After resting from dinner, the four of them set off again, moving with the effortless speed of trained shinobi. At this pace, they could cover a thousand miles in a single day—faster than even the swiftest horse. Unlike horses, they cut across forests, rivers, and mountains without pause.
And yet, this was only their marching speed, not their true combat speed. When they finally halted, not one of them had broken a sweat, even with only a few short rests along the way.
By midnight, they reached the border of the Land of Fire, near the territory of the Iron Country. The air grew sharp and cold, the temperature dipping unnaturally low. White flakes drifted down from the sky, blanketing the earth in endless white that stretched to the horizon. Far in the distance, towering snowcapped peaks loomed against the night sky.
Hitomi exhaled, her breath a puff of white mist. She rubbed her hands together.
"What insane weather," she muttered.
As soon as she spoke, a swarm of tiny red beetles crawled from beneath Maki's cloak, scattering beneath Hitomi and Naori's clothes to warm them.
"What's the plan now, Captain White Fang?" Maki asked.
"They should be stationed in the snowy mountains ahead," White Fang replied.
"Isn't that Iron Country territory?" Maki frowned. "They're permanently neutral. If shinobi from the Five Great Nations are caught there, it'll be a diplomatic mess."
"The Iron Country doesn't start until past the mountains. For now, this is still within Konoha's borders," White Fang explained. "As for their rules—just don't get caught."
"Understood," Maki said simply.
Her eyes narrowed on the frozen peaks. Snowy mountains… not ideal terrain. My insects are sluggish in the cold.
"I'll take command from here." Without hesitation, she assumed leadership, her tone leaving no room for objection. "Any issue with that, Captain White Fang?"
White Fang scratched his head.
"…No problem."
Maki nodded. From her sleeve, she drew out a pale egg and quickly coaxed it to hatch. Under the watchful eyes of the others, a delicate dragonfly unfurled its wings and took to the air, the hum of its movement sharp and precise.
Dragonflies were kings of the sky—able to flap their wings over thirty times a second, hover, and dart with precision. Ordinary ones could only fly short distances, but Maki's creation was on another level: it shot forward at nearly a hundred meters per second, surpassing even the burst speed of most jōnin.
It left ordinary kikaichū far behind, a true aerial hunter. Even more impressive, it could maintain a steady cruising speed of over three hundred kilometers an hour for six hours straight without landing.
It only took ten minutes to travel between cities. Crossing a village took less than a minute.
This new type of insect soldier was different from the usual parasitic bug template. Enhanced with slug genes, it had remarkable vitality, a sturdy physique, the ability to generate small amounts of chakra on its own, and micro-engraved sealing formulas.
Through years of selective breeding and constant intervention, a strain of insects born already carrying sealing jutsu had finally been perfected—classified as Marking Bugs.
The sealing formula etched into them was the Explosive Tag. The inscription appeared on their wings.
White Fang's sharp eyes caught the word Explosion glowing faintly on the dragonfly's wings before it even took off.
He scratched his head uneasily.
"This kind of dragonfly can't be…"
"It's Quite good when fried," Maki replied calmly.
Sensing Dragonflies condition, she noted it was still a recent creation. Field testing in harsh conditions hadn't yet been done, but so far, no major issues had appeared. Thanks to the Slug Sage's genes, its resilience in extreme environments was promising.
"That explosive word…" White Fang muttered.
"I just doodled it," Maki said flatly.
White Fang wasn't convinced. "It looks dangerous…"
Overhead, Dragonflies darted through the drifting snow, weaving with incredible speed and precision. It moved like a jōnin trained in body flicker, stopping and darting unpredictably, its tiny body glinting under the moonlight as wings cut through the air with cold flashes.
The battle begin.
Maki clapped her hands and crouched into the snow.
Secret Technique of Insects: Dance of the Swarm — Reverse Meteor Dragonfly.
The psychic wind roared, scattering snow into the air. From above Maki's head, a dense cloud of dragonflies appeared—thousands upon thousands.
White Fang's scalp prickled at the sight. The sky darkened under the black swarm.
"This is… tens of thousands at least."
"Five hundred thousand," Maki corrected calmly.
White Fang stiffened. "So many?"
"Not really. A single queen lays a thousand eggs at once. With five hundred queens, this only takes a day," Maki explained.
"Hatching takes longer," she added. "But now I've discarded the old mating system. Whether parasites or other strains, all are bred by the queens. Production shifts depending on demand."
Currently, only small insects could be produced, and their eggs were incubated either naturally or rapidly through chakra. Both methods used barriers derived from the Aburame's secret Pot Poison Technique. With enough food supply, hatching and metamorphosis were nearly continuous.
The Hatchery was a terrifying sight: bones scattered everywhere, left uncleaned, giving the place the feel of a horror film.
White Fang swallowed hard. The sheer number of insects in the air made him feel as though he were drowning beneath a sea of wings. The suffocating pressure pressed on his chest.
At that moment, he understood the true terror of the Insect Princess of the Aburame clan.
That was the nature of biological weapons: an enormous initial investment, but once matured, cheaper than paper.
"The battle begins," Maki ordered coldly. "Hitomi, Naori—prepare to attack."
"Understood."
At her command, the Dragonflies scattered into the night sky, streaking like meteors as they fanned across the snowfields.
Hours passed. Then—suddenly—violent flames erupted from several distant peaks, thunderous explosions shaking the mountains.
White Fang stared in disbelief. His lips twitched beneath his mask.
It was truly the Explosive Tag Technique.
'Mito-sama… what kind of monster did she create?' he thought.
"The bandits have been erased," Maki's cold voice echoed. "Confirmed. No survivors."
It was as simple as sweeping away dust. Human lives erased without a trace.
The three of them stood stunned, staring at Maki.
"A ninja squad detected. Four to sixteen members. Likely Kumogakure."
"They're retreating," White Fang observed, narrowing his eyes.
"Do you want them kept alive?" Maki asked flatly.
"Of course," White Fang replied.
"Then attack."
She slid forward over the snow with inhuman speed.
Insect Secret Technique: Dragonfly Dance.
Naori and Hitomi followed, gliding after her. At Maki's signal, the three split apart to flank.
Guided by Dragonflies buzzing ahead, White Fang finally dashed forward, sprinting across the snow.
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