"Boss, boss, how does this outfit look?"
"Mmm, looks good, looks good!"
"Boss, boss, what about this one?"
"Hmm, also looks good, also looks good!"
"So which one should I wear today?"
"They all look good! Oh, and don't forget the cat ears…"
Watching Haku struggle to choose an outfit, Yuto couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.
'Such a cute kid... why did he have to be a boy!'
Although Yuto had spent most of his money on the gacha, he still had enough to buy a few sets of clothes.
Zabuza had picked out a loose-fitting outfit for himself. After all, walking around shirtless wasn't exactly practical...
As for Haku, he had initially chosen something similar to Zabuza's style, but under Yuto's strong recommendation, he ended up picking a more neutral outfit from a selection of cute clothes.
After the three of them enjoyed a bowl of miso ramen at Ichiraku Ramen, they returned to the shop, leading to the scene at the beginning.
---
"Zabuza-sama, do I look good?"
Haku asked Zabuza, who glanced at him before quickly looking away, mumbling, "It's... not bad."
At this point, Yuto chuckled and said, "Zabuza, are you still thinking about the Konoha Anbu?"
Zabuza couldn't help but feel a bit indignant, "Why didn't they just defeat me from the start when they had the numbers advantage?"
If he had lost fair and square, Zabuza wouldn't have had much to say.
It would've just been a failure on his part to gather proper intel, leading to his defeat.
But to be monitored the entire time and still believe he could win?
It wasn't until the Anbu revealed themselves that Zabuza realized... he had been played the whole time.
Anyone would feel frustrated in such a situation, let alone someone like Zabuza.
Yuto wasn't sure how to comfort Zabuza, but then another thought crossed his mind.
This other matter was also somewhat related to Zabuza.
"By the way, Terumi Mei...she's not the Mizukage yet, right?"
In fact, Yuto was just making an educated guess.
He clearly remembered that Mei became the Mizukage just before the Fourth Ninja World War... possibly even around the time of the Five Kage Summit.
'As of now, Kabuto is still undercover in Konoha, and the Fourth Ninja World War is still several years away. Even if it is advanced, it won't be that early, right?'
Yuto naturally wondered if his actions had caused some butterfly effect.
But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't see how he could have influenced Kirigakure. Even his impact in Konoha was already quite limited.
So the affairs of Kirigakure shouldn't have changed at all.
This was why Yuto was certain Mei wasn't the Mizukage yet...
Zabuza just looked slightly surprised.
"So you already knew..."
Zabuza wasn't too shocked. In his eyes, Yuto was someone with unfathomable strength...
However, Yuto just smiled and said, "I'm quite interested in what Terumi Mei talked to you about afterward. If you don't mind, could you tell me?"
Zabuza raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What part?"
"Everything except the fact that she isn't the Mizukage."
Zabuza thought for a moment and didn't see any harm in sharing.
"That's right, she's not the Mizukage."
"The reason why she is able to carry the Mizukage's hat with her is because she's acting on behalf of the Mizukage."
"Kirigakure has just gone through the Bloody Mist era and now urgently needs diplomatic efforts to restore the village's vitality."
"So Elder Genji sent Terumi Mei to establish diplomatic relations with neighboring countries or Ninja Villages... The Mizukage's hat is the most important and effective symbol of Kirigakure."
Hearing this, Yuto nodded, 'So that's how it is… it all added up now.'
As for Elder Genji... Yuto had some vague memories of him.
This guy seemed to be the de facto ruler during the late reign of the Fourth Mizukage and after his death.
But now, even the Mizukage's hat had been brought out... not only did it mean that Elder Genji was the actual ruler of Kirigakure, but it also indicated that the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, was likely already dead.
"So Terumi Mei and her group passed through the Land of Waves? And that's how the story unfolded?"
Zabuza's expression was a bit strange, neither confirming nor denying.
"No, although the Land of Waves is close to Kirigakure and leans more toward the Land of Fire or Konoha, and it's still one of the countries they needed to establish diplomatic relations with, it was lower on the priority list. They were supposed to go to other higher-priority countries first, but along the way, Ao detected Ninjas... fishing nearby."
'Ninjas... fishing?'
The combination of these two words sounded a bit off, and Zabuza didn't seem to fully understand the situation either. But Yuto immediately knew what was going on.
Yuto couldn't help but facepalmed. He had run into this when he was using the Mayfly Technique to return to Konoha.
The Anbu's member codenamed 'Elephant' had gone fishing far from the Land of Waves to avoid drawing attention.
But that was just an excuse, and Yuto knew exactly what this guy was thinking.
He clearly wanted to catch some big fish in the open sea! Then show off to Tenzo and the others!
In the end, he did catch some big fish, but he also became the bait that lured Mei and her group...
Yuto was speechless, 'He was obviously an Anbu! And a direct subordinate of the Hokage! Yet he acted as carefree as Naruto.'
Yuto suddenly felt that the reason Elephant had become the Hokage's personal bodyguard wasn't just because of his strength and mastery of secret techniques, but was probably also because he wasn't suited for assassination missions or the like.
But fortunately, the outcome was good, and it even helped establish initial ties between Kirigakure and Konoha. For Mei, it must have been a pleasant surprise.
"So... after that, how did she convince Konoha to take you in?"
Now that Zabuza and Haku were officially employees at Yuto's shop, things had worked out pretty well for Yuto.
Zabuza sighed, "That woman used the Mizukage's authority to restore my status as a Kirigakure Ninja and stationed me in Konoha as a diplomatic envoy."
Yuto couldn't help but laugh, as Zabuza's frustration was practically written all over his face.
He probably never expected that, in the end, he'd be helped by a woman.
Moreover, Zabuza had always wanted to rebuild Kirigakure, even going so far as to assassinate the Mizukage...
As a result, he was exiled for many years and almost lost his life.
Now he was being told that the Mizukage was already dead, the village was under the control of Elder Genji, and the Bloody Mist Policy was abolished. So what did that make him, who had been wandering outside, trying to stop the Bloody Mist Policy?
At this moment, Zabuza, who had fought for so many years, suddenly felt like he had lost his purpose and was plunged into confusion.