Ninjutsu Combination

"Itadakimasu!"

Akimichi Choza pressed his palms together in a pious gesture toward the food before him, then immediately switched into a mode of devouring everything in sight like a gale sweeping through fallen leaves.

In the span of just a few breaths, the delicacies on the table were vanishing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Seeing this, Shen Ye did not hesitate; he grabbed the chicken leg closest to him and shoved it into his mouth, terrified that any delay would mean going without.

Shikaku and Namikaze Minato followed suit, while only the two girls, Yue Xing and Meishang, leisurely picked up small portions to chew on slowly.

"To meet such young friends here, it truly is fate."

A ninja wearing a headband from another village appeared in their line of sight. Shen Ye looked up, and memories flooded his mind.

He was a ninja from Kumogakure. The reason he existed in Shen Ye's memory was that, in the original story, it was these very people who abducted Kushina.

The fact that these guys had suddenly appeared here meant they definitely had impure motives.

"We don't even know you, so where would this 'fate' come from?"

"Our boss wants to take this young lady, Meishang, for a trip, so it would be best if you didn't stand in our way."

Namikaze Minato frowned and stood up, placing himself directly between Meishang and the Kumogakure ninja.

"Do you even know that this is Konoha? How dare you speak so arrogantly?"

"What are you brats chirping about? You're annoying me."

The Kumogakure ninja reached out with a large hand, intending to shove Namikaze Minato aside, while his other hand lunged toward Meishang.

Shen Ye let out a cold snort, his body instantly flickering in front of the Kumogakure ninja as he condensed his chakra into his fist.

"Partial Multi-Size Technique plus Strength of a Hundred!"

With a series of thuds, Shen Ye's arm swelled to the thickness of a tree trunk, the immense power contained within slamming into the Kumogakure ninja's stomach.

BOOM! The guy was blasted straight out of the building by the force, rolling across the ground several times before coming to a stop.

The massive commotion immediately attracted the patrolling Konoha ninjas. Three or five of them surrounded the guy, while another Konoha ninja appeared beside Shen Ye.

"Did you hit that guy?"

"Who else? You've already seen it, so why are you still asking me?"

The ninja looked Shen Ye up and down; had he not seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed such a small body could produce such tremendous power.

Equally shocked was Akimichi Choza, a chicken leg still hanging from his mouth. He hadn't been mistaken about the Partial Multi-Size Technique just now—it was his clan's unique secret jutsu.

Before anyone could question Shen Ye, the group was escorted by the patrol ninjas toward the Hokage Office.

The Third Hokage, who had parted ways with them only a short while ago, sat behind his desk, carefully scrutinizing the group. He truly couldn't believe they were the ones who had caused such a stir.

"Third Hokage, shouldn't you explain the situation with Meishang to us in detail? That guy tried to take her away the moment he showed up."

Shen Ye didn't care about showing the Third Hokage the usual respect; he leaned his hands on the desk and stared Sarutobi Hiruzen in the eye, his presence no weaker than the Hokage's own.

"Heh, Meishang is a little one from Kumogakure. However, if she remains there, she will be subjected to some inhumane experiences, which is why she was brought back to the village for protection."

Shen Ye pondered this carefully; Sarutobi Hiruzen's words carried deep implications.

On one hand, it signaled that he was protecting Meishang; on the other, it revealed that she possessed research value, and not just for Kumogakure.

As for Konoha's final decision, that would depend on Meishang's future development.

Shen Ye turned to look at Meishang; no matter how he looked, he couldn't see a hidden beast or threat behind her face.

"I hope the village is truly protecting her, and not treating her like a lab rat."

Facing Shen Ye's challenge, the Third Hokage's expression remained unchanged, though it made Namikaze Minato, standing to the side, anxious. He tried several times to step forward and stop Ye Xuan.

Regardless of anything else, Sarutobi Hiruzen was the current Third Hokage, and such disrespect toward the Hokage was not permitted anywhere in the village.

"I am quite curious about how you performed the jutsu you used today. Was it a combination of innate Strength of a Hundred and the Akimichi clan's secret technique?"

Shen Ye cursed inwardly; his unique way of using jutsu had been noticed. Perhaps before he could even protect Meishang, he would become a lab rat himself.

His eyes darted around, and Shen Ye quickly hopped back twice to land beside Akimichi Choza.

"Strength of a Hundred is a chakra manipulation method taught to me by Tsunade-nee-san, and as for the Partial Multi-Size Technique, of course, Choza taught that to me."

As he spoke, Shen Ye winked at Akimichi Choza, who, despite usually being a bit slow, instantly grasped Shen Ye's meaning.

"That's right, I taught Shen Ye the incantations for the jutsu back at the Ninja Academy. I just didn't expect him to master it in such a short time."

The Third Hokage smiled slightly, not bothering to expose the two's lie.

"Today's incident was thanks to you little ones, so tell me what kind of reward you would like."

"Contributing to the village is what we should do. If there is nothing else, we will take our leave."

Namikaze Minato hurriedly pulled Shen Ye and the others out of the room, leaving the vicinity of the Hokage Office without a moment's hesitation.

The Third Hokage rose and walked to the window, watching the little ones running on the ground below, his gaze locked firmly on Shen Ye.

Only when their backs disappeared from his sight did he sit back down in his chair.

The non-stop trek had left Akimichi Choza gasping for air. He finally stopped Namikaze Minato, leaning against a nearby tree and panting heavily.

"Why didn't you take the reward? We just missed a great opportunity for training."

"There will be plenty of such opportunities in the future; the atmosphere in the office today was a bit off."

"I felt it too. Everyone should be a little more careful lately."

Shen Ye left behind this piece of advice and turned to walk toward his home. Yue Xing glanced at the others and caught up to Shen Ye in a few strides, intending to head home with him.

Shikaku and Minato looked at each other and shrugged, discussing sending Meishang home before heading to their own, but they were met with a refusal from Meishang.

"You two don't need to worry about me. Choza needs you both more right now; I can manage on my own."

The group parted ways there. Shen Ye pushed open his front door, collapsed directly onto his bed, and slowly closed his eyes.

He pondered Sarutobi Hiruzen's various behaviors in the office today, his intuition telling him that a conspiracy was waiting for him.

Only now did Shen Ye realize that this world was not as simple as he had imagined.