Refuse to Admit

"I always thought you were just a good-for-nothing little hooligan, but I never expected you to be so gentle toward girls."

"That day, the peeping was truly a last resort; there was no way to undo it."

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

Shen Ye was momentarily at a loss for words, not knowing how to explain why he had been on the roof.

He could have fooled Tsunade with his fair face, but that trick seemed to have no effect on Hyuga Yuexing of the Byakugan clan.

He couldn't exactly spill the truth about being a transmigrator; even if he didn't care about becoming a lab rat for the village, Yuexing wouldn't believe such an absurd reason.

"Sigh, you know the constant warfare outside the village. Just before that, I had barely escaped death on a battlefield."

Yuexing's gaze tightened slightly, and a sense of pity for Shen Ye welled up in her heart.

He was the same age as her; while she was still training in a greenhouse, Shen Ye had already experienced life and death.

"So, in order to survive, you accidentally stumbled into Konoha, and you climbed onto the roof to hide from enemy pursuit, right?"

Shen Ye nodded repeatedly. He had been wondering how to explain what happened next, but he hadn't expected Yuexing to form the picture in her mind all on her own.

Because he had saved her earlier, in Yuexing's heart, it already made up for the peeping.

Now, in this brief exchange, her feelings toward Shen Ye underwent another subtle change, perhaps one she hadn't even noticed herself.

Just as their eyes met, Tsunade rushed over to Shen Ye's side in a flurry.

"Come with me to the Hokage Office. There is something very important that you need to confirm."

Shen Ye nodded, bid farewell to Yuexing, and turned to follow behind Tsunade as she ran toward the office.

In terms of physical stamina, Shen Ye was naturally no match for Tsunade; within a few minutes, she had left him several streets behind.

Looking back, Tsunade could no longer see Shen Ye's figure, so she had no choice but to stop and wait.

"Big Sister Tsunade, your speed is just too fast. Why don't you carry me there?"

"You brat, I suppose that's the only way."

Tsunade scooped Shen Ye up in her arms and leaped continuously across the rooftops.

Feeling the breeze on his face and the softness between her fingers, Shen Ye felt a bit infatuated, even wanting to stay pressed against Tsunade forever.

Arriving at the door of the office, Tsunade shot Shen Ye a glare.

"We're here already. Aren't you going to get down?"

"Coming right down!"

Shen Ye scratched his head, landed back on the ground, pushed the door open, and followed Tsunade into the office.

There were two people in the room: the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, wearing his conical hat, and sitting on the other side was Jiraiya, who had just returned from a mission.

Shen Ye frowned slightly, realizing that things were not as simple as he had imagined.

"Regarding the women's bathhouse peeping incident from a while ago, I have carefully questioned Jiraiya. He was indeed in his room that day and never left."

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya with some shock. So, she had been blaming him all this time, and that brutal beating had been for nothing.

"Shen Ye, I am asking you now: were you the one peeping on the roof that day?"

"Absolutely not. To escape the war, I accidentally wandered into Konoha, and I just happened to be passing by there when Big Sister Tsunade bumped into me."

Tsunade nodded; she could at least testify to that.

Although she hadn't seen clearly who the guy on the roof was, she could be certain it wasn't Shen Ye. Such a cute little kid would never do something like that.

However, it was clear that the Third Hokage did not believe Shen Ye, and he fired several questions at him in succession.

"If that is the case, describe in detail the process of the war and how you came to Konoha."

Shen Ye nodded, his mind racing to figure out how to respond. After all, the wars in the ninja world couldn't be hidden, and he couldn't just make things up.

"That day, I was with my family when, suddenly, countless ninjutsu fell from the sky onto our village. My father and mother grabbed me and hid in a panic."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes remained fixed on Shen Ye's face, trying to discern some clue from his expression.

But Shen Ye's disguise was seamless; he looked flawless, as if he were stating a simple fact.

"There were no ninjas in our small village, so we had no choice but to flee and abandon our home."

Tsunade's expression turned somber. She had 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 original home located?"

"It wasn't under the administration of the Land of Fire, but it was very close to Konoha. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to escape here."

"What happened to your father and mother in the end?"

Hearing the Third Hokage's inquiry, a few tears welled up in the corners of Shen Ye's eyes, as if he were recalling something truly unpleasant.

"To protect me, they drew the attention of those people. I don't even know if they are still alive now."

Deep down, Shen Ye was deeply impressed by his own acting skills. He believed the three people in the room would all believe what he said.

"If you can guarantee that it wasn't you that day, you may leave now."

Shen Ye nodded, turned, and walked toward the exit. Using his peripheral vision, he glanced at the Third Hokage and found the expression on his face to be extremely serious.

Gently closing the office door, Shen Ye did not rush to leave; instead, he leaned against the side to eavesdrop on the conversation inside.

His intuition told him that things were not as simple as he had imagined, and there were matters he was still unaware of waiting for him.

"Lord Third, why did you suddenly ask Shen Ye those questions? He is definitely not that guy."

"It is now certain that he has no connection to the enemy forces that suddenly appeared in the village. From today on, you must stay alert and not give the enemy any opportunities."

"Rest assured, Lord Third, leave this matter to the two of us."

Tsunade rolled her eyes at Jiraiya, feeling not the slightest bit of embarrassment for having wrongly accused him the day before.

"You can handle it alone; I still need to spend some quality time with Shen Ye."

With that, Tsunade turned to leave the office.

"Wait a moment, Tsunade. That guy is not as simple as we imagined. He has already gained an understanding of the village; otherwise, he wouldn't have impersonated Jiraiya."

Tsunade, who had already placed her hand on the door, froze in place.