Chapitre 40: Mission to Hacho Village
Shino sat alone in his underground lab, staring at the failed experiment on the tables with a deep frown etched on his face. He had been working for weeks, but there had been no progress.
Alina, his AI companion, had been gone due to Project Queen, and without her analytical capabilities, Shino's research had almost come to a halt.
His mind was filled with unmatched creativity, a courtesy of his passion for reading light novels in his previous life, but he had never been particularly talented at research, which was highlighted by his solo efforts in the past weeks.
Shino sighed and leaned back in his chair, feeling defeated. He missed Alina terribly and wished she would return soon. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a signal from his clone.
With a flicker of his mind, his awareness traversed through the familiar network before his eyes snapped opened once more, taking in a not-too-shabby room. However, it was unmistakably not the Aburame clan's quarters.
Amidst the temporary absence of a Hokage, the two wizened advisors wielded considerable power and authority, one of them being the issuance of directives to send out ninja on various missions.
Shino, along with his fellow members of Team 8, had been assigned a mission by Konoha to solve a strange disease in Hacho Village, one of the larger villages of Konoha, located on the outskirts of the Land of Fire.
It seemed a medical ninja had already identified the root cause to have a bug origin, and requested for a bug specialist to take care of the issue.
Shino learned from Kurenai sensei that he was named specifically for the task, hand-picked for his unique abilities as an Aburame. The task was deemed simple, and thus, high-ranking members of the Aburame clan were not dispatched.
Under the cover of darkness, the group had arrived in the village, eager to meet with the village leader and get started on their mission. However, the officer on duty informed them that the leader was already in slumber, and so they agreed to postpone their meeting until the next day.
And after a night of rest, it was time to tend to the patient in need.
Another knock came from the door.
"Yo, Shino, you awake?!" Kiba called out.
The door creaked opened, revealing Hinata and Kiba eagerly peering inside. Their eyes were bright with anticipation as they watched Shino methodically secure his box onto his back
"Hey, Shino!" Kiba exclaimed. "We're finally going to complete the task! Why are you still sleeping in?"
Shino's expression remained stoic as he peered through his glasses at Kiba, his silence speaking volumes.
An awkward silence hung between them as Kiba fixed Shino with an unyielding gaze. The air was charged with an unspoken challenge, and Kiba seemed to sense it.
Suddenly, a realization lit up his face, and he brought a hand down to clap Shino on the shoulder with a hearty laugh. "Yo, Shino, just answer me. Don't worry, I won't interrupt you this time."
Shino arched a brow as he considered the dog boy's words. After a moment of thoughtful silence, he finally spoke, "Okay, let's-"
"Arf! Arf!" As he yapped, Akamaru's head emerged from the folds of Kiba's coat, his eyes bright and alert.
Deliberate. Definitely deliberate.
Suppressing his inner turmoil, Shino's countenance remained unmoved. Although he had become more reserved with his words, it was still surprising to note that he had been interrupted by Kiba almost thirty times during this mission alone.
"Yo, Akamaru! Good boy, I knew you would understand me, hahaha! Let's go, Shino, Hinata!" Kiba's grin grew wider as he affectionately rubbed Akamaru's head, his eyes shining with an unspoken excitement.
Hinata fidgeted her fingers as she discreetly stole a glance at Shino, "Shino-kun, Kiba-kun didn't mean it. He's just..."
Shino's inscrutable gaze rested on Hinata, whose white eyes nervously shifted back and forth. With her head bobbing, she poked her fingers together, attempting to act cute.
Okay, he won't argue with these children. He'll just keep it on the account books. Once he becomes an adult… or maybe he won't even wait that long...
As Shino stepped outside the building, he was captivated by the stunning view of the village.
A vast lake shimmered in the sunlight, with glistening water sprawling as far as the eye could see.
The edges of the lake were surrounded by townhouses, sitting on raised stone terraces with modern designs and lush greenery adorning their front porches. The buildings were arranged in rows on terraces, creating a layered effect, while telephone poles dotted the streets.
Beyond the village, dense forests and a towering rocky mountain loomed. The mountain seemed to be the perfect geographic defense, but it was only from a bird's eye view that one would realize the village was nestled at the edge of an enormous crater!
The village, while not as sprawling as Konoha, was still larger than the quaint, nameless towns they were accustomed to on previous missions.
Those other small villages were shrouded in mystery, never given the chance to step into the limelight of the anime's narrative. Their secrets and stories remain untold, buried deep within the shadows of the shinobi world.
Despite having less significance relative to other distinct villages and towns, Hacho Village was a village which still held some significance, and as such, it had a name and a place in the story.
Since it received a brief appearance in the anime, the village naturally held its own peculiarities, which had not gone unnoticed by Shino.
As Shino trailed Kiba and Hinata towards the village entrance where the village officer had agreed to meet, he furrowed his brow, racking his brain for any tidbits he could remember about Hacho Village.
"If I remember correctly, this village had a friendly relationship with the Tonika village at the center of the Hole. The village leader was Disonasu, and he colluded with Kabuto to destroy the Tonika village so that he could acquire the sacred place… but this would happen far in the future, after Kabuto masters the Reanimation Jutsu…"
"As for this village, there's not much that is special except its water that could accelerate the cell division and life form of any living organism. Perhaps this could play some significant role for the swarm, but that still requires research."
"The true treasures lie in Tonika village – the place that conceals the Spear of Heaven, an ancient super weapon in the form of a massive, three-segmented tower. But it's still a dangerous place that I can't afford to handle at the moment."
Beware, for the ease of the downfall of Tonika Village at the hands of Kabuto was not an indication of its weakness.
It was merely a display of Kabuto's overpowering ability to resurrect fallen Akatsuki members, a formation so formidable that it could render even the mightiest ninja villages helpless, had there not been even more dangerous fellas rising one after another.
Unless Shino could unlock new powerful zergs and increase the number of his already impressive army to an overwhelming amount, his greed for the weapon could only be stifled.
"But it doesn't mean I couldn't mark this interesting place for the future, just like I did with many other locations. I'm still weak now, but I have plenty of time – I just need to strike before Kabuto."
A sly grin hung on Shino's face as he sensed the drone that was hibernating deep beneath the surface of the Hacho village. When he was ready, that will be his beacon in the future.
Following the paved stone road and after a few more minutes of walking, the team finally arrived at the entrance of Hacho Village, where they were met by Kurenai sensei, who had just arrived. She looked relieved to see them and greeted them with a smile.
In a matter of moments, the officer arrived. However, it was not Shiseru as depicted in the anime, but a mysterious and unfamiliar man. He was destined to go nameless even in a novel, so Shino kindly granted him the name of Officer Bystander.
"Welcome, young shinobis," he said, bowing deeply. "We are honored to have you here in our village. Apologies, the village chief has tasks to tend to. So, he arranged me to lead you to the patient. Please, follow me."
Shino kept a calm expression on his face, but his eyes darted towards Kurenai sensei, who appeared to have picked up on something amiss as well.
Kurenai sensei caught Shino's covert glance, and her eyes narrowed subtly in response. Understanding his unspoken question, she shook her head almost imperceptibly, signaling to him to exercise caution.
Their mission was to treat the patient, and anything beyond that was not something they should be nosy about.
Officer Bystander led them directly to the patient. As for the village chief, he was nowhere to be found.
This intrigued Shino. Could it be that the wizened Disonasu is attempting to flex his influence? Or what other reasons could there be for Disonasu to delay them?
As they strolled down the vibrant street teeming with colorful stalls, the team couldn't help but notice the peculiar attire of the villagers.
Many villagers strolled by in breezy attire, sporting short-sleeved shorts made of light fabric, their outfits designed for comfort in the warm climate.
Some wrapped themselves in long, flowing robes made of a light, airy fabric, mostly the older elders of the village.
Others wore long-sleeved police tunics made of blue and black fabric. Many of these officers carried a sword, clearly the weapon of choice for the enforcers of this village.
The villagers all had friendly expressions on their faces, and some even greeted the team as they walked by.
Kiba grinned and waved back at them. "Hey, they seem like a friendly bunch," he said, nudging Shino in the ribs.
Shino didn't react, but Hinata smiled softly. "Yes, they do," she said.
The team made their way to the edge of the village and entered a small building. Inside, they found a group of villagers gathered around a young girl who lay on a mat on the floor. The girl looked pale and sickly, and her breathing was labored.
Kurenai stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the situation. "What's wrong with her?" she asked the elder.
"We're not sure," he replied. "She's been like this for weeks, and none of our healers have been able to cure her. A medical ninja came before, but left with no success. However, she did tell us she would send some shinobi who could help..."
Kurenai nodded, and the team sprang into action. Hinata activated her Byakugan to scan the girl's body, while Kiba searched the room for any clues.
Intrigued by the possibility of insects lurking within the young girl's body, Shino surreptitiously dispatched his swarm of bugs to scour her form, searching for any signs of their kin.
As they worked, Shino couldn't help but notice the odd smells in the hut.
"There's a strange odor in here." He mused, wrinkling his nose, as he glanced over to Kiba.
Kiba sniffed the air with Akamaru as well, but they didn't seem to notice anything.
Hinata looked up from her examination of the girl. "I think I've found something," she said. "There's a small creature sleeping inside her heart, feeding off her chakra."
Kurenai's eyes were steady. "A parasite," she declared. "We'll need to remove it immediately. Shino."
Shino nodded in acquiescence and directed his bugs to infiltrate the girl's body. Naturally, he wasn't going to harm her. He was going to coax out the parasite, whether by hook or crook.
Unexpectedly, the parasite remained asleep, reducing the difficulty of the operation.
The only problem was that this process was an arduous and time-consuming one, akin to performing surgery. A careless mistake could prove catastrophic for the girl, but with Shino's flawless control, this wasn't an issue.
Of course, beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and a face of exhaustion was displayed, giving the impression that he was struggling. His act demanded unwavering commitment, leaving no room for half-measures or faltering resolve.
Just as Shino's hands reclaimed the sleeping parasite from the girl's body, an unexpected odor assailed his senses.
It was the smell he discovered before. The smell was unmistakably rotten, and it was growing stronger by the second.
He was momentarily distracted, but he suddenly felt a jolt of fear run through him. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.
Before he could react, the parasite suddenly sprang to life and darted towards him with incredible speed. Despite his quick reaction, Shino was unable to dodge the swift attack. In a flash, the creature had burrowed deep inside his body!
"Shino!" (x3)
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone