That Second
"Dream?"
As soon as Mei Terumi finished speaking, Uchiha Yue was clearly bewildered by Mei Terumi words, and for a moment he was stunned for a few seconds. Even after he Uchiha Yue didn't answer Mei Terumi question. He Uchiha Yue couldn't believe such a question would come from Mei Terumi mouth, so Uchiha Yue remained silent for a long time after Mei Terumi question.
Mei Terumi, seeing that Uchiha Yue didn't answer her, assumed that Uchiha Yue hadn't heard her clearly.
So, after another ten seconds of silence, Mei Terumi gazed into Uchiha Yue's eyes and asked seriously once again, "Uchiha Yue, do you have a dream?"
"A dream?"
Upon hearing Mei Terumi's question once again, Uchiha Yue sighed helplessly and said, "Mei Terumi, don't you think dreams are something only children talk about? People like us don't deserve to have dreams. So, let's stop talking about such boring topics. I don't have any dreams, and I won't have any in the future."
"Uchiha Yue, you're lying."
Mei Terumi was clearly dissatisfied with Uchiha Yue's reply, pouting as she said, "If you didn't want to answer me, you could have simply not answered. How can I believe you with such a perfunctory answer? Uchiha Yue, don't forget we're still children. Do you think you're an adult? So, talking about dreams doesn't seem childish or boring. Now, I'll ask you one more time: do you even have a dream?"
Looking into Mei Terumi's sincere eyes, Uchiha Yue suddenly felt that if he didn't answer Mei Terumi's question, he would really be letting her down.
So, after a few seconds of silence, Uchiha Yue finally took a deep breath, avoiding Mei Terumi's burning gaze, and cast her eyes into the darkness in the distance. She slowly said, "Everyone has their own dream. That dream may seem insignificant to others, but in the heart of the one who holds a dream, it is the greatest hope for living. I used to have a dream. You might not believe it, but when I first learned that this world was a world of ninjas, a world that required strength, I had a dream in my heart."
As Uchiha Yue spoke, it seemed she had forgotten that the person in front of her was Mei Terumi. As she recounted her dreams, she seemed to enter a strange emotional state, slowly telling Uchiha Yue Mei Terumi, "I remember back then, it was during the Second Shinobi World War. Almost every day there were funerals, and people were dying. I was in my mother's arms, accompanying her to those tedious funerals every day. What I couldn't bear was that my father had to participate in that hateful war, and he might also die on the battlefield."
"Back then, I longed for strength. With strength, I could protect my mother and my father. Even after the Second Shinobi World War, I still yearned for strength because I knew that my parents needed my protection, even in peacetime. But... you know the result, right?"
"When I longed to have the strength to protect my mother and my father, my mother was taken away by the people of Kirigakure, which is your village! At that time, I felt like I was going crazy, so I fled Konoha without hesitation and chased after the group from Kirigakure who had taken my mother. In the end, within the territory of the Land of Water, I killed two entire elite ninja squads from Kirigakure, eight members of the Shadow Guard, and severely injured the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura."
"But what was the result?"
"In the end, didn't my mother still die?"
"So, from that moment on, my dream was shattered, Mei Terumi."
"In the end, I couldn't protect my mother, my father, the most important people to me."
At this point, Uchiha Yue suddenly withdrew his gaze and turned it back to Mei Terumi in front of him, asking, "Mei Terumi, do you think my dream still needs to be discussed?"
"I'm sorry, Uchiha Yue, I didn't know."
"No need to apologize, Mei Terumi, it's okay."
Hearing Mei Terumi's apology, Uchiha Yue smiled and asked, "Alright, Mei Terumi, since you've set your mind on a dream, then so be it."
"I'd like to hear what your dreams are, as a ninja from Kirigakure."
"Um."
As soon as Uchiha Yue finished speaking, Mei Terumi took a deep breath. Perhaps because Uchiha Yue's previous words had been too heavy, Mei Terumi remained silent for a full two minutes before slowly saying, "Uchiha Yue, I've always had a dream: to become the Mizukage. As a ninja from Konoha, you have no idea how terrifying life in Kirigakure truly is."
"Every child born in Kirigakure must undergo countless trials before becoming a true ninja. Moreover, before becoming a ninja, the test we must take is the test of killing our own comrades! At that time, when we became ninjas, the rules of Kirigakure taught us children who knew nothing that orders were the most important thing! As ninjas of Kirigakure, all we needed to do was obey the Mizukage's orders!"
"I remember when I took the Genin exams, I killed my two best friends with my own hands."
"But, Uchiha Yue, do you know?"
"My two friends were actually killed by me willingly, because they couldn't stand the rules of Kirigakure anymore and wanted to place their hopes on me, hoping that I could become the Mizukage and help them realize their dreams and change the entire Kirigakure! So, from that time on, my dream was no longer just my own dream; I actually carried the dreams of three people!"
"One day, I will become the Mizukage, and I will change the entire Kirigakure!"
"One day, I will make everyone in the Shinobi World know that I, Mei Terumi Mizukage, am the Mizukage who can lead Kirigakure to the Mizukage!"
"Even the Mizukage who can restore peace to the entire Shinobi World!"
When Mei Terumi arrived, Uchiha Yue Mei Terumi had already clenched her eyes, her eyes filled with a determined light. However, Mei Terumi, who was once again reaffirming her beliefs, did not know that as she pursued her dream, her firm words, her burning gaze, and her exquisite face created a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
Even the instant Mei Terumi finished speaking, Uchiha Yue was momentarily stunned as he stared at Mei Terumi.
In that instant, Uchiha Yue felt that Mei Terumi in front of him was so beautiful!
So beautiful, little girl!