Chapter 019: Visiting the Aburame Clan

"Isn't it good to enjoy peace a little longer? Peace is so precious." Naruto spoke with perfect composure. "As for making a living, I don’t worry about that at all."

The truth was, Naruto was now quite wealthy.

It wasn’t because he’d inherited anything from Minato Namikaze or Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto had gone to ask Hiruzen Sarutobi for it, but Hiruzen insisted on waiting until Naruto became a Chunin before handing it over, claiming that some things left by Naruto’s parents were extremely dangerous.

When Naruto looked at Hiruzen with suspicion, the old man relented and gave him a few basic Uzumaki clan sealing scrolls left by Kushina. In Naruto's eyes, these things were unique, but not worth much if sold.

In fact, Naruto’s main source of income came from dividends.

Dividends paid by Orochimaru.

After leaving the Land of Fire, Orochimaru had gone to a neighboring small country, the Land of Fields. That country possessed only ninja clans serving the feudal lord, without a Hidden Village of its own. Once there, Orochimaru subdued its ninja.

Yet he didn’t establish a Hidden Village, but instead founded a company: Ryuchi Cave Mechanical Manufacturing Company, known simply as Ryuchi Corp.

Ryuchi Corp manufactured a variety of mechanical products. Their prices were low, but their performance surpassed competitors by several orders of magnitude. As a result, even though it had only been established for about half a year, Ryuchi Corp was already generating impressive profits.

Recently, Naruto had received a substantial dividend payment from Orochimaru. And this was just the profit from half a year; Orochimaru would send another payment every six months.

Of course, Naruto hadn’t told Iruka any of this.

Although the Leaf Village hadn’t officially listed Orochimaru as a wanted criminal, many ninja in the village still regarded Orochimaru as a traitor. For Iruka, knowing anything about Orochimaru wouldn’t be a good thing.

“Alright, enjoying peace. I can understand your choice.” Iruka didn’t try to persuade Naruto further. He knew that, once Naruto graduated from the Academy, he probably wouldn’t have another chance to enjoy peace.

After their meal, Iruka walked Naruto home.

The next day, Naruto once again made his way to the Aburame clan compound, carrying an item on his shoulder wrapped in thick black canvas.

His classmate, Shino Aburame, and Shino’s father, Shimei Aburame, were waiting for him at the entrance. Even though their eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, Naruto could sense the light in their gazes when he arrived.

“Naruto!”

Shino stepped forward. “You’re here?”

“Yeah,” Naruto nodded. “Just as we agreed, I’m here.”

Shimei Aburame also came forward, his gaze drifting to the black-wrapped package on Naruto’s back, his expression a mixture of curiosity, hope, and excitement.

Naruto raised a finger to his lips. “Let’s talk inside.”

Shimei led Naruto into the compound. They walked straight through the main gate and into the clan’s assembly hall.

The hall itself wasn’t large or particularly old, but at its entrance stood a weathered torii gate, adorned with sacred ropes and paper streamers bearing the Aburame clan crest—genuine relics of the past.

Shimei slipped his hand into his pocket, and several kikaichu bugs flew out from his sleeve. Naruto sensed countless tiny life forms quickly enveloping the hall, occupying every corner where intelligence might be gathered, each one potentially deadly.

They were sealing off all information.

As for why such secrecy was needed...

When Shimei had finished, he looked at Naruto with fervent anticipation.

“It’s all set, Uncle Shimei. Everything’s taken care of,” Naruto assured him, and with his prosthetic hand, he lowered the item from his back.

He removed the black cloth, revealing a massive metal pillar riddled with countless round holes.

At the sight of it, Shino and Shimei, for the first time, lost their stoic composure and broke into expressions of sheer delight.

“The Kikaichu Feeder Type-1, prototype, is finished.” Naruto supported the metal pillar, smiling. “Of course, this is just the basic version, with primary functionality. Collecting data and refining it further—that’s up to the Aburame clan now.”

Indeed, this was the device Naruto had crafted at the Aburame clan’s request: an external feeder for kikaichu.

In the world of shinobi, every ninja clan had their own secret techniques and traditions. Without unique jutsu others couldn’t imitate, there could be no true clan.

The Aburame’s specialty was insect-based ninjutsu.

Their chosen companions were kikaichu—formidable insects that could consume chakra and gnaw human tissue.

The cooperation between Naruto and the Aburame clan stemmed from a chance encounter earlier that semester.

It happened during a physical training class. While running laps, Shino suddenly turned pale and collapsed. No one dared help him—even the teachers were hesitant. Only Naruto supported Shino and took him to the school infirmary.

Even there, the nurse didn’t dare touch Shino. Left with no choice, Naruto used battlefield first-aid techniques he’d learned in his previous life to tend to Shino.

It was then that Naruto noticed the tiny but powerful kikaichu inhabiting Shino’s body.

When Shino woke, Naruto escorted him home, marking the beginning of his acquaintance with the Aburame clan.

Through Shimei’s explanations, Naruto learned why Shino, usually in good physical shape, had suddenly fainted.

Shino was talented—he had managed to refine a trace of chakra in his very first semester. Shimei had intended to wait until Shino was older and stronger before introducing him to the kikaichu symbiosis, but Shino had insisted on starting immediately.

As a young child, Shino had once seen his father and the clan elders gathered in the assembly hall, their faces clouded with worry. He overheard that several geniuses of his generation had been forcibly recruited by a special division, leaving the clan in a precarious position.

Eager to ease the burden on his family, Shino attempted to bond with the kikaichu early. But his body was simply too small to endure the consequences of their parasitism—hence his collapse on the training field.

Understanding all this, Naruto decided to help Shino. He knew these insects were vital to the Aburame ninja’s lives, but also brought them endless pain.

Naruto didn’t want to see his friends suffer, but he couldn’t ask the Aburame to abandon their kikaichu bond; that would be even crueller than death.

Therefore, Naruto resolved to help the clan create a kikaichu feeder—the very device he had brought today.

That was why Shino and Shimei were so moved.

Despite their coexistence with kikaichu, if given a choice, they would never wish to endure the constant pain of being gnawed from within.