The air at the street corner seemed to have frozen into solid ice. Every onlooker breathed cautiously, afraid that the slightest sound would set off the bomb hanging over their heads.
The three Root ninja stood silently like three lifeless gravestones. No expressions could be seen beneath their masks, but their absolute obedience to orders was itself the most unyielding stance. They were Danzo's will, tendrils reaching out from the darkness that would never stop until they achieved their goal.
Although Tsunade had restrained her aura for the child in her arms, what settled in her amber eyes was a resolve more terrifying than fury. Like a lioness protecting her cub, she concealed all her sharpness beneath her claws and fangs, ready to deliver a fatal blow to any enemy who dared approach.
Shizune was so nervous that her palms were slick with sweat. She stared fixedly at their opponents, having molded the chakra within her to its limit, ready to fight alongside Lady Tsunade at any moment.
At the center of this entire vortex, Lin Chen buried his face against Tsunade's warm, soft chest. Through the fabric, he could clearly hear her heart pounding with anger and the desire to protect him.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
That sound was his sturdiest shield at this moment.
"That's enough."
The voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority, as though it contained some peculiar power that instantly stirred the frozen air.
With his trademark pipe between his lips and a ceremonial robe embroidered with the character for "fire" draped over him, Hiruzen Sarutobi approached slowly under the escort of a squad of Anbu. His gaze swept across the scene, lingering briefly on the three Root ninja as his brow creased almost imperceptibly, before settling on Tsunade and Lin Chen in her arms.
The lead Root ninja stiffened, then dropped to one knee and lowered his head. "Lord Hokage."
"Since when have Danzo's men had the authority to openly stop a highly decorated jonin on the village's main street?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was level, betraying neither pleasure nor anger, but the questioning tone made the kneeling Root ninja tense even further.
"Reporting to Lord Hokage, we were acting on Lord Danzo's orders to conduct a routine investigation of a suspicious individual of unknown origin, to ensure the village's safety."
"A suspicious individual?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze finally focused entirely on Lin Chen.
Lin Chen lifted his head at just the right moment. With clear eyes still moist from crying, he gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a timid glance, then quickly buried his head back in Tsunade's arms. His little hands tightened their grip, flawlessly portraying a badly frightened child.
Feeling the child trembling in her arms, Tsunade's heart ached beyond measure. She raised her head and stubbornly met her teacher's gaze, her eyes still red. "Old man, he's not some suspicious individual! He's a member of my Senju Clan!"
"A member of... the Senju Clan?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils abruptly contracted. He took a deep draw on his pipe and exhaled a cloud of white smoke. Amid the swirling smoke, his expression grew complex and unreadable.
He knew Tsunade all too well. Ever since Senju Nawaki and Dan Katō had died, she had never spoken the words "clan member" again.
His gaze returned to Lin Chen, and this time, he examined him more closely. There was indeed an aura of vitality lingering around the child... one that felt incredibly familiar. Though faint, that gentle, expansive feeling was so much like... so much like Lord Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, whom he knew so well.
The thought made Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart give a violent jolt as well.
"Tsunade, come back to the Hokage Building with me, and we'll discuss this in detail." Hiruzen Sarutobi did not draw a conclusion in public. He turned to the Root ninja, his tone brooking no argument. "You, withdraw. Tell Danzo that I will handle this matter personally. It is not his place to maintain Konoha's so-called 'safety' in this fashion."
"...Yes!"
The Root ninja hesitated briefly, but ultimately chose to obey. The three figures became afterimages, silently melting into the shadows and disappearing.
With the Hokage's intervention, the disturbance subsided for the time being.
Resting against Tsunade's shoulder, Lin Chen listened to the conversation between her and the Hokage while rapidly reviewing everything in his mind.
It worked.
The first step, and the most crucial one, succeeded. I exploited the gap in Tsunade's emotions and her obsession with her "little brother," successfully tying myself to the name "Senju Clan." Then, through this confrontation, I forced Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, to appear.
With the Hokage's promise to "handle this personally," Danzo could no longer use "investigating a suspicious individual" as an excuse to move against me, at least openly.
But that absolutely did not mean I was safe.
Anyone who had watched Naruto knew that the old dog Danzo's greed for power had become pathological. A child suspected of being a "Senju descendant," who might even possess the First's Wood Release power, was nothing short of an unparalleled prize laid right before him.
In the shadows, those eyes hidden beneath bandages would undoubtedly be fixed on him from now on.
Root's methods were impossible to guard against completely.
Power... I still need greater power. Right now, I'm too weak. This body is severely depleted. All I have now is a Wood Release bloodline and nothing else. Forget fighting-even protecting myself is a problem.
Lin Chen's gaze swept unobtrusively over his surroundings.
Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shizune, and the Anbu in the distance... every person here was a walking treasure trove.
Tsunade's Monstrous Strength, Yin Seal, Medical Ninjutsu... Hiruzen Sarutobi's title of "strongest Hokage," with his five chakra natures... (It felt like the author had hyped him up early on. With how broken the power scaling became later in Naruto, the Third's "strongest" title really didn't hold much water.)
The rule of the "God-Level Stealing System" was that he could only steal when the other person's emotions fluctuated intensely. Tsunade's earlier fury had been a perfect opportunity, but unfortunately, all his attention had been devoted to acting and setting things up. Still, it was fine. There would be plenty of opportunities.
He needed a perfect plan to steal enough power to establish himself, or even fight back, without exposing himself.
In a dark, damp underground base.
Bang.
The Root ninja who had just withdrawn knelt on one knee before Shimura Danzō, reporting everything that had just happened.
"A member of the Senju Clan?"
Intense interest and greed flashed through Danzo's lone eye. His bandage-wrapped fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, producing a rhythmic, oppressive sound.
"Yes, Tsunade declared it publicly. Furthermore... Lord Third personally intervened and protected the child."
"Sarutobi..." Danzo snorted coldly, his voice full of disdain. "He's still so naive, always believing in such nebulous things as 'will' and 'feelings.' That woman Tsunade returned to the village so suddenly, and for a child of unknown origin, she was willing to confront Root head-on and even draw Sarutobi's attention... That alone is highly unusual."
Apart from Tsunade, the Senju Clan had long since died out. That was a fact known throughout the Shinobi World.
Now, a so-called "clan member" had suddenly appeared, and Tsunade treasured him so deeply...
"What's special about that child?" Danzo asked.
"Your subordinate is incompetent. I couldn't sense him accurately from that distance. But for him to make Tsunade lose her composure like that, I'm afraid... he is no ordinary child."
"Heh." Danzo's lips curved into an icy smile. "Interesting. Someone Tsunade treats like a priceless treasure... Senju... Could it be..."
A wild thought surfaced in his mind.
"Pass down my orders." Danzo's voice suddenly turned cold. "Designate the child Tsunade brought back as a surveillance target of the highest priority. I want to know his every movement, every word and action, who he comes into contact with, what he says-even how many bowls of rice he eats each day. Record all of it."
"Yes!"
"Remember, surveillance only. No contact whatsoever. Until we understand everything, don't alert him. Since Sarutobi protected him, he'll certainly be watching closely." A venomous, snake-like gleam shone in Danzo's lone eye. "If it's true... then this last treasure left behind by the First Hokage must be in Root's hands. For Konoha..."