The forest outside of Konoha was eerily quiet, save for the droning of insects. As the swarm gathered, a replica of Shino slowly formed.

Looking down at himself, Shino couldn't help but smile wryly as he watched a few stray bugs spill out from his body.

"Although I have absolute control over the bugs, without the assistance of Alina, it is still difficult for me to micromanage so many bugs and condense a perfect clone to control remotely. Not only that, I won't be able to maintain the clone while I am asleep or unconscious. Hey, it's difficult to be a zerg overmind with a normal human mind..."

The consequences of his actions were already showing its tail. But Shino knew that he had set a course, and there was no turning back. He could only hoping that it was the right one.

As the insects continued to crawl out of his body, Shino remained unfazed.

In fact, he had anticipated this minor setback, and estimated it would have minimal impact on his combat abilities.

Each of his clones had been crafted with precision, optimized with unique mutations of bugs that allowed it to surpass the capabilities of a typical insect clone. So, their utility and combat power was not to be underestimated..

Of course, while his insect replicas did maintain a formidable combat power, they did have their limitations. They lacked the ability to harness normal ninjutsu, and their movements were not as nimble as Shino's original body which had been evolved.

Nevertheless, he had no doubt that his insect army would be a force to be reckoned with, even without Alina's assistance. Thanks to removing the key weakness of his main body and leaving only bugs, his clone might even surpass the original Shino's when it comes to dealing with certain foes...

"Well, it'll do. Let's get started. I don't want to be late and delay the plot. If Alina's calculations were correct, the Sand trio should show up at any moment, with Sasuke right behind."

In the obscured shadows of the forest, Shino adjusted his glasses and patiently waited for the arrival of the actors. Although his map system no longer had real-time updates, he could still sense the approaching actors' locations.

After all, he had covertly placed a female bug on them… Honestly, Shino realized how broken this female bug is. If he didn't have his system's zerg network, this bug would probably be his main method of tracking.

But with his advanced zerg network, he only needed to use the female bug to distinguish the special targets from all his other marked targets and bug monitors spread throughout Konoha. He could then concentrate his thoughts to sense the female bug's location through the zerg network, and he could even receive some arbitrary visual and audio intel as a bonus.

Shino's gaze flickered upwards, his glasses glinting when it caught the sunlight filtering through the forest canopy, "They're here."

With a measured breath, he calmly prepared himself for the impending encounter.

The moment Kankuro and Temari halted their movements, Shino sensed the tension in the air, thick enough to require a fan to blow away.

Sasuke had finally caught up to the duo, and it was clear that he wasn't going to let them off easily.

Knowing Temari had already failed once, Kankuro, ever the loyal brother, offered to hold off Sasuke while Temari took Gaara to safety.

When Temari left with Gaara, Sasuke was about to eliminate his obstacle. Naturally, that was Shino's cue.

The duo, who were about to start, vigilantly glanced at the swarm of bug gathering on the branch of a tree besides them. It didn't take long for the figure of Shino to appear. Adjusting his glasses, Shino threw a glance at Sasuke before making his declaration to Kankuro, "I'm your oppo-"

"You're- bug boy!" Kankuro's angry growl reverberated in the forest, interrupting him.

Shino's mouth twitched. Honestly, he seriously didn't remember Shino being interrupted left and right this much in the anime, and definitely not at this cool moment of his.

"Shino? Why are you here?" Sasuke questioned.

"I put a female insect on you. Only a female-"

"You and your bugs. Do you think you can be so arrogant after you beat me once with petty tricks? I haven't even shown you the full extent of a first class puppeteer yet!" Kankuro interrupted as he began to unfurl his puppet.

Shino could only sigh inwardly inside. Did his transmigration cause Shino to be interrupted more often than the original? Was there some mysterious force at work, altering his hostile counterparts to interrupt him?

Turning towards Sasuke, he offered, "Sasuke Uchiha, go pursue Gaara. It's because the battle-"

"Tsk- Quit yapping. I'll be your opponent," Kankuro said with an evil grin as his puppet laid on his back, ready to launch itself at its enemy.

His brows twitching with annoyance, Shino adjusted his glasses as he continued, "I'll fight him. Leave this to me."

"You're very confident. But are you going to be okay?" Sasuke said with an arrogant smirk on his face.

"No need to-"

"Hehehehe- Quit ignoring me, bug boy! You're all just fools who don't know anything."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he looked at Kankuro, but he didn't respond to his words. Instead, he took a single step forward and disappeared from sight, moving with incredible speed towards his destination.

"Naive. I don't think you've experienced true terror. Whether that Uchiha likes it or not, he'll see it… as for you… hehehe..."

Shino felt a bit tired. Maybe he should just stop talking, and speak with his actions.

"Heh. Bring it on!" Kankuro growled, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

Without hesitation, Kankuro thrust his arm forward, launching his puppet into the fray.

With a simple spread of his finger, a sharp blade popped out from the puppet's hand.

Swoosh! Kankuro's puppet drilled through the air, the sharp blade dripping with menace as it pierced toward Shino's heart!

But Shino remained unfazed. He concentrated his mind.

Just as the puppet's blade was about to strike his heart-

In a split second, the scene turned on its head. The bugs around Shino's chest suddenly receded, leaving a gaping hole in their wake. Kankuro was left dumbfounded as his puppet's hand pierced empty air and passed right through the hole!

"Nani?! Clone? When?!"

From the very beginning. Well, Shino wasn't going to tell the ignorant bloke that. A true puppet master controls his avatar from afar, not playing around with wooden puppets in close combat.

With a thought, the bugs composing Shino's body surged forward, encasing the puppet and drilling into every one of its joints.

"Damn, this again! I'm not falling for it!" Kankuro angrily growled.

Kankuro's movements were lightning quick as he furiously waved his hands to counter Shino's attack. Swish! His chakra threads sliced through the air, causing the wooden puppet to split apart into multiple pieces.

Then, the puppet's head and chest suddenly split open, revealing two ominous-looking barrels.

Bang! Bang!

Two balls were shot out from the barrels towards the insect swarm. When the balls approached, Shino's body contorted as two gaping holes opened up, intending to let the bombs pass through.

"Oh no you don't! Explode!"

Boom!

A sudden eruption of purplish smoke spewed out of the balls, spreading out and seeping into the surroundings with a menacing hiss. The smoke was poisonous!

The toxic fumes swiftly corroded everything in their path, reducing the area to a wasteland!

The hapless bugs, unfortunate enough to be caught in the noxious cloud, were similarly dissolved into slimy, oozing messes!