Jubei Aburame/Mission Journal

## C-Rank

### The Worm Toxin (蠱毒, *kodoku*)

The mission was simple, and given the unique specialty of Jubei's abilities, it was determined that he would take lead on how they achieved the objectives. A merchant had requested aid from Konoha. His business ledger had been stolen. This was significant enough because not only did it hold the account information of his clients, it also held the names of his clients as well, some of which were not exactly of the legal sort in Fire Country. His assistant was also missing and presumably was the one to steal it, for what purpose is anyone's guess, but he needed his ledger and his assistant found, alive preferably.

Jubei and his team began their investigation of the business, with Taiga going over any clients who might have motive while Jazz Lee secured what holdings remained. Jubei's task was to investigate the office and see if could track the assistant. Releasing his colony, he had his bugs comb through for any traces of the assistant.

What he found instead was what appeared to be a struggle. Scratches, and chipped nails indicating a fight, and blood stains hidden by debris and furniture. Made after the fact. His conclusion was that the assistant had been attacked, and the mess had been made after the fact to cover it up. Multiple tracks, with a set of what looks like someone being dragged out. But why they would target the assistant? Was the ledger incidental?

Sharing the grim news with Taiga they resolved to regroup with Jazz Lee and track down the assailants together. Taiga's investigation turned up a potential lead, and they followed it. They were led to a smuggler who specialized in human trafficking. Taiga leaned on the client and was able to discover that the smuggler had recently been tasked with securing passage for a small party. One of whom required medical attention but due to the haste the party was in, needed passage out of the city quickly without arousing any suspicion.

This led the team to a warehouse near the outskirts of town where they assailants had presumably the assistant held up. By this time nightfall had come. Under the cover of darkness, the team descended on the assailants. They were not ninja, mere thugs and thus were no match for the incredible speed and strength of Jazz Lee who blitzed between them with ferocity. Nor could they escape the black swarm which smothered the remaining ones till they too collapsed.

It was all so simple. So why did things go wrong?

One moment, that's all it took. Jubei's vision swam, and then it was a thousand images, and the hunger, the agonizing gnawing hunger. It was as if intent had been made into a singular pure raw emotion. It was a stray thought. Nothing more. Then he heard the screams. Oh the screams were one of such abject terror he nearly forgot where he was.

*Why were they screaming?* He thought. Flexing his control he pushed the visions back from whence they came, and when he opened his eyes, his two eyes, not the compound eyes of his colony or the eyes of the spiders, ants and termites within the warehouse, *his* eyes.

He understood.

The Kikaichu had begun devouring the bandits they had smothered crawling through eyes, burrowing through soft flesh and they *feasted*. By the time he commanded his swarm to cease, the damage had already been done. One had his face consumed entirely, another had blotches, and patches of his body simply gone. Another wasn't so lucky, his lungs had been filled to the brim and they had simply eaten their way out.

Taiga's gaze was something he couldn't place. Pity maybe? Jazz Lee looked similarly put off, but whatever opinion he had, he kept to himself. After that, the mission wrapped up. They found the assistant, and the ledger. Apparently he intended to sell his boss out but changed his mind at the last minute and his comrades weren't too pleased. After delivering the ledger back to the merchant, the team packed up their belongings and returned to Konoha for debrief.

It was a solemn journey back to Konoha. But Taiga made time, and took him aside to the cliff-face that oversaw the Hokage monument. Each face carved into the mountain. A reminder of who they are, and what they had fought for. He didn't say much, just that, he understood. And that he would be there to help him, if he needed it.

Jubei was too afraid to voice what he had felt when those men had died. Too afraid to acknowledge the poisonous seed that had taken root. It was like a worm chewing at his mind, its toxin spreading. He wouldn't dare admit this to Taiga, and it was a greater part then he was willing to admit, but he *enjoyed* killing them. It was the first time he shared a sense beyond sight and sound, but taste. And the flavor of death had been...

*...intoxicating*.