Mist Ninja Village.
A slightly gloomy sky, accompanied by a drizzling rain, fell from above.
Such weather is all too common for Mist Ninja Village, situated in an island nation.
In the entire Mist Ninja Village, on a special open space to the north, a few scattered figures stood. Although their numbers were not large, each person could be said to be a very important individual in Mist Ninja Village.
In front of this group, there was a huge stone tablet, which was the Memorial Stone of Mist Ninja Village.
Of course, while the stone tablet was not small, it was ultimately limited; ordinary Ninja could not be listed on this Memorial Stone.
This Memorial Stone was erected to commemorate heroes who sacrificed themselves in 'wars' or Ninja who made special contributions to the entire Mist Ninja Village.
At the very front of this group, two figures stood side by side.
Clink! Clink!
Crisp hammer sounds rang out on the Memorial Stone. With the last strike, a clear name appeared before everyone's eyes—"Kinoshita Yoshiro"!
Yūto's expression was calm as he quietly looked at the newly carved name on the Memorial Stone.
"To ascend the Memorial Stone as a hero is an honorable thing, both for Kinoshita Yoshiro and for the Kinoshita Clan," Mei Terumī, who stood side by side with Yūto at the front, said softly.
"Perhaps." Yūto's expression remained calm, but his tone carried a hint of melancholy.
Seemingly sensing Yūto's low spirits, Mei Terumī turned her head to look at Yūto and whispered, "Lord Yūto, do you feel regret for Kinoshita Yoshiro?"
"Regret?"
Hearing Mei Terumī's words, Yūto shook his head, chuckled softly, and said, "Seeing the Memorial Stone before me just made me suddenly think of old comrades."
After speaking, Yūto turned his head to look at Mei Terumī, raising an eyebrow, and teased, "Is this beautiful lady worried about me?"
Seeing the smile on Yūto's face, Mei Terumī quickly turned her head to look forward, her tone firm as she said, "No!"
Although the rain was not heavy, it showed no sign of stopping. However, Yūto and Mei Terumī did not get a single drop of rain on them.
This was because Ao, standing slightly behind Mei Terumī, was holding an umbrella for her.
Similarly, Zabuza Momochi was holding an umbrella for Yūto behind him.
At this moment, both Ao and Zabuza Momochi were looking straight ahead, as if they hadn't heard the conversation between Yūto and Mei Terumī at all.
Soon, the already sparse crowd around the Memorial Stone, after paying their respects and bowing to Yūto and Mei Terumī, left one after another.
Finally, only the elders of the Kinoshita Clan, along with Yūto and others, remained standing.
"Lord Yūto, Lord Mizukage, I didn't expect both of you to personally attend," the elder of the Kinoshita Clan said respectfully, with a hint of apprehension on his face.
"The Village will remember any Ninja's contribution to it, and Kinoshita Yoshiro is no exception," Mei Terumī said solemnly, glancing at the elder of the Kinoshita Clan.
Hearing Mei Terumī's words, the elder of the Kinoshita Clan quickly agreed, his face filled with gratitude.
Seeing this scene, Yūto found it somewhat amusing; Mei Terumī was still a bit too naive.
Looking at the elder of the Kinoshita Clan, Yūto said flatly, "There's a very famous Shipping Company in Wave Country, its owner is named Gato. Do you know him?"
The clan head of the Kinoshita Clan was slightly startled, not immediately understanding the meaning of Yūto's words, but he still nodded.
Gato was one of the few very rich men; the elder of Kinoshita had naturally heard of him.
"The Village plans to take over Gato's Shipping Company during this period. I'll leave this matter to you," Yūto said casually to the elder of the Kinoshita Clan.
The elder of the Kinoshita Clan was first startled, then his face showed great joy, and he quickly responded respectfully to Yūto, "Lord Yūto, please rest assured, I will go handle it now and make sure to do it well."
After speaking, the elder of the Kinoshita Clan bowed to Yūto and Mei Terumī, then turned and left.
"That old man," Mei Terumī muttered softly, raising an eyebrow.
"It's just a bit of money, and besides, as long as the Kinoshita Clan is still in Mist Ninja Village, then what belongs to the Kinoshita Clan belongs to the Village," Yūto said with a smile, unconcerned.
Mei Terumī's eyes lit up; Lord Yūto's words seemed to give her a completely new perspective.
Yūto glanced at the Memorial Stone, then turned and walked outside, while Mei Terumī quickly turned to follow him.
"How are the preparations for pressuring Konoha coming along?" Yūto's voice suddenly rang out.
"If it's just about applying pressure, Mist Ninja Village has plenty of candidates. After all, we don't intend to gain any benefits from Konoha, and besides, we need a reason to start a war," Mei Terumī said with a smile, licking her lips.
Hearing the conversation between the two, Zabuza Momochi, standing behind Yūto, showed a hint of excitement on his face.
The title of "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist" will probably resonate throughout the Ninja World again before long!
The drizzling rain continued to fall, and the four figures gradually disappeared into the misty drizzle.
——
Konoha Village.
Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat quietly at his desk. Although his expression was calm, anyone could sense that Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a very bad mood at the moment.
Even his favorite pipe was placed aside by Hiruzen Sarutobi at this time.
The entire office, consequently, gave off an extremely oppressive feeling.
On the desk in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, there was a document, but the information on it was not extensive.
Many things were just fragments, not enough to fully understand what had happened.
Thump! Thump!
A soft knocking sound rang out from outside the office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up, a gentle expression returning to his face, and said towards the office door, "Come in."
The office door opened, and Iruka walked in with a solemn expression, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi and respectfully saying, "Lord Third!"
"How are things?" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, his voice somewhat low as he asked.
Iruka shook his head gently and sighed, "Jonin Kakashi's injuries are quite severe, and he is currently unconscious. He probably won't wake up anytime soon. Fortunately, Jonin Might Guy happened to be on a mission nearby with his team, otherwise…"
At this point, Iruka did not continue, but the meaning of his words was clear.
Seemingly sensing the oppressive atmosphere in the office, Iruka smiled and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, saying, "However, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke have all woken up. Their injuries are not serious and they only need some rest to fully recover."
"Finally, some good news."
Hearing Iruka's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi forced a smile.