A special thank you to my patrons:
—Jacob Mooe, kevin Williams, Jose Sierra, Archer, Acedia, kurtis newman, Little Sand, Kyle.S406, Alin Kadas, sediaz, Flavio Rodrigo.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
————————————————————
"What's on the agenda for today?"
"I have no idea. It's giving me quite a headache too." The Daimyo of the Land of Fire fanned himself languidly with his small fan, his gaunt face etched with distress. For a man like him, finding some form of amusement to pass each day was an agonizing ordeal in itself.
"Shall we have the dancing girls come in first to warm up the atmosphere?" Compared to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, the Daimyo of the Land of Water had a far clearer objective: I want to see Beautiful women.
"That suits me fine. Let's..." Just as the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was agonizing over what kind of diversion to conjure up next, and since the Daimyo of the Land of Water had made the suggestion, he was ready to nod in agreement. But the words had barely left his mouth when a figure clad in the standard jonin flak jacket of the Leaf Village materialized, abruptly choking off the rest of his sentence.
"Who goes there?!" Ever since he had experienced an assassination attempt, the Daimyo of the Land of Water traveled everywhere with a retinue of guards. Consequently, the protective details around all the various Daimyo had been bolstered as well, and the Land of Fire's Daimyo was no exception. When a stranger suddenly barged in, the guards discreetly stationed around the courtyard instantly went on high alert.
"What are you panicking for? All of you, withdraw." The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was the first to regain his composure. After all, such scenes were something he encountered with fair regularity. Besides, the visitor was a familiar face. Waving his fan to conceal the lower half of his face, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire spoke: "Shisui, is it? Did the Hokage's Advisor send you?" Shisui had once served as the Daimyo's personal protector for a period of time. Under Kazuki's influence and intervention, the relationship between the Daimyo's residence and the Uchiha Clan had grown rather close.
Ah, it's someone from the Leaf Village. Nothing to worry about then. Though the Daimyo of the Land of Water, who had been badly startled, still harbored some displeasure, if the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had no objections, it wasn't his place to voice any either. He could only adjust his seated posture and curiously scrutinize this uninvited Shisui.
"Yes, my lord," Shisui, being fairly well-acquainted with the Daimyo, got straight to the point regarding his purpose. "Lord Daimyo, the Advisor has ordered me to escort Mei Terumi of the Mist Village here to seek an audience with the Daimyo of the Land of Water. She carries a mission of great importance."
Looking for him? The Daimyo of the Land of Fire cast a surprised glance at his fellow Daimyo, then nodded. "In that case, have her brought in. As it happens, I find myself somewhat curious as well." One can only hope you won't be too frightened by what you're about to hear. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was a classic case of someone who was utterly incapable yet hopelessly addicted to the thrill of spectating.
With the Daimyo's permission granted, Shisui withdrew from the palace to bring the person in. The Anbu squad members, however, were not permitted to enter the palace grounds.
"You are..." The Daimyo of the Land of Water studied Mei Terumi as she stepped forward and presented herself before him. He wracked his memory for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he slapped the armrest of his chair. "You're called Mei Terumi, aren't you?"
"Yes, my lord." Mei Terumi offered a respectful bow. "Mei Terumi, Jonin of the Mist Village, at your service."
The Daimyo of the Land of Water's gaze lingered on Mei Terumi's face for several seconds. What a pity, he lamented inwardly. She was extraordinarily beautiful, but she was a woman he couldn't touch – and didn't dare to touch!
The Daimyo of the Land of Water was fond of beautiful women, but he also clearly understood which women could be dallied with and which absolutely could not. Given his status, if he wanted beautiful women, he could have them in droves. But those rigorously trained kunoichi – those were strictly off-limits. A single careless misstep could lead to a catastrophic disaster.
"So, what business do you have with me?" The Daimyo of the Land of Water seemed somewhat distracted. One hand adjusted his slightly disheveled attire, while the other – his severed limb – remained hidden within his sleeve. Mei Terumi instinctively glanced at the surroundings, but ultimately suppressed the urge to request that those present withdraw.
"Lord Daimyo, the village has received verified intelligence. The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, was placed under the Akatsuki's control long ago and has become their puppet. Furthermore, the war itself was orchestrated and guided entirely by the Akatsuki's hand. The village wishes to overthrow the Mizukage, Yagura, but we still require your support and official endorsement."
"WHAT?!" The moment the words "the Akatsuki" reached his ears, the Daimyo of the Land of Water felt a phantom ache in his severed arm. But the words that followed caused him to leap up in sheer shock. Even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, who had been sitting to the side happily munching on his melon, was struck utterly dumb. What the hell?! I was just curious and wanted to observe a bit of drama! How did the melon I was eating suddenly turn into a bomb?! Could this be true?!
Without a doubt, both Daimyo had been thoroughly terrified. After all, Yagura was the supreme leader of the Mist Village. To think that even he could be controlled by the Akatsuki and turned into a puppet – it was simply too horrifying. If the Akatsuki could control a Mizukage, then one day, couldn't they just as easily control Daimyo like themselves? The very thought of being manipulated by a band of lawless, uncontrollable ninja made the Daimyo involuntarily shrink his neck back.
He hurriedly lifted his head and looked toward Shisui, who stood to the side, his eyes pleading for confirmation of whether Mei Terumi's words were true. Shisui gave the Daimyo of the Land of Fire a subtle nod, affirming that everything she said was indeed the truth, though he himself remained silent.
Ssss... The Daimyo of the Land of Fire couldn't help but make a significant contribution to global warming with the sharpness of his indrawn breath. The Daimyo of the Land of Water's reaction was even more dramatic. His entire body practically launched itself from the chair. His face cycled through a dizzying array of expressions, and when he spoke, his voice was tinged with an unmistakable tremor. "Are you absolutely certain this isn't some kind of joke?! Yagura has genuinely been controlled?! And by the Akatsuki, of all people?!"
Faced with the Daimyo's rapid-fire barrage of three questions, Mei Terumi nodded gravely. "It is beyond any shadow of a doubt."
"..." The Daimyo of the Land of Water was struck completely dumb, frozen in place. It took a moment for him to regain his senses, and when he did, he was overwhelmed with a profound sense of relief. He was profoundly grateful that he had found the Land of Water too boring and decided to come to the Land of Fire for excitement and beautiful women. If he had remained in the Land of Water, heaven only knew whether he might have ended up under the Akatsuki's control as well! Those lawless, reckless fiends absolutely had to be eradicated!
"You must return immediately and inform those old fossils in the village! Yagura must be apprehended without fail! And every last trace of the Akatsuki's spies and influence must be purged!!" The Daimyo of the Land of Water was a volatile mix of panic and fury. This was something he had to support no matter what. Since Yagura had already been reduced to a mere puppet, he had to be eliminated. The Daimyo of the Land of Water chose to offer his unconditional support. "Come with me. I shall prepare an official scroll for you to take back."
"..." Watching the Daimyo of the Land of Water hurriedly usher Mei Terumi away, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was dazed for a good while before he managed to squeeze out a rather stiff smile. "Shisui... the Hokage's Advisor... he doesn't have any other instructions, does he? No, rather, any advice?"
Shisui's expression flickered with an odd look. Before he had left, Kazuki had indeed entrusted him with some specific words to deliver. It appeared Kazuki's prediction had been accurate – the Daimyo had been thoroughly frightened. "Ahem." Clearing his throat lightly, Shisui replied, "Lord Daimyo, before I departed, the Advisor ordered me to relay a few words to you. He said that the Daimyo's residence of the Land of Fire is extremely secure. The Akatsuki's hands cannot reach this far. If the Daimyo still feels uneasy, he is welcome to bring his household and reside within the village for a period of time."
That the Mizukage, Yagura, had been controlled was unquestionably monumental news. While the Daimyo were stunned by the Akatsuki's insidious methods, they would inevitably begin to fret about their own safety. That was precisely Kazuki why had specially instructed Shisui – if the Daimyo expressed concern for his security, he should simply be invited to stay in the Leaf Village for a short while.
"I see." The heart the Daimyo had been holding suspended finally settled back into place. He felt that Kazuki still kept him in his thoughts, that he wasn't merely treating him, the Daimyo, as a decorative figurehead.