"Monkey, you'd better watch yourself." Danzo knew that, for now, there was no way he could wrest a genius like Lin Chuan away from Monkey. He gave Lin Chuan and Maruboshi Kosuke one last look, inwardly sighing that Kosuke had found himself a fine disciple, then reluctantly turned and left the Hokage Tower.
"Danzo, this business of taking children to train for the ANBU ends here. I don't want to see it happen again." Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Danzo leave, his warning drifting after him. Danzo's footsteps faltered. Clearly, he had heard every word.
Only after Danzo left did he toss the report of Lin Chuan's exploits to Maruboshi Kosuke. Smiling at him, he said, "Kosuke, that disciple of yours is something else."
Then he lowered his head and gave Lin Chuan a warm, kindly smile. "Little Chuan, it's been a long time. You've grown, and you've gotten stronger..."
"Lord Hokage," Lin Chuan answered, still keeping his head lowered when he heard that old geezer Sarutobi address him. After that, he remained silent. He knew he had made it through safely, but he couldn't relax yet. There were still details he couldn't afford to get wrong.
"Don't be nervous. I just wanted to ask you whether that intelligence is reliable. Have you seen the Box of Ultimate Bliss?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was merely searching for something to say. He hardly cared about the Box of Ultimate Bliss; he only wanted to exchange a few words with Lin Chuan.
But Lin Chuan kept his head down, his expression unchanged in the reflection on the water's surface. Ever since the boy had seen Danzo, he hadn't shown the slightest shift in emotion. Hiruzen couldn't help letting out a quiet sigh.
*Root certainly knows how to teach children. In just two short years, they've tormented