"I mean... as the chief examiner, it's necessary to communicate with the jonin leaders of other ninja villages about the candidates' situation. Don't you think so, Jonin Natsuhi?"
"Ah, you're right." Natsuhi lowered her head. From her appearance, Lin Yu was just a young man, but to be the chief examiner for the second stage of the Chunin Exams, his strength must have reached the jonin level.
Although she was reluctant to believe it, Natsuhi thought that Konoha wouldn't make a mistake in such an important Chunin Exams.
However, there was another possibility: this guy was a second-generation official.
Natsuhi thought to herself, secretly observing Lin Yu from the corner of her eye. She noticed he wore a gentle smile, and even when Shion, in his arms, wiped the grease from her hands onto his chest, he didn't seem to mind. He didn't exude any oppressive aura either.
This left Natsuhi confused, but before she could ponder further, two old men walked over from the stands. The one in front had a kind face and seemed easy to get along with.
The one behind him wore a scowl, as if everyone owed him money.
Natsuhi recognized them: the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzo Shimura. Why would these two Konoha powerhouses be walking towards them?
Smaller ninja villages had lagging information. Natsuhi's perception of Konoha was still stuck in the Third Great Ninja War era. Back then, the title of "cheater" Hiruzen Sarutobi had spread throughout every corner of the ninja world. Who didn't know of him?
"Lin Yu, a sudden incident has occurred that requires your assistance and cooperation."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, accompanied by Danzo, found Lin Yu on the stands and stated their purpose.
"Is the Shrine Maiden here to watch the Chunin Exams?"
The Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons was equivalent to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, holding a similar status. However, the strength difference between the Land of Demons and the Land of Fire was vast, making them incomparable.
Miroku said, "So it's the Third Hokage. Uzumaki Lin Yu has been a great benefactor to our Land of Demons. I couldn't refuse his invitation, so I brought Shion to watch."
"Hello, Grandpa Third!"
Before Hiruzen and Danzo arrived, Shion had already jumped down from Lin Yu. A flicker of strange light flashed in her light purple pupils, as if she had foreseen something.
"You must be Shion. Such a good little girl, I..."
Hiruzen reached into his clothes, fumbled around, frowned, and turned to signal Danzo.
"What is it?"
Danzo was a bit confused, then saw the little girl in front of him blinking her big eyes at him. He instantly understood Hiruzen's meaning. His usually stern face showed a hint of annoyance. This Hiruzen fellow was truly shameless!
"Here, take this!"
After all, she was the person he cared about most. Danzo, with a displeased expression, took out a scroll and handed it over.
"The Tongue-Sealing Fruit Seal? Another one!"
Hiruzen's face was grim. How could he give such a thing as a gift to a little girl? Danzo's emotional intelligence was truly low!
Danzo's expression became even more resentful. He rummaged in his embrace again and pulled out a few more scrolls.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere, Wind Release: Vacuum Wave, Wind Release... A Wind Release Jutsu Gift Pack? Another one!"
Hiruzen's face was strange. The Shrine Maiden couldn't use ninjutsu, so what was the point of giving these? Was Danzo's brain full of mush?
"What do you want?!" Danzo couldn't take it anymore. Was he expected to give away all his belongings?
This Hiruzen fellow definitely didn't understand how to manage household finances!
"A red envelope! It's almost Lunar New Year, of course, we're giving red envelopes!" Hiruzen said, frustrated.
You should have said so earlier!
Danzo pulled out a thick wallet. Just as he was about to open it, he heard Lin Yu shout, "Forget it, the important matter comes first. Old man, let's talk over there."
With that, Lin Yu snatched Danzo's wallet and threw it to Shion, making the little girl's eyes light up. It seemed she could get a few more days of fried chicken and popcorn for free.
Lin Yu slung an arm around Hiruzen's shoulder, acting like an old friend, "Why didn't Orochimaru come?"
"I know Orochimaru; he's not interested in this kind of thing."
Danzo looked at his empty palm, then at Shion who was holding his wallet in confusion, and then at Lin Yu and Hiruzen walking away arm in arm. Danzo's heart ached!
He knew he wouldn't get his wallet back. He couldn't possibly snatch a wallet back from a little girl, especially not in front of Hiruzen!
Uzumaki Lin Yu! How dare you use his money to make a little girl happy, and even steal away his Hiruzen! This... this infuriates me!
Danzo resentfully flicked his sleeve, his face as dark as ever, and followed them.
"I'm sorry, Sister Miroku, please excuse me for a moment."
Although surprised by how polite the Third Hokage was to Miroku, Natsuhi quickly hurried after them. She had a very important matter she wanted to ask Konoha for help with. Now that she had encountered the Third Hokage, she couldn't miss this opportunity.
"Alright, this should be fine. Speak, old man, what did you want me for?"
Since it was a sudden incident, the only thing Lin Yu could think of was Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan, and Orochimaru himself was present.
Could it be that Orochimaru, unable to stand the sight of Hiruzen and Danzo being so close, wanted to cause a major disturbance to draw out Jiraiya, the "playboy"?
There was a slight possibility!
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked around and said to Lin Yu in a deep voice, "Danzo hired ninja from the Star Village to assassinate you."
"What? Danzo wants to kill me, and you're here to tell me?" Lin Yu was shocked. Was this a breakup situation?
And the Star Village... could it be that Natsuhi was sent to assassinate him? If so, he would make sure she never returned!
"No, listen to me first." Hiruzen saw his slip of the tongue and had to repeat what Danzo had told him. Indeed, as he got older, his speech impediments increased.
"Star Village, Akaboshi, meteorite?"
Lin Yu recalled some impressions. That strange meteorite contained chakra, but if the practitioner's physique wasn't up to par, the side effects would be immense, even reducing lifespan.
As for the so-called Peacock Myoho of the Star Ninja, in Lin Yu's opinion, it was merely chakra activation, nothing special.
He was more curious about how much chakra the meteorite contained. He wondered if it was as much as Kurama's.
"Hey, Lin Yu! Are you even listening to me?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's beard puffed up as he saw Lin Yu spacing out. This kid was becoming more and more lawless!
"Ahem, I thought it was some major incident, but this is nothing compared to Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. "What? Konoha Crush Plan? And it's related to Orochimaru?"
"Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue! Let's deal with the Star Village problem first." Lin Yu broke out in a sweat. He was getting worse at controlling his mouth lately, always liking to cause trouble for others. Heh heh, so great!
"Then let's not delay, hurry."
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't ask further upon seeing this, only muttering inwardly: Konoha Crush Plan? What a nice name, Orochimaru. No wonder he dared to come to Konoha so openly. It seems he was prepared long ago!
I'll deal with that rebellious disciple later! But, how to get that rebellious disciple to spill the beans?
At this moment, Danzo walked over with a grim expression and said, "Are you done talking? Then I'm leaving?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Danzo for a long time, then slapped his thigh heavily and said happily, "Danzo! It's great to have you!"
"Huh?"
What was going on?
Danzo was stunned by Hiruzen Sarutobi's sudden affectionate words. His earlier resentment over the lost fortune vanished. He pursed his lips and said, "You're only realizing this now!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily and walked up to Danzo, patting him heavily on the shoulder, his old face creased into a smile like a chrysanthemum.
"Danzo, you are truly my lucky star, Hiruzen Sarutobi! After this is done, shall we have a drink?"
The sudden embrace caught Danzo off guard, as if he had gone from the cold winter directly into the warm spring. Even Danzo's usually stern and reserved face showed a hint of embarrassment.
This Hiruzen fellow, really!
"You, you're the boss..."
"Hahaha, great!"
...
On the stands, Orochimaru sneezed without warning. He habitually touched his forehead and wondered, "I don't have a cold, and I don't feel unwell. Why am I sneezing all of a sudden? This is unscientific."