The next morning,
Ye Liang got up from Anko's bed with a smug look.
Of course, he hadn't done anything—he would answer the same even if The Third himself asked.
Anko wasn't in the room.
Clattering sounds came from the kitchen.
"That little girl sure woke up early," Ye Liang mused. He knew Anko was preparing breakfast. Since ninja had missions to attend to every morning, they naturally rose quite early.
He stretched lazily and got up. It was raining—outside, heavily.
"I wonder if it rained this hard when Yuxian and Yunhai broke up?" Ye Liang sighed as he looked out the window. Outside stood several figures watching.
Ye Liang understood—they were people sent by The Third. Although the latter had told him to hang out in Konoha for a while, he still didn't fully trust him. Therefore, those outside watching were jonin.
Interesting. That monkey sure is cautious.
The Third had an alias—the Monkey.
Walking into the living room, Ye Liang was immediately greeted by an inviting aroma.
You've gotta admit, Anko really knows how to cook breakfast.
"Eat quickly and get out! Because of you, my wallet's completely empty. Don't want to starve? Then go ruin someone else's day!" She glared at Ye Liang with annoyance but immediately blushed upon meeting his gaze, quickly looking away.
Although nothing actually happened between them last night, they did sleep on the same bed. Unfortunately, Anko's apartment only had one bedroom!
Being just a girl herself, Anko found this situation unbearable. Right now, she couldn't bring herself to look directly at Ye Liang.
"I understand."
Ye Liang answered lazily.
Actually, this current situation was somewhat self-inflicted.
Last night, when going out for ramen, he'd impulsively ordered extra bowls, leaving Anko completely drained of money...
Certainly, Ichiraku Ramen tasted genuinely good—even now, Ye Liang was still savoring the memory.
"Still, today I should find something that can earn money."
Ye Liang never expected that even after being reincarnated, he would still suffer due to lack of money—it was quite awkward indeed.
[System Sound: Ding!] Just then, Ye Liang's system finally sounded.
"In response to the system user's current needs, a side mission has been activated immediately."
"Mission Objective: Earn your first pot of gold."
[Reward]: One random C-rank ninjutsu.
"Another low-level task like this again."
Ye Liang had already guessed how the tasks worked by now. The more dangerous the task, the greater the reward. Easier everyday missions like this usually offered nothing more than ordinary techniques.
Ye Liang felt a bit helpless.
But based on his modern-day experiences, those who truly lived the longest weren't necessarily risk-takers.
Risk doesn't equal opportunity—never has, never will.
Ye Liang pondered for a moment.
"Besides completing missions for rewards, another option could be to learn from masters who possess divine-grade tasks."
Taking apprenticeship under someone might also be a viable choice.
Ye Liang wasn't sure about his own talent yet—but what he knew was, it was time to head out and make some money.
After helping Anko clean up the dishes together, Ye Liang stepped out alone.
The streets of Konoha lay eerily quiet. Aside from a few pairs of wary eyes watching him from the shadows, Ye Liang knew they were Jonin sent to tail him.
"Wow, there really are quite a few people after me."
Ye Liang clicked his tongue in amusement. Just as he was about to head toward Ichiraku's Ramen Shop to see if they needed help, an icy sensation suddenly brushed against the back of his neck from behind.
"There's killing intent!"
Ye Liang instantly sensed danger. With Jonin-level strength, he naturally had that kind of awareness.
This murderous aura came from within, strong and intense. Yet Ye Liang felt puzzled—he'd just arrived in Konoha, so why would he already face such hostility?
So far, he had only offended one person: Orochimaru. However, everyone knows Orochimaru is essentially a closed clamshell—there's absolutely no way he has close friends willing to seek revenge for him. Therefore, the source of this killer intent was particularly suspicious.
Suddenly, Ye Liang thought of someone!
Danzo!
If anyone in Konoha held resentment toward him, aside from Danzo, he couldn't think of another candidate.
Danzo represented Konoha's darkness!
Currently, Danzo's Anbu forces were especially active. Although officially Konoha was governed by Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo had accomplished many significant tasks during this era!
For example, manipulating Uchiha Itachi! Undermining Shisui Uchiha! Even the Uchiha Clan massacre had countless connections with Danzo.
Regarding Danzo, opinions differ widely in the real world. While most people curse and criticize him, there are also some who deeply admire this man.
Dedicated his entire life to Konoha's prosperity—that's exactly what describes Danzo.
"If that really is him, we're in deep trouble!" Ye Liang realized his appearance must have triggered Danzo's sense of crisis, so he quickly started running in all directions.
He attempted to escape from this murderous intent, but how could he possibly outrun it in the heart of Konoha!
At a deserted alleyway, Ye Liang was blocked by several Jonin wearing Anbu uniforms.
"One, two, three… seven. Seven of you! Seems like Danzo really paid special attention to me after all." Ye Liang let out a cold snort, glancing at the surrounding Anbu members.
"Just you guys? If you're determined to die here, don't say I didn't warn you."
Ye Liang threw fierce words around. In this situation, aside from making threats and trying to look cool, he really didn't know what else to say. Facing seven opponents like this, even exhausting all his chakra might not guarantee defeating them.
"Haha! My esteemed guest, Ye Liang, you sure know how to joke around. You're our honored visitor here in Konoha—how could we possibly oppose you?"
A muscular man with short hair stepped forward from behind the group—Danzo.
Ye Liang immediately recognized him—it was Danzo!
At this time, Danzo hadn't yet transplanted Sharingan eyes, so he wasn't wrapped entirely in bandages.
"You've mastered quite exquisite Ninjutsu, my esteemed guest, Ye Liang. Inflicting serious injuries upon such a Tokubetsu Jonin like Orochimaru. But since you've come to our Konoha Village, naturally you should follow our Konoha rules. I wonder what business you have wandering around aimlessly—were you scouting information?" Danzo suddenly raised his voice, startling Ye Liang.
It's not like speaking louder automatically makes your presence more intimidating, Ye Liang thought silently, somewhat speechless.
"That's why Hiruzen Sarutobi became Hokage instead of you, Danzo Shimura. The only thing louder than your voice is your ego!"
"What did you say?!"
Danzo immediately flared up.
He glanced at several Anbu wearing Cat masks and instantly ordered them to attack Ye Liang.
But this was playing right into Ye Liang's hands!
Ye Liang knew that mere intimidation wouldn't make Danzo truly fear him, so he had planned to show off his skills a bit for intimidation purposes.
Only by keeping Danzo guessing about his true strength could he remain safe in the Hidden Leaf Village. Otherwise, getting dragged from his room at night or having poison slipped into his food would be truly tragic...
"Perfect timing!"
Ye Liang didn't flinch or show any emotion as the Anbu closed in around him.
Suddenly!
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