6.15
The trail Kumoko ntioned wasn’t obvious. A quick search gave no clue about where it was. Not that it was a concern at this point, not with Karin’s absurd sensing range. For so reason, Karin took refuge behind from my clones. Trouble-chan, First and Second, tried to harass the redhead again, but my stern glare was enough to dissuade them.
Under Karin’s scared eyes, I had a brief signal conversation with my clones. It went sothing like this:
: Kunai, seal, placent, around, smoke.
T1: Explosion?
: Negative, smoke, objective, explosion bad.
T2: Indignation, protest, revise plan, explosion good.
: Mission objective, critical, capture, asset acquisition, destruction bad.
T1: Foul play, unfair.
T2: Unhappy, protest.
Once prepared, we set off toward the chakra Karin could sense in the distance.
The forest floor was a carpet of moss and fallen leaves, broken by massive roots. Strange fungi growing in clusters, so glowing with soft phosphorescent light, others looking decidedly alien and potentially poisonous.
I found the trail a couple of minutes away from the tunnel entrance. It was tiny markers on tree bark. It was subtle enough that if I didn’t know better, I’d have missed it. The trail led to a narrow, winding path cutting through the dense foliage.
The forest changed the closer we got to our destination. Trees grew sparser, and a low humming beca audible. Not the tiny buzz of normal bees but a deeper sound that vibrated through the air.
We slowed our pace, made sure to walk in silence. I peeked from behind a huge tree, then I saw it.
The hive was enormous. Easily the size of a three-story building, it was a massive structure of waxy, honeycomb-like material clinging to the side of a massive tree. Giant bee sentinels, each the size of a large dog and bigger, crawled across its surface. Their bodies were jet black with sharp yellow markings, mandibles that looked like curved daggers.
That mural I saw back at the badger’s lair ca to mind. I rembered the dead badgers around the sole surviving one.
Karin sucked in a breath beside .
“This is insane,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the bees. “We’re not going in there, right?”
I didn’t need to write anything for her to know what I thought. She probably could read it from my chakra. This was bad. Very bad. Sneaking past one giant bee might’ve been possible. Sneaking past dozens? And then stealing royal jelly from that hive? I swallowed, fingers tightening around the kunai. Exchanged another glance with my clones.
“We have a plan, right?” Karin whispered, her eyes flickering to .
I didn’t respond right away. My gaze locked on the hive and the countless bees crawling all over it. The buzzing was deafening at this distance, the sound filling the air like a living thing. I reached into my pouch and pulled out another one of the seals I’d prepared. I was hoping the smoke would work. I gestured to her to keep quiet, then took her hand and led her away from the hive.
Once we were a safe distance, I wrote what I mulled on the way over.
“Do you rember how to reach the tunnel’s entrance?”
Karin looked at the words, then back at . She nodded.
“Go back and wait for there.”
“No,” she pulled her hand away from mine. “Don’t be stupid, I can help.”
Was I being patronizing by trying to send her away? It wasn’t even that I thought she couldn’t fight. I knew Karin was strong, even if she wasn’t a combat specialist like other shinobi. No, I wanted her to return to the tunnel’s entrance because if she went back, it would keep her safe, given she wasn’t in the best condition, and that would also give a last-resort escape route. But to explain that, I would have to co clean about the beacon.
At least about teleport function. I didn’t need to tell her about the spying function. Well, I couldn’t let one betrayal color all my future interactions.
“No, it’s not that,” I wrote with my threads. I gestured to one of my clones, signed a ssage when she looked my way. Trouble-chan the Second gave a nod. I turned back to Karin, wrote more words.
“The wood kunai I gave you is my escape route if things go south.”
Karin read the words, tilted her head. She opened her mouth, but Trouble-chan teleported before she could ask her question. I barely caught the movent from my clone, and I was waiting for it. Trouble-chan did a one-hand confrontation seal, probably to look cool since I knew we could teleport without making those, and arrived with arms already open and hugging the redhead.
“Eep.” Karin squeaked, then pushed my clone away. Soon after, she hid behind again, glaring at the clone.
Trouble-chan, the Second, pouted. Stuck her tongue at Karin. Then, she jogged back to where she was and picked up the seals and kunai that had fallen on the forest floor when she teleported. I rolled my eyes at her antics.
Why were my clones so insistent in teasing Karin like that? I an, I knew why. They were teasing , and Karin was just a bonus, but even so. That was a bit unfair.
I had my clone teleport because I didn’t want another flashing incident. The clone’s clothes were chakra constructs. She was in no danger of leaving her clothes behind. If I tried that, on the other hand… Well, let’s just not.
“See?” I wrote when Karin looked back at . “If you’re sowhere safe, I can always use your position to escape if I need to run.” I tilted my head, added more regarding my reason. “And I know you’re not in top condition because I drained you from your life force.”
Karin glanced at her bandaged arms, then looked away.
In all the confusion and events after our escape, I never took the chance to thank her for saving my life twice. I walked closer, and taking a page from my clone’s books, I gave Karin a hug.
“Eeep!” She squeaked again.
Huh, yeah, that was pretty funny. I guess I know now why my clones do it. But I shook my head; not the ti to get distracted.
“Thank you for saving my life twice,” I croaked out. I didn’t feel like writing a ‘thank you’ was the best option. “I owe you.”
After a mont, her arms found their way around , nestling her head around my neck. She mumbled sothing I couldn’t understand, but I decided it ant “You’re welco” or sothing similar.
It didn’t last. She pushed away, looked back toward the trail that led to the tunnel. She looked back at after a mont.
“Be careful, okay?” Karin said.
I nodded.
“I don’t trust them.” She added.
I nodded again.
“They said I would be food if you died.”
I scowled, nodded a third ti, wrote my answer. “I will be careful.”
Karin turned and started her way back, away from the hive of giant killer bees. I turned to my clones. It was ti to get the ball rolling. With luck, the smoke plan would work.
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