Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

"Uncle, have you figured it out?"

Fugaku, leaning against the counter waiting to pay, glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"Lunch break is about to end."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, I can't be wrong about the noodles I made, can I?"

Yi Le's father was still frowning and trying to remember, but for some reason, no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't figure out where the nine bowls of ramen that had vanished had gone.

"Thank you for the hospitality, Lao Da!"

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Minato, leaning against the wall, walked over and offered his sincere thanks to Fugaku, who had treated him.
"Hey! We're all buddies, it's just a few bowls of ramen. From now on, follow Prison Boss, and you'll live the high life!"

Fugaku patted Minato on the shoulder with an arrogant expression, gesturing wildly with empty promises.

Upon hearing this, Minato couldn't help but reveal a hint of anticipation.
As the saying goes, a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on.

Judging from his performance just now, Fugaku is a powerful and wealthy man, so I'm sure I won't be mistreated if I follow him.

Just as he was envisioning a bright future, he caught a glimpse of Shimi Aburame, who was also walking out, leaning against the wall. He quickly shook off his daydreams, pointed behind him,
"Brother Lao, I was so busy eating noodles that I almost forgot to introduce you. This is my friend."

"Uh?"

Upon hearing Minato's sudden change of topic, Fugaku paused slightly, then leaned out to look in the direction he was pointing.

It's completely empty; there are no friends here.
"Hey kid, are you lonely?"

Looking with a hint of pity at Minato waving to the air behind him, Fugaku asked in a heavy tone,

"To the point that he imagined a friend who didn't exist."

"what?"

Minato blinked, completely bewildered. Shiki's presence was indeed somewhat weak, but surely not to the point that she was completely invisible?

"Hey, look closely, there's someone here!"

Pulling the expressionless Shii to his side, Minato looked at Fugaku with a serious expression.

"Okay, okay, there's someone here, there's someone here, alright?"

Fugaku nodded perfunctorily, not wanting to upset his newly recruited subordinate. He planned to find his uncle when he had time and ask him to help treat Minato's hysteria.

"No, no, Zhiwei, say something!"

Minato was frantically scratching his head, while Aburame Shii, who was used to this, calmly shook her head.
"Minato-kun, it's okay, I'm used to it."

"Ah! Who's speaking!"

Hearing the unfamiliar voice suddenly ring out in the air, Fugaku warily looked around, his face full of vigilance.
"Oh, I remember now, it was that voice! Those nine bowls of noodles that were short were ordered by that voice!"

Yile's father, who had been deep in thought behind the counter, suddenly looked up, his narrow eyes filled with determination.
"You actually ate nine bowls! Zhiwei, you're amazing!"

Upon hearing that Zhiwei had actually devoured nine large bowls of ramen, Minato was so astonished he couldn't close his mouth.
He could only eat five bowls before he was full, while the seemingly frail oil-loving Zhiwei ate nine bowls in a row.

"It wasn't all of it that I ate."

Under Minato's questioning gaze, Aburame Shiki raised his finger, and a black worm the size of a soybean crawled up his arm.

"This is?"

Looking at the strangely shaped little black insect, Minato's eyes were full of curiosity. Shiki nodded gently and slowly explained its origin.

"The Parasite Insects, our family is the insect-using clan of Konoha. Every member of the clan must sign a symbiotic contract with the Parasite Insects from a young age, feeding the insects with their own bodies."

"I see!"

Minato exclaimed in surprise, his face filled with realization. He had heard of the Aburame clan's insect control techniques from his father, but he never imagined that these insects were actually raised inside their own bodies.
"It's the mother insect that just signed a contract with me. Nurturing it requires a lot of chakra. If it weren't for it, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state today."

Shiki Aburame had only recently signed a contract with the mother insect, and her chakra was barely enough to feed the insect, let alone have any left over for battle.

"Holy crap, there really is someone!"

Just as Minato and Shiki were talking, a bewildered Fugaku activated his Sharingan. With the help of this eye, he finally saw the unfamiliar figure beside Minato.
A black-haired kid wearing black sunglasses,
"Lord Lao, you've finally seen Zhiwei! I didn't lie to you, did I?"

"Hiss, so many bugs! Are you from the Aburame clan?"

When Fugaku saw the number of small black worms inside Aburame Shimi's body through his Sharingan, a chill ran down his spine. He swallowed hard and asked, "..."
"Shiki Aburame, a friend of Minato-kun, nice to meet you."

He's obligated to help someone who's eaten his food; having accepted nine bowls of noodles from Fugaku, he naturally wouldn't keep quiet and refuse to respond.
"Zhiwei may have a slightly weak presence, but he is definitely a good kid."

Sensing the apprehension in Fugaku's eyes, Minato immediately stepped forward to explain for his friend.

Fugaku tried to deactivate his Sharingan, and Aburame Shimi instantly vanished from his sight. He then activated it again, and she reappeared in the same spot. After repeating this cycle several times, he nodded with a strange expression.
"This presence isn't just weak, it's practically zero!"

No wonder everyone had finished their meal and hadn't noticed the stranger who had snuck in.
"Uncle, don't bother calculating, just settle the bill for 88 bowls."

Having figured out where the nine bowls of noodles went, Fugaku readily paid the bill. At that moment, the group of people who had finished their noodles emerged, leaning against the wall, their faces flushed with satisfaction.

"Remember to call me if there are any more good things like this in the future."

"Is it still not enough?" Rope Tree said, picking his teeth.
If he hadn't eaten the bento boxes he and Mikoto had given him before coming, he could definitely have challenged Choza to a contest to see who truly had the biggest appetite among the ninja academy students.
"hehe."

Fugaku curled his lip, gave Nawaki a knowing, cold laugh, and then introduced the silent Aburame Shii to the side.

"This is a friend from the Watergate prison, you two get to know each other."

"Did you inhale ramen into your brain? There's no one here."

Nawaki would never miss an opportunity to mock Fugaku, pointing to the empty seat and laughing loudly.

The Hyuga brothers exchanged a glance. Having also found no one, they knew Fugaku wouldn't make a claim without reason. They activated their Byakugan to investigate, and sure enough, they spotted a creature covered in insects.

"The Aburame clan?"

Hiashi frowned slightly. What a bizarre stealth technique. The secret arts family really knows its stuff.
"You are Zhiwei, please give me your guidance."

A cold voice rang in everyone's ears, startling several children who couldn't see Zhiwei, who all took a step back.
"Ah! There's a ghost!"

The timid Inoichi hid behind Shikaku, trembling uncontrollably.

"Haochi~ Haochi~"

Having finished his meal, Dingza was already lost in thought and didn't react to anything. He was currently savoring the taste of his ramen with a blissful expression.
Shikaku frowned. He knew the Aburame clan; they were also members of the Ninja Clan Alliance.

However, according to my father, most members of this clan have a bad habit: they like to be late or absent. Their clan is always missing from the Ninja Clan Alliance's meetings.

Standing next to Zhiwei, Minato took in everyone's reactions.

"Zhiwei."

"It doesn't matter, Minato-kun."

Minato could sense that his friend, who had a weak presence, was actually quite disappointed inside, even though he said he didn't care.

"There's no need to look so sad. Perhaps this is the fate of insect controllers."

Zhiwei felt incredibly lucky to have met Minato, a friend who always kept an eye on him. At least during his years at the Ninja Academy, he had someone he could confide in.
"Is it because of the bugs?" Sensing the underlying meaning in Shiki's words, Minato asked with a frown.

“There are factors involved.”

Zhiwei nodded. Before the contract with the parasitic insect, his presence wasn't strong, but it wasn't so weak as to be invisible to the naked eye.
However, after raising the worms inside his body, the worms, which possess inherent stealth properties, covered his meridians, completely concealing his chakra and further weakening his presence.
"If I had fewer worms inside me, perhaps people would be able to spot me more easily."

But this would mean he would have to neglect the family's prized secret techniques, a choice Zhiwei, as the family heir, certainly wouldn't want to make.

"That's it"

After listening to Zhiwei's explanation, Minato stroked his chin thoughtfully, his wandering gaze sweeping across the shop.

Suddenly, something on the counter caught his attention.

It was a gourd-shaped ceramic container; it was unclear whether it was a decoration or contained something.

"Uncle, can I have that?"

Pointing to the large gourd on the shelf, Minato asked in a childish voice.
"this one?"

While happily counting his money, Ichiro's father looked up in confusion and discovered that Shuimen had asked for a large, dusty gourd. He then generously gifted it to the big customer who had ordered 88 bowls.
"I'll give it to you if you want it."

This was a container previously used in the kitchen to store soy sauce, but it kept inexplicably getting infested with insects. He originally wanted to throw it away, but since it had some nice shape, he kept it for the time being.

"Thank you, uncle!"

Overjoyed, Shuimen took the large gourd, pulled out the stopper to check it, and found that the seal was intact. He then handed it to the bewildered Zhiwei.

"Minato-kun, what do you mean by this?"

"Zhiwei, do you think you can keep the worms inside your body here and release them when you need them?"

"what?"

Upon hearing this absurd suggestion, Aburame Shiki's mind went blank for a moment. Her clan, the Aburame, traditionally kept insects inside their bodies; this facilitated communication and allowed them to fight at any time.

"This goes against the laws of our ancestors."

"How will you know if you don't try? If you have an extra container, won't you have a lot more insects than others?"

Despite Shii's initial refusal, Minato insisted that he try the new method.

"OK then."

Unable to dissuade Minato, he had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Not holding out much hope, Yu Nuzhi tentatively manipulated a small group of insects into the gourd container.

“The insects are used to being inside me, and I’m not sure if they like this container.”

As he waited for the insects to react and resist, he was surprised to find that the insects that had entered the gourd were staying inside and refusing to leave.

"Nani?"

Based on the simple feedback transmitted by the insects, Aburame Shiki, with a strange expression, fed most of the satiated insects inside her body into the gourd.

As before, these parasites neither resisted nor died from stress. They nestled contentedly in the container filled with the intoxicating smell, as if they had found another comfortable haven.

As the parasites inside her body migrated, Aburame Shimi's presence became noticeably more prominent, eventually dwindling to the point where she could only be detected upon close inspection.

"Huh? Who are you!?"

Mikoto, who had been completely bewildered, covered her mouth in surprise when she saw the black-haired boy in sunglasses appear out of nowhere. Her eyes were filled with astonishment.
"You can all see me now?"

Feeling the gazes of several people, Aburame Shiki retreated somewhat awkwardly to Minato's side.
"Not bad, you little rascal from the bottom of the Water Gate prison!"

Having witnessed Minato's clever trick, Fugaku smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

No, not at all.

Minato chuckled and scratched his head. Aburame Shii, wiping away tears streaming down her face behind her sunglasses, said firmly,

"Minato-kun, from now on, you will be my friend for life."

Upon hearing this, Minato paused slightly, then gave Shiki a gentle smile that he would never forget.

"Isn't it already already?"

After successfully bringing Minato into his circle, Fugaku was surprised to find that this newly recruited subordinate was absolutely adorable, loved by everyone, and even cars would get flat tires just by looking at him.
Not only did he gain the approval of the beauty-obsessed Mikoto, the appreciation of the Hyuga brothers, and the instant connection with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, but even his arch-rival Nawaki harbored the outrageous idea of ​​NTR (Netorare).

Another lunch break has begun.

A group of people sat in a circle outdoors as agreed, enjoying their respective bento boxes.
Sitting opposite the water gate, Aburame Shimi pushed her carefully prepared family feast in front of it.

"Minato-kun, please try this. It's a unique delicacy of our Aburame clan."

"Thank you for your kindness. I've been intermittently fasting for the past few days, eating only vegetarian food."

Seeing the fragrant insect dishes in Shimi Aburame's bento box, Minato hesitated, then picked up a tomato from his own bento and stuffed it into his mouth.
Zhiwei wasn't angry at being rejected; she simply shook her head with a hint of regret.

"Ah, what a pity. Mother said that this dish has four times the protein of beef and is an excellent nutritional food."

Meanwhile, Nawaki, still harboring wicked intentions, began his daily work of turning people against him. He stealthily approached Minato, whose cheeks were puffed out like a hamster's, and whispered in a voice loud enough for everyone present to hear, "..."

"Minato, stop being that bastard Fugaku's lackey and come under my command. When I become Hokage, I'll definitely reward you with the position of branch secretary."

However, he clearly didn't quite make a proper plan. The Hokage and the Party Secretary are on equal footing; there's no such thing as someone being appointed by special appointment.
After chewing the tomato in his mouth a few times, Minato's face was full of helplessness.

"Gulp~ Brother Rope Tree, Prison Master has treated me well, how can I betray him?"

"Very good! I like loyal subordinates like you. Don't worry, whatever benefits Fugaku gives you, I, Nawaki, will double them!"

"Ah this."

Looking at the arrogant Nawaki, Minato scratched his head in embarrassment. Shouldn't this kind of thing be said in secret?
"Minato, ignore that loud-voiced idiot."

Sitting on the other side of the water gate, Fugaku couldn't help but roll his eyes. *Please turn the volume down a bit when you're plotting something.*
"Huh? You bastard Fugaku, you're asking for a beating again, aren't you?"

"Hmph~ It seems you haven't lost badly enough yet. How about we go to the training grounds after school and have another match?"

"Let's have a competition! Who's afraid of who? The loser treats everyone to dinner today!"

"Breaking a promise is the act of a dog!"

The two quickly made a bet: after school, they would go to the training ground and have a three-hundred-round battle; the loser would obediently pay up, and the winner would enjoy a honeyed drink.

"Hey, do you guys go to the training ground to train every day after school?"

Minato and Fugaku had been together for a while; the prison guard had taken good care of him at school, but he would disappear as soon as school was over.

From the snippets of conversation among the group, Minato could easily deduce that Fugaku and the others were undergoing some kind of extra training after school, which filled him with envy as he yearned to become stronger.
"Hey! It's all this idiot's fault for messing things up, I almost forgot to tell you about this."

Upon hearing Minato's question, Fugaku, who was bickering with Nawaki as usual, turned around and winked at him mysteriously.

"Don't go after school, Prison Boss, I'll take you to a great place. I guarantee you'll be hooked after just one visit, and you'll feel restless if you don't go for a day." (End of Chapter)