Chapter 161: Aburame Shino
The Land of Waves.
A small island nation with no hidden village of its own.
Due to its remote location and lack of valuable resources, few nations regarded it as strategically important.
Many forces across the ninja world didn't even know such a country existed.
For the people living there, the Land of Waves was less a nation and more a slightly oversized fishing village.
Daily necessities had to be imported by shipping companies.
The exorbitant transportation costs consumed most of what the people earned through their hard labor.
Sometimes, even that wasn't enough.
They had to sell their labor simply to obtain basic supplies.
A poor economy.
A struggling population.
That was the reality of the Land of Waves.
BANG!
A door was kicked open violently.
A group of vicious gangsters carrying swords swaggered into the house.
The bald thug at the front surveyed the shabby interior.
Aside from a few insects crawling along the walls—
There was only a terrified resident of the Land of Waves.
The thug stepped forward, his tone hostile.
"Have you seen—"
"No! No!"
"I haven't even left the house these past few days!"
The resident frantically denied everything.
The bald man sneered.
Then suddenly swung his sword.
"HELP!"
The terrified civilian collapsed onto the floor.
His eyes rolled back.
He nearly fainted from fright.
"Dammit."
"You interrupted me."
The blade stopped inches from his face.
The bald thug spat on the ground.
The men behind him burst into loud laughter.
"Look at this coward."
"No guts at all."
"Doesn't look like he'd dare lie."
"This country barely has any real men left."
"You always pull this crap."
"These people can still be used as laborers."
"If you kill too many, Mr. Gato will dock your pay."
"I didn't kill him, did I?"
"Mind your own business."
"Let's move."
"Search elsewhere."
"That woman and that brat were both injured."
"They can't have gotten far."
Laughing loudly, Gato's men looted some food before leaving the house and continuing their search.
None of them noticed several insects crawling along the walls.
A few followed after them.
Others flew in different directions.
One small black insect twisted through alleys and pathways before eventually entering an abandoned warehouse.
The place smelled damp and rotten.
Clearly no one had maintained it for years.
Inside—
A young Konoha ninja wearing dark glasses and a long coat extended his hand.
The scouting insect landed quietly on his finger.
"All traces of our scent have been eliminated..."
"Their search pattern is moving farther away from us."
"Good."
"We can rest a little longer..."
"...ugh."
After confirming the information, he relaxed.
The moment he did—
Pain from his injuries surged through his body.
Fatigue washed over him.
His legs gave out, and he dropped heavily to the floor.
"Big Brother Shino!"
"Hey, bug guy!"
A young boy and an elderly man emerged from a pile of moldy straw nearby.
They hurried over to help him.
"I'm... fine."
"Mr. Tazuna. Inari."
"Don't touch me."
"My body is covered with kikaichū suppressing the wounds."
"If you touch me carelessly, they might affect you too."
"Big Brother Shino..."
The boy called Inari stopped.
Looking at the blood staining Shino's coat—
Tears streamed down his face.
"It's all my fault..."
"If it wasn't for me..."
"You wouldn't be hurt this badly."
"...It's not your fault."
Shino shook his head calmly.
"Bad people took you hostage."
"That doesn't make it your fault."
"Our job was to protect you."
"The people who did wrong were them."
"Not a child like you."
"And right now, what you should be thinking about is what comes next."
"Crying solves nothing."
"When I was young, my family taught me something."
"A boy's tears are something even insects dislike."
"I... understand..."
Though Shino's expression was hidden behind his glasses, his calm voice gradually soothed Inari.
Seeing that Shino was alright, Tazuna returned to watching the outside through a crack in the wall.
Then he sighed.
"I honestly thought you weren't the talkative type."
"But you're surprisingly good with words."
Shino answered in the same calm tone.
"It's simply how I was raised."
"Insects are born weak."
"But they still struggle to survive."
"Weakness should never be treated as a crime."
"Even a child like Inari needs to learn the difference between right and wrong."
"Well said."
"That's exactly like the Land of Waves."
Though elderly, Tazuna's spirit remained strong.
"We're weak."
"But wanting a better life is never wrong."
"...However, Mr. Tazuna."
"Concealing the true conditions of the mission was wrong."
"...Heh."
"Bug guy."
Tazuna laughed awkwardly.
"For someone so young, you'd make a pretty good teacher."
His expression soon turned serious.
"Listen."
"What do we do now?"
"How are we supposed to regroup with your teacher and my daughter?"
"They were badly injured too, weren't they?"
"..."
Shino fell silent.
He didn't have a good answer.
The insects he'd left near Kurenai-sensei had been destroyed during the battle by that masked Ice Release user.
For now—
All they could do was hide.
They couldn't risk going outside.
After all—
The enemy Kurenai was fighting wasn't just dangerous.
The Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza Momochi, was an extremely powerful opponent.
And the masked ninja Shino had faced was equally troublesome.
Several clashes had already proven it.
Against that mysterious Ice Release and those deadly senbon needles—
His insects couldn't perform effectively.
Most of the injuries covering his body had come from those needles.
Yet...
Shino lowered his gaze toward the bloodstains on his coat.
There were many wounds.
But none were fatal.
The bleeding was limited.
The impact points had all avoided vital areas.
Shino wasn't foolish enough to believe that was luck.
Because throughout every encounter—
Even during the final battle when both he and Kurenai had been seriously wounded—
He never sensed killing intent from the masked ninja.
Otherwise—
At best, Kurenai-sensei might have escaped.
Shino, Tazuna, and his family would have died there.
But if they were assassins hired by Gato—
Why had they shown mercy?
The question lingered in Shino's mind.
And no matter how he analyzed it—
He couldn't find an answer.
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