New Year Festival, The Time Management Master's Ultimate Maneuver

Mei Terumi is a woman of strong character who doesn't look back on past gains and losses; she only cares about what's in front of her.

When she heard Naruto mention the person behind the White Zetsu, her attitude changed. Mei Terumi didn't care about personal grudges; she wanted to end the war.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It seems that Lord Mizukage is very interested in this information. I suppose we should put aside our past grievances and sit down for a proper discussion?" he said with a smile, without moving his kunai an inch.

"Okay." Mei Terumi agreed readily.

Naruto didn't dare to let go immediately. He remained silent for several seconds before slowly moving the kunai away and sitting down opposite Mei Terumi. Although he wasn't human, he was still cautious.

He wasn't afraid of Mei Terumi suddenly attacking him; he wasn't that easy to kill, nor was he likely to be injured. He had too many ways to protect himself; besides the Flying Thunder God, there was also Izanagi.

But he didn't want Mei Terumi to lose her mind in anger; tomorrow was the New Year Festival. Mei Terumi could be indifferent, because the Land of Water didn't place much importance on the New Year Festival.

He's returning to Konohagakure tomorrow, traveling between two places to spend the New Year Festival with Ino and Hinata. How he'll spend it is still a problem; without some time management, he might not see the sun rise the day after tomorrow.

In short, he's busy tomorrow. If he doesn't have a chance to talk to Mei Terumi today, then we can talk about it after the New Year.

The two sat down, but their conversation was far from peaceful.

Inside the tent, Naruto glanced at Mei Terumi and noticed that her eyes still held a chill. After a moment's thought, he decided to simply confront her head-on.

"I have one condition."

"Speak," Mei Terumi replied.

"I haven't decided yet. How about I ask the Mizukage for a promise?" Naruto said.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought it through; he was certain that Mei Terumi wouldn't agree. Besides, it was a matter for the future anyway, and he would need to do something else to get Mei Terumi to agree.

The war will eventually end, and since Naruto hasn't placed any trusted confidants in Kirigakure, he'll inevitably have to go through Mei Terumi if he wants to influence Hidden Mist. Furthermore, Mizukage will definitely succeed him as Chojuro; Chojuro is weak and indecisive, and listens to Mei Terumi the most.

"The promise is too great; I dare not accept it." Mei Terumi's expression grew even colder.

Naruto knew immediately that this person had misunderstood, so he quickly waved his hand in front of her. He wanted to explain, but what came out of his mouth was a teasing remark.

"It's not that kind of thing, Mizukage has a rather lewd mind."

"Roll!"

"You're getting anxious, you're getting anxious."

"Naruto Uzumaki! Do you really think I wouldn't dare to kill you?" Mei Terumi's eyes flashed with a cold light, as if she was already preparing to make her move.

"Alright, alright, let's get down to business." He coughed. "The person behind White Zetsu is Orochimaru's former subordinate, Kabuto, and also a former member of Akatsuki Organization, Zetsu."

"As for Sasuke Uchiha, who is currently attacking Kumogakure, that was a complete accident. First of all, he is a rogue ninja and has nothing to do with Konohagakure. Secondly, he is not very bright and was easily fooled by Kabuto and Zetsu, and wanted to destroy the Shinobi World."

"Is Konohagakure trying to shirk responsibility?" Mei Terumi was quite imposing when she got serious, her eyes showing a disdainful look and an aura of dominance. "Sasuke Uchiha Konohagakure ninja. Whether he is a rogue ninja or not is still up for debate."

"If the Mizukage has any questions, he can go directly to Konohagakure to question him," Naruto said, shrugging as if it were none of his business.

"Let's not talk about that anymore, let's continue talking about Kabuto."

"Okay." Mei Terumi didn't dwell on the topic.

Killing Naruto with a single blow doesn't change anything; it's all in the past, Mei Terumi doesn't seem to care much about it. Who benefited is another matter; both of them are rather confused.

It was just a fleeting romance; people of the martial world don't care about such formalities, and she was more concerned with intelligence.

The Land of Water has a wide defense line and a coastline, making it virtually impossible to defend against. This is precisely why the Land of Water struggles the most against the White Zetsu.

The Mist Ninja forces are scattered across major towns, not only protecting the nobles of the Land of Water, but also constantly running between various defensive lines.

Hidden Mist was already facing a talent shortage, and Chojuro's generation couldn't even muster enough Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. They were barely capable in battle, but they struggled against monsters like White Zetsu.

White Zetsu has no emotions, no fear, and only knows how to charge into battle.

If we simply passively resist, the morale of the troops will eventually be worn down, and it may plummet before the spring of next year.

That's why Mei Terumi went to the border to boost morale at the end of the year. War is all about winning hearts and minds; only by believing in victory and uniting as one can we get through it.

However, this is a last resort; boosting morale is only a temporary solution. Hidden Mist must find the person behind the White Zetsu and eliminate him or stop him from continuing his military campaign against the Land of Water.

Therefore, the information Naruto brought was actually very important to Mei.

"Kabuto is treacherous, ruthless, and adept at disguise," Naruto summarized succinctly, then added, "He's currently digging up graves, preparing to Impure World Reincarnation a group of Jonin using the Impure World Reincarnation technique."

"Impure World Reincarnation?" Mei Terumi exclaimed in surprise, her mouth slightly agape. "Isn't that the Second Hokage's sinister technique? How could Kabuto it?"

"Orochimaru can do it, Kabuto naturally can too." Naruto smiled, silently thinking to himself, "I can too."

"Ha, your Konohagakure's fine tradition?" Mei Terumi couldn't help but scoff. "Manipulating the dead, why is this Forbidden Jutsu allowed to circulate?"

"You'd have to ask the Second Hokage about that. Maybe it's to restrain the evil Uchiha," he said calmly, even managing a joke.

"Konohagakure is prone to suspicion," she said.

"The Hidden Mist Village isn't much better; there aren't many clean villages in the Shinobi World." Naruto retorted lightly. "Stop talking nonsense; the Mizukage- sama had better make a decision."

"If we wait until next spring to stop Kabuto, it will be too late. By then, the Land of Water will not only have to face White Zetsu, but also the Edo Tensei Army."

"Soon, Kabuto will enter the Land of Water to prepare for the Impure World Reincarnation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen the Mist."

Mei Terumi fell silent. The situation in the Land of Water was terrible, even worse than in the Land of Wind those few children ruled. After the Bloody Mist, the Hidden Mist Village's strength was already very weak.

Mei Terumi had gone to great lengths to pull Hidden Mist out of the bloody mist of the past, and naturally did not want Hidden Mist to suffer another heavy blow; they couldn't afford to lose again.

This is why Naruto insisted on finding Mei Terumi to reveal information; as for what Hidden Mist did, he couldn't care less.

"Can I believe your news?" Mei Terumi asked again.

"Of course, I have no motive to lie," Naruto said. "I'm just here to give you a heads-up. Whether or not I take action is none of my business."

With that, Naruto vanished. Mei Terumi, having witnessed the Flying Thunder God, didn't react much. She was still deep in thought, considering the veracity of the information.

Perhaps while speculating about Naruto's movements, her gaze had already crossed the Land of Water and turned towards the distant Konohagakure. She wasn't sure if Naruto Uzumaki represented Konohagakure's interests, and it seemed he was contacting her behind Konohagakure's back.

In any case, this news is indeed very important to the Land of Water.

~~

The next day, I opened my eyes to find it was the New Year Festival.

Naruto lay in bed, having completely forgotten about contacting Mei Terumi the day before. As for why he chose Kirigakure, it was simply because Hidden Mist didn't have any of his people there.

The mission of the Evil God follower has been completed, and Naruto has no better way to control Hidden Mist.

Mei Terumi received information that she would most likely attack Kabuto to stop him from Impure World Reincarnation the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. To some extent, this would delay Kabuto's progress and also weaken Hidden Mist's strength.

This is exactly the result Naruto wanted: the weaker Hidden Mist, the more he can take the initiative.

For Mei Terumi, learning about the mastermind behind the White Zetsu would greatly alleviate the pressure on the Land of Water. Both sides got what they wanted; even if they couldn't kill Kabuto, by spring, the Five Great Nations would face the White Zetsu army together.

It's a new year again. Naruto washes up in front of the mirror, the room is cold and quiet.

In that instant, he suddenly realized that he hadn't been to the Land of Rain in a long time. Kakashi didn't seem to care much about Sakura's disappearance.

Although Sakura had already prepared an excuse to travel around like Tsunade, almost half a year has passed. Today is the New Year Festival, and Sakura should return to the village.

Having finalized his plan, Naruto took a deep breath and left with a determined look in his eyes.

"You're here?" Ino sat at the counter with a smile, glanced at him, and then looked away. "Coming so early, you're probably going to get scolded again."

"It's okay, I'll beat up his grandson or granddaughter after the child is born!" Naruto grinned, putting down the gifts he was holding. "Where are your father and mother?"

He knew that Inoichi Yamanaka had returned from the front lines, and the battle at the defensive line was not particularly intense. Given how much Inoichi Yamanaka cared about his daughter, it was not surprising that he chose to return to the village to report for duty during the New Year Festival.

"Hmph, you dare?"

"Upstairs, probably busy preparing gifts. I'll be going out to visit someone later." Ino peeled a lollipop and put it in her mouth, squinting her eyes contentedly.

"It's only been a short time, and you're not showing any belly at all, look."

As she spoke, she pulled her clothes tighter, revealing the outline of her slightly protruding belly. Since becoming pregnant, Ino hadn't worn any clothes that exposed her waist; she only wore loose-fitting casual clothes.

Today she was wearing a pink loungewear set, wrapped in thick fleece, with a cat-shaped hood.

The warm winter sun streamed through the glass door, and Ino, seemingly completely wrapped in her pajamas, wore a charmingly innocent expression. Naruto reached out and gently rubbed her cheek, then pulled the lollipop out of her mouth.

"Eat less of these, they're unhealthy." He turned around and stuffed the lollipop into his mouth, and it was unexpectedly sweet.

"How shameless! You stole my candy!" Ino was becoming more and more like a teenage girl, languid and her tone increasingly childish. "Give it back to me! Or else..."

She pointed to her stomach and said fiercely.

"Otherwise, I won't eat today!"

Helpless, Naruto had no choice but to return the candy to Ino, who was smug. She had never lost to Naruto and always had the upper hand.

She has family, friends, and a lover. She enjoys being loved without restraint, and even Naruto willingly spoils her, because she deserves it.

"Stop fooling around, how old are you to still be fighting over candy?" Yamanaka Rino walked gracefully down the stairs, glancing at the two people at the counter with a hint of exasperation.

"Come and eat breakfast, Ino! Spit out the candy!"

"Oops." Ino was still a little afraid of her mother, so she could only obediently spit out the candy, then hid behind Naruto and nudged him, signaling him to move forward.

"Auntie," Naruto said, as if by magic, producing a pile of gifts and handing them to Yamanaka Rino. "These were picked from the Land of Snow."

Naruto was never stingy with gifts, even though there were times when he was really broke and often skipped paying the bill. But during holidays, he never failed to give away any of his gifts.

It was precisely because he was so frequent in giving gifts that Yamanaka Rino had become accustomed to Naruto sending her rare beauty and health products from time to time.

Gifts always come in return, and by the time things had gone back and forth, it was too late to reject the son-in-law. Over time, Yamanaka Rino actually developed a pretty good impression of Naruto; at least the gifts he gave her were tailored to her tastes.

"Alright, stop joking around. Let's go upstairs and have breakfast. Inoichi is waiting for you."

"Okay." Naruto was about to walk forward when he suddenly felt his hand being pulled.

Turning around, Ino appeared calm and collected, coughing lightly. She then asked, feigning nonchalance, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Naruto smiled and pulled Ino upstairs.

Looking at her daughter's pathetic state, Yamanaka Rino couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly, thinking to herself, "You have to be all lovey-dovey at home? Are you trying to drive your father to his death?"

Inoichi Yamanaka's reaction wasn't as strong as Ino had imagined. He only glanced at their clasped hands before quickly looking away. After silently reminding himself that Ino was carrying his child, he managed to suppress his murderous intent.

"Please sit down. Come with us to visit some elders later," Inoichi Yamanaka said calmly. "Although it is wartime now, we cannot skip the proper procedures."

"Okay, I'll follow Uncle's instructions." Naruto was always very obedient, and he would do whatever Inoichi Yamanaka said, since it was just some unimportant stuff anyway.

Taking advantage of a break while visiting the elders of the Yamanaka Clan, Naruto found an excuse to go out, and the next second he passed through the Gate of Hades and stepped into the Capital City of the Land of Snow.

"How's Hinata doing lately?" Naruto asked as they walked.

"You've already brought it all the way here, how could anything go wrong?" Kazahana Koyuki followed behind him, her tone somewhat resentful. "Why don't you at least check on me?"

"Oh," Naruto replied casually, "How are you?"

"Not good? Unless you let me have a child." Kazahana Koyuki snorted, even the dignified Queen of the Land of Snow seemed a bit childish at this moment.

"Stop fooling around, I'm busy now, I'll definitely do it next time."

"Scumbag." Kazahana Koyuki muttered under her breath, somewhat dissatisfied.

Who would have thought he ran away during a break while drinking tea? He had to return to Konohagakure in fifteen minutes and find a suitable reason to face Hinata.

He had just made up an excuse to go for a walk, and he firmly refused Ino's offer to accompany him, telling her to finish the soup that Yamanaka Rino had made first.