Upon receiving Zhang Miao's order, Aburame Chuunou immediately complied, waving his hand to release a swarm of black kikaichū from his sleeve. The insects flew swiftly toward the southern district.
Kikaichū has tracking and scouting abilities. Following their release, Aburame Chuunou left the inn, trailing after the kikaichū as they headed toward the ruins in the southern district.
At that moment, in the ruins of the southern district, a middle-aged man crouched behind a wall. He wore a red-and-gray outfit and headscarf with a fluffy decorative tail around his waist. His eyes were fixed on the dilapidated house a hundred meters away, where Tsunade and the Fourth Raikage were located.
As the man watched, another person dressed in a similar blue-and-gray outfit and headscarf emerged from the wall behind him. This person also had a fluffy decorative tail around his waist, indicating he was an ally of the man on watch.
The newcomer spoke up, "Any unusual findings?"
"None!" The watchman shook his head. "But there's no doubt the target is in that dilapidated house!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than another person in a blue-and-gray outfit emerged from the shadows, asking, "What's the Raikage's condition? Did he really inhale the explosive bugs?"
"Yeah!" The watchman nodded again. "Given the timing and proximity, there's no way he didn't!"
At that moment, another voice interjected, "Then why haven't the explosive bugs grown?"
The three men turned towards the voice and saw a puddle on the ground morph into a person dressed similarly to them.
The watchman sighed, "If we knew, we wouldn't need to keep watch like this!"
"Why don't we just rush in? Waiting around is boring!"
A sudden burst of flame revealed another man in a green-and-gray outfit. His impatient demeanor was straightforward.
The watchman frowned. "Don't talk nonsense. There's a person in there who could explode at any moment. You can try rushing in and die with them if you want. Remember our goal. The client wants the scroll retrieved intact, and extracting the explosive bugs is the easiest way. To get the full payment, we need to retrieve the scroll without damaging it. And it seems the enemy has called for reinforcements, so we must be cautious. When they're all together, we'll use the explosive bugs again!"
"Explosive bugs?" A voice suddenly sounded from above. "From your conversation, it seems you're the 'Xuanen Corps' the boss mentioned?"
"Who's there?" The Xuanen Corps members were shocked, looking up at the voice.
Standing at a ninety-degree angle on the wall was Aburame Chuunou, dressed in black.
The watchman's face showed even more shock. "How is this possible? I clearly set up precautions outside!"
"Precautions?" Aburame Chuunou's face, hidden behind his sunglasses, showed a hint of mockery. He extended a fist, opening it to reveal several round insects falling at the Xuanen Corps members' feet.
"These are the bugs I found on the way here. They were probably meant to monitor us, but they're useless to me. Why? Because they're too slow in both flight and reaction speed."
"Oh? Try this then!" The watchman suddenly threw a handful of powder at Aburame Chuunou.
The powder emitted a dazzling bright light that even Aburame Chuunou, wearing sunglasses, had to close his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, the Xuanen Corps had vanished.
Seeing this, Aburame Chuunou narrowed his eyes. "Trying to escape? No chance!" He spread his arms, calling, "Secret Technique: Kikaichū Swarm!"
As his words fell, countless insects poured from his sleeves, forming a dark, dense swarm resembling a horrifying army of ants, surging toward a hidden corner dozens of meters away.
Screams soon echoed from the corner.
"Ah! What is this?"
"Insects? Where did so many insects come from?"
"These insects absorb chakra! Be careful! Ah…"
As the screams rang out, Aburame Chuunou walked over, finding the Xuanen Corps members enveloped by kikaichū.
Seeing Aburame Chuunou, one member of the Xuanen Corps couldn't help but shout, "I get it! These insects are yours! But you were infected with explosive bugs. Why didn't you explode after using ninjutsu?"
"Explosive bugs? Hmph!"
Aburame Chuunou sneered. "Those bugs did enter my body, but they're useless against me. Why? Because they're just powerless trash bugs. As soon as they entered, they became food for my kikaichū."
Xuanen Corps: "…"
Trash? Food?
The Xuanen Corps couldn't fathom it. Their revered explosive bugs, which had earned them the title 'Ninja Hunters of Ninjas,' were dismissed as 'trash' and 'food.'
Seeing Aburame Chuunou's impassive face under his sunglasses, one word sprang into the minds of the Xuanen Corps members.
Natural Enemy!
At that moment, they truly regretted accepting Sugi Village's mission. They wouldn't have encountered such a terrifying opponent as Aburame Chuunou if they hadn't.
But it was too late to have regrets now. Aburame Chuunou's cold voice reached their ears.
"Under the boss's orders, you'll be drained of chakra by my kikaichū and die. This is the end—Secret Technique: Bug Sphere!"