Chapter 13: insect girl
As they walked along the road, the three old men spoke about the clan's history to help Maki understand it better.
Old Man Zetsugan did most of the talking, with Kurozane occasionally adding details. Kaigan, on the other hand, remained mostly silent.
Zetsugan's generation had seven siblings. He was the eldest, Kaigan was the fourth, and Kurozane was the youngest. The rest had died during the brutal Warring States Period—killed by other clans who later became part of Konoha.
Senju, Uchiha, Hyūga, Kurama, Ino-Shika-Chō… all had blood on their hands.
Their own Aburame clan, practitioners of hermetic arts and mysticism, had always maintained neutrality. Thanks to their parasitic insects, their skills were highly versatile—whether in assassination, espionage, sabotage, or support missions. They took on any job for money, and never aligned themselves with any side.
During the Warring States era, every clan fought for its own interests. In that chaos, the Aburame stood alone—an independent power that didn't need to pick sides.
As the Senju and Uchiha clans formed an alliance and laid the foundation for what would become the Hidden Leaf Village, kaigan had no choice but to swallow his hatred and lead the clan into this new order. It was a painful, yet wise decision for their survival.
Once they joined Konoha, kaigan stepped down as clan leader and retired with a heavy heart. His position was taken by the son of his younger brother, Shibao.
Old Man Kaigan never had children. Since childhood, his body had hosted a particularly toxic breed of insect, which even distanced him from the women of his own clan.
Zetsugan's own children—aside from a son born in his later years and a beloved youngest daughter—had all died during the Warring States. The killers were the same clans they had joined in Konoha.
That youngest daughter, Yumi, had grown up in the relative peace of the village. Zetsugan didn't want her to become a ninja. He also took it upon himself to explain to Maki why he hadn't visited her or her mother all these years.
Maki listened quietly, offering no comment. It was clear there was still a rift between father and daughter—one the old man couldn't bring himself to cross.
Soon, the four of them arrived at the clan compound.
The guards recognized them and approached.
After a brief formal exchange, they entered the grounds.
The assembly hall was modest in size and clearly only a few years old—it lacked the weight of time and history. The ancestral hall was even emptier.
But the gravestones outside stood in silent rows—stark and striking against the open sky.
"You three wait outside," one of the elders said.
"Yes, sir." The guards disappeared in a flash.
Maki knew this basic Aburame movement technique—it was the bare minimum for any chūnin—but her body wasn't strong enough to perform it yet.
The three old men opened a hidden door in classic Aburame fashion, lit some candles, and began descending into a secret underground passage.
Along the way, Kaigan formed a hand seal. Glowing red insects flew from his body, lighting the candles lining the tunnel.
"Not bad, huh? These are my flame-sending bugs," he said.
They resembled fireflies—probably beautiful at night.
Maki asked, "Do they explode?"
"No," Kaigan replied with a chuckle.
"They fly too slow," Maki commented. "Same strategy as regular parasitic bugs—group assaults, suicide attacks, ambush formations… They're predictable."
In short:
"Not fierce enough."
"Even so," she added, "regular parasitic bugs are deadly enough to most enemies. Their biggest weakness is still fire-style jutsu."
Her critique was blunt, but honest.
"You're right—but that's only because you've never seen the Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan," kaigan said. "Never assume you're deadly enough when facing an Uchiha."
"Mangekyō?" Maki asked cautiously.
"If you haven't seen it for yourself, you can't possibly understand its divine power," said Kurozane. "But you will. One day. The Uchiha… they're not a clan that ever truly settles down."
"Yeah," Maki nodded, glancing at the red-glowing parasite.
She had thought it might be strong enough to challenge Susanoo. But against that kind of power, the parasites were practically useless.
Even against a basic, incomplete version of it.
After walking a short distance further, they reached the end of the path.
The chamber was small—about a hundred square meters—surrounded by three solid walls. One of them bore a mural, depicting the history of the Aburame clan and their parasitic insects. Some of the insects illustrated were unlike any Maki had seen before.
Another wall was covered in ninjutsu scrolls.
The last one held rows of sealed earthen jars.
There was no need to guess—they clearly contained mutated insect eggs.
Maki was instantly drawn to them, ignoring the secret scrolls entirely.
"They're all yours," Zetsugan laughed heartily. "Take your pick! Hahahahaha!"
Maki stepped forward, her hand coated with chakra, and slowly moved past each earthen jar, brushing her fingers along them.
After a while, she turned to Kaigan.
"They're mostly dead," she said bluntly.
Kaigan didn't look surprised. "No helping that. They've waited too long, with no one to inherit them."
"But you said there had to be survivors, didn't you?"
Maki held up two fingers. "Only two responded."
She then walked up to the largest jar in the room. The will to survive radiating from it was overwhelming.
She reached out and smashed the jar open—revealing a massive insect egg, almost as tall as she was. The size of a small child.
"It's huge," Maki murmured. Then she turned to Kaigan. "Is there any record of this one?"
Kaigan shook his head. "It's been here for as long as I can remember."
"Then, I'll begin."
As she spoke, Maki placed her hand gently on the insect egg.
The three old men leaned in, watching closely—but to their eyes, it looked like a standard hatching procedure.
What they couldn't see was the hidden infection spreading rapidly and silently through Maki's chakra.
The egg had a strong, conscious will to survive—clear, firm, and desperate. When Maki extended her chakra like a lifeline, the creature inside clung to it without hesitation.
The infection progressed faster than expected—smooth, seamless, and maybe even quicker than normal hatching. As she suspected, the speed of infection was linked to the target's mental strength and will to live.
Soon after, the egg showed signs of life. Small bumps pressed against the shell from inside, shifting as something moved within.
Then came the cracks—fissures opening across the shell as thick fluid oozed from the gaps.
At just the right moment, Maki stepped back and released her connection.
The egg split open completely, and from within, a pair of small hands pushed their way out.
A pale, naked girl crawled onto the floor.
The four stared at her in silence.
She looked human at first glance, but her body was covered in a translucent exoskeleton—still soft and clear, revealing the human-like form beneath.
The shell quickly hardened and darkened, transforming her into something closer to an insect than a girl.
"Stand," Maki commanded—not aloud, but mentally. The connection between them made communication effortless. Still, she gave the order out loud for the old men's sake.
Obeying her command, the insect-girl struggled to her feet.
Her three pairs of compound eyes scanned the room, locking on to each face one by one—until they fixed on Maki.
Then she opened her mouth.
Her jaws split wide like a worm's.
"M-Mom… Mom… Mama…"
She spoke.
"Ah! It's been ages since I saw one like this!" Kaigan clapped his thigh in surprise.
What on earth is this child?
"Don't call me 'Mom,'" Maki said darkly, eyes narrowing.
"Yes, Mom!" the girl chirped obediently.
Maki pressed her fingers to her forehead, a dull ache forming. Something told her this wasn't going to be simple.
The three old men gathered around the insect-girl, their curiosity piqued and eyes sparkling.
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