Bikōchū Search Team

This was a genin outfit assembled around one goal, locating the elusive bikōchū. The insect held a peculiar gift: once it caught a target's scent, it could follow that person anywhere. Konoha hoped to turn that ability toward finding Sasuke, whose disappearance had left the village grasping for any means of tracking him down.

The roster drew entirely from Kurenai Yūhi's regular genin, though Kurenai herself sat the assignment out after landing in the hospital following an earlier job. Naruto stepped in to fill the gap, and command of the group passed to Shino. Out in the wilds they ran headlong into the Kamizuru clan, whose members Jibachi, Kurobachi and Suzumebachi were chasing the very same beetle. The team did manage to corner their quarry, but victory slipped away in an instant: an ill-timed fart from Naruto locked his scent into the insect's memory, and the whole operation ended in failure.

Shino Aburame headed the group, a fitting choice given his own affinity for insects, while Naruto served as the last-minute replacement for the absent Kurenai. Rounding out the squad were the rest of Kurenai's usual genin, brought together only for this one beetle-hunting errand before disbanding.