Naruto: Building Insect Kingdom Chapter 24 24: The First Hive Stronghold

The mine tunnel in the back hills was devoid of light, but it remained dry. Inside, a dozen people were huddled in the darkness.

The lead miner had long since been killed; his remains were piled in a corner, rotting and emitting a foul stench.

The rebellious farrs who had been wounded earlier by Harusa lay gasping on the cold ground, their lives flickering out.

Shisui didn't enter recklessly. He first sent in his Chūkaichu (Scent-Distorting Insects) to release pheromones that, coupled with a subtle Genjutsu, plunged everyone inside into a deep sleep.

Afterward, he selected those with enough vitality to survive and dragged them out of the cave. The rest? He let the Shokuaichu (Erosion Insects) pick them clean.

Before long, the tunnel was spotless, the lingering scent of decay neutralized by the chemical secretions of his hive.

Deep in the heart of the mine, Shisui found a suitable stone platform. He tossed the four unconscious rogue samurai onto it and unceremoniously slapped them awake.

"Who are you? Why have you taken us?"

The leader, a man nad Minami in his thirties with a face weathered by wind and frost, maintained a fearless front even in captivity. His companions, however, were far less composed.

"Boss, he's a Takigakure ninja. Look at the headband," one middle-aged samurai stamred, his eyes darting around.

"I told you we should have left. Why stay for these peasants? Look at what they've done—they aren't exactly 'good people' themselves!"

"Shut up!" Minami snapped. He turned back to Shisui, his eyes narrowing. "You aren't a Takigakure ninja.

They don't have the skill to capture the four of us without making a sound." He looked at the insects crawling along the damp stone walls. "You're that Abura renegade from Konoha."

Shisui snapped his fingers. "Smart. But how did you get that information so quickly?"

"Cats have their paths, and rats have theirs," Minami spat. "We ronin might lack power, but we have our channels. You didn't bring us here just to kill us. What do you want?"

"True. What if I told you that to live, you must kill your brothers?"

"What? Impossible!" Minami sneered, his expression one of martyrdom. "Choose another condition. Minami never betrays his brothers."

"Oh? Then help slaughter the nearby villages and bring their corpses here. If you know my history, you know my insects need at."

"Hahahaha!" Minami laughed mockingly. "To think a great village like Konoha would produce soone like you.

I used to wonder why they put a bounty on your head. Fonting war, massacring civilians... I thought only the small villages stooped that low."

In that mont, the expressions of the other two samurai shifted. "Lord! Don't kill us! We'll do it! We'll do whatever you want!"

"Sanji! You would do that just to live?"

"Boss, we only followed you to get a al! As for your 'Bushido'—sorry, but those days are over. Samurai are obsolete. This is the era of the shinobi." The man turned to Shisui. "My Lord, I'll kill whoever you want!"

"Good." Shisui pulled a fist-sized insect egg from his robe. "Eat this, and you are my subordinate."

Looking at the pulsating egg, the man broke into a cold sweat. Finally, with a hard swallow, he forced it into his mouth and gulped it down. Shisui watched him, his hands forming a seal.

Secret Technique: Insect Cocoon.

The egg rapidly gestated within the man's body. He collapsed, clutching his stomach in agony. Within monts, his limbs began to wither as his abdon bloated unnaturally. Shisui stepped forward and kicked the distended stomach open. Four eggs rolled out—one large, three significantly smaller.

Evolution? Shisui noted. The size decrease was likely due to the host's poor nutritional value. He picked up the eggs and looked at the remaining three.

"The world is the sa everywhere. Do you still hold expectations for Konoha? The peasant revolt was your doing, wasn't it?"

Minami lowered his head. "Yes. It was ."

"You can't change anything, because 'absolute justice' doesn't exist. Once those peasants got a taste of power, they were more cruel than the masters they replaced." Shisui placed the three smaller eggs before them. "Eat."

"No! Please!" one of the samurai scread, clenching his teeth shut.

A kunai thudded into the man's forehead. The insects swarming the floor surged over him, leaving nothing but bone in seconds.

"You don't have the right to refuse."

Faced with the alternative, Minami and the middle-aged samurai bowed their heads, licked the eggs off the dirt, and swallowed.

This ti, however, the agony didn't co. Instead, a warm current flooded their veins. As it flowed, they felt their muscles knitting tighter and their senses sharpening.

"Don't get any ideas," Shisui warned. "I can give power, and I can take your lives. For now, stay here. Guard this mine and assist in my experints.

I will have the farrs outside brought under control; they will provide you with food and supplies. Your job is to train, grow stronger, and gather intelligence."

The two n knelt on one knee. "Yes, Master."

Shisui left the mine, placing a simple concealnt barrier at the entrance. It wouldn't stop physical entry, but it would scramble any external attempts to sense the chakra signatures inside.

Back at the manor's main house, the Takigakure squad had regrouped.

"Did you find them?" Yoshisuke asked, his face grim.

Naoto, Yuki, and Harusa all shook their heads.

"I searched a one-mile radius. No sign of the samurai," Naoto reported.

"The fields and mines are clear of warriors," Yuki added. "Only farrs."

Yoshisuke's brow furrowed. He turned to Shisui. "Takigawa, what about your side?"

Shisui shook his head convincingly. "I checked every building. No samurai. I found so broken katana fragnts, but they were rusted junk."

"Strange," Yoshisuke muttered, stroking his chin. "Intelligence specifically ntioned three to five rogue samurai inciting this. The rebellion happened, but the instigators have vanished into thin air."

🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon/kazama677

🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another

🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.