The stern, instructive expression on his face instantly switched to a gentle yet unfathomable smile.
"Oh? The little princesses of the Yamanaka and Hyuga Clans are back?"
Di Yan's gaze swept over Ino and Hinata.
It lingered for a moment, especially on Hinata:
"It seems your families' patience isn't quite enough."
Ino and Hinata were startled.
When they left Neji and the others to return, they had indeed encountered family members on the way who told them to go back.
But they refused, stating they had a mission.
Ino was the first to react, pulling the still-stunned Hinata forward.
She tried to make her smile appear natural and sweet, changing the subject:
"His Majesty the Emperor is jesting; it's just routine family concern."
"We… we were just curious, was His Majesty the Emperor teaching Hanabi a new taijutsu just now? That… Tai Chi?"
Looking at the two women forcing smiles, Di Yan didn't press further.
Winning the hearts of the two women wouldn't be that simple.
It would require time and shared experiences.
He chatted idly with the women.
Until Hinata, Ino, Hanabi, and Hikari were ready to wash up and rest.
The courtyard fell silent for a time.
Only the tranquil afterglow of the slowly descending night curtain remained.
Di Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze distantly fixed on the direction Ino and Hinata had departed.
The usual, inscrutable gentle smile on his face gradually faded.
It was replaced by a deep, almost icy calm.
As if all pretense had been shed.
Revealing a trace of the true nature of a ruler.
Faint footsteps, almost blending into the wind, as Uchiha Izumi appeared silently half a step behind him, like a ghost.
Izumi maintained an absolutely respectful distance.
She still wore that icy expression.
Only when her eyes met Di Yan's back did a complex, inexpressible emotion emerge.
A blend of absolute loyalty and a deeper bond.
"His Majesty the Emperor."
Izumi's voice was clear and cold, without a ripple, simply stating facts, "Before Yamanaka Ino and Hyuga Hinata returned, they secretly met with Sakura Haruno, Hyuga Neji, and Lee and Tenten."
"They have tentatively planned a rescue for Asuma Sarutobi, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Inuzuka Kiba."
Di Yan did not turn around.
He merely let out a very soft "hmm," indicating he was listening.
Izumi continued her report, lowering her voice further, ensuring only the two of them could hear:
"When they returned to the inn, both the Hyuga Clan and the Yamanaka Clan sent clansmen to take them back to their respective main residences."
"But they both refused, citing… 'important missions they were on'."
She deliberately repeated the words "important missions."
Her tone didn't betray whether it was mockery or something else.
Di Yan finally stirred slightly.
The corner of his mouth seemed to curve upwards in an extremely subtle arc.
But that was certainly not a happy smile.
It was more like a detached understanding, an awareness that everything was under control.
"As expected."
He spoke indifferently, his voice devoid of any surprise, "Konoha's new sprouts are always full of unnecessary courage and… almost foolish responsibility."
He slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Izumi's exquisite yet expressionless face:
"Do they think their actions are very secretive?"
"Or do they believe that I, His Majesty the Emperor of the Land of Fire, am just a blind man in Konoha Village?"
Izumi bowed slightly: "They were very cautious, avoiding conventional surveillance points."
"But His Majesty the Emperor is wise and has already laid out an inescapable net."
Her tone carried an unquestionable reverence.
It turned out that Ino and Hinata's every move.
Had never escaped Di Yan's sight.
The so-called secret meeting, the so-called excuses to their families.
All these cautious actions.
In Di Yan's eyes.
Were probably like a poorly staged play.
And he himself was the sole audience, seated in the best viewing spot.
Di Yan raised his hand, gently stroking a Yūgao flower swaying in the evening breeze, his eyes deep.
"That's fine."
He said softly.
As if speaking to Izumi, yet also to himself.
"Let the game… be a little more interesting."
"Let's see how far these Konoha little strong ones can go."
"Izumi," he commanded, "continue to watch them."
"Also, the guards at the dungeon… 'adjust' them 'appropriately' according to the original plan."
"Yes, His Majesty the Emperor."
Izumi had no questions, immediately accepting the order.
She understood the meaning of "appropriate adjustment."
Neither allowing people to be easily rescued, nor leaving seemingly exploitable loopholes.
His Majesty the Emperor seemed to enjoy this feeling of controlling everything.
Izumi's figure, just as she arrived.
Melted silently into the shadows, as if she had never been there.
The courtyard was once again left with only Di Yan.
The last ray of sunset fell on him, stretching his shadow long, long.
Making him appear exceptionally solitary, yet exceptionally powerful.
He watched the red sun completely sink into the mountains.
His eyes gleamed with calculation and amusement.
"Gathering intelligence? Rescuing comrades?"
He chuckled softly, with a hint of lazy mockery, "I hope you… don't disappoint me too much."
"Sakura Haruno and Tenten, huh… meat delivered to my doorstep, I'm happy to eat it…"
…The Konoha inn district was quiet in the dead of night.
Only the occasional patrol lights flickered.
In the shadows of a corner in the backyard.
Ino and Hinata used their Byakugan abilities to observe the heavily guarded area from afar.
It appeared to be just an ordinary warehouse.
But in the Byakugan's vision, the internal structure was complex, with overt and covert sentries intertwined, and Chakra responses dense and powerful.
There were almost no blind spots.
What was even more alarming was that.
The guards were entirely enveloped in specialized black clothing, which could interfere with the Byakugan's X-ray vision to a certain extent.
Making it impossible to fully see their true appearance and specific arrangements.
"No… we can't get close at all."
Hinata retracted her Byakugan, fine sweat beading on her forehead, her voice tinged with a sense of powerlessness, "The guards are too strict."
"And their equipment seems to counter some of the Byakugan's abilities."
Ino bit her lower lip, her beautiful face filled with unwillingness and anxiety:
"Is there really no way? Asuma Sensei, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba… they…"
The two fell silent, the urgency of the rescue and the harsh reality making the atmosphere particularly oppressive.
After a long while.
Ino seemed to have made some kind of decision, suddenly looking up, her eyes filled with a desperate resolve:
"There's no other way! It seems… we can only go beg His Majesty the Emperor!"
Upon hearing this, Hinata's delicate body trembled slightly.
Her fair cheeks instantly turned somewhat pale, and she subconsciously hugged her arms:
"But… but that person… he… he's too…"
She stammered, unable to find the right words.
But in her pure white eyes, fear and an unspeakable embarrassment were clearly revealed.
Di Yan was too strong in that regard; she alone really couldn't handle it… Ino grabbed Hinata's hand, cheering her on, and also emboldening herself:
"Don't be afraid, Hinata! Both of us together!"
"To save everyone, this sacrifice is nothing!"
"And… we are Ninja!"
"That's right, to save our comrades, this sacrifice is nothing."
Just then, a slightly hoarse yet still soft and charming voice echoed from the shadows behind them:
Ino and Hinata were startled, whipping their heads around.
Simultaneously adopting defensive stances.
Only to see Kurenai Yuhi slowly emerge from the shadows.
She, too, seemed to have just finished reconnaissance, her face showing fatigue.
But her red eyes burned with a determined light.
She looked at her two surprised students, revealing a bitter yet resolute smile.