The lingering sunset painted the statues of the successive Hokage on Hokage Rock a warm gold, as though silently recounting the village's glory and peace.
Lin Chen leaned against Tsunade's soft shoulder, his clear eyes quietly studying the village before him, at once familiar and strange. The towering gatehouse, the bustling streets, the lanterns hanging beneath the eaves, and the scents of grilled meat and miso soup drifting through the air... everything seemed so peaceful and serene.
Yet beneath that tranquility, Lin Chen knew better than anyone what undercurrents and sharp fangs lay hidden.
He understood that from the moment he stepped through those gates, his life would be a play with no retakes. His audience was a group of the finest, most cunning, and most powerful ninja in this world. And he, a transmigrator wearing the shell of a four-year-old child, had to give the most flawless performance of innocence and dependence to earn himself a place to survive in this village.
"Lady Tsunade, you're back!"
Surprise first flashed across the faces of the two Chunin guarding the gate when they recognized the newcomer, then they immediately straightened and bowed respectfully. Their gazes inevitably landed on the child in Tsunade's arms, their eyes full of curiosity and confusion.
Tsunade merely nodded faintly. Without pausing her steps, she carried Lin Chen straight toward the village center. All she wanted now was to reach the Hokage Building as quickly as possible, find Teacher Sarutobi, and use the Senju Clan's name to establish this child's standing and give him a legitimate identity.
Yet the news that Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, had brought back a child of unknown origin was like a massive rock thrown into a still lake, instantly stirring invisible ripples beneath the surface.
Along both sides of the street, some villagers and ninja cast curious glances their way, discussing it in hushed voices.
"Look, Lady Tsunade brought a child back."
"Could that be Lady Tsunade's illegitimate child?"
"Bullshit! Lady Tsunade is the purest!"
"I won't let you insult Lady Tsunade! I challenge you to a duel!"
"Probably a child caught up in the war."
"The world is such a mess these days. Thank goodness we live in Konoha."
"Exactly. Konoha is still safe, all thanks to Lord Hokage."
"Yes, yes, Lord Hokage is the best."
Lin Chen took it all in, but merely buried his little face deeper in Tsunade's arms, as though filled with fear of the outside world. His hands clutched her clothes tightly, playing the role of a frightened child to perfection.
Just as they rounded a street corner and were about to enter the main road leading to the Hokage Building, Tsunade abruptly stopped.
The lively clamor around them seemed to be cut off instantly by an invisible hand.
In an instant, the air turned cold and stagnant.
Three figures appeared soundlessly before them like specters seeping out of the shadows, blocking their path. They wore matching close-fitting black outfits beneath grayish-white cloaks, and cat masks that exposed only their eyes.
They betrayed not the slightest trace of emotion, and even their chakra was suppressed until it resembled stagnant water. Yet the chill and menace seeping from their very bones felt more oppressive than any killing intent.
They were ninja from Root.
Lin Chen's heart sank, but his face retained that same innocent, uncomprehending expression. They're here. They came so quickly. Shimura Danzō, the Darkness of Konoha, really did send out his lackeys at once, like a shark scenting blood.
Shizune nervously stepped forward, shielding Lin Chen and Tsunade behind her, her face full of vigilance. "Who are you? How dare you block Lady Tsunade's path!"
The lead Root ninja ignored Shizune's challenge. His eyes, hidden behind his mask, fixed directly on Lin Chen in Tsunade's arms like two cold scalpels.
"Lady Tsunade." His voice sounded dry and flat, without any inflection a human voice should possess. "This child's origins are unknown, and his aura is abnormal. Under Konoha's security regulations, he must immediately be handed over to Root for examination and protection."
"Examination and protection?"
Tsunade smiled, but there was not a trace of warmth in it, only a bone-chilling cold. Her amber pupils instantly narrowed to dangerous pinpoints, and chakra far more terrifying and violent than before on the battlefield erupted like an awakening volcano!
Boom-!
With her at the center, the stone paving beneath her feet instantly filled with spiderweb cracks that spread outward at a visible speed. Powerful gusts sent the surrounding stalls tilting and swaying, startling passersby into screaming and retreating until they formed a huge ring in the distance.
"You rats hiding in the sewers think you're worthy of talking to me about 'examination'?" Every word seemed to squeeze out between Tsunade's teeth, filled with undisguised killing intent and contempt. "Get lost!"
Those two words exploded like thunder, the terrifying pressure they contained making even the ground beneath the three Root ninja sink slightly.
Yet they remained motionless, like three lifeless stone statues. The lead ninja continued in his unvarying tone, "These are Lord Danzo's orders. For Konoha's safety, please cooperate. Any attempt to shelter a suspicious individual will be regarded as a potential threat to the village."
"Danzo?" The cold sneer on Tsunade's lips deepened. "Tell him to drag himself here and say it to me! You aren't worthy!"
Before she finished speaking, the arm holding Lin Chen abruptly tightened, while her other hand had already clenched into a fist. Frightening chakra gathered over her knuckles, distorting the surrounding air. She truly intended to kill. To her, this was no longer a simple matter of procedure, but Danzo reaching his filthy hand toward her last treasure!
Touching her reverse scale was a crime punishable by death!
Yet at that critical moment.
A soft little hand gently tugged at the sleeve of the arm she was about to swing, trembling slightly.
"Big Sister..."
A childish voice, choked with tears and filled with fear and dependence, sounded beside Tsunade's ear.
Tsunade shuddered violently. Her towering killing intent and fury froze in an instant, as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head.
She sharply lowered her head and met Lin Chen's large, clear black-and-white eyes, brimming with tears. The little fellow trembled in her arms, his small face deathly pale and his lips quivering. Only by using all his strength did he manage to squeeze a few words from his throat.
"Big Sister... I'm scared..."
Lin Chen inwardly gave his acting a thumbs-up.
Of course he was not afraid. From the moment these Root ninja appeared, his mind had been racing.
Fight?
They couldn't fight. If they fought Root here, he would be thrust into the eye of the storm regardless of who won. If they won, Tsunade would be sheltering him, a person of unknown origin, and openly defying the Konoha Anbu. If they lost... that did not even bear thinking about. He would be taken straight into that sunless base and become the next test subject.
What he wanted was not for Tsunade to punch a path open for him. He wanted her to shelter him firmly beneath her wings as his "big sister" and in the name of the "Senju Clan," so that no one, including the Hokage, could easily take him away from her.
His cry of "Big Sister" and those words, "I'm scared," were an arrow aimed at the softest part of Tsunade's heart.
They reminded Tsunade that the one in her arms was not a "suspicious individual" requiring examination, but a "little brother" who had just suffered tremendous trauma, who saw her as his sole source of support, and who could feel fear and cry.
Sure enough, seeing Lin Chen like this, Tsunade felt as though a hand had seized her heart, which had been on the verge of losing control in her rage. The pain made her draw a sharp breath.
That's right... I'd forgotten. The child in my arms is only four. He was only just pulled back from the brink of death. How could I let him see another scene so bloody and terrifying? The way I looked just now must have frightened him.
Endless self-reproach and heartache instantly overwhelmed her towering fury.
The world-destroying presence around Tsunade receded like the tide. She took a deep breath, carefully pressed Lin Chen's head against her chest, and freed one hand to pat his back gently, soothing him in the gentlest voice she had ever used in her life. "Chen, don't be afraid. Your big sister is here. It's all right. I won't let anyone hurt you."
Her movements were so gentle and her gaze so tender that she seemed an entirely different person from the murderous female asura of a moment ago.
Although he knew he should not let his thoughts wander at a time like this, Lin Chen still could not help thinking, So soft.
Tsunade raised her head and looked at the three Root ninja again. Though the killing intent in her eyes had faded, something colder, more resolute, and more unshakable had taken its place.
"No one is taking him from me today." Her voice was not loud, but it carried clearly across the entire street corner. "If you want to take him, you'll have to step over my corpse. You can repeat my words to Danzo exactly as I said them."
At that moment, the tension reached its peak.
The Root ninja did not move, and neither did Tsunade. One side represented an order from the Darkness of the Wood Shadow that brooked no defiance; the other was the protection of one of the legendary Sannin, staking her life and honor.
A storm capable of shaking the entire Konoha High Command had already taken shape.