Aburame Shigeo's principle in handling matters was clear: leave professional tasks to professionals.
He saw himself merely as a commissioner, with the sage bugs as his funds, and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire as the contractor. Beneath the Daimyo were numerous subcontractors.
Though the Daimyo might appear dim-witted, the fact that the Land of Fire held the top position among the Five Great Nations spoke volumes.
At the very least, his ability to appoint capable people was exceptional.
Aburame Shigeo trusted his judgment. After entrusting the matter to the Daimyo, he returned to Konoha and resumed his usual daily routines.
Meanwhile, Takigakure and Iwagakure continued applying pressure, even deploying ninja forces to the borders, as if preparing for imminent war.
This escalation alarmed Konoha. Tsunade immediately sent ninja troops to the northern border to guard against incursions by Takigakure and Iwagakure. She also coordinated with their ally, Sunagakure, to reinforce troops at the border with Iwagakure, applying counter-pressure while tying them down.
The movements of these three major villages quickly attracted the attention of the entire ninja world.
Kirigakure, still recovering from the scars of its "Bloody Mist" era, refrained from any action.
However, Kumogakure was not so restrained.
Under the command of the Fourth Raikage, a large force of Kumogakure shinobi crossed the sea under the guise of mediators and stationed themselves at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.
The situation seemed poised to erupt into conflict at any moment—but no battles actually broke out.
Hoping to exploit the chaos, Kumogakure waited for half a year but gained nothing. Finally, they packed up and left, leaving behind heaps of garbage and curses.
They had come to pick up scraps, not to clash head-on with Konoha or Iwagakure.
As long as Konoha and Iwagakure refrained from fighting, Kumogakure gained nothing and wasted resources by staying. The six months spent at the border consumed nearly an entire year's military budget.
In the end, they left empty-handed and deeply in the red, prompting the Fourth Raikage to suspect that the three villages had been intentionally dragging things out to deplete Kumogakure's resources. Furious, he broke several desks in his office.
Ironically, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, was also slamming his desk in frustration around the same time.
"Bang!"
Onoki smacked his desk with an angry scowl.
"What is the Daimyo thinking? Why oppose Iwagakure taking action against Konoha? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"If you have complaints, take them up with the Daimyo!"
His granddaughter Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes.
"Besides, this whole mess started with Takigakure and Konoha. It's no surprise the Daimyo wouldn't approve of you butting in."
"Shut up!"
Onoki's temper flared, and he slammed the desk again.
"Bang!"
*Crack.*
The sharp sound of a joint popping followed, and Onoki froze, his expression stiffening before he let out a pained cry.
"Ah, my back… Kurotsuchi, help me up! Ah… ahhh…"
Kurotsuchi: "…"
---
Following Kumogakure's withdrawal, Iwagakure also pulled back its forces from the border.
With them gone, Konoha and Sunagakure followed suit, leaving Takigakure alone to put on a one-man show at the border.
It wasn't a matter of underestimating Takigakure—it was exactly that.
Takigakure was too weak.
Even Otogakure, Orochimaru's hastily assembled band of misfits, could hold its own against them.
Back when they had the Seven-Tails, Takigakure had a modicum of deterrence. Without it, they were no longer taken seriously.
There wasn't even a need for precaution.
If their shinobi dared cross into the Land of Fire, Konoha could raze their village within a month.
Right or wrong wouldn't matter—justice had no place in the ninja world, where strength was the ultimate law.
The Seven-Tails officially became Konoha's property—or at least that was the perception outside.
The news that Aburame Shigeo had become the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki spread quickly within Konoha, altering how others viewed him.
But unlike the disdain and discrimination Naruto faced, Shigeo was met with respect and awe.
This was because everyone knew the Seven-Tails hadn't been sealed in him—it was something he had *taken* from Takigakure.
This meant he had no risk of losing control and had completely mastered the Seven-Tails' power.
His daily routine of flying to and from work, golden insect wings shimmering in the sunlight, had become his signature.
Naturally, this only reinforced public trust in him.
Aburame Shigeo himself remained indifferent to others' opinions. His focus lay on his duties, family, and improving his abilities.
After the joint Chunin Exams between Konoha and Sunagakure concluded, both Sasuke and Aburame Chien were promoted to Chunin.
Sasuke's life didn't change much; he spent his days completing missions for the police force or sparring with Shigeo—sessions that often ended with him being knocked out and having blood drawn.
Thanks to Sasuke's contributions, Shigeo's collection of second-generation bloodline bugs had grown to over 5,000.
While this didn't allow Shigeo to evolve his Mangekyo Sharingan into an Eternal Mangekyo, it significantly enhanced his ocular powers.
For example, using Amaterasu.
Every time Sasuke used Amaterasu, his eyes bled, and he suffered intense pain. Overuse risked blindness.
In contrast, Shigeo experienced only mild soreness in his eyes, which subsided after a short rest.
This was partly due to the healing properties of his Sage Chakra but primarily because of the superior quality of his ocular powers.
As for Susano'o, Shigeo hadn't dared to use it yet, fearing its side effects.
Even if it wouldn't blind him, reduced vision would still be a nuisance.
Unlike Sasuke, Shigeo didn't have a brother's eyes waiting to be transplanted.
Until he found a path to the Eternal Mangekyo, he chose to minimize his use of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
He had plenty of other combat techniques and didn't need to take unnecessary risks.
Sasuke, however, was not as cautious. On high-difficulty missions, he often used the Mangekyo Sharingan, frequently returning with blurred vision and needing assistance.
Shigeo grew worried that Sasuke might go blind before Itachi's eyes could be transplanted, so he had a serious talk with him about the risks of overusing the Sharingan.
But Sasuke remained defiant, and his vision continued to deteriorate.
One day, when Shigeo approached him, Sasuke mistakenly called him "Father!"
This made Shigeo even more concerned.
"If he's confusing me for his dad, his eyesight must be really bad. How can we count on him to fight Kaguya like this?"
After much contemplation, Shigeo made a decision.
"I might as well give him a few diluted Sage bugs. That should help him hold out until he gets Itachi's eyes."
*(End of Chapter)*