With your talent, you can guess it, right?

"Why do you want to live next to Minato?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two.

"The safety of the jinchūriki in the village..."

He muttered, but before he could finish, Minato Namikaze suddenly stepped forward half a pace.

"I actually think it wouldn't be bad to have Orochimaru living next to me."

Minato said with a smile, his azure eyes curving into two crescents.

"After all, I am the Hokage, so I can keep a better eye on him. Besides..."

He paused, his voice softening.

"Didn't Lady Tsunade just say that Kushina might need the Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave at any moment?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for two seconds, then stopped pressing the issue.

The surroundings were deathly quiet, with only the wind from the forest entrance rustling through the leaves.

"I'll vouch for Orochimaru!"

Jiraiya suddenly jumped out, slapping his own chest with a loud thud.

He set aside his usual grinning demeanor, his eyes turning serious.

"I stake my own life on it: this Orochimaru will absolutely not do anything to harm Konoha. If he truly dares to act out..."

He took a deep breath, his eyes revealing a flash of killing intent.

"I will drop everything and kill him with my own hands."

"That's what I think, too."

Tsunade interjected, arms crossed over her chest, her chin tilting toward Lin Zi.

"If he really does anything to harm Konoha, Jiraiya and I won't just sit by and watch. We'll slaughter him ourselves, no problem."

Lin Zi tilted his head, his golden vertical pupils sweeping across the two of them before he slowly licked his lips.

"Kill me with your own hands?" He scoffed, his voice indifferent. "Jiraiya, Tsunade, you two certainly have a lot of nerve."

He turned to look at Minato, the playfulness in his snake-like pupils fading as his tone turned serious.

"Fourth Hokage, you should know some of the inside story. I can reveal a bit once we enter the village, but I don't want to explain the boring matter of 'I am not a missing-nin' ever again."

"Well, yeah."

Minato laughed dryly and scratched the back of his head.

"Being treated as a missing-nin all this time is indeed quite unpleasant."

He extended his hand, palm upward, as if offering an invitation or seeking confirmation.

"Welcome back, Lord Orochimaru."

Lin Zi stared at the hand for two seconds before finally reaching out to grasp it; his pale fingertips and the warm palm overlapped briefly before quickly pulling away.

"Mm." He withdrew his hand and tucked it into his sleeve. "I'm back."

Shizune, holding Tonton, huddled to the side and only then dared to let out a long breath.

The piglet in her arms let out a soft grunt, as if echoing its owner's tension. Shizune hurriedly covered Tonton's mouth, whispering.

"Don't squeal... don't squeal right now..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to his gentle persona and waved his hand to beckon everyone.

"Alright, let's head back to the village first. Orochimaru, you come with me and Minato to the Hokage Office."

"Understood, old man."

Lin Zi replied and turned to follow. Jiraiya and Tsunade stepped up, one on each side, and patted his shoulders simultaneously.

"We're going to see Kushina first; make sure you come over in a bit."

Jiraiya winked suggestively.

"Got it."

Lin Zi brushed their hands off, his black ponytail whipping in the wind.

"You two are so long-winded. I'm already back; I'm not going to run away."

He ignored them further and strode forward, walking side-by-side with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze toward the gates of Konoha.

Sunlight filtered through the streets under reconstruction, casting the shadows of the three men onto the stone path. Villagers along the way stopped in their tracks, their gazes fixed on Lin Zi in the center.

"Is that... Orochimaru?"

"Looks like him... but why is he walking next to two Hokage?"

"That aura from just now scared me to death; I thought the village was under attack again..."

"Don't talk nonsense. The Hokage is right there, so he shouldn't be an enemy... right?"

Hearing the rising chorus of whispers around him, Lin Zi paused, raising a hand to his forehead as a flicker of helplessness crossed his golden slit pupils.

"...Enough is enough."

He muttered under his breath.

"Why does it feel like I'm here to raze the village no matter where I go?"

Minato, walking beside him, felt his shoulders tremble slightly as if suppressing a laugh, while Hiruzen Sarutobi kept his eyes fixed forward, his lips merely curling downward in silence.

The three of them walked step by step into the heart of Konoha, surrounded by countless gazes filled with fear, confusion, and vigilance.

They arrived at the door of the Hokage Office. Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed the door open, Minato followed closely behind, and the three filed inside.

Inside the office, Kakashi was leaning against the wall, holding a document, with an ordinary Anbu wearing an animal mask standing nearby.

Hearing the door open, Kakashi instinctively looked up, his entire body instantly tensing as his hand reached for the kunai at his waist.

But when he saw who it was—the familiar pale skin, the black ponytail, the golden slit pupils of the man, and the two Hokage behind him—his tense shoulders slowly relaxed.

"Minato-sensei, this is...?" Kakashi's voice carried a trace of imperceptible tremor.

"Oh, an old acquaintance."

Minato smiled and patted Kakashi on the shoulder.

"Kakashi, you should head out first."

Kakashi nodded and turned to walk toward the door.

However, his pace was slow. When he reached the doorway, he couldn't help but look back at Lin Zi twice, his exposed dead-fish eye filled with complex emotions: shock, bewilderment, and a hint of indescribable awe.

"Withdraw, Kakashi."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, his voice not loud, yet carrying an unquestionable authority.

"Yes."

Only then did Kakashi push the door open and exit, the crack closing softly behind him.

Minato walked to the wall and pressed the switch; the incandescent light flickered on. He then walked to the window and pulled the heavy curtains shut, completely blocking out the glaring sunlight.

The entire office instantly fell into a dim, enclosed atmosphere, with only the pale circle of light from the overhead lamp casting long, stretched shadows of the three men.

Minato turned around, leaned against the edge of the desk with his arms crossed, and finally spoke.

"Now we can start talking, Orochimaru... or should I call you something else?"

Lin Zi sighed and found a corner of the room to lean against, looking like a lazy snake. He glanced at Minato, then at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose pipe glowed intermittently nearby.

"Orochimaru is fine."

He shrugged, his golden slit pupils gleaming coldly in the dim light.

"Names are trivial things."

Minato nodded, his expression turning serious. Beside him, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a half-step forward, removed his pipe from his mouth, and locked his gaze onto Lin Zi.

"So, what you said before."

Minato's voice was very soft, as if confirming something.

"The thing you promised someone else... what was it?"

"Oh? You still remember that."

Lin Zi raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a smirk.

He raised his hand, his pale fingers appearing almost translucent under the light, and tapped his fingertips lightly against the wall behind him.

"I cannot say too much, but I was indeed asked by a blond kid to bring Tsunade back to the village."

"A blond kid?"

Minato's pupils constricted sharply. His arms, which had been crossed, dropped unconsciously, and his body leaned forward slightly.

"So... are you from the same world as him?"

His voice carried a tremor he himself had not noticed.

Lin Zi looked at Minato's eager expression, remained silent for two seconds, and shook his head.

"I am sorry, we are not from the same world. I simply... accepted his commission."

"However."

He paused, his snake-like eyes narrowing slightly, his gaze scraping across Minato's face like a blade.

"With your talent, you should be able to guess who he is, right?"

Minato froze in place.

The air in the office seemed to solidify, with only the embers in Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe flickering in the dark.