Bee

Bees ( 蜂 , Hachi ) are a species of insect used by some shinobi . Bees in Naruto possess characteristics of yellowjackets , wasps , and hornets , and at times are even referred to as such; Konoha Hiden notes that these species are all distinct from each other, but all are used to the same effect. Using bees in combat primarily relies on swarming opponents and stinging them, thus subjecting them to poison .

In the anime, controlling bees is a hiden skill of Iwagakure 's Kamizuru clan . Unlike the rival Aburame clan , whose kikaichū live within their body, the Kamizuru summon their bees into battle. The bees used by the Kamizuru are able to shoot their stingers at targets, their bodies release honey when destroyed, and they can grow to gigantic sizes . In their larval forms, these bees consume chakra . The Kamizuru do not demonstrate great concern for the bees' survival, as seen with the Bee Bomb Technique , where the bees are attached with explosive tags .

Bees are also depicted in two Naruto Hiden novels:

- In Konoha Hiden , the beekeeper is one of the last survivors of a clan of bees users, originally from Iwagakure. The beekeeper's bees live all over the surface of their body, being so dense that none of the beekeeper's physical features can be made out; when their hand briefly emerges from the swarm, it is described as being "milky white". The beekeeper is famed for the mead they make from their bees' honey. As with the Kamizuru, the beekeeper's bees release honey when destroyed.
- In Akatsuki Hiden , Kodaka was from a family of bee users that travelled between settlements selling honey for various medicinal purposes. While the bees predominately created honey from flowers, they could also make royal jelly by feeding off their user's chakra. When this royal jelly was given to a member of the clan, that member gained control of bees. Traditionally, only the firstborn received the royal jelly in order to maintain secrecy. Similarly, the secondborn was expected to give their lives defending the firstborn, both to protect the secret to controlling the bees and by extension the family's livelihood. Kodaka broke tradition by passing control of the bees to his younger brother, Kiiro , before he died.
Kodaka's bees lived upon his body, which he kept hidden using a large, loose-fitting coat. When he started working as a shinobi, he swapped his usual honey bees for a species of poisonous bees that were suited for assassination. Although Kodaka primarily controlled his bees in a group, he could give individual bees specific tasks, such as by having one deliver a letter across long distances.