"This is all very peculiar." Aburame Shibi said stoically, upon being filled in on the week's events.
"It's the first thing he's said in hours." Sakura whispered to Naruto, who was starting to doubt Shibi's speech capability.
"Yes…" Lady Tsunade shot a quick glare at Sakura. "Even more troubling, more cases are being reported, despite the Hot Springs being shut down."
Naruto gripped the wall, stumbling a few steps and looking visibly shaken.
"What's wrong, Naruto?" Lee and Shikamaru asked in unison, propping the blonde up on their shoulders.
Naruto stared at the two worriedly, before asking, "What if…there are some of those things at Ichiraku's?"
Everyone excluding Naruto himself, Sakura, and Lady Tsunade lowered their heads and shook them.
Naruto now shook with a valid sense of utter terror, as Sakura's face hardened and she rolled her sleeve up, stepping towards him. But it was Tsunade's fist that connected with his face first, sending him flying (Literally) past Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai on his way out.
"Yo. You wanted to see us?" Kakashi spoke for the assortment of Jonin.
Ino slipped slyly over towards Asuma, who was standing next to Kurenai.
"So, you and Kurenai Sensei, huh?" She asked, nudging his arm with her elbow.
Rather than responding, Asuma gasped and changed the subject. "So, Lady Fifth, is this about that file you sent out?" He tossed the information brief on the Hokage's desk with a papery flop.
Shibi spoke, startling the Sensei. "We'll be grouping together to come up with a solution. If need be, at the very least, a temporary one."
"Let's meet at the Third Training Ground then." Kurenai said, unaware that everyone saw her unconsciously, but still lightly brush her hand past Asuma's upon exiting.
"What are these three logs here for?" Kiba carved a sketch of Akamaru into the middle one, with a kunai.
Kakashi, briefly glancing back, shrugged and said, "Bell Test."
"Bell test? What do you mean by 'Bell Te—'" Neji started to ask, before deciding it may not be best to get involved with Team Seven's shenanigans.
"Could you make some chairs or something Captain Yamato? I mean you stalked us all the way here." Naruto waved the ABNU member over as he descended from the trees surrounding the clearing, bouncing over the log Kiba had carved into.
With a defeated look, and a few hand signs, Yamato reluctantly created eight wooden benches. Hinata squeaked in surprise as the once solid ground below her lurched into a seat.
"Benches and poles aren't all the Wood style is good for you know…" Yamato sighed, and sat down next to a previously aloof Shino.
Neji, Lee, and Kiba were seated together too, as were Kakashi and Guy (this particular seating arrangement was initiated by Guy of course), Naruto and Sai, Kurenai and Asuma, Hinata and Tenten, Choji and Shikamaru, and lastly, Ino and Sakura. Rather than sit by anyone and risk conversation, Shibi stood in the center of where all eight benches faced.
"I'll take notes for this session." Said Sai, as he removed his drawing pad and brush from his pack.
"Kiba, can Ninken sniff out parasites?" Tenten asked, hoping Akamaru and his kin would save the day.
"No, those things didn't have a smell. All we can do is track that little bit of chakra they've stored inside of them." Kiba replied sheepishly.
"Shino, can your Kikaichu follow the pheromones secreted by those parasites?" Hinata questioned, half expecting a 'no' even if it was a lie. Shino hadn't spoke for a whole day after some of his insects were absorbed by that mob they faced. Though, she wasn't sure if that was abnormal.
Flying out from his sleeve and onto his outreached finger, one of Shino's insects landed.
"Ordinarily, the male Kikaichu can trace the female Kikaichu by her scent." Shino pointed to the glands which make that practice possible. "However, those parasites aren't traceable. That is because they are basically flying, simpleminded, pieces of chakra."
"What do they eat?" Choji asked.
Shibi however, answered for his son. "Anything they are commanded to."
"If they're that capable, it doesn't make any sense." Kurenai half said, half asked.
"I agree. Why not use them like all-terrain termites instead of illnesses?" Shikamaru stated curiously.
"Maybe the guy isn't that smart after all." Naruto brightened.
"Or maybe his motives are much different that we imagined. For all we know, he could be trying to take over the leaf when it's at its weakest." Asuma cut in.
The evening wind at this point felt just as ominous and chilling as the silence they shared.
"The community may just have to go without water for a few weeks, unless it's thoroughly checked." Kakashi offered.
"That would only create more problems, and such a wide-scale change could scare Konoha citizens." Yamato sighed.
"Evacuate the village?"
"No, too drastic."
"Examine every building and water source?"
"Most of our resources are gone."
Over the next few hours, the Leaf shinobi shot up, and shot down many ideas regarding the matter.
As a last resort, Tenten resolved to ask Sai, "Have you come up with anything?"
Sai flipped through refined, and some disturbing, drawings of Leaf villagers and scenery. There was even one of the Nine-Tails, otherwise known as Kurama, which astonished Naruto.
"Well," He showed the group his diagram of the parasitic flea in water, then the adult worm form. "Earlier, I stopped at the hospital and ascertained a few samples. They've informed me that as a worm only, the creatures die after being removed from water, for an hour." He drew a few more notes before taking a jar out of his pack.
"This specimen, I've been doing my own tests on." The group watched the pale worm wriggle weakly in the water.
"Why is it moving so slowly?" Kiba inspected the jar closer.
"Originally, this was a flea. When I mixed a few things together, the solution caused the flea to rapidly advance to its worm stage." Sai started.
Sai, it looks like it's dying." Kakashi blinked at the creature.
"It looks like a long piece of rice." Choji added.
Ignoring Choji's comment, Sai explained. "It is dying; the mixture is slowly killing it. In fact, all seven specimens have expired this same way."
The worm was swimming lower and lower, and at shorter intervals.
"Why didn't you say so earlier? Let's pour that compound into the Konoha water supply! Neji, Tenten, let's treat this like a training exercise!" Lee said abruptly, and stood.
"Very well… the first material is just this small paralyzing herb. When mixed with my ink, it works as a toxin. Both of these things can be found at almost any local supply store." Sai quickly sketched a drawing of the herb, and handed it to Ino. Sakura and Ino memorized its scientific name and color scheme.
"The last material… is 'Gold Dust'. Its weight and magnetic field weigh down and disrupt the chakra of the parasites. This, combined with the toxin, kills them in exactly three hours." Sai waited for the shinobi to realize what this meant.
"Wait, isn't Gold Dust only found in—"
Sai smiled and interrupted, "Pure Gold Dust is found exclusively in Suna. We'll have to talk to the Kazekage about obtaining some when we arrive."
