Hearing Kinoshita Jirō's mocking remark, the head of the Hōzuki Clan's face darkened instantly.
This matter was already a disgrace to the Hōzuki Clan, and now Kinoshita had brought it up right to their faces—an outright slap.
If they weren't in this particular place, the two clan heads would have likely come to blows on the spot!
The already stifling atmosphere grew even more strained with the barbed exchanges.
Step.
Step.
Just then, unhurried footsteps echoed from outside the grand hall.
Though the steps weren't loud, everyone present—with their sharp senses—picked up on them immediately. Many couldn't help but glance toward the massive doors, their expressions taut.
They could feel two distinct chakra signatures approaching:
One was slightly restrained, seemingly heavily injured—
While the other was so vast and oppressive that it felt like it could erupt at any moment and obliterate everything in its path!
Click!
With the quiet sound of the door opening, Yuto strolled in, a large bag of fish balls in one hand and the unconscious Utakata slung casually over his shoulder.
"Well now—good morning, everyone! Want some fish balls? I bought plenty."
Yuto smiled lazily at the tense group before him.
BANG!
"Lord Yuto!!"
All ten of them shot up from their seats in unison, faces a mix of awe and tension as they greeted him.
Even Elder Gen, who had seemed half-asleep moments ago, reacted instantly. His face brimmed with an excitement that words could hardly capture.
Seeing their posture, Yuto scratched his head and sighed helplessly.
"Everyone, you really don't have to be so stiff. Sit down—just treat me like an ordinary shinobi."
Hearing those words, Terumi Mei's eyes flickered with a trace of laughter. If anyone actually dared treat Lord Yuto like an ordinary ninja, she thought, the entire shinobi population here would rip them apart on the spot.
Like it or not, every shinobi in Kirigakure had grown up listening to legends about Lord Yuto. In their eyes, his status was above everything.
As soon as Yuto spoke, everyone carefully sat back down—but they remained stiff and upright, their faces still solemn.
Yuto let out a helpless chuckle. He tossed Utakata's limp body to the floor like a sack of grain and then strode over to the main seat at the table and sat down.
Seeing this, the pupils of those present constricted slightly. No one was surprised that Lord Yuto had subdued the Six-Tails' Jinchūriki—what shocked them was that not even a single crease marred his clothes.
In that moment, they realized that they had still underestimated the depth of his strength.
As for Utakata lying on the floor—would he wake up and try to run?
Everyone's eyes flashed with disdain.
With Lord Yuto here—and the highest combat strength of Kirigakure gathered—if Utakata could still escape, they might as well disband the entire village.
No sooner had Yuto settled in than Terumi Mei quickly produced a scroll and a thick booklet, placing them carefully on the table in front of him.
Yuto gave her a gentle smile. Terumi Mei instantly lowered her head, her cheeks faintly red. Yuto felt a bit exasperated. Am I really that terrifying?
Casually flipping through the booklet, Yuto's eyes lit up.
Inside were detailed profiles of everyone present, complete with personality notes—clearly prepared by Terumi Mei to avoid any awkwardness if he didn't recognize someone.
He glanced at her, nodding inwardly. This girl… not bad.
As for the scroll underneath, Yuto left it for later. He looked up, sweeping his gaze across the gathered high-ranking shinobi, his voice relaxed:
"Seriously… no one wants a fish ball?"
Hearing this, everyone glanced at the fish balls in Yuto's hand—then averted their eyes. A faint twitch ran through their expressions.
After a moment of silence, seeing no takers, Yuto clicked his tongue in mock disappointment and reluctantly put the fish balls down.
It would be too awkward to eat alone in front of everyone.
Elder Gen's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. He could clearly sense that, with just a few casual words, the tense, oppressive atmosphere in the room had already lightened significantly.
Yuto leaned back, wearing his usual faint smile.
"Speaking of which, although I haven't been revived for long, I've come to understand the general state of the Hidden Mist Village."
His tone was warm, but his words carried a weight that made every heart tighten.
"To be honest, our village's current situation… really isn't great."
"Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, in terms of geography—aside from the Leaf, the Hidden Mist probably has the best position. The other three villages can't even compare."
"When it comes to Kekkei Genkai, again, apart from the Leaf, we have the most. Shikotsumyaku, Ice Release, Lava Release, Boil Release… there's even a small clan whose Kekkei Genkai is very similar to mine—Dark Release. Imperfect, but it helped me greatly back in the day."
At that, Yuto chuckled softly, but everyone present could only lower their heads even further.
"Once, the Hidden Mist had three great noble clans: the Yuki Clan, the Takeshi Clan… both wiped out. And the last, the Hōzuki Clan, is now so withered it can't even manage its own brats. It's a joke that Suigetsu can sneak out whenever he wants."
"Of course—there's still one thing we're better at than the Leaf."
His smile didn't fade, but the chill in his voice made spines tingle.
"When it comes to rogue ninja—Hidden Mist is number one."
If Yuto didn't know for certain that two survivors of his loyal Yuki and Takeshi Clans were still alive, he probably would have already started a massacre, hunting the Akatsuki down himself!
The hall fell dead silent. The only sound was the tense breathing of the shinobi present.
Elder Gen exhaled deeply, eyes filled with shame.
Suddenly, Yuto's expression softened slightly as he looked around.
"Don't take this the wrong way. I never intended for you to bear this burden alone—most of these problems stemmed from me."
He paused, his tone dropping, tinged with genuine regret.
"Because of my presence, the other villages will undoubtedly start targeting Kirigakure more than ever."
BANG!
The sharp sound of a palm slamming the table echoed through the hall.
In the stunned silence, Terumi Mei abruptly shot to her feet, her face flushed as she blurted out:
"How could that possibly be Lord Yuto's fault?! If not for the uncertainty of when you'd return, the other villages would have targeted us even worse!"
Feeling everyone's shocked gazes, Terumi Mei's cheeks turned even redder. She quickly sat back down, lowering her head in embarrassment.
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