Chapter 133 Hinata's Kidnapping
The once clear sky gradually gathered dark clouds, and Haruko's nerves were on edge in the morning, so she quickened her pace in the search.
"Those guys haven't made a move yet." Kiba Inuzuka's eyes were unfriendly as he looked behind him.
Haruko Hayama, standing nearby, also lowered her voice, "They probably know we're looking for the Micro-fragrant Insects, and they're probably waiting for us to help them find them."
"What a cunning fellow." Inuzuka grinned.
Just then, Akamaru suddenly shouted a few times towards the sky. The two of them subconsciously looked up, and the drizzling raindrops fell and pattered on their faces, and seemed to be getting heavier.
"Damn it, it's raining!" Kiba Inuzuka said irritably, pulling his hat down over his head.
Hinata Hyuga, standing not far away, also showed anxiety in her eyes.
The deadline had passed... and in the end, she still couldn't help at all.
"Hinata, this downpour couldn't be better for you!" Haruko Hayama walked over to her and put her hand on her shoulder. "With the temperature dropping, won't the presence of living things become even more obvious?"
Hinata Hyuga paused for a moment, then nodded firmly under the encouraging gazes of Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka.
"Eye roll!"
Concentrate, concentrate even more...
Keep up the good work! I don't want to let them down!
Hinata Hyuga checked them one by one, and finally, as she grew tired, she spotted the scent beetle. After careful examination, she confirmed that it was a scent beetle and immediately pointed out the direction.
"The crickets are on the side of that tree!"
Kiba Inuzuka rushed over, but his sharp aura startled the fragrant insects, causing them to fly away in fright as he approached.
The other three joined the team to catch the cricket. The cricket was too agile, and they were eager to catch it but afraid of hurting it. Finally, Haruko caught the cricket in her hand with a leap.
"I've got him!"
Hinata Hyuga smiled and ran towards her, "That's great, Haruko! You're not afraid of bugs anymore!"
"...?!"
Haruko's face paled. Only after being reminded did she realize that the smooth-surfaced creature with hooked claws that was struggling in her hands was an insect!
As she gasped for breath, Hinata rushed over to support her, asking anxiously, "Haruko, are you alright?"
"Thankfully, he's still conscious."
Shino Aburame quickly took out a box specifically for holding the crickets and handed it over. After Haruko carefully placed it in the box, Hinata Hyuga gently wiped her hands with a damp handkerchief.
Just then, the rain stopped, and the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing a crimson glow.
“That’s right, it is indeed a female fennel beetle.” Shino Aburame examined it carefully and confirmed it was true.
"That's great!" Haruko Hayama exclaimed happily, immediately hugging Hinata Hyuga who was standing next to her. "It's all thanks to Hinata!"
Hinata Hyuga rarely had close contact with others, and when she was completely embraced by Haruko Hayama, she blushed with embarrassment.
"No, it's not entirely my doing."
Haruko, however, gave her a bright smile, "Hinata deserves the most credit! What would we do without you!"
Hinata Hyuga was so shy that she stammered and couldn't say a word.
Akamaru sensed something and let out a howl at the box in Shino Aburame's hand. Everyone crowded around Shino Aburame to look at it.
"Yosh! It laid eggs!" Kiba Inuzuka exclaimed excitedly.
Haruko Hayama stared wide-eyed in curiosity, "I never imagined that the egg-laying of the citrus worms is like this."
"You seem to be doing alright, right?"
Upon hearing Shino Aburame's calm and encouraging words, Haruko Hayashi paused, then smiled and said, "Mm!"
Having caught the crickets, they rested for a while before setting off to return to the village.
"Speaking of which, Hinata went to wash her handkerchief and hasn't come back yet." Haruko suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Could it be..."
Aburame Shino's unfinished words were interrupted by a kunai that suddenly flew towards him, and he quickly dodged it.
Kiba Inuzuka and Haruko Hayama took out their kunai and prepared for battle.
But then there was no more movement from the bushes. Haruko turned around to check the kunai that had just flown over; there was a piece of paper stuck to it.
"A message delivered by flying arrow?" Kiba Inuzuka asked, leaning closer in puzzlement.
Haruko's gaze quickly swept over the words above.
[The female ninja brat is with us. If you want her back, trade her for a fragrant insect. She'll be waiting for you on the eastern hill tonight.]
"Despicable! I never expected them to use this trick!" Kiba Inuzuka said angrily.
"If they tried to take it by force, they might have hurt the fragrant insects, so they captured Hinata and used her as a hostage in exchange." Shino Aburame's sunglasses gleamed coldly.
Haruko crumpled the paper into a ball, her eyes blazing with anger. "I have to get there first. If they dare to hurt Hinata..."
Akamaru cowered and whimpered softly, while Kiba Inuzuka was also frightened by her imposing aura and took a step back. "Angry women are really scary."
...
"The scent stops here," Kiba Inuzuka explained to them as he stopped.
"This is... the smell of honey?" Haruko Hayama sniffed, unsure.
Shino Aburame remembered something, "There is a group of insect users in Iwagakure who are skilled at using bees, the Kamimizu clan. They used to be as famous as the Aburame clan, but they were defeated by the Aburame clan in the attack on Konoha and have declined ever since."
"Then why are they stealing the fragrant insects?" Haruko asked, puzzled.
Perhaps Hinata Hyuga, who has been kidnapped, can answer this question for her.
When Hinata Hyuga woke up, she found herself bound and unable to move by a special honey-like substance. She seemed to be in a giant beehive, surrounded by bees.
She overheard the conversation of the three people who had kidnapped her outside and learned that they were from the Shangshuiliu clan, who urgently needed to find the secret book of the first generation to help them revive their clan. It was said that the book contained many forbidden books about insect envoys, but their clan had searched for many years without success. Their last hope was this fragrant insect.
"As long as we find the secret manual, we will definitely gain the recognition of our people!" Their indistinct voices came from outside.
Hinata Hyuga lowered her eyes, her expression unreadable.
These people are also desperately trying to gain everyone's approval...
They originally hoped to use Shino Aburame's insects to find Hinata Hyuga's location, but very few insects returned; it's likely the rest were killed by the enemy.
They could only go to the exchange location and improvise. When they saw the woman in charge using her elbow to hold the unconscious Hinata Hyuga hostage, Haruko clenched her fists in displeasure.
"Place the box on the stone in the middle."
The moment the woman in the lead spoke, Haruko Hayama subtly constructed an illusion, only to discover that no living beings existed.
"Be careful, they're not real people," Haruko Hayama warned the two.
Aburame Shino released countless insects from her sleeves to surround and devour them, and sure enough, they turned into soil.
"Is this what they call the Aburame clan?" a female voice came from the cliff.
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