Traces

After leaving the forest, Shen Ye headed straight for the office, intending to sound out the Third Hokage.

He pushed open the door. The Third Hokage stood by the window, gazing quietly into the distance, apparently lost in thought. He hadn't noticed Shen Ye's arrival.

"Lord Third Hokage, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh? It's you, Shen Ye."

The Third Hokage turned around with a smile. Nothing could be read in his eyes, as if no ninja had been killed in the village.

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

"Danzo suddenly showed up at the Academy today. He said his Anbu members were killed, and pointed all the evidence at me."

"Is that so? It seems I'll have to find that man and have a serious talk with him."

"Doesn't Lord Third Hokage know about this?"

"I've already sent people to surround the area. They're searching for evidence now."

"Have they found anything?"

The old Hokage looked as if he wanted to say something, then gently shook his head.

Shen Ye was secretly pleased. Even if they found evidence, they wouldn't point the finger at him. After all, the only traces of ninjutsu they could find were those of Wood Release.

Yet, across the entire ninja world, almost every ninja capable of using Wood Release was in Anbu. In the end, they would only assume that something was wrong within Anbu.

"That man is getting more and more brazen. Not only is he showing himself in public, he's even started killing ninjas in the village."

The Third Hokage nodded. For now, they could only blame the death of the Anbu members on the man they still hadn't found.

Shen Ye had achieved his goal. Aside from Danzo, no one suspected him. After all, to everyone else, Shen Ye was just a child.

Even though he'd once beaten Uchiha Fu, a Genin, during training, that still didn't prove he could take down a Chunin despite the gap in rank.

There had never been anyone in history who could fight two ranks above their own.

"Jiraiya has stepped up the search. I believe we'll capture that man before long."

"I hope so. I hope no one else in the village comes to harm."

With that, Shen Ye stood up to leave the office. He'd achieved his goal, so there was no reason to stay.

As soon as he stepped outside, a suspicious figure flashed past him. The person looked extremely familiar.

"That guy's bold enough to come here and eavesdrop. Is the village's security just for show?"

Shen Ye had been about to chase after him and investigate, but after thinking it over, he abandoned the idea.

If he acted rashly now, it would only convince Danzo even more that he was the one who killed Bai Dun. He had to remain calm.

Shen Ye shook his head and ambled home. By sheer coincidence, he ran into Choza on the way.

"Shen Ye, did Danzo do anything to you?"

"How did you hear about it too? Has it spread through the village already?"

"Yeah. Anbu members came to the clan and did some investigating. They found traces of ninjutsu in the forest."

Shen Ye waved a hand. He hadn't expected Danzo to care so much about these deaths. It seemed he was determined to come after him.

But if Danzo hadn't already had a grudge against Shen Ye, he would never have turned his attention to a child like him.

"That was a Chunin, after all. If I'd been the one to take him down, I wouldn't have bothered hiding it."

Choza rubbed his chin, agreeing with Shen Ye. Being able to kill a Chunin while still at the Ninja Academy would make someone a genius among geniuses.

The village wouldn't turn against a talented ninja over the loss of a single Anbu member. That was the cruel rule of the ninja world.

The two walked side by side toward their shared destination: Ichiraku Ramen.

Worried that Shen Ye might be feeling burdened, Choza took the initiative to treat him. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing a good meal couldn't solve.

Shen Ye happened to be a little hungry, so he quietly accepted Choza's offer.

Looking at the steaming bowl of ramen before him, Shen Ye was about to challenge Choza to a speed-eating contest. But when he turned around, he saw Choza contentedly patting his stomach.

Noticing Shen Ye's surprised look, Choza scratched his head sheepishly and took another bowl of ramen from Teuchi.

"Don't be surprised by how fast I eat. I'm always like this. I'll take my time with this bowl and keep you company."

"That's fine. Eat as fast as you like. I'm pretty quick too."

Shen Ye took a deep breath, then quickly shoveled all the ramen into his mouth and chewed.

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

He'd never met anyone who could eat almost as fast as him. His admiration for Shen Ye grew even more.

The two of them eating ramen made for a bizarre sight. They looked like a pair of bandits.

If Teuchi hadn't seen it all, he might have mistaken them for a couple of freaks who'd come to ruin his business.

"Choza, have you been keeping up with your training lately? You can't let up on chakra control for even a single day."

"Don't worry, Shen Ye. I've been training hard every day, just like you told me. I'm going to make the Akimichi Clan flourish in my hands."

Shen Ye nodded. In the original story, the Akimichi Clan's techniques hadn't seemed to have much destructive power.

But after getting hands-on experience with them, he'd realized the problem was that they hadn't understood their own techniques well enough. Used at just the right moment, the Multi-Size Technique could produce unexpected results.

Shen Ye planned to teach Akimichi Choza how to make the most of it, little by little. That would strengthen both the clan and the village, while giving him a capable ally at his side.

"Hey, you two little guys. Have we met somewhere before?"

A man without any ninja insignia approached Shen Ye and Choza and greeted them.

Choza turned his head slightly and glanced at Shen Ye. He didn't recognize the man at all, so he must have been talking to Shen Ye.

Shen Ye frowned. The man's appearance was unfamiliar, but Shen Ye knew who he was.

"Showing up with a different face, are you? Do you know how badly the village wants to catch you right now?"

"What are you talking about, little one? I was just passing through and thought you two looked familiar."

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

Shen Ye shrugged casually, keeping his eyes on the man. He wanted to see just how long the guy could keep up the act.