You are so beautiful

Only Tsunade could make Jiraiya truly submit in his heart; even if he were beaten black and blue for no reason, he wouldn't harbor a single thought of resistance.

"Shen Ye, you must never tell Tsunade about this!"

Shen Ye couldn't help but burst into laughter, finally witnessing the soft side of Jiraiya.

But all things considered, Jiraiya was doing this for the village and to help clear his own name more quickly, even if his methods were somewhat inappropriate.

"Don't worry, Brother Jiraiya, I will keep this matter buried in my heart."

Jiraiya nodded; hearing these words from Shen Ye, he didn't have a shred of doubt.

The crescent moon hung in the sky as Shen Ye groped his way home, seeing from afar that the light in his room was still on.

Pushing open the door, he found Tsunade leaning against the sofa, drowsy and seemingly on the verge of falling into a deep sleep at any moment.

"You brat, you're finally back. I don't know what kind of trouble that guy Jiraiya dragged you into."

"It's getting late, Sister Tsunade. You should go to sleep; you've been exhausted all day."

Shen Ye pushed Tsunade's weary body toward her room before returning to his own to fall into a deep sleep.

In his dreams, Shen Ye used the system's Steal Skill to stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world, becoming a figure everyone aspired to be.

Opening his eyes once more, Shen Ye realized it was already noon; he had inadvertently missed the morning classes.

If his memory served him correctly, today was the day the Third Hokage would personally come to the Ninja Academy to give a lecture.

"It's all that guy Jiraiya's fault for wasting so much of my time."

Shen Ye let out a deep sigh and hurriedly straightened his clothes before sprinting toward the Ninja Academy.

In his rush, Shen Ye didn't notice a young girl standing at the academy entrance, and inevitably, the two collided.

"Ouch!"

A pained cry rang in Shen Ye's ears, and he quickly stepped forward to help the girl up.

Upon seeing her face clearly, Shen Ye was slightly stunned; her fair complexion, bright and piercing eyes, and perfectly shaped mouth only highlighted her beauty.

Shen Ye was somewhat surprised, as in his memory, she had never appeared in the ninja world.

"You are so beautiful."

The words slipped out of Shen Ye's mouth, and even he hadn't expected to say such a thing.

"Hello, my name is Nakata Misho. This is my first day at the Ninja Academy, please take care of me."

Instead of getting angry at Shen Ye's reckless collision, Misho bowed politely, displaying her complete humility.

In an instant, Shen Ye felt as if a gentle breeze had brushed through his heart.

"I'll walk you to the classroom."

Shen Ye subconsciously took Misho's hand, and though her face flushed slightly, she did not refuse him.

The two walked into the classroom one after the other, instantly attracting the attention of many, with Yue Xing and Mikoto's gazes fixed firmly on Shen Ye.

Namikaze Minato nudged Shikaku, his expression full of mischief.

"Shen Ye, this kid, to have met a new girl in such a short time—he certainly lives up to his fair face."

"That person seems to be our new classmate, Nakata Misho. I heard her background is similar to Shen Ye's."

Namikaze Minato stroked his chin; it was hard to believe such a beautiful girl had suffered such a tragic fate.

Holding Misho's hand, Shen Ye walked all the way to Namikaze Minato's side, and Minato quickly cleared two seats for him.

Yue Xing let out a soft huff and stood up from her seat, walking toward Shen Ye.

Namikaze Minato wore an expression of someone ready to watch a show, fully prepared for a grand drama to unfold.

However, there was no expression on Shen Ye's face; he didn't take any of this to heart.

"Shen Ye, who is this beautiful sister?"

"She is our new classmate. You two should take this opportunity to get to know each other; I haven't even had a proper chance to get to know Misho yet."

"Students, quiet down. The Third Hokage will now give today's lecture."

The classroom suddenly fell into a dead silence. These children, though usually lawless and arrogant, became instantly well-behaved upon hearing the title "Third Hokage."

The Third Hokage, wearing his conical hat, walked toward the front of the classroom with measured steps, his gaze sweeping gently over everyone.

Some of the students already had looks of aspiration on their faces; the position of Hokage was a goal many strived for, Namikaze Minato included.

Only Shen Ye remained indifferent, wanting to get to the bottom of why this old man had suddenly appeared.

Feeling the fragrance wafting from Misho beside him, Shen Ye seemed to understand a little.

"You are the future of the village. I am already old and cannot continue to protect you for much longer, so growing up quickly is what you must do now."

"As for ninjutsu instruction, there will be specialized teachers to guide you. My arrival today is to tell you two things."

Shen Ye crossed his arms over his chest, watching the Third Hokage with interest. If his guess was right, these two things would involve that guy who had been impersonating Jiraiya.

Sure enough, the Third Hokage's gaze finally landed on Shen Ye, and he waved his hand gently, releasing a burst of chakra.

Shen Ye only felt a warm sensation emerge behind his back, and his body stood up involuntarily.

At this, all eyes were fixed upon Shen Ye, and the Third Hokage slowly opened his mouth.

"You have all been misunderstanding Shen Ye, claiming he was the peeping tom at the women's bathhouse that day. I have thoroughly investigated the situation, and I can now confirm that it had nothing to do with Shen Ye."

Shen Ye stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen with wide eyes; he had not expected the Third Hokage to defend him.

In a daze, a trace of doubt appeared in Mikoto's mind. Since the Third Hokage himself had said so, it proved that it truly wasn't Shen Ye that day.

However, for Mikoto to completely dispel her suspicions about Shen Ye, absolute evidence would need to be placed before her.

Meanwhile, Yue Xing was even more confused, unable to understand why the Hokage would help Shen Ye lie when it was clearly certain that it was Shen Ye peeping that day.

"I told you all along it had nothing to do with me; surely you believe me now."

"There is another important matter: dangerous individuals have recently appeared in the village. If you happen to encounter them, you must choose to flee immediately."

Having said this, the Third Hokage turned to leave the classroom. The crowd's gaze shifted from Shen Ye to the Third Hokage, and Shen Ye took the opportunity to sit back down.

Minato was the first to react, quickly leaning in to whisper in Shen Ye's ear.

"Was it really not you that day? If so, then the hostility the other boys in the class held toward you before this was all uncalled for."