Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 210

"Bikōchū?"

Jiraiya found the name somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite recall what it referred to when it was suddenly brought up.

So Shino began to explain, "Yes, Bikōchū are a type of insect we bug users rely on. These bugs lay eggs only once every few years, and in the short period after hatching, the larvae cocoon themselves and quickly emerge as adults."

"During this brief window, if Bikōchū are trained to distinguish scents, they can detect even the faintest traces of a smell in the air and identify its source."

"When used to track people, their ability far surpasses that of ninja hounds."

As he explained, Jiraiya, who was quite knowledgeable, suddenly remembered.

"Ah, Bikōchū! I recall they were last used during the previous Great War, weren't they? I remember hearing they went extinct back then due to overuse."

Shino shook his head. "Actually, our Aburame clan anticipated their potential extinction, so we preserved the remaining Bikōchū in a secluded area to let them reproduce naturally."

"And this year is their breeding year. This period is also the best season for their eggs to hatch."

"I see," Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully before asking, "So, what's the likelihood of finding them?"

At this, Shino hesitated.

"The area is vast, and although they've been reproducing for several years, their numbers are still likely low. So, the probability is about 10%."

"Even if it's just a 10% chance, we're willing to try!"

Hinata interjected, her eyes filled with determination.

Jiraiya sighed and shook his head, "Well, then there's no helping it."

"Shino, Kiba, Hinata, and Naruto—this mission is yours. Shino will be the team leader, and everyone must follow his instructions. Especially you, Naruto."

He assignment made sense. Shino was the only one who had been promoted to chunin during the exams, and he was also the most knowledgeable about Bikōchū.

Though Sakura also wanted to join, the village's resources for genin were stretched thin, so Jiraiya stuck to a standard four-person squad.

---

The next day, Naruto, Kiba, and Shino had arrived early at the gates of Konoha, but Hinata was late.

"Hinata, you're so slow!"

"Sorry."

"All right, let's set out!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically, but Shino interrupted him.

"Wait, let me confirm—did you bring something with Sasuke's scent? If we're going to have Bikōchū trace him..."

"Of course!"

Naruto swung his backpack around to the front and pulled out a pale blue cloth.

"This is Sasuke's bedsheet! I snuck into his house and grabbed it last night. It definitely has his scent!"

As he spoke, Naruto sniffed the sheet himself, nodding in satisfaction.

"You're disgusting," Kiba muttered.

"Naruto, that's..."

The three teammates exchanged glances, their expressions filled with suspicion, which made Naruto sense something was wrong.

"Hey! Don't get the wrong idea! I just wasn't sure what Sasuke touches the most, so I brought his bedsheet."

"What kind of looks are those?"

"Let's just drop it and move on," Shino said flatly.

"Wait! What do you mean, 'drop it'? There's nothing to drop in the first place!"

"Don't bother explaining, Naruto. Explaining means you're hiding something, and hiding something means it's true."

"Argh! You're driving me crazy!"

With this lively banter, the team of four set off to search for Bikōchū.

After two days of trekking, filled with various amusing incidents, they finally arrived at the Forest of Bikōchū.

While it was called a forest, it had a unique structure. The entire Forest of Bikōchū was situated within a massive basin. To enter, one needed to climb steep cliffs and then leap down into the basin.

This remote location was chosen by the Aburame clan as the habitat for releasing Bikōchū, ensuring that ordinary people could not disturb the insects' breeding ground. Only shinobi could access such a secluded area.

Yet, this seemingly untouched wilderness, free from human interference and resembling a primeval forest, revealed a startling reality. The moment Naruto and his team entered the forest, they were spotted by others.

Under Shinoe's guidance, Naruto and the group ventured into the dense forest. Unbeknownst to them, three figures stood atop the towering trees behind them, silently observing the young Konoha ninjas.

"Those are shinobi from Konoha. Judging by the attire of the leader, he must be a kid from the Aburame clan," one of the observers whispered.

"They've come to this place at this time of year... Their target must be that, right?" another responded.

"The Bikōchū."

"It looks like they've just entered the forest. They probably aren't aware of what's lurking inside," the third noted.

"If we let them explore that area first, it'll save us a lot of effort. Our bees have already been worn out these past few days," the first one mused.

"Then it's decided. We'll follow them and see what lies inside. If we uncover the secrets of that place, the Kamizuru clan can finally rise to power again!"

The three Kamizuru clan members exchanged ambitious remarks, veiled in cryptic intentions.

---

Meanwhile, Shino's team remained completely oblivious to their presence.

"Something feels off! Aren't bugs supposed to look pretty much the same wherever you go?" Naruto shouted, his voice filled with frustration.

Although the forest was named after the Bikōchū, it was more of an insect paradise. In this remote and seldom-visited forest, there weren't many other animals, but insects thrived in extraordinary numbers.

Various bugs crawled on the tree bark, but what was puzzling was that despite the sheer number of insects, the forest's ecological balance appeared undisturbed. It was as if some mysterious force was maintaining harmony, making it a sanctuary for insects.

"This place is truly a bug haven," Kiba commented, inspecting the surroundings with Akamaru perched on his head.

"Do you think we'll get stung by some poisonous insect?" Hinata asked nervously.

Shino, who had been quiet the entire time, finally spoke. "There are indeed many bugs here, but most of them are harmless. Toxic insects are quite rare in this area."

However, Shino's expression darkened slightly as he added, "Still, compared to my memories of this place, it feels like the number of insects has decreased significantly."

Both Kiba and Hinata, who found the forest teeming with bugs, were surprised by Shino's observation. But for Shino, who had once been brought here by his elder, the current number of insects was at least 30% lower than it had been several years ago.

Shino, with his acute sensitivity to insect populations, had noticed this anomaly as soon as they entered the forest.

Why had the bugs decreased?

The Bikōchū Forest was an ideal breeding ground for insects. Most insects didn't need to migrate on a large scale like other animals, so why had the bugs here suddenly decreased so drastically?

Although Shino felt doubtful, there was no need to voice his concerns to his non-insect-using companions. He decided to temporarily put his suspicions aside and focus on organizing the task of searching for the Bikōchū.

He showed a picture of the Bikōchū to Hinata, Kiba, and Naruto, instructing them to search for bugs that matched its appearance.

The Bikōchū resembled a black rhinoceros beetle but had a slightly curved proboscis at the front and green eyes.

"Remember, the Bikōchū lays its eggs during the first rain of the season, and the eggs hatch the next morning. "

"So, we need to find the Bikōchū's eggs before it rains, right?" Kiba replied confidently.

Hinata activated her Byakugan, gazed into the distance, and said, "The storm clouds are still far away. I estimate it'll rain in about two days."

"If we miss this chance, we'll have to wait several years. By then, using the Bikōchū to find Sasuke will be nearly impossible."

"Sasuke..."

"Alright, everyone, split up and start searching."

The group quickly dispersed. As a bug user, Shino could use his chakra to sense the types of insects on the trees, making his search more efficient. The others, including Hinata with her Byakugan, could only rely on their eyes to spot such a tiny insect.

However, during their search, all three—except for Naruto—made an unexpected discovery.

They realized that, besides the four of them, there were three others hiding in this forest.

Standing in front of a concealed tree hollow, Hinata asked, "Shino, what should we do now?"

"If we engage them recklessly, we'll disturb the surrounding bugs and might even harm the critical Bikōchū. Let's pretend we haven't noticed them and avoid confrontation for now."

"Still, their presence here during this season suggests they might also be after the Bikōchū."

Kiba nodded in agreement. "They might be waiting to strike and steal the bugs as soon as we find them."

"For now, let's proceed cautiously, and don't tell Naruto about this. Otherwise, he'll blurt it out and cause trouble."

"Understood."

"Got it."

While the three were secretly plotting, Naruto came running over, shouting excitedly.

"I found it! I found it!"

The three were startled. Had Naruto also discovered the hidden trio in the forest?

Unfortunately, Naruto's oblivious nature hadn't led him to the hidden individuals. Instead, he had discovered something even more astonishing.

"I found the Bikōchū!"

This declaration shocked everyone, including the three hidden members of the Kamizuru clan observing them from the rocks.

These kids had found a Bikōchū within half a day of arriving here!

We've been searching for three days! How?!

Without hesitation, everyone rushed to Naruto's discovery site, followed closely by the hidden trio.

But when they arrived, everyone was dumbfounded.

Naruto hadn't discovered a Bikōchū at all but a giant insect resembling it. This creature was so enormous it could have swallowed a person whole.

"This is a Bikōchūmodoki. It's aggressive—never touch its proboscis."

"But more surprising than this Bikōchūmodoki is the location you've discovered."

"What is this place?"

It turned out that the Bikōchūmodoki resided on a massive, flat slope.

The slope formed one side of a conical structure. The entire structure was a pointed pyramid, with four identical sloping faces, resembling a miniature mountain peak standing tall amidst the Bikōchū Forest.

The structure's design resembled a pyramid, though much smaller in scale. Its highest point was only about twenty meters above the ground.

"What... is this?"

Shino couldn't suppress his shock at the sight before him. The last time he had accompanied his father to this forest, he had been certain he had never seen such a structure here.

This area was already near the middle of the Forest of Bikōchū, a crucial zone. Shino was confident he would not have missed, let alone forgotten, such an important structure.

The appearance of this strange building also astonished Hinata and Kiba.

The two stood frozen, their eyes locked on the massive conical structure. For a moment, neither could find the words to describe it.

As the four stood observing the structure in silence, an even more astonishing event unfolded.

From the cracks between the stones that made up the conical structure, countless insects began to crawl out. These insects were of various types, encompassing nearly every species found within the Forest of Bikōchū.

Ladybugs, crawling insects, caterpillars, beetles, and flying bugs—an endless torrent of vibrant, multicolored insects poured forth like a fountain from the cracks, swarming toward the group in an overwhelming wave.

Although the insects had no facial expressions, Shino's special chakra-based insect sensing told him that their collective emotion was one of intense rage.

Even more alarming, the Bikōchūmodoki that had been crawling along the sloped side of the structure suddenly changed. Without anyone touching its nose, its eyes shifted from green to red, and it charged at the group like an enraged giant elephant.

In an instant, the combined power of millions of insects surged together. These tiny creatures, when united in fury, became even more terrifying than ancient giants. The solid ground itself seemed to tremble faintly under their force.

"Run!"

Shino didn't hesitate for a moment. He didn't attempt to resist, knowing that as an extreme protector of insects, he couldn't bring himself to harm them.

Moreover, seeing such an immense number of insects hidden within this conical structure, he realized something critical: The 30% of insects missing from the Bikōchū Forest had all gathered here.

If that was the case, then the swarm likely included the critically important Bikōchū, making it impossible to recklessly attack them.

With these thoughts in mind, Shino immediately commanded the group to retreat. The others, still reeling from their shock, instinctively followed his lead without question.

After running for about a kilometer, the swarm stopped pursuing. The ominous rustling noise, reminiscent of a locust swarm, gradually faded as the group paused to catch their breath.

Shino sent out two parasitic insects to scout ahead and discovered that the swarm had returned to the cracks in the conical structure. It seemed their sole purpose had been to drive away the humans.

But inside that conical structure... could something extraordinary be hidden?