Three Idiots

"Your companions look like they're about to be discovered. Those people are using bees? That kind of insect is pretty rare." Shibi Aburame's shout snapped Yang Xing back to his senses.

Yang Xing stared straight ahead, ready to act at a moment's notice.

The three of them had clearly taken a wrong turn in the woods.

More accurately, they had lost track of Yang Xing's chakra.

Without the Sharingan, Kakashi was at a loss about what to do.

"Where did that guy go? Hey, you're Kakashi, right? Have you noticed anything? And what about that obnoxious bug guy?"

"No. My sensory ninjutsu isn't working." Kakashi lowered his hand, which had been forming a seal, and glanced around with a troubled expression. "I can't sense any sign of them. Either they've already left the area within a ten-mile radius, or they've found some special way to conceal their presence."

"Yang Xing, I hope nothing's happened to him," Rin Nohara murmured, her face full of worry.

Hearing that, Anko turned around and pointed at Rin. "When it comes down to it, this is because you didn't keep a close enough eye on that brat. Why didn't you stop him when he ran off just now?"

Rin furrowed her brows, growing a little angry herself. "You didn't notice him either."

"So you're blaming me?"

Seeing the two girls about to argue, Kakashi reminded them, "I say, you two, shouldn't we hurry up and find—"

Anko and Rin both turned around and said, "You, Kakashi, shut up!"

Kakashi: "..."

Seeing the two girls' sour expressions—especially Rin, who was usually so gentle, yet had such a stubborn streak—Kakashi could only sigh with a wry smile. He turned back and focused on the path ahead.

As he looked, several creatures came flying toward them.

Aside from the largest one, the others seemed calm, but Kakashi still grew wary. He turned to the two girls. "Hey, don't those things look like the insects used by the Aburame Clan?"

"Really?" The two girls turned around and immediately spotted the bee.

"It's a little big, but it looks like someone's controlling it."

"Then it's probably some kind of ninjutsu from the Aburame Clan. Don't they use insect-control techniques? Maybe they found us and sent it to guide us over." Kakashi studied the bee and analyzed the situation with a serious expression. Just as he was muttering to himself, the bee turned around and suddenly flew off in the opposite direction.

Kakashi froze for a moment, then immediately took off after it. "This is bad! It's getting away! Hurry, follow it!"

"Okay!"

Rin and Anko followed without a second thought.

Not far away, two people were concealing their presence with insects.

"Your companions seem to be following the other side's insects." Shibi Aburame noticed them chasing after the bee and looked at Yang Xing. "Hey, are those people idiots?"

Yang Xing: "..."

"I think Kakashi's a little dumb, but he's not that stupid. They probably mistook that bee for one of your insects and thought we were over there, so they followed it without hesitating."

"Then this is my fault." Shibi Aburame's expression changed as he realized something. His face even showed a hint of panic. "My fault! Damn it—no, we can't let those people die. Otherwise, the Aburame Clan will be finished!"

Failing the mission was no big deal. But failing the mission and losing several of Konoha's 'gems' would be a grave offense.

After that, the higher-ups in Konoha would never look favorably on the Aburame Clan again.

Whether to protect them or secure his clan's future, Shibi Aburame didn't want to waste another moment. He had been about to rush straight over.

But before he could move, a small hand grabbed his arm.

When he turned to look at the boy, Shibi Aburame couldn't hide his surprise.

"Easy, easy, old man. Your insects aren't suited to leading the charge." Yang Xing's expression was serious as he spoke, one word at a time. "I'll go first. Kakashi and the others aren't going to die. I'll go help them, and when the time is right, you can back me up. Trust me, I can wipe out this whole group right here."

The smile at the corner of his mouth didn't suit a boy his age.

Perhaps it was because Yang Xing could see his insects, which made him seem unusual. Or perhaps it was the confidence with which the boy had promised to wipe out the enemy. Either way, Shibi Aburame hesitated for a moment.

After only a second, he nodded. "I understand. Make sure you save them. We can't let those people launch a surprise attack on Konoha!"

"Okay." Yang Xing nodded and charged out first.

He didn't slow down, running quickly as he kept his eyes fixed on the group ahead.

Kakashi and the others had already been drawn in by the insects.

Caught off guard, they ran straight into the group.

They hadn't expected that following the strange bee would lead them to a group of oddly dressed men. Kakashi grew wary and stopped first, holding out an arm to stop Rin and Anko behind him.

"What's going on? That's not Yang Xing. Who are these people?"

The men ahead were also taken aback when they saw Kakashi and the others.

"Huh? Where'd these brats come from? Have we been found out? What are these guys doing here? How did they know we were coming? What went wrong?"

"Hey, Shunsuke Mizunagare, don't panic. They're just a few kids. We can kill them and be done with it. It's no big deal if they found us."

"Yama Kaede, don't underestimate them. Especially that masked kid. He's pretty strong." One of the men was clearly a jōnin Kakashi recognized, and he was wary of Kakashi's abilities.

"That just means you're too weak. How can your Water Release Ninjutsu compare to our Water Flow Clan's?" The man called Yama Kaede sneered, then shouted, "The Water Flow Clan's Insect Technique is the Tsuchikage's strongest jutsu!"

A great buzzing filled the air.

Countless bees surged out from all around them, packed tightly together. Some were as large as adults.

Seeing bees that big and such a sudden attack, Kakashi's face turned pale.

Hundreds, even thousands, of bees surrounded Kakashi and the other two.

The sheer number made all three of them tense. This was nothing like the water they had faced last time. These thousands of bees were solid, and their menacing stares made Rin and Anko's faces turn grim.

"We were careless. I never thought those bees were being controlled by these people," Kakashi said, sensing that things had taken a bad turn.

It wasn't just bad. They were now completely trapped.

The enemy didn't give them time to think. As soon as the thousands of bees had surrounded them, Yama Kaede raised a finger and grinned maliciously. "Kill them."