Post-Battle Debrief

A fierce Iron Mountain Lean slammed toward Uchiha Aozora's back, leaving him no time to defend himself!

"Bang!"

In midair, a massive log shattered into pieces.

"Substitution Technique?"

Looking at the substitute log, Aburame Shibi felt somewhat puzzled.

Though the Substitution Technique was simple, it still required time to form Hand Seals. Yet he was certain that Uchiha Aozora had not formed any seals just now.

What Uchiha Aozora had used was indeed not the Substitution Technique, but the Daoist art "Henge" taught by the Heavenly Book. It could alter one's appearance and could also borrow another object to take one's place, escaping a fatal calamity.

Unlike the Substitution Technique, Henge required no Hand Seals and was much faster. That was how he had escaped at the critical moment.

Aburame Shibi had always been a man of few words, but at that moment, he suddenly felt like saying a few more.

"You truly are outstanding, but this ends here!"

After saying that, he extended his hand from beneath his broad sleeve and rapidly formed Hand Seals.

"Secret Technique! Insect Dragon Tornado!"

Uchiha Aozora suddenly realized that wind had begun to rise around him. At some point, he had already been surrounded by insects.

He could not help but smile bitterly. He had wanted to save a Great Fireball Technique to ambush his teacher, but now he no longer had the chance.

The whirlwind raised by the Insect Dragon Tornado was immensely powerful. Using Fire Release now would not only fail to injure Aburame Shibi, but would harm himself instead.

Shaking his head, Uchiha Aozora tidied his hair before shouting, "Teacher, I surrender!"

His booming voice reached Aburame Shibi's ears, prompting him to dispel the Secret Technique. He murmured softly, "What an oddball Uchiha."

Gekko Hayate and Inuzuka Aya, who had rushed over to help, abruptly heard Uchiha Aozora surrender. Caught off guard, they nearly stumbled to the ground.

Seeing Aburame Shibi turn his gaze toward them, the two exchanged a glance and said helplessly, "We surrender!"

Thus ended Team 3's introductions.

Seeing Gekko Hayate and Inuzuka Aya looking dejected, Aburame Shibi suddenly said, "You performed well!"

Upon hearing that, the somewhat dispirited Inuzuka Aya instantly came back to life. She happily jumped up and began spinning in circles while holding up the shrunken Little White Dog.

The disappointment on Gekko Hayate's face also vanished as he sheathed his katana on his back.

Uchiha Aozora smiled faintly as well, accepting his teacher's praise.

After Inuzuka Aya had had her fill of excitement, Aburame Shibi removed his sunglasses and introduced himself. "Let's formally get acquainted. My name is Aburame Shibi, and I specialize in controlling insects in battle."

"This is my first time being a teacher, so please bear with me."

The three hurriedly responded and introduced themselves.

"Inuzuka Aya, reporting in! This is my partner, Little White. Don't be fooled by how small he is now—he's very strong!"

"Gekko Hayate. My dream is to carry forward Konoha Style Swordplay."

"Uchiha Aozora. I specialize in Ninja Tool Throwing and ninjutsu."

After hearing their introductions, Aburame Shibi put his sunglasses back on and said, "Most of my abilities lie in my clan's Secret Techniques, so I may not be able to teach you much ninjutsu. But I will do everything I can to help you grow."

Then he announced, "To celebrate the formation of Team 3, I'll treat you to lunch!"

"As long as it exists in Konoha, you can eat whatever you want!"

Gekko Hayate and Uchiha Aozora remained calm at the mention of a free meal, but Inuzuka Aya's eyes were already blazing with fire.

"Meat! I want meat!"

"Woof! Woof!"

Looking at the enthusiastic Inuzuka Aya and Little White Dog, Gekko Hayate and Uchiha Aozora exchanged a glance and shrugged together. Neither wanted to argue with Aya while she was like this.

They settled on grilled meat, but the three knew little about Konoha's barbecue restaurants.

Led by Aburame Shibi, the three arrived at a somewhat secluded barbecue restaurant.

Though it was out of the way, the restaurant was packed with customers. At a glance, nearly every seat was occupied.

After greeting the owner, the four members of Team 3 entered a small private room.

As soon as they sat down, a young waitress came over carrying a menu.

Aburame Shibi told everyone to order first.

Inuzuka Aya ordered all kinds of meat—beef, pork, ribs, and fish.

Gekko Hayate was the opposite. Though he ordered some meat as well, he chose mostly vegetables.

Aozora was much more balanced, ordering both vegetables and meat.

Taking the menu, Aburame Shibi ordered what he liked before adding drinks and side dishes for everyone.

Returning the menu to the waitress, Aburame Shibi said, "The food will take some time to prepare. Use that time to reflect carefully on the battle just now. Later, tell me what you learned."

A few minutes later, the grill was burning, and the meat and vegetables had all been brought out.

Aburame Shibi placed the slices of meat on the grill and asked, "Have you thought it over? Who will go first?"

Uchiha Aozora was embarrassed to speak first. After all, he had blown up his teacher's Shadow Clone twice with just two Kunai. If he went first and acted humble, what would the other two do?

Normally unable to stop talking, Inuzuka Aya became shy at that moment. She knew she had performed poorly, but she could not bring herself to say it.

At the critical moment, Gekko Hayate spared everyone the awkwardness and said, "At the start of the battle, when faced with Teacher's tactic of trading injury for injury, I was afraid and chose to retreat. That put me in danger. If not for Aozora's Kunai, I would definitely have lost."

"My performance in the following battle was also quite average."

Aburame Shibi nodded first, then shook his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Seeing her companion openly admit his mistakes, Inuzuka Aya also set aside her pride and said, "Teacher, I made a basic mistake at the beginning. Faced with an unknown situation, I should have thrown shuriken to test it rather than recklessly putting myself in danger."

After saying that, she solemnly promised, "Teacher, I promise I won't do that again."

After hearing their reflections, Aburame Shibi said, "Very good. You both recognize your shortcomings. Inuzuka Aya is impatient by nature, overconfident, and rash. Hayate lacks combat experience and has received too little training in teamwork."

After criticizing them, Aburame Shibi paused before changing course. "However, you also have your strengths."

"Sai has a sharp sense of smell and quick reactions. An ordinary Genin would never have been able to avoid the first trap so easily, and her subsequent close-range combat also displayed considerable talent."

"Hayate's swordsmanship is refined. In close combat, he is no weaker than an ordinary Chunin."

Inuzuka Aya beamed at the praise and scratched her head shyly. Though Gekko Hayate restrained his happiness, the corners of his lips could not help but curl upward.

"If the two of you make up for your weaknesses, you can be promoted to Chunin within a year and become ninjas capable of standing on your own."

After hearing Aburame Shibi's assessment, the two looked at him with conviction and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Watching Aburame Shibi earn their respect and trust with just a few words, Aozora gained a new understanding of why Aburame Shibi had been portrayed as a man of few words in the original story.

Being a man of few words did not mean he could not speak. It simply meant he could not be bothered to.

After finishing his assessment, Aburame Shibi picked up his chopsticks and said, "Let's eat!"