Found You

Ninjas were scattered throughout the village, consisting of both ordinary shinobi and members of the Anbu.

On one hand, they were there to capture the enemy who had appeared in the village; on the other, they were agents dispatched by Danzo to keep an eye on Shen Ye.

The guy standing in front of Shen Ye seemed unaware of what was happening in the village, looking ready to make a move.

"Choza, do you think we'll get arrested by the surrounding ninjas if we start a fight right now?"

Choza scratched his head, not understanding why Shen Ye would suddenly ask such a thing, but he nodded subconsciously anyway.

"Little kid, are you trying to warn me by bringing this up all of a sudden? Thanks for your good intentions, kid."

The guy patted Shen Ye on the head, straightened his posture, and walked toward a less populated area, intending to switch identities and continue his surveillance of the village.

The expression on Shen Ye's face shifted, and he cursed under his breath.

If that guy were discovered now, he wouldn't be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River; after all, that head-patting gesture was far too intimate.

Choza curiously asked what had happened, but Shen Ye shook his head, not wanting to tell the simple-minded Choza about these matters.

However, Choza trusted Shen Ye unconditionally and knew deep down that he wouldn't harm him, so he didn't press the issue further.

After giving Choza a few instructions, Shen Ye watched the sky grow dark and prepared to head home, confident that Tsunade must already know about the death of the Anbu member.

Sure enough, as he pushed open the door, Tsunade was sitting at the table, flipping through scroll after scroll.

"Sister Tsunade, Danzo almost dragged me back today."

"What? You aren't hurt, are you?"

Tsunade hurriedly stood up and walked over to Shen Ye, checking him from head to toe.

"I'm fine, but an Anbu member was actually killed in the village. Are we going to war?"

As he spoke, Shen Ye's body trembled slightly, as if recalling something terrible.

Tsunade pulled Shen Ye into her arms, knowing what war meant to him, and wanted nothing more than to comfort him.

"I'm fine, Sister Tsunade. I've become very strong now."

"I believe you. Our Shen Ye is the strongest person in the world, and Sister will protect you well."

Without continuing to discuss the village's affairs, Tsunade carried Shen Ye back to his room and gently kissed his forehead.

Accompanied by the faint moonlight shining into the room, Shen Ye soon began to snore softly; the day's events were more than enough for him to process.

A few days passed, and that guy finally exposed himself, prompting the Third Hokage to send out many ninjas to capture him.

Shen Ye immediately joined the pursuit team; if he could capture that guy, it would completely dispel the village's misunderstandings about him.

"Shen Ye, the Ninja Academy has notified us that we don't need to go for the next few days. Perhaps they're worried we'll be dead weight."

"For us, this is a great opportunity to prove ourselves."

Minato looked at Shen Ye with surprise, and seeing his restless desire for battle, he seemed to understand something.

Shen Ye took Minato directly to the Hokage Office, where many ninjas had already gathered, including several faces Shen Ye was very familiar with.

Jiraiya and Tsunade were among them.

"That guy is in the forest not far from the village. I am now ordering you to form a temporary ninja coalition and bring him back."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Everyone agreed in succession and left the office with a few leaps, leaving only Shen Ye and Minato standing there, looking at each other.

The Third Hokage turned to look at the two of them.

"Do you two have something to say? In such special times, it's better to stay safely at home."

"How could a battle be complete without the two of us? We request Lord Hokage's permission to join."

"It's too dangerous. We still don't know the true extent of that guy's strength. To be able to hide in the village for so long, he is definitely not someone the two of you can handle."

Shen Ye spread his hands, knowing this would be the result; it was all within his expectations.

The purpose of bringing Minato here was just to let everyone know he was involved; if he could take the guy down himself, that would be even better.

Patting Minato on the shoulder, Shen Ye turned and walked outside.

Following the tracks left by those guys, Shen Ye dragged Minato toward the outskirts of the village, but he didn't expect to be blocked at the gate by Aoba Yamashiro.

"It's dangerous out there, you two shouldn't just leave!"

"Brother Aoba, others might not know, but do you really have to stop me?"

Aoba Yamashiro frowned. Previously, he and Jiraiya had teamed up to test Shen Ye, and Jiraiya had already told him the results.

"Be careful!"

After thinking it over, Aoba Yamashiro slowly stepped aside, letting Minato and Shen Ye pass.

Without any hesitation, the two rushed into the depths of the forest, intending to be the first to find the guy's trail.

Shen Ye believed he would encounter him before Jiraiya and the others; after all, he had already sensed something—the guy always seemed to appear right in front of him.

The silent forest hid a murderous intent as Minato and Shen Ye moved forward, never leaving each other's side, their full attention fixed on their surroundings.

With a sharp whistle, a shuriken flew out from the side, heading straight for Shen Ye's head.

Minato let out a cold snort, leaped into the air, and kicked the shuriken aside; the two forces collided, and the shuriken embedded itself deep into a tree trunk.

"They've arrived so soon."

Shen Ye stopped in his tracks, quietly watching the direction from which the shuriken had been thrown.

A figure stepped out with a slow, measured gait, though his face was hidden behind a mask, making it impossible to discern his true features.

Such attire undoubtedly gave Minato pause, yet the forehead protector clearly indicated that he was a ninja from Konoha.

"An Anbu from the village? Or is that guy just posing as one?"

"There's no time to worry about that now. Stay sharp, or neither of us will be seeing each other again."

Minato nodded, and while the fellow opposite them was still acting composed, he instantly lunged forward, throwing several shuriken in quick succession.

"Hmph, don't embarrass yourself with such petty tricks."

The figure didn't move a muscle, yet the shuriken hung suspended in mid-air, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch.

Shen Ye frowned and hurriedly reached out to pull Minato back; had they continued to advance, they might have already been severely wounded.