"Many thanks, Master's Wife!"
"However,"
Mito's tone suddenly turned incomparably stern, carrying unquestionable rules:
"The time limit is only one hour.
No matter how your conversation goes, and no matter whether you persuade it or not, after one hour, I will forcefully pull your consciousness back to reality.
This is to absolutely guarantee your safety, and to prevent your spirit from being eroded or trapped by the malice of Nine-Tails.
At the same time, this meeting must be kept strictly confidential. Aside from the three of us, no fourth person may know of it.
The existence and status of Nine-Tails are among Konoha's highest secrets and must not be compromised.
Can you do it?"
Without a single moment of hesitation, Kumoi stood up and offered Mito a solemn bow:
"Yes! Master's Wife.
Kumoi understands the gravity of the situation and will strictly abide by the agreement, placing safety above all else."
Watching his steady and confident posture, Mito finally nodded:
"Since that is the case... prepare yourselves slightly and quiet your minds.
I will open the passage for you right now."
Inside the reception room, the sandalwood incense was still curling upward, and the leaning sunlight stretched the shadows of the three people long.
An unprecedented adventure, an attempt to converse with hatred itself, was about to quietly unfold in the depths of this tranquil ancestral residence.
Meanwhile, the hands Mito placed upon her knees unconsciously tightened slightly, revealing that her inner self was far from as calm as her surface.
She had pinned all her trust and expectations on this young Hokage, hoping that what he brought would not merely be courage, but a different kind of light of wisdom capable of illuminating the darkness.
Mito signaled clan head Shui Yuan to keep watch outside the reception room and