naruto studied become a seal master

chapter 4-brooding musing

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.

He was bored and thankful that this would be his final year at the academy before he could graduate. He had already read over the course material and made plenty of outlines regarding the history class. Truthfully, he found the class incredibly dull. He didn't like to be kept up inside. He wanted to be out learning practical knowledge that would him survive in the world of shinobi.But he could only get so far teaching himself from the taijutsu and ninjutsu scrolls he found in the Uchiha district, and needed someone to help him one-on-one. He knew better than to attempt to move on to the more advanced set of scrolls without help. Especially after the incident when he tried a high-class fire jutsu that exploded in his face, leaving him with burns and a nasty case of chakra exhaustion. He was lucky that a jounin had been returning from training and heard the explosion. A scolding from the Hokage and doctor had taught him a valuable lesson to not try anything too far over his head without some supervision.