The door to the Mizukage Office closed again.
With Ameyuri Ringo and Bubble's departure, the entire office fell silent once more.
Seeing Mei Terumī's somewhat worried expression, Yūto smiled lightly:
"If you're worried about the Jinchuriki, you can rest assured. Since Bubble has decided to stay, with his personality, he naturally won't attempt to defect again."
After speaking, Yūto twisted his neck, stood up, stretched, and said indifferently:
"Since they've already set off, it's time for me to go too."
Mei Terumī was startled by Yūto's words, momentarily failing to react.
"How many of Orochimaru's hidden strongholds have been found?"
Yūto suddenly asked.
"Not many have been found, and Orochimaru isn't in any of them." Mei Terumī shook her head, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes, clearly not understanding why Yūto suddenly asked this.
"Give me the addresses of those strongholds. Consider it a welcoming gift for Orochimaru."
Yūto smiled lightly and said casually. Naturally, Orochimaru wouldn't be in these smaller strongholds.
However, if there were some of Orochimaru's research results, that would be an unexpected bonus.
Others might not know where Orochimaru was hiding, but how could Yūto not know?
"Lord Yūto, regarding Kinoshita Yoshiro?"
Seeing Yūto preparing to leave, Mei Terumī quickly spoke.
Kinoshita Yoshiro has been imprisoned since that incident, and without Lord Yūto's command, no one dared to move Kinoshita Yoshiro.
But being continuously imprisoned was quite agonizing for the Kinoshita Clan, as long as Kinoshita Yoshiro was alive, the new clan head of the Kinoshita Clan could not be chosen.
"Heh heh, the Kinoshita Clan hasn't made a move yet, why should we rush? We need to give them some pressure."
Yūto chuckled, as if he had a mischievous idea.
A glint flashed in Mei Terumī's eyes. Although Kinoshita Yoshiro was in prison now, to some extent, he had become a sword hanging over the Kinoshita Clan's head.
Due to Lord Yūto, Kinoshita Yoshiro dared not die, and the Kinoshita Clan dared not let him die.
It seemed Lord Yūto had his eye on someone from the Kinoshita Clan and wanted them to do something.
For a moment, Mei Terumī felt a little pity for Kinoshita Yoshiro. If he were just the head of a small clan, or just an individual like Masamitsu, perhaps he could have died more peacefully.
If anyone was to blame, it was Kinoshita Yoshiro himself for choosing the wrong path and concealing the Six-Tailed Jinchuriki's defection with Masamitsu.
He was chosen by the Elder as a stepping stone to pave the way for Mei Terumī.
Politics has never been about right or wrong, only winners and losers, and Kinoshita Yoshiro was clearly a loser.
——
Boom!
An explosion echoed in a dense forest.
Patting off the dust that had splattered on him, Yūto looked at the marked location on the scroll and drew a large 'X' over it.
This was the last secret stronghold he had destroyed. These strongholds were mostly abandoned, clearly having discovered that the Mist Ninja Village was searching them.
He was somewhat disappointed not to find anything useful, but it was within Yūto's expectations.
"Sound Ninja Village, huh?"
Yūto murmured with a faint smile on his face. The next moment, he had already vanished.
Land of Rice Fields.
It was near the Land of Fire, situated at the central junction of the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Fire.
Due to its peculiar location, Ninja from various villages rarely appeared in the Land of Rice Fields.
Therefore, it seemed that the Ninja villages were unaware when a Ninja village named Sound Ninja Village suddenly appeared in the Land of Rice Fields.
Or perhaps they knew, but didn't pay much attention.
Probably no one would have guessed that this small Ninja village was established by Orochimaru. In fact, the entire Land of Rice Fields had been firmly controlled by Orochimaru.
On a large tree, about seven or eight meters high, Yūto sat on a thick branch, observing the Sound Ninja Village established by Orochimaru with interest.
The entire Sound Ninja Village was not large; at least, Yūto could see its entirety at a glance. The buildings were scattered, and the entire village could be described as desolate.
It was no wonder that the Three Great Ninja Villages didn't care about this suddenly appearing Sound Ninja Village; its superficial appearance simply didn't warrant investigation.
Compared to a normal Ninja village, there were almost no civilians in the Sound Ninja Village. Even if there were, these people were merely Orochimaru's test subjects.
Calling it a Ninja village, in Yūto's opinion, it was just a larger base for Orochimaru.
Whoosh!
Just as Yūto was observing the Sound Ninja Village, a whooshing sound suddenly came from one side.
A kunai shot from a hidden position towards Yūto's heart.
Yūto glanced indifferently at the kunai, flicking it lightly with his finger. The moment his finger touched the sharp blade of the kunai,
The entire kunai shattered in mid-air!
A man hidden in a patch of grass changed his expression, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
That was a kunai, and it was shattered! Who was this guy who trespassed into the Sound Ninja Village!
The man's eyes flickered. Knowing he was no match, he shouted, "Dosu Kinuta, attack!"
Boom!
An invisible sound wave erupted directly from the front, engulfing Yūto.
At the same time, the man leaped out of the grass, quickly formed hand seals, and let out a low shout: "Air Cutting Wave!"
An invisible attack formed by Chakra directly slashed towards Yūto.
Yūto wore a faint smile on his face, looking at the two people who had originally been hidden nearby and now jumped out.
One had a gray-black pompadour and wore a dirt-yellow outer shirt with three death characters written on it.
The other looked even more peculiar, with bandages wrapped around his face, revealing only his left eye, and his two arms had porous equipment similar to armor.
If it were just the first one, Yūto might not have remembered who it was, but seeing the second guy who jumped out, Yūto already knew who these two were.
Dosu Kinuta and Zaku Abumi.
Two of the trio who represented the Sound Ninja Village in the Chunin Exams in the original work.
Although they were cannon fodder among cannon fodder, they were also among the few who could soundly beat Konoha Genin, making it impossible not to remember them.
Looking at the two attacks coming towards him, Yūto remained seated on the branch, not even making a move to dodge.
The Sound Ninja Village's unique sound wave attack combined with the Air Cutting Wave simultaneously struck Yūto, under the delighted gazes of Zaku Abumi and Dosu Kinuta.
However, the next moment, the expressions of both of them changed. There was no imagined scream, nor any explosion. Their attacks seemed to vanish the moment they touched the enemy.