Chapter 22 The Six-Tails Jinchūriki Defects
Ringo Ameyuri had thought that the message she sent would at most bring an ordinary jōnin from the village.
She never imagined the one to arrive would be Lord Ao, the trusted aide of the Mizukage herself!
After Ao appeared, he cast a faint glance at Ameyuri before lowering his head respectfully toward Yuto.
"My lord!"
"Enough wandering. Take me to the Mizukage's office. Little Haruna, and Miss Ringo Ameyuri, farewell."
Yuto spoke calmly to Ao, then turned to the two girls, waving with a smile.
As Ao, standing behind Yuto with utter respect, faded from her sight, Ameyuri's face remained frozen in shock for a long while. Just what was the identity of this young man they had encountered today?
In all of Kirigakure, the number of people ranked above Ao did not exceed ten. And with his status as Terumi Mei's confidant, his position was even higher.
Yet from the look of it, he treated that young man with deep reverence.
Glancing down at Haruna, whose lips were still stained with grease, Ameyuri fell into deep thought. Had she made some mistake?
———
On the way to the Mizukage's office, Yuto's expression was slightly heavy. Although Ameyuri had remained somewhat guarded, giving him only simple information about Kirigakure, it was precisely such basic details that Yuto most wished to obtain.
As for critical intelligence—whether Ameyuri knew or not—Yuto could acquire it directly whenever he desired.
From these fragments alone, however, he had already formed a rough assessment of the village's condition.
Sensing his lord's solemn mood, Ao also grew more serious, careful to choose his words.
"What is the situation with the village elder, Genji?"
Yuto's voice was cold and expressionless as he spoke without turning his head.
During the earlier walk through the village, he had noticed that both civilians and shinobi alike held high regard for Terumi Mei and Elder Genji. If it were only civilians, that would be one thing, but even someone like Ameyuri clearly respected the elder.
This proved that Elder Genji was indeed a man devoted to Kirigakure, not an ambitious schemer like Danzō of Konoha. Otherwise, he would never have earned such universal esteem.
But therein lay the problem. Regardless of intentions, two tigers cannot share one mountain. Yuto understood this truth well.
Especially for a ruling power, when two voices exist at the top, whether by choice or not, they will inevitably restrain one another.
It had nothing to do with whether one was good or loyal to the village.
And as for the position of elder—Yuto remembered clearly that he himself had once proposed its creation.
Yet its role was meant only to assist the Mizukage, offering counsel at most, without power to counterbalance her.
Hearing Yuto's question, Ao's body trembled, his eyes flashing with astonishment. As expected of Lord Yuto—after merely strolling through Kirigakure, he had already pinpointed the village's most difficult issue.
"During the rule of the Fourth Mizukage, an incident occurred. From that time, the elder was granted authority to restrain the Mizukage's power, to prevent such a situation from ever happening again."
A trace of embarrassment appeared on Ao's face as he lowered his head.
The events of Yagura's era were a source of immense shame to all shinobi of Kirigakure—let alone when spoken before the First Mizukage himself.
Ao did not go into detail, but Yuto knew the truth better than anyone.
A wave of murderous intent suddenly rose from him, only to vanish just as quickly.
Cold sweat broke out across Ao's brow. Though the killing aura had lasted only an instant, his back was already drenched.
"Let's go," Yuto said calmly.
At once, Ao hurried to follow.
The Mizukage's office.
Yuto sat on a sofa, casually flipping through the documents in his hands.
Chōjūrō approached, clutching his own bundle of files, eyes filled with unrestrained admiration. Standing beside Yuto, he spoke with excitement.
"Lord Yu… Yuto, these are the documents you requested."
Having already learned Yuto's identity from Ao, Chōjūrō could hardly contain himself. After all, the man before him was the hero he had admired since childhood.
Yuto nodded with a faint smile. "Thank you, Chōjūrō. There's no need to be nervous."
Chōjūrō shook his head quickly, blurting out, "I… I'm not nervous."
Yuto chuckled lightly and said no more. From the documents Chōjūrō had provided, he had already pieced together the general point in time.
One file from Konoha mentioned that in three months' time, the Chūnin Exams would be held. It was currently Year Sixty of Konoha's calendar. In other words, the story had only just begun.
Yuto found it rather amusing. The timing of his awakening was neither too early nor too late.
Tap—tap—
Hurried footsteps echoed. The office doors swung open, and Terumi Mei rushed in, breathing slightly unsteadily.
"Lord Yuto, you've returned—why didn't you inform me?"
"With Ao and Chōjūrō here, that is enough. Besides, you are the Mizukage, burdened with many affairs. I assume my matters have already been relayed to them."
Yuto smiled as he spoke.
Mei gave a small nod, though her tone carried a thread of killing intent.
"Elder Genji is not an issue. But some of the smaller clans are showing resistance."
Yuto remained calm, his expression unsurprised.
"That is only natural. My appearance will inevitably disrupt the balance within Kirigakure. Such upheaval is something many would rather not see."
Knock, knock!
A sudden knock resounded. Yuto and Mei exchanged glances, both with a trace of surprise in their eyes.
Chōjūrō immediately stepped forward and opened the door. A shinobi stood outside, his face anxious. Upon seeing Mei, he dropped to one knee.
"Mizukage-sama! The Six-Tails' jinchūriki, Utakata, has defected!"
"What!!"
Mei's expression darkened with disbelief.
Compared to her reaction, Yuto's face remained far calmer. He looked at the shinobi and asked evenly.
"When did the Six-Tails' jinchūriki defect?"
The shinobi glanced at Yuto in confusion, but seeing Mei remain silent, he quickly answered.
"According to the timing, this morning. The two chūnin on duty were found dead. The Six-Tails' jinchūriki should have been gone for half a day by now, but he likely hasn't yet escaped the Land of Water. Should I dispatch a pursuit force, Mizukage-sama?"
Yuto looked up at Mei's troubled expression, then gently shook his head.
"Notify all of Kirigakure's higher-ups. Tomorrow morning, we convene a meeting."
Boom!
A violent gust of wind surged through the office, and in the next instant, Yuto's figure had vanished without a trace.
(End of this chapter)
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