Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Terumi Mei stood on the ice, surrounded by lifelike ice sculptures.

Sealed within those ice sculptures were Kirigakure ninjas she knew well—some were her colleagues, some her seniors, and some ANBU she had only met a few times.

Their expressions were frozen in their final moments—anger, terror, despair—all locked beneath that transparent shell of ice, like paintings frozen in time.

She looked at the closest ice sculpture. It was a young face, looking no older than seventeen or eighteen. His eyes were still open, his pupils retaining the sheer resolve of charging at the enemy. Her fingers couldn't help but tremble slightly.

She had never seen an Ice Style jutsu like this.

The Minazuki clan was the family in Kirigakure most proficient in the Ice Style Kekkei Genkai. She had seen Minazuki ninjas fight, seen them use Ice Style to create beautiful ice flowers and sharp ice blades.

But no one could achieve this level—freezing the entire ocean in an instant, covering an area as far as the eye could see, turning even the crashing waves into sculptures.

This was no longer ninjutsu; it was an absolute natural disaster!

Even if the strongest member of the Minazuki clan were here, they would likely be trembling in fear.

Terumi Mei took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but her hands were still shaking. Her heart pounded violently in her chest, feeling as though it might leap out of her throat.

Especially after the Grand Elder spoke, her heart sank even further.

When facing an opponent like this, no amount of caution could be considered excessive.

The Grand Elder struck his long staff against the ground, the bottom of the cane hitting the ice with a dull thud.

His expression remained unchanged. There was no fear in his eyes, only the steady composure of someone who had weathered countless storms. Looking at Uchiha Taiga's back, his voice was old but powerful.

"Uchiha Taiga, the genius of Konoha. I need to know your purpose for coming to Kirigakure."

Hearing this, Terumi Mei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as he didn't directly order an attack, it was fine. She was genuinely afraid that, under these circumstances, the Grand Elder would try to take the hardline approach against the enemy.

She didn't even dare to imagine the consequences of that.

Those frozen into ice sculptures had already proven this boy's strength. If the rest of them charged forward now, it was truly hard to say how many would survive.

Her clenched fists loosened slightly, but her body remained tense, seemingly ready to respond to any sudden developments.

Hearing this, Uchiha Taiga raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"You know me?"

The Grand Elder's expression didn't change. His bony fingers gripped his cane, and his tone was as flat as if he were reading a report.

"The genius of Konoha, possessor of the dual Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha and Hyuga, who has caused quite a stir in both Konoha and Kumogakure. It would be difficult for me not to know a genius like you."

He paused, tapping his cane on the ice once more.

"People are already calling you the strongest genius in the ninja world. Tell me, strongest genius in the ninja world, why have you come here at this time, and why have you done such a thing to our Kage?"

His tone was questioning and seemed quite impolite.

But no matter how one listened to it, something felt off.

Terumi Mei lowered her head slightly, inexplicably feeling a bit of secondhand embarrassment.

She could hear the flattery hidden in the Grand Elder's words. 'The strongest genius in the ninja world,' 'possessor of the dual Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha and Hyuga'—on the surface, it looked like an interrogation, but in reality, every sentence was elevating the other party.

This was a probe, a stalling tactic, and more importantly, a way to provide a graceful exit for both sides to save face.

She bit her lip and remained silent.

Hearing this, Uchiha Taiga also struggled to maintain a straight face. He scratched his chin and chuckled.

"You're an interesting old man. I thought you were stopping me from leaving because you wanted to pick a fight."

The Grand Elder remained expressionless, his cane striking the ice again with a dull thud.

"Hmph. I am an old man of Kirigakure. From the village's founding until now, I have seen far too many geniuses. But a genius like you, this is a first for me."

He stared into Uchiha Taiga's eyes, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

"Uchiha Taiga, you still haven't answered my question."

Standing nearby, Yugito Nii's expression grew increasingly bizarre the more she listened.

She subconsciously cast a glance at Terumi Mei, only to find the latter looking back at her at the exact same moment.

Yugito Nii raised an eyebrow, her meaning clear: 'The old man from your village is quite something, huh.'

Terumi Mei's eyelids twitched slightly. She unconsciously averted her gaze, pretending not to care at all.

Uchiha Taiga pointed a finger at the Grand Elder, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"You old geezer, don't think that just because you're praising me, I won't get mad."

The Grand Elder snorted coldly, raising his chin slightly, the wrinkles on his face bunching together from the shift in expression.

"I am merely speaking the truth. Now, answer me!"

His tone grew even tougher.

Yet, hearing this, Uchiha Taiga couldn't even bring himself to be angry.

He scratched his head and gave the Grand Elder a thumbs-up.

"Alright, I'll give it to you. You're a tough old man."

With that, he turned around and walked back to Yagura Karatachi.

Yagura Karatachi was still lying on that wooden plank, his face pale, eyes tightly shut, and breathing faint.

Uchiha Taiga crouched down and placed his hand on Yagura's forehead.

Pale green chakra surged from his palm, gently seeping into Yagura Karatachi's head, nourishing his exhausted mind and damaged chakra network.

This variation of the Mystical Palm Jutsu, casually developed by Uchiha Taiga, had excellent healing effects, especially for mental trauma.

With Uchiha Taiga's current abilities, developing any jutsu—as long as it wasn't a forbidden jutsu—might not be entirely effortless, but it certainly wasn't too difficult.

Thus, in just a few moments, Yagura Karatachi's brows furrowed slightly.

His eyelids twitched, and then he slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was still unfocused, taking several seconds to sharpen and lock onto the face of the young man in front of him.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

Uchiha Taiga stood up, clapped his hands, and turned to the Grand Elder.

"I already told you I bear no ill will toward your Kage. I even saved him earlier. If you don't believe me, just ask him carefully and you'll know."

He raised a hand and pointed to his own eyes.

The next moment, his eyes instantly turned crimson. The Mangekyo pattern slowly spun within his irises, looking both eerie and beautiful.

"Your Kage, you see, was previously being controlled by eyes similar to these."

His tone became a bit more serious.

"The Blood Mist policy was likely implemented by someone using this method. As for their goal, I'm sure you have a good idea."

The Grand Elder's expression turned extremely grave.

He remained silent for a moment, then struck his cane heavily against the ice, his voice even more somber.

"You damn genius brat, I forgive your disrespect toward our Kage."

His tone sounded reluctant, but the meaning behind his words was a clear concession.

He turned his head and looked at Yagura Karatachi.

Yagura Karatachi had already managed to prop himself up. His face was still pale, but his eyes were much clearer than before.

The Grand Elder's voice deepened.

"Is what this genius brat said true?"

Yagura Karatachi did not answer immediately.

He lowered his head, looking at his hands resting on his knees, which were trembling slightly. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and his expression was gloomy to the extreme.

After a long while, he nodded silently.

The Grand Elder's cane rested on the ice, not lifting again.

"So that's how it is!"

The Grand Elder's gaze returned to Uchiha Taiga, his voice turning cold.

"I understand what you did to Yagura Karatachi. Now, you brat who holds the title of the strongest genius in the ninja world, tell me why you extracted the Tailed Beast chakra from him! Do you not know what a Tailed Beast means to a ninja village?"

Uchiha Taiga tilted his head. "I just wanted a little Tailed Beast chakra to use for some ninjutsu development. That's not a problem, right?"

"Hmph, I'll let that pass."

The Grand Elder snorted coldly.

"Yagura Karatachi isn't dead, so it seems what you said earlier is true. I will temporarily believe you, brat. I am not a senile old fool; I can sense that your Ice Style did not end the lives of the people here. As thanks for helping Lord Mizukage break free from his control, you may extract a bit more Tailed Beast chakra from him."

Uchiha Taiga: "..."

Yugito Nii: "..."

Terumi Mei: "..."

Yagura Karatachi: "..."