As soon as the front door closed, a voice echoed behind Shibi.
— Those kids get along pretty well.
Shibi's sigh was drowned out by the sound of the sliding door gliding shut.
Soon, a massive shadow appeared in the room.
— So, Chief Choza, did you get a satisfactory answer?
Instead of giving a reply, the head of the Akimichi clan let out a low chuckle before walking over and sitting down where the children had been sitting just minutes ago.
— Well… he's certainly an interesting boy, but just as you said, he's difficult to deal with.
This time, Shibi did not neglect his role as host.
Without even making a hand seal, the insects inhabiting his house sprang into action and brought a tea set and some desserts to the table.
Although that method was unsettling, even to someone as hardened as Choza, once he saw the sweets, he stopped thinking about the waitstaff.
Instead of interrupting the Akimichi's feast, Shibi simply served himself and took a sip from his cup.
It wasn't until all the desserts had disappeared from the table that a voice was heard again.
— The Aburame sweets are always the best.
— It's all thanks to our kikaichū. Not only do many of them need a varied diet of sweets, but they also help produce them.
Suddenly, Choza's stomach churned.
He didn't want to think about how those insects helped prepare such magnificent desserts.
After eating so much, it was better to just tell himself that his help was limited to things like honey.
Eager to shake off some unhealthy images, he quickly opened his mouth to change the subject.
— Even though Shino seems to have made a good friend, you don't look too happy.
— A good friend… the kid practically said he'd become a renegade ninja in the future. How could he be a good friend?
Now that the pair of brats had left, Shibi was beginning to feel a certain regret.
The youngest of the Harunos was completely untrustworthy.
Letting his son hang out with someone like that was a bad idea from any angle.
And yet, he had let it happen.
If his wife found out about this, no matter how mild-mannered she is, he'd surely be in trouble.
— To me, it sounds more like the ramblings of a rebellious kid. A little firmness and some good guidance will surely make him put those thoughts aside. I'm sure that guy, Guy, could set him straight.
The image of the pink-haired dressed in tight green clothes and a bowl cut, running through the streets and shouting about youth, flashed through both men's minds for a moment.
But unlike Choza's amused laughter, Shibi just shook his head.
— Either you're too naive, or you don't understand that boy very well.
— Maybe you're right, but it's good to have a little faith in the younger generation. Besides, if he found out you were eavesdropping on his conversation and just sulked at you for a while, he can't be as bad as you make him out to be.
— Wait. Are you telling me he caught you? How…?
— With your own bugs, I think. When the walls started shaking, some of them came out through the cracks in the room where I was; however, after surrounding me and replicating a rough image of me, they went back the way they came. At first I thought it was you, but with everything he said, I figured it was him.
Shibi's brow furrowed even more, but in the end he had no choice but to let it go.
Yashin had already proven himself capable of controlling his kikaichū; that he detected Choza, who wasn't even trying to hide in the next room, wasn't much of a surprise.
— Still, for a civilian to be able to manipulate the Aburame clan's specialty like that is truly surprising. Though to tell you the truth, I'm more surprised that you allow it.
— And if I didn't, what could I do? Kill the boy? As troublesome as he is, he's still Shino's friend, not to mention that he's also under the watchful eye of other, even more troublesome figures.
Without mincing words, Choza turned her gaze toward the few trees beyond the window.
— Besides, the method he uses is ridiculous enough that no one else but him could replicate it.
Beyond that, Shibi had other reservations.
If he could already control his kikaichū, he didn't want to find out what the boy might be capable of if he were ever cornered.
— Anyway, what do you plan to do? Are you going to let Chōji get close to him?
Choza's smile widened slightly.
— Before becoming friends with Shikaku's son, Chōji was often teased about his weight. Since that's something all of us Akimichi have to deal with, I didn't bother to intervene. But I remember telling him once that he's much kinder than all those kids who teased him, and that someday he'd find a friend who would see that kindness in him—a friend he'd always cherish and whom he could trust unconditionally.
Paying no further attention to the bugs outside, Choza turned her narrowed eyes toward Shibi's glasses.
— That's Shikamaru to Chōji. However, too much kindness in this world is a sin. We may be at peace right now, but war is inevitable; so before that kindness shatters against the reality of the battlefield, it would be good for a new kind of friend to help him focus it, don't you think?
The information he'd gathered about the boy over the past few days surfaced in Choza's mind.
A little devil who's always fighting with his sister and dares to call his parents by their first names, but who also puts up with his father's constant bad jokes and has made sure to be his mother's favorite.
And above all, despite his troubled relationship with his older twin sister, he has always protected her in his own peculiar way.
The kids who picked on Chōji and made fun of his sister were the best proof of that.
Although he still didn't know why they all suddenly fell ill after that day, based on everything he'd found out, Choza was certain that Yashin had something to do with it.
While it was undoubtedly problematic, the pink-haired was far from beyond help.
After all, their bonds were still there.
— Besides, given everything he's proven, it's not impossible that he'll follow through on what he promised Chōji. Setting aside my son's insecurities about his weight, that could be a major breakthrough for the Akimichi clan as a whole.
— Aren't you afraid your son will be bullied?
— Well, even Shikaku still calls me fat from time to time. Sooner or later, Chōji will have to learn to deal with it and see that deep down, there's nothing wrong with it.
— I see. I guess all I can say is don't be surprised if at some point that boy learns your clan's techniques.
Choza's laughter made the table between them shake.
— Well, if that's the price I have to pay for my son to gain a good friend, I won't complain. Besides, given that boy's build and illness, even if he were to learn our techniques, I doubt he'd be able to use them. That said, I should make sure he doesn't share what he knows in case he learns too much.
Although Choza's smile was pleasant, the edge to its curve made it clear that he was by no means as harmless as his words suggested.
Shibi didn't respond.
All clan leaders were similar.
Even more so, those who had taken command during a less peaceful era.
— Well. I suppose it's time for me to leave. "Thanks for this, Shibi. If you need anything, don't hesitate to stop by my restaurant."
Shibi merely nodded.
Something so small was of no consequence.
However, the Akimichi did not seem to share the same opinion.
— I mean it. You should visit me. From what I saw of that boy, I don't think it will be easy for you to gather everything needed for the workplace he set as a condition.
Suddenly, Choza's ingratiating smile began to grate on Shibi's nerves.
That kid's demands.
Just remembering them gave him a splitting headache.
Not to mention the money—most of that equipment would undoubtedly attract attention.
Seeing the conflict in Shibi's frown, Choza laughed out loud again.
—You don't need to look so worried. If you're having trouble, I can introduce you to some of my clients. I'm sure many of them would be more than happy to lower their prices for the chance to build a relationship with the Aburame clan.
It was clear that the head of the Akimichi clan had no idea just how many problematic demands Yashin had made.
Otherwise, he would never have made such a selfless offer.
In the end, he still underestimated the pink-haired; however, Shibi wasn't going to press the issue any further.
Sooner or later, he'd understand.
It was better to accept his goodwill and save a few million ryō, while figuring out how to acquire and smuggle everything he needed without getting caught.
Once again, he was beginning to regret having allied himself with the pink-haired.