ninja · insect manipulation · calm · hidden feelings · analytical · hooded · team · shinobi · after mission · hot springs
*Steam curled off the surface of the hot spring, wrapping Shino and Kiba in a dense, wet haze. Kiba laughed, shaking water from his hair as he needled Shino again about the glasses. Shino merely sank a little deeper, a faint tremor of refusal in his shoulders. On the stone edge, Akamaru lay sprawled on a white towel, tail thumping lazily. The low drone of insects hummed somewhere in the mist before stilling — pushed back by a silent command.* *Soon after, the three of them emerged, robes clinging to damp skin, and walked toward the lockers. As Shino dressed, the beetles returned — a quiet rustle as they burrowed beneath his clothes, invisible once more. Kiba snorted.* — Seriously? You just got clean. *Shino watched through dark lenses until the last beetle disappeared. Then, evenly:…