Butterflies or Beetles: Chapter 10
In the offices that belonged to the Hokage, Shino stood with his hands in his pockets. "I've completed a test sample." He reported, offering some of his Kikaichu in a little clear box. "I'm sure that some tweaks will need to be made, as that is that natural way of things. I was hoping you would define what parameters need to be improved upon."
Very gently, he placed it on Tsunade's desk. The bugs were merely in their larvae form, and had not grown to maturity. He preferred it this way, since he had a particularly hard time parting with the bugs that he personally protected in his hive. The blonde woman regarded the box and turned to Shizune.
"Look into Shino's request, and get whatever information he needs." Just as Shizune exited, Tsunade sighed, taking her fingers and resting her chin upon them. "This is going to help the village in more ways than one. I understand the process can be rather taxing on the ninja in question though. Are you sure you can continue to refine the anti-venom?"
"So long as I have chakra to feed them, they will always be able to breed." Shino said with a curt nod, he stuffed his hands back into his jacket. "It may take time before the next batch meets any required changes though. It's one thing to breed Kikaichu that have a resistance to poison. It's another thing entirely to breed perfectly immune Kikaichu."
"How long do you think it will take." She asked him.
He shrugged a bit. "I have no idea how you can even transfer that over into human medicine."
"You just let me worry about that." Tsunade said to him, handing him payment for his services. "It'll take a few days for the test results to clear, so you're free to do as you wish until your next assignment."
"I will take that time to replenish my chakra reserves." He was looking forward to having his body to himself again. Breeding his Kikaichu in mass quantities was actually tiresome. He had to continually feed them chakra, and the young bugs ran wild and untamed. He had several swarms at home that he had no idea what to do with. Turning on his heel, he exited the office and began walking down the hall. There he saw an open door, where he found Sakura and Shizune leaning over a metal table that had some sort of large seal on it.
He didn't know what it was for exactly, but he could hazard a guess. Frowning, he stopped for a moment, bracing himself for the worst. He didn't want to be anywhere near that room when they began their experiments. Overhearing them talking peeked his attention.
"You haven't told Tsunade yet, have you?"
"No, but I don't really know what I'm going to say to her either. I'm glad you've been covering for me in the O.R. because without help I'd probably have to quit my job for a while."
Shino pressed his back against the wall, listening. He knew it was wrong, but Sakura's off-handed words concerned him. He wondered if she was truly having that much trouble managing her chakra. They didn't seem to notice him, or if they did, they simply didn't care. He wasn't entirely sure which.
"You should be thanking Hinata." Shizune laughed simply. "She's been taking most of your work load."
"Yeah, I know." Sakura agreed. "Ino too, she been doing all of the closing for me."
"Ino, closing after operations? I didn't realize she had the stomach for that."
"No one thought Hinata had it in her either, but she's been the one doing them while I supervise."
"Someone really should tell Tsunade about your chakra problem. You can tell her almost anything, Sakura. You know that."
"I'll tell her once I know what to say."
Shino heard rustling of what he assumed to be fabric before Sakura popped out from beyond the door. "Would you just get in here already? You're really starting to freak me out hiding out here like that."
"Sorry, Sakura. I didn't want to cause you any disturbances." Shino said as he walked in, and noticed that Sakura shut the door behind him, locking the latch tightly. He didn't know what to make of that. "What exactly are we doing in here with the door locked?"
"You'll see." Sakura murmured as they continued prepping the room.
For what, he couldn't be sure.
"Alright, that just about does it." Shizune said as she pulled some lab equipment closer to the table. "Are you sure you want him in here, Sakura? This is a considered a medical procedure, even if we are just being curious."
"I don't see why not." Sakura shrugged, shucking off her red vest. She had a black spaghetti-strap black shirt on underneath. Hopping up onto the table, she lay down and got comfortable. "Hey, Shino, come over here, you're about to see something pretty neat."
"I'm afraid to ask." He said quietly, doing as he was told. The term medical procedure had him on edge.
"No reason to be." Sakura explained. "You're going to see something that normally only medical ninja get to see."
"You know the drill, Sakura." Shizune warned her. "Any of the usual side effects, let me know."
Seeing Shino begin to panic inwardly, Sakura talked him through it. "The seal works a lot like the Byakugan. With it, you can see some of the systems in the body. We use it for non-invasive surgeries, but sometimes it can be fun just to play with." Careful not to move too much, she gave him a soft smile. "It doesn't hurt."
"I've got to admit, I'm kind of excited about this." Shizune said as she began to pour her chakra into the array. "I've never seen a hive being formed before."
Shino began to understand what they were doing when that green chakra pooled around Sakura, collecting and flowing along her skin, following what Shino was sure had to be the chakra circulatory system. There was one chakra point that was larger than the rest. It glowed the darkest green, almost black, as if it were blocked off.
"Here, I think…" Shizune said quietly. "You've only got one blockage, but it's deep within your belly, a core chakra point."
"Well, that would be why I'm having control problems." Sakura said knowingly. On a medical level, it was obvious. "I'll just have to learn to work around it."
"Do you really think you can?" Shizune asked.
"Only way to find out is if I try." Sakura lay still as Shizune manipulated the green chakra flow even more. While she let Shizune explore around a bit, she turned her attention to her boyfriend, and would be finance. "Shino, how many points do you think will get blocked off over time?" The glow began to fade as she asked this.
"I would have to inquire." His hand lifted of its own merit, resting over the right side of his chest, where he clutched the fabric of the loose shirt trying to pinpoint just how many chakra points of his were closed up. "Well, you heard her…" He said nearly under his breath. "How many points have you claimed for your own merits?" He asked the swarming Kikaichu.
After a moment one of the little bugs crawled out from his collar. It skittered along the side of his face to perch upon Shino's nose. It wiggled a little, butt wagging from side to side. Making chirping sounds that only Shino seemed to understand, it seemed to have a complicated language all its own.
"Yes, I see." He nodded to the small creature. "That will be all." Instead of going back to the hive like he thought it would, the small little bug fluttered off of his nose and Shino caught him in his hands. Sakura, who was probably still covered in chakra. Cracking his hands open, he glared daggers at the small insect. "No."
Shizune looked at the man as if he had gone crazy, and Sakura tried not to laugh at her expression. The pink haired woman concealed a cough to steady herself. No wonder so many villagers thought that the bug users were insane…if they stood around muttering to the bugs all the time like that, it would look like they were muttering to thin air.
Shizune composed herself, but it took some effort. "So, did you find out? As her doctor, but also the chief medical examiner, I should probably know." Shizune told him. "This is going to throw her chakra reserves way off balance."
"I have no idea." Shino truly didn't know.
"Well, how many do you have?" Sakura asked.
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Thirty-two, but I'm also a warrior hive. I maintain three queens in my body, so that I may utilize three types of insects. My Kikaichu are merely my preferred bug of choice, and of my household. I have no idea how many a singular hive may utilize, and I know it varies depending on the size."
"I'll talk to Tsunade on a day when she isn't so stressed out with work. I promise." Sakura said then, as she picked up her vest. "Shino, did you want to grab some lunch on the main boulevard?"
"As much as I would love to, I have other obligations." Shino wondered how his father was doing, trying to manage roughly five hundred young and wild Kikaichu. "You may accompany me if you wish. Although I have no idea whether or not you'll find the situation hilarious or terrifying."
Interested, but confused, Sakura bid Shizune to have a nice day.
They exited the large village structure. While they traveled to the plot of land provided to the Aburame clan, they spoke of simple things. The weather, and their plans for the rest of the week, and when a good date night might be...and that's when Sakura noticed a large black cloud of insects belonging directly towards them...
Or more aptly, right for Shino.