Yongye still stood where he was, the tip of Tenseiga glowing soft white in the sunlight.
He only smiled without answering. His gaze rested on each of their faces for a moment, calm and open, as if to say, Do you really think I still need to lie to you?
Yugito gritted her teeth and lowered her head. She reached into the jagged opening and picked up the fragments scattered among the gravel and dust one by one, carefully placing them back inside the skull.
Killer B was rougher about it, but even he moved far more gently than usual. His fingers paused when they touched the fragments, still warm, before he continued searching.
The two worked for quite a while before finally putting back every fragment they could find.
Yugito's fingers were smeared with blood and dust. She turned to Yongye, worry and helplessness written across her face.
"There's so much dirt on them. What do we do?"
Yongye shook his head. His calm smile turned mischievous, and his voice carried just the right touch of mockery.
"Doesn't matter. His brain never worked anyway. It's all water in there. A little dirt might do him good."
Yugito's mouth twitched, and Killer B's fingers clenched. Both fixed their eyes on Yongye. Tailed Beast Chakra surged around them for an instant before they forced it back down.
The killing intent pouring off them was heavy. If the Fourth Raikage could not be revived, they would attack Yongye on the spot!
Yongye paid their stares no mind. He raised Tenseiga and slowly swept its tip above the Fourth Raikage's body, as though slicing through an invisible membrane.
Two Soul-Locking Imps appeared in his sight. Their gray-blue forms crouched on the Fourth Raikage's chest and shoulder, claws hooked into his mostly shredded collar.