"You were a little rash, even if your intentions were good, Nightingale."
In the Anbu Director's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind the desk, looking at Xia Yan with what seemed to be a touch of helplessness.
Xia Yan stood obediently where he was without saying anything, while Murashima Takumi also remained silent beside him.
He was like a robot, so calm it was frightening.
When Xia Yan and Murashima Takumi were facing off, both having gathered their chakra and seemingly about to attack, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally arrived.
Seeing their situation, he was indeed both shocked and furious, and his powerful presence erupted fully at that moment.
Only then did Xia Yan understand why this seemingly elderly Third Hokage, whose various performances in the original story had even been lackluster, bore the title of Shinobi Hero.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was strong. Xia Yan would never deny that, but he had not been so clear on exactly how strong.
Yet now, his presence alone gave Xia Yan the illusion of being in hell.
Especially after that presence enveloped him, he even found it somewhat difficult to breathe.
It felt just like the scene he had once read in the manga, when Sasuke, Naruto, and the others encountered Orochimaru and were enveloped by his presence.
Still, Xia Yan definitely handled it far better than Naruto and Sasuke. His strength was not something those two juniors could compare to back then, before they had awakened to themselves.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi soon reined in his presence. He then had someone take Owl to the Medical Department and brought both Xia Yan and Murashima Takumi into the office.
He asked Xia Yan to explain the entire incident from beginning to end. He was very curious about what sort of answer Xia Yan would give.
The result did