"Stop, stop, stop. Don't let your imaginations run wild. Let me make this clear first: this child has absolutely nothing to do with me. I don't know who he is, and he has nothing to do with me!"
There was no need to guess. Seeing the looks everyone around him was giving him, Soji knew they were all ready to feast on some juicy gossip.
But since they were trying to feast on gossip about him, Soji absolutely would not let them get their wish!
Besides, there was no gossip to begin with. This was obviously a misunderstanding, wasn't it?
However, while Soji thought that way, he was about to be proven wrong.
Of course, while Soji was desperately "arguing his case," Mei Terumi, who had nearly turned to stone beside him, finally regained a little color and a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes.
"Exactly. I've assisted Lord Fifth Mizukage for so many years, and I've never once heard that he had a child. Could you all stop making wild guesses just because you have nothing better to do?
"And you, little brother, 'father' isn't a title you can throw around casually!"
Having finally regained a sliver of reason, Mei Terumi hurriedly spoke up in Soji's defense.
It was obvious that, at this moment, she was even more anxious than Soji!
Moreover, the first half of Mei Terumi's words was directed at everyone present. As for the latter half, it was clearly aimed at Shihō in the distance.
She refused to believe that Brother Ember already had such a grown child!
Otherwise, why had she remained unmarried all these years?
Although Mei Terumi in the original story had also remained unmarried her whole life, in this life, it was clearly because of Soji.
Most Kirigakure ninja were probably