Naruto whipped his head around toward the voice and saw a bearded man in a well-tailored white suit standing in the shadows.
"Long time no see, Kyuji! You seem even more dangerous than before!"
Kyuji Kaguya!
Even in today's Kirigakure, where powerful fighters abounded, he stood at the very pinnacle.
At one point, rumors had even circulated outside the village that, apart from the unfathomable Raito, he was Kirigakure's strongest ninja.
His current official position was supreme commander of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, whose very name struck terror into people's hearts.
That was right. Kyuji had long since stepped down as the wielder of the Exploding Blade Shibuki, because such external tools had become nothing but a burden to him.
He was now the commander overseeing the entire operation.
One thing was certain, though: Kyuji was now several levels stronger than he had been back then.
Kyuji merely smiled faintly and gave a slight nod in response to Naruto's greeting.
Then he turned and raised a hand in an inviting gesture, signaling for everyone to head inside.
Gaara stared gravely at Kyuji's retreating figure. This man felt extremely dangerous, with almost the same oppressive presence Gaara had felt when he first met Raito all those years ago.
Someone who had once been merely a captain of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had developed to this extent. Then just what level of strength had Raito, the Mizukage standing above all of this, reached now?
It was unimaginable. His limited imagination simply could not outline the bounds of Raito's current strength.
Speaking of which, this completely transformed Mizukage Building also left Gaara feeling an inexplicable sense of awe.
The building, standing at the highest point in all of Kirigakure, was more than merely enormous.
He had flown