Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 211

"Shino! What just happened? Why were all those insects chasing us?"

Kiba's face showed a mix of shock and lingering fear. While those were just ordinary insects and not the trained destructive insects of the Aburame clan, theoretically without much lethal capability, the sheer number—millions, perhaps more—of insects chasing them was overwhelming.

Shino shook his head, revealing his own confusion. "I don't know either. This is the first time I've encountered something like this. And when I came here with my father last time, we didn't see that huge conical structure."

"Could it be that someone built such a strange structure here?" Kiba's offhand remark seemed to spark something in Shino, who suddenly perked up.

"You might be right. Someone could have built that cone-shaped structure here."

"But who could it be?" Hinata asked.

Kiba glanced at the trio still lurking nearby and whispered, "Could it be those three who have been shadowing us all along?"

"Maybe they're bug users like you, Shino. They might have secretly built that structure for some unspeakable purpose. When Naruto accidentally discovered it, they used insects to drive us away."

Kiba shared his theory. Shino pondered it for a long moment before nodding slightly, though he didn't sound entirely convinced. "Maybe."

Kiba's speculation seemed plausible. Besides the abundance of insects, the forest held no particular features other than being a natural haven for bug users. Ordinary people couldn't even enter this basin surrounded by cliffs, so it was highly likely that those people were also bug users.

However, as a bug user himself, Shino knew an essential rule: a bug user could only control one species of insect at a time. Controlling multiple species would trigger inter-species hostilities, significantly reducing effectiveness in combat. 

But earlier, there were millions of insects of dozens of species chasing them. It was inconceivable that a single bug user—or even three—could manage that. 

And what secrets could that cone-shaped structure hold to warrant such massive insect defenses? Or was it because of that structure that they could control such a vast number and variety of insects? 

This situation could involve conflicts of interest among bug users. Shino decided that once this mission ended, he would inform his father and let the clan investigate.

Meanwhile, Naruto, looking utterly baffled, broke the silence. 
"What are you all even talking about?"

The three looked at Naruto in astonishment, suddenly realizing that their thick-headed teammate hadn't even noticed the trio shadowing them or the terror of being pursued by millions of insects. 

Maybe ignorance really is bliss.

Shino and Kiba exchanged helpless looks, deciding not to explain the complicated situation to Naruto for now. They feared he might act impulsively and make things worse.

Shino turned his gaze skyward. The fiery sunset was dimming, and before they knew it, the sun was almost set.

"After nightfall, the Bikōchū are harder to detect. Let's rest here for the night and continue searching tomorrow."

With Shino's instructions, the four quickly set up camp nearby.

Far away, on the crown of a towering tree, the three shadowy figures stood motionless like statues. Their eyes were wide open, bulging like copper bells, but their focus was no longer on the Konoha ninja or the Aburame clan member they had been watching.

Their gazes were fixed on the setting sun, almost entranced, oblivious to the risk of sunlight scorching their eyes. It was as if some mysterious force emanating from the sunlight was irresistibly drawing their attention.

As night fell, Shino's team quickly prepared dinner and went to sleep.

He insisted on following the natural cycle of insects—rising with the sun and resting with its setting—arguing that this schedule was optimal for capturing the elusive Bikōchū. Consequently, their team had an exceptionally early bedtime.

Despite the presence of the mysterious trio nearby, he surmised that their lack of overt action indicated a desire to remain hidden. To play along, Shino's team pretended they hadn't noticed the trio and refrained from posting a night watch.

However, late at night, Hinata secretly snuck out.

For the past few days during their journey, she had been sneaking off at midnight to practice her Gentle Fist techniques, determined to improve her skills. Tonight was no exception.

Under the moonlight, she moved gracefully in the forest, her movements resembling an elegant dancer. Her Gentle Fist strikes shone beautifully in the silvery light.

Suddenly, Hinata felt a surge of killing intent. Before she could fully process it, the sound of something slicing through the air shattered her tranquil practice.

Reacting swiftly, she leapt aside, narrowly dodging the attack. Looking towards the source, she saw a kunai embedded in the ground.

"Oh? You dodged it," a voice remarked.

From the shadows of the bushes, three figures emerged slowly.

Hinata focused her gaze. The trio consisted of two men and a woman—the same three who had been tailing her group since earlier that day.

Their appearances were unremarkable, but their eyes were haunting. The whites of their eyes were bloodshot, and their red-ringed eye sockets gave them an eerie, menacing look.

"Honey Bee Jutsu!"

Without any further talk, the kunoichi launched a jutsu. A swarm of bees flew directly toward Hinata.

Hinata immediately swung her kunai, slashing at the incoming bees. However, as the name of the technique implied, these bees were not real—they were formed from viscous honey.

When the bees were sliced apart, sticky honey splattered over Hinata, restricting her movements.

Adding to her troubles, Hinata had already exhausted most of her chakra during her earlier training. She had little left to defend herself.

Overwhelmed, Hinata was defeated and captured by the trio.

The captors dragged her to the other side of the forest, where the burly male ninja roughly threw her to the ground. Before the leading kunoichi could issue any orders, the male ninja growled impatiently.

"I can't wait any longer!"

Like a wild beast, he grabbed a kunai from his waist and raised it high above Hinata.

In that instant, her eyes widened in terror. The deadly gleam of the kunai loomed a mere body-length away. If the man leaned down even slightly, it would pierce her without fail.

The crazed look in the man's eyes made it clear—he fully intended to kill her then and there.

Naruto!

As the kunai descended, Hinata squeezed her eyes shut, screaming Naruto's name in her mind.

With a sickening sound, the blow landed—but Hinata felt no pain.

Opening her eyes cautiously, she was met with a shocking sight.

The crazed ninja's kunai had not struck her. Instead, it had slashed across his own arm. Blood gushed from the deep wound, streaming down his hairy, limb and dripping onto Hinata's face.

The sight of the man's self-inflicted injury, combined with the blood staining her cheek, overwhelmed Hinata. She could no longer contain her fear and let out a terrified scream.

"Ahhh!"

What's going on?

Why is he using a kunai to cut himself?

Hinata's heart was filled with shock and fear. Overwhelmed by intense unease and terror, she curled up on the ground, trembling silently, not daring to make any noise lest she attract the attention of the man in front of her.

The man staggered toward Hinata after slicing his arm with the kunai, his gait unsteady and erratic. Raising the bloodied weapon high above his head, his intent was unmistakable—it was aimed at her.

The sharp blade of the kunai glinted in Hinata's pupils as it came closer. But with a crisp clang, another kunai flew from the side, knocking the weapon out of the man's hand.

"Kuro! If you kill her, we won't be able to negotiate with those Konoha ninjas!"

The voice belonged to the kunoichi leading the group. She was clutching her head in pain with one hand while her other hand remained outstretched, frozen mid-motion from throwing the kunai.

"Argh!"

Kuro appeared furious at being stopped by the woman. Yet, remnants of rationality restrained him from arguing. Instead, he turned to a nearby rock, venting his anger on it.

His bare fists pounded against the stone repeatedly, even as his skin split and blood splattered on the rock. Kuro didn't stop.

To Hinata, this was no longer an act of anger—it was sheer self-destruction.

Another male ninja, with blond hair and glasses, was behaving similarly. Standing on the other side of the clearing, he gripped a tree trunk with both hands and repeatedly slammed his head against it. Blood streaked down from his forehead, splitting as it flowed across the bridge of his nose. His grotesquely twisted face wore a chilling smile.

The horrifying scene left Hinata deeply shaken. She couldn't understand why these people were harming themselves so violently. It was as if they were under the influence of some genjutsu.

Could there be someone else here controlling them?

Although her hands and feet were tied, it didn't stop Hinata from activating her Byakugan.

Hinata propped herself up slightly and scanned the surroundings. However, she didn't see anyone else present. The only ones in the area were the three individuals in front of her, their bodies glowing faintly in her Byakugan's vision.

But as her gaze swept over their bodies, she noticed something abnormal within each of them.

One of the Byakugan's abilities is its X-ray-like vision, capable of perceiving not only chakra flow, acupoints, and pathways within the body but also abnormalities in internal organs. Members of the Hyuga clan are sometimes even invited to Konoha's hospital to help locate medical issues in patients.

Now, Hinata saw a massive, flattened, spherical structure nestled between the skulls and brains of the three individuals. This structure was highly unusual. Though her Byakugan's outline wasn't clear enough for precise details, she observed that the part of the structure adhering to the brain's surface was slightly moving.

Fine tendril-like appendages from the base of the spherical structure latched onto the brains of the three. These appendages twitched rhythmically, resembling the segmented legs of an insect, as if "stroking" their brains.

The eerie "abnormal tissue" alone was enough to imagine the agony it inflicted. Among the three individuals, only the female leader seemed to retain her rationality. The other two appeared entirely consumed by pain.

Were they resorting to self-harm to alleviate this torment?

Though her Byakugan allowed her to see the anomaly within their brains, Hinata couldn't identify what it was and could only speculate.

It must be this thing in their brains that's driving them to act so insanely.

From their absorbed expressions of agony, they seemed entirely preoccupied with their suffering. While Hinata felt pity for their plight, she cast a glance at the ropes binding her hands and feet, looking for an opportunity to escape.

At that moment, the seated kunoichi spoke in a low voice:

"Don't bother. You won't escape."

"These bees will watch you for us. If you try anything, they'll attack immediately."

Overhead, several massive bees buzzed ominously in the air.

"Don't you need help? I can see what's happening to you—"

Hinata tried appealing to reason, but the kunoichi interrupted her harshly.

"Shut up! The Kamikawa clan doesn't need the pity of Konoha ninja!"

"But there's something in your brains—"

Before Hinata could finish, the kunoichi stood abruptly, grabbed Hinata by the collar, and slapped her hard across the face. A blood-red mark appeared on Hinata's cheek.

But the blood wasn't Hinata's—it belonged to the kunoichi.

It turned out that the woman, though appearing more composed, had been enduring immense pain herself. Her long nails had pierced into her palms, causing her hands to bleed profusely.

Hinata knew that saying anything more would be futile. She could only remain silent, avoiding further provoking these crazed individuals.

Naruto, Shino, Kiba... Will you be able to find me? 

---

The next morning, when the others in the tent woke up, they discovered that Hinata was already gone.

"Hinata's backpack is still here; she can't have gone far." 

"But where could Hinata have gone?!" Naruto shouted anxiously. 

"Calm down! She isn't the kind of person to leave the group without a reason. Something must have happened." 

"Kiba, have Akamaru track Hinata's location." 

"I was just about to do that." 

Turning to Akamaru beside him, Kiba said, "We're counting on you, Akamaru. Track Hinata's scent." 

"Woof!" 

Akamaru barked in response, sniffed the air intently, and then led the group quickly in a specific direction. 

Since Akamaru was very familiar with Hinata's scent, and the basin's weak airflow left plenty of residual traces, he was able to retrace the path where Hinata had been taken the previous day with ease. 

On a high cliff, the group found traces of blood. 

The blood was scattered in various places—on the ground, smeared on tree trunks, and even streaked across rocks. 

The dark-red, dried bloodstains indicated that some time had passed since the person had been moved. 

Seeing the blood filled Shino, Kiba, and Naruto with foreboding thoughts. 

Could Hinata have been tortured? 

Their minds began conjuring grim images of Hinata being subjected to brutal treatment. Interrogation methods among ninja were notoriously cruel, and if Hinata had been captured by enemy ninja, physical torment was almost certain. 

But how could she endure such harsh torture? She would undoubtedly be covered in blood. 

"Damn it!" 

Both Kiba and Shino clenched their teeth in frustration, while Naruto, though silent, had a faint red hue creeping into his eyes. The whisker marks on his cheeks became more pronounced, resembling the fox-like features of the Nine-Tails. 

"Akamaru, where are they now?" 

"Woof, woof!" 

Following Akamaru's lead, the three descended from the cliff, passed between two trees dripping with water, and came upon something familiar. 

In the clearing ahead stood a massive, conical structure. The sight of it struck an immediate chord with the group, as it was the strange building Naruto had stumbled upon yesterday while searching for the Bikōchū. 

This time, the three had approached the back side of the conical structure, having circled around from the cliff. However, this view of the structure was entirely different from what they had seen from the front the day before. 

From the front, the conical building appeared to be constructed from large, rectangular stone blocks, with countless insects hiding in the crevices between the stones. 

But the rear of the structure was composed of a slanted surface with a dull metallic sheen, completely unlike the style of the stone facade. 

At the base of the slanted surface, a semi-circular archway stood out prominently.