"What are those two brats doing over there, crying and laughing instead of obediently searching for the Bikochu?"
A voice sounded in the darkness, and three Shinobi, a woman and two men, revealed themselves from their camouflage in front of a tree trunk. The woman, Suzumebachi, frowned as she observed Hinata and Naruto from a distance.
Jibachi, the blonde-haired man with a face that looked like a scumbag, adjusted his glasses and sneered, "Probably playing Shinobi house."
The large, dark-skinned ninja, Kurobachi, clenched his fists and said, "Why don't we tie up those two pieces of trash and force the remaining two go find the Bikochu?"
"Let's wait a bit longer. Bikochu is crucial for the revival of our Kamizuru Clan. We must not let it fall into the hands of those little Konoha brats." Suzumebachi said.
"Also, one of the other two brats seems to be from the Aburame Clan."
"The Aburame Clan!" Kurobachi gritted his teeth and said, "If it weren't for them, our Kamizuru Clan wouldn't have declined to this point."
The weaselly-looking Jibachi smirked and said, "Which is why we can't let them off. But they're just a bunch of Genin. It won't be too late to torture them slowly after they find the Bikochu."
"However, we should still be cautious. The closer we get to them, the more agitated the bees we've summoned become." Suzumebachi added.
"Hehe, so that means we just need to keep an eye on that brat from the Aburame Clan." Jibachi said.
…
The next day.
Naruto and Team 8 arrived at the valley where Bikochu were located. It was a round, sunken basin that, when viewed from above, resembled the most primitive and dense forest.
The view was one of lush greenery, with towering trees and thick vines blocking out the sun. At first glance, the entire area looked like a giant natural insect terrarium, with shades of green overwhelming the landscape.
Standing on the edge of the cliff at the basin's rim, Naruto shaded his eyes from the harsh sunlight as he squinted into the distance.
The sunlight illuminated the center of the basin, and Naruto could almost see wisps of smoke rising from it. The forest in many places seemed unnaturally dense, as if wild green monsters were growing unchecked.
"Where the heck is this Bikochu?" Naruto complained, "If we have to search every inch, how long will it take to find them?"
"It's right down there." Shino said, standing on the edge of the cliff.
"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go down now." Kiba said, "The sooner we find it, the sooner we can go back. We've got a few tails following us, too."
They had long discovered the three Iwagakure's Shinobi with poor hiding skills, but in order not to disturb the habitat of the already endangered Bikochu, they decided to catch the insect first before dealing with their tails.
"Naruto, you should stay here." Shino suddenly said.
"Huh?" Hinata was the first to react.
"Bikochu is right below us, and it'll get scared off by Naruto's fox dog." Shino explained, pointing to the circular basin below, "Naruto, stay here while we go down and search for a while."
"If the three of us fail to find it, then Naruto will come down with the fox dog to flush out any insects hiding in the shadows, and we'll finish up together."
What Shino meant by 'finish up' was dealing with the three Shinobi following them. With four against three, they had the advantage.
"Fine by me. I'll just wait for you guys here." Naruto replied nonchalantly.
Watching the other three slowly descend the cliff, Naruto immediately pulled out his sleeping bag and, without a second thought, found a shady spot and crawled in.
Kyubi, on the other hand, was in a hurry.
"Brat, get the sake out before you sleep! I'm dying for a drink! Hurry up!"
"Tsk." Naruto glanced at Kyubi and said disdainfully, "Anyone who didn't know better would think you had a... sexually transmitted disease. There's no sake around this season, and doing missions is hard work, you know."
"You think I look like someone with money? I'm secretly in debt for tens of millions of ryo."
"Then make that woman pay off your debt!" Kyubi said without any hesitation, "Get some money and buy me some sake!"
"Living off a woman?" Naruto curled up in his blue sleeping bag like a wriggling worm, poking his head out to glare at Kurama and shouted excitedly, "What? Do you think I'm some kind of shameless freeloader?"
"… Aren't you?" Kyubi said hesitantly, "Your moral bottom line is the worst I have seen in the past hundreds of years..."
"Enough! Shut up! I don't want to hear it anymore!" Naruto cut him off.
"So, you're going to get me the sake?"
"No, I just don't want to hear you talk anymore. Go complain somewhere else." Naruto rolled over, "Besides, I work very hard every day. It's about time you pull your weight and contribute to the household!"
"Go to hell, brat!" Kyubi lunged at him and swung his claws.
"Kurama, you've crossed the line!" Naruto quickly rolled out of the way, jumping out of his sleeping bag and drawing the Kusanagi Sword!
"I've had enough of you, brat!" Kyubi bared his teeth, revealing rows of sharp fangs, "Today, I'm going to show you what a Biju really is!"
With that, Kyubi tilted his neck back, and a small Bijudama appeared directly in his throat!
In an instant, the cliffside was engulfed in a whirlwind of sand and stone. Half the cliff dimmed as an overwhelmingly terrifying aura filled the air.
At the foot of the cliff, the three members of Team 8 and the three Iwagakure's Shinobi that followed them all looked up towards the cliff in shock.
"Naruto is still up there." Hinata instinctively turned, already running dozens of meters before stopping herself and looking back at Shino.
"Let's go and take a look!" Shino made the decision almost instantly.
But just as quickly, everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
"What's going on?" Kiba frowned deeply and was about to say something when he was stopped by Shino.
"Kiba, don't move! The Bikochu is right at your foot!"
The three of them stopped moving. They didn't know about the situation on the cliff. It seemed like just a minor incident. However, the disturbance had scared the Bikochu out of hiding, creating a situation where they had to choose between two options.
Hinata was the one closest to the cliff, and Shino immediately said, "Hinata, you go check on Naruto. Kiba and I will handle things here."
"Okay!"
On the cliff, Naruto snapped his fingers, and Kyubi's Bijudama suddenly vanished, while Kyubi instantly became weak and exhausted. Naruto lazily grabbed Kyubi, rubbing the Kusanagi Sword back and forth across his fur.
"What were you saying earlier? I told you to behave! So behave yourself!" Naruto quickly sheathed the Kusanagi Sword and gave Kurama a couple of solid knocks.
Kyubi, completely drained of energy, hung limply in Naruto's grasp like a defeated dog, his eyes filled with despair.
"I was wondering why you suddenly became an alcoholic. Turns out drinking helps you regain your strength. Sly Fox, you're good at playing!"
Naruto casually carried Kyubi towards the edge of the cliff. He wanted to see if anyone came up to check the situation. As he peeked over, he saw Hinata rushing toward him.
He was about to wave and signal that he was fine when he suddenly froze. At this time, Hinata was followed by a swarm of bees.