At this moment, among everyone present, the one who felt it the deepest was undoubtedly the head of the Hozuki Clan.
Kinoshita Jiro, who had just been pressing down on him moments before, was taken away by the ANBU so easily, without even the slightest chance to resist.
As shock spread among those present, they quickly analyzed the current situation.
Tsuchida Masamitsu could be ignored. At most, he was just a deputy captain in the ANBU. Though the position was important, there were more than enough candidates to replace him.
The real issue was Kinoshita Jiro. Compared to the strength of an entire clan, his personal power was of least importance.
Even with Genji's methods, dealing with this matter would be quite tricky.
But precisely because of this, everyone present understood Genji's attitude and determination even more clearly.
On the surface, this situation seemed to have two advantages.
The first: holding someone accountable for the Six-Tails jinchūriki's defection. After all, two chunin had died and the village had suffered damages. Someone had to be blamed, and it absolutely could not be the jinchūriki.
The very existence of the jinchūriki was already a focal point of conflict within the village. If this were pinned on him, it could backfire.
The second: paving the way for Mei.
Although Mei was the Mizukage, there was still a significant portion of the village who did not accept her. After all, previous Mizukage had made their names in times of war with great achievements. Mei lacked this kind of record.
Genji's presence erased that hidden dissatisfaction. Outwardly, his authority balanced Mei's power, but in reality, it was a way of maintaining equilibrium—its benefits far outweighed its drawbacks.
And if anyone thought that was all, they didn't understand Elder Genji at all. Most of those present had made it this far in power, and none of them were fools.
Thinking carefully, they all quickly realized Genji's true focus was actually on Yuto.
The next moment, cold sweat broke out on everyone's foreheads.
They suddenly realized one thing—the Mist Village was no longer the Mist Village of the past.
All the bonds from Yuto's era had already faded away with time.
Even the clans that could have inherited such bonds, like the Yuki Clan and the Kaguya Clan, had been wiped out under the Fourth Mizukage's policies.
As for the surviving Hozuki Clan, they had always remained neutral, practically transparent under every Mizukage.
And that was precisely one of the reasons they had survived until now.
In this era, there was nothing left in the Mist Village that Yuto cared for—no one and nothing.
"Cough, cough… old age. My energy isn't what it used to be."
Genji coughed a few times lightly and tapped his own shoulder.
Then he raised his head, looking at Mei and Yuto with a hint of apology.
"Mizukage-sama, Yuto-sama, if there is nothing else, this old man will take his leave."
Quanbei, seated beside him, froze for a moment before quickly standing up to support him.
Seeing Quanbei's reaction, Genji's eyes flashed with helplessness. He had only said that—he wasn't actually unable to walk.
"No need, you stay here."
Genji waved his hand and spoke lightly, then grabbed the cane beside him and walked toward the door.
"Elder Genji is getting on in years. I'm not too comfortable letting him walk alone. I'll see him back."
Yuto suddenly chuckled and spoke. Before anyone could react, he had already stepped forward.
As Yuto and Genji left the hall, the heavy atmosphere inside instantly lightened.
Mei kept her expression steady, looked at the flickering eyes of those below, and said calmly: "The meeting continues."
"Yes, Mizukage-sama!"
Everyone straightened, answering in unison.
Most of them didn't even notice the faint trace of respect that hadn't been there before slipping into their voices.
By now, the sun was already high in the sky.
But for the Mist Village, sunlight was never plentiful, since the surrounding mist had not fully dispersed.
Breathing in the slightly fresher air, Yuto and Genji walked side by side down a street.
Passersby occasionally moved past them, but no one recognized who they were.
Naturally, Yuto required no explanation. And though Genji was a high elder, he had long since stopped appearing before the common people, so few knew his face.
"It seems the fish balls here suit Yuto-sama's taste well."
Genji glanced at Yuto, who was happily devouring a bag of fish balls, and chuckled with a trace of surprise.
He was beginning to suspect Yuto had only come out today for the sake of eating fish balls.
"They're indeed quite good. Even after all these years, the taste hasn't changed."
Yuto swallowed a mouthful and nodded in satisfaction.
Genji smiled, then after a moment of silence, suddenly said:
"Today's events must have seemed disgraceful in Yuto-sama's eyes."
"Disgraceful? Elder Genji, your methods impressed me. You've done Mei a great favor."
Yuto's words came out muffled through his chewing.
Genji shook his head lightly. "I wasn't helping her. I was only helping the Mist Village. It's just…"
He trailed off, his face carrying a trace of heaviness.
"Don't worry. What you fear will never happen. And there's no need for it to."
Yuto spoke calmly as they walked.
Hearing this, Genji trembled, then suddenly smiled. His entire body seemed to ease, as if a great weight had been lifted.
"This old man suddenly feels a bit hungry." Genji glanced at the fish balls in Yuto's hand and chuckled.
Yuto rolled his eyes, reluctantly passing him a skewer.
Genji grinned as he accepted it, looking every bit the sly old fox.
"The Kinoshita Clan isn't small. For you to suddenly declare their clan head a rogue ninja—if this isn't handled properly, it could become quite a problem."
Yuto turned to him with a quiet laugh.
"For a clan to rise so quickly, normal means are never enough. I have plenty of their weaknesses in my hands. To me, this is nothing but a small problem."
"If they don't obey, and even become obstacles at the Mizukage's feet, then the clan head must be replaced. But what I'm more curious about is—why did Yuto-sama spare Kinoshita Jiro's life?"
Genji's face showed genuine curiosity as he looked at Yuto.
Clearly, he hadn't understood Yuto's decision to let Kinoshita Jiro live.
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