Chapter 176 - Zampusa Uzumaki!?
Ao was currently in one of the meeting rooms inside the Uzumaki compound and he was getting more annoyed at two of the three people sitting in front of him by the second. One of these three people was Naruto, who had a slightly awkward smile on his face. The second one was Hinata who had a blissful expression on her face, while the last person was Yuna, who was currently petting Hinata's head as a reward for the well-executed ambush.
What Ao was annoyed at was, obviously, the pink atmosphere that was slowly oozing out of Yuna and Hinata. Ao had heard a few rather...explicit rumors about Yuna but he didn't expect it to be so bad that she would casually start flirting in front of a guest.
Just when he was about to reprimand Yuna for acting like this in public, someone knocked on the door, and moments later, a maid entered the room. Ao could feel his eyebrow twitch when the scantily dressed maid started serving all four of them tea with surprisingly graceful movements.
This maid was Karin Uzumaki, who was getting bolder in her attempts to seduce Yuna by the week. Her dresses were getting shorter and shorter, while she even started to
"accidentally
" flash Yuna her underwear.
Yuna was pretty sure that Anko was somehow involved in this. She guessed that Anko wanted Hinata to feel pressured so she would make a move on Yuna sooner, but Yuna couldn't be sure about it. She could probably find out the truth, but since she didn't mind how Karin acted, why bother?
After Karin served tea, she gave Yuna an
"accidental
" panty-shot, which earned her a glare from Hinata and an eye roll from Naruto, she left the room again, leaving an even more awkward atmosphere behind.
Before another interruption could pop up, Ao started speaking.
"I came here to investigate the whereabouts of Zabuza Momochi. We need his support for a mission and if everything works out during this mission, his status as a missing-nin will be revoked.
"
Yuna nodded her head as soon as Ao stopped speaking. She had expected that someone from Kiri will come looking for Zabuza soon.
"I see, having someone as strong as Zabuza Momochi by your side will make Mei Terumi's little rebellion go more smoothly. Additionally, having a second one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist on her side will grant her a lot of credibility in this fight, making the take-over easier.
"
The more Yuna explained about the planned rebellion, the paler Ao's face became. This whole situation was supposed to be a secret, but Yuna casually revealed the plan and even listed up the key members as if it wasn't a big deal.
He looked Yuna in the eyes for a split second but immediately broke eye contact. He wasn't sure why, but in that short moment of eye contact, it felt like all his secrets were going to be exposed by her.
Ao always felt like it was weird that everybody from the Uzumaki clan seemed to be fine with Yuna leading them, despite her being very young, but after looking into her eyes just now, he could more or less understand that decision. Her eyes held wisdom and maturity that seemed to be far beyond her current age. Ao now realized that Yuna Uzumaki was not someone he should look down on despite her outrageous behavior.
'Or maybe she has been acting like this, to make people look down on her? That would make her even more dangero...'
"Hikyaa!
"
A weird sound escaped Hinata and a deep blush started to cover her face instantly. Although Ao wasn't entirely sure what caused Hinata's outcry, he noticed that Yuna's hand was quickly moving away from Hinata's butt shortly after it happened.
'...Or, she is just a degenerate.'
While Yuna was distracted by Hinata trying to pinch her waist, Ao took a deep breath to get his emotions back under control. Since Yuna already knew about the plan, there was no point in trying to conceal it and he could at least speak freely, now.
"You are correct in your assumption that we would like to have Zabuza Momochi to support our cause. So, could you call him here, please?
"
"Hehe, what makes you think that Zabuza is actually here in my Uzumaki compound?
"
Before Ao could answer Yuna's question, someone knocked on the door.
"Yuna, it's me, Zabuza. There is something I want to talk about in regards to the training of a few of your clan members.
"
"
"
"
"...
"
"
"
"
An awkward silence descended onto the room, but after just a few moments, Yuna started speaking again.
"Not now, Zampusa Uzumaki, I currently have a messenger from the Land of Water here. We can talk later.
"
"
"
"...
"
"
"
Everyone in the room couldn't help but look at Yuna in disbelief. Especially Ao, who couldn't believe that Yuna could tell such a shameless lie without even a hint of a blush on her face.
Zabuza, on the other hand, quickly understood the situation. Yuna had already told him that someone from the Land of Water might appear soon and she even told him that she wouldn't mind if Zabuza went with them to support them in their fight against the current Mizukage. However, she also told him that she wanted to get some favors from them before they could even meet Zabuza. This meant, that Zabuza accidentally telling the messenger that he was here went against Yuna's plan.
Zabuza could feel some cold sweat flowing down his back, but he quickly regained his bearing. Yuna already gave him a possible way to defuse the situation, so he decided to take it, even if he didn't like it. Since Yuna already provided an identity as an Uzumaki for him, he acted upon it...
"Haha, I see, Yuna...sama. Guess I'll talk to ya later then...err see ya.
"
...and failed miserably.
Zabuza might be a master of stealth, but copying other people's behavior was not his forte. Especially not, if that someone was an Uzumaki, whose personalities are pretty much the exact opposite of Zabuza's.
Although Yuna's facial muscles were screaming in protest, she managed to keep a straight face despite Zabuza's performance.
Hinata and Naruto, on the other hand, had disappeared from the room. The moment they realized that Zabuza was about to copy the way the Uzumaki clan spoke, they prepared themselves to get out of the room instantly in case they couldn't hold in their laugh.
Ao, meanwhile, was completely dumbfounded.
'What the hell happened to Zabuza? What did Yuna do to him to make him put up an act like that?'
While Yuna was trying her best to keep her facial expressions in check, she dismissed Zabuza.
"You are dismissed.
"
"Yes, Yuna-sama...errrr you know.
"
This was where Yuna finally gave up controlling her facial feature, and moments later she fell to her knees and let out loud laughter that echoed over the Uzumaki compound.
"PFAHAHAHA, WHAT THE HELL IS: ERRRR YOU KNOW, ZABUZA!!!
"
The next instant, Zabuza kicked the door open with an angry expression on his face.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO, HUH? THERE IS NO WAY I COULD ACT LIKE THESE WEIRDOS!!!
"
While Yuna and Zabuza were arguing, Ao had no idea what he was supposed to do with the current situation. He knew Zabuza from when he was still a jonin of Kirigakure, but he had never seen him act like this.
'What the hell happened to him for him to act like this? Is it really fine for him to return to Kirigakure?'
Yuna, meanwhile, slightly regretted that she couldn't squeeze any benefits out of this situation, but considering the comedic value it brought her, she was quite satisfied with it, nonetheless.