Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 213

This sound began as barely audible, but as the bubbling of liquid grew clearer, the sound, as faint as a mosquito's buzz, gradually amplified.

Even so, Hinata couldn't find the words to describe it. The sound didn't seem to belong to this world, and its very presence here spelled catastrophic calamity.

The source of this strange and indescribable cacophony seemed to be slowly approaching the shore—the "shore" in this case being Hinata's present reality.

As the sound of seawater washing against wooden stakes grew louder in her ears, she caught a glimpse through the gap in the triangular door. In the pitch darkness, she saw horrifying forms.

It was a pale gray mass, swelling and wrinkled, shimmering like gelatin, wavering as if suspended particles were freely falling midair.

That fleeting glimpse alone etched itself into Hinata's mind. Only in her nightmares could she dare recall that blasphemous and indescribable visage.

In that instant, terror engulfed her entire being. This fear dwarfed by several magnitudes the terror she had felt as a child when kidnapped by the ninja from Kumo.

The sheer intensity of her fear made her let out a scream, a wrenching, blood-curdling cry that one could only imagine came from unimaginable torment.

Trembling all over, she turned to flee from the metallic door, desperate not to catch another glimpse of the shapes inside. But the kunoichi behind her pressed closer, wielding a sharp metal rod.

"Get in!"

Hinata was forced backward, inching closer to the door tailored specifically for her slender frame.

No! Naruto! Help me!

Despair overwhelmed her, swallowing her alongside her fear. Exhaustion from a sleepless night finally toppled her, and her mind shut down as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

At that moment, the sound of something rolling echoed from the far end of the hall.

The three ninja of the Kamizuru clan turned toward the noise, spotting something orange tumbling out of a round hole in the wall and landing heavily on the floor.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Naruto sat on the ground, grimacing and clutching his head. But the moment he saw Hinata lying motionless on the floor, he immediately stood up.

"Hinata!" His loud, raspy voice echoed, but Hinata didn't respond. She didn't even move a muscle.

Naruto glanced at the kunoichi holding the sharp metal rod and recalled the scream he'd heard earlier from the passage above. A horrifying realization struck him.

They killed Hinata! At that moment, Naruto fell silent.

The immense grief and rage in his heart didn't find an outlet through his voice. Instead, it manifested in his body.

His pupils transformed into sharp, beast-like slits. The whisker-like marks on his face became more pronounced. Orange-red chakra began seeping from his body, forming bubbles that coalesced on his surface.

The chakra continued to accumulate, gradually engulfing him. His form morphed into that of a demonic fox, and behind him, tails began to materialize one by one.

One.

Two.

Three.

The three tails swayed as if blown by a nonexistent wind, their movements feral and menacing. Meanwhile, Naruto, now resembling a beast, bared his fangs and glared furiously at the three shinobi standing before him.

For most ninjas, witnessing such a horrifying state of partial transformation into a tailed beast would instill overwhelming fear—especially for these low-tier rejects expelled from Iwa. Yet, the trio remained indifferent, their expressions showing no regard for their transformed opponent.

Naruto didn't attempt to communicate with them; in this state, he had completely lost his sanity. Any form of dialogue was impossible. His actions were now entirely driven by primal instinct.

In an instant, he lunged forward, pouncing toward the trio like a wild beast. Mid-charge, one of his orange tails lashed out, sweeping toward the ground where the three were standing.

The trio leapt into the air simultaneously, countering with their ninjutsu.

"Bee Honey Jutsu!"

Once again, they used the same technique they had previously deployed to capture Hinata. This time, however, the number of bees formed by the jutsu was far greater, as all three performed the technique together.

But even this was utterly ineffective against the half-transformed Naruto.

His chakra cloak tails swung violently, instantly swatting down a large swarm of the flying bees. The honey-based creatures burst apart, scattering sticky, high-viscosity honey toward him. Yet as soon as the honey touched the chakra cloak, it dissolved instantly, unable to reach his body.

For the first time, a hint of surprise flickered across the faces of the three ninjas.

But it was too late.

In a split second, Naruto's three tails shot out, snaring the airborne ninjas before they could land. The scorching chakra seared their bodies, leaving their skin charred and blistered. At the same time, a strange, unsettling noise echoed from within their skulls—a harsh, crackling sound.

The sound grew louder and louder until, in a grotesque climax, their heads exploded simultaneously, spraying brain matter in all directions.

Amid the grotesque display of flying brain matter, three bizarre shapes emerged. These objects fell to the ground alongside the gore but quickly began twitching, their resilient wings flapping against the ground like fish flailing out of water.

Within seconds, they took flight again.

The three strange, pigeon-sized creatures aligned themselves in a row, circling ominously above Naruto's head.

At that moment, his heightened sensory perception, amplified by his partial transformation, allowed him to see the creatures in vivid detail.

These bird-sized entities had grotesquely large, lidless eyes that glared down at the orange fox with hatred. Their heads were adorned with tendrils that swayed rhythmically, as though following a cosmic melody.

Each creature had ten insect-like, segmented legs covered in glossy black tendrils, which contrasted sharply with their pale, fleshy abdomens. Their semicircular wings, adorned with triangular scales, added an eerie complexity to their appearance—both mesmerizing and repulsive.

The sheer terror they radiated seemed to tear at one's soul. Even Naruto, enveloped in the Nine-Tails' chakra and consumed by rage, froze in place, staring blankly at the three monstrous insects in bewilderment.

He couldn't fully comprehend the horror of these creatures. But the Nine-Tails, which held greater control over Naruto's body, reacted very differently.

Deep within Naruto's subconscious, Kurama not only saw the creatures through its chakra but also perceived an unsettling truth and a name.

Interstellar refugees from the planet Shaggai. Fanatical worshippers of Azathoth.

They were the Shans!

Typically, insects, even the larger ones, were about the size of a pigeon's egg. However, a single member of the Shan was as large as a pigeon, making it enormous compared to ordinary insects.

They possessed a pair of large, unblinking eyes with distinct pupils, unlike the emotionless compound eyes typical of most insects.

Because of these pupils, the eyes clearly conveyed an emotion of hatred.

Unfortunately, this emotion seemed to be the only one their eyes could express, a perpetual hatred that stemmed from their beliefs. They harbored an extreme loathing for all other forms of life.

At this moment, three Shans hovered in the air, glaring hatefully at the half-tailed-beast-transformed Naruto on the ground. From the base of their semi-circular wings, they retrieved a rod-like metal object.

This metal rod, slightly larger than an ear pick, was deftly manipulated by the four segmented limbs at the front of their bodies.

They pointed it at Naruto below.

Before Kurama, who was currently dominating Naruto's body, could figure out what was happening, a straight but faintly quivering pale beam of light shot out from the tip of the rod.

Instinctively, it formed chakra tails from its nine-tailed chakra to shield itself, placing them in front of Naruto's body.

However, the three pale beams pierced straight through the orange-red chakra without any resistance, striking Naruto's body directly.

In that instant, it felt a wave of intense dread.

This sensation was one Kurama was very familiar with—one that a man had once evoked. A man who, at one point, had managed to control even the complete and proud Nine-Tails.

That man was none other than Madara. It would never forget his Sharingan, not for as long as it lived.

But with him, Kurama's fear had a clear source. Its terror had a target.

Now, it couldn't even pinpoint what it should fear.

Was it those flying insects? Kurama's pride refused to let it consider such a notion, but the pain coursing through it undeniably originated from the light emitted by the devices in their hands.

As the pale beams continued to shine, the dread within it swiftly transformed into overwhelming pain. This agony seemed to come from an unknown source, leaving it writhing and rolling on the ground, utterly incapable of resisting or focusing.

In the real world, this was reflected in Naruto's semi-beast form as he clutched his head with both hands, twisting and convulsing on the ground.

Even the sturdy base of the conical building shuddered under the massive weight of Naruto's transformed body as it rolled back and forth.

While the thunderous noise and vibrations didn't affect the three hovering Shans above, they did stir Hinata awake in the distance.

As she regained consciousness, the first thing she saw was Naruto in the distance.

Shrouded in orange-red chakra, Naruto resembled a demon fox. But this fox looked to be in tremendous pain, rolling uncontrollably on the ground.

Although his current monstrous form was frightening enough, as Hinata followed the pale beams of light to their source, she saw something even more horrifying.

Three grotesque insectoids hovered in midair, their semi-circular wings supporting their slightly flattened, chubby bodies. Beneath their enormous eyes were three moist, slime-covered mouths arranged side by side from left to right.

Though she was deeply afraid, she had glimpsed an even more terrifying presence through the crack of a door earlier. Now, having grown somewhat desensitized by terror, her shock was less overwhelming than expected.

With Naruto incapacitated and unable to move, it was up to her to step in and rescue him.

With her hands forming palms, she dashed toward the low-flying Shans. Before they could react, she leapt into the air and landed behind one of the creatures.

"Ha!"

She struck downward with her palm, instantly smashing the insect to the ground. One of its semicircular wings was severed, leaving it sprawled on the ground, its fate uncertain.

The two other Shans quickly reacted. One of them turned its ray weapon toward her, firing a pale beam. However, Hinata, taking advantage of her small stature, deftly dodged under the insect's body, twisting and weaving. The pale beam failed to land a hit on her.

The Shan's hatred intensified. It retracted its rod-like weapon beneath the base of its wings and charged at Hinata with a furious whir.

Its wings beat the air at astonishing speeds, propelling it faster than a bird. Although they resembled insects, their flight was far more advanced.

Hinata's pupils widened in an instant, her mind sharpening to full focus. She formed her hands into palms again, ready to deploy the jutsu she had been rigorously training.

Her hands moved rapidly around her body, so fast that it seemed as though dozens of hands were simultaneously surrounding her. She concentrated her chakra into her palms, shaping it into needle-like threads that sliced through any object approaching her before her palms could even make contact.

This technique, once activated, could prevent even swarms of insects from coming close, let alone a single pigeon-sized grotesque bug.

Yet, as the hideous creature approached her defenses, it suddenly vanished from her sight.

She felt no impact, nor could she locate the creature's menacing flat face. Except for the insect still targeting Naruto with its ray weapon, there were no other insects in sight.

The surroundings felt eerily empty, as though the terrifying insect had never charged at her.

However, just as she began to lower her guard, her vision wavered. The world before her seemed to ripple, as if reality itself was melting.

The sensation was not hot, but she could distinctly feel her crystalline lens undergoing an inexplicable and painful distortion. It twisted her perception, causing disorienting agony.

In a way she couldn't fully comprehend, Hinata sensed the presence of something horrifying—a parasitic entity. The moment it had approached her, it had already infiltrated her body.

At that instant, her subjective awareness merged with an overwhelming objectivity. She could only grasp the entity's presence with a detached clarity: it was inside her brain, navigating the corridors of her mind.

It's inside me! It's crawling on my brain!

She collapsed to her knees, clutching her head in anguish. She wanted to scream, but her throat felt blocked, rendering her unable to make any sound.

When the Shan climbed to a place unreachable by her hands, her consciousness began to detach from the physical world. She could no longer register what was happening around her.

As the parasite and Hinata became one, she was inevitably forced to witness the memories of these insects.