Start From Naruto: Shino the Dominator

Although it was said to be nearby, the village was still nearly a day's journey away.

Shino and Team 8 had been on the road for what seemed like forever. The weight coming from his back only made the journey feel longer.

The sun was high in the sky, casting a bright light over the rolling hills and the small villages that dotted the countryside. Scouting these villages with his bugs, Shino noticed the villagers have a tendency to hide indoors, as if afraid of something.

It wasn't long before they arrive at the village that commissioned them.

As they walked through the gates of the small village, they were greeted by the village chief. He seemed he been informed of their arrival somehow. He was an older man with a kind face, but his eyes were filled with worry.

"Welcome to our village," he said, bowing deeply. "I am the village chief Baku. We are honored to have you here to help us with our problem."

Leading the group, Kurenai nodded politely in return. "We are here to assist in any way we can."

The village chief nodded, his eyes darting nervously around as he whispered, "As you may have heard, we have been experiencing some strange disappearances here in our village."

"Yes, we heard about it on our way here," asked Kurenai, "Can you tell us more about what's been happening?"

Well, they didn't really, but it sounds professional. Shino inwardly mused as he let his bugs discreetly crawl out to investigate.

The village chief sighed heavily. "It started about a year ago..." he began.

"At first, it was just a few children who went missing. We searched the entire village, but we couldn't find any trace of them. Then, a few weeks later, it happened again. Months later, even some of the adults started to disappear as well. We tried everything we could think of to find them, but it was as if they had vanished into thin air."

Shino nodded, his mind already racing with possible theories. Human traffickers? Root? Uncle Snake?

"Do you have any idea who or what might be behind these disappearances?" Kiba asked the obvious while sniffing around with Akamaru.

The village chief shook his head. "No, we don't. That's why we've asked for your help. We think this is no longer a problem normal people like us can solve. So, we are placing our hopes on the ninjas of the Leaf Village, and we're hoping that you can find out what's happening here."

Kurenai nodded in acknowledgment, but didn't other affirmation, her cautious eyes sweeping around.

Out of politeness, Hinata bowed slightly. "We will do our best," she said.

With that, the village chief led them to a small building on the outskirts of the village. Inside, there were several maps and charts spread out on a table, along with a few other village elders who were there to help with the investigation. After bowing respectfully, they left the group to their own devices.

Kurenai sensei, as a Jonin, immediately went to work, "I'll leave the investigation here to you three. I'll see if I can find anything in the dark."

With that announcement, she sunk into the ground. Who knows where she went to spy on others.

"Yaho~ I'll take Akamaru out for a walk. Maybe we'll sniff something unusual," Kiba said as he casually walked out with hands on his head.

It was doubtful if he could investigate anything, but Shino was sure he was escaping from the table of charts and maps. Well, can't blame him. There were memories of topography education in his mind, but even Shino can't understand some of the scribbles on these 'custom' maps.

Hinata on the other hand stared at the maps with interest. It seems she understood the scribbles. Perhaps topography was a notable part of the education for the noble Hyuga clan. After all, if their eyes let them see terrains but not being able to recognize or accurately describe them, that would be embarrassing.

Shino, on the other hand, sent out his insects to scout the area. He wanted to get a sense of the village's surroundings and see if he could pick up any clues. If he really picks up any clues that points toward... certain groups, then he can only do his best to advise Kurenai sensei to give up the mission.

As he watched his insects fly off into the distance, Shino couldn't help but recall the village of their first mission and feel a sense of familiarity. Perhaps this event was more wide-spread than they thought, but how come it wasn't until now that the investigators were sent out?

Strange. However, Shino didn't have any info to speculate any further. He could only take things step by step.

After a few hours of investigating, the team reconvened to discuss their findings.

"These are the several areas that the disappearances seemed to be centered," Kurenai tapped a couple of points on the map, "We can start exploring from these locations."

Kurenai then glanced at the trio, "Do any of you have anything to add?"

Shino adjusted his visor, "My bugs have discovered some strange scent in the air. I've sent them to track-"

"Yo! Bet your bugs didn't discover anything. Akamaru certainly didn't!" Kiba grinned, giving the pup a pat. "Arf!"

Shino glanced at them. Indeed, he still hasn't. So, he fell silent.

Seeing their silence, the village chief who was listening intently, nodding along with their every word, finally spoke up. "This is all very helpful. But... we still don't know what's causing these disappearances."

Kurenai threw him a glance, "Patience."

The chief opened his mouth, but in the end, he shut them, waiting along with the bunch.

Waiting and waiting, finally Shino's insects returned to him in a flurry, buzzing around his head. He pretended to listen to their buzzing, as if he was trying to decipher what they were trying to tell him.

In reality, their recorded information was already telepathically transferred back to him. Although there were no visuals, he understood what his little friends were trying to convey.

"What is it, Shino?" asked Kiba, noticing the commotion.

Shino closed his eyes and allowed some time for himself to find the words to convey.

"There's something in the forest," he said, opening his eyes. "Something-"

The village chief's eyes widened in shock. "The forest?! But that's where we've been searching all this time. We've never found anything!"

Shino adjusted his glasses. Well, he was used to it, but why, oh why, must this happen? From his perspective beyond the fourth wall, it was just a running gag, but to him in this reality, it was... so strange.

However, this wasn't the time to think about this now. Shino refocused on the matter at hand, pouring out his thoughts.

"It's possible that whatever is causing the disappearances is hiding from you, but not my ins-."

"So, it's in the forest! That's all we need to know. Alright, let's go monster hunting, Akamaru!" Kiba exclaimed in excitement.

Kurenai looked at Shino, then at the village chief. "Seems we have a goal. We'll go and investigate. If there's something in the forest, then that might be our best lead."

Hinata poked her fingers together, her head bobbing in agreement. "Mm."

The village chief helplessly nodded. "Very well. But please be careful. We don't know what kind of other danger might be lurking in there. I wish you all luck in resolving our misfortune..."

With that, the team set out towards the forest.

Will this be another encounter at the level of bandits... or is danger finally on the horizon?