Hive Mind

[Rmajere]

A long time ago, I wrote this story. Against my better judgment, I decided to post it here. It was initially on fanfiction under the name RaistlinRaines. Maybe people will enjoy it.


Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Naruko Uzumaki was a lonely child. At four years old, she understood that she was different. Though what the reason was, she didn't know. Other children in the orphanage were kept away by the Matron and workers at the orphanage. Although they were never hostile or meant to her, Naruko was left to her own company.

As a child with no structure or social norms to learn from, what she could understand was left to her interpretations of the world around her. She knew she would have to make connections of her own.

Gifted in intelligence, Naruko looked to make her social network. She found it in the cockroaches that lived in the area. Although wary of humans by instinct, they had learned through time that she was a haven.

Naruko did not attack what most considered repulsive. She fed them and wasn't disgusted by the lowly insects. In her room, she fed them pieces of her meal and even petted the tiny creatures.

As time went by, she found more of them coming to her. She observed them and the other insects that interacted with them. The scorpions that preyed upon them. The spiders, though not insects themselves, as well.


She took to seeing how they moved primarily unseen in the world. Her solace, as it was, was indeed the creatures considered the lowest of the food chain. She watched the spiders forming their intricate webs how the millipede moved across the ground.

At age five, she began to become more in touch with them. She noticed how they adapted to survive. The hard outer shells for defense and the various ways of attacking prey. She loved watching the butterflies as they gracefully moved through the air, and she envied them. The average life span of her tiny companions was small. She understood death through it.

A month later, she began to recognize a pattern with them. They all depended on the other to keep their species alive. More and more, she felt a kinship with the insects around her. It was through this that her worldly ideas were formed.
Though the Matron did teach the children, including her, to read and write. To speak the language.

Naruko was more interested in learning from her friends. She began to see them more as something to learn from. Their infinite patience and simple understanding. She knew they weren't talking to her or anything like that. She didn't imagine such silly things. However, she had become part of that network. Generations of the insects had learned she was a haven for them.

Naruko had begun to feel that connection on an almost instinctual level. She didn't know that her body was perceiving natural chakra and synching to it and generating an instinctual feeling through it. As it grew, she channeled it into her social group. Naruko was forming the beginnings of awareness through them.

The breakthrough came when to her shock, she could instinct-dive near her. It's a small instinct-driven mind. She explored it as she began to understand that connection. It was slow, but without the distractions that other children have, she focused on it with him all. Soon she began to feel more of them.
Then the scorpions were next. She was captivated by their power and speed as she felt them move. In a split second, the stinger slammed its poisoned tip into prey.

Finally, the spiders captured their prey on the web. They were wrapping the catches into a meal for later. Naruko expressed this connection more as time passed. Months in and just shy of six, she felt a collective feeling from all her tiny links—a drive she could direct. With the connection, she could be aware of everything around them.


She began to realize she could get this collective to move or do as she desired. Naruko found as it grew, she could add more insects and arachnids to it. She was raising the collection with each new member.
Naruko Uzumaki created a hive mind.

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At age seven, Naruko Uzumaki was a strange child to most. She seemed to be one step in their world and another step in another. She had a collection of insects almost a mile in circumference. Her mind had to learn to adapt to the onslaught of information.

With each new connection, it became easier to guide. Through the collective mind, Naruko grew in intelligence, and so did Naruko's chosen. However, their own was in the zero points one growth. They had begun to understand not just basic commands but more advanced ones. It was no longer move here or there. It went here, get this or swarm that.

She never stopped them from feeding on each other or their own. However, each new offspring was now born into that connection. Being inquisitive but knowing that people hated her chosen friends, she decided to find out if there was information available for what this was.

It turned out that the library, when she asked where she could learn was Kami sent. Books on insect behavior and their network took a while to go through. However, it all helped her to understand insects better. It was from the books on bees and ants that an idea started to form.

The librarian, a middle-aged but very nice lady with green hair, directed her to the science fiction section where she found what she was looking for, in the absolute opposite of her collective. She found it in a book on the theory of collective intelligence through a collection of books written by Arashi Yamanaka.


The theory matched what she was experiencing and adapting. The more she grew her, as she decided to call it, hive-mind. The greater the collective, the greater the mind worked.
Naruko knew she would have to keep it to herself. She saw the way people reacted to her friends and herself as enough evidence.

So then, what was she to do? She already knew she would continue to grow and include more insects and arachnids into her self-made family. That was a given fact. What she needed, though, was a way to use it more and adapt to it. Learn what was possible through that collective mind. She began to think about what could be given to her collective and what she could gain.

Through the Hokage and his talks to the orphanage children, she already knew that she was a budding intelligence master. Her chosen could be anywhere and hear anything while remaining unseen.

Two months back, she had fully learned to hear what they hear and understand it.
The sounds were different and, for now, required her to hear from multiple sources to get enough information. The sight would take far longer. None of them had eyes like her own, and it gave her headaches to try. However, she persisted and was steadily progressing.


Her lack of human interaction gave her the drive to learn, rarely seen in scientists.
Without other people to tell her what was impossible, she broke every convention of what was possible with chakra. Through the Hokage's speeches, she had learned what it was, and she also knew it was more than the normal chakra described. It was intense, and she knew instinctually not to channel it through her that she couldn't handle it. At least not yet.

Naruko, with her long hair tied in a ponytail and scruffy, dirty clothes from always being outside, sat down in the quiet little spot she made in the woods near the orphanage. Closing her eyes, she focused and felt through her connection. She was always aware and connected to it now, but she could dive into it when she could concentrate without distraction.

Though she wasn't aware, she began to channel the natural chakra around her with her as a funnel. She was letting it pass through her and then around her and connecting her to everything. Had she opened her eyes, she would have seen the flowers lean towards her, the insects gather, and small animals quiet and flock to her.

Her awareness was channeled through her self-made family as she fed them natural chakra mixed with her own and threw them back to her. She took care never to keep the almost golden and green mixed chakra. Soon she wasn't in her own body but hundreds.

Learning to adapt to them and the various sources of information, shared collectively to understand the influx of information. She witnessed acts of sensual pleasure in a quarter of a mile away. She heard of the local gossip in the market and the ninja who whispered among themselves.

Processing it all, she began to form a projection. Had anyone been able to view this, they would have thought it resembled a three-dimensional map of a third of Konoha.
Naruko intended to improve it further. She wanted to make it grow to where she could find anything. With more members growing in her collective mind, she was slowly expanding it.


Although she wasn't aware of each new member, she was also infused with chakra. She was getting stronger. Naruko had invented a one-of-a-kind chakra control exercise. They were learning to channel the potency of natural chakra and her own through her and around her and back to her again. With this, she gave parts of her chakra to her chosen and took the tiniest sliver of their own.

Naruko, however, wanted more than that. She tried to adapt to the way they survived. To grow stronger and be more than the little girl who was ignored by everyone while never targeted for violence. She didn't want to be her. She wanted to change. While her intelligence grew, she was still a child with a child's concept of things. So she studied her collective.

She saw how they worked and then went to the library to learn more about them. She devoured books on insects and arachnids. She studiously knew what was different between them and her through books on human anatomy versus insect anatomy.

It was an incredible intellect she now could bring to bear. Her mind was able to collect and diversify what she needed. She wanted to change, and nothing was going to stop her. She would be more. She would grow. She would adapt. She would evolve.

Through her channeling, she wondered if she could do more than be a part of her collection but adapt them as she wanted to as well. Through her connection and filter, she concentrated on a cockroach as she was in the park. She visualized what she wanted, and she willed it. She wanted it to grow a stronger pair of legs. There is more chitin on them to strengthen them and more power in the tiny muscles to move the added weight.


It failed. Disappointed she wasn't willing to give up. She left the imprint of what she wanted and went to sleep in the apartment that she now slept in thanks to the Hokage giving her the place.

It came as a shock when she found a day later the next generation of that roach that they had all adapted to the change. Her mind reeled with the implications. With this knowledge, she was closer to learning how she could adapt herself. She was fascinated as the more muscular breed quickly took over, and the older unchanged died out.

Through a superior design, Naruko had created a new breed of insect. Delighted, she focused on what would be helpful and practical for her collective. She studied what she knew and what each insect and arachnid needed. More potent venom and faster responses, stronger carapaces, and exoskeletons. More intelligence and awareness.


Before her eyes n a month, her new breeds were made and quickly took over from their older less-evolved counterparts.
Though she wasn't aware of it, Naruko also caused quite the insect problem for Konoha as the new breeds were far more brutal to kill. There, however, was one clan that wasn't annoyed with this. They were quite fascinated by what was happening.


The Aburame were now aware that something was causing rapid change in the local ecosystem. They were now more than curious. The Aburame wanted to know the how, when, and the why. Something they would, in time, discover. Change, after all, fascinated them.


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Naruko concentrated on her newest experiment. Her arachnids were doing well, and she wanted to combine their traits into a single gene of a spider.

She had been crossbreeding and adapting her changes through her collective. Each insect had become more potent and more effective. However, the most significant change was the focus they all seemed to have for her.

Each collective was self-aware enough to understand a basic concept with an instinct they now all shared. Protect the hive-mind and, more specifically, the 'mother.' She had been shocked when her collective had designated her such a role.
They believed in themselves her children and were aware she was their creator and protector.

She was the being that fed and nurtured their betterment and cared for them. Though differing from human understanding, they had this concept. Something she was aware of as the collective had begun to guard her.

Though there was no active threat, they knew the more giant humans in masks watching their mother. They knew of predators when they were around.

The mother was precious. She was the creator and had an attack happened, the village would have been shocked at the retaliation on the would-be attacker. The spider and scorpion that stayed hidden in her clothes with lethal venoms or the hornet's nest that she had smuggled into her apartment would attack en masse to a threat to her person. Naruko was, if not the most, one of the most protected next to the Hokage.


Had anyone walked in now, they would have seen the girl hovering her hand over a nest of spider eggs. She was focusing on the cocoon with a frightening intensity. Filtering energy in invisible strands of chakra through the next generation. Their birth would be a while away as she held it off. This generation would be her most remarkable yet.

Their progenitors had been the best she had, and she would improve them further.
Though she was unaware of her playing god, Naruko did so with the desire to help, not gain. Something that separated her from Ororchimaru though there was plenty of similarities in their desires. To grow, to become ever stronger without the chains of humanity's qualms and hang-ups.

Without the taboos, the rest of humanity subjected themselves to.
Feeling that she had done the best she could without stressing the new life, she stopped and smiled contently. When it was finished, she would finally begin to act on her desire to adapt to her own body. Naruko was aware of social norms to know she would need these changes to be invisible to the public eye to avoid scrutiny and disgust.

However, she wouldn't let that stop her from becoming more than she was. She had done well to keep her secret to herself, and she had not touched a single kikai insect.

The Aburame clans, as she had learned from her network, were very interested in where these new insects were coming from and how it happened. She would not be a case study for them, nor would she allow others to take her hard work for themselves. Standing up and stretching her body, she called up the picture of her surroundings via her hive-mind. Now able to access with a bit of concentration instead of minutes or hours of work and no longer needing intense concentration. Naruko saw the two masked ninjas, the Anbu, watching her. She recognized bull and sparrow. Her regulars for the week, keeping an eye on her.


Though she had learned quite a bit, including ways to train and various other knowledge, some meant to be village secrets and some quite mundane, Naruko hadn't learned of her secret till her body had begun to adapt to the natural chakra she constantly filtered.


She had gained the ability to sense negative emotions from this practice. The moment she first began to feel a new power, she had nearly passed out from the sheer malicious intent she felt coming from her own body. It was shocking how much hatred radiated from within her that she was formerly unaware of.

Unsure of what to do after overcoming her shock, Naruko sat down on her couch. She thought long and hard about the situation Naruko decided to consult the Hokage on the matter. She wouldn't reveal her hive-mind or other abilities besides her newly acquired empathy.

Hopefully, he would clarify the matter for her or point her in the right direction. With that in mind, she dressed appropriately in a pair of shorts and a child's t-shirt that depicted her favored swirling pattern.

Taking a minute more to lock her apartment up, she smiled as the sun shined down at her. It was mid-summer, and while the heat during the day could be scorching in the Fire country, a light breeze turned a hot day into a pleasantly warm one.

As she headed down the main road to the high tower that her adopted grandfather worked at, Naruko kept her hive-mind working in full force. She was gathering a steady image of her surroundings and the local gossip. His wife had caught tokoyama in an affair that had been going on for years.

Naruko had known about it from the beginning month. Shaking her head as she heard the quiet whispering of the people she passed, Naruko almost stopped as she heard a distinct voice's words.

"That demonic child, walking through the streets as if she is a normal child. It's insulting." The voice belonged to a Toshi Kyoto. A baker looking at her from his window inside his house whispered to his wife.

Showing no reaction and thankful she wasn't in range to feel his emotions, she continued on her way. She had discovered that she could only feel negative emotions from within approximately ten feet around her as she walked through the crowd; Naruko was unwilling to push it till she got better answers on what was going on with this ability.

More so, though, she wanted to know why such dark and hateful emotions continued to come from within her. It left her feeling almost physically ill, feeling it with her new ability. She tried to ignore it as much as possible; much of her concentration was on the whispered sentence.

She'd heard many a slur on her person and character despite not being anything but polite and kind to the population of Konoha. She felt like every word against her was a piece of a puzzle she was slowly putting together. She needed only a few more bits, and she would know what all the issues of her childhood were about.

Still, until she had more information, she continued with her current pursuits while being amused that she was exactly where the Anbu were that followed her around. They believed themselves hidden from her when she could see and hear them through her hive mind. She continued to hide her amusement as she passed members of the Aburame clan that had been all over Konoha as of late.


The usually reclusive clan had members searching throughout the village for the source of the changes in the local wildlife. She was amused that she was almost pranking them. Here they were looking for the source when it walks right by the unaware pursuers every day.

Making her way to the tower entrance, she walked up the long winding staircase leading to the top of the building. Passing by the ninja and civilians working there, most nodded or greeted her as she passed, as she was a regular visitor to their Hokage. It was well known that Hiruzen Sarutobi had a soft spot for the young Uzumaki.

Making it to the top floor, she was waved towards the main office door by the Hokage's secretary. Knowing the child had carte blanch to visit whenever she pleased. She couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face as the young girl waved at her with a big smile of her own.

Naruko politely knocked on the door before opening it when she heard a gruff but gentle voice telling her to come in.
Almost skipping into the office as she was always happy to see her grandfather figure, she came to the sight of the tired but happy looking old man sitting behind his desk, the smell of his pipe tobacco clinging to the air as the smoke lazily drifted out the open window.


Hiruzen grinned and straightened his back, suppressing the grimace as his spine straightened with a pop. Still, he was always happy to see the young girl. Hiruzen set aside the paperwork he'd been working on and, standing up, filled his arms with a bundle of energy as he received a hug.


It never failed to make his day better to see the child he had such high hopes for.
Sitting back down as Naruko sat in the chair in front of his desk, her last growth spurt finally allowing her to view over his desk. Something that delighted both of the people in the office. Hiruzen took a moment to observe the young Uzumaki.

Her face favored her father with the angular jaw and the eyes. The blue eyes shined with the same intelligence as her father, Minato. Always observing and analyzing everything she saw. However, the warm smile was all Kushina. She had also inherited the innate kind aura both her parents seemed to exude. Hiruzen knew when she grew older, that warmth would also inspire confidence in those around her.

Though leadership could be learned, some people were born to lead.
With that happy thought in his mind, the Hokage smiled before taking the last puff from his pipe and setting it aside to give the blonde his full attention.


"How are you today, Naruko?" he asked with a touch of the grandfatherly affection he felt for her.

"I'm alright, gramps; however, I came here because I need your help with something if you don't mind?" Naruko said with a tilt of her head in question.

Feeling surprisingly happy that she would come to him for advice, the old man nodded for her to go ahead with her question.

"I've developed the ability to feel people's emotions. Just the negative ones." Naruko watched as his eyes lit up with interest.

She knew he'd always enjoyed new things to study. The professor lived up to his title.

"Interesting, so you only feel negative emotions? How far can you sense them, and how do you sense the emotions?" He asked to clarify.

"Well, it's like I can tell where the person is and how strong the emotion is. Hate is easy to tell; fear is a little harder, but from what I can tell, it's like what you feel for when sensing chakra from your lecture back at the orphanage, that time you described sensing chakra." She explained that despite being mature for her age, she still couldn't help swinging her legs in the chair.

Hiruzen sat back and thought of just how functional such an ability could be. Unlike chakra, which various techniques could hide, there wasn't anything he knew that hid a person's emotions from other people.


It would be impossible to sneak up on Naruko if she could develop the ability, with any hostile intent. The thought of her being safer warmed him.

"We'll have to see about training the ability to its full potential. A way to sense other people is quite a blessing." However, he could also see the downsides. He did not wish to dishearten Naruko.


Moreover, he was sure she had already figured out a few of the negatives of her ability.
Deciding to test it out, Hiruzen had Naruko tell each emotion he felt as he evoked a spectrum of feelings in himself. As she had said, he found that positive emotions didn't register to her, and all the negative, including, to his surprise, sadness, were immediately picked up on.

After an hour of it now that Naruko felt comfortable enough with her sensing emotions, she decided it was time to drop the bigger question.

"Jiji, it's not just other people I can sense. I can feel an enormous rage from within me. It's so powerful that when I first felt it, I was almost physically ill. It's not me feeling it, but it's coming from me."

She could see him stiffen and regard her intently as she told him about what she felt. "You know what's causing it, don't you?"


Hiruzen sighed and wondered how he was going to go about this. She was far younger than he imagined she would be, and he was still far too old to be dealing with this.
"Naruko, there's something I need to tell you. Something I hadn't planned to reveal for a few years yet."

He sighed as she looked him in the eyes. He hadn't wanted to do this ever, but he knew he would eventually have to tell her. "When you were born.."



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Thank you too, Bamba12, for editing this.​

 

[Mundus]

I like the idea will watch, although the second half of the chapter is a bit solid, you should break it up a little.

 

[Candcg]

Interesting enough, this needs a beta reader though. Comes across as a translated work, which is only a negative because it doesn't conform to standard English sentence structure. E.g. The line "Though wary by the instinct of humans, they had learned that she was through time a haven" should instead read something like this:

"Although wary of humans by instinct, they had learned through time that she was a haven"

i can understand what you're trying to get across, but it takes much longer, and much more effort, to understand

 

[Rmajere]

Interesting enough, this needs a beta reader though. Comes across as a translated work, which is only a negative because it doesn't conform to standard English sentence structure. E.g. The line "Though wary by the instinct of humans, they had learned that she was through time a haven" should instead read something like this:

"Although wary of humans by instinct, they had learned through time that she was a haven"

i can understand what you're trying to get across, but it takes much longer, and much more effort, to understand

Click to shrink...

Your not wrong English isn't my first language. I often translate it then use Grammarly. I am on the hunt for a beta if anyone is interested.