---
"Man, you really are an idiot," Naruto said with a chuckle. "If it wasn't for that longhorn beetle you brought here, Shino would've probably killed you."
"Shut up, Naruto!" Kiba barked back. "At least I'm not wasting my time flirting with girls!"
Trio: "..."
After a whole day of searching, the group found an open clearing suitable for camping.
"Micro-scent insects aren't active at night, so let's rest for now," Shino said calmly.
"Shino! I found it again! This time I swear it's the real one!" Kiba burst out of the woods excitedly.
Without hesitation, Shino pulled out a reference image and smacked it against Kiba's face. "Look carefully!"
Kiba squinted at the picture for a long time. "Yeah! This time I've got it right for sure!"
"Huh?!" Everyone was taken aback. "Where is it!?"
"I let Akamaru sniff it out. I was afraid I'd accidentally kill it again!" Kiba said with childlike pride.
Everyone: "Makes sense… but we're speechless."
"Let's go!" The three of them followed Kiba as he sprinted toward the location of the micro-scent insect.
The Upstream Trio watched with silent confusion.
"Indeed," Shino muttered, inspecting the insect attached to the tree bark. "The shape of the horns matches exactly, and the body features are consistent as well..."
"See! I told you!" Kiba said proudly.
"Woof!" Akamaru barked, tail wagging as if demanding praise.
Naruto and Hinata stared blankly at the creature on the tree.
"But... Kiba," Hinata started hesitantly.
"Huh? What is it?" Kiba turned around, confused by their expressions.
"Are you stupid?! When have you ever seen a bug this freaking huge?!" Naruto yelled, pointing at the micro-scent insect that was practically the size of half a Tailed Beast. "You let Akamaru sniff that thing? You're not worried it might bite your face off? Are you mentally deranged?!"
"Tch. Watch and learn!" Kiba grabbed a stick and rushed straight at the insect.
Shino sighed, offering a rare explanation. "This insect is called a Micro-Scent Scorpion Beetle. It's naturally aggressive. If provoked, it could even devour humans."
Crack! Kiba's stick jabbed the tree, poking the creature.
The enormous insect's eyes instantly glowed red. "Er~!"
The Micro-Scent Scorpion Beetle let out a trumpeting screech like an elephant, and lunged straight toward Kiba.
"You said there weren't any bugs that could hurt people, Shino!" Kiba screamed as he bolted, the creature chasing after him.
"I said almost none," Shino corrected calmly. "I never claimed all of them were harmless."
Another trumpet-like shriek filled the air as the beetle slammed into Kiba, who crashed into the Trio that had been spectating from a tree branch.
"Heifū, Daifū, do you think they'll really find the Micro-Scent insect?" Suzumebachi asked lazily, sprawled out on the ground.
"Doubt it!" the two replied in unison, still airborne from the impact.
---
That night, everyone found a hollow tree to rest in.
Hinata once again snuck away for late-night chakra control training.
Naruto lay inside the tree hollow, glancing up through the leaves. "Man… after seeing that thing, I'm on high alert. Whatever. I've gotta focus on these damn bugs."
We have to control chakra more precisely, Hinata thought, panting as she trained. Otherwise, we'll never detect creatures as small as these! I need to help Naruto!
---
Over the next few days, everyone searched tirelessly for the Micro-Scent Scorpion Beetle. Hinata, especially, pushed herself to the limit—using her Byakugan throughout the day and training at night. Her eyes began to show signs of exhaustion.
One evening, as she trained again under the moonlight, Naruto appeared beside her with a sigh.
"Naruto?! Naruto!" Hinata gasped, startled. She quickly lowered her head in embarrassment. "I… I was just…"
"I know," Naruto said softly, then gently pulled her into his arms.
Thump. Hinata's mind went blank. Her face flushed a deep red.
"I know you want to help me," Naruto whispered. "But you don't have to wear yourself out. Just rest. Leave the rest to me."
He pulled out a pendant shaped like angel wings and hung it around her neck. "Be good, okay? Let me handle it."
Hinata mumbled something incoherent, her consciousness slowly drifting as she fell asleep in Naruto's embrace.
Naruto looked down at her sleeping face and sighed. If there's anyone in the world that I truly feel for, it's her… the one in my arms right now. Purely heartbreaking.
---
The next morning, the group awoke to a heavy stillness in the air. Shino and Kiba looked up at the sky, frowning.
"The air pressure's dropped. The weather's about to change," Shino said quietly.
"!"
"Yeah, Akamaru's saying the wind's full of moisture," Kiba translated, then snapped at Akamaru, "Can't you say it yourself?!"
"Woof!" came the irritated bark.
Kiba: "..."
"It's gonna rain soon," Hinata said, activating her Byakugan and gazing into the distance. "The clouds are moving in fast..." She lightly touched the angel wing pendant on her chest. "Naruto..."
"Heh... yeah, yeah, I get it," Naruto said, rubbing his neck. "Rain's coming."
He gently took Hinata's hand. "Let me take care of it."
"N-Naruto..." Hinata's head spun again. While she was used to Naruto's teasing from their childhood, he'd been a lot more forward lately with all this touching...
"I don't have time to watch you two flirt!" Shino interrupted. "We need to hurry. Once it rains, the Micro-Scent Scorpion Beetles will lay their eggs. By tomorrow morning, they'll hatch and become adults. If we miss this window, we'll lose our chance to track Sasuke."
The clouds continued to gather, dark and heavy like a looming storm. Lightning crackled in the distance.
From a separate location, the Kamizuru Trio watched ominously.
"What happens if they don't find the Micro-Scent insect, Suzumebachi?" one of them asked.
"Hmph. The Aburame Clan is the reason our Kamizuru Clan fell. For the sake of our grudge, we'll wipe them out—every last one of them," Suzumebachi said coldly.
Suddenly, the first drop of rain fell.
Everyone stared up in dismay.
"No..." Hinata whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I still couldn't help you..."
Naruto gently patted her head. "Don't worry. We still have time."
"But..." Hinata looked at the downpour with worry.
At that moment, Naruto's eyes slowly changed. A mysterious pair of purple Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly in his gaze.
His left eye rotated rapidly. Above them, the clouds began to twist. A massive cyclone formed in the sky—an eye of the storm centered above the forest.
This is one of Naruto's Bloodline , a Kekkei Genkai.
The typhoon raged violently, centered around the massive sinkhole. Wind howled as the thick clouds were forcefully blown ten miles away.
"W-What the hell?!" Kiba, Shino, and even the Kamizuru Trio stared in disbelief at the divine power unfolding above.
Hinata covered her mouth, stunned by Naruto's glowing purple Sharingan.
The typhoon eye vanished.
The sky cleared. Sunlight pierced through the storm and shone directly onto Naruto. As he stood beneath the trees, rays of gold and shadow danced across his figure like a scene from a myth.
"See? I told you there was still time," Naruto said with a calm grin, turning to Hinata.
She looked at him, her heart fluttering.
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