Chapter 48: That's My Home

Shinho Aburame didn't stay long.

After having a glass of water, he left the Yamanaka Flower Shop and returned to Tsunade's house to practice his super strength. Although he had already made initial progress, according to Tsunade, it would take at least half a month before he could wield it effortlessly.

After a busy day, Shinho prepared to enjoy a delicious meal. Shizune had brought back rare tuna and abalone from Konoha Village, claiming they were gifts from her patients. These were undoubtedly high-end ingredients. With simple cooking, they were ready to be served.

After dinner, Shinho spent two hours cultivating his primeval essence before sinking into a deep sleep.

A New Day

At the entrance of the Ninja Academy, Shinho Aburame approached the bulletin board. He hadn't taken a good look at it yesterday, so today he had time to check it out.

The board displayed the rules for the Chunin Exams, along with a list of Genin participants and the Jonin proctors. Shinho quickly scanned through it. He didn't recognize most of the names, except for two familiar ones: Mizuki and Aoi Rokushō.

No wonder.

Class 2-A was being overseen by Iruka Umino, substituting as the proctor because Mizuki had become a supervisor. As for Aoi Rokushō, Shinho's thoughts stirred.

In the original story, he had encouraged Idate Morino, who failed the Chunin Exams, to steal the Sealing Scroll and Raijin Sword. This plot closely mirrored Naruto's own failed graduation and subsequent theft attempt, making them almost identical in essence.

Idate Morino hadn't stolen the Sealing Scroll but had taken the Raijin Sword instead. The Raijin Sword was a weapon once used by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Not only was it sharp, but it also possessed lightning attributes. This sword was somewhat reminiscent of the lightsabers from Star Wars. Normally, it remained as a hilt, but upon channeling chakra, it could extend into a laser blade.

Shinho reviewed the ninja list once more and finally spotted Idate Morino in the corner. Naida's brother, Ibiki Morino, was the captain of Konoha's interrogation squad, which likely explains how he managed to steal the Raijin Sword.

Shinho pondered. Could he defeat a Chunin? Direct combat would be challenging, but with a stealthy approach, his chances were higher since ordinary ninjas were quite fragile. Perhaps he could find external support to hold the line. Whether it was Tsunade or Shinho's father, capturing them would be a breeze.

After some thought, Shinho decided to approach his opportunistic father. His Gu would eventually be exposed. With fewer battles happening now, no one was paying much attention. However, when participating in the Chunin Exams or going on missions, he would undoubtedly be discovered. But this wasn't a big deal. He could disguise himself using a Kekkei Genkai, especially since the ninja world is filled with bizarre Kekkei Genkai.

Moreover, the Aburame clan wasn't like the Uchiha clan, so there wouldn't be any dramatic father-son bonding scenes. Shinho's father was eager for him to become stronger to revitalize the Aburame clan.

Besides, even if he did get exposed, he didn't need to reveal much—just the tip of the iceberg would suffice.

Most importantly, Shinho's current status was advantageous. As long as he closely aligned himself with Tsunade, no one would dare to mess with him, not even Danzo Shimura.

An idea suddenly sparked in Shinho's mind. This was a rare opportunity. He planned to have his father hold the front line while he sparred with Aoi Rokushō to gauge the strength of ordinary Chunin. As for the Raijin Sword, once he obtained it, it would be his.

Lost in thought, Shinho suddenly felt someone tug at his sleeve. He turned around to see Hinata Hyūga.

"Sh... Shinho-kun."

Hinata quickly withdrew her hand. She had been trying to greet him from a distance, but her voice was too soft for him to hear.

Shinho looked at her timid demeanor and instinctively reached out to pat her head. Her hair was silky smooth and carried a faint fragrance.

Hinata widened her eyes, startled by his affectionate gesture. But soon, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue.

"Let's go," Shinho said as if nothing had happened, walking toward the classroom.

Hinata felt dizzy, unsure of what he was talking about, but instinctively followed him.

"After your eyes awakened, did your father say anything?" Shinho suddenly recalled her recent achievement.

"Yes," Hinata replied, a smile spreading across her face. "He was very happy."

Since she could remember, she had never seen her father this pleased. Finally, there was a chance to not disappoint him. All credit went to Shinho-kun.

Hinata lifted her head, making eye contact with Shinho. Her body trembled slightly as she quickly looked away.

"After school, can you do me a small favor with your Byakugan?" Shinho asked casually. He wanted to test if the legendary Byakugan could see through his White Jade Gu.

"No problem! I can do whatever… you… say…," Hinata responded, her voice initially loud but fading into a whisper, so much so that Shinho didn't hear it.

Upon entering the classroom, most of the students had already arrived.

"Shinho!"

"Shinho-kun!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously. Yamanaka Ino shot a disapproving glance at Naruto.

'Why do you have to hog everything?'

Hinata's eyes flashed with a hint of nervousness.

Shinho was quite popular.

Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but wonder how Shinho remained so formidable despite being surrounded by so many people. How did he train so effectively?

But Sasuke would soon find out the answer, thanks to his mother.

"Shino."

Shinho returned to his seat. "Huh?"

Shino Aburame was a bit surprised. Today, his brother greeted him first. Usually, it was Yamanaka Ino or Hinata Hyūga.

He couldn't help but feel somewhat honored… or not.

He had suspected several times before whether they were biological brothers.

"Is Dad home tonight?" Shinho asked.

"Yes," Shino replied, slightly taken aback.

"Then I'll go home tonight."

"Eh?"

Shino was astonished.

"Eh what?"

Shinho glanced at him and asked, "That's my home. Is it weird if I go back?"

'So you know your way back home!' Shino couldn't help but mentally rant. 'You haven't been back for almost a week! I thought you'd been adopted by Tsunade-sama.'

"It's not weird."

Shino slightly twitched the corner of his mouth. Time passed as they chatted.

As the class bell rang, Iruka Umino walked in. He set down his textbooks and asked, "Good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Good news!" Many answered in unison.

"The good news is that this afternoon's practical training will be held with Class 2-A."

Iruka smiled and continued, "If you're interested, you can spar with the seniors."

Uchiha Sasuke was immediately intrigued. He wanted to test his skills against Hinata Hyūga's genius cousin, Neji Hyuga.

They were only a year apart, so he thought he might have a chance to win.

Meanwhile, Hinata Hyūga instinctively crossed her hands over her chest, feeling nervous but unable to express it.

"The bad news is that due to the Chunin Exams, there will be a day off on Friday."

With that, the classroom erupted in cheers. For the students, a day off was the best news of all.

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