Shino Aburame, Frightened

The open-air training ground was somewhat like a small forest.

The three Genin of Team 8—Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyuga—were each practicing on their own.

At that moment, Kiba Inuzuka was doing coordination drills with his Ninja Hound, Akamaru. Boy and dog raced swiftly across the branches.

"Akamaru, a little faster! That's it!" Kiba Inuzuka shouted, looking exceptionally lively.

Compared to him, his other two teammates seemed much quieter.

Hinata Hyuga was practicing the Gentle Fist on the ground. Although every move was orderly and precise, Ye Fan noticed that she was somewhat weaker than her younger sister, Hanabi Hyuga, and her presence was even less imposing.

It seems strength isn't determined by age!

Ye Fan sighed inwardly. He thought of himself and wondered what level of ninja he could fight now.

He would not even need to act personally against ordinary Genin. He could handle them by commanding Dark Shadow.

If he fought a Chunin, the little Ninja Hound alone would have some difficulty dealing with one, but Ye Fan had little interest in taking action himself.

Ye Fan knew roughly how strong Chunin were, because Hana Inuzuka was one. He often watched when Hana Inuzuka trained, and that was precisely why he had been able to create a taijutsu technique specifically for her—the Blazing Twin-Union Hands.

If he fought a Jonin, he would have to take it seriously, especially a well-rounded Jonin. Such opponents required even greater caution.

Even so, Ye Fan still did not think he would lose!

The realm of the First Layer of the Beast-Taming Stage was not to be underestimated.

By now, he could already use many martial arts techniques. Combined with his insight and combat experience, anyone who wanted to defeat him would need to be several times stronger than him.

"Hm? That boy can actually command insects. They don't seem like ordinary bugs, and there are an astonishing number of them. Interesting!"

At that moment, Ye Fan spotted Shino Aburame in the middle of training.

Could those insects this boy commands be raised inside his body?

Ye Fan made another discovery and could not help narrowing his eyes.

Shino Aburame came from the Aburame Clan and practiced his clan's secret techniques.

The Aburame Clan was one of the secretive clans of Konoha Ninja Village. They used their own bodies as nests for Kikaichū, then controlled the insects in battle. They never underestimated any enemy and could always employ combat techniques with composure.

At that moment, Shino Aburame had not noticed Ye Fan observing him from the shadows.

I need to make them even more concealed!

Shino Aburame extended his arm and lightly trembled his five fingers. The chakra threads emitted from them could issue commands to the insects.

Without needing any hand seals, he could control the insects into formations for attack, defense, reconnaissance, and more.

"What an interesting ability. You dress so tightly to keep the insects inside your body from being discovered, right?"

Just then, Ye Fan's voice abruptly rang out behind Shino Aburame.

Shino Aburame was startled. He instinctively leaped forward and instantly assumed a stance capable of both offense and defense.

"Oh, nice reaction." Ye Fan smiled faintly.

Only then did Shino Aburame see clearly who was standing behind him.

"Don't be so nervous. I mean no harm," Ye Fan said again.

At that moment, Shino Aburame's heart churned like stormy seas, and it took him a long time to calm down.

The last time they had met, he had already known that this Inuzuka Ye Fan was far from as simple as the rumors claimed.

This time, it had been confirmed once more.

The insects in his body, which he had always been proud of, had failed to detect Inuzuka Ye Fan's approach. It was truly terrifying. If the other party had been an enemy, he did not dare imagine whether he would still be alive.

Moreover, Shino Aburame could not understand something. It was one thing for the insects under his control to be unable to sense Inuzuka Ye Fan, but why could they not even detect this fellow's Ninja Hound? It was far too abnormal.

"When did you arrive?" Shino Aburame forced himself to calm down, then tried to communicate with his insects.

"I just got here. I didn't interrupt your training, did I?"

As Ye Fan spoke, he withdrew the concealed True Qi from himself and the little Ninja Hound.

Almost at that exact moment, the Chakra Bugs on Shino Aburame's body finally reacted, sending him a signal that someone was approaching.

This guy!

Shino Aburame was startled again. He could now be certain that there was nothing wrong with his insects; this Inuzuka Ye Fan had done something.

What exactly had he done?

Who exactly was this guy?

He was clearly extraordinary, so why had he not graduated from the Ninja Academy?

Had the chakra in his body truly disappeared?

In an instant, countless questions surfaced in Shino Aburame's mind.

He no longer dared underestimate Inuzuka Ye Fan in the slightest. Even when speaking, he had to weigh every word carefully.

"Big Brother Ye Fan!"

Just as the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward, Hinata Hyuga's soft, timid voice came from nearby.

"Big Brother Ye Fan!"

Kiba Inuzuka's voice rang out as well. He was sprinting over with Akamaru.

Before long, Kiba Inuzuka arrived before Ye Fan and asked excitedly, "Big Brother Ye Fan, did you come to guide my training?"

"I need to assess your situation first. Didn't you want a set of taijutsu suited to you? I happen to have time now," Ye Fan said with a smile.

"Really? That's great!" Kiba Inuzuka cried excitedly.

"Are only the three of you training here? Where is your team leader?" Ye Fan asked casually.

He had heard Kiba Inuzuka say that the instructor leading their Team 8 was Kurenai Yuhi, a Jonin skilled in Genjutsu and also very beautiful.

Ye Fan very much wanted to meet Jonin Kurenai Yuhi and experience what an attack through Genjutsu was like.

If his guess was correct, this world's so-called Genjutsu was a form of mental attack, perhaps even involving attacks on the soul.

Ye Fan's cultivation from his previous life was gone, but his soul remained extraordinarily powerful. Had his soul not been wounded immediately after he transmigrated into this world, he could have used some techniques with spiritual power and Soul Power alone.

Although his soul did not affect his body's movements, it had not fully recovered yet. For the time being, he could not cultivate techniques that used spiritual power or Soul Power.

However, ordinary mental attacks would find it difficult to harm him. After all, even a lean camel was bigger than a horse.

Ye Fan wanted to test it, and he was also curious about this world's techniques for mental attacks. He wanted to see them for himself.

"Teacher Kurenai was only recently promoted to Jonin, and she has some matters to hand over. For a while, she won't be able to guide us," Kiba Inuzuka said.

"I see. What a pity." As Ye Fan spoke, his gaze fell on Shino Aburame. "Kiba, your companion is very interesting."

In an instant.

The Chakra Bugs on Shino Aburame's body grew restless.

They continuously conveyed one signal:

Danger!

Danger!!

Danger!!!