"Of course," Kitazawa said with a smile. "Provided it doesn't affect your theoretical grades, I welcome your participation at any time."
"Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa." Shino Aburame looked up at him and asked, "What special training should I participate in?"
"First, you should do Tree Climbing and Water Walking Training to improve your Chakra control ability," Kitazawa replied. "Then, we'll create special training specifically for your insects."
"How do you specially train insects?" Shino Aburame couldn't help but ask, stunned.
Kikaichu were the most commonly used insects of the Aburame Clan. The clan possessed a series of secret Ninjutsu centered around these insects. These techniques were already highly developed and required no further special training.
That was why Shino Aburame found Kitazawa's words puzzling.
"Regarding the special training for insects, I have two ideas," Kitazawa said, holding up a finger. "First, finding new insects."
"The Aburame Clan started searching for new insects in the Ninja World a long time ago," Shino replied, half-refusing and half-explaining. "But the new insects they found were not as good as Kikaichu."
He didn't believe Kitazawa alone could discover insects superior to what his entire clan had found. To him, this method sounded like a waste of time.
"I know of an insect that can enter the enemy's body with light, absorb their Chakra, and eventually explode," Kitazawa said unhurriedly.
"There's such an insect?" Shino Aburame understood its terrifying potential the moment he heard about it.
Being able to enter an enemy's body with light meant its main body was nearly impossible to detect. And its ability to absorb Chakra and explode… indicated devastating power.
Any ninja who encountered such a creature would be doomed.
"Even Fourth Raikage almost died because of this insect," Kitazawa added with a small smile.
"What?!" For once, Shino Aburame—usually so calm—widened his eyes.
Fourth Raikage was a peerless master, standing at the pinnacle of the Ninja World. And yet, an insect had nearly killed him?
Just from that alone, this insect has already surpassed Kikaichu.
The Aburame Clan had many strong ninja, but none who stood at the very top. The reason… was the limitation of their insects.
"What is this insect called? Where is it?" Shino asked impatiently.
As a member of the Aburame Clan, he had a natural inclination to collect insects. And a completely new, powerful species? It was an irresistible lure.
"Explosive Bugs," Kitazawa replied.
Shino frowned. He had never heard of such an insect, nor was it recorded in his clan's archives.
"In the Ninja World, there are many secret organizations," Kitazawa continued. "Explosive Bugs come from one called the Nokizaru Group."
"Nokizaru Group?" Shino subconsciously adjusted his glasses, a glint flashing in his eyes.
With this clue, his clan would surely investigate. If they truly existed, they would have to obtain Explosive Bugs.
If these insects could be integrated into the Aburame arsenal, it would greatly enhance their strength.
"They even dared to kill Fourth Raikage. Are they very strong?" Shino asked, recalling Kitazawa's earlier words.
"Their strength is average. Their ability to threaten Fourth Raikage relied solely on Explosive Bugs," Kitazawa explained. "His near-death experience came from a lack of information, not their combat ability."
"I see," Shino murmured, finally enlightened.
Explosive Bugs were invisible to the naked eye. Without prior knowledge, they would be impossible to defend against.
"Then how did you know, Teacher Kitazawa?" Shino asked curiously.
"Because Lady Tsunade removed the Explosive Bugs from Fourth Raikage," Kitazawa answered.
He then shared a story from the original work: The Hidden Cloud Village had always acted domineeringly. At one point, Fourth Raikage led his subordinates to steal a secret Ninjutsu from the Sugi Village.
In retaliation, the Cedar Village hired the Nokizaru Group to pursue and kill them. Eventually, Fourth Raikage and his men were infected with Explosive Bugs.
One subordinate exploded on the spot, dying instantly. Just when they were at their wits' end, they encountered Tsunade and Shizune—wandering the Ninja World.
Fourth Raikage proposed an arm-wrestling match with Tsunade, agreeing to let her treat them only if he won.
"That's… quite bizarre," Shino commented.
Who would have thought an obscure group of Nokizaru Group nearly killed the mighty Fourth Raikage? And yet, Raikage's luck was incredible—running into Tsunade, the greatest medical ninja of her era.
"What do you think of this insect?" Kitazawa asked with a smile, watching Shino's expression change.
"Very powerful." Shino Aburame said in a deep, steady voice. "If the Aburame Clan can obtain Explosive Bugs, you will forever be our honored guest."
[You are the future Hokage. You should not miss this excellent opportunity to win over the Aburame Clan.]
[Current Mission: Help the Aburame Clan obtain Exploding Bugs.]
[Mission Reward: Impersonation(Shapeshifting) Jutsu.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa let out a soft exclamation. This could actually trigger a mission?
He had thought that only stealing Aburame Torune from Root would unlock a new mission, but he didn't expect the Explosive Bugs to give him such a pleasant surprise.
And the mission reward was also exceptional.
The Impersonation Jutsu was a rare Ninjutsu of disguise—capable of replicating not only the target's appearance but also their Taijutsu and Ninjutsu.
This technique was undoubtedly useful—especially for infiltration missions.
Of course, it could also be used for self-preservation, escaping pursuers, and more.
Kitazawa was slightly puzzled as to why the reward was the Impersonation Jutsu instead of a secret Aburame Clan Ninjutsu.
Could it be because the Aburame naturally possessed aura concealment and low presence? Still, this reward was better.
If he were given some insect-control secret technique, he wouldn't use it—even if it killed him.
No way. He hated insects. Letting them live inside his body? Just the thought was terrifying.
"You can notify me once your Aburame Clan finds the Nokizaru Group," Kitazawa said, offering a reason they couldn't refuse. "Lady Tsunade taught me how to remove Explosive Bugs."
Although the Aburame had prior intelligence on the matter, they could still get caught in skirmishes.
And currently, the only Medical Ninjas capable of removing Exploding Bugs were Tsunade and Shizune—plus Kitazawa, who was practically Tsunade's half-student.
"Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa!" Shino Aburame said with genuine gratitude.
"It's nothing," Kitazawa replied casually. "The Nokizaru Group has committed many evils; they should have been destroyed long ago."
"Teacher Kitazawa, this matter is of great importance. Please come to the Aburame Clan," Shino Aburame said, bowing slightly.
"No rush." Kitazawa waved his hand dismissively. "Let's first discuss the second idea."
"Please tell me." Shino Aburame's face showed clear anticipation.
If the first idea worked, it would greatly benefit the Aburame Clan. But what about the second one?
"Kikaichu mutation," Kitazawa said slowly.
"The Aburame Clan has attempted Kikaichu mutation before, but with little success. It's simply too difficult," Shino Aburame admitted subconsciously.
"How do you make them mutate?" Kitazawa asked, not surprised.
"By continuously stimulating Kikaichu with Chakra to trigger mutation," Shino Aburame replied.
"Is that all?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. "Have you conducted control experiments?"
"What are control experiments?" Shino Aburame asked, puzzled.
"Two experiments—keeping one variable constant while other conditions remain unchanged," Kitazawa explained. "For instance, one batch of Kikaichu stays in a normal environment, while another is placed in an extreme one."
"You mean different environments lead to different results?" Shino Aburame asked thoughtfully.
"Exactly," Kitazawa nodded. "Insects are creatures that can evolve according to their environment, and they will never go extinct."
Shino Aburame's heart trembled, and his expression brightened with sudden realization. Many thoughts flooded his mind at once.
After Kitazawa's explanation, he indeed felt their previous mutation methods had been far too gentle.
But he couldn't blame his clan—they regarded Kikaichu as partners. Since the insects lived inside their bodies, they naturally avoided subjecting them to extreme environments.
"You don't have to tell your clan about this yet," Kitazawa reminded him. "This is just my idea. We can experiment first to see if it's effective."
"Okay," Shino Aburame agreed.
If they could successfully mutate Kikaichu, it would be a huge gain. If not, they still wouldn't lose anything.
"You've done so many Kikaichu mutation experiments—have any succeeded?" Kitazawa asked, blinking.
"No… I don't know if it counts as a Kikaichu mutation." Shino Aburame hesitated.
"Tell me in detail." Kitazawa thought to himself, Finally, we're getting to the main point.
"It's about a good friend of mine, named Aburame Torune," Shino Aburame said. "His Kikaichu mutated and became nano-sized poisonous insects."
"Such special poisonous insects—why haven't I heard of them?" Kitazawa asked, feigning confusion.
"He joined Root," Shino Aburame sighed inwardly, his expression complex.
"Was it voluntary?" Kitazawa asked again.
"No." Shino Aburame paused for a few seconds before revealing the truth—how Aburame Torune had taken his place.
"Root is indeed overbearing." Kitazawa snorted coldly and said, "Don't worry, one day, Lady Tsunade will disband Root."
"Really?" Shino Aburame's expression turned to disbelief upon hearing this.
Ever since Aburame Torune joined Root, he knew it would be difficult for him to return. But now, Kitazawa's words gave him hope again.
"Of course." Kitazawa said with a smile, "Lady Tsunade's most hated are Danzo and his Root."
His words were not a lie. Tsunade did indeed dislike them, but due to Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation and her own disinterest in the Hokage position, she didn't interfere.
"Then what should I do?" Shino couldn't help but ask.
"Your Aburame Clan should find a suitable opportunity to ask Lady Tsunade for help," Kitazawa stated his idea.
"Will this work?" Shino asked, lacking confidence.
Their Aburame Clan had no relationship with Tsunade.
"Trying won't cost anything," Kitazawa smiled and said.
"I understand, I'll go back and find my dad now!" As soon as Shino thought about saving Torune, he quickly said goodbye to Kitazawa and left in a hurry.
Kitazawa watched his retreating figure and thought of Tsunade. He hadn't discussed this with Tsunade beforehand, and he wondered if she would blame him.
However, since this was aimed at Danzo and his Root, Tsunade should be very happy.
She might have wanted to cause trouble for Root for a long time. But there was also a problem.
If Tsunade caused a ruckus in Root, it would give other Ninja Clans and Ninja the illusion that she wanted to contend for the Hokage position.
Would she do it? Kitazawa stroked his chin.
He could guess her thoughts based on Tsunade's reaction.
If she agreed to the Aburame Clan and went to Root to take Aburame Torune, that would be enough to show that her attitude had changed.
Although it didn't mean she would become Hokage the next day, at least she didn't have such a strong resistance to the Hokage position.
"This is truly a plan that kills three birds with one stone." Kitazawa couldn't help but smile.
It didn't matter if it failed. At most, the Aburame Clan would remain as they were, and Tsunade would discover the truth and scold him.
He had nothing to lose. After all, Tsunade was sharp-tongued but kind-hearted.
Moreover, Kitazawa had a reason; he wanted to help his student, Shino Aburame.
---
The Aburame Clan's Compound
"Dad!" Shino Aburame shouted as soon as he arrived home.
"Why are you back so early today?" Shibi Aburame walked out and asked curiously, "Isn't it not time for school to end yet?"
"I have something urgent to tell you!" Shino Aburame said, panting. He had run all the way back.
"What is it?" Shibi Aburame was a little surprised. Because, in his opinion, his son had always been very calm.
"It's Torune." Shino Aburame immediately relayed what Kitazawa had said.
Because Aburame Torune was very important in his heart, in his haste, he didn't mention the Kikaichu at first.
"Did Kitazawa really say that?" Shibi Aburame's first reaction was both surprise and joy, but also a little disbelief.
"Absolutely true!" Shino Aburame patted his chest and guaranteed.
"…" Shibi Aburame fell silent and paced back and forth a few steps.
The relationship between Kitazawa and Tsunade was no longer a secret among the major Ninja Clans.
After all, he went to Konoha Hospital every day to learn Medical Ninjutsu from Shizune, and he had now become a Medical Ninja on staff at Konoha Hospital.
Any major Ninja Clan that wasn't blind could easily obtain this information.
Why would Kitazawa choose this moment to hint at them? Could it be that Tsunade wanted to go after the Hokage position?
Shibi Aburame frowned, various thoughts surfacing.
It wasn't that he was being overly cautious. Although the Aburame Clan was strong, they were nothing to Danzo and Tsunade.
Moreover, this concerned the struggle for the Hokage position. If the Aburame Clan lost their gamble, they wouldn't be annihilated, but they would suffer greatly.
After a moment of thought, Shibi Aburame finally decided to trust Kitazawa.
Because Tsunade had a higher probability of becoming Hokage than Danzo.
In addition, Danzo's actions were truly excessive. The Aburame Clan had finally produced a genius, only for him to be taken by Root.
If this continued, how could the Aburame Clan develop?
"Let's go, we'll go visit Kitazawa." Shibi Aburame said after making up his mind.
"Not directly to Lady Tsunade?" Shino Aburame paused slightly and asked in confusion.
"This matter was initiated by Kitazawa, so we must first go see him and express our gratitude, and also confirm Lady Tsunade's attitude."
Shibi Aburame said in a deep voice.
"I see." Shino Aburame nodded, half-understanding.
Although he was relatively precocious, he was still young, and many things he didn't see as clearly as Shibi Aburame.
"Dad, there's one more thing." Shino Aburame walked a few steps before stopping. He finally remembered that he hadn't mentioned the Kikaichu and quickly recounted it.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Shibi Aburame froze, his face revealing clear shock.
He understood the value of the Kikaichu far better than Shino. This was an insect that could elevate their Aburame Clan to the very top of the ninja world!
If Shino had mentioned this first, Shibi wouldn't have hesitated for even a second; he would have directly supported Tsunade. After all, Tsunade had already shown them a gift full of sincerity.
In Shibi's mind, Kitazawa must have mentioned the Kikaichu because he was following Tsunade's instructions. After all, only Tsunade knew about the Fourth Raikage and his subordinates being infected with the parasite.
"Sorry," Shino said awkwardly. "My mind was completely on Torune just now."
"Wait for me here!" Shibi spoke firmly before quickly walking out.
He was going to investigate the whereabouts of this Nozikaru Group and prepare a generous gift for Kitazawa.
Shino scratched his head, left with no choice but to wait.
A few minutes later, Shibi returned.
"Let's go." He exhaled slowly, his tone heavy with resolve. This meeting would decide the fate of the Aburame Clan.
"Hmm." Shino nodded and led the way, quickly arriving at Kitazawa's office.
"Come in." Kitazawa heard the knock and looked up.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Shibi extended his hand. "I am Shibi Aburame. Thank you for taking care of Shino."
"Clan Head Shibi, hello." Kitazawa shook his hand in return.
Shibi Aburame had few appearances in the original work. His most notable role was in the Naruto Movie, where he was Minato Namikaze's teammate on a mission to Roran.
The rest were fleeting moments—during the Chunin Exams, Pain's Invasion, and the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Still, Shibi and Minato clearly shared a close bond, possibly belonging to the same faction of shinobi. But Minato's untimely death robbed both him and his allies of the recognition they deserved.
"I have already learned the full story from Shino," Shibi said, straightening his posture before bowing deeply. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade and Kitazawa-sensei, for your help to our Aburame Clan!"
"No need to be so polite," Kitazawa replied quickly, standing as well.
He knew Shibi's gratitude was truly directed toward Tsunade, not him. But for the head of the Aburame Clan to bow so sincerely—this gesture spoke volumes of his respect.