Chapter 22: Don’t You Still Have Me?

Morning.

Hokage's Office.

"Still no sign of Yūgao Uzuki?" Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe, exhaling thick white smoke.

"No, Hokage-sama," responded an Anbu kneeling respectfully before him. "We've searched all of Konoha, but there's no trace of her. We can't confirm whether she's missing or defected."

Hiruzen moved to the window, gazing out over Konoha in deep thought. Yūgao Uzuki was a talented Anbu he had personally promoted, known for her exceptional swordsmanship. He couldn't believe she would defect. The lack of any trace of her pointed to a grim outcome.

After a moment, Hiruzen gave his orders. "Continue the search with all available resources and closely monitor Root's activities."

Yūgao's sudden disappearance likely meant she had uncovered a dangerous secret, making Danzo a primary suspect.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the Anbu replied before disappearing with the Body Flicker Technique.

---

"Ah~~~" Zhixiang stretched as he got out of bed.

He checked his insect cultivation space and found that the Parasitic Insect and Healing Insect had completed their evolutions, but the Firefly Larva was still in its cocoon.

Seeing that more than half of his Parasitic Insects were gone, Zhixiang felt a pang of regret. It had taken him days to breed them from various "kind-hearted animals."

After washing up, Zhixiang used the Transformation Jutsu to make himself look like his pre-evolution seven-year-old self, ready for school.

"This is really inconvenient," he muttered. The feedback from the Parasitic Insects accelerated his development, providing many benefits but also some challenges. He had to use the Transformation Jutsu to maintain his cover, which was a hassle. Fortunately, he lived alone, or it would be even more troublesome.

"Hm?" Zhixiang had an idea. He deactivated the Transformation Jutsu, and his Mangekyou Sharingan appeared in his eyes. As his right eye spun, his body proportionally shrank until he was seven years old again.

[Mangekyou Right Eye: Body Magnification - Can increase or decrease the size of target organisms, up to three times their original size.]

"This makes things much easier," Zhixiang thought happily. His Mangekyou ability had an unexpected use. Though it wasn't true age regression, it allowed for some clever tricks.

Next time, he thought, he'd show Mikoto just how powerful he could be...

With that, he stepped outside. Today was the last day of the school year, and he wanted to see the final exams firsthand.

"Ah, it's snowing," Zhixiang noted, seeing the snowflakes outside. "Well, it is winter."

He went back inside to grab a scarf and hand warmer.

At school, Zhixiang saw many students shivering with cold. Naruto Uzumaki had a runny nose, Shikamaru Nara was huddled close to Choji Akimichi, and Sasuke Uchiha's hands were red from the cold. Kiba Inuzuka held Akamaru close for warmth.

Zhixiang smirked, feeling grateful for his warm hand warmer.

He found an empty desk and sat down, but soon felt a pair of cold hands inside his hand warmer. Turning, he saw Ino Yamanaka had settled beside him, warming her hands.

"Hehe, Zhixiang-kun, you don't mind, do you?" Ino asked cheerfully, pressing close to him.

Zhixiang didn't mind at all. He even covered her cold hands with his own warm ones, making Ino blush.

Seeing Zhixiang and Ino so close, Hinata Hyuga felt a pang of jealousy, wishing she could be as bold as Ino. She wanted to sit next to Zhixiang but felt too shy.

Lost in her thoughts, Hinata was startled when she suddenly felt a scarf wrap around her. Looking up, she saw Zhixiang walking away.

"Zhixiang-kun..." Hinata's pale face turned bright red, even her ears blushing.

"Tch, I'm cold too. Why didn't you give me a scarf?" Ino pouted loudly when Zhixiang returned. "Do you like Hinata?"

"You already have this," Zhixiang said, putting his hands back in the hand warmer and squeezing her hands playfully.

"Tch." Ino blushed but said nothing more.

Soon, Iruka arrived and announced the start of the final exams. Besides the written test, there would be shuriken throwing and taijutsu sparring. The school would rank students based on their scores.

The top ten students would receive a set of shuriken as a reward—a small incentive. A set included ten shuriken and five kunai. While not much to clan children, these were precious to those from civilian backgrounds, who often couldn't afford their own until after completing missions post-graduation. Some even pooled money to share a set.

Ironically, those who needed these rewards the most rarely made it to the top ten, which was dominated by clan children like Sasuke Uchiha, the favorite to take first place, followed by Zhixiang Aburame. His insect control skills had impressed the teachers, making him a standout student.

The written exams and shuriken tests were held in the morning, followed by sparring matches in the afternoon. After the first round, only about twenty students remained.

Iruka called out the next match. "Ino Yamanaka versus Mizu Sarutobi."

Excited, Ino rushed to the center, while a boy from another class stepped forward to face her. Despite her enthusiasm, Ino soon lost due to an arm injury, fuming at Mizu's harshness.

"Damn it, he was so rough. I'll get him next time," Ino grumbled, recognizing Mizu Sarutobi from another clan.

"Let me see your hand," Zhixiang said, taking out a Healing Insect and using it on Ino's injury. Holding her hand in public made Ino blush despite her usual boldness.

The matches continued, and soon it was Zhixiang's turn.

"Sasuke Uchiha versus Zhixiang Aburame!"