Wooing

The ground was covered in withered grass, and sand had piled up across the flat terrain.

Scattered stones of every size littered the area. Some were no bigger than grains of sand, while others towered more than a dozen meters high.

Hidden behind a boulder, Shibi Aburame had made his presence vanish without a trace. Even the Fourth Hokage would have had a hard time detecting him.

This was one of the Aburame Clan's greatest strengths, and a testament to their skill. If they hid themselves cleverly enough, even Kage Level shinobi could be fooled.

The Aburame Clan's concealment Insect Technique had always been one of Shibi Aburame's greatest sources of pride.

"Hey, old man, what are you hiding here for? You can't get a good view of what's happening up ahead from this spot."

Shibi Aburame: "..."

With some difficulty, Shibi turned his head. Yang Xing was standing beside him, though he had no idea when the boy had gotten there. Yang Xing simply stared at him without moving.

He hadn't sensed the boy at all. This kid was definitely no ordinary shinobi.

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't follow you to bother you. I just thought you weren't hiding in a good spot, so I was about to warn you not to get caught." Yang Xing scratched his head and smiled amiably.

Shibi turned back around and replied flatly, "My insects are hiding my chakra. Those people won't notice me."

"Really? They can do that, too?" Yang Xing held a tiny object between two fingers, examining it with curiosity.

The moment Shibi saw the object in Yang Xing's hand, he lost his composure. He cried out and lunged forward. "Th-that's one of my insects!"

He snatched it back and looked at the dead insect, his face turning deathly pale.

"Sorry, sorry. I accidentally stepped on a few when I walked over. You don't mind, do you? Hey, don't get red-eyed! They're just a few bugs. Anyway, let's hurry and watch those people." Seeing how close Shibi looked to tears, Yang Xing gave an awkward laugh and changed the subject, pointing ahead. "Ah, those guys are trying to run."

Not far ahead, several figures had their faces covered by their robes. Yang Xing couldn't see their faces, but he could clearly sense that a few of them were familiar.

There were more than a dozen people in the group. They seemed like no ordinary opponents.

There were at least three Jonin among them.

They didn't know what kind of jutsu the enemy could use, so they couldn't act recklessly.

"Follow me. Don't make a sound, and don't step on any more of my insects."

Shibi knew that the kid in front of him was quite capable. He had noticed Shibi's presence and even detected his tiny insects. At the very least, the boy's strength was no lower than that of a special Chunin.

He didn't tell Yang Xing to leave, and let him follow along.

Concealed by the insects, the two moved closer to the people ahead.

There was no denying how useful the insects were. They could even conceal a person's presence, and do it so perfectly.

These little insects really were amazing.

Compared to the mysterious group ahead, Yang Xing found himself more interested in the insects. "Hey, old man, can you teach me this insect jutsu? The one where the insects absorb the chakra people release and hide their presence."

Shibi's body stiffened. He turned to look at Yang Xing and said with unusual firmness, "The Aburame Clan's secret techniques aren't taught to outsiders."

"I'm not asking you to teach me for nothing." Yang Xing smiled and continued, "Think of it this way, old man: if you teach me this jutsu, you'll be doing me a favor. And it'll be a huge favor—one that could benefit your clan."

"Doing you a favor? How would that help us?" Yang Xing's words had caught Shibi's interest. "Why would it be good for the Aburame Clan? What would we gain?"

"There are plenty of benefits." Yang Xing raised a finger and wagged it. "Haven't you noticed that I'm already as strong as a Jonin? I have the ability of a Jonin right now, and my future is boundless. Don't you think it'd be a good idea to do a favor for someone with such a bright future?"

Shibi fell silent. Over the past few days, the Aburame Clan's presence in Konoha had nearly faded away.

The clan with the biggest reputation in Konoha was the Uchiha Clan. As its clan head, Shibi was always thinking about how to make his clan as renowned as the Uchiha Clan and turn it into one of Konoha's pillars.

He didn't care for money, nor did he want to pursue strength too aggressively.

But fame was the most wonderful thing in the world, and the thing people yearned for most.

After thinking it over for a moment, Shibi looked Yang Xing up and down, his expression still as blank as ever, and asked, "How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Fine, you've got a deal!" Shibi held out his hand without the slightest hesitation, discarding his clan's rules just as readily.

Yang Xing grinned and shook his hand. "Ha ha, you really know how to see reason, old man."

"Mm. Once we've taken care of this, I'll teach you." Shibi nodded. It seemed he was serious about teaching him the jutsu.

"Then I'll look forward to it." Yang Xing was a little excited, too. Secret techniques were always useful to know, and this one would be handy for self-defense. Besides, he'd be learning it legitimately.

If he ever had the chance to choose an upgraded version of the jutsu, he could pick one from the Aburame Clan. No one would suspect a thing then.

Ha ha ha, I really am a genius.

Yang Xing smiled to himself. I've made an ally of one of Konoha's future prominent clans. Not bad, not bad.

Shibi, oblivious to Yang Xing's wicked grin, kept his eyes fixed on the distant woods. Ahead of the group, he had spotted several children.

Their outfits made his expression shift. He turned to Yang Xing and asked, "Wait. Are those people up ahead your companions?"

Yang Xing turned with a puzzled look, only then noticing the three in a rather precarious situation. "Kakashi? Rin? And Anko? What are those three doing here?"

"It looks like they followed us, but they couldn't see through our concealment, so they went off course. This is bad. Those people are going to capture them." Shibi's expression changed slightly, and his brow furrowed. His composure had clearly been shaken.

Still, they couldn't risk acting rashly. Three Jonin were already a powerful fighting force.

Yang Xing knew he couldn't charge in recklessly either. He kept his eyes on the three, then glanced at the Earth Country shinobi still walking ahead, seemingly unaware of Kakashi and the others. Puzzled, he asked, "Old man, you still haven't told me who those people are. I mean, what clan do they belong to?"

"I don't know, but I do know their jutsu are very similar to our clan's, and just as troublesome. They're still no match for our clan members, but ordinary Jonin from other clans in Konoha would definitely lose to them." Shibi spoke with quiet confidence, his brow tightly furrowed and his gaze unmoving.

"Mm."

Although the old man sounded pretty arrogant, Yang Xing knew he was telling the truth. Without large-scale jutsu, fighting against these insect techniques would be a real headache. An ordinary Jonin would be toyed with.

They might even get toyed with until they lost their lives.