Kakashi had truly experienced firsthand what a "Mei Terumi–style attack" meant.
This wasn't ordinary flirting. It felt more like offering roses with a smile while simultaneously sealing every escape route with Lava Release.
He adjusted his mask and coughed lightly, his tone noticeably stiff.
"This proposal… is rather sudden, Lady Mizukage."
"Sudden?"
Mei Terumi blinked, deliberately putting on a faintly disappointed expression before the corners of her lips curved upward again.
"Then I'll take that as you not refusing—just needing time to think it over."
She raised her hand, fingers lightly brushing the air, as if stamping the matter as decided.
"That's fine. I'm patient. A truly good man is always worth waiting for."
Then she added casually, yet with an inexplicable edge of danger:
"But, Kakashi, don't keep me waiting too long. Once a woman gets older, both her temper and her ninjutsu can become… quite terrifying."
Her tone was light, but the murderous undertone was unmistakable.
Kakashi's lips twitched. At last, he understood why Ao always looked as though disaster was looming.
"…I'll remember that carefully."
"That's more like it."
Mei Terumi smiled in satisfaction and waved her hand again.
"Alright, go on. I can't have my future 'potential candidate' getting lost in the Hidden Mist."
Ao had long since lost the desire to speak. He could only mechanically extend his arm.
"Mr. Kakashi, this way, please."
As Kakashi turned to leave the office, he could still feel that burning gaze on his back.
Once the door closed, he let out a soft sigh.
"A love as molten as lava…"
Thinking of Mei Terumi's Lava Release and Boil Release, the expression hidden behind his mask became subtly complicated.
"This might actually be deadly."
Outside, Ao finally let out a long breath, as though he had narrowly survived a calamity.
Kakashi glanced at him and asked casually, "Is the Mizukage usually like this?"
Ao paused for two seconds, then replied with a complex expression.
"What you just witnessed… was already the toned-down version."
Kakashi: "…"
The Hidden Mist Village truly was an extraordinary place.
As they walked, Ao guided Kakashi through the village at an unhurried pace, introducing key areas while guards along the route recognized him.
With the Fifth Mizukage's official inauguration only days away, the entire village was busy with preparations.
Flags and ribbons symbolizing the Mizukage's authority were being hung outside buildings on both sides of the street. The number of shinobi on patrol was several times higher than usual, and Anbu could be spotted at many elevated positions.
Though the villagers still carried the cautious wariness characteristic of the Hidden Mist, their expressions were noticeably more relaxed.
"She seems genuinely popular," Kakashi remarked casually.
Ao paused slightly, then lowered his voice.
"If it weren't for Lady Mei Terumi, the Hidden Mist might still be bleeding even now. To many people, she's not just the new Mizukage—she's the one who dragged this village out of its nightmare."
Kakashi nodded and said nothing more.
A few days later, the inauguration ceremony of the Fifth Mizukage was held as scheduled.
On that day, the Hidden Mist Village—shrouded in damp fog year-round—rarely revealed a clear, radiant sky.
The thick mist was swept away by the wind. The square before the Mizukage building was spotless, with flags bearing the Hidden Mist emblem flying high on all sides.
Dark blue and white ribbons were strung between the cylindrical buildings, lending a festive touch to the cold steel-and-stone architecture.
Watchtowers above were packed with heavily guarded shinobi, and Anbu lurked in every blind spot.
Though the villagers were dressed more neatly and brightly than usual, restraint and vigilance still lingered in their eyes.
There was celebration—but the somber undertone had not fully dissipated.
It was as though the village itself was declaring that the era of the Bloody Mist had ended, yet the Hidden Mist remained the Hidden Mist.
Kakashi stood quietly at the edge of the viewing area, watching it all unfold.
On the high platform, Mei Terumi wore the formal Mizukage robes. Her long reddish-brown hair was tied high, exposing her slender, fair neck.
She was already strikingly beautiful, but clad in garments symbolizing supreme authority, she shed some of her usual allure and gained a sharp, mature dignity.
When the conical hat representing the Fifth Mizukage was placed upon her head and she turned to face the entire village, the crowd—long suppressed—finally erupted into thunderous cheers.
They weren't perfectly synchronized, nor wildly frenzied, but they were unmistakably sincere.
Some clapped. Some shouted "Fifth Mizukage!" Others—elderly villagers—simply stared at the platform with reddened eyes.
This wasn't a routine celebration of a new ruler.
It was gratitude toward the woman who had pulled them back from the abyss.
Kakashi looked at the woman on the platform, his expression growing unusually solemn.
To rise to such a position in a place like this required far more than talent and beauty alone.
The celebrations in the Hidden Mist didn't last long.
The village wasn't accustomed to prolonged revelry. Prosperity surfaced briefly before sinking once more into the cold, drifting fog.
That afternoon, before his departure, Kakashi was invited to the Mizukage's office for a final formal meeting.
Inside, Mei Terumi had changed back into practical attire, though a Mizukage haori rested on her shoulders. Compared to a few days earlier, she appeared calmer, more authoritative.
Ao stood silently to the side, like an immovable backdrop.
"Mr. Kakashi, thank you for staying a few extra days," Mei Terumi said.
She pushed a sealed official document across the desk, pressing a finger lightly on it.
"This is a letter of credentials issued in my name as the Fifth Mizukage. It states that the Hidden Mist is willing to engage in formal contact with Konoha, and expresses our preliminary intent to restart the Chunin Exams next year as a joint event between Konoha, the Hidden Mist, and Sunagakure."
She paused, then produced another separately sealed confidential scroll.
"This contains the results of our covert investigation into the masked man, along with certain findings from the era of the Fourth Mizukage. The information is limited, but it should be enough for the Hokage to understand that the Hidden Mist is serious."
Kakashi accepted the scrolls, weighing them lightly in his hand.
"Looks like this trip wasn't wasted."
"Of course it wasn't."
Mei Terumi smiled faintly.
"You personally forced a massive problem out of the shadows and into the light."
Although it was regrettable that they couldn't eliminate him, at least now the Hidden Mist knew exactly where to direct its blade.
Kakashi placed the documents into his ninja pouch and nodded.
"I'll deliver them intact to the Hokage."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
As she spoke, Mei Terumi chuckled softly. The formal aura from earlier negotiations faded, replaced by her familiar demeanor.
"And about what I mentioned before, Kakashi—don't pretend you've forgotten once you return to Konoha."
Ao closed his eyes, his expression clearly saying, Here it comes.
Kakashi's lips twitched.
"Lady Mizukage is remarkably persistent."
"Isn't it natural to appreciate outstanding men?"
Mei Terumi rested her chin on her hand, smiling at him.
"Someone intelligent, powerful, and capable of turning the tide at critical moments—letting you go would be a waste, wouldn't it?"
"I'll do my best to avoid causing a diplomatic incident between Konoha and the Hidden Mist for such a… unique reason."
"So that means you'll seriously consider it?"
"…Whatever makes you happy."
Mei Terumi laughed and finally stopped teasing him, waving her hand lightly.
"Alright, I truly won't keep you this time."
"Please give my regards to the Hokage when you return. And tell Tsunade this—"
"The Hidden Mist is ready to take the first step. The only question is whether Konoha dares to follow."