At Kinoshita Jiro's barb, the Hozuki clan head's face darkened instantly.
It was a shameful matter for their family, and to have it dragged out here was nothing less than a public slap. If not for the setting, the two clan heads would already be at each other's throats.
The atmosphere, already taut, stretched tighter.
Step—
Step—
Then came slow, steady footsteps from beyond the great doors. Not loud, but sharp ears caught them clearly. Sensory ninja stiffened—the aura approaching carried two vast chakras.
One was frayed, weakened, wounded. The other was overwhelming, a storm threatening to burst at any moment.
Creak.
The doors opened. Yuto walked in casually, a sack of fish balls in one hand, the unconscious Utakata slung over his shoulder.
"Yo, morning. Anyone want some fish balls? I bought plenty."
He smiled lightly at the room full of rigid faces.
Thud!
"Yuto-sama!!"
Every person shot to their feet at once, reverent, tense.
Even Elder Genji, who had seemed half-asleep, was on his feet without hesitation, his face alight with emotion.
Yuto scratched his head, bemused.
"No need to be so stiff. Just sit. Pretend I'm any other shinobi."
At that, Mei nearly laughed. Any shinobi foolish enough to treat him as ordinary would be drowned under their peers' scorn. To Kirigakure, Yuto was legend, revered beyond measure.
The high ranks sat again, but all upright, shoulders square, eyes grave.
Yuto sighed, tossing Utakata to the floor without ceremony and taking the head seat.
The sight made pupils contract across the hall. That he had captured the jinchuriki was no surprise. That he bore not so much as a wrinkle on his clothes, however—that was what made them realize they had still underestimated him.
As for Utakata, none feared he might stir and flee. Not here. Not before Yuto. Not surrounded by the village's strongest.
Mei leaned forward quickly, setting a scroll and a ledger before him.
Yuto gave her a smile, and she ducked her head at once, flustered. He sighed inwardly. Was he really that frightening?
Flipping the ledger, his eyes gleamed. It held every name and detail of those present, even notes on temperament. Mei had prepared it so he could speak without faltering.
Good girl.
The scroll beneath he left unopened for now. Instead, he raised the sack of fish balls again.
"Are you sure none of you want any?"
The room froze. A few eyes twitched. No one answered.
Yuto clicked his tongue in mock regret and set them aside. He wouldn't eat in front of them if they refused.
Genji's eyes glimmered faintly. He had noticed it—the heaviness in the hall had eased just from Yuto's casual words.
"I haven't been back long, but I've learned some things."
Yuto's tone was easy, but the words bit.
"Truthfully, Kirigakure's state is worse than I thought. Yet of the Five Great Villages, aside from Konoha, we sit in the best position. And bloodline limits—we are second only to them: Shikotsumyaku, Ice Release, Lava, Boil… I recall even a small clan with Dark Release. Flawed, but useful to me once."
His laugh was soft. Heads bowed lower.
"The three great clans: Yuki, Taketori—extinct. The Hozuki… a shadow of themselves. And that Dark Release clan? Surely gone as well."
"Still, one thing we excel at. Missing-nin. Kirigakure leads the world."
He was still smiling, but ice threaded every word.
Had he not known two survivors still lived from Yuki and Taketori, his rage might already have turned to slaughter.
Silence pressed. Only breathing filled the air.
Genji sighed, guilt etched deep.
Then Yuto's smile returned, his hand waving lazily.
"Relax. I don't blame you. Much of this is on me. My existence alone drew the other villages' hostility."
There was an apology in his tone.
Bang!
The crack of a palm on wood.
Mei shot to her feet, eyes blazing.
"That could never be Yuto-sama's fault! If anything, without knowing when you'd return, the other villages would have crushed us harder!"
Faces turned in shock. Mei flushed crimson and quickly sat back down, lowering her head.
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