Chapter 59: Eight Days and a Dance
"What should I learn next?"
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed within the Time Chamber. When Liumu and Haku finally emerged, their auras seemed subtly refined, carrying a stillness born of deep concentration. However, having not slept for an extended period of focused practice, the moment they returned to the real world, both collapsed onto the bed and fell into a profound, motionless slumber.
The Hatake affair remained unresolved. Jiraiya had been back for days. Seeing the two still dead to the world, anyone who didn't know better would think they'd slipped into comas.
During Liumu's extended nap, Jiraiya faced mounting pressure. For some inexplicable reason, Danzō, who usually kept his distance, had begun targeting him.
At a village council meeting, Danzō openly criticized Jiraiya as a Konoha shinobi who shirked all responsibility, calling him a waste of resources and utterly irresponsible. He even accused Sarutobi Hiruzen of negligence for indulging Jiraiya's wanderlust.
Cornered, the Third Hokage asked Jiraiya for his stance, intending to finally assign him formal duties as an elite jonin.
But…
Jiraiya was a free spirit at heart. He despised village politics. He flatly refused.
Remembering Liumu's earlier wish to travel, he used that as his excuse to decline the Third's offer.
"Dammit, if you don't wake up soon, I won't even dare to step outside," Jiraiya grumbled, pacing outside their room, powerless to hurry them along.
Finally, a week later, Liumu stirred. He shook his head groggily, sat up slowly, stretched with a wide yawn… and froze. He was being watched by a pair of very cold, very angry eyes.
"Teacher Jiraiya… when did you get here?"
Jiraiya: "…"
"It's been eight days! I've waited eight days! Do you have any idea what I've been through these past eight days?!"
Eight days? Liumu was taken aback. He'd slept for eight whole days? Then again, considering the subjective time spent training in the chamber, an eight-day recovery sleep wasn't that surprising.
But facing Jiraiya's palpable fury…
Liumu chuckled awkwardly, glancing at Haku, who was still curled up like a sleeping kitten. He hopped off the bed.
"Don't be mad, Teacher. Let me show you something fun." He grinned.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
His chakra flared wildly. His hands blurred through the seals. Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!
In a series of smoke bursts, the room was suddenly filled with figures. Dozens—no, hundreds—of clones appeared, all female, and all dressed in… remarkably economical attire of various styles and colors. They swarmed around a stunned Jiraiya, swaying, giggling…
Jiraiya felt a sudden, fierce heat rush to his nose…
Splurt!
In the bathroom, Jiraiya splashed cold water on his face for the third time, glaring at his reflection and the grinning boy visible through the doorway. "That little brat… to think he'd use such an underhanded, despicable move! It's just…"
His expression suddenly shifted to one of profound appreciation. "…brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
"Danzo's a petty man. What did you do to offend him?"
At Ichiraku Ramen, Jiraiya fixed Liumu with a stern look over his bowl. "Have some mercy on your old teacher. Stop making trouble for me."
"Danzo? What about him?" Liumu slurped a mouthful of noodles, then stuffed a garlic clove in his cheek, looking genuinely puzzled.
It turned out that during Liumu and Haku's hibernation, Jiraiya had noticed their house was under constant surveillance—and by no small number of agents. ANBU, answering to the Hokage, wouldn't spy on Liumu. The only one with the authority and manpower for such an operation was Danzō, head of Root.
"He just won't let it go," Liumu muttered after explaining the run-in outside the village.
Hearing his account, Jiraiya chuckled and slapped Liumu's back. "So even Danzo has his eye on you now. You know, he was never considered a genius himself."
Liumu didn't mention trapping Danzo in an illusion, only that the elder had tried to recruit him into Root and been rejected.
"Aren't I a genius?" Liumu asked, feigning innocence.
Jiraiya: "…"
"Have some humility. No one calls themselves a genius."
Teuchi, the ramen chef, overheard and burst out laughing.
Jiraiya sighed. "If I had to say… you're not a genius."
"A genius leaves a trace," he continued after a moment. "It's about doing things that defy expectations for your age. Take Kakashi. Graduated at five, Chunin at six. That's a genius."
He looked at Liumu with a complex expression, then shook his head with a wry smile. "But you…"
As for Danzo's surveillance, Liumu wasn't angry. Dealing with persistent maggots wasn't about setting out flypaper. It was about tricking them into eating poison, so they'd carry it back to the nest and wipe out the whole colony.
That night, after Jiraiya left, Liumu deliberately drew the attention of the watchers. He left Konoha alone and headed for the training grounds in the surrounding Forest of Bewilderment.
Just as he'd predicted, the shadows followed.
The forest rustled with movement. Dark figures flitted through the trees, making no attempt at stealth now.
Liumu stopped in a small clearing and waited.
Soon, the sounds of rustling leaves grew louder. One by one, figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding him.
Once they'd all arrived, Liumu did a quick headcount and smiled. "24 of you. I'm flattered by the attention."
"Enough talk, Liumu," one of them, likely the leader, spat. "You dared to defy Lord Danzo's will. Today, we're taking you back."
"Yeah," another chimed in with a sneer. "Don't say the 24 of us are bullying a little kid."
Pfft—!
Liumu couldn't hold it in. He burst out laughing, clutching his stomach and waving a hand dismissively. "Hahaha! No, no! Look at you! Why would I ever think that?"
The Root agents: "…"
Has this kid gone mad from sleep deprivation? What's so funny?
After a long moment, Liumu finally stopped laughing, wiping a tear from his eye. "Actually," he said, his grin turning sharp, "what you just said is exactly what I wanted to say. Because the last thing I care about… is bullying the few with the many."
His hands snapped into a familiar series of seals.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Poof-poof-poof-poof-poof-poof—!
White smoke erupted all around him. In an instant, the clearing and the surrounding treeline were packed. Not dozens, but hundreds of Liumu clones stood shoulder-to-shoulder, filling every available space in the forest clearing.
The 24 Root agents stared, their minds blanking for a crucial second. What… in the name of…?
"Now then…" all the Liumus said in perfect, chilling unison, their voices echoing through the trees. "Let's dance."
(End of Chapter)
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