Graduation Exam

First was a written test that wasn't too difficult with the memory he had. In fact, his memory had been crystal clear ever since he integrated with the Zerg system. Perhaps, this was a hidden benefit.

Next was the practical part. Shino Aburame watched his classmates with a focused intensity as they went through the graduation exam. He had trained hard for this moment and felt confident in his abilities. However, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. After all, he only transmigrated yesterday. What if he messes up?

The pressure only intensified when he watched as Naruto Uzumaki walked out of the exam room with a sad expression on his face. Shino knew that Naruto had trained hard for this moment, but he also knew that Naruto's skills were lacking compared to some of their other classmates. Truthfully, it wasn't that Naruto had a bad talent. He just had a bad neighbor holding him back. Shino couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for the boy.

As he continued to observe the exam, Shino couldn't help but be impressed by some of his other classmates. Sasuke Uchiha, in particular, stood out with his impressive display of skill and intelligence. Shino knew that Sasuke would be a tough competitor in the future … especially when he hangs up after defecting.

After a while, it was finally his turn to take the practical test. Fortunately, Iruka didn't forget about him. With ease, Shino went through the motions, except that he replaced the normal ninjutsu clone technique with his insect clone.

He felt a sense of relief inside after learning he had passed.

The next day, Shino walked into the classroom, unsurprised to see that Naruto had shown up again. Lucky bloke had an old grandpa orchestrating an entire event just so he could become a ninja with the Will of Fire.

Soon, the Jonins came to pick up the Genins. As expected, he was grouped with two other teammates - Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuga. Shino had mixed feelings about his new team. Kiba was a talented fighter, but he had a tendency to be reckless. Hinata, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved, but her skills as a ninja were impressive.

Their teacher, Kurenai Yuhi, walked into the room and introduced herself to the class.

Kurenai is a slim woman with a fair complexion. Her long, unruly black hair cascades down her back, drawing attention to her striking crimson eyes with a distinctive ring pattern. She adorns her face with bold purple eyeshadow and vibrant red lipstick. Her customary attire consists of a red mesh armor blouse, featuring a single visible sleeve on the right. The blouse material is reminiscent of bandages and adorned with a thorn-like rose pattern. Kurenai's upper thighs and hands are wrapped in bandages, The Konoha forehead protector is worn on her head.

Kurenai was known for her mastery of genjutsu, a type of ninja technique that involved manipulating the opponent's senses or emotions to create illusions or cause confusion. Her abilities in genjutsu were said to be among the strongest in the village – that is … until Itachi shows up.

Nevertheless, Shino was impressed by her calm, composed demeanor and knew that she would be a tough but fair teacher. If he had transmigrated into another character, perhaps Shino may have tried to find ways to snatch the beauty from the smoker. Unfortunately, no one likes a bug man … sigh.

Focusing his attention back on his teacher once they arrived at a nearby empty training ground, Shino listened as the team began to introduce themselves.

"Good morning, I am Kurenai Yuhi, your new sensei. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I am a jonin from the Leaf Village, and I specialize in genjutsu. I hope to teach you all how to master the art of illusion and become powerful ninja in your own right. Now, team 8, introduce yourselves."

"Kurenai-sensei? You look pretty cool."

With a step forward, Kiba followed next, grinning widely.

"Yo, I'm Kiba Inuzuka. My partner's Akamaru, but he's not here right now," he said, patting the empty air beside him.

After Kiba waved towards her, Hinata introduced herself, her voice soft and hesitant. "I'm Hinata Hyuga, from the Hyuga clan," she said, bowing politely. Due to her nervousness, her two fingers began to fidget as she continued, "I know …"

Her voice began softer and softer until it faded away...

Shino took a deep breath and nods towards Hinata, ready to introduce himself.

"I'm Shino Aburame, from the Aburame clan. I use-" he began, but was cut off by Kiba.

"Bugs! Because you're a bug man, right?" Kiba interrupted with a chuckle, earning a blank stare from Shino.

Kurenai's red eyes swept the trio as if to gauging their personalities.

Kurenai cleared her throat, drawing their attention back to her. "The test today will involve retrieving a scroll from a heavily guarded location. You will have a limited amount of time to complete the test, and you must do it without being detected. If you are caught, you will fail the test," Kurenai explained, "We will meet at the fourth training ground in one hour."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. "One hour? That's not much time at all."

Shino nodded in agreement, "We'll have to move quickly and-"

Kiba smirked, "Don't worry, guys. I'll handle the guards. Akamaru and I are experts at stealth."

Hinata looked doubtful and poked her fingers together as she whispered, "But won't they smell you coming?"

Kiba waved her off, "Nah, we'll just put on some deodorant."

Shino raised an eyebrow as he thought inwardly, "I don't think that's how it works..."

Kurenai sighed, "Alright, let's focus. You have a test to pass. See you at the training grounds in an hour."

Whoosh. With a flicker, Kurenai vanished. Clearly, she was going to setup ahead of time.

Shino carefully recalled the instructions and formulated a plan in his head. He knew that they would have to rely on each other's skills and work together as a team to complete the test successfully. He also knew that they would have to be prepared for any obstacles that they might face.

After coming up with a plan, Shino began to explain, "So, my plan is-"

"Alright! I'm going to go pick up Akamaru! See you at the training ground in an hour!" Kiba hollered as he ran off.

Shino raised his hand and adjusted his glass as he watched the reckless fella run into the distance. He then glanced over at Hinata, who happened to be peeking at him. When their gazes collided, Hinata shrunk her head as she whispered, "T-Then I will go prepare …"

Not long later, Shino silently stood alone at the training ground as the wind gently ruffled his spiky hair. He tucked up his collar and sighed inwardly, "Hey, is it really that hard for me to finish an entire line without being interrupted?"

In the end, he could only stroll off to grab some supplies from home.

An hour later, the group regathered at the training grounds. Kurenai appeared in front of them once more. She then gestured towards the nearby forest, "The scroll is in there. I will be observing secretly. You may begin anytime."

As the test began, Shino's heart raced with excitement and anticipation. He knew that this was his chance to prove himself as a ninja and show his classmates what he was capable of. But he also knew that there was a lot at stake - if they failed the test, they would have to repeat the entire year. Of coruse, the chances of this happening were slim, just because of their powerful clan backgrounds.

Entering the dense forest, Shino immediately sent his bugs out to scout. Similarly, Hinata opened her Byakugan to search for traces of the scroll. Meanwhile, Kiba placed Akamaru on the ground and had him sniff for the scent of their teacher. It was a full team of trackers. There was no way they could fail to find the scroll.

The only thing stopping them was the obstacles that Kurenai set. As the team approached the location of the scroll, they could see that Kurenai had set up a complex series of traps and obstacles that would challenge even the most skilled ninja. Hinata looked around nervously, while Kiba grinned in anticipation.

"Alright, let's do this!" Kiba exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air.

Shino nodded, his mind already analyzing the obstacles ahead. "We must proceed with caution and pay attention to-" he cautioned, but was interrupted by Kiba.

"Don't worry bug man, I got this!" Kiba said, charging forward without a second thought.

"We must be careful, Kiba-kun," Hinata said softly.

Alas, Kiba probably didn't hear her.

As they made their way through the obstacles, Shino couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in his teammates. Kiba's fierce determination and Hinata's quiet strength complemented his own analytical mind and bug support. The only downside is that Kiba doesn't always listen to what he says completely, so there were a few mishaps along the way, mainly due to Kiba's impulsive nature.

At one point, he accidentally triggered a trap that sent him flying into the air.

"Whoa, that was awesome!" Kiba exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

Shino could only sigh inwardly as he used his bugs to form a wall to block incoming kunai.

"Yo! Not bad, bug man!" Kiba waved happily as he bounced up from the ground, "Isn't that right, Akamaru?"

"Arf! Arf!" the cute pup barked in agreement as it hopped back into Kiba's arm.

Fortunately, the trio had decent strength and these traps were clearly not meant for killing. So, there wasn't much problem.

But as they approached the final stage of the test, Shino's heart sank as they were faced with an unexpected challenge … probably a clone of their teacher. As expected, the teacher will always personally test their students' strength.

She was guarding the scroll and she was definitely not a guard that Kiba can handle no matter how he boasts. Naturally, she was a powerful enemy, one that they could not beat even if they had prepared for it. They were clearly outmatched. Shino knew that this was the ultimate test of their skills as a team.

"Alright, here's the-" Shino began once more …

"Yo! Let's go Akamaru! Use dynamic marking!"

"Arf! Arf!"

Shino stared forward with a stoic look as he watched Kiba run up to Kurenai and then froze in place not long after. Poor Akamaru charged up alone and was petted to the ground before he could do any marking.

"This idiot … it's clear you shouldn't fight a genjutsu user alone."

This was probably not going to end well.