Ye Liang never expected that his careless mistake would lead to such serious repercussions for Konoha.
After visiting several markets and failing to find suitable work, Ye Liang decided it was time to try his luck at the Hokage's office.
These were unusual times. Most ninja survived on bounties issued by the Hokage, and for an outsider like Ye Liang with unknown origins, ordinary shops would never dare hire him.
Therefore, if Ye Liang wanted to survive, he really needed to have a chat with the Third.
"Knock knock."
Ye Liang knocked on the door of the Hokage's office.
"It's pretty quiet here," he muttered, frowning slightly.
Along the way, he only saw a young man resembling Shikamaru rushing out in a hurry. That was all.
"Come in."
Inside the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice called out.
Ye Liang walked in, maintaining a composed yet unassuming appearance.
His current image was extremely mysterious—so mysterious, in fact, that everyone assumed he must be an incredibly powerful expert. And experts naturally needed to maintain an air of aloofness, so his attitude wasn't particularly amiable.
"Honorable Third, it's been a long time," Ye Liang said coolly before casually sitting down on a nearby stool.
"Yes, indeed," the Third replied briefly.
Something's off. Hiruzen seems unusually cold today?
He feels more distant than usual.
But I don't recall ever offending him...
Ye Liang found this strange, but his current situation left him no choice but to continue speaking.
"Honorable Third, you can see my current situation for yourself. Although you've allowed me free access throughout Konoha, as a wandering traveler, I don't even have money for food. I'd like to ask whether there are any simple bounty missions available—I'd be willing to complete some tasks for Konoha in exchange for payment."
"Bounty missions?" Hiruzen Sarutobi started slightly.
But then he suddenly realized—there was truth to what Ye Liang said. While he had permitted Ye Liang to stay in Konoha, the boy seemingly couldn't even afford to eat properly, which was rather awkward.
"There certainly are some bounty missions, but most are classified operations specific to Konoha, not suitable for outsiders. As for lower-level missions, their rewards are only a few hundred ryo each—I believe you wouldn't deign to take those, would you?" Hiruzen shook his head.
"A few hundred ryo? I'll take them!"
You mean missions worth just a few hundred ryo? I'll take them!
Fire Nation currency was vastly different from Ye Liang's world, but a few hundred ryo could buy quite a few bowls of ramen—each costing around forty ryo—so it was enough to get him through a rough patch.
Ye Liang nearly shouted inside his head but couldn't voice it out loud.
After all, he was supposed to be a high-level expert, which meant maintaining a certain level of dignity.
"Sure, the pay's low, but can anyone really say no to helping others just because the reward isn't great? I think I could handle these simpler missions."
"Hm?" Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a soft sound of surprise.
He hadn't expected Ye Liang to respond this way. But right now, he couldn't really be bothered with him. Even if Ye Liang wanted those easy missions, Hiruzen himself couldn't be bothered to assign them.
After all, it was because of him that Minato Namikaze left!
Even great leaders carry personal emotions inside.
Just as he was about to send Ye Liang away, three teenagers suddenly burst in, looking flustered.
"Lord Third! Our teacher really left for a mission? When is he coming back? What are we supposed to do about missions in the meantime?"
They all spoke at once, interrupting each other constantly.
Ye Liang didn't seem to care.
He casually glanced at the youths who had barged in—about thirteen or fourteen, two boys and a girl.
One boy was handsome-looking, the other wore protective goggles. The girl had delicate, soft features.
"Why does this silver-haired boy look so familiar?" A hint of confusion flickered across Ye Liang's face. After glancing at the goggle-wearing boy, he suddenly understood!
"It's Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha!"
That's right—Namikaze Minato had been teaching their class before.
"Lord Third, is it true our teacher has really left?" Obito and Kakashi asked anxiously.
"Mm, your teacher has left for a secret mission, but it's only temporary. Don't worry—he'll be back soon."
Hiruzen Sarutobi replied calmly but cast a subtle glance toward Ye Liang at the same time.
"What's that old man staring at? So weird," Ye Liang muttered under his breath, then shifted his gaze toward the only girl present.
"So this is Rin Nohara. No wonder Obito and Kakashi fight over her—she's stunning, even for someone her age. A beauty destined to cause chaos, like a storm waiting to happen."
Ye Liang let out a quiet sound of admiration while watching Rin, but this caught the attention of Obito Uchiha.
Well, Sharingan vision was just too sharp. Even though Ye Liang had tried to be discreet in his stares, Obito still noticed him!
"Who the hell are you?! Why are you staring like that?! If I catch you looking again, I'll smash your face in!"
This guy was acting like a total hot-head, swinging his fists around like he was ready to fight.
"It's no surprise Rin doesn't like him—he's so awkward. Naturally, she'd fall for Kakashi, calm and confident as always," Ye Liang shook his head.
Next to them, Hiruzen was getting worried.
In Sarutobi's eyes, Ye Liang was an extremely mysterious expert-level ninja. He was afraid Obito's disrespectful attitude might provoke Ye Liang into punishing him.
After all, Ye Liang had actually forced Minato to retreat...
"Don't talk nonsense! This person is an honored guest of Konoha. Be more polite!"
"What kind of important guest stares creepily like that, not even hiding who he's looking at!"
"That brat of a kid..."
Hiruzen couldn't help feeling increasingly annoyed. Meanwhile, Rin immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply to Ye Liang. As expected of a girl—always considerate. Seeing Lord Third's demeanor, she quickly grasped the situation.
"I'm really sorry, sir. Obi-kun always forgets his manners like this, but he means no harm—he's a good person. Please don't take offense."
She apologized sincerely, but Obito clearly wasn't happy.
His goddess was apologizing to another guy—and he couldn't stand it!
Even though Ye Liang looked years older, he still dared to challenge him head-on.
"You! I challenge you to fight me one-on-one!" he gave Ye Liang the finger.
Ye Liang frowned slightly.
"What an idiot. Look at Kakashi next to you—so well-behaved, not even saying a word. That's what a real cool guy looks like. No wonder no girl gives you the time of day." Ye Liang coldly thought to himself before swiftly dashing forward and attacking Obito.
The simplest way to shut someone up is to take action!
*Peng!*
Before Obito could even blink, Ye Liang had already slammed him into the ground. Still, considering he was just a kid himself, Ye Liang held back his strength.
"So fast!"
Kakashi's eyes flickered with surprise, and so did Hiruzen Sarutobi, who sat in his swivel chair.
Earlier, Orochimaru hadn't mentioned that this guy could move this fast with the Shifting Body Technique too. It looked like their assessment of him needed a major upgrade.
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