Raise the Flag

The moon hung high in the velvety night sky, casting an ethereal glow over the tranquil Kurosawa village. Shino, Kiba, and Hinata found themselves nestled inside a small thatched hut, their eyes fixed on the door.

They had arrived earlier that day, assigned by their sensei, Kurenai, to unravel the mystery of the village's mysterious disappearances. The chief had told them that every morning, when the villagers woke up, they would find that some of their fellow inhabitants had vanished without a trace.

The conclusion: The disappearances occur overnight. The choice of day and victim was seemingly random. And there are no signs of struggle or forced entry. It's as if they were plucked from their homes.

There wasn't much to work with, even with their ninja detection skills. So, the trio waited by the stump for the rabbit.

As they waited, tension hung heavy in the air. Kiba, restless as ever, struck up a conversation with Hinata, their voices hushed in the quietude of the night.

"Don't worry, Hinata. With me leading the way, we'll crack this case wide open. I promise we'll gain independence from Kurenai sensei after this mission," he proclaimed with his characteristic bravado.

"Arf! Arf! Akamaru offered his support.

Shino, adjusting his glasses with a thoughtful expression, interjected, "Actually, Kurenai-sensei appointed me as the leader for this mission..."

To everyone's surprise, Kiba didn't interrupt or challenge Shino's claim… for once. He merely waved his hand dismissively and responded, "Alright, alright, if you say so. Lead the way, Captain Bug Eyes."

It seemed the previous mission left a shadow over Kiba's confidence in his role as a captain.

The night became deeper, the moon seemingly obscured, cloaking the villager in a shroud of darkness. The trio huddled closer, their senses heightened. However, a strange drowsiness began to creep over Kiba and Hinata, their eyelids growing heavy.

Shino's eyes squinted, his insects also affected by the lethargy. Yet, his main consciousness remained unaffected, allowing him to utilize his other hidden bugs in the outside the village as vigilant sentries.

As Shino surveyed the silent village through the eyes of his tiny bugs he scattered in the area, he noticed something peculiar.

Some villagers emerged from their homes, walking with an eerie, hypnotic rhythm, as if entranced by an invisible force.

"Sleepwalking? Karina, can you detect anything?"

[Shino, there are no signs of intruders, but there is a trace of unknown compound scattered through the air. Also, the sound bugs have detected an anomalous frequency spreading throughout the village. This sound doesn't seem to be detectable by normal ears, and it may be the cause behind the sleepwalking behavior.]

"It seems there may be a mastermind behind this seemingly normal incident. Interesting…"

[Shino, it won't be anything you can't solve. I believe in you. Now, focus on our mission, my dear. It's time to go deeper...]

Determined to unveil the truth, Shino trailed behind the sleepwalkers, treading cautiously into the depths of the Jofuku mountains, into an uncharted forest.

The moonlight filtered through the dense canopy above, casting intermittent patches of illumination upon the forest floor. Shino's insects served as his eyes and ears, transmitting crucial information back to him. Their buzzing whispers carried to his mind, relaying the sight that sent a chill down his spine.

In the heart of the forest, Shino's bugs bore witness to an unsettling spectacle. The sleepwalking villagers stood in a circle, their gazes vacant, as if lost in a trance.

They were surrounded by a cluster of exotic flowers, their vibrant colors a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding them. These were no ordinary flowers; they pulsated with an otherworldly energy, their scent both intoxicating and sinister.

As Shino watched, a wave of shock washed over him. He didn't recognize these flowers – okay, nothing to be surprised about. All those protagonists shocked over every sight, and he's about to become one of them. Now, it was time to escape the cliché by…

"Karina, got any record of them in the database?"

[Shino, after searching the database, there is no match with images archived so far, but the closest match would be your image of Jofuku flowers in your memories.]

"Could this be the place we are looking for, Jofuku forest? No way. You're telling me our bugs searched far and wide, but failed to find even a single trace, yet a random mission led us right to the core?"

[Umph- Shino, it's because we didn't delegate enough resources for the search. Ever since our expansion, we've reduced the investment for small side projects like this one. After all, it was dubious whether Furofuki actually existed as a threat, it was purely speculations.]

"Speculations… the perfect way to for an author who enjoys including a bunch of boring words to hype up the event, only for the reader to discover later that it was nonsense used to pad word count."

[Shino, but our life isn't a story. Otherwise, how would Karina roll her tongue like this, and like this, and how about this-]

"Ahem. Let's focus on the mission Karina. It's time to pick the flower..."

His curiosity propelled him forward, urging his bugs to venture closer, desperate to uncover the truth.

But just as one of his insects inched closer to observe the mysterious flowers, a cackling voice sliced through the stillness, locking his bug in place. Shino's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. His bug had been discovered!

In the depths of the moonlit forest, a figure emerged from the shadows, an old witch with an 'amazing' appearance that sent a shiver down his spine, causing his little brother to wither.

Her elderly frame was clad in a kimono, its colors muted and faded, mirroring the weariness etched upon her face. Dull light-brown hair framed her bespectacled countenance, and a sharp nose jutted out, accentuating her piercing gaze. Time had left its indelible mark, etching wrinkles upon her weathered skin, a testament to the weight of her years.

"Now, now, I can't have you little thing return to report to your owner, can I?" her voice hissed with an ancient wisdom.

With a swift motion, she crushed the insect beneath her gnarled foot.

It seems she will be more troublesome than he thought.

No doubt about it, Furofuki. The name resonated within Shino's mind, a flicker of recognition dancing at the periphery of his consciousness.

In the annals of the original anime, she was a Konohagakure medical nin, a seemingly unremarkable presence.

But in an alternate reality, from a particular fanfiction, her path had diverged, leading her down a treacherous path of betrayal and invasion. Jealousy, especially towards Tsunade, the catalyst that warped her heart and drove her to defect from Konoha.

Yet, as Shino's gaze fell upon her final visage displayed on the holographic interface, a tinge of uncertainty clouded his thoughts. Was this the same Furofuki from the anime?

But the tainted insects within his clan had provided him with a different conclusion.

However, regardless of her allegiance, one thing remained certain. Furofuki had sealed her own fate by crossing paths with Shino. In his eyes, it matters not if his victim was good or evil, the result is the same – his nourishment.

Unbeknownst to the unsuspecting Furofuki, her belief that she had thwarted the leakage of crucial details by crushing Shino's bug was naively misguided, for she could never have fathomed the formidable power of his zerg network, capable of real-time transmission of information across vast distances.

[Damn the old witch! How dare she negatively affect little Shino. Shino, how would you like to handle her? Karina suggests sending out the Cleaner Legion, clean this old witch and leave no corpse behind!]

"Er, calm down, Karina. It was just a sudden shock. We just need to work a bit harder, and everything will be back to normal. But I do agree, let's just clean her up… but wait until later. After all, we have special guests to entertain."

[Understood, target Jofuku forest and Furofuki scheduled for removal by the legion. And a wonderful play has been prepared to entertain the special guests. Lord Shino, please sit back and relax. Karina will show you a wonderful performance.]

"How wonderful can it be? It's just a swarm of zergs overwhelming a poor old ninja with numbers. There's nothing interesting- oh. Ohhhh… I see..."

Unbeknownst to Team 8, a sinister scheme was unfolding in the shadows, hidden from sight.

Silhouettes clad in darkness lurked within the dense forest, their watchful eyes fixated upon the humble thatched hut where the Konoha shinobi resided. Tension hung heavy in the air as the hidden figures prepared to set their plan into motion.

One of the ninjas, his voice authoritative yet devoid of emotion, broke the silence. "Are all of them there?" he inquired, his tone cutting through the stillness.

A voice, tinged with secrecy, replied from the darkness, "Yes, they are all present. Even the Jonin is hidden amongst the villagers."

The leader, his presence commanding, pressed for confirmation. "Are you certain that it is his real body?"

Another voice, shrouded in mystery, responded with certainty. "Positive. The target has displayed signs of utilizing non-Aburame ninjutsus multiple times throughout their journey here."

Curiosity lingered in the air as the other voice raised an important question. "But what if it's a shadow clone?"

The response, delivered with a hint of certainty, echoed through the darkness. "There's a low chance of that. He carries his bugs on his body, an amount his shadow clone's chakra may not be able to sustain, a telltale sign of his true presence."

Silence enveloped the hidden group as the leader contemplated their next move. After a moment, his cold and calculating voice pierced the air. "We have received word that there may be interference soon. You know how his orders work, there is no room for failure. Our numbers are enough, and formations are in place to counter each of them. Nothing can go wrong. Proceed with the plan."

With a shared understanding, the silent ninjas dispersed, their movements as quiet as the night itself.

Like phantoms, they infiltrated the village, each step inching them closer to their intended goal. Their presence concealed within the darkness, their intentions shrouded in secrecy, the hidden figures moved with precision and purpose, ready to execute their carefully crafted plan.

But how many flags were raised tonight? How many of those flags were for victory? And how many of them were death flags?