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Shino's POV (Okama Outpost - Eastern Forest of Irminsul)
Afternoon
Shino, Sakura, Lee, and Hinata strolled into the small hut at the edge of the Okama hideout where the wasp was being kept. They were silent, mostly affected by the rough battle they had witnessed and the battles they had already endured. Lee and Hinata seemed particularly squirmish about the idea of an interrogation on top of it all, even against a nonhuman target.
Shino inwardly sighed, it was shocking how often his fellow shinobi became sentimental. The career they had signed up to do was anything except personable, it was a job they were supposed to be more than human. They were to become living weapons and tools for their home to use as needed. Yet his allies did not seem to see it the same as him. However, the powerful spirit of his allies made him proud to be around them, even if he did find him envious of how easily it came to them. Perhaps that is why Shino stopped the others on the pathway just shy of the shack where the wasp was kept. Shino sighed inwardly as he prepared himself.
"Why are we stopping Shino?" Hinata asked curiously. "It's best if we… push forward. We do need to find the others."
Sakura seemed to glance at Hinata subtly. She had noticed Hinata's hesitation, though Sakura's impatient tapping foot gave away her determination to see this through. It seemed she was not only perceptive but more gutsy than he had given her credit for. Lee, however, was silent and noticeably at the back of the group. His lack of input made it clear he would go with whatever the group decided. But the two of them clearly had no stomach for the cruelty this called for…
"We've made an error," Shino declared calmly; his usual demeanor proved helpful in selling his indifference and ignorance to their hesitation. "While we have pushed back the initial raid of wasps, they are likely to return. I acknowledge that our Okama allies are not defenseless, it would still be wise to set up a perimeter to ensure their safety. Lee is quick enough to cover a vast amount of ground. Hinata's Byakugan will allow her to guard equally well. While you two do so Sakura and I will handle the interrogation."
Lee and Hinata's eyes drifted down; despite what he believed was a believable tone, they seemed to have reached the negative conclusion all the same. Shino grit his teeth as he attempted to compose a saving response.
"Shino's right." Sakura helpfully chimed in before he could. "It only makes sense; besides, I'd be pretty useless for guarding half the outpost myself…"
"Worry not, fair teammate. We will aid you to our fullest capability! I know you'll succeed in your own endeavor!" Lee cried, ever the simple man. The simple suggestion of his teammate needing aid overrode any suspicion he had. Hinata blinked as Lee dashed off, bowed to them apologetically, and raced off in the other direction. Her resolution to aid and be useful to her comrades could offer no resistance to his suggestion. Besides deep down they both knew they wanted to avoid this.
"An Aburame with a heart?" Sakura asked with a raised brow. "Now I've truly seen everything. You're always so composed it's hard to realize what you're feeling. Never would've thought you could be so caring."
"It is necessary to maintain morale among comrades; this was merely my efforts of leading this team. The leader is responsible for not only the physical but mental well-being of his team after all." Shino replied with ease, his sunglasses hid the fact that he rolled his eyes at her. He detected her sarcasm, which was not nearly as subtle as she thought. "We are not in the business of having hearts; I merely wish to conduct business with my allies in mind. That is all."
"There's nothing wrong with admitting you care about your friends, Shino," Sakura said with a roll of her eyes. Shino inwardly balked at the audacity of her. "I can appreciate you are sparing Lee; he's a sweetheart who never does well with what he considers "unyouthful tactics." And despite Hinata being brave enough to fight a jinchuriki, she doesn't like hurting just about anything. Especially when they are defenseless."
Shino grunted as he allowed his mind to ponder over this conversation. "It is unbecoming of a shinobi…"
"Even us shinobi are people, Shino." Sakura countered.
"You didn't let me finish." Shino interrupted her. "And yet, I find myself not resenting them but wishing I was more like them…"
"Shino, you are one of us," Sakura assuredly said, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Hell, at least you made it to the exams and even got promoted. You're one of our stars."
"I agree to a certain extent. I went to the exams to uphold the reputation of the Aburame and receive a promotion to establish my status as heir. I achieved those two goals, but I find myself frustrated with my performance all the while. My bout against Yuno left me little option of displaying my best, I could not crush my ally for my own aims. This emotional thinking of mine makes me feel weak and is also unbecoming… Yet people seem to appreciate such, and I found myself prideful in holding back against a dear friend… more than I would've if I crushed her as I had planned." Shino admitted.
"Maintaining morale is important, remember Shino? Even for ourselves… I won't pretend I don't recognize as shinobi. We will time and time again make hard decisions. But I've always thought it's okay, even if we must, we'll do it to protect those we care about from doing the same. You recognize that too, accept it." Sakura chided with a wag of her finger. "Anyway, let's get to the gritty stuff. This is fitting for shinobi, sacrificing their humanity for the people they care for… we all struggle for the ones we love in our own way."
"Well said." Shino briskly responded fast, walking over to the shack. He felt embarrassed to have been so furrowed and informed by a kunoichi that he bluntly considered himself above. Humbling but inspiring all the same. He supposed being a shinobi was about balance. Be that as it may, it was time to tip the scales a bit…
They walked into the dim shack lit only by a single candle in the back. Compared to the others, this shack was bare and undecorated, only holding some dust boxes and a recently created body cuff for the wasp. Though there were several open barrels of clay. Which explained the garish-looking clay brace that held the wasp. The artful yet cruel creation must've been crafted recently. As the clay prison extended all six legs of the wasp as well as all four of its wings. The wasp gnashed helplessly as it angrily buzzed at them. Mono and Muuni stood before it, looking grim as they turned to face them.
"Hello, humans." Mono greeted through gritted teeth. "It seems our enemy moved quicker than they were ready for. We managed to capture this one before us. It explained its actions but won't give away the location of its hive nor why it's decided to make an enemy of the Okama…"
"We can't do this, Elder." Muuni suddenly objected but went silent. The female raccoon's face seemed to shift as if hearing an inner dialogue. She grunted but nodded her head all the same.
"We called you here because of its stubbornness. It appears the waps has been outfitted with some sort of Fuijutsu, which stops me from being able to invade its mind; that only leaves us with one option to get critical information." Mono trailed off as his shoulders seemed to sag.
"You want us to handle the interrogation." Shino finished for him. "For whatever reason the Okama object to such drastic measures even when in peril. Admirable I suppose, but also undeniably foolish. As your allies we will handle it."
"Aye," Mono admitted with a sigh. "We of the Okama have no problem defending ourselves, nor are we above vengeance. However, as empaths killing alone carries a great toll, outright torture would cause most critical psychological damage. Whatever member I forced to do it likely would suffer greatly if not be driven outright insane."
"Grim but a reasonable request," Sakura admitted. "I can attempt to monitor its vitals, but a wasp's anatomy and medical treatments are beyond me. Even with my newly discovered Medical Ninjutsu I'd struggle to do much."
Mono nodded as he and Munni tensely left them with the helpless wasp. It silently and intelligently observed them as they plotted. Occasionally it would twitch as it spent their time speaking as an opportunity to try to escape. Shino admired its composure but he could tell there would be no escaping its bind.
"No true concern," Shino assured. "As do all members of the Aburame, I have spent much of my free time studying most species of insect in this world. Using the link between my allies and I, we will guide your chakra effectively; ensure our victim does not perish to the best of your abilities. I will be rough so prepare to do your best." As she walked behind the bound wasp, Sakura nodded and gently set her hands behind its head. Her hands began to glow as they allowed her medical chakra to flow through it. The wasp buzzed angrily, its attempts to struggle increasing with her touch.
Shino hummed as his allies flew off him and began to crawl through the wasp's body. Sakura gasped as she realized they were tracing its body both inside and out releasing near microscopic chakra pulses to guide her own.
Shino could not blame her for being shocked it worked. Despite his assurances, he was shocked when his allies reported that Sakura managed to follow their guiding path even with its obscureness. The chakra control it took to form medical chakra alone was impressive, and accurately pushing it through a foreign body even more so, doing so through the guidance of a micro chakra burst accurately was downright shocking. Confident now in the assurance the wasp would be fine, Shino marched toward it coldly. Steeling his heart as he prepared to break the helpless victim in front of him.
Interrogation was a unique and challenging craft to master. The idea being simple enough, using physical and mental techniques to cause just enough harm to the opponent to crack them and get what you wanted. Too much and the victim would perish or shatter both physically and mentally, they were useless then. Too little, and they would hold, emboldened by their own success. Leading to a much longer and crueler path. It was a craft only briefly touched upon in the academy. The pursuit was usually left to senior and specialist shinobi; field interrogations sanctioned ones did occasionally happen but were rarely all that successful. So difficult and rare was the opportunity that most shinobi simply did not bother pursuing it. Most figured they could merely wing this anyway. Shino knew better, he had come prepared for this day.
"My name is Shino Aburame; as you can see, I am a human in alliance with the Okama Clan. I would ask you to identify yourself as well." Shino asked politely. Interrogation was a process regardless of the target. It was best if the user knew their mark relatively well. Building rapport with them allowed them to learn about the target while subtly changing their perspective of the user to the victim. Shino did not have that previous experience to count on, so he would have to build some minor rapport before he got into things. It was best to ease into an interrogation, it was just as important not to show weakness all the while…
The wasp was silently buzzing angrily from within its bind. Shino noticed it straining against its binds; it had yet to accept it was helpless…
"I understand, why?" Shino mused. "That would be because I understand how life works for a wasp like yourself. You work to produce more of your young, feed yourself and them and your beloved Queen, and spend your life diligently serving your Queen. As such, I recognize your current position. You have been captured after a failed raid, and no rescue is coming from the hive. To them you are effectively dead, even if you were alive you are not worth the risk of saving. Better to write you off as dead. Soon, that decision will be proven correct."
"You understand nothing of me nor my life, human." The wasps angrily spat back. "Do not assume I am so weak in mind that I would betray my hive by giving you information. I have accepted my death; it is an honor to die for my own."
Shino had expected this sort of reply but was pleased by his progress. The wasp likely did not realize it, but Shino had yet to begin to truly prod at it for information, yet it was not responding to him. With a little careful work it now was speaking openly, even expressing itself. Slow but steady worked best. Time to lower it guard before turning up the pressure.
"Of course," Shino admitted with a shrug. "However, we merely wish to know why for now." Mono had said it had explained its actions. That meant this was a safe topic for the wasp. It would respond openly to this to appear compliant, there was no risk as far as it could see. Shino could see the situation more clearly however.
"Because our Queen demanded it." The wasp icily replied. "I do not question orders, that's not my place. I merely follow."
"Interesting, Mono found you have some defensive fuijutsu in place. One's particular tailored to defend against the Okama. I am somewhat familiar with the wasp clan, and they are not known for their mastery of such an art." Shino exposed their knowledge of such suddenly. Right when the victim grew comfortable with your approach shifting it, Shino ruthlessly knocked it off balance. This would keep it in check. Badgering it relentlessly like this would ensure success. It would either willingly or unwillingly give up information eventually.
The wasp must have realized that Shino was gaining ground and was on to him. Even with its buzzing, it went silent as its intelligent eyes narrowed on him.
"I believe you weren't under the orders of your Queen." Shino pushed forward regardless of the silence. Slowing down now would ruin it, he needed to shatter it's confidence and inspire terror and anxiety at once. "I believe a third party has either gained your support of your clan or forced you all to aid them, perhaps by leveraging the safety of your Queen."
"Silence human; I have no more words for you!" The wasps responded simply.
"Then I'm afraid it's on to more drastic measures." Shino calmly stated that he drew a kunai and sliced a leg from the wasp off within an instant. He knew from the start mere mental prodding would not be enough. But the lessons had stressed escalation in torture. The wasp buzzed, cursed, and writhed in equal measure in response. However, as it writhed, it did not say what they wanted to know. Even in incredible pain the loyalty of its Queen reigned supreme. "I'm sure you realize that the Okama are likely gonna kill you regardless of if you hold out, how awful that death will be is your choice. Worse yet I doubt one of the stronger clans will stand idly by. Your hive will also be in peril soon enough…"
"Fuck you human! I will not give you anything! My hive will remain safe, especially now! Our business is none of yours. Do. Your. Worst."
"You made it our business when you attacked us." Shino countered plainly. "I ask again. I don't wish to go much further but I will."
No answer was forthcoming, so Shino blurred forward. The wasp buzzed and threatened him as it grasped one of his legs, but he offered no mercy nor care. Even with a burst of chakra into his muscles the hard bone-like leg offered resistance. But with a grunt of effort Shino crudely snapped it in two. The limb barely hanging on and a slowly slowing flow of blood bleeding from such.
The wasp visibly sagged in place at such, its buzz now holding a miserable tone. Yet it still kept its mouth shut.
"I see your resolution is no small thing." Shino mused. "Sakura, how's it doing?"
"Its vitals have weakened, I think, but I stopped the bleeding… but anything too traumatic and I will only be able to delay the inevitable. " Sakura answered with a pant. "Try to make this quick if you can!"
"Excellent work Sakura. I appreciate it," Shino complimented before snapping his fingers once. The allies from within the wasp reacted to his command instantly. Not realizing his ploy the wasp laughed at such a thing, a broken, tired laugh that went on for seconds and seconds. "Laugh while you can; you'll feel it soon…" Shino promised darkly.
The wasp's laughter turned into screams as he finished his words. It struggled twice as hard against the hardened clay. But the prison did not give, nor did Shino alleviate the pressure he had applied. The wasp cried out for mercy, for its queen.
"Something I discovered throughout my research is a unique way bees defend themselves from wasps. Wasps being larger and more formidable in most ways prove too much of a challenge for a single bee, even a group but when bees are gathered with absurd numbers they developed a collaborative defense tactic, they have evolved over the years a unique way to deal with them…" Shino began to monologue as the wasp writhed chaotically. No longer even attempting to escape as much as thrashing around due to the pain. It no longer even screamed.
"They will surround the wasp in question with overwhelming numbers."
Sakura cut in, seemingly aware of this fact. Shino allowed her to continue, deeply impressed by her knowledge. "Completely surrounding and burying it in their bodies, as if smothering it, they don't bother with attempting to sting or bite it to death; instead, they vibrate so fast with their unique biology that they create heat."
Shino blinked, stunned Sakura had known; it was as if he was seeing her for the first time. Perhaps he needed to connect with her after this. She had called him a friend, one of them. "Correct. A mere hundred-degree environment sustained will cause a wasp's body and organs to fail. Death normally occurs in mere seconds. However, your larger size takes more heat and increases the time to take effect. That is perfect for you'll suffer through a seemingless endless sea of pain before death takes you. See my allies are inside and throughout your body; many of them can generate heat through vibration. Slowly, they will raise your internal temperature, causing the very fate I spoke of. If you tell me who ordered this honestly and their location, I'll stop it and spare you the pain…"
The wasp screamed more. "It's not the hive's fault! Our Q-... Queen! She's been captured by some strange shi-shinobi! There in the west near the Chakra Anchor! Please help my hive."
"Thank you. I assure you these shinobi will pay for this. Though I cannot promise the safety of your hive, if they stand in our way they will be dealt with." Shino assured gravely.
"Great, we got what we need, Shi," Sakura began, lifting her hands and wiping sweat from her brow. She blinked, and was shocked as her eyes opened as Shino sliced the head off the wasp with a single slash of his kunai. Shino should've warned her.
"It may seem harsh, but my allies had already raised its internal temperature too high. Even with sustained aid from both of us, it likely would've slowly died, but I offered it a cruel mercy."
"I… yeah, I know," Sakura sighed. "Just was… intense…"
"Indeed," Shino acknowledged with a heavy sigh before he turned and began to leave the shack. "But we had no choice; we could not afford to let a lead go. Not when our allies' fate lies in the balance. Steel your heart, Sakura. This is likely not the last time we do something… despicable."
"I know…" Sakura sighed as she walked away from the corpse of the wasps. "Though I'm not the only one affected…"
Shino raised a brow before he looked at his gloved hand. It was shaking… "Let's meet up with the others…" Best to stay busy…