Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Nara Shikamaru quickly spotted the three from the Kamizuru clan—Suzumebachi, Kurobachi, and Jibachi.
"Aburame punk!"
Thinking of the Kamizuru shinobi who'd died, Suzumebachi's face twisted with hate. "Go to hell!"
Without another word, she raised both hands.
A swarm of bees poured from her sleeves.
"Those same exploding bees from before!" Hinata warned after a glance.
Secret Technique: Parasitic Destruction Insects!
Shino didn't dare let them get close. Kikaichū gushed from his hands, intercepting the swarm at top speed.
Bzz—bzz—bzz!
The bees detonated mid-air. This time, the three were ready and had already opened distance before the blasts.
"Shino, below you!" Hinata had barely planted her feet when she shouted a warning.
The ground at Shino's feet split open—Jibachi burst up, kunai stabbing for him.
But the thrust stopped dead at the last instant.
Jibachi's face changed. He couldn't move at all.
"Don't thank me yet, Shino."
Shikamaru had caught him with the Shadow Imitation Technique.
Shino sent his kikaichū at Jibachi without hesitation—only for a mass of bees to boil out of Jibachi's clothes and wrap him completely.
"Behind you, Shikamaru!" Hinata cried, rushing forward.
Bee Honey Technique!
Kurobachi lifted his hands and loosed a dozen bees from his sleeves straight at Shikamaru.
At Hinata's warning, Shikamaru frowned and had to drop his hold on Jibachi, sprinting forward until he reached Hinata's side.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!
Hinata stepped past Shikamaru to meet the oncoming bees, both palms striking out. But on the very first hit she sensed something wrong—the bee burst apart and wax splattered across her palm, instantly tacky.
"Back, now!" Hinata abandoned the Thirty-Two Palms without hesitation and used the Leaf Body Flicker to evade.
Shikamaru didn't get it, but he trusted her and kept running.
"Too late!"
Kurobachi clapped his hands, manually detonating the bees. A spray of wax blasted outward.
Hinata was already clear thanks to the Body Flicker, but Shikamaru wasn't as fast—half his body got drenched.
His face went white. The wax was like industrial glue; his arms and legs locked together. Stumbling mid-retreat, he pitched over and fell.
Bee Senbon Technique!
Kurobachi formed seals and pressed the attack. The surrounding bees twitched their abdomens—and a storm of venomous needles filled the air, all aimed at Shikamaru.
Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!
Hinata fired a shockwave from her palms, scattering more than half the needles.
Secret Technique: Insect Wall!
Shino's kikaichū surged in time to block the rest.
"Take out the Byakugan user first!"
Jibachi arrived, flanking with Kurobachi as they rushed Hinata from front and back. With Shikamaru glued down and immobile, Hinata—who could see everything—was the bigger threat.
Shadow Clone Technique!
Jaw set, Hinata formed seals and split off a clone. The pressure was intense, but she couldn't lose—whether for her teammates or for Kitazawa, who'd taught her all this time.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!
Two Hinatas surged forward.
"Damn it!"
Shikamaru, panicked, struggled desperately against the wax. Shino moved to help—only to be intercepted by more bees.
"Hmph. Worry about yourself," Suzumebachi sneered at him.
Between them, bees and kikaichū tore into each other, bodies dropping every second.
Shino didn't answer. With Shikamaru neutralized and Hinata forced into a two-on-one, he had to finish Suzumebachi fast.
His eyes hardened. He hurled a flash bomb without hesitation.
The instant the blinding white flared, microscopic blast bugs also zipped out, too small to see with the naked eye.
Suzumebachi reacted the moment the light hit—she back-leapt and threw out a huge honeycomb as a shield.
But the expected fierce follow-up never came.
The glare faded. Suzumebachi stood atop the honeycomb, scanning. Shino was still where he'd been; nothing seemed to have changed.
"What did you just do?" she demanded.
Secret Technique: Insect Cocoon!
Shino didn't answer. Channeling chakra, he formed an insect cocoon and hatched even more kikaichū from within it.
"Quit the spooky act!"
Enraged, Suzumebachi sent out more exploding bees—
—and then flinched as she felt her chakra draining away. She looked down instinctively; something bulged under the skin of her chest. She could feel something worm-like crawling there.
Terror swallowed her whole.
Bzz—bzz—bzz!
Shino shredded another wave of her bees.
"What did you do to me?!"
She didn't dare weave more jutsu. She'd realized the blast bugs had swelled the moment she used the Bee Bomb Technique.
Shino still didn't answer.
Secret Technique: Insect Gathering!
He raised a hand toward Jibachi, who'd been pressing Hinata. Nearby bugs swarmed out at once. Jibachi had to break off from Hinata to deal with them, and her pressure eased by half.
With his teammate covered, Shino drove his kikaichū straight at Suzumebachi.
"Jibachi, help me!"
Desperate to live, Suzumebachi stopped using chakra and bolted. But without chakra enhancement, she was nowhere near as fast as the kikaichū.
"What—?"
Jibachi finished off the bugs and turned—just in time to see Suzumebachi fleeing. He moved to help but was a step too slow; the kikaichū engulfed her.
Thinking fast, Jibachi lunged for Shikamaru instead, hauling him up in one hand. "Aburame brat! If you kill her, I kill your teammate!"
Shino froze, but didn't pull the kikaichū back. They stopped attacking and simply bound Suzumebachi in place.
Kurobachi and Hinata separated, each returning to their sides.
"We trade hostages," Shino said evenly, eyes on the captured Shikamaru.
"Fine," Jibachi agreed at once.
Shikamaru's face was full of shame. He'd been dead weight today. If not for him, Shino and Hinata might already have beaten the Kamizuru.
For the first time, Shikamaru felt the limits of his strength. Thanks to Kitazawa's special training, he'd learned his clan's three secret arts early, and because of that he'd decided they were "enough" for his age—no need to learn more.
In the fight with Kurobachi, his ignorance of the enemy got him glued by the honey. If only his Leaf-style taijutsu were sharper—or if he'd learned the Body Flicker and Leaf Body Flicker—he could've dodged. Even without new skills, if he'd been more cautious, he might've sensed Kurobachi's sneak attack coming.
His mindset hadn't been right: past missions had been too safe; he always wanted to slack off; and he believed his brains alone could win fights. Now he understood—brains don't carry you when the power gap is too big.
"Before we trade, you're pulling that damn thing out of me!" Suzumebachi blurted.
"What's in you?" Jibachi asked, baffled.
"Some kind of special bug," she said. "It's draining my chakra. I don't know what happens when it finishes, but it won't be good."
"Aburame brat—take it out," Jibachi growled, squeezing. Shikamaru grimaced in pain.
"I can't," Shino said quickly. "Only Kitazawa-sensei can."
"Kitazawa? Why does that name ring a bell?" Jibachi blinked.
"He's the Fifth Hokage Tsunade's student," Kurobachi snapped, face changing.
"No way! Isn't your handler that black-haired woman?" Suzumebachi's heart lurched—this was big trouble. Kitazawa's name carried real weight in the shinobi world now.
"Kitazawa-sensei had other business, so she's leading the team for now," Shino replied.
Watching their faces go pale, Hinata once again felt the sheer force of Kitazawa's reputation.
The three Kamizuru fell silent. Regret hit—hard. They should've scouted properly first, but hatred had blinded them.
"They're Kitazawa's students—if we capture them, the Tsuchikage will protect us!" Suzumebachi said suddenly, excited.
"If you won't remove it, we can't trade," Jibachi sneered. "I've got a better idea. You take his place."
"Don't, Shino!" Shikamaru realized what they meant. "If they grab you, Hinata and I can't beat them!"
"If you don't switch, I kill him now," Jibachi said, tightening his grip.
Shikamaru's eyes went wide. He couldn't breathe, his body hoisted in the air, head spinning. Am I going to die here? He shut his eyes. If he had one more chance, he swore, he wouldn't slack off again.
Suddenly, the pressure vanished. He was dropped.
What?
Shikamaru opened his eyes on reflex—just in time to see Jibachi's head fly free.
Kitazawa caught Shikamaru and set him down.
"You—" Kurobachi looked up at Kitazawa on instinct.
Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!
Kitazawa's left hand cast the genjutsu; his right flicked—and Zangetsu punched through Kurobachi's heart. Mouth opening soundlessly, Kurobachi toppled into endless sleep.
"Kitazawa-sensei?!" Shikamaru gasped, elated and shaking with relief.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Hinata's whole body relaxed; she ran to him at once.
"Shino. Finish her," Kitazawa said, eyes on the last survivor, Suzumebachi.
Shino sent the kikaichū without hesitation. Suzumebachi screamed—and within seconds, went silent.
Hinata turned away, unable to look, and instinctively clutched Kitazawa's arm. Shikamaru, fresh from his brush with death, seemed changed—he didn't feel sick at all.
"You all did well," Kitazawa said after a glance at Hinata.
"I'm sorry, Sensei," Shikamaru blurted. "I dragged them down."
"You're younger and weaker than they are. That's normal. Train hard when we get back," Kitazawa said with a smile.
Shikamaru blinked. No scolding? Somehow, that made his guilt even heavier.
[Current Mission: Improve Nara Shikamaru's lazy personality.]
[Reward: Shadow Imitation Shuriken.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
The sudden lines of text made Kitazawa arch a brow. Looks like the setup for Shikamaru had worked.
"As shinobi, you'll face moments like this again and again," Kitazawa said, patting Shikamaru's shoulder. "The only answer is to get stronger."
"I understand, Sensei!" Shikamaru said solemnly.
"Shino, your responses were the best this time—full marks," Kitazawa decided.
"Thank you, Sensei," Shino said, delighted—his first perfect score in a field exam.
Hinata lifted her head, looking to Kitazawa—she wanted one too.
"Hinata, holding out two-on-one that long and adapting well—you're full marks as well," he said, ruffling her hair.
"Thank you, Sensei!" Hinata beamed. The score itself didn't matter; what mattered was Kitazawa's recognition.
Shikamaru sighed inwardly. No way he got full marks—maybe not even a pass.
"Shikamaru, you were captured but didn't sell out your team. That's 'Excellent'—ninety-one," Kitazawa said with a smile.
Shikamaru froze. Full marks were 100; ninety-one was higher than his previous field exam scores—unbelievable. More than anything, he was moved. Kitazawa really was a good teacher.
"What are you three chatting about—forgetting me already?" Kurenai walked up with a smile.
"I trust your strength. One queen bee's nothing for Kurenai-sensei," Kitazawa said, winking.
Kurenai shot him a glare. Three students present and you're calling me "Kurenai-sensei" like that? Can't you save it for tonight?
"Shino." Kitazawa tossed him a summoning storage scroll. "Pack up their bodies."
"They're not even jōnin. Why bring them back?" Kurenai asked, puzzled. "And the Kamizuru have been in decline for ages—pretty marginal in Iwa."
"I'm not after intel," Kitazawa said. "Their insect techniques are solid—useful for the Aburame to study."
"Thank you, Sensei," Shino said, catching on. The Kamizuru had lost to the Aburame historically, but their jutsu had merits; those exploding bees and that super-adhesive wax had caused them real trouble just now.
"Fair point," Kurenai nodded.
"Rest a bit, then head back to Konoha," Kitazawa told her. "I'm not done with my errand."
"Got it," Kurenai said simply. "Go. Don't worry about us."
Kitazawa wasn't worried anyway. All student teams on outside missions had Anbu shadowing them—that was part of his deal with Tsunade. In fact, the Anbu should've intervened when Shikamaru's life was on the line, but they'd held back on Kitazawa's orders.
The kids didn't know about the Anbu—between Sarutobi Hiruzen, Maruboshi Kosuke, Hatake Kakashi, and Kitazawa himself, the Anbu rarely got a chance to act.
After saying goodbye to Kurenai and the others, Kitazawa set off toward Iwagakure.
A moment later, Konan appeared and fell in behind him. She glanced at him—eyes flickering. She'd watched the entire fight and Kitazawa's cleanup from the shadows.
How to put it? A good teacher.
Then she thought about Kado's shipping company and the undersea survey team and added another line in her head: a very unusual shinobi.
"If we run into Iwa shinobi, don't get tangled up. Our objective is the powder," Kitazawa said casually.
Iwa was stronger than the Hidden Mist. If the Third Tsuchikage Onoki led a surround, that would be a headache. That said, azurite was valuable, but not enough for Iwa to mobilize en masse.
Konan nodded. She had even less desire to clash with Iwa—Akatsuki was a well-run mercenary outfit these days, and the Land of Earth had plenty of good clients.
They traveled with care and by noon reached the high mountains near Iwagakure.
"We split up," Kitazawa said after a look around. "Meet back under this tree when you find it."
Any of the surrounding peaks might have azurite; they had to check them all. Splitting up was faster—and Kitazawa could use the Byakugan.
"What if you run into Iwa shinobi?" Konan asked after a thought. She could just fly off if she did.
"If I end up fighting, you'll sense it with your power. Fly over and extract me," Kitazawa said after a beat. He could fly too—Magnet Release, for one—but he didn't want to reveal that yet. Besides, chances to get air-lifted by Konan were rare; he might as well enjoy it.
"Mm." Konan nodded and headed left.
Kitazawa went right.
~~~
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