Beautiful Woman Moves Eyebrows!

The next day, spring rain fell in an endless drizzle. Ming Jing got up early and sat beneath the eaves, staring blankly at the lush greenery outside.

That morning, Tsukishiro Yuexi entered with an Anbu member. Upon seeing Ming Jing, the Anbu immediately lowered his head and said, "Lord Hokage requests that the Kurama Clan Head proceed to the Hokage Office at once!"

Ming Jing drew his gaze away from the spring rain and nodded. "The Clan Head is away. I am temporarily handling all affairs of the Kurama Clan, so I'll go with you instead."

"Please do not keep Lord Hokage waiting." With that, the Anbu used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished. Yuexi looked at Ming Jing, feeling that the Young Master's strange behavior last night was somehow related to today's events.

"Yuexi, arrange a carriage. I'll change clothes." Ming Jing rose and returned to his room, while Yuexi went to prepare the carriage. By the time Ming Jing emerged after changing, the Four Brothers were already standing around the carriage. Qing Yan stood in front, while Yuexi served as the coachman.

After boarding, the carriage, pulled by two white horses, headed beneath Hokage Rock toward the Hokage Office under Yuexi's control. Inside, Ming Jing put the index finger of his right hand into his mouth, then carefully used the damp finger to draw a talisman on his left palm. Finally, he pressed his left palm to his forehead. "Illusion Technique: Beautiful Woman Moves Eyebrows!"

Beautiful Woman Moves Eyebrows (Talisman Technique Gate): S-rank illusion technique. Its effect is to conceal one's true self—including emotions, expressions, and physical body—and reflect the version of oneself that others most wish to see.

When Ming Jing's carriage arrived, Fugaku Uchiha was not far behind them. Seeing Ming Jing step down from the carriage with Yuexi's support, Fugaku coldly turned away without any intention of greeting him. Naturally, Ming Jing had no interest in forcing friendliness on someone so cold. He told Up, Down, Left, Right to wait for him at Zhonghua Cuisine Restaurant, while Yuexi and Qing Yan accompanied him inside.

The moment he entered the Hokage Office building's lobby, he saw Hyuga Hiashi standing there with an unhappy expression. Beside him was a member of the Konoha Elder Council, though Ming Jing had forgotten his name. Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru's father, stood with his eyes closed in quiet rest. Behind him were Inoichi Yamanaka, Ino's father, and Choza Akimichi, Choji's father. There was also Hana Inuzuka playing with a dog, the semi-transparent Shibi Aburame, Genbu Aburame, quietly standing there as a handsome man, and the sickly Gekko Hayato, who kept coughing. Kakashi Hatake was there too, unsurprisingly enough. As for the rest... Ming Jing did not recognize them.

"Yo, young handsome guy!" The first person to greet Ming Jing was actually Kakashi Hatake. Ming Jing smiled and walked over to Kakashi, then curiously looked over everyone present. They had met at the Fourth Hokage's funeral, after being introduced by Koji Kurama.

The others only gave Ming Jing a brief glance. After all, this was a world where strength reigned supreme. The Kurama Clan could no longer command their respect—at least, that was what they believed.

"Clan Heads, Lord Hokage invites you all inside." A secretary-like ninja emerged and respectfully addressed everyone present.

Hyuga Hiashi was the first to enter. Shikaku Nara followed close behind with the three members of Ino-Shika-Cho. Everyone seemed to consciously enter according to their respective strength. Ming Jing silently remained behind Kakashi. He was in no hurry, after all. Thus, he and Kakashi were the last to enter, and they tacitly chose the last two seats. Yuexi and Qing Yan went to the adjacent room.

"Clan Heads, I believe everyone already knows the circumstances of this matter. Kumogakure is now pressing us aggressively and demands that we hand over the culprit." The Third Hokage held a pipe in his mouth and spoke with the weariness of old age.

As soon as the Third Hokage finished speaking, Hyuga Hiashi stood up and said angrily, "Third Hokage, forgive my bluntness, but this incident began when Cloud Ninja infiltrated the Hyuga Clan compound in the middle of the night, intending to abduct a member of the Hyuga Clan. That was why they were killed by our clan! By all reason and justice, Cloud Ninja should be the ones giving us an explanation!"

After hearing Hyuga Hiashi's words, everyone frowned slightly. Clearly, they found Cloud Ninja's actions deeply offensive.

"Sorry, I'm late!" Fugaku Uchiha entered at that moment. He walked straight to the front and sat to the Third Hokage's left. Danzo sat to the Third Hokage's right.

Seeing this, Ming Jing sighed inwardly. Did the Uchiha Clan really need to make their dissatisfaction with the Hokage this obvious? The key was that Fugaku's attitude had basically offended everyone here, though the Uchiha Clan had never cared much about any of them anyway...

"Fugaku, now that you're here, what do you think of this incident?" As though nothing had happened, the Third Hokage asked with a pleasant expression.

"Handle it however you wish. The Uchiha Clan will not participate." After saying that, Fugaku Uchiha simply closed his eyes, too lazy to concern himself with the matter. His behavior actually made Hyuga Hiashi breathe a sigh of relief. He had feared that the Uchiha Clan would take advantage of the situation. However, if he had known what Fugaku Uchiha would do afterward, he probably would not have felt relieved.

But before one wave had settled, another rose. At that moment, a chunin entered and handed the Third Hokage a scroll. After opening and reading it, a flash of anger crossed the Third Hokage's face, though he quickly suppressed it.

Over the next while, another member of the Hyuga Clan stepped forward and delivered a long, flowery speech. In short, the Hyuga Clan would never compromise!

After listening for a while, Danzo suddenly looked at the Third Hokage and asked, "Lord Hokage, that scroll just now came from Kumogakure, didn't it? What did the Fourth Raikage say?"

Hyuga Hiashi frowned slightly as he looked at Danzo, a vague sense of unease rising in his heart. He had no idea what scheme that old fox was planning this time.

"Nothing much. Just greetings from the Raikage." The Third Hokage gave Danzo a deep look and replied as though nothing was amiss. Then he turned to the others and asked, "Does anyone have anything to say?"

Who among those present was not shrewd? At this moment, everyone lowered their heads, playing the part of insignificant nobodies to perfection.

"Um..." Ming Jing raised his hand, drawing everyone's attention. He swallowed nervously and said, "I think Clan Head Hyuga was right earlier. Cloud Ninja is at fault in this matter."

Kakashi, seated beside him, helplessly shook his head.

"Hmph!" Danzo snorted. Only children distinguished between right and wrong in this world!

Fugaku Uchiha expressionlessly opened his eyes and glanced at Ming Jing before closing them again to rest.

"Did I say something wrong?" Ming Jing asked cautiously. This was the effect of Illusion Technique: Beautiful Woman Moves Eyebrows. Who among those present was not an expert? There was no need to mention the Third Hokage. Danzo might be disgusting, but his strength was absolutely reliable. Then there was Fugaku Uchiha with his Sharingan, Hyuga Hiashi with his Byakugan, jonin Kakashi, jonin Shikaku Nara, and so on. Acting before this group would test anyone's acting ability too severely. It was better to use an illusion technique to conceal his real expressions and emotions, then magnify what these people wanted to see. For example, the Third Hokage saw a somewhat timid youth, Danzo saw an immature hot-blooded youth, while Fugaku Uchiha saw a self-righteous youth.

"Hehe, thank you for the Kurama Clan's opinion." The Third Hokage smiled kindly but did not comment on Ming Jing's words. If not for the Raikage's letter, the Third Hokage might have given Ming Jing's remarks a fair assessment. But now... he needed to consider things carefully.