Lin Mu stood outside the Hokage Office, feeling a little uneasy.
What did Tsunade want with me this late at night?
Still, he had to obey the Hokage's orders. Besides, Tsunade was his teacher.
He straightened his clothes one last time, then raised his hand to knock on the office door.
Creak-
Before his hand could touch the door, it opened.
"Lin Mu, come in!"
Shizune had opened the door, and she welcomed him inside warmly.
Now that Lin Mu was also Tsunade's disciple, his relationship with her had grown even closer.
Besides, she had already taken a liking to this amusing younger fellow.
"Hahaha... Shizune, make sure you get some rest. You look so exhausted you've even lost weight!"
Shizune's pretty face flushed. She spat out a dismissive sound, then ignored Lin Mu and hurried aside to continue her work.
"Nothing decent ever comes out of that mouth of yours!"
Tsunade sat behind the Hokage's desk, her chin propped on her hands as she watched Lin Mu with interest.
"Hahaha..."
Lin Mu scratched his head awkwardly and gave a dry laugh.
"Shizune can only help ease your burdens if she's well rested, right, Lady Tsunade?"
Tsunade said nothing. She simply kept smiling at him.
"I... you... well..."
Her stare made Lin Mu's skin crawl. He had no idea what to do.
Two minutes passed before Tsunade finally withdrew her gaze.
She said mildly:
"You're quite something, brat. You've been hiding a lot!"
Lin Mu's heart lurched. What has Tsunade discovered? What have I done lately?
What could possibly warrant her summoning me in the middle of the night?
While Lin Mu racked his brains, desperately recalling recent events, Tsunade spoke again.
"No need to be nervous. Hiding your strength isn't necessarily a bad thing. You were the one who