After their meal, Yahiko and his companions resumed their training. Shigeo Aburame carried the empty lunchbox back to the cabin, where he prepared two bowls of ramen to share with Jiraiya.
On the table in front of Jiraiya were two stacks of books, but the notebook before him remained blank. He ate his ramen absentmindedly, clearly preoccupied with his thoughts.
Shigeo, understanding Jiraiya's need for space, refrained from interrupting him. After finishing his meal, Shigeo settled into a corner, closed his eyes, and began meditating.
Meditation is one of the key methods for a ninja to refine their chakra, serving as an essential complement to both taijutsu and ninjutsu training.
Shigeo didn't lack chakra at the moment. His primary purpose in meditating was to regulate and expand his chakra pathways, enabling them to accommodate even more chakra.
Most ninjas would never dare attempt such a thing. The chakra pathways are critical to a ninja's abilities; any damage to them could render a ninja incapable of using chakra altogether.
This is why the Hyuga Clan of Konoha is so formidable—their Gentle Fist technique disrupts an opponent's chakra flow by targeting their tenketsu (chakra points), effectively incapacitating them.
This underscores just how crucial chakra pathways are to a ninja.
However, Shigeo dared to experiment with his own chakra pathways—not out of ignorance, but because he had a trump card: the new red parasitic insects he had cultivated, which he named **Blood Bugs**.
Unlike the chakra provided by standard parasitic insects, the chakra returned by the Blood Bugs was not only more abundant but also carried a unique property: **regeneration**.
Regenerative chakra is a hallmark of yang energy and a cornerstone of medical ninjutsu.
A ninja with this type of chakra can recover from injuries far faster than ordinary ninjas, even without medical ninjutsu.
The most famous example of this is Hashirama Senju. According to Uchiha Madara's account, Hashirama could heal almost instantly after being wounded, thanks to the vast reserves of yang chakra in his body.
Now, Shigeo also possessed such chakra.
Although he was far from matching Hashirama's prowess, his chakra was more than sufficient to heal the damage caused by expanding his pathways.
As Shigeo meditated, chakra surged through his body, crashing against his pathways like waves against a shoreline. The repeated impacts gradually widened and toughened his pathways.
The process of expansion caused the pathways to stretch and tear, but they healed rapidly under the influence of the regenerative chakra, becoming sturdier with each cycle.
This process repeated several times before Shigeo stopped.
His chakra pathways had nearly doubled in capacity. However, further expansion would require a significant increase in his overall chakra reserves.
Ending his meditation, Shigeo opened his eyes just in time to see Nagato stepping through the door.
"Sensei!"
Nagato hesitated at the doorway, glancing toward Jiraiya. "Do you have some time now?"
"Hmm?" Jiraiya looked up, nodding. He glanced at the blank notebook in front of him. "I wanted to start writing a book, but I haven't been able to find the right inspiration."
Hearing this, Nagato sat down at the door, remaining silent for a moment before speaking with his back to Jiraiya.
"I've been thinking about what you said before... about hatred in this world."
"Oh?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Have you come up with a solution?"
Nagato shook his head.
"Peace... I still don't know how to achieve it. But one day, I'll break this curse!"
He turned to face Jiraiya, determination blazing in his eyes.
"If true peace exists, I'll seize it with everything I have. What matters more than any method is the strength to believe, right, Brother Shigeo?"
Nagato then turned to Shigeo, whose lavender Rinnegan eyes shimmered with an indescribable light.
"Uh..."
Shigeo couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
The contrast between this impassioned Nagato and the one he mentally dubbed the "Rice Bag Nagato" left him momentarily stunned.
Thankfully, his sunglasses concealed most of his expression. Regaining his composure, he quickly gave Nagato a thumbs-up.
Encouraged by his "brother's" approval, Nagato smiled, feeling he had found his direction in life.
Jiraiya, too, smiled, inspired by Nagato's words. Picking up his pen, he scrawled a title across the blank notebook: **Tales of a Gutsy Ninja**.
---
In the following days, Jiraiya split his time between mentoring the trio in ninjutsu and drafting his new book.
Meanwhile, Shigeo took charge of meals and periodically trimmed Nagato's hair to synthesize more Blood Bugs.
To Shigeo's delight, the Blood Bugs had incredibly long lifespans. Even after two months, the first batch showed no signs of aging.
Freed from the inefficiencies of constant replenishment, Shigeo's power began growing exponentially.
He synthesized Blood Bugs to increase his chakra reserves, expanded his pathways to hold more chakra, then synthesized even more Blood Bugs—a simple yet effective cycle.
---
A year later, when the first batch of Blood Bugs finally started dying, Shigeo could summon Gamabunta using the Summoning Jutsu.
This marked a major milestone: his chakra reserves had reached Jiraiya's level, greatly enhancing his ability to protect himself.
Elated, Shigeo generously handed over all his stock of insect snacks to Gamabunta as a first-meeting gift.
Pleased with the offering, Gamabunta left in high spirits, even praising Shigeo's generosity compared to Jiraiya's.
"Unlike Orochimaru's man-eating Manda, the toads of Mount Myoboku are much easier to get along with," Shigeo thought.
Jiraiya was the first human to enter Mount Myoboku and had earned the favor of the Great Toad Sage, as well as the two toad sages, Fukasaku and Shima.
However, as a contemporary, Gamabunta wasn't as fond of Jiraiya.
Whenever Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta, it was always to fight a tough enemy, after which he'd dismiss him with little more than a few words of thanks.
At first, Gamabunta tolerated this, but over time, his resentment grew.
"Who does he think he is? Summon me at will and then dismiss me like that? I'm **Gamabunta, the Crown Prince of Mount Myoboku**, not some disposable tool!"
Eventually, Gamabunta stopped responding unless the situation was truly dire.
Shigeo, on the other hand, struck the perfect chord with Gamabunta's temperament.
When he summoned Gamabunta for the first time, he showered him with praise and gifts of rare and delicious insect snacks. Gamabunta felt genuinely respected.
Especially delighted by the juice-filled, wine-flavored beetles, Gamabunta only regretted there weren't more of them.
"Hmm... Maybe I should invite him to Mount Myoboku for a drink and a bonding session?"
Back in Mount Myoboku, Gamabunta began plotting how to deepen his relationship with Shigeo.
(Chapter End)