"Absurd! Outrageous! You are blaspheming the gods. You will be condemned by the united forces of all the clans..."
Before the Ancient Ancestral King who had shouted those words could finish, a slap sent him flying. A voice echoed inside and outside the Jade Lake: "A mere Fourth Realm Ancient Ancestral King dares speak of the united forces of all the clans? You truly have no idea how close you are to death.
"Your Ancient Emperor Mountain publicly offended the imperial descendants. You deserve to be condemned by the united forces of all the clans even more. As for that fellow who just died, there is no need for anyone from his line to remain."
Outside the Jade Lake, spirit springs burbled and green grass spread like a carpet. It was a pure land, utterly silent, with not a single person speaking. Everything had happened too suddenly and horribly. An Ancient Ancestral King had been slapped across the face, and it had been declared outright that the dead Ancient Ancestral King's entire line should be wiped out. This was truly... absolutely right!
The hierarchy among the Ancient Clans was extremely strict. The descendants of an ancient emperor—especially Second Hokage and Third Hokage descendants—had statuses at least comparable to that of an Ancient Ancestral King. That did not mean an Ancient Ancestral King's status could compare with that of an imperial descendant. Rather, it meant that only an Ancient Ancestral King had the right not to salute an imperial descendant who had yet to mature.
Although they did not have to salute, that did not mean an Ancient Ancestral King could offend an imperial descendant—especially by bullying the weak in front of everyone, as had just happened. If she had actually succeeded, it would have set a terrible precedent. Others would