Start From Naruto: Shino the Dominator

The morning sun cast a warm glow over the gates of Konoha, where Kiba and Hinata stood waiting.

Kiba's restless energy manifested in his restless pacing, giving the Akamaru sitting in place and watching him a bout of dizziness.

On the other hand, Hinata stood quietly, yet her white eyes scanning the surroundings betrayed her impatience.

Of course, their anxiousness was not without reason.

After all, today was an important day for Team 8. They were about to embark on their first mission without the guidance of their trusted jonin sensei!

"Where is Shino? Of all the days to be late..." Kiba muttered, glancing at the sun for the umpteenth time. He was known for his impatience, but today it felt justified.

Twiddling her fingers, Hinata bowed her head in contemplation. Suddenly her eyes widened as if she realized some grave oversight.

She looked up at Kiba and asked, "Kiba-kun, did you inform Shino-kun about the mission?"

Kiba looked back at her in shock. "I thought you were going to tell him, Hinata!"

Hinata's face turned a delicate shade of pink as she stammered, "I-I thought you would- I mean, I was sure you would inform him."

"..." The uneasy silence grew as a crow flew overhead. Caw. Caw. Caw.

It was then that Akamaru, Kiba's faithful canine companion, took matters into his own paws. He leaped up and nipped Kiba on the head.

"Ouch! Akamaru, not now!" Kiba winced, rubbing the spot where Akamaru had bitten him.

"Arf!" Akamaru barked in response, his eyes gleaming with mischief, as if saying, "That's what you get for forgetting, Kiba!"

"You could have reminded me earlier, you know!"

While the dog and human engaged in their blame game, unbeknownst to them, Kurenai observed the scene from the shadows, her slender form barely visible among the buildings.

Watching the mishap unfold, her usually composed demeanor faltered, and she couldn't help but facepalm in exasperation.

"Seriously, Kiba and Hinata? I've taught you better than this. I used to be the one responsible for notifying Shino about missions, and now they've completely forgotten without me..."

The young genins had grown so accustomed to her reminders that they had taken her role for granted. Without her, some normally ignored problems have peeked out, like their lack of attention toward their final teammate.

As ninjas, this sort of inattentiveness was an absolute demerit.

Of course, it also couldn't be completely blamed on them. After all, Shino's presence was really...

Well, she was also to blame. Lesson learned. Now, the question was... what should she do? Fail them? Or see it through?

While the hidden Kurenai thought about her next move, Kiba finally snapped back to reality. He turned to Hinata with a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, this is awkward," he admitted, his voice tinged with embarrassment. "I guess we should go and find Shino then."

Hinata nodded, a small smile playing at her lips. "Yes, we need to find him and explain what happened. I hope Shino-kun will not be too upset with us."

"No need." A familiar voice reached the duo's ears. 

Immediately afterwards, a commotion caught the attention of Kiba and Hinata. They saw a mass of bugs swarm in front of them, swiftly coalescing into the distinct form of Shino!

Seeing the sudden appearance of their teammate. Kiba scratched the back of his head, trying to hide his embarrassment, while he mumbled, "Damn, he didn't even give me a chance this time…"

A chance to do what, exactly? Shino's lips twitched subtly, feeling a bit annoyed when he guessed the underlying meaning.

[Shino, Karina says we prepare missing dog posters.]

Karina's tempting proposition set off a wave of inner turmoil, prompting Shino's gaze to bore into Kiba with a weight of foreboding, hinting at a deeper danger beneath the surface.

Kiba seemed to sense Shino's unfriendly stare. Aware of his own blunder, he decisively changed the subject by blurting out, "Hey, Shino, how did you know about the mission? We didn't remind you."

From one landmine, Kiba jumped to another.

Without uttering a word, Shino, ever calm, simply raised his hand and presented his bugs as an answer.

Kiba couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly, breaking the silence with his trademark humor. "Heh, the abilities of your bugs are clearly buggy, aren't they? It bugs me just thinking about it."

Shino's stoic expression remained unchanged, no amusement flickered in his dark eyes.

Seeing Kiba's jest failing to fix the mood, Hinata attempted to sooth the situation, "Shino-kun, sorry, we forgot to remind you..."

After her apology, she put on a gentle smile, brimming with genuine happiness, "But we are glad you showed up. I am happy, and so is Kiba-"

"Okay, okay, enough time wasted!" The impatient Kiba's voice cut through Hinata's words, devoid of remorse regarding his actions, "Listen up, Hinata, Shino!"

Kiba, the default wannabe leader, immediately took charge and gave a briefing of their mission to his teammates.

"We've been assigned to investigate a serial murder case in the political capital of the Land of Fire, Oujisama city. It's the place where the Daimyo resides, a city mostly ruled by normal humans. That place is largely outside the influence of ninjas, but if there are complex or unsolvable problems, it falls to us ninjas."

"Arf!" Akamaru's yapped a reminder.

"Yes, yes and ninja dogs, too." Kiba gave his companion a pet on the head before continuing, "Oh, and most importantly, this mission will be a training experience for us, to see if we're ready to handle missions independently. If we do this properly, Kurenai sensei will let us take missions on our own!"

"As a team..." Hinata added.

Kiba grinned, dismissively waving, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't mind the small details. Yush! Are you ready, Hinata?"

Hearing this, Hinata's eyes shone with determination. "Yes! We can do this. We've trained hard, and we're ready to prove ourselves, to Kurenai sensei, to everyone, and even to Na-Na-"

Seeing the rosy blush creeping onto Hinata's face, Kiba quickly interjected, "Yaho! Just proving it to ourselves and Kurenai sensei is already enough, right Shino?"

Shino, as always, remained quiet but out of spite, he still responded with a subtle nod.

At last, the tables had turned, and the interruptions were not directed at him this time. But the reason behind Kiba's interruption is intriguing, to say the least.

"Yahoo! Let's set off! Hinata, Shino, don't fall behind!" Leaving those words behind, Kiba rushed forward with Akamaru.

Hinata's gaze briefly met Shino's, nodding with determination before swiftly giving chase to Kiba.

Seeing his two teammates rush off, Shino showed no emotions outwardly, but inwardly complaining about his team's lack of consideration.

The two just decided to take a mission and set off, but never asked him once if he wanted to go on one.

On this team, his opinion apparently no longer matters as they had taken him for granted.

Time was like climate change, the steady growth of his team was like an iceberg peeking through the receding sea, while his presence was like the sea level, declining more and more over time.

Now, the unsettling truth had begun to surface. His fate was becoming inexorably intertwined with the role of a mere background board and perpetual pushover, solidifying his place just like in the original narrative.

Yet, there was a hidden brilliance in this masquerade, for while others might scorn him for his perceived passivity, Shino relished the deceptive allure of his pushover persona.

It was only an act to amuse himself, doubling as a bait while executing his own grand design.

The true scheming masterminds behind the scenes were probably privy to his act, and now this was simply a game between them, a game of wits and strategy, to see who discovers the weakness in the other first.

And once the time was right, the lurking danger will surface into the light, just like some long-suppressed dangers buried in Shino's heart.

Sinister intentions simmered within Shino's psyche, his tongue eerily licking his lips as his eyes darted toward the corner of a building where someone was hiding.

It was a fleeting acknowledgment, a silent assurance that he was aware of her presence, and... a gaze that belied unspoken motives.

Ah... How should he punish them?