"What a powerful insect," the Third Hokage muttered to himself.
Even though the attack hadn't been at full strength—only about 70 to 80 percent—it was still impressive that the girl could stop it so effectively. A typical member of the Aburame clan wouldn't have been able to manage it, especially not with such a small number of insects.
Which means… her parasites are far stronger than those of her clanmates. Could this be a mutation linked to a bloodline limit?
As he pondered this, the Third Hokage suddenly dashed forward, aiming a punch at the back of Maki's head—her supposed blind spot.
But beneath her mask, Maki smirked.
Her field of vision was full—360 degrees. Day or night, sky or ground—there were no blind spots. Sometimes, she felt like an old man monitoring a wall of surveillance screens. It could be overwhelming, sure, but also kind of fun.
The moment the Hokage closed in, a mass of insects erupted from behind her. A swarm the size of several door panels surged toward him.
These weren't ordinary bugs—they would burrow into flesh. Unless you had a Byakugan to see them coming, physical contact with them was a terrible idea… even for the Hokage.
"What a troublesome ability…" the Third muttered as he quickly retreated to a safer distance. He'd been aiming for a clean hit, but clearly, this insect guardian wasn't going to make it easy.
Maki noted his retreat with a curl of her lip.
She knew her own weakness well: the bugs, despite their power, weren't fast enough to keep up with high-speed opponents. Even after optimizing their body structure, there were limits.
To counter this, the Aburame clan typically used swarm-based traps to corral prey and limit their movement. But Maki had other plans—she wanted to improve their wings, drawing inspiration from dragonflies, the rulers of the sky.
With speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour and burst speeds of 40 meters per second, dragonflies could chase even the fastest targets. It would be perfect… if only the dragonfly wings weren't so fragile. Unlike the hard elytra of her current bugs, those wings were easy to tear and couldn't be stored inside her body.
Carrying a bug gourd like her clansmen was an option, but it would severely limit her bug count.
The best solution? Summoning techniques. Unfortunately, she didn't know any.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Faced with the oncoming swarm, the Hokage formed hand seals and launched a massive fireball, the heat radiating across the field.
And he even shouted the name of the technique. Was he worried someone might accidentally get caught in it?
Maki didn't dodge.
Instead, she raised her hand, releasing more insects. They burst out from her body and surged forward like a black cloud, growing even larger than the fireball itself.
An attack for an attack.
The Third Hokage's eyes widened. Insects going head-to-head with fire? That's suicidal.
But he had forgotten—this wasn't ordinary fire. It was chakra-based Fire Release, pure chakra in high motion.
And Maki's parasites fed on chakra.
As the two forces collided, a faint, strange fragrance filled the air. The fireball's momentum stalled, stopped entirely by the mass of insects. The flames couldn't break through.
In the aftermath, charred insect bodies rained down, covering the forest floor in a thick, smoldering layer.
"If this is all you've got, you'll die here."
Maki's tone was cold and indifferent, but her words were brutal. A warning—she was about to unleash something far stronger.
"Secret Technique: Insect Cage."
As soon as she spoke, dozens of towering pillars made of swarming insects erupted from the ground within a hundred-meter radius. They shot skyward, then curved inward, interlocking in midair to form a colossal, nightmarish birdcage.
The Third Hokage turned his head slightly, observing the massive structure trapping him inside. He narrowed his eyes.
"When did you set this up?"
"While you were throwing your shuriken," Maki replied calmly.
But in truth, she had started setting the trap the moment he stepped into her effective range. The forest floor—littered with leaves, flowers, and grass—made a perfect cover for her insects to move undetected, waiting patiently beneath the surface.
"Sinai."
Maki's hand clenched into a fist. At her command, the insects descended like a tidal wave from the air above.
Too late for hand seals?
For most jounin, yes.
But the Third Hokage was not most jounin. He was the strongest ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village—one who didn't fall for such tricks easily.
"Earth Style: Earth Dome Wall!"
Earthen walls surged up from all sides, sealing into a dome above to protect him. The sound of the insects crashing down followed immediately after—an endless, thunderous patter like a hailstorm. The dome trembled under the assault.
Even with the sturdiness of Earth Style, the constant impact wasn't the real threat. These bugs had chakra-draining mouthparts—and they were burrowing.
"Suicidal," Maki muttered coldly, staring at the defensive dome now swarming with her parasites.
Inside, the Hokage frowned. Some of the insects had already pierced through cracks in the wall and were spilling inside. Are all Aburame this dangerous?
Even as he thought, his hands moved, calmly forming new seals.
"Let me teach you something," the Third said softly. "Never let the enemy out of your sight."
No shouted warning this time. He was done holding back.
From the insects' shared vision, Maki noticed his chakra signature begin to sink into the ground.
She smirked.
Never create a blind spot in your vision.
For a ninja, vision and intelligence were everything. And in war, intelligence ruled all.
Raising her hands, Maki quickly formed the Eight-Hand Sign sequence.
Clone Jutsu—Body Replacement—Transformation.
Basic three-body technique.
She wasn't a genius—but basic didn't mean useless. For a shinobi, mastery of the fundamentals was life or death.
"It's over!"
With a roar, a hand shot out from underground, grabbing Maki's leg. In one powerful pull, the arm yanked her downward—just as the Third Hokage erupted from the earth to drag her with him.
At that very moment, Maki's body shattered under the force—only to disperse into a swarm of fluttering insects.
A bug clone.
She triggered it just as I activated my Earth-Style Decapitation Technique...
What timing. Her battle instincts were sharp.
In the next instant, the shadow clone—caught off guard by the sudden close contact with the insect clone—was overwhelmed by the swarm's biting assault. It hissed into smoke, dispelled completely.
Sloppy.
Not far from the forest clearing, the Third Hokage stood silently, a pipe between his lips. He took a long, tired drag.
This kid... she's something else. A real genius.
Just then, the crackle of snapping branches echoed from the woods.
The Third turned his head to see a small figure stepping out from the shadows. Maki emerged from the trees, calmly walking toward the path.
Before he could speak, her voice rang out—cool and casual.
"Third Hokage-sama, have you seen an idiot wandering around claiming to be a spy?"
The Third took another slow drag from his pipe.
"Oh? Is that so? Sounds troublesome."
"Strange, isn't it? With you nearby, how could someone like that sneak in?" Maki said, her tone laced with subtle sarcasm. She put extra weight on the word idiot.
The Third grimaced inwardly.
She's onto me... I need to come up with a good excuse.
"Well," Maki continued, "since you're here, I suppose I don't need to worry about that idiot anymore."
The Third breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"So, what brings you here, Third?"
"Ah, just out for a bit of fresh air. And you?"
"Same." Maki's tone turned a shade cooler. She offered a polite bow and began to turn away.
"Wait."
She paused and looked back.
Something about her behavior tugged at the Third's curiosity. She wasn't acting like a typical child.
"Do you have any ideals, little one?" he asked.
"Ideals?" Maki echoed, uninterested. She let out a short laugh before answering in a calm, almost distant tone. "My ideal... is the sea of stars."
"The sea of stars?"
He blinked, puzzled.
"I want to fly," she said softly but firmly. "High enough to walk beside the sun."
The Third opened his mouth, but no words came. He didn't fully understand her dream—but it still left him speechless.
What a strange, fascinating child.
"Not interested in becoming Hokage, then?"
"No," Maki replied flatly.
"Why not?"
"How about dancing instead?"
"…What?"
The Third felt something in his brain short-circuit.
This child's logic is broken.
"Then what about becoming the Hokage's student?"
"Not interested."
"Why?"
"I don't want to become Hokage, so why would I want to be the Hokage's student?" she shot back without missing a beat.
The Third exhaled a long plume of smoke.
"You know, I've mastered a vast array of ninjutsu," he said with a smirk. "People even call me the Professor of Ninjutsu. Would you like to learn from me?"
"Really?" Maki raised her hand, revealing a palm crawling with her signature insects. "Can you teach me this?"
The Third went quiet for a beat, then took another long drag from his pipe.
"Well... is there any ninjutsu you'd like to learn?"
"There is."
His eyes lit up.
"Name it. Whatever it is, I'll teach you."
________
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