Shino Aburame did not have a particularly intimidating image; being able to overcome the drawback of his weak presence was already no easy feat.
Those mischievous children who thought they were making little moves without anyone noticing were exposed completely before the all-pervasive Kikaichū.
At the thought of having to deal with these little brats from now on, Shino Aburame unconsciously took a deep breath.
The bloodlines of ancient ninja clans had, by now, mostly blended into the general populace.
Special Kekkei Genkai such as the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan and the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan might still hold great value, but in other respects, the gap in ninja aptitude between people had actually become quite small.
The gap had not ceased to exist, but it was no longer the decisive factor in determining a ninja's achievements.
As time passed, the phenomenon of it being difficult to find exceptional talents with the aptitude to become ninja had long since disappeared.
Many people still could not become ninja, not because their aptitude was too poor, but because resources were limited. Those with flawed aptitudes and excessively high training costs could not be included in the ninja training system.
The prosperous Land of Fire was doing fairly well, and the Land of Lightning was passable too. Other countries lagged far behind.
Most children selected by the Ninja Academy during peacetime were not aggressive, combative types, but rather well-tempered children from respectable and reasonably well-off families.
It was not hard to understand, really. In a stable social order, children from families of higher status found it easier to succeed, their starting line already far ahead of others.
Shino Aburame, on his first assignment in charge of things alone, would not understand this. However, having been taught by Yura, he could still