This is the first full fanfic I've written, but feel free to give constructive criticism. I like to think I'm mature enough to take some flames, but if they don't contain any actual advice…please don't trouble yourselves unduly telling me it sucks.

For those of you who don't know, this fic is about what might happen if Naruto had Kikai. I will admit, the pairings are rather obvious, but I am not yet confident enough in my writing skills to both use a rare pairing (which usually requires making up a personality, given that the non-main females from canon don't have much of one) and to do this idea. As far as I know, no one's ever given Naruto Kikaichuu before. If you want a full summary of the idea, I wrote a oneshot before I decided to turn this into a full fic; check my profile. Also, I don't own Naruto. That's pretty much a given.

This fic will contain a little Japanese (because Hinata just isn't Hinata without "Ano…"), but for the more common words, I will not be providing a translation. What you will not see, however, is any Wapanese, or random Japanese phrases popping up every now and then. I will stick to using it mostly for the jutsus.

Anyway, I've talked long enough. Without further ado, here begins the story of the Hivemind.

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Prologue-Hive is All.

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The hive was everything. From birth, it had been there for Aburame Shino. It had guided him on his first steps, caught him when he fell, and protected him when he was in danger. Though the hive was looked on with shock, and possibly horror from much of Konoha, this was because they did not understand the close bond the Aburame had with the Kikai.

The bond with the Kikai was both like and unlike the bond the Aburame shared with others of the clan, for they were all bonded at least partially by the hive itself, and so they themselves were part of the hive. In this way, Aburames trusted members of their clan and few others, for when one is part of the hive, the others know one is to be trusted. If one was not to be trusted, one would not be part of the hive in the first place.

Though it was difficult, especially for the older members of the hive to trust outsiders, they had begun with the man known as the First Hokage. He had come to them with his brother, asking if they wished to live in his village. When they arrived, the clan had been shocked to see what had once been a barren wasteland now teeming with trees and life. When they asked the First why he had put so much effort into this, he merely replied:

"This is how my brother and I wish to leave our mark on the world. Not as warriors, not as brilliant ninjas, but bringers of life, founders of a ninja village where all can live in peace without having to fear those who abuse their powers."

The hive came together and discussed this, and all were amazed at the First's generous and selfless attitude. Never again would there be found a man as great as he. And so the Aburame joined the village that later came to be known as Konoha, the Village Hidden in Leaves.

Since that time, very few outsiders have truly gained the trust and admiration of the Aburame. The Hokages were trusted, but as for the rest, there have been only three major ninja taken into the trusts of the Aburame. The first of these, surprisingly enough, is Maito Gai. Though ninja are supposed to see 'underneath the underneath', many simply dismiss the loud jounin as big, dumb, and a good person to ignore. The Aburame know otherwise.

Underneath Gai's carefree, foolish exterior there lies a ninja who truly cares about the lives of both his students and the others of the group known as the Rookie 9. Though he is in essence the complete opposite of all the qualities the Aburame admire in their own members, they see him as trustworthy for exactly that reason. Though he is loud where they are soft, blunt when they are subtle and joyful where they are seemingly unemotional, he follows through on everything he says to the best of his ability.

The second ninja, also an odd choice from an outsider's point of view, is Orochimaru's old student Mitarashi Anko. After she was abandoned, the Aburame secretly helped to fund her continued education, room and board. Though the Hokage knew of it, he refrained from interference, also overriding both Danzo's protests and his requests to use 'the snake brat' as a weapon.

When Anko had grown up, she found out who her secret benefactors were and asked them their reasons. The only answer she got was this:

"Our bugs like you."

To this day, she isn't sure whether the Aburame elder had been kidding. She could have sworn she heard a tinge of a laugh in his voice, but before she could ask, the elder dismissed her.

Though she never had much official association with them after that, she made a point of buying her trademark mesh suits from the clan's shops. The odd material it was made out of was in fact silk harvested by the Aburame from their own spiders.

It was a sign of how much the clan trusted her that she had them, for the full suits were hardly ever sold to those outside the clan. Anko rarely wore anything else besides it, because she liked the feel of it on her bare skin. This latter fact, however, was known only to Anko and those who were already too close to her to get away. After she had finished with them, no one wished to say she was even more of an exhibitionist than she looked.

The third and final ninja is also the one taken farther than any other, even the First, into the trusts of the clan. He who is known as the Heavenly Spear and Konoha's number one surprising ninja, one Uzumaki Naruto.