The white season had come again.
Goose-feather snow draped the woods in a thick coat of silver, like the rice balls eaten that morning.
But Hinata Hyuga no longer felt her earlier wonder. She looked around uneasily.
It was the first time she had been allowed to leave the Hyuga Clan, and it was snowing. It should have been a happy occasion, so why had she gotten lost?
Where was Father?
Where was Tokuma?
Where was I?
Huh?
Hinata Hyuga looked up in delighted surprise.
Not far away, three tall boys were playing in the snow.
She instinctively walked toward them.
"Look! A little brat!"
"Her eyes are white? How ugly!"
"White-eyed monster!"
The three boys quickly surrounded Hinata Hyuga.
They sized her up, cackling.
Hinata Hyuga was nearly frightened out of her senses. She froze in place, her little face turning deathly pale.
A film of tears clouded her white eyes, and her trembling hands clutched her scarf tightly.
"Those little pearls are about to fall."
"Do you think her tears are white too?"
"Cry! Cry!"
Rather than show any sympathy, the three boys only grew worse.
Move, Hinata!
Hinata Hyuga desperately wanted to react, but her limbs had no strength, and even breathing was becoming difficult.
"Be quiet. I'm thinking."
The flat voice brought the three boys to a halt.
They looked up toward it and saw a boy about their age sitting on a tree trunk.
He wore a fitted white trench coat, bundled up tightly, and sunglasses that left only half his face exposed.
"Hey, hey, hey, who are you trying to impress?"
"Mind your own business, brat!"
"Get down here!"
The three children immediately shouted in displeasure.
Their vicious grins made Hinata Hyuga's heart leap into her throat.
The next second, she saw a streak of moonlight.
Shaped like a sickle, it fell from above.
So pretty.
But why was there moonlight?
Hinata Hyuga stared blankly at the splashing blood, her white eyes widening involuntarily.
The three boys screamed.
Faint bloody cuts had appeared on their faces.
"Aaaah!"
Terror filled their faces as they backed away, shouting, "Stay away from us!"
They scrambled away, fleeing the scene at top speed.
The boy in sunglasses, or rather, Shihui Aburame, jumped straight down.
As he touched the ground, a bronze sheen appeared beneath his feet.
He landed steadily.
"Only when the tide strikes the rocks can it throw up beautiful waves."
Looking at the pale-faced Hinata Hyuga, Shihui Aburame said, "Next time, don't think. Throw a punch first."
He reached out, took her scarf, and wound it once around her neck, wrapping her snugly.
Together with her slightly chubby little face, it made her look even cuter.
Hinata Hyuga was still in a daze and let him do as he pleased.
"Stay right here and don't wander off. You'll be able to go home soon."
Shihui Aburame ruffled her hair and spoke with a faint smile.
Wh-what did he mean?
Hinata Hyuga felt her senses return, as though she had come back to life. A little color appeared in her cheeks.
She tilted her head, looking bewildered.
Shihui Aburame could not easily explain. He turned, put his hands in his pockets, and headed deeper into the woods.
Hinata Hyuga was the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter. As long as she did not wander around, her guards would find her before long.
He still had something he had to do.
Shihui Aburame walked through the snow.
What he had just used was not ninjutsu, but the Moonlight Gu.
Without a doubt, he was a transmigrator.
In his previous life, he had been a chosen wage slave who earned 3,200 a month at a young age and laughed every day.
After a busy day, he had opened the Naruto mobile game and instantly picked Kizaru, otherwise known as the character Kurama Naruto.
After enjoying the pleasure of basic attacks, he had started reading a Gu Master novel.
When he woke up, he had already transmigrated into a new world.
The good news was that both his parents were alive. He was not an orphan.
The bad news was that this was the world of Naruto.
The five-star Jonin Orochimaru had once declared: not even a dog would want to be Hokage.
In this dangerous world where bloodlines mattered, Shihui Aburame had no bloodline.
He had become the son of Shibi Aburame, head of the Aburame Clan, and had a younger brother named Shino Aburame.
How should he put it?
Reaching the pinnacle of life was impossible unless he possessed a Kekkei Genkai such as the Sharingan or Byakugan.
Since he could not scale the mountain, he might as well lie flat.
But just then, he had obtained the Great Love Immortal Venerable Achievement System.
Every achievement he completed would earn him a Gu.
[Shihui Aburame.] [Achievements completed: I won my second chance at life; Farming suits me after all.] [Gu owned: Rejuvenation Gu, Moonlight Gu.] [Rejuvenation Gu: Rank five Gu. Grants the greatest talent for being a medical ninja.] [Moonlight Gu: Rank one Gu. Can unleash Moon Blades to attack and has multiple advancement paths.]
He had obtained the first achievement when he first transmigrated, or rather, when he was born.
He had obtained the second achievement by planting Moon Orchids.
Gu were activated using primeval essence.
Primeval essence was the source of a Gu Master's power, a condensation of vital energy and the essence, energy, and spirit.
In the Shinobi World, it had become chakra, but there were differences.
That was because primeval essence also contained heaven and earth primordial essence.
In the Shinobi World, heaven and earth primordial essence referred to natural energy.
Natural energy combined with chakra produced the more powerful senjutsu chakra.
At his current stage, Shihui Aburame's primeval essence could be understood as an extremely weakened version of senjutsu chakra.
Thanks to his primeval essence, he could already rival a Genin.
But as everyone knew, the gap between Konoha's Genin could sometimes be greater than the gap between a human and a dog.
He belonged to the category of normal Genin.
Half a minute later, a wooden house enclosed by earthen walls came into Shihui Aburame's view.
This small patch of woods lay within the Aburame Clan's grounds.
As the clan head's son, he had the right to use it as he pleased.
Shihui Aburame stopped.
He had discovered a little shadow following him.
He turned and saw Hinata Hyuga sneaking around.
She hid behind a tree, poking out her little head.
When their eyes met, a timid expression immediately appeared on her face.
So cute.
Shihui Aburame beckoned to her.
Hinata Hyuga hesitated for a few seconds before walking up to him.
But she did not dare look up. She kept her little head lowered, looking perfectly obedient.
Just as Shihui Aburame was about to speak, a sound came from her stomach.
Hinata Hyuga's little face immediately flushed red, and she lowered her head even further.
She really was hungry.
For some reason, her appetite far exceeded that of ordinary people.
But as the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter, she had to maintain proper etiquette.
At every meal, she ate about as much as her mother, so she had never once eaten her fill.
"Come in."
"Make sure you follow me. Don't step into any traps," Shihui Aburame reminded her.
Hinata Hyuga instinctively nodded hard.
She entered the little courtyard without incident.
A patch of blue-and-pink flowers greeted her eyes.
Their crescent-shaped petals shimmered with a soft, pearl-like luster.
"So pretty!"
Hinata Hyuga blurted it out.
"I planted them. They're called Moon Orchids."
Shihui Aburame spoke with his chin slightly raised.
Moon Orchids were food for the Moonlight Gu.
Besides primeval essence, Gu also needed to be fed the appropriate food regularly.
If the food was flowers or plants, the system would provide mysterious seeds.
"...?"
Curiosity and confusion appeared on Hinata Hyuga's little face.
Growing flowers?
He could grow flowers at such a young age?
Was he a ninja from the Yamanaka Clan?
"Come in."
Shihui Aburame opened the wooden house.
Hinata Hyuga hurried forward at a little run, then stopped short, making her straight bangs sway.
She looked around the room.
Compared with the grand mansion she lived in, this place was especially simple.
It served as a bedroom, kitchen, and living room all at once.
"Tonkotsu ramen."
Before long, Shihui Aburame placed a bowl of noodles before her.
Everything he kept here was emergency food, such as ramen.
"Th-thank you."
Hinata Hyuga's voice was soft and sweet, like cotton candy.
Shihui Aburame looked at her, and several lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[Hinata Hyuga.] [Current achievement: Farewell, Father, and my cowardice.] [Passive achievement: Unknown.]
Lighthearted, overpowered, fun, farming, and romance and steamy moments with multiple heroines. The Gu in this story can simply be understood as skills: one Gu is one skill, or one ninjutsu. P.S. If you're interested, dear readers, remember to keep reading through to the latest chapter. Things are too competitive now, and the slightest lapse can leave you crushed by the competition. Thank you all! During the new-book period, there will be two updates a day, scheduled for midnight unless something unexpected happens.
(End of chapter)