A New Era

"We're here on behalf of the village to find you."

As soon as Yue entered the tent and saw the two people wearing animal masks sit down, he realized the situation was more complicated than he'd imagined.

The two were a man and a woman. One wore a monkey wood carving mask, and the other, a sheep.

"The village received your message, but... regarding your escape from Akatsuki, several elders still find it a bit suspicious," the monkey-faced man said coldly. "Tell us again, from beginning to end, what happened."

"Don't worry, we're just confirming," the sheep-masked woman said gently, in contrast to the stern monkey-faced man.

"Even the people sent are one Grass Flower and one Grass Seed..."

Yue sensed something and thought to himself.

Then, he recounted the fabricated story he had prepared.

"The person from Akatsuki was going to attack you, but because they were severely injured, you had a chance to escape?"

"That's right."

"This aligns with the information from Rain Village," the sheep-masked woman, Grass Flower, clearly showed a bias towards Yue.

"Did you not come into contact with any other Akatsuki members?" the monkey-faced man demanded.

"No," Yue replied calmly.

"Then why are you only returning now? Simply avoiding Akatsuki isn't a convincing reason, is it?"

Yue met the monkey-faced man's gaze through the mask and suddenly said, "I am from Grass Village. By rights, the village should protect me. Why does it sound like you're blaming me? Could it be that my survival is actually a mistake? I should have died in the Land of Rain, right?"

"What kind of attitude is that?!"

Hearing Yue's words, the monkey-faced man became enraged.

"Yue... the village just wants to understand what happened. Akatsuki's position in the Land of Rain is very complicated, and getting involved with those people isn't a good thing," the sheep-masked woman stopped her companion and explained softly. "Don't blame the village for making a fuss; it's just to avoid some trouble."

The monkey-faced man took a deep breath and said no more.

Yue nodded.

But his mind was already racing.

Could it be that he had foiled Masada and the others' plot before, and Grass Seed still held a grudge against him?

And was using this as an excuse to attack him?

If not, and Grass Village was simply afraid of being held accountable by Rain Village and wanted to distance themselves... that would be too cowardly.

Honestly, it left Yue feeling very disappointed.

The interrogation continued for a full hour.

The monkey-faced man, as usual, was deliberately difficult, seemingly trying to pin something on Yue. Fortunately, despite his young age, Yue's answers were flawless, and he didn't let the monkey-faced man succeed. Finally, the three of them left the tent. The monkey-faced man let out a cold snort and left first.

"Be careful."

Before leaving, the sheep-masked woman gave Yue a meaningful piece of advice.

Be careful?

The woman was clearly warning him about something.

"Are you alright, Yue?"

Fuma Ryoma walked over, looking worried.

"I'm fine."

Yue smiled.

"Yue... let's go back to the Land of Rice," Fuma Ryoma suddenly said.

Although he was only a Chunin, he had been in the village for a long time and had considerable seniority. He could see through some things.

Even though Yue was pretending nothing had happened, Fuma Ryoma had guessed some of it.

"Your mother and I can't leave the village anymore, but you're different... In the Land of Rice, we have our clan..."

"I'm not leaving."

Yue interrupted his father directly.

"Ryuga's father is with Grass Flower, and I owe Ryuga a favor. Even if Grass Seed wants to make trouble, it shouldn't be that easy," Yue stated bluntly.

"Yue..."

In fact, during this meeting with his son, Fuma Ryoma had noticed that Yue was completely different from before.

He didn't know if it was related to his experiences over the past few months, but he was like a different person.

Fuma Ryoma didn't overthink it. Yue, at this age, was calm and composed, possessing a maturity beyond his years... This made Fuma Ryoma very pleased.

"You've grown up."

He looked up and stroked his son's hair, then said seriously, "Don't worry, I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Even if it means defying the village."

Fuma Ryoma's gaze turned cold.

This incident was merely a minor interruption, but the atmosphere within the outpost had clearly shifted.

The others seemed to sense something, subtly keeping their distance from him and his son.

"Power."

Yue's thoughts began to churn.

The previous incident with Masada had already highlighted the village's chaotic and corrupt underbelly.

To be honest, it made him sick.

And now, they were resorting to such disgusting tactics and behavior.

Even using the excuse of "small countries have no human rights," this kind of weak-kneed action had touched Yue's bottom line. They had a decent-sized territory in the ninja world, even a ninja village. If they had backed down and surrendered to the five great ninja villages, Yue might have understood. But facing a Rain Village, and one led by the somewhat declining Hanzo of the Salamander, for the elders of Grass Village to be this terrified was baffling.

The current situation in the Land of Rain was a mess, and calling it "unable to take care of itself" was an understatement. How could they possibly have the energy to deal with Grass Village?

Especially over some insignificant brat?

Moreover, knowing the full story, he was well aware that this matter, at most, only involved a confidant of Hanzo of the Salamander, not the man himself.

Even if, worst-case scenario, the Rain Village decided to cause trouble for Grass Village, at least the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth wouldn't stand idly by. The Land of Grass was a strategic buffer zone crucial to both nations, and they wouldn't allow the people of Rain Village to act.

So, no matter how you looked at it... Grass Village had no reason to be this scared.

Of course, there were definitely people from Grass Seed involved in this!

Before, Yue had only focused on strength, on personal power. Now, he realized that in an environment like Grass Village, power was also extremely important.

Otherwise, being bothered like this every few days was truly unbearable.

Most importantly, it was those old fossils who had entrenched themselves in the village's power structure. Their actions were despicable.

"Their bones are too soft... they've knelt for too long, they've forgotten... they've long forgotten how to stand up."

That night, Yue lay in his tent, a cold glint in his eyes, as he mused.

This was the tragedy of the Grass Flower faction.

Whether it was Grass Seed or Grass Flower, neither was properly organized.

Since this time, both Grass Flower and Grass Seed factions were coming to hold him accountable, it meant that, to some extent, their views on his handling of the situation were aligned.

Although Ryuga's Father held a significant position within Grass Flower, he couldn't simply dictate everything.

That sheep-faced woman was likely sent by Ryuga's faction to warn him.

The next morning, Yue and his father prepared to take over their patrol duties.

However, the outpost captain suddenly announced another urgent matter they needed to attend to.

"You will go to this location and meet with someone from Waterfall Village. Hand this secret letter to him."

"Waterfall Village?"

Yue frowned slightly. "Is this a temporary mission? Assigned by the village?"

"Yes." The captain hesitated before nodding.

Passing secret letters for Waterfall Village, Grass Village really did meddle in everything.

Without asking further questions, Yue and his father immediately set off for their destination.

As soon as they left the camp, Yue spoke directly, "Father, be careful... this is likely a trap."

"One of the two Anbu members from before belonged to Grass Flower. They warned me to be cautious before leaving."

"A temporary mission, assigned by the village, and specifically naming you and me to undertake it... the intention is a bit too obvious."

"You mean... it's targeting you?"

Fuma Ryoma said gravely.

"It might be Grass Seed's plan."

"Not targeting... given their nature, they probably want to eliminate me."

Yue said calmly.

Without a background or connections... they, father and son, didn't even have the right to refuse. It was fortunate that he had managed to build a relationship with Ryuga before.

"I've suddenly changed my mind."

Abruptly, Yue spoke, saying something that Fuma Ryoma couldn't quite understand.

"It's a new era... Grass Village, this small place, it's time for a change."

Yue's tone was cold, carrying a chilling edge.