Evening came, and Shihui Aburame strolled home.
Shibi Aburame had long since grown used to him coming home late.
He had acted mature from a young age, so Shibi had no worries about him.
In this world, early maturity meant genius.
Uchiha Itachi, for instance.
He had taken part in the Third Shinobi World War at four, then gone completely insane.
At Shihui Aburame's age, he never had trouble sleeping.
Besides, he believed in never carrying fatigue and stress over to the next day, so he went to bed early.
When he woke the next day, he was full of energy again.
Shihui Aburame opened the door and saw the hardworking Shino Aburame.
He stood there with Kikaichū crawling all over his face.
Already trying to outwork everyone first thing in the morning?
The corners of Shihui Aburame's mouth twitched.
And his trypophobia was about to flare up!
It would have been fine in an anime, but seeing it in real life, he found the sight far too horrifying.
"Big brother."
Under Shino Aburame's control, the Kikaichū burrowed back inside him.
The reason he was working so hard was Shihui Aburame's outrageous remarks.
He genuinely thought someone would beat his brother to death.
"Let's eat."
Shihui Aburame headed for the living room.
Japanese breakfasts were quite simple.
Rice, miso soup, natto, and grilled fish.
Shihui Aburame could not get used to natto, so he never ate it.
At a breakfast shop on the street, he casually bought two hot spring eggs, rice balls, and milk.
Shino Aburame was a little puzzled.
It was the first time he had seen Shihui Aburame do this.
Hadn't he eaten enough?
When they reached school, Shino Aburame suddenly noticed a problem.
Why was this completely different from what he had imagined?
He had thought Shihui Aburame would be shunned for yesterday's behavior, but his popularity had soared instead.
People greeted him all along the way. He was quite popular.
"Children tend to be pretty straightforward. They only like good-looking people."
Shihui Aburame spoke with a faint smile.
Sasuke Uchiha in the original story offered a glimpse of that.
Shino Aburame had no answer.
What a realistic reason.
Entering the classroom, Shihui Aburame glanced around.
They had arrived fairly early, and fewer than a third of the classroom's seats were occupied.
Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and the others had not arrived yet, but Hinata Hyuga was already in her seat.
"Shino, ask Hinata to come outside."
Shihui Aburame spoke after a moment's thought.
Shino Aburame froze briefly.
His brother liked Hinata Hyuga?
But he had clearly had such a good time chatting with Ino Yamanaka yesterday.
Was he two-timing them?
Shino Aburame became even more certain of his earlier thought.
His brother would get beaten to death sooner or later.
Hinata Hyuga had already noticed Shihui Aburame and Shino Aburame.
More precisely, she had noticed the latter.
In a rare occurrence, she had been unable to sleep the night before. She had woken early and still felt excited and uneasy.
The reason, of course, was Shihui Aburame's invitation yesterday.
Going out without telling her father gave her the feeling of breaking a taboo.
"Hinata."
Shino Aburame walked up to her and said, "My brother wants to see you."
Hinata Hyuga paused, instinctively looking toward Shihui Aburame.
But he stood in the doorway wearing sunglasses, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Hinata Hyuga hesitated for a few seconds, then stood and walked outside.
"Follow me."
Without explaining, Shihui Aburame simply followed the stairs up to the rooftop.
The rooftop was deserted and very quiet.
Shihui Aburame pressed the bag into her hands.
Hinata Hyuga tilted her head, not understanding.
"Finish eating before you go back to class."
Shihui Aburame did not linger. He turned and left.
Puzzled, Hinata Hyuga opened the bag. When she saw that it was full of food, her little face quickly turned red, and she seemed to be giving off steam.
Had Shiki prepared this especially for her?
He not only knew that she had not eaten her fill, but had also taken her personality into account.
Hinata Hyuga's head swam as all sorts of thoughts surfaced. She picked up a rice ball and took a bite. It tasted a little sweet.
"No passive achievement."
Shihui Aburame sat in his seat with his arms folded, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Hinata Hyuga had previously triggered a passive achievement related to eating.
Judging by his experience, there should be more.
After all, eating was one of Hinata Hyuga's most prominent traits.
"Shiki!"
A familiar voice rang out.
Shihui Aburame looked up and saw Ino Yamanaka waving at him with a radiant smile.
What passive achievements did she have?
"The moon was beautiful last night."
Ino Yamanaka shared her impressions. "It sparkled, just like jade."
The moon was beautiful?
Shihui Aburame glanced at him.
Her golden bangs hung down over her right eye.
He suddenly thought of that meme.
If you aren't using your eyes, donate them to someone who needs them.
Speaking of blondes, Tsunade had to be mentioned.
Would she take him as her apprentice?
It was not just for the children. With the status of Tsunade's apprentice, Shihui Aburame would have an absolute guarantee of safety in Konoha.
"We have practical combat this afternoon."
Umino Iruka finished the morning's lessons and said, "Everyone, gather on the field on time."
It was called practical combat, but it was actually a Taijutsu class, along with an assessment of their abilities.
Under normal circumstances, six- or seven-year-old children could not possibly have mastered ninjutsu.
Umino Iruka's goal was to learn what foundations they had.
Students from shinobi clans would obviously have better foundations.
His focus was on the civilian students.
Quite a few students grew excited.
Although the Ninja Academy had many theory classes, practical combat was the most important class.
It concerned their future.
Of course, children did not think that far ahead.
They thought they could go outside and play.
But there were exceptions, such as Sasuke Uchiha.
Practical combat would let him find out who was qualified to be his opponent.
He hoped someone could give him a satisfying fight and make him use his full strength.
That way, he could earn praise from his father and older brother.
At a casino somewhere in the Land of Fire.
"Lady Tsunade!"
Holding a pink pig, Shizune earnestly pleaded, "Please stop!"
"One last round!"
The blonde woman was already lost in a gambling frenzy. "High! High! High!"
"Sorry."
The sexy dealer gave a captivating smile and said, "The total is low."
"Damn it!"
Tsunade clenched her fist in anger.
Suddenly, she frowned, her gaze turning sharp.
"Shizune, let's go."
Tsunade got up and left the casino.
Shizune stared blankly.
What was going on?
"Come out!"
Tsunade stopped in a secluded alley.
"Lady Tsunade."
An Anbu ninja appeared and presented a letter with both hands. "This is for you from Lord Hokage."
"That old man just won't leave me alone."
Tsunade's face clearly showed her impatience, but she read it anyway.
Soon, suspicion appeared on her beautiful face.
"Do you think the old man is trying to trick me into going back?"
Tsunade casually handed the letter to Shizune.
"He learned the Chakra Scalpel at six?"
Shizune's eyes widened.
She considered herself extremely gifted as a medical ninja, and she had Tsunade's guidance, yet she had only learned the Chakra Scalpel after turning twelve.
How the hell could he be six?!
(End of chapter)