Stretching outwards like a sea, tall trees whispered tales of centuries gone by, their gnarled branches stretching like haunting guardians against the skies, minimizing the light for trekkers in the forest.

Roots sprung from the ground, a labyrinth of traps ready to trip any unsuspecting visitors.

But this terrain only posed minimal difficulty for the four ninjas. Their steps were light even as they clambered over the uneven ground.

As they made their way forward, Shino's insects continued to buzz around him, guiding him towards their destination by following the scent, which became heavier and heavier...

Akamaru sniffed around, whimpering and covering its own nose. Seeing this, Kiba petted his pup's head, "It's alright Akamaru, we'll be fine."

Shino threw a glance at the duo. Well, it seems even the dog finally detected something out of the ordinary, but it was no longer needed.

In the gloomy forest, faint cries seemed to be carried by the wind to their ears. Outside of this, there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary.

Well, it was obviously where their goal was.

Following the cries, they approached a clearing in the forest, and the light filtering in from above finally let them see something that made their blood run cold.

There, in the center of the clearing, was a strange structure made of stones and bones. It was like an altar of some sort, nothing they had ever seen before. At least, Shino never remembered seeing it in the anime.

However, it was clear that it was the source of the strange scent that Shino's insects had detected.

As they approached the structure, they noticed something else. There were cages scattered around the clearing, each one containing a person or a child. They were all alive, but they looked terrified.

Kurenai motioned for the team to stay back, then approached one of the cages. "What's going on here?" she asked the person inside.

The person, a young woman, looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "W-we don't know," she said. "One minute we were walking through the forest, and the next thing we knew, we were here."

Kiba approached and squatted down before another cage this one containing a small child. "What happened to you?" he asked.

The child, a boy no older than six, looked up at him with a scared expression.

Hinata followed up with a soft voice, "Don't worry, we won't hurt you. You can tell us, we can help you."

The boy hesitated. Kiba scratched his head before putting Akamaru in front of him, "Akamaru, you tell him."

"Arf! Arf!" Akamaru cutely barked as his tail wagged.

Seeing the cute Akamaru, it seemed to have relieved of some of the boy's tension.

After hesitating a bit, he then replied, "I was playing with my friends in the woods. And then someone grabbed me from behind and put me in here. I only remember that bad guy saying they need more people."

It was clear that they had stumbled upon the source of the disappearances. But who was behind it?

As they continued to investigate, they noticed something else. There were strange markings on the walls of the structure, markings that none of them recognized.

Kurenai approached one of the markings, examining it closely. "This isn't just any kind of marking," she muttered with furrowed brows. "This seems like Fuinjutsu, but not quite? It seems a bit familiar."

Shino raised an eyebrow.

"Sealing technique? It doesn't look like anything is sealed under those bones, Kurenai sensei," Kiba chimed in.

Kurenai furrowed her brows deep in thought. Her red eyes scanned the markings once more before she utter, "Could it be remnants from that group?"

"Kurenai sensei?" Hinata asked hesitantly.

Kurenai hesitated for a moment before speaking. "They're a group of ninja who practiced a forbidden jutsu. It was a jutsu that allowed them to control people's minds and make them do their bidding."

Kiba looked at her in shock. "You mean...like mind control? Like Ino's clan?"

Kurenai shook her head. "No. Rather than mind control, its more accurate to say corpse puppet."

Hearing this, Shino squinted his eyes as he swept them over the cages nearby. He noticed that some of them were strangely… quiet. Bugs began to discreetly spill out from his body and flowing on the ground…

"Corpse puppet? What' ya mean, Kurenai sensei?" Kiba asked, both his and Akamaru's head tilted a bit to show their confusion.

"Literally. Unlike the Yamanaka clan's mind control, this one is an unfinished forbidden jutsu that completely wipes out the will of the sacrifice, turning it into a living corpse with enhanced strength but no intelligence, completely under the control of the caster," Kurenai said with a solemn face.

"What, how could that be-" Hinata exclaimed in a soft voice.

"Yea, Kurenai sensei, I've never heard of this jutsu," Kiba exclaimed.

"That's because they should have been wiped out long ago. However, seeing this case, it seems there are some remnants who survived…"

"Then, then, Kurenai sensei, what about these people?" Hinata asked hesitantly while fidgeting her fingers.

"Yo, Hinata, they look fine to me," Kiba comforted.

Shino adjusted his glasses, "I'm afraid-"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sound of splintering wood echoed through the clearing, sending shivers down the spines of the team members.

The wooden cages crumbled, the pale, lifeless bodies within began to stir.

Moments before, they still looked like normal humans, but now their appearance alone was enough to make the bravest warrior's blood run cold.

They looked like corpses that had been unearthed from a long-forgotten tomb, their skin stretched taut over their bones, their limbs twisted and gnarled.

These were no longer ordinary bodies - their skin was pallid, their eyes dull and pupil-less. They moved with a slow, uncanny stiffness, their limbs creaking and cracking with each step.

Shino felt a wave of fascination wash over him. Were these creatures truly what they appeared to be? Zombies?!

As the creatures stumbled out of their broken cages, their movements became more pronounced, their moans filling the air with a sense of impending doom.

His insects seemed wary of these creatures, conveying a sense of disgust because these corpses actually didn't have chakra!

On the other hand, Shino's pet Zerg wriggled and buzzed with anticipation, eager for the chance to feast on their decaying flesh. It seems they had something within them that could be useful for the horde's evolution!

What could it be? Shino had an excited glint in his eyes, anticipating the spoils of the battle.

Of course, no one noticed. Everyone else had tensed up, ready for battle.

Kurenai looked around the clearing, her red eyes scanning the forest. "It seems this was a trap meant for us- get ready for battle."

"Yes, Kurenai sensei!" (x3)