A Merciless Beating

With things more or less taken care of, Shen Ye bade farewell to the Third Hokage and prepared to head home.

"You little ones should be careful around the village lately. I've found the right people to handle the rogue ninja situation, and I'm sure we'll have results soon."

"Let's go!"

Tsunade scooped Shen Ye into her arms and headed home, conveniently passing by Yue Xing's house on the way.

Feeling that warmth in his hands once more, Shen Ye decided it was all worth it.

The softness of Tsunade's body was something everyone dreamed of, yet now he could enjoy it whenever he wanted.

Tsunade was already used to Shen Ye's little antics and showed no reaction, calmly accepting his hands on her waist.

Yue Xing saw it all. With her Byakugan, she could see everything clearly, and couldn't help rolling her eyes at Shen Ye.

At the same time, Yue Xing was quite surprised that Tsunade could tolerate Shen Ye acting so outrageously. But on second thought, Shen Ye was just a child in Tsunade's eyes.

Her fair skin was enough to make anyone fall for her at first sight.

What am I even thinking? He just saved me, that's all.

Yue Xing quickly shook her head, putting an end to her strange thoughts.

"Yue Xing, we're at your door. Be careful lately. Until the rogue ninja is caught, you're still in danger."

"Don't worry, Lady Tsunade. I won't let that guy get away with it a second time."

"See you next time, then."

Resting against Tsunade's shoulder, Shen Ye waved his little hand. Yue Xing nodded and skipped happily into her house.

Everything here was warm and cheerful, but Danzo had returned to the Anbu with anger simmering inside him.

Even though Shen Ye was just a child, Danzo had still put him on his blacklist. One day, he would eliminate him.

Of course, Shen Ye had no idea about any of this. Right now, all he could feel was the softness beneath his hands, and his movements were growing bolder by the moment.

Tsunade furrowed her brows but said nothing, assuming he was just a child who didn't know any better.

Just then, a hurried figure appeared ahead. Tsunade took a closer look and saw that it was Jiraiya.

"Hey, you peeping tom! What are you in such a hurry for? Heading to another women's bathhouse to spy?"

Hearing Tsunade's voice, Jiraiya stopped and quickly waved his hands.

"The Third Hokage said a rogue ninja appeared in the village and is planning to send me after him. I'm going to see the Third Hokage and find out more."

Tsunade pursed her lips and set Shen Ye down. Before Jiraiya could prepare himself, she swung her hand and struck him across the face.

Strength of a Hundred burst from Tsunade's fist, sending Jiraiya tumbling backward.

After rolling several times, Jiraiya looked up at Tsunade, baffled. He held his slightly swollen face in both hands, his eyes full of bewilderment.

"Why did you suddenly hit me?"

"And you have to ask? Take this!"

Without a word, Tsunade raised her fist again and charged at Jiraiya. The sound of blows rang out beside Shen Ye without pause.

Shen Ye sighed inwardly. Jiraiya would just have to take the blame for this one.

After several rounds of pummeling, Jiraiya had turned into a human punching bag.

But to Shen Ye, aside from his swollen face, Jiraiya didn't seem to have suffered any other injuries. It was as if this sort of beating barely counted as harm to him.

"You've trained yourself to take a beating. Boring!"

Leaving behind a dashing figure, Tsunade dusted off her hands and continued toward home.

Shen Ye glanced around, then decided to comfort Jiraiya a little. After all, Jiraiya had taken that beating for his sake.

"Brother Jiraiya, I believe in you. Lady Tsunade must have gotten it wrong. How could an upstanding gentleman like you ever peep?"

"Exactly! I've been at home working on my Icha Icha Paradise lately. Even when I did sneak a peek a few times, Tsunade never caught me."

Watching Jiraiya stroke his chin with such confidence, Shen Ye suddenly felt that the beating had been well deserved.

Ding! Congratulations, host. Last night, the host stole Jiraiya's skill: Sage Mode! God Steal cooldown remaining: 3 hours.

The system's voice appeared in Shen Ye's mind without warning.

"Brother Jiraiya, go to the office by yourself. I have something to do. Bye!"

Without time for more pleasantries with Jiraiya, Shen Ye dashed home.

As someone well-versed in the original story, he knew just how powerful Sage Mode was. Even in his tiny body, he could put it to great use.

The first thing he did after returning home was lock himself in his room, ignoring Tsunade's calls.

"What's that brat up to? Did Jiraiya give him one of those little books he wrote?"

"Lady Tsunade, eat dinner without me. I have something really important to do!"

Shen Ye's voice came from inside the room. Tsunade had no choice but to agree.

Looking at the food laid out on the table, Tsunade instantly lost her appetite. She then leaned back on the sofa and drifted off to sleep.

Following each movement he remembered, Shen Ye worked on controlling his chakra. Flecks of natural energy surged into his body from all around him.

After several cycles, Shen Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead and couldn't help marveling at the wonders of Sage Mode.

He still couldn't enter Sage Mode like Jiraiya, but he could use it to absorb natural energy continuously and expand his chakra reserves.

By now, the moon was high in the night sky. Shen Ye stretched a couple of times, lay down on his bed, and slowly closed his eyes.

The next morning came in the blink of an eye. Shen Ye opened his bleary eyes and found a pair of clear eyes just a few centimeters from his own.

"Lady Tsunade, why are you suddenly standing by my bed?"

"I've been here for quite a while. You were sleeping so soundly that I couldn't bear to wake you."

"But I have to go to school today! I'm almost late!"

Shen Ye sprang up from the bed and, without even grabbing breakfast, hurried off toward school.

All the way there, Shen Ye worried about one thing: he was afraid Mikoto would tell everyone that he had peeked into the women's bathhouse.

But when he arrived at the Ninja Academy, Shen Ye saw that everyone seemed to be looking at him kindly. It seemed the secret hadn't gotten out.