"Of course."
Kitazawa smiled. "As long as it doesn't hurt your grades, you're welcome to join anytime."
"Thank you, Sensei."
Shino Aburame lifted his head, looked at him, and asked, "So… which special training should I join?"
"Start with tree walking and water walking to improve chakra control," Kitazawa said. "Then we'll run specialized drills for your bugs."
"How do you even 'train' bugs?" Shino blurted, stunned.
The kikaichū—parasitic insects—are the Aburame clan's most commonly used bugs. The clan has a mature set of secret techniques built around them; there's usually no need to 'train' the bugs themselves. That was why Shino found it strange.
"I have two ideas for bug training," Kitazawa said, raising a finger. "First, find new species."
"The Aburame have been searching the shinobi world for new species since ancient times, but anything we've found has been worse than the kikaichū," Shino said, half-refusing, half-explaining.
He didn't believe Kitazawa alone could outdo the entire clan at finding bugs. That sounded like a time sink.
"I know of a bug that can ride light into an enemy's body, absorb their chakra, and then detonate," Kitazawa said evenly.
"There's a bug like that?" Shino instantly grasped how terrifying it was.
If it follows light into the body, the bug must be nearly invisible to the naked eye. And if it can drain chakra and explode, then touching it is basically a death sentence for most shinobi.
"Even the Fourth Raikage almost died to it," Kitazawa added with a small smile.
"What?"
The ever-calm Shino widened his eyes.
The Fourth Raikage was one of the strongest at the very top of the shinobi world. A bug that could nearly kill him? By that alone, it eclipsed the kikaichū.
The Aburame had produced many strong shinobi, but no true top-tier legends—largely because the kikaichū stop being useful against the absolute elite.
"What's this bug called? Where is it?" Shino asked, unable to hold back. As an Aburame, he was born with an urge to collect rare insects; a powerful new species was irresistible.
"Exploding Insects," Kitazawa said.
Shino frowned. He'd never heard of them; there was no record in clan archives.
"There are quite a few secretive ninja organizations in the world," Kitazawa continued. "The Exploding Insects come from one called the Nokizaru Group."
"Nokizaru Group, huh?" Shino adjusted his glasses, eyes flashing. That clue alone was enough for the clan to start digging. If they existed, they'd have to find a way to obtain a few Exploding Insects. Spread through the clan, they'd massively boost Aburame strength.
"If they dared go after the Fourth Raikage, they must be strong, right?" Shino asked, circling back.
"They're average. What threatened the Raikage was the insect," Kitazawa said after a beat. "He got hit because he lacked intel."
"I see." Shino looked enlightened.
Invisible to the naked eye, the Exploding Insects are basically impossible to guard against without prior knowledge.
"How do you even know about this, Sensei?" Shino asked.
"Because Tsunade-sama was the one who extracted the Exploding Insects from the Fourth Raikage," Kitazawa said, then recounted a tale from the 'original':
Kumogakure has always acted high-handedly. The Fourth Raikage once led his men to steal a secret technique from Sugi Village. Sugi then hired the Nokizaru Group to hunt him down. In the end, the Raikage and his subordinates were all infected with Exploding Insects; one subordinate used a jutsu and exploded on the spot. With no options left, they ran into Tsunade and Shizune, who were traveling the world. The Raikage challenged Tsunade to an arm-wrestling match and only if he won would she agree to treat them.
"That's… unbelievable," Shino said.
Who'd think a no-name group like Nokizaru could nearly kill the famous Fourth Raikage? And his luck was insane—he just happened to run into the best medical-nin alive.
"What do you think of these bugs?" Kitazawa asked, watching his shifting expression.
"They're incredible," Shino said gravely. "If the Aburame clan obtains Exploding Insects, you'll be our honored guest forever."
[You're the future Hokage. Don't miss a chance to win over the Aburame.]
[Current mission: Help the Aburame obtain Exploding Insects.]
[Reward: Substitute Technique.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa let out a soft "Oh?"
A mission trigger—now? He'd thought prying Torune out of Root would trigger the next one, but the Exploding Insects were a pleasant surprise. And the reward was great.
The Pseudo-Transformation Technique was a rare disguise jutsu—copy the target's appearance, even their taijutsu and ninjutsu. Perfect proof of that old joke: "Uh oh, I've become the stand-in!"
Infiltration gold. Also handy for survival—shake a tail, vanish in plain sight.
What surprised him was why it wasn't an Aburame secret instead. Maybe because the Aburame naturally mask their presence and keep a low profile? Either way, this reward was better. Give him bug-control arts and he'd never use them—he hated bugs, let alone hosting them in his body. Just thinking about it creeped him out.
"Once your clan finds the Nokizaru Group, you can loop me in," Kitazawa said, offering an irresistible reason. "Tsunade-sama taught me how to extract Exploding Insects."
Even with intel, it'd be easy to get tagged in a melee. And right now, only Tsunade and Shizune could remove them—plus Kitazawa, Tsunade's half-student.
"Thank you, Sensei!" Shino said, full of gratitude.
"It's nothing," Kitazawa replied casually. "The Nokizaru Group's done enough evil. They should've been wiped out long ago."
And honestly—do they even deserve the name "Nokizaru"?
"Sensei, this is a big deal. Could you come to the Aburame compound?" Shino asked with a small bow.
"No rush." Kitazawa waved him down. "Let's talk about the second idea."
"I'm listening," Shino said, expectant. If the first idea worked, the clan would profit hugely—so what was the second?
"Kikaichū mutation," Kitazawa said slowly.
"The clan's tried to induce kikaichū mutations, but with little to show for it—it's incredibly difficult," Shino answered reflexively.
"How have you been trying?" Kitazawa asked, unsurprised.
"Constant chakra stimulation to force a mutation," Shino said.
"That's it?" Kitazawa arched a brow. "Have you ever done a control experiment?"
"A… what?" Shino blinked.
"Two experiments, one variable; everything else the same," Kitazawa said, giving an example. "Raise one batch under normal conditions and another under extreme conditions."
"You're saying different environments produce different results?" Shino asked, mulling it over.
"Exactly," Kitazawa nodded. "Insects evolve to match their environment—and they never go extinct."
Shino's heart thumped. Ideas flooded his head.
Looking back, the clan's mutation approach really was too gentle. But you could hardly blame them—they see the kikaichū as partners, and since the bugs live inside them, no one thought to change the environment drastically.
"Don't tell the clan yet," Kitazawa cautioned. "It's just a hypothesis. We can run small tests and see if it works."
"Understood," Shino agreed.
If it worked—great. If not, they still had the Exploding Insects. Either way, the Aburame wouldn't lose.
"After all those mutation trials, did you ever succeed?" Kitazawa asked, blinking.
"Not… I don't know if it counts as a kikaichū mutation," Shino said, hesitant.
"Spell it out," Kitazawa thought, finally, the real topic.
"It's a close friend of mine—Torune Aburame," Shino said. "His kikaichū mutated into nano-scale poison insects."
"Something that unique, and I've never heard of it?" Kitazawa feigned puzzlement.
"He joined Root," Shino said, sighing, his expression complicated.
"Voluntarily?" Kitazawa asked.
"No." Shino hesitated a few seconds, then explained how Torune had been taken in Shino's place.
"Root really is overbearing," Kitazawa snorted. "Don't worry—one day, Tsunade-sama will disband it."
"Really?" Shino looked as if he barely dared believe it. Ever since Torune entered Root, Shino knew he might never come back. Kitazawa's words rekindled hope.
"Naturally," Kitazawa said with a smile. "No one disgusts Tsunade-sama more than Danzō and his Root."
That wasn't a lie. Tsunade did loathe them, but out of respect for Hiruzen and her lack of interest in the Hokage seat, she hadn't acted.
"What should I do?" Shino asked.
"Have your clan find the right moment to ask Tsunade-sama for help," Kitazawa said.
"Will that work?" Shino asked, unsure. The Aburame had no particular ties to Tsunade.
"Trying costs nothing," Kitazawa said with a small laugh.
"I get it. I'm going to find my father," Shino said, and rushed off after a quick goodbye—just the thought of saving Torune lit a fire under him.
Watching him go, Kitazawa thought of Tsunade. He hadn't told her in advance—would she be mad? Then again, this was aimed at Danzō and Root; it would probably please her. She might've been itching to storm Root for a while.
There was a problem, though: if Tsunade made a scene at Root, other clans and shinobi might assume she was gunning for the Hokage seat. Would she do it?
Kitazawa rubbed his chin. He could judge her intentions by her reaction. If she agreed to help the Aburame and personally freed Torune from Root, that would mean her stance had shifted—not "Hokage tomorrow," but at least less resistance to the role.
"A three-birds-one-stone plan," he couldn't help but grin.
Even if it failed, it wasn't a big loss. The Aburame would stay the same, and he'd get a scolding from Tsunade at worst. No skin off his nose. Tsunade was all sharp tongue, soft heart—and he had a good reason: helping his student, Shino.
…
Aburame compound.
"Dad!" Shino called the moment he got home.
"Why so early today?" Shibi Aburame came out, puzzled. "Classes aren't over yet, are they?"
"I've got something urgent!" Shino panted—he'd run the whole way.
"What is it?" Shibi was surprised. In his impression, his son was always steady.
"It's Torune."
Shino relayed everything Kitazawa had said. Because Torune mattered so much to him, he blurted that part first and forgot about the Exploding Insects.
"Kitazawa really said that?"
Shibi's first reaction was shock and delight—but also doubt.
"Absolutely," Shino said, thumping his chest in assurance.
"…"
Shibi paced in silence for a bit.
Kitazawa's connection to Tsunade was no secret among the major clans. He was at the hospital every day learning medical ninjutsu from Shizune, and he now served as an adjunct medical-nin there. Anyone with eyes could piece that together.
Why hint to them now?
Was Tsunade eyeing the Hokage seat?
Shibi frowned, thoughts racing. He couldn't be too careful. The Aburame were strong, but to Danzō and Tsunade, they weren't much. And this touched the Hokage succession. If they backed the wrong side, the clan wouldn't be wiped out—but they'd suffer.
After a moment's thought, he decided to trust Kitazawa. Tsunade's odds were better than Danzō's. Besides, Danzō had gone too far—Root snatched away a rare Aburame prodigy. If that continued, how was the clan supposed to grow?
"Let's go pay Kitazawa a visit," Shibi said, decision made.
"We're not going straight to Tsunade-sama?" Shino blinked.
"Kitazawa initiated this. We should see him first, offer thanks, and confirm Tsunade-sama's stance," Shibi said gravely.
"Got it," Shino nodded, half-understanding. He was mature for his age but still a kid; he couldn't see as far as his father.
"Dad, there's one more thing," Shino said after a few steps, finally remembering the Exploding Insects. He hurriedly explained.
"Why didn't you lead with that?" Shibi stopped, shocked. He grasped the value even more than Shino did. This could be the bug that let the Aburame produce top-tier shinobi.
If Shino had said that first, he'd have backed Tsunade on the spot. In his view, Kitazawa bringing up the Exploding Insects had to be on Tsunade's say-so—only she knew about the Raikage incident.
"Sorry," Shino said, embarrassed. "My head was full of Torune."
"Wait here."
Shibi hurried out. He needed people to investigate the Nokizaru Group's whereabouts—and to prepare a generous gift for Kitazawa.
Shino scratched his head and waited.
A few minutes later, Shibi returned.
"Let's go," he exhaled slowly. This meeting would decide the Aburame clan's fate.
"Mm." Shino led the way to Kitazawa's office.
"Come in," Kitazawa said, looking up at the knock.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Shibi offered his hand. "I'm Shibi Aburame. Thank you for looking after Shino."
"Good to meet you, Clan Leader Shibi."
Kitazawa shook it.
Shibi didn't have many scenes in the original story—most notably in The Lost Tower movie, where he and Minato Namikaze were teammates on the Rōran mission. He also appeared briefly during the Chūnin Exams, Pain's invasion, and the Fourth Great Ninja War.
By all accounts, Shibi and Minato were close—same faction, even. Unfortunately, Minato died young, and Shibi never got the standing he deserved. In truth, everyone in Minato's circle suffered the same fate.
"I've heard the whole story from Shino," Shibi said, straightening and giving a slight bow.
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama and Kitazawa-sensei, for helping the Aburame clan."
"No need to be so formal," Kitazawa said quickly, standing as well. He knew Shibi's gratitude was really for Tsunade, not him—but the clan leader's bow spoke volumes about his sincerity.
~~~
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