Chapter 259: Children Should Behave Like Children

Hehehe, this is really interesting.

Heijue stared at Lian Ye, who was cooking, with amused interest, a calculating glint flashing in his eyes.

If Madara Uchiha were to inadvertently learn Lian Ye's background, who knows what he would do?

Qianshou Feijian would probably die a terrible death, right?

They could let Lian Ye witness Qianshou Feijian's death with his own eyes, then later find a chance to tell Lian Ye that Qianshou Feijian is actually his biological father.

After such a blow, this kid would definitely awaken the Kaleidoscope Sharingan!

Then they only need a single deception to make Lian Ye discover the Stone Tablet of the Uchiha Clan, and this kid will, like Madara Uchiha, be so misled that he loses his bearings and foolishly becomes a pawn in the plan to resurrect his mother.

Only this pawn is different from Madara Uchiha...

Although he is still a pawn now, once his mother is revived, his status will shift from pawn to Chu Zi.

Heijue previously learned from the conversation between Hashirama and Madara that Madara Uchiha wants to recruit Lian Ye into the "Moon's Eye" project, but has not yet taken action.

It doesn't mind lending Madara a hand; helping Chu Zi join the plan to resurrect his mother is not a bad thing.

The question is how this can unintentionally let that pawn of Madara Uchiha know about it?

Heijue fell into contemplation, seeking a flawless scheme.

"Lord Lian Ye, your dish is truly delicious!" Zilaoye stared at the braised pork ribs on the table, his mouth watering.

"Haha, if you want some, just take a piece," Lian Ye said with a smile.

The two came over to help him, and such treatment was naturally expected.

"Thank you, Lord Lian Ye!" Zilaoye grabbed the freshly boiled ribs from the plate, ignored the heat, shoved them straight into his mouth, and immediately gasped from the burn.

Yet his face showed no pain, only the satisfaction of tasting something delicious.

"Idiot." Orochimaru looked at Zilaoye with contempt, thinking the laggard's mind was only about eating.

"Orochimaru, stop making that face all the time, have a piece too," Lian Ye used chopsticks to pick a rib for him.

Being that mature at such a young age isn't a good thing.

Children should act like children—innocent, pure, cute—and Gangshou and Zilaoye embodied that perfectly.

In contrast, Orochimaru's composed mind is hardly that of a peer; while others of his age are still thinking about food, this kid already plans to steal techniques under the pretense of helping.

Although children in the Ninja World tend to mature early, being overly mature is actually detrimental.

Take Itachi Uchiha for example; that kid was more mature than his peers, which led to trouble—he personally slaughtered his own clan.

He doesn't want Orochimaru to become the way he is in the original story.

Orochimaru stared blankly at the rib Lian Ye handed over, apparently not expecting Lian Ye to give him a rib personally.

He was momentarily stunned, then finally reached out to take the rib.

"Thank you, Lord Lian Ye."

Orochimaru didn't devour it like Zilaoye; instead he ate in small bites, as if savoring a delicacy, appearing very elegant.

Zilaoye: "???"

Does this guy always act so pretentious when eating? Doesn't that make him seem rude?

"Zilaoye, do you want more?" Lian Ye asked with a smile.

"No... that's enough, Lord Lian Ye." Zilaoye waved his hand to refuse, fearing Orochimaru might do something again to indirectly highlight his rudeness.

"Alright, once I finish the last dish, we'll start the meal."

Lian Ye suddenly felt a pair of eyes watching him from behind in the shadows, a sensation that made him very uneasy.

He whirled his head around, but saw no one.

The feeling of being watched vanished the instant he turned.

"Could it be that I sensed it wrong?" Lian Ye murmured softly.

"Lord Lian Ye, what's wrong?" Zilaoye asked curiously upon seeing it.

Orochimaru also looked puzzled at the suddenly turning Lian Ye, completely unaware of what had happened.

"Nothing." Lian Ye shook his head, thinking it might be his own illusion.

"Take the dishes out, we're about to eat," Lian Ye called to the two.

"Got it, Lord Lian Ye."

Zilaoye and Orochimaru hurriedly lifted the food from the table and headed to the living room.

Is it really an illusion?

Lian Ye stood in the kitchen, staring intently at the spot where Heijue had been; he truly felt someone was spying on him there a moment ago.

He stepped forward to examine the wall closely, but found nothing.

"Could it really be an illusion?"

"Uncle Lianye, why haven't you arrived yet?"

At that moment, Gangshou's urging voice came from the living room, clearly expressing dissatisfaction with his lingering.

After all, only when Lian Ye arrives can they start the meal.

"I'm here." Lian Ye replied, then headed to the dining table.

Once Lian Ye had fully left, Heijue resurfaced his head from within the wall.

"That was close, almost got discovered..."

It had been busy scheming and forgot it was still spying, inadvertently leaking a trace of its aura.

Fortunately it reacted in time, re‑concealing its form and aura before Lian Ye turned his head.

That's why Lian Ye didn't notice its existence.

Hehehe, this Chu Zi is intriguing, as Heijue thought, while leaving Senju Clan Land.

At that moment, its peripheral glance fell on the several prepared dishes on the table, and its eyes lit up instantly.

These dishes are the lunch that Lian Ye deliberately left for Qianshou Feijian.

"Hehehe, let me first try Chu Zi's cooking for Mother."

……

"You two were sneaking a bite in there!"

Lian Ye, just arriving in the living room, saw Gangshou questioning Zilaoye and Orochimaru.

"Sorry, Gangshou," Zilaoye awkwardly scratched his head.

"If you sneak a bite behind my back next time, I won't let you off!" Gangshou, hands on hips, sternly rebuked Zilaoye, exuding a big‑sis vibe.

She said the braised pork ribs on the plate were missing so many pieces, obviously Zilaoye the scoundrel had eaten them.

"Gangshou, they helped me with the prep, so I let them try two ribs first as a reward," Lian Ye began to defend the two.

Zilaoye, hearing that, immediately breathed a sigh of relief; thank goodness Lord Lian Ye stepped in, otherwise he would have been beaten today.

Orochimaru gave Lian Ye a strange look, then averted his gaze.

"But you can't eat that much…" Gangshou looked aggrieved.

Lian Ye didn't quite understand Gangshou's words; hadn't he himself prepared about ten ribs?

Eating two pieces shouldn't have much impact, right?

But when his gaze fell on the plate holding the ribs on the table, he was completely stunned.

Lian Ye: "???"

The original ten‑something pieces, how are there only six or seven left?!

Orochimaru shook his head helplessly, his eyes looking sympathetically at Zilaoye.

This idiot is finished.

He had just seen Zilaoye eating several ribs on the road with his own eyes.

"Hehe, Lord Lian Ye, your ribs are so tasty; after eating one I wanted another, and I couldn't resist for a moment," Zilaoye gave a naive grin.

Lian Ye: "..."

He then explained why Gangshou was angry; it turned out the truth was like this.

"Zilaoye, you scoundrel, you're about to eat all the ribs!"

"Dong—"

"Aaaah!!!"

"Lord Lian Ye, Orochimaru, help!"

The two silently turned their heads away, pretending not to hear Zilaoye's cries for help.