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Shino's POV (Eastern Forest of Irminsul - Terra)
Shino had been awake for a couple of hours now. The home of the Antuni Clan was somewhat what he had expected but deeply fascinating to him all the same. The ants themselves were not like humans. They lived by the code of pragmatic survival of the nest. They hunted, gathered, defended, bred, and repeated. Their home was barren, merely a gigantic series of small tunnels dug through the ground. Some led to large chambers where waste, food, or spawns were held. The ants inside seemed to be doing something, either bringing something in, resting, or leaving the tunnel system. The ants, perhaps recognizing them as burdens, offered them a lit-up tunnel out of the way of the central nest. This provided little amenities, but they made it somewhat comfortable with Hinata and his own supplies. The cool air of the tunnel made it slightly cold, but soon, the ants brought them rough fabric for laying and covering in. Shino could tell most of the others had not enjoyed the night, but it was a welcome break compared to their time thus far.
Shino had awoken earlier than the others to search for supplies outside and discuss several matters with their host. However, he was surprised to see Sakura and Hinata wake up as early as him. The two decided to join him as they searched for their ant host. The tunnels had no markings or methods to help them deem where they were going, but an Ant had been left nearby as their guide and help for their stay. The ant was smaller, much more akin to a giant rat in size than the larger ones from before.
"Hello humans, I am Number 231! I have been designated as your host and or escort inside the hive. I am a defensive specialist specializing in the area of effective defense. Should you all violate our trust or attempt to harm us in any way, I will explode and likely kill the majority of you; the survivors will be hunted down and feasted upon! So how can I aid you?"
Sakura seemed shocked by the blatant threat; Shino understood; however, once again, they were relative strangers now in their home. It only made sense they didn't trust them fully. As such they elected to let their kind friend do the speaking.
"Hai, we were merely hoping to speak with a representative of the Antuni Clan. We intend to gather info and supplies." Hinata politely stated.
"Allow me to signal a general!" The ant raised his behind and seemed to writhe a bit. The two women with Shino seemed confused; however, Shino recognized what it was doing.
"It's releasing a chemical to notify the other ants. It is common for ants to communicate almost purely through chemicals. Different chemicals have different meanings, and some even have utility. I imagine it is how this ant would explode if needed." Shino explained.
"Interesting. I've never read much about insects," Sakura admitted. "It's fascinating to see it used; if humans could use such a technique, it would change the world."
"It wouldn't quite work with our biology," Shino objected. "Without their unique bodies, most chemicals would be meaningless to us. Even then, we at Aburame have attempted to create the same system. But have failed to make one as reliable as the ants. It would require an absurd level of influence over long distances—basically impossible in our fractured world."
A much more giant and tougher-looking and covered in scars and massive spikes marched into the cave. It seemed to impatiently twitch at them. "I am number 17 of the Antuni Clan. This will be quick. The nest is too busy for this, but we must aid you as per our agreement and alliance with the Okama. Firstly, a message from the Okama. "We have reason to believe another party of shinobi is present within the lands of Irminsul. We are certain of this due to a recent finding through summoning clans. Summoning anyone or anything in or out of Irminsul and Terra at large at the present moment is impossible. This would only be possible if someone managed to control the chakra flux in the west of Irminsul. We have reason to believe this would be the work of Ikam's followers. A group we have reason to believe you Leaf shinobi are aware of. With this in mind, interfering with such a thing would be in your best interest or remaining trapped here." With this message in mind, we have sent our smaller scouts to check on the flux in the west. Even more around Irminsul as a whole to search for your allies. As far as we can aid you, your actions from this point are your own." (11)
"Ikam? The man who appeared during the Chunin Exams? Isn't he an S-Rank Criminal?" Sakura asked, worried.
"No, it's unlikely he'd come himself; more than likely, he'd have either hired help or sent some trusted allies in his place." Shino reasoned. "Though doubtless they will be formidable themselves…"
"Furthermore, it seems they have their own goal here, which stands opposed to ours. We will at some point have to deal with them…" Sakura chimed in.
"If he has stopped summoning as a whole, this Ikam has managed to weaken a massive number of shinobi," Hinata added. "If he managed to leverage such to these Irminsul Clans…"
"He'd have an army of powerful followers…" Sakura reasoned. "More followers anyway. Do you think this is related to the taking of our friends?"
"That or a coincidence. Considering, however, the fact that we know someone is actively hunting shinobi, it's our best bet." Shino concluded. "We should wake the others. While the ants scout for us, we'll split up and search the northern part of Irminsul."
"Why there?" Hinata asked.
"Well, if these ants are like normal insects, it would make sense." Sakura reasoned. "If the northern area of Irminsul is like most, it will be significantly colder. Insects don't bear well with such."
"Indeed. Once the ants get back to us, we will-"
Their conversation was stopped dead in its tracks by the sound of a massive crash and the shaking of the tunnel they stood in. The ant seemed to writhe for a moment before it stood still and faced them.
"It seems our nest is under attack." Number 17 spoke. "Several of our strongest workers and warriors are attempting to stop him but are being slaughtered. Based on his abilities displayed thus far, facing him on our own will be much too costly. The Queen has asked for your aid. If you will heed her call, follow me, I intend to burrow through our home to aid in combat. If not, then know that the survivors of the Antuni Clan will treat you as foes." The ant did not wait for a response. Instead, it used its massive mouthparts to carve through the stone and hard dirt. Burrowing through the solid wall with remarkable speed.
"We have to help them!" Hinata exclaimed.
"This could be them!" Sakura agreed.
"Hinata, you wake the others and lead them to us. You're faster than the two of us and can easily find us. Sakura, you and I will follow the ants and attempt to aid them. However, should the threat be too great, we will retreat." Shino ordered.
"We can't!" Hinata objected.
"We have to," Shino responded simply. "We still have the others to find. We cannot afford to risk our lives; besides, the nest of the Antuni Clan will recover regardless."
"We do have to keep ourselves safe to help others…" Sakura admitted with a grimace.
"Then we will simply not be bested!" Hinata retorted as she raced off to wake the others. Shino loosened the glove on his left hand, and Sakura's own seemed to glow.