Chapter 116: The Strongest Genius Boy in the Ninja World
Yagura Karatachi looked a bit dazed. He looked up at the Grand Elder's wrinkled face, then down at himself, before subconsciously pointing a finger at his own chest.
The meaning was obvious...
'Me?'
'Lord Grand Elder, do you hear what you are saying?'
He was the Mizukage, after all. Even if he had been controlled, his status remained. It wasn't as if his mistakes couldn't be rectified later.
But having Tailed Beast chakra extracted from his body was a slap in the face to Kirigakure. Once was bad enough, but agreeing to a second time?
Yagura's lips moved as he tried to speak, but seeing the Grand Elder's expressionless face, he swallowed his words.
Terumi Mei's eyelids twitched. She subconsciously turned her head away, not daring to look at Uchiha Taiga and Yugito Nii.
She was afraid that if she saw their expressions, she would burst out laughing. If she laughed in a situation like this, she would never be able to show her face in the village again.
Biting her lip, she stared at the distant ice sculptures, pretending to observe the life signs of her comrades trapped inside.
As for Taiga and Yugito, their reactions were rather comical.
Taiga tilted his head, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide.
"Huh?"
His voice was full of confusion.
Yugito was equally stunned.
Her brows furrowed slightly, her lips pressed into a thin line, and she blinked twice.
"Eh?"
Her voice was soft, laced with bewilderment.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the exact same question in each other's eyes: 'Is this old man serious?'
Who was the Grand Elder?
He was the Grand Elder of Kirigakure, a veteran who had survived since the Warring States period. He had lived through the reigns of the First, Second, Third, and now the Fourth Mizukage, making him a venerable figure who had witnessed multiple eras.
He held power almost equal to the Mizukage. While his word wasn't absolute law in Kirigakure, he was certainly second to none but the Kage himself.
For such a highly respected and powerful elder to actually ask Uchiha Taiga to extract more Tailed Beast chakra from the Mizukage?
No matter how one looked at it, it was bizarre and completely illogical.
Taiga recovered from his shock, his expression turning strange.
It was an eye-opening experience. He had finally witnessed the unique quirks of the old men in the ninja world.
As expected of someone who had survived from the Warring States period to the present day. His sheer shamelessness was something a youngster like Taiga could never have anticipated. The old man was using the toughest posture to say the most cowardly words and do the most cowardly things.
This kind of skill was worth studying for a lifetime.
Taiga couldn't help but give a thumbs-up, his expression turning sincere.
"Old man, you're really something else. Truly."
He nodded, his tone carrying a hint of genuine admiration.
"As the Grand Elder of Kirigakure, I acknowledge your love for your village," he added.
This praise was completely heartfelt.
The Grand Elder didn't seem to appreciate the sentiment at all. Keeping his chin raised, he let out a cold snort that echoed loudly across the ice.
"Hmph! Why would my love for the village need the acknowledgment of the strongest genius brat in the ninja world like you? How ridiculous!"
Taiga shook his head. He wanted to laugh but held it in.
Beside him, Yugito couldn't hold back. She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling as she let out a series of muffled giggles.
Her laughter was soft, but it sounded exceptionally clear on the quiet ice.
Mei's mouth twitched. She bit her lip even harder.
Yagura's face darkened.
He took a deep breath, squeezing his words through gritted teeth.
"Lord Grand Elder!"
Before he could finish, the Grand Elder cut him off.
"Shut up!"
The Grand Elder's voice suddenly rose. He slammed his cane heavily onto the ice, the sound of cracking ice sharp and piercing.
"You fool! Being controlled and causing such massive trouble for the village, you should be apologizing!"
Yagura's expression shifted, and he immediately fell silent. He opened his mouth to speak but ultimately said nothing.
He lowered his head, staring at his slightly trembling hands.
Truthfully, those words were a heavy blow to him.
He was the Mizukage, the leader of the village. He was supposed to be the one protecting it.
Instead, he had become the village's biggest problem. Being controlled, enforcing the Blood Mist policy, plunging the village into civil strife, and causing the tragic deaths of countless ninjas and civilians.
All of this was due to his own weakness.
Yagura pressed his lips into a thin line, his expression turning incredibly gloomy.
Seeing him like this, the Grand Elder's tone softened slightly.
"We of Kirigakure clearly distinguish between gratitude and grudges."
He raised his cane and pointed at Taiga.
"That strongest genius brat in the ninja world is not an enemy of the village. Ultimately, he saved you. Therefore, as a token of gratitude, you should let him extract a little more Tailed Beast chakra."
He paused, then added another sentence.
"It's not like extracting it will kill you anyway."
Yagura's mouth twitched.
He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and finally shut it tight. After a long silence, he gave a slight nod.
"I understand."
Without another word, he simply lay down.
The wooden plank wasn't large, but his body fit perfectly on it. He closed his eyes and placed his hands by his sides, looking exactly like a corpse waiting to be dissected, fully resigning himself to whatever was to come.
Watching him act like this, Taiga's eyelids twitched. He turned his head to look at the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder spoke up again, "Hmph, strongest genius brat in the ninja world, this is a one-time offer. Hurry up."
Taiga facepalmed, covering his face with his hand and rubbing his forehead with his fingers.
"No, seriously, are you for real?"
His voice came from behind his hand, carrying a deep sense of helplessness.
"Are you really not afraid that I'll extract so much that he dies?"
The Grand Elder looked at him and expressionlessly spat out a single word.
"I am."
Taiga was speechless.
'If you're afraid, then why are you letting me extract it?'
'Isn't there a massive contradiction between your fear and your permission?'
He took a deep breath, exhaled, and then removed his hand from his face, staring at the Grand Elder's aged visage.
The Grand Elder remained silent for a moment. Leaning on his cane, he took two steps forward and lowered his voice.
"Actually, we had already secretly noticed that something was wrong with Yagura. This operation was also meant to discreetly test him."
He paused.
"It's just that you disrupted our plans. However, the current outcome is a good thing for Kirigakure."
Taiga finally understood completely.
He looked beside the Grand Elder at the Kirigakure ninja who had been standing silently behind him the entire time.
The man was wearing a Kirigakure ANBU uniform and a mask, but one eye was visible beneath the lower edge of the mask.
That eye was normal, just an ordinary person's eye. However, the other eye hidden behind the mask was very special. Through Taiga's vision, he could clearly see the condition of that unique eye.
White sclera, white iris...
A Byakugan.
"That guy has a Byakugan, right?"
Taiga's gaze landed on that eye.
"Was he the one who noticed something was wrong with Yagura?"
He was referring to the Kirigakure ninja named Ao.
The Grand Elder snorted, not denying it.
"That's right, but his Byakugan was obtained on the battlefield."
He stared at Taiga, his words tough, but no matter how one listened, it sounded like he was making excuses.
"You, the strongest genius in the ninja world, are no longer a ninja of Konoha. Don't tell me you intend to take the Byakugan back?"
Taiga waved his hand dismissively.
"Alright, alright, stop calling me the strongest genius boy in the ninja world. It's too embarrassing to listen to."
He turned around, walked back to Yagura, and crouched down.
"I have no interest in that guy. Let's just leave it at that."
He looked down at Yagura, who was lying on the wooden plank with his eyes tightly shut, and his tone became casual.
"Bear with it for a bit. I'll be quick."
Tailed Beast chakra—naturally, he would never complain about having too much of it.
An extra portion of chakra meant extra research material and another possibility for developing new jutsu.
As for whether Yagura would suffer more pain because of it, he couldn't control that, nor did he care.
Yagura himself had agreed, and the Grand Elder had agreed. What was there left to hesitate about?
Taiga pressed his hand against Yagura's lower abdomen...
Yagura's brows furrowed, and he clenched his jaw, but he didn't make a sound.
In the distance, the Grand Elder discreetly breathed a sigh of relief.