I Still Need to Be More Careful

Jokes aside.

Jiraiya hadn't forgotten the reason he'd come.

He turned to the side, directing Lin Mu's gaze toward the two advisors.

"Hahahaha, Lin Mu, let me introduce you."

Jiraiya scratched his head and introduced Konoha Ninja Village's two senior advisors to Lin Mu.

"These are Advisor Mitokado Homura and Advisor Utatane Koharu. They're both highly respected elders of Konoha!"

Lin Mu smiled innocently, then immediately turned and welcomed Jiraiya and the two senior advisors inside.

Naturally, he knew who the two advisors were.

"Please, come in and sit down!"

Lin Mu brought over several chairs and set them beside the two advisors and Jiraiya, inviting them to sit.

When he had some free time, Lin Mu sometimes invited friends over, so he had plenty of chairs.

Advisor Mitokado Homura no longer looked stern, as he did when dealing with subordinates. Instead, his face was full of a kind elder's warmth.

"Little Lin Mu, don't be afraid. We came because there are a few things we'd like to ask you."

"Okay! Go ahead and ask, Grandpa Advisor. If I know the answer, I'll do my best to answer!"

Hearing Lin Mu's response, Advisor Utatane Koharu nodded slightly. The child seemed quite nice and very polite.

"I heard you can use Wood Release. Would you show us?"

Advisor Mitokado Homura asked his first question.

Lin Mu didn't refuse. He held out his hand.

Chakra gathered in his palm, and a wooden thorn slowly emerged from it.

"It really is Wood Release!"

The two advisors couldn't hide their excitement when they saw Wood Release with their own eyes.

"When did you discover that you could use Wood Style Jutsu?"

"Just a few days ago, during the Chunin Ninja Exams. My body changed overnight, and after that I learned Wood Style Jutsu."

Lin Mu answered earnestly, telling a half-truth.

"Your Wood Release awakened all of a sudden?"

Jiraiya, who had been listening to their conversation, rubbed his chin.

It wasn't impossible for someone to awaken suddenly. Some dormant Kekkei Genkai manifested after their owners experienced an outside stimulus.

The awakening of Kekkei Genkai wasn't a secret in the Ninja World, and the two advisors had naturally thought of the same thing as Jiraiya.

They nodded to themselves. The chaos during the Chunin Ninja Exams must have traumatized the child.

For the next half hour, the two advisors asked Lin Mu several questions, as though they were chatting with a child in their own family.

Lin Mu answered them all smoothly. After all, his mind wasn't that of a genuine child just over ten years old.

He could handle questioning of this level.

In fact, he could even say he'd answered very well.

Each time he responded, the two senior advisors nodded slightly, showing their approval and encouragement.

"Now, I'll ask one last question..."

Mitokado Homura smiled warmly, like a kindly old neighbor, and even reached out to pat Lin Mu's head.

"Do you remember anything about your past, your parents, or where you came from?"

At the question, Lin Mu's body trembled slightly. His little face seemed to pale, and a hint of loneliness and sorrow appeared in his eyes.

"I... can't remember my parents at all anymore..."

His voice caught in his throat, as if he'd been reminded of something painful.

"..."

"How could you ask a child something like that?"

Advisor Utatane Koharu looked up and shot Mitokado Homura a reproachful glance.

As a woman, she was more sentimental. Seeing such a young child looking so sad made her feel sorry for him.

She reached out to pat Lin Mu's head, her gaze filled with affection.

"Don't be sad, little one. We'll find a way to help you!"

"Mm! Thank you, Grandma Advisor!"

Lin Mu's eyes brimmed with tears, and his voice still caught in his throat.

What a thoughtful child!

Utatane Koharu seemed to soften toward him even more, her gaze growing tender.

She stood up and said:

"That's enough for today. Get some rest, Lin Mu!"

With that, she left Lin Mu's home with Mitokado Homura.

Lin Mu got up and went to the doorway, watching the two senior advisors leave.

When they looked back, he even raised a hand and waved goodbye.

He waited until they disappeared from view before closing the door and letting out a sigh of relief.

"Good grief... Thank goodness I can act!"

Putting on an innocent act in front of the two senior advisors had been exhausting for Lin Mu!

Suddenly, Lin Mu's body stiffened. He'd relaxed completely, but then remembered that Jiraiya was still in the room.

For the past half hour, he'd been talking to the two senior advisors the whole time.

Jiraiya had sat in the corner and listened without saying a word.

In his nervousness, Lin Mu had forgotten Jiraiya was even there.

No, wait!

That wasn't right...

It was Jiraiya!

He must have used some kind of ninjutsu to lower his presence and hide himself!

The two senior advisors hadn't even called out to Jiraiya when they left!

"Hiss..."

Feeling Jiraiya's gaze fixed on him, Lin Mu drew in a sharp breath.

Now he was genuinely nervous.

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

Jiraiya, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, suddenly burst into laughter.

"What an interesting little brat!"

"Haha..."

Hearing Jiraiya suddenly laugh, Lin Mu relaxed a little.

He tried to join in with a few awkward laughs to ease the tension.

But when he looked up and saw Jiraiya's serious expression, his laughter stopped abruptly.

"Senior Jiraiya..."

His voice trembled slightly, but he still spoke up, trying to break the silence.

Jiraiya kept watching him, as though thinking something over.

After a long while, he finally spoke.

"I don't know what secrets you're hiding, but you're definitely descended from the Senju Clan..."

"Since that's the case, how about staying with me for a while?"

"I'm going to look for Tsunade soon. Maybe you can learn about your past from her. After all, she's also a direct descendant of the Senju Clan!"

"If you agree, come find me at Ichiraku Ramen in a week, in the morning. Then we'll set out!"

Jiraiya said all this in one breath, then turned and left without waiting for Lin Mu's reply.

Lin Mu watched Jiraiya leave. Only after a long while did he finally let out a breath.

"I still... thought things were too simple. Someone who became one of the Konoha Sannin and raised powerful figures like the Fourth Hokage and Nagato... How could he be simple?"

Lin Mu reached up to wipe the cold sweat trickling down his forehead. From now on, he'd have to be more careful!