He crouched down in front of her and she flung herself onto him. He winced at how tight she was gripping his neck as he placed her arms around her back. She was vigorously shaking and muttering something about a ghost.
Hiashi had been beyond shocked. Earlier, he had been meaning to talk to Hinata regarding her training, when he discovered no one in the compound knew where she was. Usually this just meant she was holed up in the library, but when he arrived, he couldn't find her anywhere. As others helped him search, he had activated his byakugan to discover a major swell of chakra emanating from the main family secret room.
The amount of chakra radiating from the room was almost blinding. He forced himself through it and managed to see the outline of his daughter standing in the middle of the room. He raced through the levels of the library and tore across the final floor to see his daughter curled on the floor crying out for help.
He himself had stood in this room attempting to decipher the Hyuuga Ring to no avail, as had every clan head before him. In all of his research and personal experience, he had never seen or heard of anything like this happening before.
Away from the eyes of the elders and the rest of the clan, Hiashi took a rare moment and let his emotions show, as he held his daughter in his arms and tried to calm her. He ran his hand down her hair and back in an attempt to calm her down. It had been years since he had carried her like this. He stood up from the ground and slowly started taking her back out of the chamber.
It would be weeks before Hinata would find the courage return to the library. A whole year before she was finally willing to go back down to that level by herself.
As her father carried her away, Hinata squeezed his arm and buried her face in his shoulder. It would not be until the next morning that she would discover the small scroll clenched in her hand.
The few words she had comprehended from the figure echoed in her mind.
"This is just a beginning."
"Steel yourself."
"Your first steps must be taken at your own pace."
"Now, can anyone tell me the name of the Earth country unit credited for the most damage along the border of Grass and Fire country during the Third Shinobi War?"
Iruka's eyes wandered the classroom as Sakura's hand shot into the air.
"Yes, Sakura?"
"The Crimson Colony," she replied.
"Correct. Now, who can tell me why this particular group had this name?"
This time both Sakura and Shino's hands were in the air. Iruka nodded to Shino, who replied in his monotone voice, "This title was due to their control of Solenopsis mandibularis, or fire ants, through a summoning contract."
"Very good Shino. Yes, the Crimson Colony was a very feared group within the Iwa military due to their very useful summons. They could summon ants ranging in size from the tiny variety we have at home to ants the size of small dogs and horses." Many of the students shivered at the prospect.
"The Crimson Colony used their summons to help move troops underground through a massive system of tunnels. They could traverse the battlefield bringing reinforcements behind enemy lines or alter the terrain by causing potholes below enemy encampments. In close combat, they were especially dangerous due to their bite, which released formic acid into their prey. The larger the ant, the deadlier concentration of acid. However, these are not the reasons why they are credited for severe damage in Grass Country. Does anyone else know why?"
Unsurprisingly, Shino's hand was in the air again. When it came to anything involving insects, he and his family were bound to be interested.
"One particular species among them could raise their core temperature to 2000° F, causing them to glow white. They would march across Grass country burning acres of tall grass making it difficult for enemy forces to hide their movements and for the occupants of the country to aide either side."
"Very good Shino. Now, I assume you can tell me the drawbacks of this as well."
Shino pushed up his glasses and he said, "Many insects such as Solenopsis mandibularis take in oxygen through their spiracles on the sides of their bodies. Their ability to raise their core temperature was primarily used to ward off intruders and attackers from their nests. Earth country's tactic backfired as the smoke generated from the fires clogged up their trachea leaving them deprived of oxygen. So to complete a massive scale attack, the ants would have to be sacrificed in the process."
Shino finished his speech with a frown. He did not like the waste of insect life on such a large scale.
Iruka nodded as a hand shot up in the air, from the back of the class.
"Iruka-sensei, if they couldn't be killed by fire, and could just dig their way out of doton jutsus, how did we beat them?"
"Very good question Shira. Well, as I'm sure Shino will tell you, the heart of all insect colonies lies with their queen. The details of the mission have been kept secret, but the Crimson Colony's downfall came due to the loss of their queen summon. Without her, new generations of the insects could not be born, and the surviving male soldier ants stopped responding and died. Now, how did this affect the tide of the war?"
As Iruka went on with his lesson about Earth country's tactics, 11-year-old Sasuke Uchiha leaned against the window, lazily eyeing a hawk circling outside.
Don't forget to powerstone.
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