Three Thousand Crows

Before he could finish reading the entire contents, Shen Ye threw the scroll onto the ground.

Although it was he who had been peeping at the top of the women's bathhouse, it was going too far to link him to that guy.

More importantly, despite having reported that guy's appearance to Shikaku and Minato, Sarutobi Hiruzen still did not believe him.

It seemed Tsunade was unaware of this matter; otherwise, given her temper, she would have definitely caused a scene in the office.

"You used so much force, what if you broke my scroll?"

Aoba Yamashiro carefully picked up the scroll, wiped the dust off it, and placed it in his pocket.

Feeling Jiraiya's gaze, Shen Ye suddenly understood something: Jiraiya's purpose in bringing him here was not simple.

He was testing him, taking advantage of the fact that Tsunade was away and no one else was around to thoroughly probe his background.

If he were a spy, he would be eliminated on the spot; if not, he could still be left with a reputation for tipping off the enemy.

"Brother Jiraiya, looking at you, it seems you don't trust me."

"It is only for the safety of the village. Tsunade trusts you very much, but I need some proof."

"Damn it, do I need to prove to you whether I'm a good person? If I had the strength of that spy, I would have already taken you two out."

A smile hung slightly on Jiraiya's face as he watched Shen Ye quietly.

Aoba Yamashiro, standing to the side, was the same, though he was more nervous than Jiraiya.

Now it was Shen Ye's turn to be in a bind. No matter what, he couldn't fall out with these two right now. If he were truly treated as a spy, his previous lies would vanish like bubbles.

"Brother Aoba, walk toward me; I can prove it to you both."

Aoba Yamashiro looked at Jiraiya, who nodded to indicate that no accidents would occur. Aoba slowly walked toward Shen Ye, his expression still full of caution.

Shen Ye gently tapped him twice, silently activating the Steal Skill in his heart.

"Ding, congratulations to the host for successfully stealing Aoba Yamashiro's skill, Three Thousand Crows Technique! Steal Skill cooldown: 3 hours."

Shen Ye nodded with satisfaction and then ran wildly in one direction.

Aoba Yamashiro was stunned and prepared to give chase, but was stopped by Jiraiya. As a ninja guarding the village entrance, he could not leave his post without authorization.

"Leave chasing him to me; you stay here and keep a good watch."

Jiraiya twisted his neck, exerted force under his feet, and charged directly in the direction Shen Ye had fled. In just a few breaths, he was closing in on Shen Ye's back.

"Brother Jiraiya, you're so fast. I thought I could gain some distance by acting first."

"I believe you aren't a spy, but following your footsteps now seems like a way to find him."

Shen Ye shook his head helplessly while continuing to run forward. At this moment, he had only one target: a small house within the village.

When he had released his sensory ability to probe Jiraiya, Shen Ye had already discovered the place where that guy was hiding.

"Tell me, Brother Jiraiya, when did you start tailing me? You were hidden so well."

"That is a secret, but I have always believed in you. It's just that I had no choice but to use this method to find that guy."

Shen Ye understood this logic as well. Although the spy wandering in the village was recognized by everyone as the guy impersonating Jiraiya, only Shen Ye and Yue Xing knew that the guy had never done such a thing.

As a child who had suddenly appeared in the village, it was understandable for the spy to focus on him; such an identity was perfect for providing him with complete cover.

But another doubt arose in Shen Ye's heart.

If he really wanted to frame him, why would he appear in front of Shikaku and Minato and engage in a fight?

At this moment, he couldn't afford to think too deeply. Jiraiya was already running side-by-side with Shen Ye, turning his head to look at Shen Ye with a smile from time to time.

After traveling for a while, the two stopped one after another in front of an inconspicuous room.

Looking at the dust piled up at the entrance, it seemed as if no one had entered this house for a long time. Jiraiya couldn't help but doubt whether Shen Ye had accurately found that guy.

"Shh, let's go in quietly."

Shen Ye had already released his sensory ability, only to find a barrier surrounding the room, making it impossible to probe the situation inside at all.

With Jiraiya here, even if they really encountered that guy, there was nothing to worry about; coordinating with Shen Ye's attack would surely lead to victory.

Slowly pushing open the door, a burst of dust immediately flew into the air. Following the faint moonlight, the room appeared empty.

Wiping the dust off the floor, Shen Ye judged that no one had indeed entered here for a long time; it didn't look like a disguise.

"It seems we were wrong in our direction. This is not that guy's hiding place."

"A clever opponent, deliberately leaving a strong scent here to make us chase a ghost."

"Perhaps he is observing this place from nearby and will be even more vigilant from today on."

Jiraiya nodded, waved his hand to clear the dust floating in front of him, and walked out of the room. Shen Ye lingered for a moment before also leaving.

The two stood under the moonlight, silent.

In the end, it was Jiraiya who broke the silence, extending his hand toward Shen Ye.

"I am very sorry for today's events. Not only did I fail to trust you, but I even wanted to use you."

"I know everything you do is for the sake of the village. We still need to work together to capture that guy."

Shen Ye likewise reached out his hand and gripped Jiraiya's tightly, the knot in Jiraiya's heart dissolving in that very instant.

However, Shen Ye's heart was filled with disdain; if it weren't for the fact that Konoha was the only safe place in the ninja world right now, he would have torn his mask off and broken ties with this guy, Jiraiya, today.

Damn it, this is the first time I've been treated like this since I was a kid. Once I've stolen a few more skills, I'll show you what's what.

Of course, Jiraiya was oblivious to all of this; he even remained convinced in his heart that there wasn't a single crack in the relationship between himself and Shen Ye.

Yet, even after experiencing such a thing, Shen Ye only wanted to teach Jiraiya a lesson and harbored no genuine hatred toward him.

"It's getting late, and Tsunade might have returned already. I'm heading home."

Shen Ye turned and walked toward his house, leaving a dashing silhouette behind for Jiraiya.

A slow-witted Jiraiya suddenly realized something felt off and hurriedly chased after Shen Ye.

In the entire ninja world, there was perhaps only one person who could make Jiraiya feel fear from the bottom of his heart.