Upon hearing such arrogant words, the Anbu ninja turned around coldly with indifferent gazes.
Yet, just one glance was enough to cause subtle changes in many of their expressions.
"It's him, the ferocious wolf Mizuki!"
"Why has this madman come here?"
Although three years had passed, the name Seiki Shimaseki had not faded in Konoha—in fact, its influence seemed to grow stronger. The reason was simple: many young ninjas idolized him fanatically, spreading his stories far and wide. Among them, the most devoted and determined was Mizuki!
More importantly, he was incredibly powerful!
Sage Mode, three Kekkei, and even the Wood Release—a power feared by many!
Just thinking about how Mizuki publicly declared he mastered Wood Release by transplanting Seiki Shimaseki's cells made them green with envy!
He had been an ordinary ninja whose talent was barely average—one who, under normal circumstances, might barely reach Chunin level. Yet after following Seiki Shimaseki, his life had become like a game with cheats activated, rising straight to a strength that ranked him within the top five in the village—at least among those who still remained in Konoha!
Tatsuma's senses kicked in the moment he saw him—not just because of Mizuki's power, but because they were birds of a feather.
If Tatsuma was Danzo's obedient pup, then Mizuki was undoubtedly Seiki Shimaseki's ruthless attack dog!
And dogs... they bite!
Compared to their fear and wariness, the members of the Hyuga clan appeared much more relaxed.
Given Mizuki's strength, no one here could possibly be his match!
Most importantly, Mizuki acted without any restraints, just like Danzo used to.
Neji couldn't help but feel his pulse quicken as he watched the tension unfold around him. "Is this the Mizuki-sama Father spoke of? He's amazing—scaring everyone here all by himself!"
Looking at Mizuki, he couldn't help but wonder: "If Mizuki-sama is already this strong, just how powerful must Lord Seiki be to have earned his loyalty?"
"Mizuki, what are you doing here?" Tatsuma warned. "You're not part of Anbu; you have no right to enter someone else's residence directly!"
Mizuki calmly glanced sideways. "Hiashi Hyuga..."
Hiashi quickly understood. "Haha, Mizuki is my invited guest!"
Tatsuma clenched his fists without thinking. Was the Hyuga clan really choosing Mizuki's side?
"As for my purpose..." Mizuki's lazy expression suddenly turned serious. "I'm here to deliver Seiki's words!"
"Deliver?" Tatsuma found it amusing. "He's a Jonin and you're a Jonin too. What makes you qualified to 'deliver' anything?"
"Of course, because in my heart, only Seiki is..." Mizuki's lips moved, but no sound came out. However, from his lip movements, anyone could tell he was saying the words "Hokage!"
Tatsuma's face darkened. "Mizuki, you must understand—only Danzo-sama is the Hokage!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know he's the Hokage!" Mizuki said with obvious disdain. "At least on the surface, I'll still give him a bit of respect!"
"You..." Tatsuma was both shocked and furious. Although he knew the other wouldn't care much about Hokage-sama, saying such things openly was simply too outrageous!
"What about me?" Mizuki mocked. "During the Third Lord's reign, wasn't Danzo's attitude about the same as mine?"
But even as he spoke, he shook his head. "No, no, I'm much more obedient than Hokage-sama!"
"Enough!" Tatsuma snapped coldly. "The Hokage is not someone you can criticize!"
"If I keep criticizing then what?" Mizuki challenged. "What? Are you gonna pick a fight with me?"
Tatsuma's eyebrows twitched violently. If he could win a fight against Mizuki, he would have already done so long ago!
Because he was wary of Seiki Shimaseki, even though Mizuki had clearly expressed his opposition, Danzo dared not go too far, only creating some trouble within the bounds of the rules.
But precisely because of those troubles, others began realizing how powerful Mizuki was—an independent strength capable of opposing them even without Seiki Shimaseki's backing!
In fact, even Danzo himself couldn't be certain—if he personally intervened but ended up defeated, he'd lose all credibility as Hokage!
Thinking back to all this, Tatsuma took a deep breath. "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll report you to Hokage-sama!"
"Tattletale?" Mizuki looked at him with contempt, smirking disdainfully as he brushed past toward Hiashi Hyuga.
"Stay calm, stay calm!" Tatsuma breathed deeply several times, barely suppressing his anger.
"Chief Hyuga, you don't need to worry," Mizuki said calmly. "Seiki said he'll go to the Raikage to plead on your behalf!"
"Plead?" Tatsuma's heart lurched. "If he goes to Cloud Village, who's actually pleading to whom is anyone's guess!"
After his inner commentary, shock and amazement followed.
"That guy vanished for three whole years, yet he reappears over something this minor!"
Before coming here, Hokage-sama had privately told him,
Cloud Village had been quiet for three years, but now it's stirring up trouble again. Most likely because they noticed Seiki Shimaseki had vanished three years ago and couldn't resist a little test.
"They probably never expected that their tiny little provocation would actually bring Seiki Shimaseki out of hiding!"
Hearing Mizuki's words, Hiashi's voice trembled. "So Seiki-sama is going to plead with the Raikage on our behalf!"
Mizuki spoke solemnly, "Seiki is light. Wherever sunlight exists, so does he!"
Neji excitedly shouted, "Compared to certain Kages, Seiki-sama is a thousand, no, ten thousand times better!"
Hearing that childish nonsense, Tatsuma's face darkened like the bottom of a cooking pot once again.
...
Cloud Village.
"Dotai, I feel somewhat uneasy," A hesitated as he looked at the person beside him. "By pressuring Konoha like this, what if we really draw out Seiki Shimaseki?"
"Raikage-sama, no need to worry. Seiki Shimaseki values the bigger picture..." Dotai replied gravely.
"You mean Seiki Shimaseki wouldn't show up even if he knew about it, to avoid disrupting this hard-won peace?" A perked up upon hearing this.
This book was organized and produced by a public account.
"No, I mean..." Dodai's eyes were sincere. "Even if he gets angry, he'll only punch you, Raikage-sama! No one will die!"
A's lips twitched. "Dodai, what's gotten into you?"
Dodai shook his head slightly. "Seiki Shimaseki has been missing for three years, Namikaze Minato is on a mission outside the village, Tsunade and Jiraiya of the Sannin have left the village one after another, and inside Konoha, the Hokage faction following Danzo Shimura and the young officers loyal to Shimaseki are clashing with each other. Right now, Konoha is at its weakest moment!"
"Under such circumstances, our chances of obtaining the Byakugan are quite high. And even if we fail, it's just Raikage-sama getting punched a bit. All things considered, this is a pretty favorable situation!"
"So in the end, my job as Raikage is just to get beaten?" A's expression was complex, then he shook his head. "Forget it, since it's already been done, why think so much about it?"
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