Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 40, First Operation, Half a Step Behind

"Is there anything we can do?"

In the basement, Aburame Shisei placed two prepared documents in front of him, tapping his fingers on the table repeatedly.

In the end, he decided to clean the house as soon as possible, especially since there were spies from the Root organization hiding nearby, which made him feel uneasy.

"Since you've investigated for so long and still haven't found the correct location, then I'll lend you a hand."

The transmission of intelligence could not be done openly, since he did not want to reveal too much of his own information for the time being. The best way was to let them make trouble among themselves first.

Aburame Shisei created a shadow clone, which then transformed into the appearance of the Amegakure ninja he had seen before.

As for the real Rain Ninja spy, he had already captured him and taken him to the basement, where he became nourishment for the insects on the second level.

The back mountain.

Aburame Shisei stood on a high tree branch, his body almost blending into the night. At this moment, he was quietly waiting for the arrival of the Amegakure ninja.

However, before that person could appear, an unexpected figure appeared in front of him.

It's Chie.

Although she was wearing a hat and a scarf, Aburame Shisei, who had measured her body before, could naturally recognize her figure at a glance.

He sighed softly. Sure enough, the outcome he had predicted had finally come to pass.

Sigh! He just longed for an ordinary life and hated fighting and sacrifice, but in the end, he was inevitably drawn into the ninja struggle, whether by choice or coercion, and eventually became a spy.

He tried to stop or interfere, but simply followed quietly behind her, because there was ultimately a thin veil separating them.

Soon, Chie stopped in a relatively open depression behind the mountain. She looked around and began to sing, imitating the call of a bird.

Not long after, a black figure darted out of the forest.

He recognized the man; he was the spy chief from Amegakure Village whom he had met a few days ago, and presumably one of the executors of this plan.

His original purpose today was to disguise himself as a Rain Ninja and report to the other party, but he didn't expect someone to beat him to it.

"I have found what you wanted. It is located on the altar, one hundred meters below the temple behind the western hill of the village. Now, you can give it to me."

After receiving the message, the man smiled and said, "No rush, no rush! We must confirm the message is true before we can give you the antidote."

"You broke your promise! You said that once you gave me the information, everything would be over!"

"End what? Isn't the blood of Amegakure flowing in your veins? Don't forget, hundreds of thousands of people in our country are suffering, and what you are doing now, if successful, will save countless lives."

"But aren't the villagers here innocent as well?"

"Then aren't our people innocent? Admit it, you and I are the same kind of people. After all, you know very well what would happen if this intelligence fell into my hands."

Chie fell silent, unable to utter a single word.

At this moment, the man in black said again, "Actually, you are very talented. Although you started late, as long as you are willing to learn, you may become an excellent intelligence officer in the future."

"I have another task for you. If you complete it, I will help you and your mother evacuate ahead of schedule."

Upon hearing this, Chie hesitated.

Just then, another figure darted out of the woods; it was Xia Ri.

She said to Chie, panting, "Don't agree to him! Your mother is dead. She told me to tell you that you are not coerced in any way."

Upon hearing that her mother had died, Chie felt that everything she had done before was meaningless.

Why did Xia Ri wait until after she had sent out the information to tell her about this?

It was intentional, wasn't it? It must have been intentional.

"Chie!"

As soon as Xia Ri took a step forward, the spy instantly strode forward, grabbed Chie by the neck, and pressed a kunai against her throat: "Don't come any closer! Or I'll kill her!"

"Let her go. I've already reported your information to the authorities. You can't escape."

"Damn it!" The spy grabbed Chie's neck tightly. "I never thought your mother would betray us. Have you forgotten how your father died?"

"We haven't forgotten, but so what?"

Chie was now completely disheartened. She suddenly slammed her neck into the kunai, and blood quickly gushed from the wound.

"Chie, you bastard!"

The accumulated lightning energy of summer erupted instantly, and blinding lightning streaked across the night sky, striking directly at the spy.

Unexpectedly, the other party threw Chie's body into the air, then used a substitution technique and turned to flee into the depths of the forest.

Xia Ri glanced at Qian Hui, who was lying on the ground barely breathing, and hurriedly covered her wounds with both hands: "Don't die! Please don't die! I came here to help you and Long Chuan get back together."

Chie's neck was still gushing blood, and her breathing was getting weaker and weaker. Summer knew in her heart that the person in front of her could not be saved.

Summer knew from a young age that she and her father were refugees from the Land of Lightning, so even though she liked Takikawa very much, she still kept a distance from him in her heart.

Not long ago, she learned that Takikawa Hide and Chie had met once.

She guessed that this might be an opportunity for the two to get back together, so she wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Chie alone and ask her to return to Takikawa Hide's side.

However, she didn't find Chie, but rather her mother's last words before she woke up.

"Stop! Don't even think about escaping!" Xia Ri shouted at the running figure in the distance.

A struggle flashed in her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and chased after the direction the Rain Village ninja had fled.

She's going to avenge Chie!

After she left, Shisei Aburame silently fell from the tree and walked up to Chie.

Even though he was in his transformed state, Chie recognized him at a glance.

"Actually, you're gentler than Xiujun, but you're not him after all. Can you tell me where he is?"

"Pure Land".

"Just as I thought, it seems I should go find him too."

Chie's eyes went unfocused. Before she died, she whispered, "My intuition tells me you're a good person. I love the village and don't want it to be destroyed..."

Aburame Shisei remained silent for a moment, until she breathed her last, before slowly speaking: "Try your best."

Sure enough, where there are ninjas, there is fighting and death.

In the ninja world, where is there a true paradise?

However, these are all false appearances, bubbles that burst easily.

Aburame Shisei reached out and closed Chie's eyes, a smile unconsciously spreading across his lips.

"However... since the village has never truly been peaceful, I'll make it peaceful."

He had initially planned to go with the flow, but now he has changed his mind.

He decided to take matters into his own hands, thinking that at worst... he could handle it cleanly and without letting a word of it leak out.