Start From Naruto: Shino the Dominator

Far away, the Hidden Rock village.

In an office sat a dwarf with features that seemed to tell tales of a lifetime lived in the shadows.

He had a triangular beard and a mustache that curved sharply at the corners, while his prominent red nose and thick eyebrows added an interesting depth to his countenance.

His elderly white hair was arranged in a traditional chonmage hair style, the back tied into a topknot by a yellow ribbon, while the forefront was left with a smooth expanse of baldness.

Draped around his small stature was a green coat, partitioned into four sections with trims of luminous yellow. Around his neck was an ornate red collar – the representative color of high-ranking members of the Hidden Rock village.

This short, old man with an unassuming stature was Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage of the Hidden Rock village - one of the Five Great Ninja Villages in this world!

Right now, Onoki sat in his office, his aged eyes scanning the complaint report before him.

It was a joint complaint from the other ninja villages, accusing the Hidden Rock of being responsible for the loss of corpses.

The blame had fallen on the Hidden Rock because of their ninjas' rather infamous burrowing abilities!

But after their investigation, Onoki discovered something unexpected.

The Tsuchikage slammed the report onto his desk. "Bugs! They suspected us, but it was bugs all along?!Unacceptable!"

His subordinates stood before him, each trying to gauge the old man's reaction.

One of them worked up the courage and took the lead to speak up, "Tsuchikage-sama, we have conducted a thorough investigation. It seems that the culprit behind the missing corpses is indeed a swarm of bugs. But our graves remain undisturbed… which may be why we became the main suspect."

"We're the culprit just because we did our jobs like we're supposed to?!" With his brows furrowing deeply, Onoki huffed, "Do they think I'm a soft persimmon just because I'm old? Picking on an old man..."

Grumble. Grumble. The rambles of the old man left his subordinates exchanging glances in silence.

Finally, when the pain in his back intensified, Onoki took a deep breath and restrained his fury. "Hoh, does anyone else have something to add?"

Leaning back in his chair, the old man's eyes of wisdom swept over his subordinates with a stern face. Seeing no one stepping up, he finally leaked a sigh and commanded, "Suzumebachi. Go. Locate her immediately. She disappeared some time ago, and I want to know if she has any connection to this grave-digging incident."

The subordinates exchanged glances. One of took the opportunity to admit reluctantly,  "Tsuchikage-sama, we have been trying to find Suzumebachi, but her whereabouts remain a mystery."

"Gah! Can't even find a simple kunoichi!" Onoki rubbed his temples, a mix of frustration evident in his eyes. "Troublesome. Why are the newer generations of this village so troublesome? No talent, no sense of responsibility, no..."

Fear the old man will go on rambling again, another subordinate suggested cautiously, "Should we send out more search parties, Tsuchikage-sama?"

Onoki gave the man a glare before he agreed, "Yes, gather a team and search every corner of the Land of Earth. We cannot afford any loose ends. If Kamizuru Clan is involved, I want to know."

Seeing everyone else speaking up, another one of the subordinates stepped forward, contributing with a hesitant expression on their face. "Tsuchikage-sama, what about the complaints? Should we address it?"

"The complaint?" Onoki smirked, a sly glint in his eyes. "Oh, we will address it, but not in the way they expect... Pouring dirty water, who can't? File a complaint on our own. Put the blame to the Aburame clan. Let them deal with the fallout for once. Let's see Konoha's reaction."

The subordinates exchanged surprised looks, but they knew better than to question their leader's decisions. They nodded in unison and quickly left the room to carry out his orders.

Left alone in his office, Onoki leaned back in his chair once again, his mind consumed with other thoughts. "Really, why can't the younger generation give this old man a break. And that Suzumebachi... of all the times she chose to disappear, it had to be during this grave-digging incident."

The remnant of a clan just disappearing like that, it already made some clans question the safety and integrity of the Hidden Rock village. He really didn't want more trouble added to his plate.

"Hopefully those young ones can find some clues- Huh, maybe there is a connection?"

Onoki's thoughts shifted to the bugs that may be the cause of the chaos. "Hmm... These new traces of bugs... If they can be controlled and put to use by our village, we may have a powerful weapon at our disposal. But we'll have to find their lair first, or at least whoever is behind this incident..."

Unknown to the Onoki sitting in his office, his every word was being intercepted by a swarm of tiny bugs that had secretly made their home on the walls of the buildings.

These bugs were silent messengers, relaying his speech in real-time to the mastermind behind the grave-digging incident.

In their main secret base, Karina played back the recording of Onoki's conversation for Shino.

"Oh?" Shino's eyes gleamed with intrigue as he absorbed the old man's words, "It seems this fence sitter is open to collaboration."

Well, it's not too surprising. Onoki is willing to hire even the likes of Akatsuki. Small-time grave digging criminals like him were well within the old fence sitter's employment considerations.

Shino body paced at a steady rhythm, his mind already spinning with possibilities. "Hmm, the Hidden Rock Village has the resources, and now the old man had shown interest in our bugs. If we can work out a mutually beneficial proposition, perhaps we can secure a stable job for our zergs."

Laying flat and with her neck perched on the edge of a table, Karina stared up at Shino with a mixture of affection and admiration.

She knew her lover was working tirelessly, crafting dirty plans within plans. She had seen his strategic prowess in action before, and now she was witnessing it once again.

And she left completely speechless by the serious planning Shino was doing.

Ha... his planning was just that good, especially since his schemes run so, so deep...

Feeling how deep his schemes was running, Shino's sly grin surfaced, a glint of excitement dancing in his deep, penetrating eyes.

His hand reached down to gently caress Karina's face, praising her for her remarkable planning assistance. "My excellent strategist, you know what I want. I trust you will optimize our plan and minimize the danger. Do it well, and let us exploit the opportunities that lay before us... together."

Karina leaned into his contact, her eyes never leaving his.

[Mm. Shino, your trust means everything to me. Feel free to go into deeper details regarding your plan. Karina will take everything in and plan accordingly.]

Their minds aligned. So, Shino and Karina began to forge an in-depth plan.

Pa! Pa! Pa! The planning sounds blended in a symphony of whispered strategies and shrewd calculations, each idea building upon the next.

Knowing it was necessary to exercise caution in their collaboration with the cunning old man, they analyzed Onoki's unscrupulous personality and methods... thoroughly.

In this shadowy game of manipulation and power, they were determined to emerge as the masterminds orchestrating their own destiny!

With his plan taking shape, Shino's hands roamed Karina's beautiful visage, a soothing gesture amidst the intensity of their plotting. "Yes, very good, Karina. That's a good spot to put my plan in motion. But remember to be careful. Onoki's true nature demands wariness. Tell me if you can't handle it."

As if to prove herself, Karina nodded fervently in agreement, her eyes shining with a mix of determination and anticipation.

[Don't worry, Shino. Karina can handle it! Shino can leave his trust with Karina anytime, anywhere.]

"Oh, then what if one day you betray me, Karina?" Shino's eyes, brimming with ambiguous depths, stared down at the captivating face hanging upside down before him.

With a demeanor concealing a world of unspoken emotions, Karina's eyes affectionately locked onto Shino's, and he could already feel her response unraveling through the fiery dance of her tongue. "Nchu~ nchu~ nchu~"

So, Shino hesitated no longer and rewarded her with his complete trust, just in time to hear her response echoing in his mind.

[Then, Karina will- umph-]