Knock, knock, knock.
Another morning, another knock on the door.
Shinji came out with messy hair, his face full of anger. "Brat, I think you're tired of living!"
Yesterday, he had thrown Sasuke to the hospital and returned, thinking that Sasuke had woken up and was bothering him again.
However, when he opened the door and saw who it was, he was very surprised.
"We meet again, Shinji." The old acquaintance, Mangetsu Hōzuki, greeted him with a smile.
"Huh? Why is it you?"
Shinji was extremely surprised and even poked his head outside to look, confirming that this was Konoha, not Mist Hidden. Why would Mei Terumī and Mangetsu Hōzuki be here?
It was simply too strange.
"Why can't it be us? Also, don't forget your identity. You are the consultant I specifically hired. In your letter, didn't you always say you wanted to see me? Why do you seem unhappy now?"
Mei Terumī smiled, her eyes narrowing.
Bad!
There's killing intent!
Shinji keenly sensed Mei Terumī's emotional change at this moment and quickly forced a smile.
"How could I be unhappy? I'm just surprised. Have you finished dealing with matters in Mist Hidden? You even have time to come to Konoha. Did something major happen?"
Mei Terumī glanced at him. "Are we just going to stand here and chat?"
"Oh, please come in, please come in. It's a bit messy inside, make yourselves comfortable."
As soon as she walked in, Mei Terumī regretted it.
The phrase 'it's a bit messy inside' was not a humble or polite remark, but a fact laid bare before them!
The table was covered with unwashed bowls and chopsticks, garbage, and unfinished snacks and messy clothes and pants on the floor.
Make yourselves comfortable?
They really had to make themselves comfortable, because there was literally no space to stand.
Noticing Mei Terumī's cold gaze, Shinji, mimicking Tobi, scratched his head awkwardly. "It is indeed a bit messy. How about we go out and find a place to talk?"
Mei Terumī couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Let's go to my place. The Hokage just arranged accommodation for us. It should be much better than yours."
"Isn't that obvious? You are the dignified Mizukage, while I am just a humble consultant."
"Don't worry, you won't be wronged. With me here, helping you get better accommodation is a small matter."
Mei Terumī said confidently. This was hardly even a request.
Shinji replied grumpily as he walked out with them. "Forget it. Anyway, we're planning to leave Konoha today. If you had come a little later, you might not have even seen us. Such luck..."
"Hmm? From what you're saying, you still don't want to see me?"
"How could that be? I mean, the luck is just too good."
"You're planning to leave Konoha today? Where are you going?"
"Haven't decided yet. What's wrong? Do you want to trick me into returning to the Land of Water again? Give up, Mist Hidden holds no appeal for me now."
"Do I hold no appeal for you?"
"Pfft, please, next time you make a joke, don't have such a serious face. It'll scare the children."
"Alright, I'll try my best."
As they were leaving, Shinji didn't forget to shout upstairs. "My sons, your father is going out for a bit. I'll bring you oranges when I get back."
Boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, a blood-red moon shattered the second-floor window and plunged into the ground at Shinji's feet. It was Hidan's Bloody Three-Moon Scythe.
Undoubtedly, this was a warning from Hidan.
Shinji didn't care, shrugged, and left.
Then, with a tightening of the rope, the Bloody Three-Moon Scythe stuck in the ground was yanked back to the second floor with a whoosh.
Then came the sound of arguing from inside.
"Whoa! Are you trying to kill me, Hidan-senpai? Don't throw things around next time. What if you hit some flowers and grass?"
"Shut up! If you talk any more nonsense, I'll pull out your intestines and make hot pot!"
"Eww~~ So, Hidan-senpai likes to eat such heavy-tasting food? Disgusting"
"My god..."
...
"Your way of greeting each other... is quite unique," Mangetsu Hōzuki chuckled.
"Envious?"
"No, absolutely not! I swear on the Six Paths Sage!" Mangetsu Hōzuki said with a serious expression.
"Actually, you can be envious."
"No, let's forget it. Thank you."
It was confirmed: Mangetsu Hōzuki had an idol complex. Remember to pass this down.
Soon, Mei Terumī and the others returned to the residence arranged for them by the Hokage.
A standalone villa, impressive!
Let me see how many people are here to 'educate' me.
"Now you can tell me. Why did the dignified Mizukage abandon her home and suddenly run to Konoha? Don't tell me it was just to see me, that kind of joke is too tiring to explain."
Shinji was not polite. He sat down, saw the fruit platter, and directly picked up a watermelon to eat.
Mei Terumī was also speechless. This guy always seemed to respect her as the Mizukage with his words, but his actions showed he didn't take her seriously at all. It was infuriating!
However, since Ao's death, she hadn't had anyone close to her.
Now, Mangetsu Hōzuki was her right-hand man. Besides him, she had also selected two people for focused training: Ringo Ameyuri and Chōjūrō.
Yet, the only person who made her feel relaxed and at ease during their interactions was this scoundrel in front of her. It was truly vexing.
"You've been in Konoha for so long, haven't you heard that the Hokage is planning to hold a joint Chūnin Exam?"
"What? Chūnin Exam?"
Shinji, who was devouring the watermelon, froze.
Although the timing seemed about right, something was off.
He remembered that in the joint Chūnin Exam held by Konoha, only the Kazekage had brought people to show support, and he was there with a plot to dismantle Konoha.
The other major ninja villages had not given them any face.
Now, hearing Mei Terumī's words, she had actually come to Konoha specifically for such a trivial 'minor matter'?
It couldn't be that serious.
After all, it hadn't been long since Mist Hidden was attacked by curse spirits. At such a critical juncture, was it really okay for the Mizukage to leave the village with her people?
Unless there was a reason that forced Mei Terumī to make this trip.
"Explain in detail, what exactly happened?"
Shinji became interested, throwing the half-eaten watermelon onto the table.
Mei Terumī had no intention of hiding anything from him, or rather, she wanted to hear his opinion.
It was actually very simple: Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to use the pretext of the joint Chūnin Exam to unite allies and jointly counter the curse spirits that were growing too rapidly.
After the consecutive attacks on Mist Hidden and Konoha, almost everyone realized that the curse spirits were showing signs of uniting.
And if all the curse spirits were to unite, while they were still fighting amongst themselves, they would likely be defeated one by one!
____________________
For more advance chapters visit my patreon
patreon.com/kane45
Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter
20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter
40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter
Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"
"Saturday and Sunday - Off"