Wooing

The ground was covered in withered grass, with sand and dirt accumulated across the flat terrain.

Rocks of all sizes were scattered everywhere, ranging from the size of grains of sand to massive boulders over ten meters high.

Hiding behind a rock, Shibi Aburame's presence vanished without a trace. This level of concealment was so profound that even the Fourth Hokage would have found it difficult to detect him.

This was the true brilliance of the Aburame Clan and the source of their strength; as long as they hid cleverly enough, they could deceive even those at the Kage level.

The Aburame Clan's insect-concealment techniques had always been a source of pride for Shibi Aburame.

"Hey, Uncle, why are you hiding here? You can't even see what's happening up ahead from this spot."

Shibi Aburame: "..."

Shibi Aburame turned his head with great difficulty to look at Yang Xing, who had appeared beside him at some unknown moment, standing there quietly and perfectly still.

He hadn't sensed him at all. This brat was definitely not simple.

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't follow you to bother you on purpose; I just noticed your hiding spot wasn't clever enough and wanted to remind you not to get caught." Yang Xing scratched his head and smiled, his expression quite peaceful.

Shibi Aburame turned his head back, his voice dull: "My insects are masking my chakra; those people won't notice me."

"Is that so? This thing has that kind of use?" Yang Xing pinched a small object between two fingers, looking at it with curiosity.

Seeing the object in Yang Xing's hand, Shibi Aburame finally lost his composure. He let out a shout and lunged forward: "That—that's my insect!"

He snatched his insect back, his face turning deathly pale as he looked at the dead creature.

"Sorry, sorry. I accidentally stepped on a few while walking over. You don't mind, do you? Hey, don't get all red-eyed; it's just a few bugs. Well, well, let's keep watching those people." Seeing the man looking like he was about to cry, Yang Xing gave a dry laugh and pointed ahead to change the subject: "Ah, those guys are trying to run."

Not far ahead, several figures had their faces obscured by robes. Although their faces were hidden, Yang Xing could clearly sense their chakra, and he recognized a few familiar signatures among them.

This group of over a dozen people didn't seem simple.

There were actually more than three Jonin among them.

Without knowing what kind of ninjutsu the enemy possessed, they couldn't act rashly.

"Follow me, stay quiet, and don't step on my insects again."

Shibi Aburame understood that the brat before him possessed considerable strength. Being able to discover his tracks and detect his insects meant that, at the very least, this kid was no less capable than a Special Jonin.

He didn't make Yang Xing leave, allowing him to follow behind.

The two of them moved closer under the cover of the insects.

It had to be said that these insects were incredibly useful; they could even mask one's presence, and they did so perfectly.

They really were miraculous little creatures.

Compared to the mysterious group ahead, Yang Xing was more interested in these insects: "Hey, Uncle, can you teach me your insect ninjutsu? The kind that absorbs a person's emitted chakra to hide their presence."

Shibi Aburame's body stiffened. He turned his head, gave Yang Xing a deep look, and said in an exceptionally firm tone: "The secret techniques of the Aburame Clan are not taught to outsiders."

"I'm not asking to learn for free." Yang Xing smiled and continued: "Uncle, you have to think about it this way: if you teach me this ninjutsu, you're doing me a favor. This is a huge favor, one that will also benefit the Aburame Clan."

"Doing you a favor—how would that help?" Shibi Aburame became interested upon hearing this: "Why would it be good for the Aburame Clan? What kind of benefit?"

"The benefits are endless, of course." Yang Xing held up a finger and shook it: "Haven't you noticed? My strength is already at the Jonin level. Don't you think my future is limitless? And don't you think it's a good idea to do a favor for someone with such a limitless future?"

Shibi Aburame fell into deep thought. In recent days, the Aburame Clan's presence in Konoha had indeed been fading.

The most famous clan in Konoha was still the Uchiha Clan. As the head of the Aburame Clan, he was constantly thinking about how to make his clan as prestigious as the Uchiha and turn them into a pillar of Konoha.

He didn't care for money, nor did he excessively pursue raw power.

But reputation was the best thing in this world, and the thing people yearned for most.

After a moment of silence, Shibi Aburame scanned Yang Xing up and down before asking with his usual deadpan expression: "How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Fine, deal!" Shibi Aburame reached out his hand and agreed without the slightest hesitation, abandoning his clan rules without a second thought.

Yang Xing smiled instantly and shook that hand happily: "Haha, Uncle, you truly are a reasonable man."

"Mm. Once this matter is settled, I will teach you." Shibi Aburame nodded. It seemed he wasn't joking about teaching the ninjutsu.

"Then I'll look forward to it." Yang Xing was also a bit excited. Learning secret techniques like this was never a burden; they were good for self-defense, and this was a legitimate way to learn them.

In the future, if he had the chance to choose enhanced versions of ninjutsu, he could directly choose the Aburame Clan's, and no one would suspect a thing.

Hahaha, I really am a genius.

Yang Xing wore a very mischievous smile: "Recruited a future prominent clan of Konoha. Not bad, not bad."

At this moment, Shibi Aburame, who hadn't noticed Yang Xing's wicked grin, was staring intently at the forest not far away. In front of that group of people, he had spotted a few children.

Their attire made his expression shift, and he said to Yang Xing: "Wait, are those kids up ahead your companions?"

Yang Xing turned his head in confusion, only then noticing the few figures in a precarious situation: "Kakashi? Rin? And... Anko? What are those three doing?"

"It seems they followed us here, but they couldn't detect our concealment and went off-course. Oh no, they're going to be caught by those guys." Shibi Aburame's expression changed, his brow furrowing as his composure clearly wavered.

However, he didn't dare to act just yet; after all, three Jonin represented a formidable combat force.

Knowing that he could not rashly step forward at this moment, Yang Xing kept his eyes locked on those three figures without a second of distraction. He swept a glance at the Land of Earth ninjas walking ahead, who seemed not to have noticed Kakashi and the others, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Uncle, you still haven't told me who those people actually are. I'm asking which clan they belong to."

"I don't know, but I do understand one thing: their ninjutsu is very similar to our clan's, and it is equally troublesome. While they are not yet a match for our clansmen, if it were any other average jonin from Konoha, they would certainly be no match for them," Shibi Aburame said in a calm and composed tone, his brows tightly locked and his gaze never shifting for an instant.

"Hmm."

Although this uncle's words were quite arrogant, Yang Xing still understood that he was stating a fact. Without large-scale ninjutsu, dealing with these insect-based techniques would indeed be a massive headache; an average jonin encountering them would only be toyed with.

When that time came, they would likely be toyed with until they lost their lives.