Refusing to Admit It

"I always thought you were an ignorant little hoodlum, but I never expected you to be so gentle with girls."

"That day, I had no choice but to peep. There's no way to take it back now."

"I've never seen you in the village before. How did you suddenly end up on the roof of that women's bathhouse?"

Shen Ye was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to explain why he'd been on the roof.

His fair face might have helped him fool Tsunade, but it seemed to have no effect at all on Yue Xing of the Byakugan clan.

He couldn't exactly tell them the whole truth—that he'd come from another world. Even if he didn't mind becoming the village's experimental mouse, Yue Xing wouldn't believe such an absurd excuse.

"Honestly, you know how there's constant fighting outside the village. Just before that, I'd barely escaped with my life on a battlefield."

Yue Xing's eyes tightened slightly, and pity for Shen Ye welled up in her heart.

They were about the same age. She was still training in a sheltered environment, while Shen Ye had already experienced life and death.

"So you were trying to survive and accidentally made your way into Konoha. You climbed onto the roof to escape your enemies, right?"

Shen Ye nodded repeatedly. He'd still been wondering how to explain what happened afterward, but Yue Xing had pieced together the story in no time.

Since Shen Ye had saved her after what happened earlier, in Yue Xing's mind, that had already made up for the peeping.

After their brief conversation, Yue Xing's feelings toward Shen Ye had shifted slightly once again, though she might not even have noticed it herself.

Just as their eyes met, Tsunade hurried over to Shen Ye.

"Come with me to the Hokage Office. There's something very important we need you to confirm."

Shen Ye nodded, said goodbye to Yue Xing, then turned and followed Tsunade toward the office.

When it came to stamina, Shen Ye was naturally no match for Tsunade. In just a few minutes, she'd left him several streets behind.

When she turned around, Tsunade couldn't see Shen Ye anywhere. With no other choice, she stopped and waited.

"Big Sis Tsunade, you're way too fast. Why don't you carry me there?"

"You brat. I guess that's the only way."

Tsunade scooped Shen Ye into her arms with one hand and leaped from rooftop to rooftop.

Feeling the breeze against his face and the softness beneath his fingers, Shen Ye was a little enamored. He even wanted to stay clinging to Tsunade and never get down.

When they reached the office door, Tsunade shot Shen Ye a look.

"We're already here. Aren't you getting down?"

"I'm getting down now!"

Shen Ye scratched his head, set his feet back on the ground, then opened the door and followed Tsunade into the office.

There were two people in the room. The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat wearing his hat, while Jiraiya sat across from him, having just returned from a mission.

Shen Ye furrowed his brow slightly, realizing things weren't as simple as he'd imagined.

"Regarding the recent peeping incident at the women's bathhouse, I questioned Jiraiya thoroughly. He was indeed in his room and never left that day."

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya in shock. She'd been blaming him all this time, so she'd beaten him up for nothing.

"Shen Ye, I'm going to ask you now. Were you the one peeping from the roof that day?"

"Absolutely not. I accidentally wandered into Konoha while escaping the fighting. I happened to be passing by when Big Sis Tsunade ran into me."

Tsunade nodded. She could vouch for that much.

Although she hadn't seen who the person on the roof was, she was sure it wasn't Shen Ye. A cute little kid like him would never do something like that.

But the Third Hokage clearly didn't believe Shen Ye. He fired several questions at him in succession.

"If that's the case, then tell us in detail about the fighting and how you made your way to Konoha."

Shen Ye nodded, his mind racing as he figured out how to respond. After all, there was no hiding the conflicts in the ninja world, and he couldn't make things up.

"That day, I was with my family when countless jutsu suddenly fell from the sky and struck our village. My father and mother carried me as we desperately tried to get away."

Hiruzen Sarutobi kept his eyes fixed on Shen Ye's face, trying to detect something in his expression.

But Shen Ye's performance was flawless. He didn't show the slightest hint of a flaw, and seemed to be recounting the truth.

"Our village was small and didn't have any ninjas, so we had no choice but to flee and leave our home behind."

Tsunade's expression darkened. She'd thought Shen Ye was just a homeless child, but she hadn't expected him to have gone through so much in a single day.

"Where was your village located?"

"It wasn't under the Land of Fire's jurisdiction, but it was very close to Konoha. Otherwise, I wouldn't have fled here."

"What happened to your father and mother?"

As he listened to the Third Hokage's questions, the corners of Shen Ye's eyes glistened with tears, as though he'd remembered something terrible.

"They drew the attackers' attention so they could protect me. I still don't know if they're alive."

Deep down, Shen Ye was already impressed by his own acting. He was sure the three people in the room would believe what he'd said.

"If you can guarantee that you weren't the one that day, you can leave for now."

Shen Ye nodded and turned to leave. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the Third Hokage's expression was very serious.

He quietly closed the office door but didn't hurry away. Instead, he leaned against the wall and secretly listened to the conversation inside.

His instincts told him things weren't as simple as he'd thought. There were things he didn't know yet, and he was waiting to find out what they were.

"Lord Third, why did you suddenly ask Shen Ye those questions? There's no way he was that guy."

"We can confirm now that he has no connection to the enemy forces that suddenly appeared in the village. Starting today, you need to stay alert. Don't give the enemy any opportunities."

"Don't worry, Lord Third. Leave this to the two of us."

Tsunade shot Jiraiya a look. She didn't seem at all embarrassed about having blamed him the day before.

"You can handle it on your own. I still need to spend some time with Shen Ye."

With that, Tsunade turned to leave the office.

"Wait, Tsunade. That guy isn't as simple as we thought. He's already learned a lot about the village. Otherwise, he wouldn't have impersonated Jiraiya."

Tsunade froze with her hand on the door.