The giant zombie roared in triumph.

"How dare you-" The enraged Kiba was just about to rush forward when a hand was placed on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Eh? Shino-kun?!" Hinata exclaimed in shock.

Kiba looked back to see Shino behind him. His mouth gawked. He looked forward to see the 'Shino' in front of the giant zombie deform into a mass of bugs.

"Che, should have known it was your bugs," Kiba grunted in dissatisfaction.

Shino's adjusted his glasses as he stared at the zombie giant with a sly smile. With a thought, he commanded, "Go."

His insect clone the surged like a wave and coated the giant zombie, applying force to tug it downwards. Just when the zombie began to topple over, the ground below it collapsed, revealing a hole!

A dog-sized insect shot out from the hole and swiped its sharp claws towards the incoming head of the giant zombie! It was Shino's drone that had been laying in ambush!

Puff! The sharp claw of the drone dug through the spikes and cut into the neck of the zombie. Unfortunately, the claw encountered strong resistance and eventually came to a stop after cutting halfway through the neck.

Surprisingly, the giant zombie didn't die! It only roared and waved its thick arms, smashing the drone and crushing it into meat paste.

Shino's eye twitched. Dang, that's 50 biomass down the drain! This better be worth it.

His eyes turned fierce as he raised his hand. Buzz- The gashing wound on the giant zombie's neck welcomed a wave of unfriendly guests.

Shino felt waves of pleasure as he sent his bugs into the hole over and over again. Just when the giant zombie wanted to charge over, it was already too late. With a grin, Shino clenched his raised hands.

"Bug Funer-"

Thud- A normal zombie crashed into Shino from behind and almost knocked him over. Shino hurriedly turned around and kicked the zombie away.

"Yo, sorry, sorry. Haha... Wrong direction, ha... I forgot you were standing there," Kiba apologized with a grin as he panted in exhaustion.

Shino calmly stood there and silently mourned for three seconds.

Honestly, he was reluctant to call out the names of his moves, especially knowing that he has a high chance of being interrupted.

It felt like a childish practice, something that a skilled ninja shouldn't have to resort to because it would only result in the enemy 'predicting' and countering their move.

But Kurenai Sensei had made it clear that this was an essential method for cultivating teamwork within the group during battle.

New Genins often struggled with the concept of working together, and even those who understood it could easily make mistakes if their techniques happened to conflict. It was a delicate balance that required precise coordination and communication.

By calling out the names of their moves, each member of the team could associate names with the techniques, allowing for a deeper understanding to be formed over time.

Once they were familiar enough to know the upcoming move just from the gestures of their teammates, they no longer needed to do this.

Returning his attention to the battlefield and seeing the bugs surging out from the its body, Shino knew the giant zombie was definitely out of commission.

Just when Shino was about to command his insects to continue clearing the battlefield, all the zombies suddenly stiffened in place.

Moments later, they all began to wither abnormally, losing their tough, enhanced appearances. Not long later, they toppled over like harvested wheat, resting on the ground like dehydrated corpses.

Shino's eyes rolled and realized that Kurenai sensei may have solved the real trouble behind the scenes.

"Finally! We won! That was too easy!" Kiba let out a cocky smirk as he crossed his arms over his head, yet his sweaty face and mouth that was panting like a dog betrayed him.

Hinata lowered her hands and gently smiled as she also gasped in exhaustion while looking into the distance, "Kurenai sensei is coming back."

Hearing this, Shino's eyes followed her gaze, noting the teacher still hasn't returned yet.

So, like a magnet, his attention turned to the dead body of the giant zombie. Shino decided to begin harvesting before she comes back!

With a thought, another drone burrowed out from the ground and began to dig into the giant zombie's head. There was something in there that it desired!

"Yo, Shino, you kept two bugs in that small box? Must be really tight in there, no wonder they don't get motion sickness!" Kiba joked as he panted.

Shino glanced at Kiba with a stoic face and didn't respond.

It didn't take long for the drone to find its prey. After receiving the signal, Shino's eyes secretly lit up because he knew he had gotten it.

Shino then directed the drone toward the meat paste remnant of his other drone. With a command, his drone cleaned the mess before heading over to re-enter his box.

Shino picked up the box, and his hand excitedly reached inside...

When came into contact with his drone, he paused for a moment, a refreshing sensation rushed into his body and mind. Shino closed his eyes, trying to focus on the sensation.

It was familiar. A sign of growth, of evolution, not of his bugs, but his own body!

His insects began to riot and buzz with fervor. Shino was used to the whispers of the insects in his mind, but this was different. He felt a buzzing sensation, a strange itch that he couldn't scratch. It was really irritating, like skin shedding!

Fortunately, the rioting bugs in his body soon gradually calmed down and everything returned to normal.

However, he was still lost in that sensation until the notification from the system interface caught his attention.

His eyes glinted as he saw the notification, but he didn't check any further. Returning to reality, Shino calmly sealed the box and carried it on his back once more.

They still need to stay vigilant. Danger may strike at any given moment on a mission. If he closes his eyes and focuses on reading notifications, it'll be tragic if he is given the bento by a sudden ambush.

Not long after, Kurenai Sensei leapt down from a tree, and the team snapped to attention.

Shino couldn't help but notice the traces of exhaustion on her face, despite her best efforts to conceal it. Her clothes were torn, and some of her bandages were ripped, offering glimpses of her fair figure, but she appeared to be fine overall. It was clear that she had just been through a tough battle.

Surveying the battlefield with her wide eyes, Kurenai nodded in acknowledgment, "Good job, you three. I didn't expect to bump into something like this on a mission. This mission will be upgraded to a B level task and potentially A level, depending on the results after we bring the bodies back."

"Whoa! We actually did an A level mission! I bet none of the other Genins did the same!" Kiba exclaimed in excitement.

Shino adjusted his glasses and glanced at Kiba. Sorry, but the Kakashi team did.

Kurenai shook her head and said in a calm tone, "Most likely not. The intel extracted must be very valuable for this to be upgraded to A-level. Don't get your hopes up."

"Che, B level is B level," Kiba uttered as he hugged Akamaru, "I bet none of the other Genins can do better."

Poor Kiba, still wrong.

"And Shino, well done this time. Your strategy to lure an enemy beyond your size and using its weakness against it was well thought out. Kiba, Hinata, you two also did well at keeping the enemy at bay," Kurenai sensei complimented.

Shino's eyes shrunk in disbelief. Had Kurenai Sensei been watching them the entire time? So, did she see everything that happened, including what he retrieved from the zombie's brain?

Perhaps Hinata and Kiba had been oblivious, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Kurenai was different.

As a Jonin, Kurenai naturally had a wealth of knowledge and experience.  Perhaps, she had noticed something unusual in his behavior.

So, She was always watching, always analyzing, always making wise judgments.

But how was she watching? How much did she see? Was he exposed?