Chapter 35
The man walking toward them was a middle-aged figure in casual clothes: short black hair, a stern face, and a very prominent cross-shaped scar on his chin. This was the leader of Konoha's Root—Danzo Shimura.
At this point in time, Danzo had not yet lost his right eye, nor had he transplanted Hashirama's cells or an Uchiha Sharingan into his right arm. No bandages wrapped his body—he looked like an ordinary Konoha resident.
Danzo seemed to be in a bad mood, his expression dark as he walked straight toward Ling Yu and Kushina, completely unaware of their presence.
"Why is it this sinister old bastard Danzo?"
Ling Yu had only been pulling Kushina toward the school for a short while when he unexpectedly ran into Danzo.
To avoid drawing attention, Ling Yu quickly lowered his head to hide his face and sped up, dragging Kushina forward.
"Ling Yu, what are you doing?"
Kushina, confused by his strange behavior, asked loudly.
"Nothing. The sun's just too bright, so I'm blocking it."
"Huh? I don't feel anything."
"Alright, stop asking. We're almost late for class. Let's hurry."
Ling Yu didn't want to explain. Danzo was already close—he lowered his head even further and pulled Kushina faster toward the school.
"Hey, slow down! Don't run so fast!"
Now that he had no intention of confronting Danzo head-on, staying low-key was the best option. If Danzo targeted him, it would be troublesome.
Despite Ling Yu's efforts to conceal them, their odd movements quickly caught Danzo's attention.
Danzo had just finished a meeting and was heading back to his base alone. For convenience, he hadn't brought any guards.
When he noticed two strangely behaving children passing by—and one of them had red hair—his eyes flashed with interest.
"Stop!"
He immediately turned and shouted loudly at Ling Yu and Kushina.
A red-haired girl? Wasn't that one of the two Uzumaki children who had just arrived in Konoha?
Heaven helps me. Since Sarutobi refuses to hand them over, I'll take the initiative and control her first. By the time he wants her back, it'll be too late.
Thinking this, Danzo's heart surged with excitement.
"Tch. Looks like we've been noticed. Whatever—pretend we didn't hear him."
Ling Yu muttered under his breath when he heard Danzo's voice. Ignoring the command, he actually sped up even more.
"Hey—Ling Yu! Didn't he tell us to stop?"
Kushina, being pulled along, naturally heard Danzo too. She turned back and asked.
"Who is he? Just because he says stop, I have to stop? I don't even know him. Why should I listen?"
Ling Yu replied confidently.
"Huh? Y-yeah… you're right."
Kushina hadn't expected such a matter-of-fact response, but it made sense to her.
"Damn it."
Danzo's face darkened even further when he saw the two children not only ignore him but run even faster.
He suddenly regretted not bringing guards.
Determined not to let an Uzumaki escape, Danzo activated Body Flicker Technique and chased after them.
But every time he used it, Ling Yu somehow anticipated his position and dodged in another direction, foiling his interception attempts.
After several failures, Danzo finally realized—he was being toyed with.
"Haa… haa… I can't… run anymore…"
After dodging Danzo several times, Kushina finally ran out of stamina. She sat on the ground, gasping for breath. After a long moment, she looked up at Ling Yu and asked:
"Hey… why are you avoiding him? He looks scary, but you don't have to be that afraid of him, right?"
In Kushina's eyes, Danzo wore no ninja insignia, so she assumed he was just an ordinary person. With her current strength, beating him would be easy. Why run?
Ling Yu didn't answer. Instead, he silently pulled Kushina up and positioned her behind him.
At that moment, Danzo's voice rang out:
"Stopped running? Senju brat."
Emerging from around the corner, Danzo glared darkly at Ling Yu.
His mood was already terrible. In today's meeting, his proposal to proactively attack other villages had been rejected by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Worse, someone had thrown the First Hokage's words back at him: "The First said we should coexist peacefully with other villages—not constantly think about invading them." That had left him extremely frustrated.
Then on his way back, he'd encountered an Uzumaki child. He thought he could easily take her—only to be toyed with by this damn kid.
"Who are you? Why are you following us?"
Ling Yu pretended not to recognize him, trying to buy time.
The ANBU who had been secretly protecting him and Kushina should have already gone to report. He had delayed quite a while already—just a little longer and they'd arrive. Then Danzo would have to leave.
"Hmph. Sharp-tongued little brat. I don't want to waste words. Hand her over now—or you won't be going back today."
Danzo, the old schemer, instantly saw through Ling Yu's stalling tactic. Not wanting to waste more time, he pointed at Kushina and threatened.
"No way."
Without hesitation, Ling Yu refused.
Just as he was about to draw Kyōka Suigetsu and hypnotize Danzo, Kushina suddenly ran out from behind him.
"Ling Yu, you don't have to be scared of him. He's just a human trafficker! Watch me blow his dog head off!"
Kushina mistook Danzo for a trafficker. After cursing him, she charged forward, ready to beat him senseless.
But Ling Yu caught her first, holding her tightly so she could only struggle in place.
"Let go of me, Ling Yu! Don't stop me—I'm gonna beat him up today!"
Struggling fiercely in Ling Yu's arms, Kushina continued hurling insults at Danzo.
Heh. With that tiny body, you'd just be food. That guy's at least quasi-Kage level. A little genin like you can't possibly beat him.
Holding Kushina, Ling Yu silently complained in his heart.
He had already sensed someone rushing in this direction, so he stopped reaching for Kyōka Suigetsu. Now he just needed to wait.
Besides, he had left a little "surprise" on the ANBU who went to report to Sarutobi. He wondered if Danzo would enjoy the show he'd arranged.
"Heh. Looks like you got lucky today. Hope your luck holds in the future."
Danzo glared viciously at Ling Yu, then used Body Flicker to disappear.
He had also sensed someone approaching—and the newcomer wasn't even hiding their chakra. It was clearly a warning.
"Ugh… Ling Yu, why did you stop me? I could've totally beaten that guy!"
Once Danzo left, Ling Yu naturally released Kushina. The moment she could move, she rushed in front of him, demanding answers.
"You think you could win? Even I'd have to put in effort to beat him—let alone you."
Ling Yu gave her a sideways glance, full of disdain.
Right now he was only elite jonin, while Danzo was in his prime—quasi-Kage level with far more combat experience.
Without using certain trump cards, Ling Yu and Danzo would be roughly 4:6 in Danzo's favor—he was still a bit weaker.
But Kushina was truly brave. She even dared curse Danzo—the man who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen in Konoha.
In terms of trash-talking, Ling Yu was willing to crown Kushina as the strongest in the ninja world.
"Hmph. Then you're really weak—worse than me."
Kushina, unaware of Ling Yu's true strength, looked at him with contempt.
"Alright, we've wasted enough time. Class is almost over. Let's head straight to the ramen shop and wait for them."
Changing the subject, Ling Yu took Kushina's hand and headed toward the ramen shop.
As for school? If not for chasing girls, Ling Yu really wouldn't bother attending.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get early access to the latest chapters by supporting me on Patreon.
Your support helps keep this project active and allows me to release more content regularly:
patreon.com/inkshield
LIMITED 2026 PROMO – 20% OFF
Use code: LOOT20 at checkout
Get instant access for less — this discount won't last.