Shino Aburame was a quiet teen. He knew most of the village were disturbed by his Clan's Kikaichu. He knew that his manner of speaking was odd, perhaps even strange. He knew that the odds of him finding someone he could consider a friend his own age outside the Clan was slim to none. It still hurt, but he had resigned himself to his fate, focusing on what he did best. Taking care of insects, and striving to do his family proud.
So it was to his surprise that Naruko Uzumaki approached him. After all, Naruko had not hidden her subtle shivers of disgust/terror/unease when he revealed that he did not in fact carry jars for his kikaichu. He was the 'jar' so to speak.
"Hey, Shino. Umm, I wanted to ask if you could stop by my apartment? I was hoping I could work out a deal between me and your Clan on the bed bugs and cockroaches I have trouble dealing with." Naruko admitted honestly, her face sheepish.
"Understandable. Why? Because Low-income housing is fraught with poor maintenance and infrastructure. Why? Because of poor funding. My father and I will stop by this afternoon."
Naruko's confusion at his speech pattern cleared up as she beamed at him. "Thanks Shino, you guys are awesome!" She ran off to who knows where.
Shino Aburame would deny to any who asked or pointed it out, but he felt his face flush as a small smile peeked out of his jacket collar.
Yes, he may have a hard time finding friends or comrades who didn't try to flee from him as soon as they could, but at least Shino Aburame could say he now had a friend his age.
Shibi and Shino approached Naruko's apartment, and they entered, considering it rather poorly made, but not unexpected.
It was Shibi who held a hand to Shino, stopping him from entering the apartment completely.
"Shino," Shibi rumbled, "we are leaving. Immediately. This apartment is now deemed a Class 5 Hazard. We will return wearing the proper materials, and follow the procedures accordingly. I will also bring a medic. Why? Because my kikaichu have found several decomposing animals in Naruko Uzumaki's water heater. As well as several having died immediately upon contact with the faucet."
Shino nodded with understanding as they swiftly left.
Hazard 1: no danger, mild to no hazards. Nominal conditions.
Hazard 2: some danger to civilians, no harm to Genin or higher Shinobi.
Hazard 3: Found to be containing mild to severe poisons, acids, or mixtures therein. Medic recommended, but not necessary if with the proper antidote or counter.
Hazard 4: Severe poisons, acids, and toxins. Approach with caution, and bring a medic. Civilians will die if they stay here within three to five days.
Hazard 5: Do Not Approach. Chakra-based Biohazard containment breach. Hokage and Jonin Only. Clones are recommended to avoid chakra exposure and contamination. Shadow Clones excluded!: Chakra contaminant may follow back to the original!
Shibi sent in a Kikaichu Clone, as had Shino to observe and remember the proper procedures for the future. The medic Shibi brought in was a Jonin, who grimly returned with several samples of red... Shino wasn't sure what to identify it as, only that he had to contain himself from running as far away from it as possible.
The bed bugs were found to be extremely resistant to the red substance, as well as the cockroaches. Subspecies of the bed bugs were found to gourge themselves on the blood, but not explode as expected.
Rather, the bed bugs would split in half, quickly regenerating into two bed bugs of nearly identical size and shape.
The cockroaches did not seem to require food, but rather seem to absorb the ambient chakra in the atmosphere. When given flesh or food, the cockroach would not eat it, but would instead spit a liquid that seemed to turn it into a liquid purple substance that the cockroach would drink.
Interestingly, the bed bugs and cockroaches shared a symbiosis. When bed bug numbers appeared too high, the bed bugs would sacrifice weaker and older bed bugs to the cockroaches to be consumed, and in turn the cockroaches would allow the bed bugs to lay eggs inside the same nests as the cockroaches.
The bed bugs were immune to every form of pesticide, insecticide, and even fire/acid would be shrugged off. Water would seem to drown them, but it seemed a form of Stasis as the bed bug would reawaken when the water disappeared.
The cockroaches were even more interesting. Crushing, burning, acid, insecticides, all seemed to work... except the cockroaches would regenerate their lost and damaged tissue. One even regrew a body with just its head and the other body grew a new head!
The DNA of both specimen indeed showed extreme changes and evolutionary adaptations, to such a degree that they were deemed utterly unique.
Shino was in awe of the fact that Naruko may not have been a fan of his kikaichu, not hating on insects in general as he had woefully assumed.
After all, only someone with extreme dedication to insect culture would subject themselves to so many generations of bed bugs and cockroaches, carefully cultivating them to reach the apex of their evolution before giving them to the Aburame Clan.
It was a priceless gift! One that the Aburame would have paid an entire colony of kikaichu's worth of weight in gold for!
Then the news only got even greater!
The kikaichu were not only fully compatible with both the bed bugs and the cockroaches, but had the capability to assimilate both into themselves without losing effectiveness! Such a unique Kikaichu colony would be capable of taking the Aburame into the S-class tier! A way to uplift the Clan to heights deemed impossible without the drawbacks of having to use living hives from other villages!
This was a momentous find! A once in a generation, no, once in a hundred year discovery!
Shibi knelt down and placed his hand on Shino's shoulder.
"To the outside world, Naruko is someone to be afraid of. To the outside world, Naruko is someone that strikes fear into many for acts not her own. To the Aburame, to us, she is considered an Honorary Aburame. She will be rewarded for her continual decade long sacrifice, and we will stand behind her when our time comes to whom we will let lead us as Hokage. Shino, she went to you because she trusted you. She sees you as a friend, a comrade."
Shibi's voice trembled slightly. Ever so slightly. The Aburame Clan trained hard to regulate their emotions. Why? Because hormone imbalance can mess with kikaichu development.
"I am proud of you, Shino Aburame. You have earned your right to be the first to name these species of kikaichu, and the first to carry them."
Shino was stunned. Only Jonin level Aburame were allowed to carry more than one hive of kikaichu. This was unheard of.
He paused for a moment. "Kikaichu Subspecies: Tyranids. For they will be an unstoppable tyrant to the Shinobi who deem us weak." Shino nodded to himself. That sounded right.
Shibi nodded. "Tyranids it is. Inform Naruko Uzumaki she is considered an Honorary Aburame, and her payment shall be three million yen. I will understand if she declines the payment as too low or absurd. Such a long decade of cultivation means such funds may seem cheap in comparison, which is why I will supplement it by giving a portion of our carefully cultivated bee hives to her as well."
Shino nodded. The honey the Aburame made was by far the sweetest, and the bees did not have stingers. They wouldn't be as vicious as the bed bugs and the cockroaches, but perhaps Naruko could yet surprise them a decade down the line with hyperactive bees that could surround their enemies and somehow kill them to death with vibrations alone.
That or relentlessly sting them with stingers until the prey collapsed in pain and agony, paralyzed as their nervous system shut down as they died in excruciating pain.
Shino was thankful that he had a friend in Naruko Uzumaki.
Oh, and the medic returned. The red stuff was apparently a living Biohazard that grew like a Slime mold out of chakra, and was considered another Biohazard 5 Class on its own. The hospital and the T department was very excited for different reasons on the substance and had gleefully patented the substance as 'Kyuubi Slime'.
Shino had been eager to know what made the substance valuable, but it was deemed an SS-rank substance. So classified that only the Hokage and the people who used it could know about it.
Perhaps Naruko could find a career as a Biohazard Creator. It seems she truly enjoys her work in the art of creating new weapons for Konoha and her allies. Shino mused to himself.