Due to the early maturity of children in this world, with only a few exceptions, they all understood the implications behind Aburame Shihui's words. In an instant, the gazes directed at him shifted. Aburame Shihui remained unresponsive, but Aburame Shino felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, with a thorn in his back or a fishbone stuck in his throat. He reaffirmed his thoughts; his older brother would eventually be beaten to death one day. It seemed he had to become stronger to protect him, at least to leave behind a whole corpse.

Nara Shikamaru smirked. "You definitely have a misunderstanding about a peaceful life."

"This friend is definitely mine!" Inuzuka Kiba said, clenching his fists.

Uchiha Sasuke felt a stir in his heart. He sensed the aura of a strong individual. For him, who wanted to learn from his brother Uchiha Itachi to dominate the ninja school, it was a silent challenge.

"So cool!" Yamanaka Ino clasped her hands tightly, her eyes sparkling with red hearts.

Hinata Hyuga felt her heart racing. She instinctively poked her index fingers together. Aburame Shihui's performance was exactly the figure she admired the most.

"Quiet!" Umino Iruka timely intervened, stopping the situation from escalating further. However, he also remembered this impressive student, Aburame Shihui.

"You can go down," Umino Iruka said with a glance at Uzumaki Naruto. His tone was neutral, revealing no preference. He had lost his parents during the Nine-Tails incident and did not have a favorable impression of Uzumaki Naruto. The self-introduction continued.

"Thank you!" Uzumaki Naruto said gratefully. He instinctively sensed that Aburame Shihui was helping him out of a jam, which moved him deeply. Besides the Third Hokage and Teuchi, he was the first person to actively befriend and help him.

"There are indeed flies," Aburame Shihui said calmly.

Aburame Shino and Nara Shikamaru turned their heads in perfect synchronization. The former understood his brother, while the latter was intelligent. Their thoughts were the same: I don't believe you; you're quite bad.

[Achieved the achievement 'Sweaty, right, little brother' for Aburame Shino, and received the reward 'Bookworm Bug.']

[Bookworm Bug: A first-tier bug that automatically remembers the content of books it consumes.]

The Bookworm Bug is equivalent to an eidetic memory.

Aburame Shihui raised an eyebrow. After all these years, his little brother finally dropped some coins.

After the self-introduction, formal classes began. The ninja school’s curriculum was quite extensive. It involved not just the Three Body Technique but also throwing ninja tools, the Will of Fire, astronomy, mathematics, and more.

Aburame Shihui listened for a while before contemplating serious matters. Which achievement should he pursue first? Ultimately, he decided to prioritize Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha. From his understanding, the former needed to gain recognition from Hinata Hizashi, while the latter should be beaten up a few times.

The class bell rang. It was noon.

"Shihui-kun." Yamanaka Ino, holding her lunchbox, leaned over the desk and asked, "Want to eat together?"

Aburame Shihui glanced at her instinctively. She was not wearing that classic midriff outfit now. What impressed him the most about Yamanaka Ino were her waist and legs.

He nodded.

Yay! Yamanaka Ino's face instantly broke into a smile. She had previously had a friendly negotiation with Haruno Sakura. In the future, Sasuke Uchiha would belong to her, but she couldn't take Aburame Shihui from her.

Aburame Shino quietly moved aside.

"Shihui-kun." Yamanaka Ino picked up a rice ball and said, "Try this, my family's unique rose rice ball."

Aburame Shihui took it, took a bite, and was immediately greeted with the fragrance of roses.

"This is my mom's specialty dish; I am learning it now," Yamanaka Ino said, pushing aside her golden hair. "Once I learn it, please be sure to give me a chance, Shihui-kun."

Does this little girl understand so much now? But he understood that this was not some boyfriend-girlfriend relationship; it was simply a case of being attracted by appearance. Her achievement name already hinted at it.

Just when Aburame Shihui was about to respond, a hand appeared in front of him.

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba." Inuzuka Kiba grinned, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "You were really amazing just now!"

"Aburame Shihui." Aburame Shihui shook hands with him.

Inuzuka Kiba was very enthusiastic. Or rather, children generally don’t have such complicated thoughts. If they think someone is good, they just want to play with them.

[Achieved the achievement 'Fox and Dog Friends,' and received the reward 'Little Light Bug.']

[Little Light Bug: A first-tier bug that, when used with the Moonlight Bug, enhances the Moon Blade’s attack.]

Why are you still cursing? Aburame Shihui couldn’t help but hold back his sarcasm.

But he suddenly froze. This achievement only appeared after he met Inuzuka Kiba. Therefore, does "dog friend" refer to him? Then "fox friend" refers to Uzumaki Naruto? Could it really be a genius?

Hinata Hyuga quietly ate her lunch. Yet her small face occasionally showed signs of conflict. The excitement was theirs; she had nothing. She wanted to join in too. But until the afternoon after school, she didn’t muster the courage.

"Shihui-kun, want to go back together?" Yamanaka Ino stood in front of Aburame Shihui with her backpack. She stood straight, her face filled with anticipation.

"Next time for sure." Aburame Shihui shook his head and said, "I have other things to do."

"I see." Yamanaka Ino did not press further. Although she was looks-oriented, she wasn’t infatuated and maintained a certain degree of propriety.

"See you tomorrow." Yamanaka Ino left the classroom with a light step.

"Sasuke-kun!" Haruno Sakura chased after Uchiha Sasuke as he walked out.

"Shino, you go back with Naruto and the others." Aburame Shihui instructed and left first.

"He's going to Konoha Hospital." Aburame Shino met Uzumaki Naruto's puzzled gaze and explained.

"I know that." Inuzuka Kiba interjected, "My sister said that Shihui has an extremely terrifying talent for medical ninjutsu." His sister is Inuzuka Hana, a veterinarian in the medical class.

Hinata Hyuga walked through the school with her head down, feeling dejected. Clearly, there were so many opportunities, but she missed them all. Besides knowing his name, she hadn’t even exchanged a word with him.

Hinata Hyuga suddenly stopped in her tracks. She instinctively looked up and saw Aburame Shihui not far away.

"Eh?" Hinata Hyuga was momentarily stunned, a surge of excitement welling up inside her.

"Want to grab a bite?" Aburame Shihui glanced at her and asked.

Grab a bite? Hinata Hyuga felt a bit dizzy, her face inexplicably burning. She pressed her lips together, unable to find words for a long time.

Today was not the same unexpected situation as before. The rules of the Hyuga clan were very strict. For dinner, she had to go home to eat. At the very least, she had to seek her father's permission.

"Then tomorrow." Aburame Shihui walked ahead, leaving her with his back. "Don't let a second person know."

Being shy doesn’t mean being weak. Hinata Hyuga was actually quite strong in the original work. Her current weakness stemmed from the rules of the Hyuga clan and her fear of Hyuga Hiashi.

Aburame Shihui's plan was simple. Break the rules and face the fear. Just like how Aburame Shihui climbed over the school wall in his previous life, there’s only a first time and countless times thereafter.