Lin Yu could not, of course, directly kill Hiruzen Sarutobi. After all, he was still his nominal grand-teacher, and it wouldn't look good to strike him down due to their familial connection.
Lin Yu then employed the Uzumaki clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains. Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the four golden chains dancing in the air, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. He thought of the deceased Mito Uzumaki, the woman who had cared for him like a son.
At the thought of the past, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze softened considerably, but he still said, "Anything else? These can at best end in a draw; they are not enough to kill them."
Lin Yu's eyes sharpened. There was no other way; he had to use his trump card. He brought his hands together in front of him in a cross-like shape. Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted upon seeing it and he couldn't help but exclaim, "This move, could it be..."
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
*Crack, pop, bang, thud!*
The spacious Hokage's office was instantly filled with people, leaving no empty space.
Over a hundred Lin Yus spoke in unison, "How about it, Lord Hokage, can this move of mine defeat them?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi removed a foot that was right in front of his face. Just as he was about to say something, the sole of another shoe covered his mouth. He could only grumble, "I believe you. Hurry and dismiss the clones!"
*Bang, bang, bang!*
With a burst of white smoke, the Lin Yus filling the room instantly vanished, leaving only the original Lin Yu in the center, scratching his head and grinning sheepishly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a mirror and examined his face, counting the shoe prints. One, two, three... a total of six shoe prints! The Hokage robe was even worse, beyond counting! It was all smudged!
Hiruzen Sarutobi now wished he could smash his pipe into that brat Lin Yu's face. However, it was his own request for Lin Yu to demonstrate his strength. Hiruzen Sarutobi could only grit his teeth and swallow his frustration, regretting not stopping him sooner when he saw the hand seal.
The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, combined with the Uzumaki clan's vast chakra reserves, could indeed wear down three Jonin. Although this brat surely had more hidden, this was enough. Anything stronger would at most be a few A-rank ninjutsu. Forget it, he could barely be considered an elite Jonin.
The reason for "barely" was that Hiruzen Sarutobi could see that Lin Yu had not yet fully mastered chakra nature transformation. Of course, Lin Yu was still young, so there was no rush.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts flashed and disappeared. With a dark expression, he said to Lin Yu, "What happened today must not be leaked. Otherwise, you'll be punished by cleaning all of Konoha's toilets for a month!"
"Yes!" Lin Yu stood at attention and replied.
"You can go back now." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. He didn't want to see Lin Yu at the moment, not for the entire year!
Lin Yu turned around, a small smile of joy on his face, not showing an ounce of embarrassment!
"By the way, there are many wild beasts outside Konoha Village. We Konoha ninja worked very hard to escort a Cloud Village envoy. You brats should not wander out of the village haphazardly. If you get eaten by beasts, you can't blame me," Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice came, as if telling a story.
Lin Yu's footsteps did not stop. He walked out of the Hokage's office, closing the door behind him with a slight curl of his lips. "An envoy from the Cloud Village? This is different from the Hiruzen Sarutobi I know."
It seemed the future would be interesting...
In the following days, Lin Yu, in order to boost the popularity of Teuchi's ramen shop and create a grand spectacle, went to great lengths, even requisitioning Kushina to promote it at the Ninja Academy.
Teuchi was also very proactive. Not only had the shop location been chosen, but he had also printed out a pile of business cards for Lin Yu.
The shop name remained "Ichiraku Ramen." The shop was slightly larger than in the original story. After all, the current Teuchi was full of energy, and young people had a certain vigor. It was no wonder that in his old age, the shop only had a row of seats; these were all consequences of his younger days!
The shop needed some renovation, so Teuchi informed Lin Yu that the grand opening would be in ten days. As he said this, Teuchi was a bit nervous. If fewer than ten people showed up, although it wouldn't crush him completely, he would still be very disappointed.
Lin Yu patted his chest and guaranteed Teuchi that the queue would stretch from the shop all the way to the Hokage's office building!
Teuchi walked away with a look of regret. He felt he shouldn't have believed Lin Yu's nonsense and impulsively decided to open the shop. Sigh, what was he to do!
Lin Yu felt his credibility had been severely damaged. He had to prove to Teuchi that he, Uzumaki Lin Yu, had many friends!
"That's how it is, Master Orochimaru. Will you have time to come eat ramen then?" Lin Yu even included Orochimaru in his invitation list, showing just how determined he was!
"Eat ramen? No!" Orochimaru seemed to still be bothered by Lin Yu using him as a scapegoat and coldly refused.
Lin Yu's expression was awkward. He tentatively said, "I can arrange for you to meet members of the Organization of Immortality."
"Deal!" Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. He had been inquiring about the Organization of Immortality for a long time but had found no clues whatsoever. To be able to exchange the opportunity to meet them for a bowl of ramen was incredibly worthwhile to him.
Lin Yu hadn't expected Orochimaru to agree so readily. While it was put nicely as meeting members of the Organization of Immortality, it was essentially allowing the Organization of Immortality to beat up Orochimaru.
Given Orochimaru's nature, would he obediently chat with the members of the Organization of Immortality? Wouldn't he want to pry into their secrets? Wouldn't he want to understand immortality? This was absolutely impossible!
He would definitely receive a beating in return. Lin Yu would not hold back; if it was called a beating, it would be a beating!
Alas, when he kindly invited you for ramen, you refused, and instead, chose to exchange it for a beating. Truly... sigh, you're asking for it!
Seeing Orochimaru still reveling in his joy, Lin Yu didn't want to disturb him. He left a business card and quietly slipped out. If he stayed any longer, he feared he wouldn't be able to suppress his laughter.
Lin Yu left Orochimaru's base and walked on the street, counting on his fingers.
"Mikoto, Uncle Dai, Tsunade, Uncle Shinku, Teacher Gakusei, Orochimaru... only 6 people!" Lin Yu finished counting and had only invited 6 people. This wouldn't do. For Lin Yu to make a move, he needed to make an impression!
Lin Yu glanced in one direction and gritted his teeth, making up his mind!
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was working. *Knock, knock, knock,* came the sound of a knock.
"Come in!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped his work, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. He looked at the person who had entered and almost spat out his tea. He swallowed it back with a red face and coughed, saying, "You, you..."
"Aha, I'm back, Lord Hokage!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was now the person he least wanted to see. Seeing him reminded him of the six smudged footprints on his face. That night, when he returned home, his wife, Biwako, had asked him if he had fallen into a ditch while walking at night, wondering why his clothes were so dirty!
He, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had been wise his entire life, serving as the Third Hokage of Konoha, yet his wife had said he fell into a ditch while walking at night. This was a hardship he couldn't express. It was all Uzumaki Lin Yu's fault!