With Fuguki
After Fuguki walked away from Nangetsu, it took him 12 minutes to arrive at the Yuki clan compound; when the gate guards saw Fuguki's cold eyes, they became very nervous.
Fuguki scoffed at this, and then he ordered the guards, "Tell Yukitaro to come out now and see me. I don't have all day to waste on that fool."
"GULP."
The guards swallowed their saliva in fear when they heard what Fuguki just said, and they quickly went inside the compound to report Fuguki's arrival to Yukitaro.
_______
After 5 minutes
Yukitaro walked out of the Yuki clan gate with his little brother, Yukito.
Yukito is a handsome middle-aged man and he closely resembles Yukitaro; the only difference between them is their hair.
Unlike Yukitaro's long hair, Yukito's is medium in length and he tied it in a short ponytail.
Yukitaro narrowed his eyes when he looked at Fuguki. He opened his mouth and was about to say something, but he closed it when he saw Fuguki pulling a couple of storage scrolls from his pouch.
Fuguki didn't bother looking at Yukitaro or his little brother; he opened all the scrolls at the same time and released everything that was sealed inside them.
"PUFF."
"THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD."
Corpses of Yuki clan members fell in front of Yukitaro and Yukito with a white puff of smoke one after another.
These corpses belonged to the Yuki clan members who had participated in the invasion mission alongside Yukina.
Yukitaro's eyes turned red in anger and hatred when he laid his eyes on the corpses, but Yukito's gaze was passive. He sighed and thought, "The clan's future will be very complicated."
Yukitaro was about to yell at Fuguki, but Fuguki silenced him by releasing his killing intent without restraint.
"SWISH."
Suddenly, he and Yukito were frozen on the spot; they couldn't move a muscle, and they were drenched in cold sweat.
In the next moment, Yukitaro and his brother saw their death in the hand of Fuguki. They saw Fuguki cut them in half with his Samehada while they were standing like a statue in the same spot.
Upon witnessing this vision, Yukitaro and Yukito began to perspire profusely; their eyes were fixed on Fuguki in terror, and Yukitaro started to yell in his mind like a lunatic.
"Impossible, this is impossible! How can he possess a killing intent this potent? He forced me to see my death in his hands by only releasing his killing intent. This theory is ridiculous! I refuse to believe it."
"This girl must die no matter what. If Fuguki is determined to protect that girl, he will die as well."
Fuguki scoffed in disdain when he saw how Yukitaro and Yukito were frozen in fear after he released his killing intent and he said to Yukitaro, "This is your final warning, Yukitaro. If you still send someone after my apprentice, I will slaughter the entire Yuki clan myself, and I will not leave a single survivor."
After Fuguki said this, he turned around and started walking away from the Yuki clan compound.
After Fuguki left, Yukitaro's eyes became icy as he stared in the direction Fuguki had gone, and he reflected on his thoughts. "You can't protect that slut forever, Fuguki. Even though you are currently stronger than I am, there are other weapons in this world besides strength. I will emerge victorious."
Yukitaro then looked coldly at the guards, which caused them to stiffen upon seeing his icy gaze. He then gave them an order, instructing them, "Clean the corpses and prepare them to get buried in our cemetery."
The guards nodded their heads fearfully at Yukitaro, then quickly began carrying the corpses toward the compound to clean them and prepare them to get buried in the cemetery.
Yukitaro then turned around and entered the Yuki clan compound.
Yukito looked at his brother's back and shook his head in disappointment. He then reflected inwardly, saying to himself, "I have a bad feeling about the future of our clan." I must take action given the current situation."
"I am certain that things will worsen significantly in the future, but I am unsure of the best course of action to resolve the problems stemming from my clansmen's and my brother's arrogance."
Yukito took a deep breath to calm himself and then began to think clearly about a solution.
His eyes then shone with determination and he shunshined away.
_____
With Fuguki
After Fuguki finished warning Yukitaro, he began to wander around the village.
Suddenly, he noticed a hawk circling above him in the sky. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the hawk, then Fuguki extended his arm, allowing the hawk to land gently on it.
Fuguki saw a piece of paper wrapped around one of the hawk's legs.
Fuguki unwrapped the paper, and he was surprised after he read its content.
"The Mizukage is summoning me immediately just after my return! It must be urgent. I better hurry," Fuguki thought to himself, and as he prepared to shunshin away, he stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes when he sensed someone approaching him fast.
"SWISH."
Suddenly, Yukito appeared in front of Fuguki using shunshin. He bowed his head to Fuguki and said, "Fuguki-sama, I would like to have a chat with you."
At first, Fuguki narrowed his eyes, but after a moment he nodded his head and said to Yukitaro, "Make it quick; Mizukage-sama has summoned me."
Yukito nodded his head and started saying to Fuguki, "Fuguki-sama, I would first like to make things clear to you: I don't have any ill intentions toward your apprentice. In fact, I have opposed my big brother's approach toward the girl ever since she was born."
"I believe my brother will soon try to scheme against her since he can't defeat you head-on. I want to ask for your support in my future plans so my brother's foolishness doesn't cause harm to the Yuki clan."
Fuguki raised his eyebrows in surprise upon hearing this and curiously asked Yukito, "What are you planning on doing?"
Sighing, Yukito truthfully replied to Fuguki's question, "We will hold a special ceremony at the Yuki clan's sacred ground in six months." This ceremony is called the Life-and-Death Ceremony."
"In this ceremony, any Yuki clansman can challenge the head of the clan and the elders in a life-and-death battle. If the clan leader or elders die in battle, the victors can take their place in our clan hierarchy."
Fuguki widened his eyes in surprise upon hearing the news and thought, "Well, I never imagined that the Yuki clan had this kind of ceremony."
He then asked Yukito, out of curiosity, "I am an outsider." Why are you telling me all this? Furthermore, you asked for my support, but I can't interfere with how your clan does things."
Yukito nodded his head in understanding and replied to Fuguki, "The life and death ceremony has a condition: the challenge issuer must bring a witness from outside of the clan." I would like you to be my witness so that I can fight against my brother in the life and death battle."
Fuguki chuckled when he heard these words and asked Yukito, "Why should I help you?" What's in it for me?"
Yukito nodded his head, anticipating the question, and answered Fuguki calmly. "If I defeat my brother and become the clan head, I will give your apprentice the basic ice release theories scroll, and I will also forbid any assassination attempts against her from my clansmen."
Fuguki widened his eyes when he heard this. Yukito took a deep breath and then continued, "I will be honest with you, Fuguki-sama." The majority of the clan wants your apprentice dead because she is a bastard that has the blood of the Hozuki clan."
"Our hatred toward the Hozuki clan originates from the era of warring clans. However, there is a small group in my clan that is neutral toward your apprentice. I might be able to persuade them to join my side."
Yukito then looked seriously at Fuguki and continued, "I can't control people's will, Fuguki-sama; even in the future, after I become clan leader, your apprentice will face the hatred of many members of the Yuki clan, but all I can do is punish them if they attempt to assassinate her."
Fuguki smirked upon hearing this and said, "Yukito, I accept being your witness." The only reason I decided to help you was because I hated that fool, Yukitaro. However, let me make one thing clear to you, Yukito: if those idiots from your clan attempt to kill my apprentice, they will all die, and I will exterminate the entire Yuki clan."
"The history between your clan and the Hozuki clan is not my concern; keep this in mind."
After saying these words, Fuguki turned around and used the shunshin technique to disappear..
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