Shihui Aburame had already planned to make more friends, even without Shibi Aburame reminding him.
More precisely, he planned to complete a few more achievements.
After Shibi Aburame left, Shihui Aburame and Shino Aburame entered the Ninja Academy.
Students and parents were everywhere, making for a lively, thriving scene.
Shihui Aburame suddenly stopped.
Shino Aburame took two more steps, then turned back, a little puzzled.
Following Shihui Aburame's gaze, he saw a blond boy.
He stood in a corner, with an indescribable air of loneliness.
"That's Naruto Uzumaki."
Shino Aburame said it outright.
The villagers of Konoha all treated Naruto Uzumaki as a monster, but they would not.
Their clan was one of the prominent ninja clans, and Shibi Aburame had once been Minato Namikaze's teammate, so he had naturally corrected that notion.
Only, because of the Third Hokage's orders, he had not revealed Naruto Uzumaki's true identity.
"There's a lion hidden in his eyes."
Those words suddenly surfaced in Shihui Aburame's mind.
Yes, in a good way.
Naruto Uzumaki looked dejected, but his eyes were full of intense emotion.
In the original story, he had managed to win the acknowledgment of everyone in Konoha. In a sense, that was a terrifying kind of obsession.
An ordinary person subjected to that treatment would have long since become a foulmouthed keyboard warrior and turned straight to the dark side.
Of course, it might have been the influence of asura chakra.
[Naruto Uzumaki.] [Current achievement: Newly made friends.] [Passive achievement: Unknown.]
While Shihui Aburame was studying him, Naruto Uzumaki raised his head.
He was extremely sensitive to this sort of gaze, and sometimes he could even sense other people's malice.
But not this time.
Two boys wearing matching outfits stood nearby.
The one in front was clearly eye-catching, with handsome features and a calm demeanor.
He had almost failed to notice the one behind.
Naruto Uzumaki scratched his head.
They... aren't afraid of me?
Actually, he had enrolled before, but not a single person in his class had liked him.
So, with Grandpa Third's arrangements, he was starting over again this year.
Just as he was puzzling over this, he saw the boy in front walk toward him.
Naruto Uzumaki froze for a moment, the confusion on his face turning to unease.
Doesn't he know I'm a monster?
"I'm Shihui Aburame."
Shihui Aburame stood before Naruto Uzumaki and asked, "Want to be friends?"
Having read the original story thoroughly, he understood that there was no need to beat around the bush with him. He could simply say it outright.
Of course, if he had been an Uchiha, he would definitely have stayed far away from him.
He had no desire to attract the attention of two perverted old men.
But he belonged to the Aburame Clan, a staunch supporter of the Hokage, with loyalty as its defining trait.
"Huh?"
Naruto Uzumaki's eyes widened as he looked around. "You... are you sure you're talking to me?"
"Yes, you."
Shihui Aburame nodded calmly.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto Uzumaki hesitated for a few seconds, then put on an excited expression and said, "Nice to meet you!"
[Completed Naruto Uzumaki's achievement, "Newly made friends." Reward obtained: Copper Skin Gu.] [Copper Skin Gu: A rank-one Gu worm that increases a Gu master's skin defense, allowing them to withstand more damage.]
That was practically a speed record.
Even Shihui Aburame had never expected it to be so easy.
The Moonlight Gu and the Copper Skin Gu were a classic combination: one for offense, one for defense.
Besides, with a few exceptions, ninja were all fragile.
No matter how strong they were, a stab from a kunai could still kill them.
So Shimura Danzō could hardly be blamed for stabbing Susanoo with a kunai back then.
[Naruto Uzumaki.] [Current achievement: Dominate the Ninja Academy.] [Passive achievement: Unknown.]
Looking at Naruto Uzumaki's newly generated achievement, Shihui Aburame could not help freezing briefly.
Now this is going to be tricky.
Everyone knew Naruto Uzumaki was the dead last of the Ninja Academy.
In the original story, he had even been forced to steal the Scroll of Seals after failing to graduate.
But difficult or not, it still had to be done. He could not just flip the table.
Besides, achievement rewards were tied to their difficulty.
"Let's go to the classroom."
Shihui Aburame came back to his senses and spoke.
"O-okay!"
Naruto Uzumaki was still a little dazed.
Did I really make my first friend that easily? Grandpa Third really didn't lie to me!
To their left, two figures stood quietly on the second floor of the school building.
"Shikaku, who is he?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe and asked.
"Shihui Aburame."
Shikaku Nara answered.
He had originally come to drop off his son, Shikamaru Nara, at school, only to run into the Third Hokage.
"So that's him."
Hiruzen Sarutobi remembered. "Shibi's son."
He had never met Shihui Aburame, but he knew the boy had considerable talent for medicine.
What a promising youngster!
Tsunade's value went without saying.
But ever since she had developed a fear of blood, it had become difficult for her to serve as a medical ninja again.
Now there was another possibility.
With a little more of the will of fire, and a good relationship with Naruto Uzumaki, Shihui Aburame might become a future pillar of Konoha.
Provided Tsunade agreed to take him as her student.
Shihui Aburame and the other two walked into the classroom.
Naruto Uzumaki's heart immediately lurched.
There was nothing worse than the air suddenly falling silent.
Everyone's gaze turned toward him, and then they began discussing him in hushed voices.
Naruto Uzumaki instinctively turned his head.
He worried that his two new friends' attitudes would change because of this.
But they did not.
Both remained so calm that it was as if they had seen nothing.
Naruto Uzumaki even wondered whether what they wore were really sunglasses.
"Only dogs bark their heads off when they're scared."
Shihui Aburame walked toward an empty seat without a change in expression.
Naruto Uzumaki blinked, pure bewilderment in his eyes.
He was too young, his head too empty, to really understand what those words meant.
Shino Aburame was used to Shihui Aburame's shocking remarks and was not surprised.
He only worried that someone might beat his older brother to death one day.
Looks like I'll have to become the strongest insect master.
Naruto Uzumaki sat down, still unable to escape those strange looks and the occasional devilish whispers.
He soon turned toward Shihui Aburame, his gaze complicated.
"If you have something to ask, just ask."
Picking up on the signs, Shihui Aburame spoke.
Something about Naruto Uzumaki's gaze looked very wrong.
Remembering how he often called Sasuke Uchiha "Sasugay" in the original story, Shihui Aburame could only say: beware of Konoha's gay men!
"I'm the monster they're talking about."
Naruto Uzumaki thought for a moment, then said it directly.
He was afraid Shihui Aburame had only befriended him because he did not know that fact.
"So?"
Shihui Aburame asked casually.
"Huh?"
Naruto Uzumaki looked bewildered.
"You really don't get it at all."
Shihui Aburame shook his head as he spoke.
He suddenly raised his chin slightly.
The classroom's attention shifted.
Especially the girls'.
Sasuke Uchiha walked in with his hands in his pockets.
His face was expressionless, and a cool aura surrounded him.
"It's him!"
Naruto Uzumaki's eyes lit up.
He had seen Sasuke Uchiha before, and the boy had left a deep impression on him.
Because, just like Shihui Aburame, he looked at him normally.
Well, perhaps "normally" was not quite right. It was more as though he did not exist.
Ignoring the commotion in the classroom, Sasuke Uchiha sat in the very front.
He seemed quite aloof the entire time.
Shihui Aburame could have caused a similar reaction if he had entered alone, but Naruto Uzumaki had stolen his thunder.
The door opened again.
This time, three people entered together.
Choji Akimichi held a bag of fries, crunching away.
Shikamaru Nara looked as if he could never get enough sleep.
Only Ino Yamanaka scanned the room, and upon spotting Shihui Aburame, she immediately abandoned her two companions.
"She... seems to be coming toward us."
Naruto Uzumaki blinked, sounding a little incredulous.
"I'm Ino Yamanaka."
Ino Yamanaka stood before Shihui Aburame and held out her little hand, saying openly, "I forgot to introduce myself last time."
(End of chapter)