"Hello, senpai. My name is Shino Aburame Aburame."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yagyū Chiba—your senior by one year."
The familiar high collar, the ever-present dark shades…
Chiba couldn't help but feel a quiet sense of appreciation.
Wisdom, strategy, calm precision—
Drawing the enemy into a trap, then commanding the kikaichū for a fatal strike.
That was Shino Aburame's style.
His raw taijutsu or ninjutsu stats might not stand out on paper, but like Shikamaru, Shino Aburame was one of those rare shinobi who fought with their mind.
"Chiba, this kid…?"
"Baicao-senpai, I've already passed the early graduation exam. Please trust in my ability," Shino Aburame said politely, bowing slightly.
Baicao forced a small smile, then nodded after a moment's hesitation. "In that case, let's head to the lab next door. I'll start by teaching you some necessary basics. Chiba—no problem, right?"
"Ah? Of course not."
"Then let's go."
Baicao walked ahead.
Behind him, Shino Aburame's shaded eyes darted sideways toward Chiba, a hint of curiosity flickering beneath the calm exterior.
Why did it feel like Chiba was the one in charge, and not Baicao-senpai?
Could it be…
His father's words echoed in his mind:
"Shino Aburame, that boy Chiba is a remarkable genius. You should learn from him—at the very least, stay on good terms with him. You'll never regret it."
Learn from him? Or at least, get close to him?
Shino Aburame followed quietly, observing the so-called genius upperclassman.
Chiba, however, wasn't paying any attention to the kid's scrutiny.
His thoughts were already racing—
about how to further develop and enhance the kikaichū, and about how his clone's natural energy training seemed to be progressing quite well lately.
Come to think of it—
was it possible to feed the insects natural energy and evolve the kikaichū toward senjutsu compatibility?
But then he imagined the result.
Once an animal absorbed natural energy and transformed, it always became enormous.
And giant kikaichū crawling around… yeah, that didn't exactly fit the Aburame clan's aesthetic.
So, probably not a great idea.
Chiba frowned.
What a pity.
Besides, the kikaichū were the Aburame's secret technique. There was no way he could just ask for it outright.
He sighed softly.
Shino Aburame noticed, hesitated for a moment, but said nothing.
It looked like his senior had a lot on his mind.
As expected—
the higher one's standing, the heavier the burdens.
That made sense.
A genius like him must have all sorts of things to worry about every day.
Shino Aburame nodded inwardly with solemn admiration.
"This is our lab up ahead."
"Yes."
"By the way, Shino Aburame, you're about to graduate soon, right?"
Chiba asked casually.
Shino Aburame adjusted his glasses, hesitating for a second before replying.
He wanted to ask Chiba for guidance—if it was this senior, he could definitely teach them a lot. Even his father held Chiba in very high regard.
But when he opened his mouth, all that came out was, "Two more months."
"Two months, huh? Time flies. The next Chūnin Exams will be starting soon, too. I heard they'll be held in Sunagakure this time—it'll be quite the trip."
Chiba stretched lazily.
Konoha's Chūnin Exams were usually held jointly with friendly villages—Grass, Rain, Sand, and so on.
The host country alternated between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
The last one was in the Land of Fire, so this time it should be in the Wind Country.
Next time… it'd be back in the Fire Country —
the very one Naruto's group would take part in.
Time really flew.
A quiet sense of urgency welled up inside him.
If even secret techniques were meant to evolve, then he too should be daring enough to try.
Without experimentation, there could never be progress. That was the essence of a sage's pursuit.
Once inside the lab, Baicao went to fetch a test subject—a fish.
"Shino Aburame," Chiba called.
"Yes, senpai?"
"You coexist with your kikaichū through a symbiotic contract, right?"
"Correct. We supply them chakra, and they live within us, aiding us in battle."
Shino Aburame nodded.
"Good. In a moment, try letting them memorize medical chakra—absorb it, but don't digest it."
"Yes. Father already briefed me on that. It shouldn't be difficult."
Calm, confident—
that was Shino Aburame.
"Excellent. Baicao-senpai, Shino Aburame seems reliable. You don't need to worry so much."
"W-was I worrying? Not at all." Baicao took a deep breath.
Still, a child who could graduate early must indeed be quite capable.
He carried over a fish and said, "This one accidentally ingested poison. Can you detoxify it?"
"Of course."
With a flick of Shino Aburame's fingers, a thin cloud of black mist drifted toward the fish.
Moments later, the fish began twitching and flopping—alive .
Baicao blinked in surprise.
The boy's control over the insects was incredibly precise. If you weren't paying close attention, you wouldn't even notice their presence.
And they obeyed him flawlessly.
"Baicao-senpai," Shino Aburame said calmly, "you're still uneasy about my clan's insects because of that surgery, aren't you?"
"Ah—sorry," Baicao scratched his head awkwardly.
"Surgery?" Shino Aburame asked.
"Yes," Baicao sighed. "We used the pathogen-detection barrier technique you came up with to treat a poisoned member of the Aburame clan. During the operation, his insects flew all over the room—it was… traumatic."
Shino Aburame replied evenly, "Under normal circumstances, they're quite disciplined."
"Probably just the toxin's effect that time," Baicao said, taking another deep breath. "Alright, then… let's begin!"
Chiba stood by, observing quietly.
"Baicao-senpai, extend your hand. Let them absorb your medical chakra first."
"Right."
Shino Aburame guided the kikaichū closer while sneaking another glance at Chiba.
As expected—
Baicao listened to him completely.
His senior really was the one leading this experiment.
How admirable.
He focused , commanding the insects to draw in the chakra.
"Ready?" Baicao asked nervously.
"Not yet—he's still training them," Chiba replied, eyes narrowing slightly.
Shino Aburame was startled. He could actually tell what the insects were doing?
"They've bred a new generation. Should be fine now. Let's begin."
As Chiba spoke, he formed a thin needle of chakra on his fingertip and made a delicate incision across the fish's abdomen.
The fish jerked violently.
"I've severed its internal organs. Have the kikaichū heal them."
"Yes!"
Shino Aburame took a deep breath and concentrated.
The chakra-infused kikaichū crawled into the fish's mouth and gills.
To be honest, the sight was… a little disturbing.
But as a medical-nin, Baicao forced himself to stay calm and observe.
Moments later, his eyes widened in disbelief.
The fish was swimming .
"It's… it's healed! Incredible!"
Baicao was utterly stunned.
Even Shino Aburame was impressed—though he didn't quite understand the fuss. "Senpai, isn't this something medical-nin could already do? Why the surprise?"
"Human cells can't divide infinitely," Baicao explained. "Reducing the need for surgical incisions is always a good thing."
Shino Aburame blinked in realization.
"It's more than that," Chiba added. "If one day we create portable chakra storage devices—or sealing scrolls capable of storing medical chakra…"
"Then we'd be half medical-ninjas ourselves."
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
https://www.patreon.com/Mindsmithstudio