Just as Yangyong had delivered a couple of pointed remarks to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and made him settle down, a cool female voice suddenly came from his left...
"Worthy of the Konoha Ninja Village that conquered the desert. You certainly are domineering."
A strangely dressed young woman, whose clothing seemed to follow the style of an "ancient miko tradition," spoke coldly.
"You must be Miroku, the sealing ninja from the Land of Demons?" Yangyong narrowed his eyes, his tone turning dangerous.
"That's right. I'm Miroku, but... I'm not a ninja," Miroku emphasized.
"Not a ninja?" Yangyong frowned.
"You may not be aware of this, Mr. Uchiha, but many people in the Desert Nations still follow ancient methods of using chakra. These differ from ninjutsu, and they don't normally call themselves ninja."
Yomi, on the other side, offered an explanation.
To their right sat a young man with shoulder-length hair and a mild expression. He had deliberately interrupted the increasingly heated exchange.
However...
When Yangyong looked over, Curse Technique User Yomi rose of his own accord. "I am Yomi, a curse technique user from the Land of Swamps. I'm also here to help you open the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's ruins."
Yomi adopted a deeply deferential attitude, making himself seem small and humble. Yangyong felt he was an honest man and nodded in satisfaction.
Since he was so pleased, Yangyong naturally had to offer him some sincere advice. "Heh heh, ninjutsu is the strongest way to use chakra. It was created by the ancestors of our Uchiha Clan. You should throw away those tricks of yours sooner rather than later!"
Miroku's expression darkened, while Yomi hurriedly replied, "You're quite right. It's just... we have no ninjutsu heritage, so we have to settle for the next