"Goodbye, Shiki-kun."
Hinata Hyuga's little face showed her reluctance to part.
Being with Shihui Aburame not only let her see all sorts of novel things, but also made her happy and put her at ease.
Unlike her father-every time she saw him, she felt stifled.
Huh.
Could I think of Father as a radish?
Hinata Hyuga tilted her head, considering the possibility.
Shihui Aburame arrived at the Forest of Death.
It was a marvel created by Hashirama Senju's Wood Release ninjutsu.
All sorts of cries could be heard in the forest.
In other words, it was home to numerous animals.
Shihui Aburame's targets were wild boars.
The Black Boar Gu and White Boar Gu ate pork.
And refining the White Jade Gu through combination required wild boar tusks.
Ordinary wild boar tusks might not meet the requirements, so he planned to hunt a boar king to improve his chances.
Shihui Aburame stopped. Bronze-colored primeval essence flowed from the soles of his feet, and he climbed a tree.
He parted the dense leaves and spotted the herd of wild boars ahead.
The largest among them, the boar king, was drinking by the river.
After a little thought, Shihui Aburame came up with a simple plan.
With a thought, he poured primeval essence into the Jade Skin Gu.
Soon, his skin took on a pale white sheen, like jade.
Shihui Aburame leaped straight down.
The sound startled the herd.
The boar closest to him immediately moved.
Boar charge!
Shihui Aburame neither dodged nor flinched. He reached out with both hands, pressed them against the boar's head, and met its strength head-on.
The boar could not advance another inch.
It angrily opened its mouth, snapping its jaws repeatedly, but it always fell just short of biting Shihui Aburame.
The boar was very strong.
But Shihui Aburame still felt he had strength to spare.
He loosened his grip slightly.
The boar bit down on his body.
Cracks actually appeared in its sharp tusks.
The boar stood there, stunned.
Shihui Aburame nodded in satisfaction.
The Jade Skin Gu truly had impressive defensive power.
In the future, he could imitate Hashirama Senju and try to kill himself with a kunai.
Who knew what Madara Uchiha had been thinking back then, believing him?
Shihui Aburame could think of only one possibility.
Madara Uchiha: "This is love!"
Hashirama Senju: "Love you, my ass!"
He had to admit, this God of the Shinobi World had a bit of a devious streak.
More boars came running toward him.
Shihui Aburame stood his ground.
Bone Spear Gu!
A long spear of bone appeared out of thin air and shot forward.
It passed over the herd, heading straight for the boar king at the rear.
Blood splattered.
The boar king's body was pierced through.
Shihui Aburame clenched his fists, taking down the boars that came close with one punch each.
He did not slaughter them indiscriminately.
That was because the Black Boar Gu and White Boar Gu only ate two pigs every five days.
Before long, all the boars had passed out.
Shihui Aburame caught his breath.
He walked up to the boar king and released the Black Boar Gu and White Boar Gu.
The two Gu soon ate it down to the bones.
Shihui Aburame picked up its tusks.
[The wild boar tusks meet the requirements.] [Refine the White Jade Gu through combination?] [After refinement, the Jade Skin Gu and White Boar Gu will disappear.]
Shihui Aburame thought it over and decided against combining them.
He was a Rank One Gu Master, while the White Jade Gu was a Rank Two Gu that consumed more primeval essence.
He had no use for it at present, so he could wait until he became a Rank Two Gu Master to combine them.
Although the Black Boar Gu and White Boar Gu were Rank One Gu, their value rivaled that of Rank Two Gu.
Besides permanently increasing strength, they could also be used by different people in turn.
They could strengthen the entire Aburame Clan.
Shihui Aburame had not yet figured out how to use them.
He needed a reasonable explanation, such as disguising them as a kekkei genkai.
So he would have to take things slowly.
Besides, the Achievement System might give him duplicate Gu.
Shihui Aburame returned to the wooden house. After bathing and changing his clothes, he took the nectar wine and headed to Tsunade's residence.
He raised his hand and knocked, but received no answer.
"Are neither of them home?"
Shihui Aburame took out his key and opened the door.
On the table, he found a note from Shizune saying that she and Tsunade had gone to the casino.
Shihui Aburame shook his head.
In less than three days, Tsunade had shown her true colors.
Konoha's trio of sex, gambling, and drugs certainly lived up to their reputation.
Shihui Aburame set down the nectar wine, sat on the sofa, and sank his consciousness into his aperture.
The black shells of the kikaichū soaking in the bronze sea showed a faint, jade-like quality.
If nothing else, at least their appearance had improved enormously.
He wondered how powerful they would be after the modification.
If they were stronger, it would mean that primeval essence really did have an effect.
Then he would conduct a second experiment.
He would have the modified kikaichū produce offspring.
Shihui Aburame gathered his thoughts and began cultivating.
"Damn it!"
Tsunade left the casino, gritting her teeth. "My luck keeps getting worse. It must be because I came back to Konoha!"
Shizune looked speechless.
Your luck has always been terrible. It has nothing to do with Konoha.
Of course, she did not dare say it aloud and could only grumble inwardly.
"Is that brat out of school yet?"
Tsunade glanced at the sky as she asked.
"He should be home already."
Shizune answered.
Tsunade paused briefly, then unconsciously quickened her pace.
"Tsunade."
An unexpected voice suddenly rang out.
Tsunade turned to look.
It was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But he was not alone. A little blond boy stood beside him.
Tsunade was drawn into her memories.
Was Kushina Uzumaki's son already this big?
"Naruto, this is..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had barely begun his introduction when he was interrupted.
"I know! She's Shiki's teacher."
Naruto Uzumaki called out with a radiant smile, "Granny Tsunade!"
"Granny?"
A vein immediately bulged on Tsunade's forehead, and her right hand involuntarily clenched.
"Children don't know any better."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with a chuckle.
It had been a long time since he had seen that expression on Tsunade's face. He rather missed it.
"Of course I won't hold it against him."
Tsunade glanced at the milk and instant noodles in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands and asked, "His name is Naruto?"
She remembered that Naruto was the name of the protagonist in Jiraiya's novel.
That did seem like something Minato Namikaze would do.
"Naruto Uzumaki."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke pointedly.
At the same time, he gave her a meaningful look.
Because Tsunade knew Naruto Uzumaki's true identity.
But it was not yet time to reveal it.
His surname is Uzumaki, not Namikaze.
Tsunade understood, but could not help feeling disappointed.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi was young, when had he ever been like this?
She waved a hand, then turned and left.
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.
Naruto Uzumaki scratched his head.
Wasn't this Granny Tsunade a little strange?
"Naruto."
Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to normal and asked, "What do you think of Shiki?"
"Um... he's a good person!"
Naruto Uzumaki thought for a moment before answering.
"A good person?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help smiling.
Sure enough, only children cared about good and bad.
Through his crystal ball, he had already learned everything about how Shihui Aburame and Naruto Uzumaki got along.
So far, things were indeed looking good.
(End of chapter)