Still Wanting to Escape

Sensing Shen Ye's exhaustion, Bai Dun turned and bolted toward the village, completely abandoning his bottom line and dignity as a shinobi.

Shen Ye was momentarily stunned, unable to grasp what the guy was up to. It wasn't until Bai Dun's figure was about to vanish that Shen Ye finally reacted.

"A full-fledged Chunin, running away the moment things go south. You really have no shame at all."

Shen Ye gave chase immediately; if he let this guy escape, his secrets would no longer be safe.

Watching the direction of Bai Dun's flight, Shen Ye flicked two shuriken embedded with marks, the whoosh of their flight whistling past Bai Dun's ears.

"This guy's shuriken skills are truly as clumsy as the rumors say. No wonder he became the laughingstock of our classmates."

"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

Shen Ye pressed his palms together over his chest, channeling chakra to teleport directly to the location of the marked shuriken.

Before Bai Dun could even process what was happening, Shen Ye was already standing before him, a mocking smile on his lips.

"Weren't you planning to run? How did you end up right in front of me?"

Before Bai Dun could speak, Shen Ye's palm grew massive, snatching him up and hurling him directly into a thorny tree trunk in the distance.

A gruesome sight met Shen Ye's eyes. He took a deep breath and turned to leave the forest.

Along the way, the image of Bai Dun's death haunted Shen Ye's mind.

Although he had prepared himself for life-or-death combat after transmigrating here, actually killing a ninja with his own hands still left him feeling unsettled.

He returned home in a daze, offered a brief greeting to Tsunade, and retreated to his room, locking the door tight.

Tsunade glanced toward Shen Ye's room with a puzzled look, shaking her head helplessly.

"What could that brat have gone through out there to be so downcast all of a sudden? Forget it, I won't pry."

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed. Shen Ye had recovered from that state of mind and acted as if nothing had happened in the Ninja Academy classroom.

Sunlight spilled into the room, and Shen Ye leaned lazily against the window, drifting toward sleep.

Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted outside. Shen Ye shook his head and looked toward the door, spotting a familiar figure.

"Shen Ye, get out here! Don't think I don't know that you're the one behind this!"

Danzo shouted as he charged into the classroom, only to be blocked by the teacher in front.

Although Danzo was immensely powerful, everyone had their own duties; the leader of the Anbu had no business overstepping into the Ninja Academy.

Shen Ye scratched his head. So, Bai Dun's death had been exposed after all. Danzo had locked onto him as the prime suspect immediately.

After all, Bai Dun's mission had been to lurk in the shadows and observe Shen Ye, so his death was inevitably linked to him.

"Teacher, I'll just go out. Surely he wouldn't kill me in broad daylight, would he?"

"If anything happens, run back to the classroom immediately. I can protect you."

Shen Ye nodded and walked out of the classroom with a casual air, while the others watched his retreating figure with incredulous eyes.

To make the leader of the village's Anbu so furious—could Shen Ye have caused some massive trouble recently?

Shikaku and Minato exchanged a glance and nodded, ready to rush out at a moment's notice.

"Shen Ye, you've got some nerve, daring to kill a member of the Anbu. I'm arresting you right now."

"Save it, Brother Danzo. What does the death of an Anbu member have to do with me?"

"You..."

Danzo was momentarily speechless. He couldn't exactly admit that he had dispatched Bai Dun to spy on him.

Without any connection, Bai Dun's death couldn't be pinned on Shen Ye, leaving him with no way to drag him away.

"You just wait!"

Leaving behind a harsh threat, Danzo stormed out of the Ninja Academy. Judging by his direction, he seemed to be heading to the Hokage Office to demand an explanation.

Shen Ye wasn't worried in the slightest. That old man, the Third, was far too cunning; even if he suspected him, he wouldn't take any rash action.

After Danzo left, Shen Ye chose not to return to the classroom.

He had intended to take a good nap in the sun, only to have it ruined by that guy.

"Teacher, I've been a little shaken. May I go home and get some rest?"

"Shikaku and Minato, you two accompany Shen Ye. I'm worried there might be danger on the way."

The teacher knew well that Danzo was a man who held grudges, so he called on Shikaku and Minato to ensure Shen Ye made it home safely.

Once they left the academy, Shikaku and Minato couldn't suppress their curiosity any longer, bombarding him with questions about what had happened.

Shen Ye recounted the death of the Anbu member to them, skipping over the details of his own involvement and distancing himself from the entire affair.

"It seems like that guy's doing. Why can't the old stubborn fools in the village see clearly? This could have been resolved so simply."

"Yeah, the enemy we encountered hasn't been caught yet, and now even an Anbu member has been killed."

"Still, this is for the best. Danzo will join the search party, which should save us a lot of time."

Shen Ye nodded symbolically, though his mind was occupied with another thought: who exactly was that person he had encountered that day?

In his memory, he had run into that individual more than once. Aside from that one real confrontation, the person had always been quiet, yet their gaze had never left him.

Could it be that the system in my mind was discovered by that guy? There shouldn't be anyone like that in this world.

"You two should be careful as well. That person hasn't been caught yet. I'm heading back now."

Shen Ye lingered at his doorstep, watching Shikaku and Minato disappear around the corner of the street. Instead of pushing open his door, he turned and walked toward the forest.

Bai Dun's death had already been exposed, and the Third Hokage would have dispatched ninjas there to search for clues. Shen Ye needed to go over and provide some simple guidance.

Sure enough, the perimeter of the forest was already surrounded by several ninjas. Their faces were covered by masks, marking them as members of the Anbu.

Watching from afar, Shen Ye did not rashly approach.

Under the leadership of Danzo, these guys had already marked Shen Ye as their number one enemy. Even if they couldn't strike casually within the village, he wouldn't be treated well.

"It seems I need to think of another way to guide them. I wonder what that old man, the Third Hokage, is doing."