Chapter Thirty-One: Traces

Leaving the forest, Shen Ye headed straight for the office, intending to probe the Third Hokage for information.

Pushing open the door, the Third Hokage stood by the window, gazing silently ahead. Lost in thought, he did not notice Shen Ye's arrival.

"Lord Third, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh? It's Shen Ye."

The Third Hokage turned around with a gentle smile. His eyes revealed nothing, as if no ninja in the village had been murdered at all.

Shen Ye walked forward a few steps and sat down at the desk.

"Danzo suddenly appeared at the academy today, claiming his Anbu members were murdered and pointing all the incriminating evidence at me."

"There is such a thing? It seems I need to find that fellow and have a good talk with him."

"Are you not aware of this matter, Lord Third?"

"I have already sent people to surround the area and am currently searching for evidence."

"Any discoveries?"

The old Third Hokage looked as if he had more to say but stopped himself, then gently shook his head.

Shen Ye felt secretly pleased. Even if they found evidence, they wouldn't pin it on him; after all, the only ninjutsu traces left behind were Wood Release.

Yet, in the entire ninja world, almost all ninjas capable of using Wood Release were in the Anbu, so they would only conclude that something had gone wrong within the Anbu itself.

"That fellow is becoming increasingly rampant, not only appearing in public but even starting to assassinate ninjas in the village."

The Third Hokage nodded. For now, the deaths of the Anbu members could only be blamed on that elusive individual who had yet to be found.

Shen Ye had achieved his goal. Aside from Danzo, no one suspected him, as everyone still viewed Shen Ye as nothing more than a child.

Even though he had defeated Uchiha Fu, a genin, during past training sessions, it did not prove he could kill a chunin by skipping ranks.

In history, no one had ever managed to fight across two rank levels.

"Jiraiya has already intensified the search, and I believe that fellow will be captured before long."

"I hope so. I hope no one else in the village continues to be in danger."

With that, Shen Ye stood up to leave the office; his purpose was served, and there was no need to linger.

Just as he left the office, a suspicious figure flashed past Shen Ye, looking extremely familiar.

This guy is arrogant enough to come here and eavesdrop? Is the village's security just for show?

He considered chasing after the figure to investigate, but after a moment's thought, Shen Ye abandoned the idea.

Being impatient now would only confirm to Danzo that he was the one who killed Bai Dun. Only by remaining calm and composed could he prevail.

Shaking his head, Shen Ye strolled slowly toward home and, by pure coincidence, ran into Choza on the road.

"Shen Ye, Danzo didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"How did even you hear about this? Has it already spread throughout the village?"

"That's right. Anbu members have already come to the clan to conduct investigations, having found traces of ninjutsu in the forest."

Shen Ye waved his hand, surprised that Danzo cared so much about these casualties; it seemed he was determined to act against him.

However, if Danzo didn't have a prior grudge against Shen Ye, he would never have set his sights on a child like him.

"That was a full-fledged chunin. If I had killed him, I wouldn't have bothered to hide it."

Choza stroked his chin, agreeing with Shen Ye's point. Being able to kill a chunin while still at the Ninja Academy would make one a genius among geniuses.

The village would not act against a genius ninja over the loss of a single Anbu member; such were the cruel rules of the ninja world.

The two walked side by side, sharing a common destination: Ichiraku Ramen.

Worried that Shen Ye might be under mental stress, Choza took the initiative to treat him, believing there was no problem that couldn't be solved by a good meal.

Shen Ye happened to be hungry, so he silently accepted Choza's offer.

Looking at the steaming bowl of ramen in front of him, Shen Ye intended to challenge Choza to a speed-eating contest, but when he turned his head, he found Choza already patting his stomach in satisfaction.

Noticing Shen Ye's surprised gaze, Choza scratched his head sheepishly as he took another bowl from Ichiraku.

"Don't be surprised by my speed; I'm always like this. I'll eat this bowl slowly to keep you company."

"It's fine, feel free to finish yours as fast as you like. I'm quite fast myself."

Shen Ye took a deep breath and shoveled all the ramen into his mouth, chewing thoroughly.

Choza's eyes lit up, and he gave Shen Ye a thumbs-up.

It was the first time he had seen someone who could match his speed, and his admiration for Shen Ye grew even more.

The two of them ate in a bizarre fashion, looking like a pair of ruthless bandits.

If Ichiraku hadn't seen it all, he might have mistaken these two for freaks blocking his business.

"Choza, has your training kept up lately? You cannot slack off on chakra control for even a single day."

"Don't worry, Shen Ye. I've been training hard every day just as you said. The Akimichi Clan will flourish in my hands."

Shen Ye nodded. In the original story, the Akimichi Clan's ninjutsu didn't possess very high lethality.

However, only upon making contact with it in his hands did he realize that they had always lacked a true understanding of their own ninjutsu; when released at the perfect moment, the Multi-Size Technique could achieve unexpected results.

Shen Ye intended to teach these effects to Akimichi Choza bit by bit, not only to strengthen the clan and the village but also to ensure he would have a capable assistant by his side.

"You two little ones, have we met somewhere before?"

A man without a single ninja insignia on his person walked up to Shen Ye and Akimichi Choza, taking the initiative to greet them.

Akimichi Choza tilted his head slightly to look at Shen Ye; he had no memory of ever seeing this man, so he must be speaking to Shen Ye.

Shen Ye frowned. Although the man before him looked completely unfamiliar, Shen Ye knew exactly who he was.

"Appearing with a new face—do you have any idea how badly the village wants to catch you right now?"

"What are you babbling about, little one? I'm just passing through and thought you two looked familiar, that's all."

"Oh? Is that so? But we have never met you before."

Shen Ye shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes fixed on the man; he was curious to see just how long this guy could keep up the act.