Shibi Aburame asked Shino to show the guests around, and he would arrange the meals.
Shino was actually a bit nervous because it was the first time his friends had come to his house as guests. Even though his relationship with Xia Mu and Tenten was very good, he still cared a lot.
He took the two of them to see the insect breeding room and the vegetable garden.
The Aburame Clan's Insect Manipulation Technique was famous, so it was normal for them to raise insects at home, although it wasn't very friendly to people with trypophobia.
Xia Mu and Tenten weren't afraid, after all, they were very familiar with Shino.
Every time they trained together, Shino would release a bunch of insects, so they naturally got used to it over time.
However, watching the dense insects gnawing on vegetable leaves and making crunching sounds wasn't pleasant at all. People who weren't from the Aburame Clan would only feel a chill down their spine.
Afterward, Shino took the two of them to the training ground in the backyard.
Xia Mu also brought up the main topic: "Shino, I have created a Nin-Taijutsu called Six Styles, including the Paper Drawing I taught you before, and Shave which is similar to Body Flicker Technique that I figured out myself. The remaining four styles are Iron Skin, Moon Walk, Finger Gun, and Wind Release: Gale Palm. They should greatly make up for your shortcomings in Taijutsu. Now, split out a few Insect Clones to spar with me, and I will demonstrate them to you one by one."
"Okay. I'm looking forward to it."
Shino didn't refuse, just as Xia Mu hadn't refused when he gave him a pile of Ninjutsu scrolls.
He raised his hand, and a swarm of insects gathered into three Insect Clones, all holding Kunai and rushing towards Xia Mu.
"Shave!"
Xia Mu instantly vanished from his spot.
When he reappeared, he was already behind one of the Insect Clones. His right index finger suddenly became incredibly black and directly poked the heart area of this Insect Clone.
"Finger Gun!"
This Insect Clone exploded, but the other two Insect Clones charged forward with their Kunai.
Xia Mu didn't even dodge. He casually formed a few hand signs. When the Kunai landed on him, only the sound of metal colliding was heard, and there was no damage at all.
"This is Iron Skin! Next is Moon Walk! And after that is Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
Xia Mu directly stepped on the air, actually running in the sky, leaving Tenten and Shino dumbfounded. Immediately after, he swept out a kick in mid-air, surprisingly producing an arc-shaped slash that directly cut the two insect clones to pieces.
There was no need to demonstrate Paper Drawing, as Shino had already learned it.
After landing, Xia Mu met Tenten's bright, sparkling eyes and Shino's reflective sunglasses, smiling as he said, "These are the Six Styles. Although they require Water and Earth Release Chakra, you can still learn them even without the corresponding Chakra natures. Next, I'll explain the principles of the Six Styles to you..."
Not long after, Xia Mu meticulously explained the principles and training methods of the Six Styles, holding nothing back.
He also mentioned precautions, such as how Iron Skin and Finger Gun require the Iron Transformation Technique, which makes the body absorb the properties of iron. This is quite dangerous, so it's best to train with Shadow Clones first, and the Iron Transformation Technique shouldn't be used for more than a minute, otherwise it's easy to injure the body, which would be counterproductive.
Shino nodded repeatedly as he listened, clearly very satisfied with the Six Styles.
Once he learned them, he wouldn't fear enemies getting close and engaging him in taijutsu. Just one move like Iron Skin could make the enemy's efforts futile.
"Oh right, Shino," Xia Mu suddenly said, "Once you learn it, give the Six Styles to Uncle Shibi and let him make arrangements."
"This..."
Shino disagreed slightly, "Xia Mu, this is your research result..."
Xia Mu chuckled lightly, "Hehe, it's my research result, that's true, but it's also a result I achieved with the strong support of the Aburame Clan. Don't think I don't know that the Ninjutsu you gave me had Uncle Shibi's approval. You and I are close, but I can't not thank Uncle Shibi, otherwise what kind of person would I be!"
Shino opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.
He understood Xia Mu's thinking and knew that Xia Mu was doing the right thing.
Even if those Ninjutsu weren't highly regarded within the clan, they were still the clan's assets. As the Clan Head's son, giving them to outsiders without permission would definitely cause controversy, not only criticizing him as the Clan Head's son but possibly even implicating Xia Mu, and perhaps even the Clan Head could face questioning.
But if Xia Mu reciprocated with these Six Styles, which could compensate for the Aburame Clan's weakness in taijutsu, the voices of doubt and criticism would naturally disappear, and he would receive much praise.
Furthermore, with Xia Mu returning the favor, his relationship with the Aburame Clan would only get better.
It just made Shino feel uncomfortable, because his original intention was to help Xia Mu, not for repayment. Even if Xia Mu shared the Six Styles with him, he could accept it with a clear conscience, but he didn't want to just watch Xia Mu's research results being shared with others.
This made him feel that their friendship was mixed with other things.
Tenten seemed to understand Shino's thoughts and quickly said, "Shino, don't overthink it. Actually, the Six Styles are just a small gain for Xia Mu. He still has more important results he hasn't shown yet. He didn't dare tell you, afraid you'd think he was being selfish and not sharing with you."
"Oh, there are even more important results?"
Shino wasn't entirely convinced, thinking Tenten was just trying to comfort him.
Xia Mu could only whisper, "Based on the Ninjutsu you provided, I've gained insight into Chakra Nature Transformation and have even integrated it with Chakra Mode Transformation. Currently, the techniques are too powerful and still need refinement, so I can't use them yet."
Shino was shocked upon hearing this, then overjoyed.
He hadn't expected Xia Mu to have already completed the fusion of Chakra Mode Transformation and Nature Transformation; that was something only Jonin could do.
Compared to that, the Six Styles were insignificant.
He asked uncertainly, "Really?"
Xia Mu affirmed with certainty, "Of course it's true, but I can't teach it to you."
Shino quickly waved his hand, "It's alright, it's alright. My main focus is Insect Manipulation Technique. I can't learn that kind of thing. But this is good too; then I won't be shy about spreading the Six Styles within the clan."
Xia Mu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, fearing Shino would get upset.
However, he still cautioned, "For now, it needs to be kept secret. Don't say I created it. Wait until I become a Ninja before mentioning it, otherwise I'm afraid I'll see a Dark Ninja by my bedside one day."
Shino naturally understood and nodded with utmost seriousness.
Tenten also looked serious. Having spent so much time with Xia Mu, she had naturally been warned by him to hide her strength. Thinking of the so-called Dark Ninjas, those guys who lurk in the shadows and abduct geniuses, Tenten couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Her future boyfriend was such a genius; it would be best if he wasn't targeted.
Not long after, Shibi Aburame called the three of them for dinner.
Although the Aburame Clan raises insects, they don't eat them, simply because they all like insects.
On this point, Shino's behavior was quite obvious. For example, he would occasionally encounter insects passing by and wouldn't let his companions step on them, as that would make him uncomfortable.
However, they were good at growing vegetables. Besides using them to feed the insects, they naturally ate them themselves.
Moreover, they had considerable experience in cooking vegetables. For instance, Shino's mother was very skilled.