning, but Shino wasn't going to tell the ignorant bloke that. A true puppet master controls his avatar from afar, not playing around with wooden puppets in close combat.
With a thought, the bugs composing Shino's body surged forward, encasing the puppet and drilling into every one of its joints.
"Damn, this again! I'm not falling for it!" Kankuro angrily growled.
Kankuro's movements were lightning quick as he furiously waved his hands to counter Shino's attack. With a sudden swish, the chakra threads sliced through the air, causing the wooden puppet to split apart into multiple pieces.
Then, the puppet's head and chest suddenly split open, revealing two ominous-looking barrels.
Bang! Bang!
Two balls were shot out from the barrels towards the insect swarm. As the balls approached, Shino's body contorted as two gaping holes opened up, intending to let the bombs pass through.
"Oh no you don't! Explode!"
Boom!
A sudden eruption of purplish smoke spewed out of the balls, spreading out and seeping into the surroundings with a menacing hiss. They were poisonous!
The toxic fumes swiftly corroded everything in their path, reducing the area to a wasteland.
The hapless bugs, unfortunate enough to be caught in the noxious cloud, were quickly dissolved into slimy, oozing messes!
With bated breath, Kankuro remained concealed in the thick underbrush, his eyes darting back and forth across the battlefield.
As the poisonous smoke gradually dissipated, his gaze fixed upon the tree that Shino had been standing in just moments before. His eyes suddenly narrowed, "Gone? No, how is this possible?!"
A sudden jolt of fear coursed through Kankuro's body, as sweat dripped down his face. He felt a strange but familiar creepy crawly sensation spreading from his back. An ominous sensation crept up his spine as he felt the disgusting sensation slowly inching towards the front of his body.
"W-When?"
Behind him, Shino adjusted his glasses and sighed. The bug user couldn't help but feel a tinge of sympathy for his opponent as he watched Kankuro's sweaty face contort in discomfort.
Of all the foliage he could use to hide, it was an unfortunate coincidence that Kankuro had chosen to hide in the very same bush he had been using as cover.
That's right, the Shino that had appeared was actually a clone! Oh, to be more accurate, it was a clone of a clone.
This was also a part of the arsenal of the optimized clone. It could split off a good portion of normal spare bugs and some sound bugs to form a hollow clone – this shell didn't have much combat capabilities, but it was perfect for communication and distraction.
As for the 'real' clone Shino, he was hidden in a bush, using his camouflage ability from the start.
Shino's bug-based abilities were impressive, but they did have their limitations.
Unlike the advanced Alina Combat Assistance system which had optimized manipulation that granted him complete invisibility, Shino's solo bug camouflaging only allowed him to form stationary walls of concealment. This meant that he couldn't use it to sneak up on an enemy while remaining invisible.
Shino had initially intended to let the camouflaged bugs he had spread out in the surroundings slowly infiltrate Kankuro's body, but who would have expected the boy to deliver himself up to the chopping board. This was an opportunity too good to pass up, so Shino could only heartlessly slam down the butcher knife on the unlucky fella.
Hearing the screams of agony in front of him, Shino could only do his best to control his bugs such that they don't accidentally kill Kankuro. This poor puppeteer still had a role to play in the future – even though the poor fella can't even afford to control as many puppets as an old granny.
Plus, Shino knew that Gaara will be whitewashed… and he certainly didn't want to get on the future Kazekage's blacklist, even though he knew the poor boy will be the host to a comedic flop, featuring the Kage who was easily whopped by the not-so-scientific version of the big bang theory.
But the punishment for interrupting him was not forgotten. Unlike another dog, this one wasn't a heavy offender, so he can escape being marked in the black book. He should feel lucky for receiving such a light punishment.
Shino's eyes drifted out into the dense forest as he stood there, his hands tucked nonchalantly into his pockets.
As for supporting Sasuke? Sorry, that's Naruto's job. He didn't want to inadvertently affect the results of Naruto's infamous talk no jutsu.
Boom! A deafening boom echoed in the distance, causing the earth to tremble beneath Shino's feet. He knew that the long-awaited final battle had finally begun. With a calm demeanor, he commanded his bugs to return to his body.
With a brief glance at the unconscious form of Kankuro, Shino couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment before calling out,"Old man, I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me. I'll head out first."
His body buzzed and disintegrated into a swarm of buzzing insects that took flight, dispersing into the surrounding forest.
Emerging from the shadows nearby, Shibi Aburame's visage betrayed a faint grin as he surveyed the disappearing bugs and the living sand genin.
Naturally, it wasn't his son he was worried about. He was just ensuring that there would be no diplomatic issues.
Now that he had no worries, he can continue the mission he was tasked with: monitoring and gathering intelligence on his targets.
With a deft twist of his body, he transformed into a flurry of insects that streamed forward towards the site of the ongoing battle.
As the silence settled over the forest, the unconscious Kankuro lay still, his fate uncertain. But then, a sudden gust of wind blew through the trees, and a blur of blond pigtails appeared out of nowhere, swooshing past on her journey to escape.
Moments later, she screeched to a halt and hopped back. With a deft swoop, the kunoichi snatched up her brother and, with a few well-placed slaps, awakened him from his beauty sleep...
"Where the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village. And once again, tree leaves shall bud anew." - Hiruzen Sarutobi
Upon closer scrutiny, it becomes evident that his words were not only true but also held a hidden meaning, as if hinting at something ominous yet to come. Interpreting between the lines, one would realize that there will always be shadows to the fire that will illuminate the village.
The original story already had many. Now, there is another...
With eyes as sharp as a hawk's, Shino stood atop a towering tree, silently overseeing the unfolding events below.
Obscured behind the curtains of stealth bugs, he meticulously planned each move, taking advantage of the chaos to reap some unusual rewards from the final battle, one with a giant toad sticking a sword into a 'frog' stuck at the bottom of the 'well' of seals.
All the while, Shino kept a watchful eye on the events affected by the intricate web of plans he had spun, ensuring that everything played out according to his original expectations.
Danger and opportunities continues to coexist with this village, but the foreknowledge of the plot would be his ticket to a stable environment for development.
If his predictions were correct, those two should have already arrived.
"Akatsuki, huh?" Shino muttered with a sly smile, "I wonder if they will let the world know pain first, or if the world will be gone first."
The cunning Shino clone flashed a sly grin before vanishing with the wind, his form dispersing into countless bugs that merged seamlessly with the surrounding forest.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone