Konoha: Gu master

Behind the Aburame residence, on a flat piece of land, Aburame Shino extended his hand, carefully injecting chakra into his parasitic insects.

Unlike usual, the insects didn't immediately consume the chakra as food; instead, they stored it within their bodies. This was a crucial step—next, he had to absorb natural energy and balance it with the chakra.

Shinho Aburame stood nearby, observing closely. His skin began to take on a jade-like glow as he activated the White Jade Gu, a defensive measure. If something went wrong, he'd be able to react quickly. He also had the Nine-Leaf Life Grass on hand, just in case.

Although parasitic insects were different from Jugo, being smaller and less powerful, Shino still needed to be careful. The potential for things to spiral out of control was still there.

Shino carefully manipulated the balance between chakra and natural energy. As a member of the Aburame clan, his connection with his insects was extremely close. In theory, he could control every aspect of them, including their internal chakra flow.

But for Shinho, his approach was purely practical—he treated the insects more as tools.

As the natural energy mingled with the chakra inside the insect, Shino suddenly felt a strange, indescribable sensation. Two words came to mind: danger and pressure.

His heart raced as he realized something was wrong. Balancing the two energies wasn’t easy—just a slight imbalance could lead to disaster.

Shino’s eyes widened in shock. Red markings began to appear on the insect’s head.

What is that? he thought, alarmed.

The next second, the insect’s body swelled, releasing chaotic energy outward.

This is bad! Shino panicked.

But before he could fully process what was happening, he found himself being pushed backward. Shinho had stepped in front of him.

There was a loud boom, and the ground shook from the impact.

“Brother?” Shino called out, concerned.

“I’m fine,” Shinho responded calmly, not even turning to look at the explosion. “Go get me another jacket.”

The back of his clothes had been completely destroyed by the blast, but fortunately, the White Jade Gu had absorbed the brunt of the force.

“I’ll get it right away,” Shino said, relieved, and rushed off.

Shinho put on the coat his brother brought him, avoiding any further wardrobe malfunctions. He turned to inspect the crater left behind by the explosion and raised an eyebrow.

Not bad. The blast power is comparable to a lower-ranked ninja's full-force attack.

It might seem unimpressive on the surface, but if thousands of insects could replicate this explosion, then... how would anyone deal with that?

There was truth in the old saying—insects are never truly eradicated.

Shino’s face fell as he realized his favorite insect had perished in the process. “It didn’t work,” he said, clearly disappointed.

“No, it wasn’t a failure,” Shinho replied, holding out his hand, which contained twenty more mutated parasitic insects.

“Thanks, Brother!” Shino’s expression brightened instantly.

“Shino, have you thought about using this explosion technique as a secret weapon?” Shinho asked with a smile.

Shino blinked, then grew excited. He was only six years old, not even a genin yet, but these insects could potentially take out a genin-level opponent with their explosive power.

This was an incredible advantage.

“I’ll call it the Parasitic Bug Bomb,” Shinho said offhandedly.

“Great idea,” Shino agreed without hesitation.

“Get familiar with those twenty new insects and review today’s experience. We’ll conduct another test tomorrow,” Shinho said, patting Shino’s shoulder before heading to the bathroom.

The half-shredded shirt he was still wearing had become extremely uncomfortable.

After cleaning up, Shinho bid farewell to Shino and returned to the Senju residence. While practicing the Mystical palm technique, his mind drifted toward another matter—how to rescue Karin from Kusagakure.

Although Kusagakure wasn’t as powerful as the Five Great Shinobi Nations, it wasn’t somewhere a mere genin could infiltrate either.

Shinho weighed his two options.

The first option was to inform Tsunade. If she learned that a member of the Uzumaki clan was suffering, she would almost certainly take action. However, this route had its complications.

For one, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, might intervene. The Uzumaki clan had long been regarded as ideal candidates for becoming Jinchuriki, given their strong life force and chakra. If Sarutobi caught wind of Karin’s existence, he might not let her go so easily.

Additionally, Shinho had no reasonable explanation for how he knew about Karin in the first place. And he wasn’t ready to reveal the existence of his secret organization, Heaven's Will, to anyone just yet.

The second option was to hire mercenaries or rogue ninjas to carry out the rescue. Early in the series, even members of the Akatsuki were still taking on paid missions, as seen in the arc involving Zabuza.

Even rogue ninjas like Zabuza wouldn't kill their employers unless absolutely necessary. With enough money, freeing Karin could be done discreetly.

Shinho pondered his next move. The upcoming trip to the capital of the Land of Fire was crucial.

But who would be the buyer for his goods? The daimyo of the Land of Fire? No, it was too risky. The daimyo was too close to the Hokage, and any deal could be traced back to him.

A wealthy noble or merchant would be a much safer option.

Monday morning arrived, and after finishing his breakfast, Shinho leisurely made his way to class.

It was February, and the weather in Konoha was gradually warming up, signaling the end of the winter season.

“Did you hear?” someone whispered as Shinho entered the classroom.

“Yeah! Mizuki-sensei got arrested.”

“Why?”

“Apparently, he ordered Shinnosuke to teach our class a lesson.”

“Wow, thank goodness for Sasuke-kun!”

Shinho took his seat, overhearing the unexpected news. In the original timeline, Mizuki wasn’t arrested until several years later. Had the butterfly effect from his actions already started taking shape?

As he sat down, Shinho wondered if there was some achievement he could unlock involving Mizuki. Perhaps something related to his personal life?

No, Shinho quickly shook the idea away. He had no interest in taking on the role of a homewrecker.

“Shinho-kun!”

A soft fragrance wafted toward him as Yamanaka Ino approached, her golden bangs catching the light.

“Good morning,” she greeted cheerfully, holding out a lunchbox. “Try these flower-themed rice balls I made myself!”

“Are these made with moon orchids?” Shinho asked, glancing at them.

“No way!” Ino quickly shook her head. “I could never waste such a rare flower like that.”

After saying it out loud, she blushed suddenly. “I mean, it would be a waste to use such a precious flower for something like rice balls…”

Shinho chuckled and picked up a rice ball, taking a bite. But just as he did, his eyes caught sight of Hinata Hyuga across the room, watching them.

“Would it be alright if Hinata tried some too?” Shinho asked casually.

“Of course,” Ino said after a brief pause, flashing a friendly smile.

“Hinata,” Shinho called out, motioning her over.

Hinata’s heart fluttered as she hurried over, eager to join them.

“Ino made some jasmine-flavored rice balls,” Shinho said, offering one to Hinata.

“Is mine made with roses?” Shinho asked, chewing thoughtfully.

“Yeah,” Ino replied, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’d like to learn how to make these too,” Hinata said suddenly, her voice soft but determined. “Shinho-kun, can you teach me?”

Aburame Shino, who had been standing nearby, furrowed his brows and took a step back. This feels like a situation best avoided.

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