"Is he even worthy?!"
The hot-tempered elder roared those final three words, spittle flying from his mouth.
His old face, flushed red with anger, was filled with contempt and disdain toward Uchiha Kai.
In his eyes, Kai was nothing more than a Konoha brat who had somehow stumbled into Kirigakure during its weakest moment through sheer dumb luck.
Perhaps he had some strength.
But so what?
This was Kirigakure!
Their territory!
Behind him stood over a hundred of Kirigakure's most elite shinobi.
Every one of them was an expert who had survived the brutal slaughter of the Bloody Mist.
And beyond them, there was himself, Elder Genji, and the rest of the council.
This force was enough to flatten a small ninja village.
Dealing with a few outsiders should be effortless.
"Exactly!"
"A little brat dares spout nonsense about making the entire ninja world turn its weapons?"
"What an enormous joke!"
"Mei Terumi, have you lost your mind? How could you believe such nonsense?!"
"Surrender immediately and return with us to the council for judgment!"
"As for these outsiders, we will make them understand the consequences of trespassing in Kirigakure!"
With the first elder taking the lead, the others also grew bolder.
One after another, they began shouting righteously, their momentum fierce.
Behind them, the elite shinobi stepped forward at the same time.
Whoosh!
Over a hundred people moved in perfect unison, creating a heavy sense of pressure.
The kunai and swords in their hands reflected cold light amid the ruins.
As for the civilians who had been swept up in the commotion, they didn't understand grand principles.
But under the influence of the atmosphere, they too began pointing and whispering at Mei Terumi and Uchiha Kai's group.
"They're the ones who made the village like this..."
"That woman... I remember her. Isn't she Lady Mei Terumi? Why is she standing with people from Konoha?"
"I heard the elders say she's trying to betray the village..."
For a time, the atmosphere across the battlefield became tense.
Every accusation pointed directly at Mei Terumi and Uchiha Kai behind her.
However, faced with this scene of public condemnation, Uchiha Kai's expression did not change in the slightest.
He didn't even bother looking at the shouting elders.
Instead, he lazily picked at his ear, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.
Then he tilted his head.
His dark, deep eyes looked toward Mei Terumi, whose face had turned icy cold.
A playful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"The family affairs of Kirigakure..."
"Look pretty lively."
His voice wasn't loud.
Yet it entered everyone's ears clearly.
There was a lazy condescension in it.
"Handle it yourself."
"I don't have that much time to watch a show."
After saying that, he truly stood aside like a spectator.
Arms crossed.
Relaxed and carefree.
He even began looking around the ruins with interest, as though judging which rock would make the most comfortable seat.
That attitude completely ignited the fury of Elder Genji and the council.
Disregard.
This was blatant disregard!
"Brat!"
"You're far too arrogant!"
"Kill him!"
"Execute him and these traitors on the spot!"
Elder Genji's face turned ashen.
The serpent-headed cane in his hand struck the ground heavily with a muffled thud.
But just as he was about to give the order—
A terrifying surge of chakra erupted!
BOOM!!!
Brilliant blue chakra flames erupted from Mei Terumi like a volcano.
They shot into the sky, forming a visible pillar of light that enveloped her entire body.
A violent air current swept outward with her at the center.
The nearby civilians and weaker ninja were instantly blown away, tumbling across the ground amid screams.
Even Elder Genji and several elders had to circulate chakra just to barely stabilize themselves.
Their faces filled with disbelief and horror.
"This... this chakra?!"
"How is this possible?!"
"Mei Terumi..."
"How did her strength become this powerful?!"
Elder Genji's pupils contracted sharply.
He stared fixedly at the peerless figure within the pillar of light.
He could clearly sense it.
The quality and quantity of chakra inside Mei Terumi's body had far surpassed her previous peak.
It was even faintly showing signs of exceeding him, an old veteran Kage-level powerhouse.
This made no sense at all!
How could a person's strength undergo such an earth-shaking transformation in such a short time?!
Could it be...
That brat?!
Elder Genji suddenly turned toward Uchiha Kai, who was standing aside watching the show.
His eyes filled with shock and apprehension.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, Mei Terumi slowly raised her head.
There was no longer any hesitation or weakness in her watery emerald eyes.
Only cold, bone-chilling determination remained.
"Family affairs?"
She softly repeated Kai's words.
A self-mocking curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Then her gaze sharpened like a blade as she looked toward Elder Genji and the council.
"You're right."
"It is time to deal with them properly."
She walked forward step by step.
The chakra flames around her moved with her.
Every step caused the ground to tremble faintly.
"Elder Genji."
"Honorable elders."
Her voice was cool and clear.
Yet it carried unquestionable authority.
"I'll ask you one final time."
"When the Akatsuki ravaged the village..."
"When the Fourth Mizukage was being controlled..."
"When the Three-Tails, Isobu, went berserk..."
"When the village was about to be destroyed..."
"Where were you?"
"And now that the crisis has been resolved, you bring people here, stand on the moral high ground, and pass judgment on me..."
"And on the benefactor who saved this village?"
"Is your skin made from Kirigakure's city walls?!"
The final sentence rang out like thunder.
Elder Genji and the elders' faces turned blue and white.
They were rendered speechless.
They had indeed only arrived after the battle was over.
That was an undeniable fact.
"Twisting words and forcing logic!"
The hot-tempered elder flew into a rage out of embarrassment.
Even his fury looked more like bluster than courage.
"Even if we arrived late, that doesn't give a woman like you the right to collude with outsiders and sell away the village's future!"
"We are restoring order!"
"Restoring order?"
Mei Terumi laughed.
Her smile was unbearably cold.
"So this so-called 'order' of yours is to let the village continue struggling in the swamp of the Bloody Mist?"
"To let Kirigakure continue being ostracized by the other Great Ninja Villages?"
"To let it continue rotting slowly while clinging to its last breath?"
"And I..."
"I have found a new future for this village."
"A path that can allow Kirigakure to truly rise."
"Even to stand above every other ninja village!"
Her burning gaze turned toward Uchiha Kai.
It was filled with fanatical trust.
"Lord Kai possesses power beyond your imagination!"
"To submit to him is not shame."
"It is Kirigakure's honor!"
Her words caused some of the neutral ninja present—especially the younger ones—to waver.
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