Mei Terumī had never anticipated Natsume's move.
The moment his lips met hers, her eyes went wide.
Her fair cheeks flushed a deep shade of red.
Their eyes met, and Mei Terumī felt her heart race.
His hot breath overwhelmed her, leaving her completely defenseless.
When she finally regained her composure, her mouth was dry.
"Happy now?"
Natsume licked the corner of his mouth and said, "You really do taste as sweet as you look, Lord Mizukage."
"D-don't… talk nonsense…"
Instinctively, she avoided his gaze.
She lowered her head, looking at the office desk surface.
For a moment, only her heavy breathing could be heard.
"Not happy? How about two more times then?"
Natsume's eagerly sounded voice rang out.
"You dare?!"
Mei Terumī instinctively lifted her head, speaking with clear irritation.
Her reddish-brown long hair danced along.
Her expression was unmistakably one of fury.
The next moment,
Before she could react, Natsume lunged into her arms, pinning her to the Mizukage's chair.
The office fell silent again.
Mei Terumī's defiance melted into quiet silence, though she never spoke a word.
Her tense body relaxed.
Without the support of the Mizukage's chair, she might have collapsed.
Mei Terumī gritted her teeth tightly, expressing anger that hadn't surfaced in a long time.
She was equally stunned by Natsume's boldness.
She wasn't sure how long had passed.
Finally, she shoved Natsume away with all her strength.
"No… I can't…"
Flustered, Mei Terumī tugged at her collar, trying to hide the bare skin she'd exposed.
"Is this how you're supposed to behave as a maid?"
Natsume sighed and asked.
Mei Terumī's heart was still pounding violently.
She instinctively glanced at Natsume.
Her face flushed an even deeper crimson.
Torn between hesitation and conflict, Mei Terumī stood frozen.
Seeing this, Natsume didn't press further.
He could sense he was close to winning.
He reached out, gently pinching her cheek. "Definitely next time," he whispered.
Mei Terumī dared not look at him, feeling extremely anxious, her mind completely blank.
"Let's talk about the Jinchuriki now."
Natsume let go and jumped off the Mizukage's desk, lying down on the sofa and gesturing toward Mei Terumī.
It took her a few moments to find her voice again.
She walked over and sat beside the sofa.
Naturally, Natsume rested his head on Mei Terumī's thighs.
Mei Terumī exhaled softly and began massaging his head with both hands.
Though it had been a while since she played the role of a maid, her body still knew exactly what to do.
"How did you detect Ephemeral's trail?"
Curious, Mei Terumī spoke, "Mist's Anbu searched for years without finding any clues."
"Ephemeral is a Jinchuriki after all—his power far exceeds that of normal ninja. Tracking him down won't be easy."
Natsume casually grabbed her hair and gently stroked it.
Of all the women he knew—including Kaguya Otsutsuki—Mei Terumī definitely had the longest hair.
When she stood, her hair cascaded from her head down to her knees.
Mei Terumī didn't mind his playful hair stroking but was slightly irritated by his comment.
"Do you mean that the ninjas from your Konoha Village aren't ordinary ninjas?"
"..."
Natsume twitched the corner of his mouth with a helpless expression and said, "That's not what I meant."
It's no surprise she's the Mizukage.
She truly cares about Mist Village.
Mei Terumī let out a soft snort, suddenly realizing she had been too emotional in front of him.
After calming herself slightly, she said, "Go on."
"Strictly speaking, it was an accident."
Natsume shifted his head slightly, leaning his head gently against her abdomen. "Mount Gantoku Fortress is where the Tsuchigumo clan resides."
Mei Terumī's body trembled slightly; she wasn't quite used to this.
She wanted to say something else but couldn't find the words, finally just accepting his behavior.
Forcing herself to focus, Mei Terumī recalled the history between the Tsuchigumo clan and Konoha Village, quickly figuring out part of the reason.
She couldn't help sighing thoughtfully—once again, she found herself owing Natsume a debt.
At this rate, she wouldn't be able to refuse him anymore.
But she was the Mizukage. If she did that, it might affect the entire Mist Village.
However, much of Mist's current success came from Natsume.
He had not only provided financial backing but also supplied numerous talents.
While Mist hadn't undergone major internal changes, externally—especially in commerce—they had become heavily tied to the Thousand Sunny Merchant Guild.
If he chose to sever ties, it would cause massive losses.
Losses that could rival those of war.
"What are you thinking about?"
Natsume noticed Mei Terumī's massage had stopped, so he slightly lifted his head to look at her.
"You plan to hand Ephemeral over to me?"
Mei Terumī snapped back into focus and asked, "Any conditions?"
Although Natsume said Ephemeral was at Mount Gantoku, who knew if he'd already captured him.
Considering his power, a mere Jinchuriki wouldn't be much of a challenge.
Besides, there were precedents.
She had paid dearly multiple times and still hadn't fully repaid her debts.
"No conditions."
Natsume smiled wryly. "Didn't I just apologize to you? Why don't you believe me?"
Hearing that, Mei Terumī fell silent.
She pressed her lips together and resumed the massage.
"Thank you."
Mei Terumī murmured the two words softly.
"Getting Ephemeral back won't be simple," Natsume said with narrowed eyes. "Even if Mist has the capability, casualties are unavoidable."
"..."
This section hasn't finished yet!
Mei Terumī wanted to object, paused for a moment, then remained silent.
Mist now had Zabuza Momochi as the new Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, along with herself. Capturing Ephemeral wouldn't be much of a challenge.
Still, as Natsume said, it wouldn't be simple. There could be unexpected casualties.
Yet Mei Terumī knew him well—he must have another condition in mind.
"What do you think? Do you need my help?"
Natsume smiled and asked.
Helping Mei served two purposes.
First, raising his destiny value.
Second, it was purely an investment in the future.
If he succeeded in winning Mei over, Mist Village wouldn't be far behind.
Then they'd essentially become one family.
It would be like investing in his own future enterprise.
There was nothing wrong with that.
Mei Terumī wasn't the least bit surprised by his offer.
Just as expected, this perfectly fit his character.
That didn't make it unreasonable.
If Natsume got involved, the Hidden Mist Village could easily gain a new Jinchuriki.
"You wouldn't just help us for free, would you?" Mei Terumī asked, looking down at him.
"Do you really think I'm that heartless?" Natsume shook his head slightly, speaking with a note of disappointment. "Given our relationship, why would I need any conditions to help you?"
Truthfully, he had planned on asking for something in return before coming here.
But after that earlier kiss, he realized the greatest reward was already within reach.
No use picking up sesame seeds while losing the watermelon.
Mei paused briefly, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed.
Meeting Natsume's bold gaze head-on, she quickly turned her head away.
"A-Apologies…"
Her face slightly flushed, Mei whispered.
"Hmm?"
Natsume pretended not to hear.
Mei took a deep breath and repeated herself—this time louder, with a hint of irritation mixed in.
After all, she wasn't just any average girl.
"So when are you planning to go?" Natsume stopped teasing her and casually asked.
"The sooner we go, the sooner this matter can be resolved," Mei replied.
"Do you have confidence in convincing him to rejoin Mist as a ninja?" Natsume arched a brow. "He did defect originally."
"I've already investigated his situation thoroughly," Mei simply explained.
"Ephemeral never wanted to be a Jinchuriki in the first place. His teacher, seeing this, researched a method to extract tailed beasts without killing the host. But he didn't inform Ephemeral directly. As a result, Ephemeral thought his teacher wanted to kill him, so he fought back, ended up killing him, and fled from the Hidden Mist Village."
How to put it?
It was a tragedy born from misunderstanding.
But Natsume found this technique particularly intriguing.
"If he refuses, then don't blame me," Mei said coldly, her expression turning icy. "I cannot allow Mist's tailed beasts to remain outside the village because of one individual's personal reasons."
"Now that's what I expect from the Mizukage," Natsume smiled brightly.
Mei immediately frowned and shot him a glare.
Even though she sounded serious, it somehow came off as insincere.
Thinking about it, she reached out and pinched his face.
Watching his face twist into something ridiculous, she burst into laughter.
The Mizukage's office somehow felt a little brighter.
"What about that method for extracting tailed beasts that kills the Jinchuriki?" Natsume asked, watching her smiling face.
"You want it?" Mei's eyes suddenly lit up.
All this time, it had always been her seeking Natsume's help.
But this was possibly the one and only time he'd ever ask her for anything.
"What about it?" Natsume chuckled lightly. "You planning to use this to blackmail me?"
Caught red-handed, Mei pouted.
She had just received a huge favor—making demands now felt a bit too much.
But letting go would mean missing out on a rare chance.
"Hmph! So you *do* realize it's blackmail!"
"Then why did you kiss me first before!" Mei Terumī retorted, clearly annoyed.
"Did I?"
Natsume refused to admit anything, smirking. "Seemed like you enjoyed it back then."
"I did not!"
Her face suddenly flushed red. "How could I possibly enjoy your weird antics?!"
*Is that so?*
Natsume dragged out the words, his tone full of implication.
...
Mei stayed silent for a moment and turned her head away, still simmering.
"You haven't said if you'll give me the documents yet," Natsume couldn't help but smile as he asked.
"Fine, take it. It's not like it's something valuable anyway."
After a pause, Mei feigned indifference as she replied.
"Thank you, Lord Mizukage."
Natsume stood up, leaning in close as he took her hand. "Shall we go to Mount Gantoku Fortress now?"
"I need to grab something first."
Mei tried pulling her hand back but couldn't.
She frowned, slightly confused.
"Kiss me first."
Natsume said cheerfully.
Mei glared at him immediately.
But Natsume remained completely unbothered.
...
Mei stared until her eyes hurt.
Eventually, she bit down hard—almost as an act of venting her frustration.
Yet Natsume used this chance to pull her into his arms, deepening the kiss passionately.
Mei's body went limp.
A long while later, her legs trembled faintly as she left the Mizukage's office.
She was going to retrieve some documents.
To convince Ephemeral, they needed to look at his teacher's research notes.
If even that couldn't convince him to return to Kiri, then there would only be one option left—forceful persuasion.
This mini-chapter isn't over yet—More excitement coming!
Later, Natsume took the opportunity to visit Konoha Village.
After spending time on the Black Cat Shooter Game for a while, he reappeared in the Mizukage's office, looking refreshed.
Since he had been gone for a while, when Mei saw him, she frowned.
"Where were you just now?"
"Konoha."
Natsume casually made up an excuse. "I went back to take a shower and relax."
Mei hesitated for a few seconds before understanding.
Of course, she didn't know about the Black Cat.
She simply assumed that because she had rejected him earlier, Natsume must have felt rather uncomfortable and went off to cool his head.
Her face slightly flushed, the intensity in her expression vanished without a trace.
Changing the topic, she asked, "Are we leaving now?"
Natsume gave a slight nod. "I'll take you there."
When he had sent Kurenai Yuhi to investigate the Tsuchigumo clan, he'd already given her a Flying Thunder God Kunai beforehand.
That way, he wouldn't have to make the trip himself.
Mei knew Natsume possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique and didn't object.
Grasping his arm tightly, she felt a spatial tremor—and found herself standing atop Mount Gantoku Fortress.
The two of them now stood on top of the city wall.
Below was a moderately sized town bustling with people.
"Exactly where is Ephemeral?" Mei scanned the area, realizing it might be difficult to locate him given the crowd.
Without hesitation, Natsume activated his Sensor Ninjutsu, quickly pinpointing Ephemeral's location.
However, Ephemeral wasn't inside the fortress—he was outside.
Besides Ephemeral, there were also traces of many other people nearby.
Natsume arched a brow.
Natsume cast a glance at Mei Terumī and soared outward.
A small forest just beyond the fortress walls.
Hakuro and a group of followers encircled Hōammi and Hotaru.
"Surrender Hotaru, and I'll let you go."
"Not a chance."
Hōammi, gripping the bubble-blowing tool that doubled as a flute-like weapon, shook his head as he replied.
The moment he spoke, Hotaru standing behind him felt a wave of relief.
But soon after, she grew anxious again.
She didn't know that Hōammi was a jinchuriki.
Their meeting had truly been a matter of chance.
Upon realizing he wielded formidable power, she had begun following him, hoping to become his apprentice.
As it happened, Hōammi was also on the run from Kiri's Anbu hunters, and moved by her persistence, eventually accompanied her to Mount Gantoku Fortress.
They never expected Hakuro would attack the Tsuchigumo clan and now sought to seize the forbidden technique.
"This is truly asking for death!"
Hakuro's face darkened with anger upon hearing this.
In an instant, he appeared directly in front of Hōammi and thrust forward with one palm.
Chakra rapidly spread outward.
On Hōammi's shoulder, a glowing character 'Control' formed.
"What is this...?"
Immediately, Hōammi found himself completely unable to move.
Even his chakra circulation had been sealed off.
[The Ink Sealing Technique].
Seeing his reaction, Hakuro laughed loudly. "You don't even understand what true power really is!"
He pointed toward Hotaru—in truth, more accurately, the forbidden jutsu she carried.
"With [the Ink Sealing Technique] combined with your [Kinjutsu], we could conquer the entire world!"
Spreading both arms wide, Hakuro declared, "If you cooperate nicely, I can even restore the Tsuchigumu clan's former glory!"
"You traitor!"
Hotaru glared at him intensely.
Hakuro's expression turned grim as, in an instant, he launched himself at her.
Just then, infinite chakra surged from Hōammi, shattering the Ink Sealing Technique entirely.
Still, it was just a second too late.
Mei Terumī seized Hotaru by the shoulders and yanked her backward.
Hōammi stiffened, instinctively wanting to escape.
Having wandered outside for years, he knew very well that the current Mizukage was Mei Terumī.
Therefore, he recognized her.
Yet still, he halted his steps.
He couldn't bring himself to abandon his own apprentice.
[Four thousand words]
(End of chapter)
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>