Just as expected!
Seeing Utakata's leisurely demeanor, Yuto showed an unsurprised expression.
This guy's lazy and carefree personality—was it innate, or something he'd cultivated over time?
Although Utakata had noticed Yuto's arrival, he didn't react like the other Kirigakure ninja.
He remained perched on the tree branch, occasionally blowing bubbles, looking utterly content.
"You seem quite at ease with letting that little girl Fu sneak out on her own."
Yuto spread his hands, a helpless expression on his face.
Utakata set down the long pipe he used to blow bubbles, moved slightly, and dropped lightly from the tree branch.
Standing beside Yuto, Utakata spoke in a casual yet earnest tone.
"The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki is being monitored by the Three-Tails. There shouldn't be any problems."
"Even if something does happen, the Three-Tails can notify Haku and Hozuki Suigetsu nearby at the fastest speed. With their combined strength, holding things off for a while is certainly doable."
After saying this, Utakata yawned and continued in a listless voice.
"Besides, my main objective isn't to monitor Yugito?"
Yuto smiled lightly. Talking to smart people really was effortless.
Even though he had never explicitly told Utakata what to do, only placing Fu and Yugito in his care, Utakata could still clearly grasp his intentions.
This was also the reason Yuto held Utakata in such high regard.
"Where's Yugito?"
Yuto smiled and asked directly.
"In the training ground out back."
"Come to think of it, knowing full well what kind of situation she's in, yet still training this earnestly—it's actually quite impressive."
After telling Yuto where Yugito was, Utakata suddenly let out a sigh of admiration.
"Is that so."
Yuto gave a noncommittal response and turned toward the training ground.
However, as Yuto turned, a single sentence drifted into Utakata's ears.
"Those who carry hope in their hearts can unleash astonishing power the harsher their circumstances become. That's exactly who Yugito is right now."
Hope in one's heart?
Utakata was briefly stunned, but soon, his face returned to its usual leisurely expression.
The more someone understood Lord Yuto, the more they could feel his terror.
This terror didn't stem solely from Lord Yuto's strength.
It came from Lord Yuto's almost prescient sense of foresight.
That was what truly frightened people—the feeling that no matter what you did, everything was already within Lord Yuto's plans.
For enemies, wasn't this a kind of tragedy?
And for Kirigakure, wasn't this a kind of fortune?
For some reason, Utakata always had a feeling that Yuto was scheming something.
And once this scheme was completed, it would be enough to change the entire Shinobi World.
Though Utakata was curious, he had no desire to investigate further.
For him, his current life was quite pleasant indeed.
Watching the direction Yuto had departed, Utakata yawned, pushed off slightly with his feet, and leaped right back onto that tree branch.
In the training ground.
Yugito, with her long light-brown hair and tall figure, was engaged in combat with Haku.
"I don't know why you want to fight me, but I won't hold back."
Yugito stared at Haku with wide eyes, her tone serious.
"Even without you saying so, I would hope for the same. Even though I'm no longer a tool, as a member of the village, I want my training to show some results."
Haku stood quietly in place, a gentle smile on his face, speaking softly.
Looking at the expression on Haku's face, Yugito's demeanor didn't change, though her voice carried an inexplicable tone.
"You're not suited to be a ninja."
Haku still maintained his smile, but didn't respond to Yugito's words.
The atmosphere between the two tightened slightly.
The next moment, Haku made the first move.
Water Instantaneous Body!
With a whoosh, Haku's figure vanished entirely, leaving only a puddle of water where he had stood.
When Haku's figure reappeared, he was already positioned to Yugito's left.
Haku hunched his body slightly, his hands now full of senbon, which he launched toward Yugito.
The moment several senbon left Haku's fingers, at incredible speed, a layer of sharp ice crystals formed on their surfaces!
The senbon, which originally had low lethality, under the effect of this layer of ice, not only increased in speed but also multiplied the damage inflicted on impact several times over.
Yugito didn't hesitate at all. She leapt backward while pulling a kunai from her ninja pouch to deflect the incoming senbon.
Clang! Clang!
The kunai and senbon collided in the air, producing rapid clashing sounds.
However, she had only deflected two senbon when Yugito's expression subtly changed.
The kunai that had collided with the senbon was actually covered in a layer of ice, spreading toward Yugito's wrist at a visible rate.
"This is..."
Yugito's pupils contracted slightly, and she immediately threw the kunai from her hand, deflecting another senbon as both clattered to the ground.
She hadn't expected that Haku, who looked rather ordinary with his gentle demeanor, actually possessed the Ice Release bloodline of the Minazuki clan, a lineage that had long been wiped out in Kirigakure.
Realizing this, Yugito naturally no longer underestimated Haku, and she allowed the Chakra within her body to surge slightly.
Between Yugito's hands, sharp claws made of Chakra quickly formed in the shape of a cat.
Yugito crossed her hands and slashed forward with force, knocking aside all the incoming senbon.
Taking advantage of this brief opening, Haku held senbon in one hand while forming seals with the other, pressing his palm to the ground.
Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness!
Rumble!
As the jutsu activated, a loud crash erupted around Yugito, followed by ice walls rising from the ground around her, enclosing her on all sides.
Having done this, Haku quickly rushed toward the ice wall.
Trapped inside the ice walls, Yugito seemed to sense the danger and naturally wouldn't give Haku any opportunity.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ground Straight!"
Yugito quickly formed seals with both hands and pressed them to the ground.
Surging blue lightning erupted from Yugito's hands, spreading outward from her position in every direction at tremendous speed.
Under the assault of the lightning, the ice walls surrounding Yugito were shattered to pieces, transforming into ice crystals of various sizes in the air.
At that moment, Haku's figure had already appeared within Yugito's field of vision.
"Fire Mouse Flame!"
Yugito's eyes flashed slightly, and she puffed out her cheeks. A mouse-shaped flame spewed from her mouth, shooting toward Haku at incredible speed.
This attack was extremely fast. Even Haku couldn't react in time.
He only sensed a flash of blue light before his eyes and could only hold his senbon horizontally in front of his chest, barely blocking the incoming Fire Mouse Flame.
The Fire Mouse Flame exploded against Haku's chest, blasting him into the air.
"I let my guard down a bit..."
Feeling the intense pain in his chest, Haku muttered to himself. But there was no sign of defeat on his face. Instead, the corners of his mouth curled upward!
Ice Release Secret Technique: Shattering Ice Crystals!
In midair, Haku rapidly completed his hand seals.
As the seals finished, the ice walls that Yugito had shattered with her Lightning Release seemed to be drawn by some force.
Ice crystals of various sizes suddenly suspended in the air, then shot toward Yugito's position from all directions.
Each ice crystal was no less lethal than a thrown kunai. Faced with such an overwhelming barrage, Yugito's normally calm face rarely showed a change in expression.
Boom!
Yugito was instantly engulfed by the overwhelming ice crystals, producing a tremendous roar as dust and debris filled the air.
But the next moment, a terrifying shockwave and burst of Chakra erupted from Yugito's position, blowing away all the surrounding dust.
Haku, clutching his chest slightly, looked at Yugito, who was now wrapped in a Tailed Beast cloak and completely unharmed, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.
Sure enough, with the strength he was currently displaying, it still wasn't enough to injure Yugito, a Jinchuriki.
Yugito slowly retracted the Tailed Beast cloak from her body, looking at Haku with surprised eyes.
She hadn't expected him to force her to use the Tailed Beast's power.
Moreover, Yugito harbored a vague suspicion. Although Haku appeared to be injured, he definitely hadn't gone all out.
This was her intuition as a ninja!
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Haku who possessed Ice Release before her, six Jinchuriki, and the Three-Tails Isobu!
The strength Kirigakure had displayed so far was already enough to restore it to its power from before the Third Shinobi World War.
And that wasn't even counting the existence of that man!
Clap! Clap!
A soft applause suddenly rang out in this tense atmosphere.
Yugito and Haku both paused simultaneously, turning toward the direction the clapping had come from.
There, at some unknown point, Yuto had appeared at the edge of the training ground, quietly watching the two of them.
[
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